The door jammed closed with a reverberating bang, sealing her fate, leaving her among the dead. Lekan clawed at it, banging helplessly on the door as the room seemed to get darker.

She felt for the familiar grate in the dark but there was nothing but cold smooth metal beneath her palms. There was no way out.

Lekan imagined the dead rising from their rest beds, their eyes already wide open, their hands stretched forward wanting to claim their next victim and her breathing came in shallower. She continued to slam her bunched up fists at the door, she was irrational now, past the point of seeing reason as her old claustrophobia rose up again.

When she was ten, she had locked herself up in an abandoned refrigerator while playing hide and seek, then she had passed out from the fear, soiling her pants even, when she had been found, it had taken several slaps to snap her out of the hysteria.

"Help, help me!" She cried out in a hoarse voice but she could only hear her own ceasing breathing and when she collapsed to the floor, defeated and dizzy, she thought she heard a muffled laugh.

"Let me out!" She tried again. In a new fit of fear, she clawed at the metal door with her nails until they bled.

In, out,

In, out —

Her chest hurt with the pressure and bursts of lights danced around her vision as she took in another shuddering breath, inhaling the strange scent of lemon mixed with the pungent smell of blood.

The walls were closing, tightening around her and the dead echoed mocking laughter — it was all in her head. When darkness claimed her finally, she did not fight it.

Lekan was staring at a night full of stars when she woke up, her head hurt but the quiet around her was oddly peaceful.

"I think she's awake now," she heard a familiar male voice mutter and another one answer him.

"She doesn't look injured, carry her."

Then she was being hoisted up into warm arms.

"Daddy, is that you?" Lekan murmured sleepily.

This time when she awoke again, she was lying on a mattress and staring up at the white florescent bulb in the infirmary. She took small steps until she sat upright, Lekan blinked, surprised to see Noah snoozing on the blue plastic chair besides her bed.

Lekan had never been inside the infirmary but she had heard the gossip from the boys about how it was the prettiest room in Mary Slessor and how the nurse was a curvaceous babe — she couldn't confirm the latter but she could attest to the former, the infirmary was a room in the staffs quarters and looked like every other normal hospital room, but it was clean with six beds in total arranged against the left and right walls.

The room didn't smell of bleach and disinfectant like hospitals did but smelt faintly of talc powder and rose scented deodorant.

The bedsheets were pretty pink with flowers embroidered on them and the oil paintings hanging on the white walls matched with it.

The room was indeed pretty. Lekan wondered if it was the work of the so called nurse, because she found it hard to imagine that they pumped effort into making the infirmary decent but the other areas were lacking.

Noah looked up swiftly when Lekan reached to tap his shoulder, rubbing his eyes in a child-like manner.

"Thank God, you're awake." He rose up, tucking his hands into his pockets, Lekan's gaze slipped down to them, noting that it was stained with mud. "I'm going to go get the nurse."

"Wait," Lekan called out. "What am I doing in here? Apart from the headache that feels like my head will split into two, there is nothing wrong with me."

Noah peered closer to her face. "What exactly do you remember?"

Everything came back to her and she jolted too fast causing her head to throb.

"How did I get out?" Lekan asked. She bit down on her lips as she recalled the scent of lemon, the last thing she registered before she passed out.

Noah frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lekan wanted to reach for him and shake his shoulders. "I was trapped behind that door, the room with the coffins."

"I found you outside the cafeteria, lying besides —" he broke off suddenly.

"Someone found me." The realization made her shiver with fear. "Someone brought me out."

"What else do you remember?" Noah asked, his tone slurred with urgency.

"Lemon, the scent of lemon." She raised her eyes to meet his, there was no disbelief in them.

"You and Feyi discovered another dead student, the police are on their way here, they might question the both of you." Noah told her.

Lekan hated that her breath still hitched at the mention of the police, she wondered if she would be blamed for the death since it had been her and Feyi who went wandering. Would she punished for it?

Noah saw her fear and gave a nod. "You need to come up with whatever lie you want to, and make sure your story matches with Feyi's. You know the police, we know the police and we know that they won't be looking for the truth, they will be looking for the first person they find to blame it on."

Noah's words were bitter. Lekan couldn't help but point it out.

"You have experience with that?" She asked, she waited for him to snap at her and ignore the question but he didn't. She still pondered why he was the one waiting at her bed, not that she had a whole line of friends who would want to.

"Something like that, I have never argued about the fact that I was a sheltered child, I was spoilt, stupid too. But it was the middle of my father's reelection, I hung out with some dangerous boys who dealt the stuff." He explained.

Drugs, dealt drugs. An understanding seemed to pass between the both of them for a brief second, they were both condemned for the same thing.

"My father had made enemies who would do anything to bring his campaign down, we were caught and even though I was guilty by association, I still went down for it." He said.

"Are the boys here too?" Lekan asked.

Noah nodded.

"Why are you here, Noah? Why did you save me?" Lekan asked, she leaned as forward as her body would let her and looked him square in the eyes.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Feyi is with the Warden, he's trying to find out the truth."

Lekan felt dread well up in her chest and thought that she had put herself in harm's way, she had spoken to the Warden about the murders and now she had been found near a new dead body, all he had to do was mention their conversation to the police and she'd be dubbed a suspect — if she wasn't one already.

"That isn't the only reason."

Noah's face grew grim.

"No, it's not. You and Feyi were right, something strange is going on here." He said. "The new body found was one of my roommates."

He paused as if to let his words sink in.

"He was receiving notes too?" Lekan asked.

Noah snorted. "Whoever is giving them out isn't stupid, Fred was a nosy bastard."

"I thought you'd have more respect for the dead." Lekan reminded him, he shot her an apologetic glance.

"He liked to go through my things, he took whatever he liked, all of us in the room learnt to keep valuables out of his sight, I think he went through my things again, last night."

Lekan noted the clock on the wall, it still ticked and the time read 4:22am. She had been unconscious for hours.

"He found your note." Lekan finished for Noah.

"Yes, he did, because I checked this morning, the note is gone."

The both of them stayed quiet, letting the truth sink in until fear bubbled to the surface. The nurse chose that moment to enter, and she was truly a curvaceous babe, she wore a smile on her plump lips.

"Hi, Lekan, you're awake now." She said as she drew closer, even Noah was transfixed by her bubbly personality. "I am Nurse Vicky."

"Yes." Lekan said, feigning an hoarse tone. For some reason, she didn't want the young woman to know she had been talking to Noah.

Nurse Vicky touched a cold hand to Lekan's forehead making her flinch.

"Does your head hurt?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Lekan forced a cheerful tone. "Just a little headache."

The nurse smiled in obvious relief. "I'll give you panadol for that and have something brought for you to eat."

Nurse Vicky nudged a gaping Noah with her elbow. "You're lucky this one happened to find you, I hate to think what could have happened.

Noah gave Lekan a cheeky smirk that transformed his usual scowling face and made the dimple on his cheeks pop. It was hard not to smile back.

"Thank you, Mr hero." Lekan said with an eye roll after the nurse left.

When Nurse Vicky returned a few minutes later, there was no tray in her hands and her smile gone and Lekan knew.

"I'm sorry, dear, the police are here and wish to speak to you — if you are up for it." She pushed open the door a little wider and two men in plain clothes entered.

They cast distrustful looks at Noah, already forming a judgement of their own and when they finally looked at Lekan, they seemed to recoil at the same time, Lekan resisted giving a cheeky grin so the scar on her face that scared them would stretch wide.

"You must be Lekan." The shorter officer said, he didn't even attempt a smile. "I am Detective Matthew Dada, and this is my partner, Harvey Durotimi."

The other man gave a nod, he was still staring at Noah.

"We would like to speak to you alone," Matthew said, casting Noah a distasteful look.

Lekan supposed she could demand the presence of an adult but she settled for Noah because she knew it would piss them off.

"My boyfriend will stay." Lekan said cheerily, Nurse Vicky spluttered, the officers' jaws dropped. Noah shot a conspiratorial look. "I don't think there is any law that prevents him from doing so."

Lekan let her eyes widen in mock innocence as Nurse Vicky retreated out of the room like a fox on fire.

"Am I in trouble, officer?"

"No, no," Matthew amended swiftly. "As you discovered, there was another murder this morning."

Lekan nodded calmly, as if her heart wasn't beating fast.

"Yes, I and my friend found him."

Harvey narrowed his eyes.

"What were you and your friend doing at time of the night? I assume there is a curfew."

"Breaking a curfew is not punishable by arrest, officer." Noah cut in rudely.

"Are you telling me my own job?" Harvey challenged, puffing his chest.

"No, just pointing out the truth, sir." Noah deadpanned.

"Please, let me ask the questions." Matthew shot his partner a patient look before turning back to Lekan. "I assume this is not the first time you have broken the rules."

The smile in place slipped off Lekan's face. This wasn't an interrogation, they were trying to fit her into the profile of their killer.

"I thought you were supposed to ask questions about the murder." Lekan snapped. "Not ask silly questions concerning my habits."

Lekan caught the look Harvey shared with Matthew and knew they just taken her answer as a yes. Harvey seems to scrawl that word down on his notepad.

"Of course," Matthew said with a slimy smile. "Do you know that after an autopsy of the previous bodies, it was discovered that the killing wounds on both hands were too deep to be self inflicted."

"I don't see how this matters to me." Lekan pointed out.

"And do you know that the new victim didn't die this way, his throat had been slit and there were several bruises inflicted on his body?"

Lekan shivered at the savagery. They were dealing with blood thirsty killers. Dr. Munachi had been right.

"No."

"Good." Matthew gave a condescending smile. "Then you'll realize that these deaths are not suicides, we are dealing with a murderer. Maybe you'll think twice before you declare our questions silly."

Lekan gritted her teeth, thinking that if she didn't knock out his teeth first, Noah would do it by the way he kept glancing at his fists.

"We will be in touch, do stay out of trouble until then." Matthew said with a mocking smile.

Lekan watched him go, not even bothering to lie to him.

***

Feyi found her just right before the assembly the Warden had called for. Already, the news and press had started camping right outside Mary Slessor gates, everything was going to hell and Lekan was sure the Warden would announce the splitting.

Feyi was thinking the same thing because she mentioned it as they walked outside the girls dormitory to the football field where the assembly would be held.

"Our lives are going to shit, fucked up as it is, Mary Slessor has been my home for almost a year now and now the whole motherfucking future is uncertain." Feyi ranted, as she latched onto Lekan's arm but Lekan was only half listening.

"Hey, Feyi, what did the officers ask you?" Lekan cut in.

Feyi grinned. "They didn't speak to me, or rather, I didn't let them."

Lekan gaped at her. Feyi laughed and flicked Lekan's nose as if she were a silly child.

"I told them I wouldn't speak without a lawyer present, you should have seen their faces." Feyi cackled. "What did they tell you?"

Lekan glanced at the gathering crowd at the football field. "Nothing that can't wait." She still hadn't seen Zeke, it was almost like he had never existed. She had called his name out severally when she was alone but if he did hear, he never answered.

At the assembly, Lekan could barely pay any attention to what the Warden talked about, she didn't even notice that Cook was missing from among the staff that stood with the Warden, everywhere she looked, she saw shadows, hazy figures that fazed in and out of everyone, including the Warden and his staff.

Lekan touched a hand to her head as if it would chase away the headache or the shadows. She knew what it meant all too well, even when she looked down at her hands and saw that they were four, two shadowy.

They were all going to die.

***

Uncle Wale came for her, but there were two of him. One, man, the other, spirit.

He ranted on and on about how he would bring her and her mother out of poverty. He promised that they'd never lack for anything, that they'd never fear anything, even as he looked over his shoulder every few minutes like a criminal on the room.

He took her to his favourite restaurant and the girl wasn't even half way through her meal when she stood up suddenly. She walked out after throwing him a final farewell.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Wale but your days are numbered. Goodbye."