Valentina pushed through the throng of students entering the dim lit club, looking around for her boyfriend, Fikayo. She felt bad that their night had to start with a quarrel—what she had been seriously avoiding. The reason for the heavy argument they had was because she decided to wear her black strapless heels—the one her mum got for her twenty-first birthday as opposed to the flats he instructed her to put on for him.

When Fikayo was eighteen, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Most at times, he carried out actions on the spur of the moment and later regretted it when he had cooled off. Fikayo was the type to flush his drugs down the drain because he hated taking them which was the cause of his irrational behavior.

Valentina blew out a frustrated breath as she descended the stairs leading to the regular section of the club. She still couldn't find him. Earlier on, he had marched off after parking his car at the lot, leaving her to follow behind him. But she had been struggling to strap her clutch and didn't notice as Fikayo disappeared round a corner.

She was worried sick of his inexplicable disappearance. She muttered her apologies when she bumped into a girl with a fiery red wig on and glossy makeup accentuating her plump lips. The tall glass of red wine she was holding spilled on her white jumpsuit, making her grit her teeth in barely concealed anger.

"Now, look what you've done," she shouted against the backdrop of loud hip hop music. Valentina covered her mouth to keep from snickering at the look of pure horror on the poor girl's face. She immediately brought out a napkin from her purse, crouching to dab at the colored spot. But her efforts were fruitless as the stain began spreading to other non affected areas, causing the girl to grunt.

She grabbed the handkerchief from her and stalked off to the bathroom. Valentina sighed heavily, warding off curious glances that were thrown her way with an icy stare. She plopped on a high back chair by the counter and drummed her chipped nails to gain the bartender's attention. He hurriedly rinsed a used beer glass and wiped his hand on his blue uniformed polo.

Valentina eyed him as she placed her order. He was a dark, lean guy with an infectious smile that made her uneasy. Valentina stared at the piercing on his small, cute lips and grinned unashamedly. The guy gave her a suggestive wink as he handed her a glass of Hennessy stuffed with ice. She accepted it from him, their fingertips brushing.

She jolted, cold shivers running through her body. She took a cautious sip of the alcohol she'd diluted with a bottle of coke. Then, she turned, slipping out of her chair in a fluid motion.

"Wait, ma'am, you haven't paid for your drink," the bartender queried, causing her to halt in her steps.

"Was I supposed to?" She asked, baffled. It was her first time partying at a club and she had no idea how it functioned.

"Yeah," the guy seconded, his coffee brown eyes roving over her partly covered boobs. "A shot is two thousand naira plus the bottle of coke. Altogether making it two five hundred."

Valentina paused, brows creased. "How come it's so expensive?"

The dude licked his lips, shrugging. "That's how we sell here." She wanted to slap the stupid smirk off the guy's face. She could tell he was trying to extort cash from her but she was in no mood to argue. She dropped Fikayo's credit card on the gleaming surface and folded her arms, waiting for the bartender to slot it into his POS.

She knew she was going to be queried because Fikayo was overly sensitive about his bank cards. But Valentina had no choice, she didn't have a means of payment and his phone line wasn't going through.

She could only hope nothing bad had happened to him. After she successfully paid the bill, she sauntered to an empty seat, scanning the area for any sign of Fikayo.

It wasn't up to a minute, she spotted him from his red bandana and a big polo that seemed to dwarf his lean frame. She adjusted the length of her red, suede skirt and walked over to his table, dodging the mix of sweaty bodies grinding hard to the beat and the harsh stench of alcohol. She staggered a bit, feeling her vision blur for a moment.

Fikayo watched her closely, his hand splayed over another lady's thick thighs. Valentina ignored the silly act and faced Fikayo squarely.

"Where the hell have you been?" She inquired, flinging his credit card at his stupidly handsome face.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" Fikayo exclaimed, tucking his card into his baggy jean pocket as he threw her a hard stare.

She frowned in disapproval as the girl's hand found Fikayo's crotch. The loud music pulsated in her eardrum, adding fire to her fueling temper. "You're such a dick, idiot. After all, we've been through, you're here being flirty with another girl," she countered, her fingers bunching into a tight fist.

Her nostrils blew steam as Fikayo stood up to her. "You're good for nothing. Dressed in an entirely different way from how I wanted you to. You think defying me is all there is to it?" Fikayo pulled the petite babe in for a hard kiss and squeezed her full breast.

Valentina gulped down the scalding liquid in her glass, she felt hot tears gather at the base of her eyelid. She tried to rein it in, muttering obscenities under her breath.

"Now." She clenched her stomach, biting hard on her lower lip. "Just know that we're done." She slapped her glass on the table, causing the others to vibrate. She wiped the distasteful taste of liquor from her mouth and stalked out of the club, feeling betrayed.

It was shimmering cold, the wind unfamiliarly rough on her skin. She was taking the short cut home, her head aching from the heart wrenching sobs. She forced her feet to take one step after the other as the chilly air seeped into her bones. Valentina couldn't understand why Fikayo decided to throw their two years relationship under the bus for no valid reason.

She whimpered, wiping her tears dry. The half moon in the dark sky partly illuminated the bushy path. She pointed her torchlight on the ground, letting it guard her through thick, entwined shrubs and thorns. Valentina stalled in bending over what looked like a corn stalk as something brushed past her shoulder.

Feeling a heightening sense of fear, she flashed her beam of light behind her, hearing nothing but the hooting of the night owl and the occasional chirping of crickets. She swore, blaming her current situation on Fikayo who had refused to drive her home. Valentina quickened her steps as the sight of her lodge loomed ahead, the hair on her arm stood at attention. Her legs brushed past a few broken bottles, drawing blood.

Her walk reduced to a limp as she came into a clearing that was brightened with street lamps. She was about turning off her torch when something crept up on her, slamming her aching back on the ground. Whatever it was dragged her, using it's extended claws to keep her in place. Valentina let out a high pitched scream that rent the still air as she felt an excruciating pain shoot up her sides.

She struggled fiercely, instincts kicking in. Fear trickled down her spine as the darkness shrouding the bush welcomed her with open arms. Valentina's mouth was forced open, something slippery finding its way inside, making her gasp for oxygen. It crawled through her dry throat, its body growing in size as it adjusted to the warm temperature of her stomach fluid.

Her eyes widened as she stared down at the growing swelling of her stomach. The more she tried to free herself, the more the creature immersed itself inside of her, causing her breathing to be shallow. Her body shook violently as her hand reached out to clutch a tree branch. But it was too late.

The creature ripped her gut in half with its sharp claws, leaving her head to dangle from her shoulder as she dropped to the ground.