Nine

I opened the door in the cellar, shining light on the faces of ten desperate souls waiting in darkness.

They asked who I was.

They asked who I worked for.

They asked how I found them.

I noticed the empty bowls scattered around them, I noticed the corner of the room filled with feces, I noticed the diseases some of them carried and the secretive look in others' eyes. I noticed the concern, the scorn in their voices, when they found out the internet knew where they were.

I had thought no one on the internet could figure out Amadi's address just based on the journals, but what I hadn't considered was that someone already knew and wanted to know where these poor souls were hidden.

That's when we heard the front door open and footsteps creak above us. I wanted to call, to ask if it was my mother coming to check where I was. One soul covered my mouth, tears in her eyes. Another soul closed the door and locked it.

We stood there in the darkness.

The footsteps stopped at the top of the stairs to the cellar. Whoever this person was, they were in no rush, but they knew exactly where they were going.

We stood there in hiding.

Each step descending the staircase hinted at bare feet and a heavy figure. The whole house shook with their first step on the cellar floor. I began to question whether the house truly shook or if that was just myself.

We stood there in our glass prison.

When the footsteps arrived at our door, the person stopped and chuckled. It was the kind of chuckle your heart makes when it's on its last pump.

We stood there waiting for our hearts to stop as well when the voice spoke with the tone of an opening gate covered in centuries of rust:

"If I were a god, I would enact a test on my subjects. There would be no wrong answers, though some answers may lead to death-- but only for those who seek it."

A knife cut a hole in the door, shining light inside for the brief second before the figure peeked through, blocking visibility again.

"So tell me, which one of you seeks death?"

I heard stifled whimpering.

"Good. The test is not for any of you."

The figure backed away from the door, allowing me to peek out and see their face. I saw orange hair obscuring eyes, and I saw a smile enjoying itself too much.

Without reason, the door fell over as if its hinges had never existed. The person bolted into our chamber, grabbing hold of an old man and clutching a knife to his throat.

"And then there were nine."

Within seconds, we ran out of the cellar, up the stairs, and out of Amadi's home. I have seen no sign of Oya since then. At least.. I'm told that thing we saw was Oya. We're currently hiding in a cafe, myself and the nine running souls.

They tell me stories, tell me that something is seriously wrong with the world. That Orishas are real, except they're not at all on our side anymore, if ever they were. Some running souls refer to them as Alusi. Some call that one chasing us "Njoku Ji," the Alusi of yam. There really must be something seriously wrong with this world if the god of yam is chasing us across town.

I need to tell my mother, but these running souls are mad enough at me for telling you where their cellar hiding place was. They say, as soon as I post this, we will have to leave the cafe.

I don't know if this is one long fever dream in grief, but I want to wake up soon.