CHAPTER 29 “CORDELIA”

©️ Opeyemi Akintunde
As Inspired by the DEEP ONE

The invisible force gripped me again. My feet moved like they weren’t mine. I tried to resist. “Please, Lord, I can’t… I can’t anymore.” My voice was barely a whisper.

But the force dragged me down the corridor to the next door.
It opened into something I didn’t expect.
Not a slaughterhouse. Not a factory. But a hostel.

Bunk beds lined the walls. Small lockers. Shoes arranged neatly under some bunks. A faint smell of body cream and detergent hung in the air. This was where the workers lived.

My heart pounded. ‘This is it’ I thought. ‘I can find their faces. I can know who they are.’

I stepped inside, scanning everything. Clothes hung on nails. Towels draped over chairs. Bags pushed under beds. I wanted to memorize every detail, every scent, every clue. The room was inhabited by both genders… I saw female under wears and male boxers in one room. There were about 10 bunks which meant only about 20 people ran the operation.

I bent near a lower bunk, hoping to find something…a name tag, an ID card. My eyes darted under pillows. Then I froze.

On one of the bunks lay a phone, partly hidden under a pillow. The wallpaper was glowing faintly. My trembling fingers slid it out just enough to see.

And my stomach dropped.

It was the Head Chef of The Fold. The smiling face on the wallpaper was unmistakable…the same woman who had always served us meals with “God bless you” on her lips.

I staggered back. My heart slammed against my ribs.

“No… no…” I whispered.

The invisible force yanked me suddenly, hard. It was like a parent pulling a stubborn child. I tried to dig my heels into the floor. “Wait! Please! I need to know their faces! Show me who else!”

But the force was stronger.

It dragged me out of the hostel and down the corridor to the final door. My body felt limp, my spirit raw. The knob turned by itself. It felt like the invisible force was getting impatient like we were running out of time… The door creaked open by itself.

And the stench hit me.

The stench I had smelled outside. The stench of death.

I gagged, pressing my arm over my nose, but it was no use. The smell filled me, heavy and sour.

Inside, the room was dim. Metal tables lined the floor. On them…bodies.

Bodies.

My vision swam as I stepped in. Familiar faces stared back at me, their eyes closed forever. People I had seen around The Fold. People who had suddenly “disappeared” without explanation. My knees shook violently.

Then my eyes moved to the far table.

And my world shattered.

Mentor Saint. Laura.

Lying lifeless.
Beside her, Saint Oluchi. Quiet, soft-spoken Oluchi. And others…faces I knew. Faces that had been condemned publicly just before the forced marriage.

My legs gave way. I fell to the cold floor, my palms slapping against the tiles. A sound came out of me, a mixture of scream and sob that I didn’t recognize as my own.

“No… No… NO!”

Tears blurred my vision until the faces became watery ghosts. My body shook with violent sobs. My heart felt like it had cracked open.

This was the end. The straw that broke me.
I cradled my head in my hands, rocking back and forth. “Lord, why did You show me this? Why me?”

But the room gave no answer. Only the smell of death. Only the silent faces.
Then I heard the door open!

To be continued…
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