17/10/2025
THE WHISPER IN THE WALLS
EPISODE 1: THE INHERITANCE
When my uncle died, I inherited his house in Lekki. Everyone said I was lucky. A whole house, mortgage-free, in one of Lagos's best areas. My friends were jealous.
But Uncle Chidi had no wife, no children, and three living siblings. Why leave everything to me, his nephew, instead of his own brothers and sister?
The lawyer handed me the keys with shaking hands. "Your uncle left specific instructions," he said. "You must spend at least one night in the house before deciding to sell it."
One night. Simple enough.
The house was beautiful from outside - modern, well-maintained, with a high fence and security lights. But the moment I unlocked the front door, something felt... wrong.
The air inside was cold. Not AC cold. A different kind of cold that seemed to seep from the walls themselves.
I walked through the living room, my footsteps echoing. Everything was covered in white sheets, like ghosts of furniture. In the kitchen, I found food in the fridge - fresh food. Eggs, milk, bread. All dated from last week.
But Uncle Chidi had died three months ago.
Someone had been here. Recently.
As darkness fell, I sat in the living room with my phone, trying to distract myself with social media. That's when I heard it.
A whisper.
Faint. Coming from somewhere inside the walls.
At first, I thought it was the wind or pipes. But then I heard it again, clearer this time. It sounded like... my name.
"Chinedu..."
I jumped up, my heart pounding. "Who's there?"
Silence.
I searched every room, every corner. Nothing. No one.
Maybe I was just tired. I decided to sleep in the master bedroom upstairs. As I climbed the stairs, I noticed something strange - there was a door under the staircase I hadn't seen before. It was painted the same color as the wall, almost invisible.
I tried the handle. Locked.
I searched for keys but found nothing. Too tired to investigate further, I went to bed.
At exactly 2:47 AM, I woke up to a sound.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Someone was knocking on that door under the stairs.
From the inside.
TO BE CONTINUED...
