The Night She Should Have Died

The night air was wrong.

Amara felt it the moment she stepped out of the bus.

It wasn’t just the silence—Ibadan was never truly quiet, not even this late. There was always something. A distant generator. A barking dog. Music leaking from a nearby compound.

But tonight?

Nothing.

Just the wind… and the feeling that something was watching her.

She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, her steps quickening as she moved down the dimly lit street. The flickering streetlight above buzzed faintly, casting broken shadows across the cracked road.

“You’re overthinking,” she muttered under her breath.

She always did that.

Long day. Tired mind. That’s all.

But still… her chest felt tight.

Amara wrapped her arms around herself and kept walking.

One turn.

Two turns.

Almost home.

Then—

A sound.

A sharp, muffled crack.

Amara froze.

Her breath caught in her throat as her head snapped toward the alley just a few steps ahead.

Silence followed.

Too much silence.

Her instincts screamed at her to walk away. To pretend she heard nothing. To mind her business.

But curiosity…

Curiosity had always been her weakness.

Slowly—carefully—she stepped closer to the alley.

“Hello?” she called out softly.

No response.

She took another step.

And another.

Then she saw it.

A man on his knees.

Bleeding.

Begging.

Her heart slammed violently against her chest.

“Oh my God…”

She should leave.

She should run.

But her feet refused to move.

Standing in front of him… was another man.

Tall.

Still.

Dressed in black.

His back was to her, broad shoulders unmoving, as if carved from stone.

The air around him felt… heavy.

Dangerous.

“P-please…” the man on the ground choked, blood dripping from his mouth. “I swear I didn’t—”

A gunshot rang out.

Amara gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as the man collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

Dead.

Just like that.

Her stomach twisted violently.

No.

No no no—

She stumbled back, her shoe scraping against the gravel.

The sound echoed.

Loud.

Too loud.

And then—

The man in black stopped moving.

Slowly…

He turned.

Amara’s breath hitched.

Even in the darkness, she could see his face clearly.

Sharp jaw.

Cold eyes.

Eyes that didn’t look human.

For a second… they glowed.

Gold.

Her heart dropped.

No.

That wasn’t possible.

That wasn’t real.

“Run.”

The word wasn’t loud.

But it carried weight.

Power.

A warning.

Amara didn’t wait.

She turned and ran.

Her heart pounded as her feet hit the pavement hard, adrenaline flooding her veins. Her breath came out in sharp, uneven gasps as panic clawed its way up her throat.

What did she just see?!

Who was that?!

Her mind screamed at her to move faster.

So she did.

She ran past houses, past dark gates, past shadows that now seemed alive and reaching for her.

But then—

A sound behind her.

Not footsteps.

Something faster.

Something… not human.

Her blood ran cold.

Don’t look back.

Don’t look back.

Don’t—

She looked.

And immediately regretted it.

A figure moved in the darkness behind her.

Too fast.

Too smooth.

Almost like it wasn’t running… but hunting.

Tears blurred her vision.

“No no no—”

Her foot caught on something.

She fell hard.

Pain shot through her knees as she hit the ground, her bag sliding away from her.

“Get up!” she whispered harshly to herself.

But her body wouldn’t respond fast enough.

The presence behind her grew closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Then—

A hand grabbed her arm.

Amara screamed, struggling violently as she was yanked upward.

“Please! Please don’t—”

Her words died in her throat.

It wasn’t him.

This man was different.

Rougher.

Cruel.

A wicked smile spread across his face as he tightened his grip on her.

“Well, well…” he said darkly. “Looks like we’ve got a witness.”

Her heart dropped.

“No… I didn’t see anything, I swear—”

“Wrong answer.”

His grip tightened painfully.

Fear consumed her.

This was it.

This was how she died.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as tears streamed down her face.

“Please…” she whispered.

The man tilted his head, studying her like prey.

“Too late for that.”

And then—

A growl.

Low.

Terrifying.

Not human.

The man holding her stiffened.

Slowly… he turned.

Amara felt it too.

The shift in the air.

The pressure.

The fear.

Something worse had arrived.

Something far worse.

And when she looked up—

She saw him again.

The man from the alley.

But this time…

There was nothing human in his eyes.