Kayode noticed the suitcase lying on the ground in the office car park as he left work. It was old, scuffed, and entirely out of place. He hesitated, eyes scanning around the compound. No one in sight. He stepped closer.
The air around it felt oddly still, like it had been waiting.
Curiosity clawed at him. Against his better judgment, he crouched and unzipped it. Inside were bundles of cash, mint N1000 and N500 notes neatly wrapped, their scent sharp and metallic. On top was a folded note with bold, slanted handwriting:
Do not touch. Leave this suitcase where found.
Kayode’s pulse quickened. His instincts screamed at him to back away, but greed whispered louder. He scanned the parking lot carefully, ensuring he was alone and that no one had seen him, before grabbing the handle and hurrying home.
That night, the suitcase sat in his closet, tucked behind clothes as though hiding it could erase his actions. His thoughts spun between guilt and greed. Then his phone buzzed, a message from an unknown number.
You shouldn’t have taken it. Now she is your problem.
His heart skipped. She? The word hit him harder than the threat itself. Who was she? What did they mean?
He dropped the phone and backed away from it, as if distance could undo what he’d done. The closet door stared back at him.
Then he smelled it. Faint at first, but wrong. Like rust. Like blood.
His palms grew slick. Dread settled low in his stomach, thick and slow.
He inched forward, every step heavier than the last, yanked the suitcase out with shaking hands, and fumbled with the zipper.
Kayode stumbled back.
The bundles of cash were gone. In their place was the lifeless body of a woman, her eyes wide, glassy, and locked onto his. One hand was resting on the lining of the suitcase, as if she’d been placed there gently. Or as if she’d climbed in herself.
She looked almost alive.
Kayode’s breath caught in his throat. A wave of nausea and terror crashed over him.
His vision blurred. The room tilted.
His body gave way. Darkness claimed him before he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
And then she smiled.