Chapter 3

"But I don't even understand, sef," Obinna's voice echoed with worry in the dimly lit room. Eze's mind struggled to grasp where he was and what had transpired. How long had it been? Why did the room feel suffocatingly hot? As his eyes slowly flickered open, he discerned the sight of Obinna pacing restlessly by the makeshift hospital bed.

"He's up! Eze, Mr Man, what happened?" Obinna inquired, his concern relatively evident. Eze's anger simmered just beneath the surface.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Eze retorted. "Are you not the one who abandoned me there? For what?"

"Abandoned you? That's a weird word choice Eze," Obinna responded, his confusion evident. "Why would I ever abandon you behind in a situation like that?"

Obinna would then shortly recall his own version of the bizarre events in the cave. 

"You followed us, remember?" His words hung in the stifling air. "We were investigating why there was no light in the weird cave, no matter what you tried."

Eze was skeptical, to say the least, "Mm mm. I don't remember that part sha. And then Chinwe appears."

As if summoned by the conversation, Chinwe made her entrance through the doorless door, her presence enigmatic. "You called?" She questioned, her tone filled with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Begrudgingly," Eze muttered, his irritation palpable.

"Well, since it seems like your brain is still waking up, would you like me to recount what happened?" Chinwe offered, her voice taking on a more narrative quality.

Eze sighed, resigned to his situation. He could barely move any part of him that wasn't his wildly gesticulating arms after all. "Well, it's not like I have much of a choice, do I?"

"After we told you that you didn't want to leave, you followed us, alright," said Chinwe, her tone holding a mixture of assertion and concern.

"I'm telling you, I didn't," Eze argued, his voice wavering with even more frustration.

"You did follow us. But silently. You didn't say a single thing as you followed us. Then suddenly, you just jerked towards the left of us and collapsed randomly. What actually happened, Eze?" Chinwe's eyes searched his face for answers, her worry deepening.

"Well, it's simple. I..." Eze began, attempting to explain himself, but his words were abruptly cut off. 

"Wait. Wait, Wait, Wait Wait Wait. What happened? What's going on?"

"That's what I just asked you genius!" Obinna retorted, looking slightly annoyed.

"But this has happened before now. All of this. The Hospital room, The stuffiness." he described, pointing at the various 'landmarks' the hospital room had to offer.

"Eze? What are you talking about?" Chinwe asked, in a slightly scared, confused voice.

"You- were there! All of you were there! I know what I'm talking about! Like the Anansi thing- " he is cut off by his very own blood-curdling screams of pain. His accelerates into abnormality as suddenly, he could feel the impact of 100s of flaming knives on his brain. He jerked himself around, clutching at his aching cranium, as Obinna rushes to his aid.

Eze's screams pierced through the air, a visceral manifestation of the agonizing pain that engulfed his mind. Obinna, wide-eyed and alarmed, reached out to steady Eze, desperately trying to make sense of the sudden turmoil.

"Chinwe, do something! Call a nurse or something!" Obinna urged, panic seeping into his voice. Chinwe fumbled for her phone, fingers trembling as she dialed for help.

"Um, Obinna, what number is the nurse?!?" she asked urgently, waving the phone app's dial up screen.

"I mean like a physical nurse Chinwe! Like in the hospital. Near us. RIGHT NOW!"

"SORRY, I'M COMING!"

She rushed out of the lack of door, while Eze continued to shout in pain.

In the midst of his torment, strange whispers echoed in the recesses of his consciousness, a haunting melody that seemed to resonate with the chaos within. "

Obinna, wide-eyed and alarmed, reached out to steady Eze, desperately trying to make sense of the sudden turmoil. "Eze, what's happening? Talk to me, man!"

To Eze, the head-splitting pain was making him go insane. Coupled with the occasional ominous whisper he would hear. "I'm still here" the voice would mutter.

As Chinwe returned with a nurse in tow, the scene took on a heavy air of urgency. The nurse, a mix of concern and confusion etched on her face, rushed to assess the situation. "What's going on here? Is he okay?" she inquired, her eyes darting between the distressed Eze and the worried friends.

Eze, caught in the grip of excruciating pain, muttered disjointed phrases amidst his screams. "Anansi... illusions... it's all repeating..." The words spilled out, fragments of a puzzle that refused to form a coherent picture.

Obinna, still holding onto Eze, looked to the nurse for answers. "What's happening to him? Can you do something?"

The nurse, maintaining a composed exterior, instructed Obinna and Chinwe to leave the room. "I need the two of you to leave. Right now!" Her voice carried an authoritative urgency, demanding swift compliance.

"Is he going to be okay, ma?" Chinwe asked, her eyes wide with worry.

"We'll see," the nurse replied curtly, her attention fully focused on Eze's distress.

Reluctantly, Obinna and Chinwe stepped out of the room, the doorless entry adding a surreal element to the already bewildering situation. As the door swung shut, cutting off the anguished sounds from within, they exchanged concerned glances.

3 Hours Later

The sterile, fluorescent-lit corridor echoed with the soft murmur of hushed voices as Chinwe and Obinna rounded the corner, the weight of the past hours etched into the furrows of their brows. The hospital's artificial calmness did almost nothing to soothe the turmoil within them.

"I hope he's okay. Nothing like this has ever happened before," Chinwe voiced her concern, her eyes reflecting a mixture of anxiety and confusion. 

Obinna, sensing Chinwe's distress, gently grasped her palm, intertwining their fingers in a silent gesture of support. "He'll... He'll probably be alright, Chinwe," he reassured her, the words carrying a weight of conviction he hoped would permeate the unsettling air.

As they approached the doorless entrance to Eze's room, Obinna paused, turning to face Chinwe. "Deep breaths," he suggested, his voice a steady anchor in the sea of uncertainty. The two took a moment to compose themselves, inhaling deeply before crossing the threshold.

The room, dimly lit and dominated by the rhythmic hum of medical equipment, revealed Eze lying on the hospital bed. Weak sunlight filtered through the small windows, casting a subdued glow on his pale features. His eyes, though weary, held a glimmer of recognition as he mustered a smile.

"Eze, oh God, what happened to you?" Obinna's voice trembled with genuine concern as he stared at his friend, lying in the dimly lit hospital room.

"Well, I..." Eze began, his words hanging in the air as Chinwe moved with astonishing speed. In a heartbeat, she enveloped him in a tight embrace, her arms securing around him as if trying to shield him from whatever unseen force had wrought such distress. Eze, despite the lingering discomfort, couldn't help but smile, reciprocating the hug with gratitude for the genuine care radiating from his friends.

"The nurses just said I was hallucinating or something, but don't worry about me, really. I'm fine now," Eze assured them, his attempt to downplay the gravity of the situation evident in his tone.

"Hallucinating about what?" Chinwe inquired, her concern not easily appeased as she released Eze from the embrace.

Eze took a moment, contemplating how to articulate the surreal events that had unfolded. "Well, it's a lot to explain. But today's a Sunday, right? You guys have the time, don't you?" His eyes, marked with a mixture of exhaustion and curiosity, sought assurance in the familiar faces of his friends.

"It is pretty early, though," Obinna remarked, glancing at his watch, a subtle reminder of the ordinary world ticking away outside the confines of the hospital room.

"I'll listen!" Chinwe declared with unwavering determination, her eyes reflecting a blend of sympathy and curiosity. The hospital room, bathed in the soft glow of early morning light, became a temporary sanctuary where the boundaries between the extraordinary and the mundane blurred.

As the warm hues of the Lagos sunset painted the hospital room, Eze began to weave a tapestry of his recent experiences, unveiling every twist and turn of his otherworldly journey. The dimly lit space seemed to come alive with the animated glow of Eze's storytelling, casting shadows that danced with the vibrant colors from the fading day.

With each and every carefully chosen word, Eze described the very essence of his adventures in the cave, taking his friends on a vicarious journey through the labyrinthine passages. His narrative unfolded like a well-worn map, guiding them through his parkour escapades that challenged both gravity and reason. The room echoed with laughter as Eze recounted the not-so-friendly altercation with the enigmatic Mini-God himself, the tension dissipating with each chuckle.

The atmosphere, once laden with worry, now sparkled with the magic of shared stories. Obinna and Chinwe enveloped in the tale, responded with a symphony of expressions—raised eyebrows, incredulous glances, and moments of wide-eyed amazement. Eze, relishing in the shocked looks that helped with the added flair to his storytelling, couldn't help but laugh at their exaggerated reactions.

Obinna's eyes widened with a mix of disbelief and amusement. "I can't believe it, so you were hallucinating about being a superhero?" he asked. "Was he like Spider-Man, you know, because, like, spiders and stuff?"

"The hallucination didn't tell me anything about powers, to be honest. He was just really mean," Eze replied with a wry smile.

The group shared a hearty laugh, with their camaraderie momentarily easing the tension that lingered in the air. However, the levity was interrupted by the entrance of a nurse.

"Oya, time to go, oh. He'll be back with you tomorrow morning," she announced.

"Okay, ma," Eze responded, acknowledging the nurse's instructions with a nod.

"Guess that's our cue," Obinna declared, a radiant smile illuminating his face. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow!"

"Same here," Eze responded with a weary yawn, acknowledging the fatigue that clung to him like a heavy cloak.

"See you soon!" Chinwe chimed in, her voice carrying a mix of relief and anticipation as they gracefully exited the premises.

Now, Eze found himself alone, surrounded by the sterile quietude of the hospital room. The absence of voices, footsteps, and the hum of conversation offered a welcome respite. He took a moment to survey the unremarkable, utilitarian space, from the lacklustre walls to the clinical equipment scattered around.

As he settled back into the narrow hospital bed, a deep sigh escaped him, carrying both physical and emotional release. A fleeting smile graced his lips, an acknowledgment of the quite peculiar journey that had unfolded in the recesses of his mind.

"It was all a dream."