Chapter 5

Have you ever been to prison?

Well that's how it's felt since Obinna was gone. The days stretched on, each one feeling more suffocating than the last as if the walls themselves were closing in on the inhabitants.

You see, drastic times call for drastic measures, and Mr Okafor was most definitely in a drastic situation. 

Mr. Okafor, grappling with the gravity of the situation, made a decision that was sure to reverberate through the orphanage's corridors: no one was to leave, and no one was to enter. As he left, he took the group's freedom of movement with them. It seems Mr Okafor's best plan to keep the orphans safe was to lock them all up in the building. And It's been that way for 5 days now.

Eze wasn't ok with this, of course.

As night settled over the orphanage once more, the atmosphere seemed denser than usual. Restless and agitated, Eze found himself pacing the confines of the living room, his steps echoing in the silence of the night. Each footfall served as a manifestation of the pent-up energy and frustration simmering beneath the surface.

The feeling of helplessness gnawed at Eze from within. He yearned to break free from the orphanage's confines, to wander the streets of Lagos once more, to feel the cool night air on his skin. However, with each passing day, that yearning became more elusive, slipping through his fingers like sand.

Joyce, seemingly unfazed by her surroundings, broke the silence with a comment that carried a hint of frustration. "Don't you think it's weird that the only solution Okafor could think of was keeping us in a penitentiary?" She absentmindedly waved her feet in the air while fiddling with a stick.

Bolu, engrossed in a book on the bed, responded with a nonchalanty. "Not so shy when you can't get chocolate, huh?" He said without glancing up, a smirk playing on his lips.

Joyce, visibly shaken, retorted, pointing an accusing finger at Bolu. "W-, what do you care, Bolu? You probably have something to do with this whole incident, don't you?"

"Is that what we're doing now?" Bolu remarked, slamming the book shut.

"Maybe it is," Joyce replied, gripping a stick closer to her chest.

Anjola, attempting to mediate, jumped into the middle of the living room. "Alright, you busybodies, can you stop arguing now? Have you even noticed Eze walking around the room like a crazy person for the past few minutes?"

All eyes turned to Eze, who seemed taken aback. "What?" he questioned.

"Well, you've been walking around like a madman, haven't you, Eze?" Anjola remarked.

"What a few days without Chinwe does to a guy, huh?" Bolu added with a smirk.

Due to the conditions of the ban on the orphans, this extended holiday did not include the already adopted Chinwe, who wasn't allowed to set foot in the orphanage. While Eze missed her, she was a minor concern in this stormy life.

"Got you there, Eze," the spider chimed in his head.

The remark hit a nerve in Eze, who looked like he was on the verge of exploding. He turned toward Bolu, a murderous glint in his eyes, and gave a guttural, "SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUP!"

It appeared that no one, except Bolu, knew that Eze wasn't addressing him. The room's tone plummeted, heavy with tension. After a few heavy heaves, Eze marched back to the room.

He dived headfirst into the bed, his hands gripping at his head in frustration.

"That was quite the outburst, was it not?" The voice in his head teased.

Instinctively, he grabbed an umbrella and pointed it threateningly at his head.

"Slow down. That will hurt you more than me," the voice cautioned.

In a fit of anger, he slammed the umbrella down.

"WHAT EVEN ARE YOU?!?!" Eze demanded of Anansi.

The spider, undeterred, responded with chilling calmness. "Knowledge is a delicate thread, Adi. Sometimes, unraveling it too soon can lead to unforeseen consequences. Patience is a virtue, especially in the face of the unknown."

"Enough with the cryptic warnings, Anansi," Eze muttered under his breath, frustration evident in his voice. "If you have something to say, say it plainly. We don't have time for your games."

Eze clenched his fists, his patience wearing thin. He couldn't shake the feeling that Anansi knew more than he was letting on, that there were secrets hidden beneath his cryptic words and enigmatic demeanor. But try as he might, Eze couldn't decipher the spider's true intentions, couldn't unravel the tangled web of mysteries that surrounded him.

"Nah."

"YOU KNOW WHAT ANANSI, I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THIS RUBBISH AND NONSENSE YOU'RE PARADING IN MY HEAD."

No answer.

"WHAT KIND OF god BEHAVES SO USELESS HUH? AM I JUST SCHZOPHRENIC OR SOMETHING?"

"Well... I..."

"You're just going to say another ominous subtext aren't you?" he angrily said. "Let me ask you this mister self-proclaimed story weaver. You seem like a pretty creative guy don't you? And you probably saw this place just poof in compared to your oh-so-greatness, right? But you jumped into this without a plan. Without a storyline, huh? AND NOW YOU KEEP ON STALLING ME WITH USELESS QUOTES! Let me ask this Anansi. Were you even ready when you "weaved this story?". Cause your constant improvisation and stalling, doesn't make, a functional STORY!"

And then there was silence. A profound one at that, undisturbed by any whisper of the wind. It persisted, creating an enduring void of sound that seemed to stretch into eternity. Amid this quietude, a voice echoed within his mind, being the sole exception to the pervasive stillness.

"Adi. You...are right." the Spider admitted.

"It seems like I didn't really think this through, even in all my infinite wisdom. I am not going to lie for once. I don't believe I know where this is going either." the voice in his head continued. "But I can say this much, Adi. We have already started this journey. I have already tied myself to you. And there is only so much I can retcon. For now, we just have to look forward, and see where the story takes us."

Eze's breaths gradually steadied a sense of accomplishment washing over him. Somehow, he had managed to assert himself against the enigmatic spider. As he lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, he felt a surge of determination coursing through him. With a resolute motion, he clenched his fist and struck it against his chest, the familiar blue-black luminescence filling the room once more.

And there it was again, the spider. Its presence commanded attention as it made its way towards Eze, gracefully climbing onto his bed and settling beside his pillow.

"So, how do we go about saving my friend?" Eze inquired.

The spider seemed to perk up with this simple question. You could have seen the smile form on its face if it could show any emotion.

"All we have to do, it get outside." the Spider said.

"And how are we going to manage that?" Eze asked, rubbing his neck.

"Here is an idea I have," the spider said, climbing onto Eze's arm before disappearing.

"Now jump, Eze!" the voice in his head shouted.

Alarmed, Eze rolled out of bed and sluggishly jumped. To his surprise, it was as if his legs had suddenly gained ten times their usual strength, propelling him effortlessly to the ceiling where he clung in a gravity-defying pose.

Just then, Anjola walked into the room.

"Eze, are you..." Her words trailed off as she scanned the room, noticing no traces of him anywhere. On the ceiling, Eze held his breath, feeling as if he were six feet deep underwater. 

"Keep crawling!" urged the Spider, its excitement evident in the hushed tones echoing within Eze's mind.

With a sense of exhilaration and bewilderment, Eze began to crawl along the ceiling, moving with an agility that defied the laws of gravity.

"Eze?" Anjola's voice called out, tinged with concern.

As Eze clung to the ceiling, his heart raced with apprehension as he watched Anjola's concerned gaze sweep the room repeatedly, searching for any sign of him. With each passing moment, his anxiety mounted, his mind racing with the possibility of being discovered.

He held his breath as Anjola suddenly darted out of the room, her movements swift and purposeful. Eze followed cautiously, inching along the ceiling with painstaking slowness, his every movement calculated to avoid detection.

As Eze stealthily trailed behind Anjola, he observed her halt abruptly and mutter something to Bolu and Joyce. Joyce sprang to her feet with remarkable agility, scanning the room with a vigilant gaze. Meanwhile, Bolu sluggishly rose from his seat, mirroring Joyce's actions with a lethargic demeanor.

"God!" Eze muttered under his breath. "We should've gone for the window! Why didn't we go for the window?"

"Keep going Eze." Anansi muttered in his brain.

As he maneuvered through the orphanage, swinging on door frames, and doing acrobatics, the trio's persistent search intensified. Suddenly, the hallways he had navigated throughout the life that he remembered, seemed more like a massive, suffacating maze. At one point, His heart raced as he toppled a stack of toilet paper, the noise echoing through the quiet building, alerting Anjola to his presence.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, clutching her stick, her gaze scanning the room for the source of the disturbance. Seeing the toppled stack, she dismissed it casually. "Alright, which one of you is messing with me?" she muttered, busying herself with rearranging the scattered toilet paper.

At another, he had to navigate the ceiling due to a room filled to the brim with younger, sleeping children. But soon enough, he finally got there. Eze cautiously approached the front door, his heart pounded in his chest, fear and excitement coursing through his veins. Escape was finally within his reach. He crawled until he was inches in front of the door from the ceiling.

"This seems like a good place to drop down," Eze said. "I can't believe that we're this far!"

"Focus Eze!" the voice in his head said.

"Right!"

As he dropped from the ceiling, someway, somehow, there was still one more obstacle.

His breath caught in his throat as Bolu, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, materialized in front of the door. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Eze froze in place, his mind racing with a flurry of panicked thoughts. Eze never noticed him. He didn't seem to be interested in finding him. And now, he was definitely going to be caught. He is quite literally in point-blank range.

Then the unexpected happened. 

A wave of surreal sensation washed over him, his own hands fading into transparency before his wide, disbelieving eyes. Panic surged through his veins, mingling with a strange thrill as he realized what was happening – he had turned invisible. All in a matter of milliseconds.

Every fiber of his being screamed for another action, but Eze remained motionless, a statue trapped in the grip of fear. He watched with baited breath as Bolu's gaze swept the entire area, his heart pounding in his ears. He watched as Bolu walked towards him. For an agonizing moment, he stood mere inches away, as if sensing Eze's presence. But then, without any apparent reason or explanation, he turned away and strode towards the front door.

As Bolu swung open the door, a rush of cool night air filled the room. "This place needs some fresh air," Bolu remarked with a smile.

Eze's invisible form trembled with relief as Bolu stepped outside, the weight of the moment lifting from his shoulders like a heavy burden. With a silent exhale, Eze cautiously followed, his invisibility cloaking him in as he ventured into the night, his heart pounding with the thrill of newfound freedom.

Eze smiled as he saw Bolu observing the starry sky. The night breeze seemed to have uplifted his mood. 

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

The spider's words snapped Eze back to reality. He immediately jumped into the night, not looking back. You could hear Bolu sigh from the front door.