𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

***𝟏𝟖𝟓𝟒***

Horror stories are best told at night, to keep you awake in your beds and the shadows alive in your heart.

The children were found dead. About a dozen of them, some already decaying.

Will I be asking for pity if I told you that my sister was amongst them?

Sweet Ginika, so full of life.

It has been ages since anyone ventured into the movie theater that stood in Mbano, Imo State. The first movie theatre, built and commissioned by the missionary who was with us at that moment.

Everyone from far and wide gathered to watch 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙢 on the large screen, that was the only thing that even brought warring villages together and soon enough it was converted into a practice studio for little children.

They began disappearing… one, two and then my little sister, Ginika was taken. She had told me she was going for practice at the theater and would be back in time for dinner.

I walked briskly to the theater but found no one there, it was very dark and cold. My skin crawled as I walked but I continued screaming my sister's name, I wondered if she heard me and tried calling out to me from the dark she was in.

They found them a year later when the theater was about to be demolished because of the flood that had cracked its walls, their bodies washed up like rats slaughtered by poison and there I saw my sister. Her beautiful eyes were missing, her legs and hands too, only her torso remained and even that was already decayed.

***𝟏𝟖𝟗𝟒***

"…why are they rebuilding the theater?" One of the children asked.

"I do not know, our people have forgotten so easily the horrors of the past and that is why."

"Mama Beno, will you be going for the opening ceremony of the theater?" Another child, this time a girl asked.

"𝙲𝚑𝚞𝚔𝚠𝚞 𝙰𝚓𝚞, and may he strike me dead if I venture there."

"I will not go too" the girl said, crossing her hands and pouting her lips.

…

The theater was being opened again, forty years after the deaths that rocked the village. They had all forgotten and I was going to help them remember.

The theater was full, much to my annoyance

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮?

But I was going to help them remember

…

Children began disappearing again, until the granddaughter of the village head was taken. A search party of the most able bodied men were dispersed to find the culprits and bring them to book.

The theater was abandoned and raided by angry villagers who began remembering the events of forty years ago, just like I wanted.

Their bodies were never found, but how could it? I made sure to discard properly.

***𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟒***

"Hurry up, we are going to miss the beginning of everything."

"Remind me again why we have chosen this place for my birthday celebration?" Fredda panted

"They say it is haunted and that children disappeared there, twice."

"So? We both know that is just some story to scare kids from ever going to an abandoned place."

"I know, wouldn't hurt to explore then. Would it?"

Fredda was turning 18 today and had decided to come home for her birthday celebration. What she did not envision was hiking to this abandoned shack per request of her friends to do God knows what.

"Hey, wait up" she called after her friend.

"Keep up Fredda"

They arrived at the empty house

"It is a theater" Her friend breathed.

"Come on, the boys will be waiting." She said and entered.

Fredda stood outside for a while, her skin crawling and her forehead beaded with sweat, she suddenly could sense that she wasn't alone.

A girl of no more than twelve sat at the entrance of the theater, Fredda had not seen her there few minutes ago.

"Hello, are you lost? Where are your parents? She called out.

The girl turned to look at her and Fredda gasped

Her eyes were missing!

"FREDDDAA" her friend called from inside.

Fredda closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, she was hallucinating. True enough when she opened her eyes, the apparition was gone.

She walked in and was stunned at how the place was, the walls were close to crumbling and the paint already peeling off but it was intact, chairs and everything.

"Whatever made the villagers abandon this place must have been real scary for them." She noted.

A cold breeze blew and Fredda shivered, soon she noticed she was alone.

"May?" She called out to her friend.

There was silence and then screams, her light went off.

She crouched in the darkness, shivering. Something cold touched her shoulder and then her scream came.