The Skull
by
MiCH OLORUNFEMi
The Skull
by
MiCH OLORUNFEMi
Published by Mich Olorunfemi at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 Mich Olorunfemi

Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the
copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for
commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage
your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also
discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
About MiCH
Connect with MiCH
I
The four young men waited behind the double doors to the gents until the sound of a hundred shuffling feet dwindled and eventually faded to a deafening silence.
Mark—the leader— listened with ears pressed against the wooden door. “Coast is clear.”
Godwin had to ask himself what he was doing amidst these guys. A small price to pay for popularity. He reminded himself.
Mark spoke again. “All right, we had exactly thirty minutes to locate the skeleton. Waiting for the coast to be clear has already taken…” Mark checked his watch.
“Twenty-two minutes,” Godwin spoke.
Mark nodded in acknowledgment. “We have just eight minutes before Mr. Poju comes back into the hall. Let’s do this and be out in a flash.” With that briefing the four guys filed out of the gents, keeping their head low, navigating the now forlorn halls of the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
The bones of the John Doe they had used for practicals still lay limp and fleshless on the stainless steel table in the center of the lab.
“Dare, cover the exit.” Mark ordered one of his men to stand watch. He did.
“How much time?” Uche asked.
“Six minutes.” Godwin responded.
“Make that thirty seconds,” Dare started saying. “Mr. Poju is already down the hall talking to the Janitor.”
“He’s six minutes ahead of his schedule today. Boys, everyman for himself!” Mark grabbed at any bone he could get his hands on.
Uche also grabbed at what he could, too—the skeleton’s right clavicle. They made for the door cautiously. Dare was about heading out, he hadn’t bothered to take any part there was no time. The others were already out when Dare—at the door—realized that Godwin wasn’t out yet. He spun to see Godwin tugging at the skull.
“Godwin!” He called out in a hoarse whisper.
“One minute.” He tugged more.
Dare slipped out of the lab, leaving Godwin behind.

Pop!
The skull was out! Godwin raised the fleshless head to eye level, marveling at the—
There was a sound from outside the door; the dean’s shoes, clanking on the marble floors. Godwin’s heart quickened. If he was found in here vandalizing the skeleton he could kiss the rest of the semester year good-bye. That would prolong the time he would spend in University of Abuja studying medicine.
No! He wouldn’t let it. He forced his legs free of whatever adhesive had kept them glued to the floor and tore for the entrance—his exit.
He crashed into the door, which in turn crashed into the dean, who in turn crashed to the floor.
Godwin peeled through the hall without even taking so much as a glance at the toppled dean. He only hoped the man was in too much a state of shock to have noticed who had just gone past.

Dean Poju obviously hadn’t seen Godwin bolting out of the lab last night, otherwise he wouldn’t have told the entire 100 level boys to “own up or wait for the hands of justice to catch up with them.”
They had all opted for the hands of justice to catch up with them.
After the dean’s authoritative address, the students flooded out of the hall like ants from an ant hill. They were all talking about the dismembered skeleton, wondering who was responsible.
Godwin needed to make his way to the baobab tree the gang frequently rallied under. Mark had some vital information for them.
He was the last to get to the venue.
Mark sat with his arms folded. Uche and Dare only stood, staring at him as he approached.
“Nice of you to join us, Godwin.” Mark—don in the making—said.
“I got held up,” was all Godwin could manage.
“Jennifer?” Uche chuckled.
Godwin scowled at him.
“Down to business.” Mark said, rising to his feet and clasping his hands behind his back. “Dean Poju has gotten everybody in school talking. I only called this meeting to make sure we are all sworn to secrecy.”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” Godwin spoke. “We did it after all. Even Jesus didn’t say ‘Here am I, crucify me’” Godwin mimicked the sign of the cross, spreading his arms wide in either direction.
Dare laughed.
“I know.” Mark said with not so much as a smile on his face. “But you see, one of us was too chicken to take any part of John Doe’s bones.” Mark cast a side glance at Dare.
Dare seemed flustered, grin totally wiped off his face. “Oh no! You don’t think I’m gonna rat you guys out do you?”
“I don’t know.” Mark said walking up behind Dare, his hands were jammed deep into the pockets of his denim pants. “You’re the only one who doesn’t have anything to lose. You didn’t take any bone.”
Dare put his hands up in guard of his rights and spun to face Mark. “Hold on. I watched the exits to make sure we weren’t spotted.”
“My point exactly. That’s all you did. If you tattle on us you’ll get the least punishment—if any at all.”
“Mark, you know I won’t do—”
“Oh, your life will never remain the same if you do. And trust me, I’m no pastor. I mean that in the most malevolent way possible.”
It was the first time Mark had candidly threatened anyone on his team. Godwin’s throat was tied in a knot even though he wasn’t on the receiving end of the threat. The sinister look in Mark’s eyes told a story of both sincerity and fear.
The gang dispersed without any other word.

There was no power in the hostel building that night. Godwin and Uche were depleting each of their laptop’s batteries, watching movies. Their room was lit only with the blinking light of the two laptops.
The door to the room came open and student body president, Earnest Osakwe—a bespectacled young lad with an afro—peeked in.
Godwin and Uche simultaneously paused their movies and looked up at the visitor.
“Earnest, what’s up?” Godwin said, pulling out one of the ear phones that corked his ears.
“You guys might want to pay the clinic a visit.” Earnest said.
They both sat up.
“I hear Mark fell of a motor bike and sustained some injury this evening.”
“How bad is it?”
Earnest shrugged. “Doctors, say he’ll be fine, he did break a rib, though.”
With that, Earnest adjusted his glasses and closed the door.
“We best pay him a visit.” Uche said as both guys began frantically dressing up.
“Hold on.” Godwin said, mind suddenly clouding with eerie suspicion. He was in the middle of doing his zipper. “What bone did Mark make away with?”
“A rib. Why?” Uche said. Then his eyes suddenly went wide with realization. “No, man. You don’t think he lost a rib because he took the rib off of that John Doe? How’s that possible?”
“I don’t know, but don’t you find it strange that one evening he steals a rib and twenty-four hours later he loses a rib?”
“That’s why man created the word coincidence.”
“I don’t know, Uche,”
“Exactly, you don’t know. Let’s just go and see him at the clinic.”
Godwin left the room with Uche not knowing what to believe. He was a superstitious person. Then again, this was Nigeria. Who wasn’t superstitious? He could only hope his theory was off the beam.

TO BE CONTINUED…
II
Godwin lay on his bed, bobbing his head erratically to the blaring strings of The All-American Rejects. He was playing it on his ipod. He was alone in the room.
Mark was still in the hospital though he was alright now. It had been almost twenty four hours since he lost one of his ribs in a bike accident.
Evening crept up on the hostel building, and for some reason there seemed to be more students around. Evening was the time students of University of Abuja spent with their chicks in the girl’s hostel. Why so many had decided to stay back today, Godwin didn’t know. Godwin didn’t care.
The door suddenly burst open and in came Dare. He swiveled and slammed the door shut behind him. His chest was heaving with his heavy breathing. His eyes were wide.
Godwin plucked out his earpiece from both ears and stared at Dare; the one whom Mark had threatened, in Mafia fashion, to keep him quiet from telling on them.
“Well, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Godwin said.
“And you look like you’ve seen an Angel. Why are you so calm?” Dare asked, flinging his backpack unto Godwin’s bed.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be calm?” Godwin sat up.
“You haven’t heard the news, have you? There is a riot going on outside the school.”
“Riot?” Godwin jerked up.
 “Let’s get to the common room. It’s all over the news.”

The common room was filled with boys. Some topless, some half naked. Every one sat around the only TV watching the horrible macabre that Channels TV somehow got footage of. Live footage.
“This is just outside?” Godwin asked with a horror stricken expression on his face.
“It’s practically inside. It almost caught me. That’s why I ran into your room like an alien almost abducted me for one of their science experiments.”
Godwin squinted. “Wait a minute. Who is that?”
The camera movement was unsteady. It was hard to make out the faces even as fire was added to the fuel of blood lust.
If Uche hadn’t worn his Abercombe and Fitch shirt out, Godwin might not have recognized him at all.
“Is…is that Uche?”
Dare leaned forward. His mouth parted. “He is running! He got caught in the riot!”
Both teenagers watched in horror as a looming figure crept up behind Uche with a machete. The figure hit Uche to the ground and swung at Uche with the machete. A meaty slab of flesh from Uche’s right side was slung into the air, trailed by an incredulous amount of blood.
“Uche!” Dare screamed.
The entire room turned to look at these two young lads who were glued to the TV. Apparently no one except these two had seen anyone they knew.
More chaos ensued on the screen. And pretty soon the chaos grew so close to the camera. In a moment there was nothing but Raster on the 14” TV screen. But Godwin and Dare stared at the screen as if the gory macabre still played.

The riot ended quickly. The mobile police had effectively taken down the rioters with tear gas, and had controversially killed a few—some of which were students of the University.
Godwin and Dare waited in the clinic. This was the second time Godwin was coming to the school clinic in twenty-four hours.
A thought had been gnawing at Godwin’s mind for a while now. He was itching to get the thought out. And he did.
“Dare,” Godwin called out.
“What?”
“I have a feeling.”
“Do tell.”
“I feel like Uche is going to be alright at the end of the day.”
“Well glory halleluyah! Praise God for that!” Dare exclaimed, stifling a yawn as fatigue finally began to set in.
“But he is going to lose a bone.” Godwin said. Dare looked at Godwin curiously. “His right clavicle.”
“How could you be so specific?”
“I just know.”
A doctor dressed in a white smock suddenly walked straight toward them. “Are you boys the ones with one Uche Nzua?”
“Yes.” They both stood.
The doctor spoke in a very professional manner. “Your friend is hall right. E lost a bone, but e will be fine.” The doctor’s obstinate Yoruba accent prevailed.
Godwin stepped forward. “Eh, Doctor, do you mind telling us what bone in particular Uche lost?”
Godwin and Dare glanced at each other and returned their eyes back to the doctor. The doctor adjusted his spectacles. “Is right clavicle.” His way of saying: His right clavicle. “Please follow me, i’s just down the all.” The doctor spun and began walking away.
Dare tugged on Godwin’s shoulder. “Godwin, how did you know that Uche lost his right clavicle.”
Godwin turned with fear in his eyes and said. “Because I’m about to lose my skull.”

TO BE CONTINUED…
III
Godwin wondered how Jesus did it. Knowing you will be dead in some hours wasn’t a good thing, to state the obvious. His gut was wrenched in a tight knot. He couldn’t eat. He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t even think. He could feel an eerie chill washing all over him. Less than twenty hours ago, Uche had been hospitalized; he’d lost his right clavicle. Less than forty-eight hours ago, Mark had been hospitalized; he’d lost a rib. The bones they had lost were the same bones they had stolen from the bones of John Doe in the lab roughly two days ago.
The scariest part was that there was definitely going to be no hospitalization for him. Why? Because he had decided to be the most daring of the gang and had taken the skull. It was 6 feet deep and nothing else.
But he had a plan. If he stayed in his room all day, there was no way he was going to be decapitated. He hadn’t gone for lectures that day. He hadn’t so much as stepped out to the cafeteria for a drink of water. He only stayed in his room, away from the ceiling fan—which was off, by the way—should it decide to come crashing down, for some mysterious reason.
A bitter taste had settled on his dry tongue. He really didn’t know what to do. Should he begin writing a final letter to his parents? Should he call up everyone he had a grudge with and make peace with them. Should he finally tell Jennifer that he really did loved her? And why was he thinking of love at a time like this? What a powerful emotion. He shook it off.
Godwin slammed his head into his pillow and covered his entire body with his duvet. He moaned in a slow and steady mournful tone. But oddly enough, he didn’t get a case of the shakes. He just felt totally vulnerable. Death was ominous, and not stoppable.
The sound of his door creaking startled him, and for a second, that childhood memory of the boogey man set in. Even as an adolescent, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking that even if he didn’t leave the room, the spirit of death was going to come after him. The spirit of death might just have entered his room. He dared not uncover himself.
“Dude! Are you alright? Okay, bad question. Of course you’re not.” came Dare’s familiar voice.
Godwin felt relieved. He pushed aside his duvet.
“Jesus, man. You look dead already!” Dare exclaimed
“Am I not?” Godwin said.
Dare threw his school notes on the bed. “As long as you still have breath, there is hope.”
Godwin found the strength to sit up. “Why? Why didn’t I just do like you and not take any part of that stupid skeleton.”
Dare looked at his friend for a moment before saying, “What’s done is done, man. You need to move forward.”
“Move forward to my gruesome death?” Godwin asked without looking at Dare.
“There is little I can say now. I don’t have death hot on my heels, so I can’t say I know how you feel. But I can give you an advice.”
Now Godwin did look up. Anything that might help even the slightest bit was welcome. “Go on,” Godwin urged Dare.
“Confess.” was all Dare had to offer.
Godwin stood and paced, flailing his hands—it was the most activity he had done all day. “Confess? That’s your advice? How is that going to help me? I’m still going to die after I do that.”
Dare shrugged. “At least you know you’ll be going to the right place.” Dare looked, through the corner of his eyes, upward.
Heaven? Heaven! Maybe this was a good time to start thinking about heaven and all that “Jesus stuff” that Bible thumpers always ranted on about. If his life on earth was doomed, he might as well believe that he could enjoy his afterlife. And if confessing was going to save him, he will do it.
Godwin looked at his wrist watch. According to him he had two hours, or so, to live. “I will do it.”
Dare nodded his approval.

Dean Poju hadn’t been on seat when Godwin and Dare had gone to the faculty building looking for him. According to the secretary, he had left for home early today; news that Godwin was dreading. It meant that they had to track him down to his house in Lokogoma. And doing that would almost cut down the entire two hours, or so, Godwin had to live.
Being outside the hostel room did bring a fresh doze of fear upon Godwin. But it was taking a taxi cab, alongside Dare, that finally saw a heavy case of the shakes descending upon Godwin. Hadn’t people been decapitated in car accidents before? It wasn’t uncommon.
On occasion, the cabbie would cast a glance at Godwin and then swiftly return his eyes to the road.
He probably thinks I’m one of those crack heads. Godwin thought. Dead-looking guy, shaking like a rusty old car.
When Godwin and Dare exited the cab at Dean Poju’s house, the cabbie seemed relieved. But Godwin didn’t. He was nearly out of time, and out of time meant out of head, literally.
Dean Poju’s house was a creepy old manor. No way he could afford a place like this on his meager salary, must have inherited from his pops, or something. Godwin tried to push down the knot in his throat by swallowing hard. But it didn’t budge. He knocked on the gate. The gate simply slid open with a sharp creek that cut neatly through the air. Godwin gritted his teeth.
“Shall we?” Dare asked, ushering Godwin into the compound as if it was his father’s.
They went in.

Godwin was the one who pressed the door bell as sweating was added to the long list of physical reactions his fore knowledge of his death caused.
This was it. It was now or never…again. If Dean Poju wasn’t home, Godwin was sure to die. It was only a matter of minutes. At least he tried to do the right thing. If Dean Poju wasn’t available—
The door came open, and a shocked Dean Poju stood at the other side, cup of coffee in hand. “Wow, two of my best students at my door. Please, come in.” Dean Poju opened the door wider for the young lads.
“I don’t normally host guests in my house, so do bear with me, I have no delicacies to offer you lads.” Dean Poju said as the boys followed him into his living. “Unless you wouldn’t mind a cup of tea.”
“That’s okay, sir.” Dare said. “We actually have more important issues on our minds than tea right now, sir.”
“Really. Please sit. Do tell.” Dean Poju said.
Godwin spoke up. He told the dean about their operation to vandalize the skeleton of John Doe. He told the dean about the execution of the operation. He told the dean about how, one-by-one, each of the culprits lost the very bones they had forcibly removed from the skeleton. Then he told the dean, that he had taken the skull.
Dean Poju smiled. “Now you tell me.” His smile graduated to a chuckle. He sipped his coffee and placed the cup in a saucer. Godwin and Dare glanced at each other. “After I got those bones I discovered they belonged to someone known as ‘Black Ivory’. He is known to be the greatest sorcerer that ever walked these parts. This is something I couldn’t say to everyone, they’d think I’d gone zany.” He sniffed. “Black Ivory was known to have used all manner of spells and incantations to provoke protection over his bodily members. That’s why it was a myth that he could never be killed.” Dean Poju thought for a moment. “Guess his bones debunk that. Anyway, it is for this reason that I sounded my note of warning the day after you boys vandalized the skeleton.”
“I’ve got only a couple of minutes more to live. I don’t even know how my death is going to come. All I know is that my head will be off my body in minutes.” Godwin said drearily.
“No it won’t.” Dean Poju said, a knowing grin caressing his face.
“I…I beg your pardon.”
“You see, legend states that there were two things Black Ivory never could withstand; a pure heart and the truth. It is why I told you boys to own up. And since you’ve confessed your wrong deeds, owning up for them, you’re free, my boy.”
“Just like that?” Godwin said astonished. It was too easy
“Just like that.” Dean Poju repeated.
“So…so…so, it means if Mark and Uche—” Godwin started saying.
“If Mark and Uche listened to my words and pleaded guilty to the crime, none of what befell them would have.”
In an outburst of emotion, Godwin thanked Dare for suggesting that they see the dean. It wasn’t until nightfall that Godwin had realized, for sure, that his head was going to be intact for ever. From that day, Godwin decided to take his life into his own hands and not base it on what others said, or what others did.
###
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law…”
Gal 3: 13 a
About Mich Olorunfemi
MICH OLORUNFEMI is a unique author dwelling on the Christian thriller genre. His stories give a nail-biting, jaw-tightening experience, taking you on a journey from fear to faith. Born in northern Nigeria, he lives in Abuja, Nigeria.
Connect with Me
Visit: www.micholorunfemi.wordpress.com
Follow on twitter @chosenmich
Follow on Pinterest: pinterest.com/chosenmich