The Housemate

Cynthia dragged the last of her luggage into her new apartment on the outskirts of Lagos. Her breath was higher and faster than she could control. She looked around happy with what her money could afford. It wasn't opulent like the last place she had stayed when she was still working on a six-figure job with the biggest tech company in town before she was laid off. But she was happy.

She was happy that finally, she had another job to put food on the table and be able to pay her rent rather than squat with Mercy, her friend.

The apartment was a single-room apartment with a sitting room and kitchen with windows which overlooked the busy streets.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, standing in the middle of her living room with her boxes scattered all over. The silent hum of her air-conditioner gave her the perfect peaceful welcome rendition she desired

"Home sweet home", she muttered, and then she walked to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of cold water. She was going to arrange it later.

After a few sips of the bottled water, her phone beeped. She picked it up and checked to see a message from her friend Mercy

"Hey C, just checking up on you. Sorry I couldn't help you move today, you know how busy my work can be. Settled in yet?"

Cynthia smiled. She picked up her phone and replied. "Almost. Although I'm exhausted," she punched the send button, put the bottle of water back into the fridge and went back to the sitting room. She had a lot of unpacking to do.

The next few weeks were exciting for Cynthia in her new apartment. There was constant electricity, and the neighbourhood was such a quiet and peaceful one that allowed her to have a good sleep after the day's sojourn. She was starting to enjoy it there until strange things started to happen.

She would return from work to see her house out of order from how she had left it in the morning. Her books on the shelves would be placed in the wrong places, and sometimes her food would be missing even when she was sure she hadn't eaten it all before leaving for work.

At first, she attributed it to the stress from moving into a new apartment and not being conversant with her new surroundings yet. But as time passed, more weird occurrences kept happening. When she couldn't come up with an explanation for what was going on, she made herself believe she was gradually losing her mind.

"Mercy, I'm sure of what I'm saying. Something is not right with this apartment" she spoke over the phone to her friend when she couldn't handle the strange happenings anymore.

"Come on girl. When last did you take your OCD drugs?" Mercy asked, concerned.

"I'm perfectly fine. I know what I'm saying, and I haven't missed my drugs," she replied, raising her voice and wondering why Mercy didn't want to believe her.

There was silence over the phone as Cynthia waited for a reply from Mercy, but when none wasn't coming, she called out to her friend, "Mercy?"

"I'm here. I've got an idea." Mercy said

"Shoot girl"

"Tomorrow. We will have to install a hidden camera in your apartment. I've got the perfect secret camera for it" Mercy suggested.

Cynthia bought the idea and with that. The next few days, they implanted a hidden camera in all corners of the apartment. Cynthia couldn't wait to catch the mystery going on. She just wished her apartment wasn't haunted.

But as days passed, the weird happenings stopped. And every time Cynthia checked the camera on her phone, all she could see was footage of her moving about her apartment or talking to Mercy over the phone. There was no sign of an intruder, a ghostly appearance while she was away or at home.

Until one evening, as she got home with Mercy after a night of hanging out and catching up on happenings at work and the boys in their lives.

"So, do you now believe that you're all alone in this place?" Mercy mocked her as they stepped into her sitting room.

"I guess so" Cynthia forced herself to say. She locked her door and sat down on the couch.

"Let me grab some water", Mercy says, walking straight to the kitchen.

"I'll have one too" Cynthia called out as she picked up her phone to see a notification on her screen 'Motion detected' from minutes earlier.

"I said it!" She screamed.

"Said what?" Mercy replied, looking over her shoulder.

"There was an intruder in my house earlier. The camera detected a movement earlier"

Mercy quickly walked back to the sitting room forgetting the water she had gone to get. And together, they played the footage.

At first, everything seemed normal, like she had left it earlier. Then a lady appeared from a hidden door in the hallway; they could barely see her face because she had a hoodie on. She moved cautiously from the hallway to the kitchen, her eyes searching every corner of the house. She opened the fridge and took a portion of some leftover food and she hurriedly walked back into the door, making sure to shut it perfectly.

Cynthia sat there, hands trembling, breath increasing and eyes wide open. She lacked the words to express herself nor did she believe her eyes. How long has she been living with a stranger in her house? She thought.

"Oh my goodness! What did I just watch" Mercy said, jaw dropping. "We need to call the police"

"Not after I've confronted her. I need to know what's going on" Cynthia replied, regaining her voice. She stood up and walked to the hallway.

"Wait, C," Mercy called, running after her. "Are you crazy? What if she's armed?"

Cynthia stared at her friend. Mercy was right; what if the stranger was armed? She walked to her kitchen and picked up two knives, then she walked back to the hallway. "Now we're armed too" she said to her friend, handing her one knife.

Without waiting for another word from her friend, she pushed open the secret door to reveal a tiny stair that led to a tiny secret room that looked like it had been occupied for a long time. Bravely but carefully she walked inside with Mercy coming behind.

And there in one corner, munching hungrily on the stolen food, was the stranger, a little girl who seemed to be in her late teenage years. Immediately she saw them she tried to run but was caught up by Cynthia. She quickly fell to the ground and cried.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. "I'm just an orphan that lost her parents, job and house and didn't know where to go. So I hid here" She was helpless, with tears streaming down her eyes.

Cynthia, confused, asked with sympathy in her voice, "How long have you been living here? And how old are you?"

"I'm nineteen, and I've been here after I got evicted by the bank for not being able to pay up the loan owed by my parents, which they used the house as collateral." She explained.

"So you decided to build a secret room in the same house? Do you know that's a criminal offence?" It was Mercy this time, there was rage in her voice.

"I'm sorry. Please don't call the police" the little girl pleaded.

"Too late, I already did", Mercy replied.

Cynthia stared from her friend to the teenager. There was compassion and pity in her eyes.

Just then, Police sirens could be heard from a distance. And in a few minutes, they were inside the house and whisked the teenager away.

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