Chapter 4
1993 Words
The next morning, the school looked as ordinary as it always did.
Students hurried through the gates with their bags hanging from their shoulders. Some were laughing with their friends, while others rushed toward their classrooms before the teachers arrived.
The sound of footsteps filled the corridors.
Teachers moved from one classroom to another, carrying books and lesson notes.
To everyone else, it was simply another school day.
But something had changed.
The darkness had entered the world.
And nobody knew.
Bamidele walked through the school gate with her friends.
She smiled when one of them said something funny, but after a few seconds, the smile disappeared from her face.
Something felt strange.
She looked around.
“What is wrong?” one of her friends asked.
“Nothing,” Bamidele replied.
But she knew there was something.
Her eyes moved across the school grounds.
Then she noticed them.
A group of new students had arrived.
They dressed differently from the other students.
Their clothes were expensive. Their shoes looked brand new. Their accessories attracted attention wherever they went.
One of them stepped out of a luxurious car.
Immediately, several students gathered around.
“Who are they?”
“Have you seen that car?”
“Look at his shoes!”
“They must be very rich.”
The new students smiled.
They seemed to enjoy the attention.
Bamidele watched quietly.
There was something about them she could not explain.
She felt a cold sensation move through her body.
Her eyes narrowed.
For a brief moment, she thought she saw a strange shadow behind one of them.
She blinked.
It was gone.
Bamidele looked away.
She knew she should investigate.
But she also remembered Selena's warning.
The Dark Forces have arrived.
She did not yet know who they were.
She did not know how many had entered the world.
And she did not know what they wanted.
For now, she decided to watch.
Across the school grounds, another student was sitting alone.
His name was David.
While everyone else seemed interested in the new students, David barely noticed them.
He sat beneath a tree with his earphones in his ears.
Music played softly.
But David wasn't really listening.
His mind was somewhere else.
He wanted something.
Something he had wanted for years.
He wanted to become famous.
David loved music.
Whenever he was alone, he sang.
Whenever he had free time, he wrote songs.
He believed he had a voice that could take him somewhere.
But there was one problem.
Nobody knew him.
He watched famous singers on television and social media.
Millions of people knew their names.
Thousands of fans screamed whenever they appeared.
Their songs played everywhere.
Their pictures appeared on billboards.
They drove expensive cars and lived in beautiful houses.
David wanted that life.
He wanted people to recognize him.
He wanted to walk into a place and hear people shouting his name.
Most of all, he wanted to prove that he was talented.
He closed his eyes.
For a moment, he imagined himself standing on a huge stage.
Bright lights surrounded him.
Thousands of people stood before him.
“David! David! David!”
They shouted his name.
He smiled.
The music started.
He lifted the microphone.
Then he opened his eyes.
The school was still in front of him.
Nobody was shouting his name.
Nobody was waiting for his autograph.
Nobody even noticed him.
David sighed.
“Maybe it will never happen,” he whispered.
He looked down at his worn school shoes.
His dream seemed so far away.
Then someone spoke.
“You really want to become famous, don't you?”
David froze.
He slowly removed one earphone.
“What?”
A young man stood behind him.
David had never seen him before.
The stranger smiled.
“I asked if you want to become famous.”
David looked around.
Nobody else seemed to notice the stranger.
“How do you know what I want?”
The young man shrugged.
“Your face tells the story.”
David frowned.
“You don't know me.”
“I know enough.”
The stranger sat down beside him.
“You sing.”
David's eyes narrowed.
“How do you know that?”
“I have heard you.”
“When?”
The stranger smiled again.
“You ask too many questions.”
David stared at him.
There was something strange about this person.
He looked normal.
He spoke normally.
But there was something about his eyes that made David uncomfortable.
“You have a good voice,” the stranger continued.
David looked away.
“I know I'm good.”
“But being good isn't enough.”
David looked back at him.
“What do you mean?”
“You can sing better than many of the people you see on television.”
David's heart skipped.
“How?”
“You have talent,” the stranger said. “But talent alone does not guarantee fame.”
David became quiet.
The stranger leaned closer.
“You need someone who can open the right door.”
David swallowed.
“Who?”
The stranger smiled.
“I know someone.”
“Who?”
“Someone who can make the whole world know your name.”
David's heart began beating faster.
“Who is this person?”
The stranger stood up.
“Come with me.”
David hesitated.
“Where?”
“You'll see.”
David looked toward his classroom.
Then he looked back at the stranger.
He knew he should refuse.
He knew following a stranger was dangerous.
But one thought kept repeating inside his mind.
The whole world could know my name.
Finally, David stood.
“Okay.”
The stranger smiled.
They left the school grounds together.
---
They walked for some time.
The farther they went, the quieter the surroundings became.
David looked around.
“Where are we going?”
“You'll know soon.”
After several minutes, they stopped in front of a magnificent building.
David stared at it.
He had never seen anything like it.
The entrance was surrounded by golden decorations.
Large black gates stood before the building.
Everything looked expensive.
Too expensive.
“Whose place is this?” David asked.
The stranger opened the gate.
“Someone who can give you what you want.”
David followed him inside.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, he felt something strange.
The air was colder.
The building was quiet.
There were no servants.
No workers.
No ordinary signs of life.
Yet everything looked perfect.
They walked through a long hallway.
Finally, they entered a huge room.
David stopped.
At the far end of the room sat a man on a magnificent chair.
He wore expensive clothes.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes were frightening.
David immediately knew who he was.
The stranger bowed.
“My Lord.”
The man slowly looked at David.
A smile appeared on his face.
“Come closer.”
David hesitated.
The stranger gently pushed him forward.
David walked toward the man.
“What's your name?” the man asked.
“David.”
The man smiled.
“David.”
He repeated the name slowly.
“You want fame.”
David's eyes widened.
“How do you know?”
“I know what is inside your heart.”
The man stood.
“I am Pinky.”
David looked at him.
Pinky walked slowly around him.
“You want people to know your name.”
David nodded.
“You want to sing on the biggest stages.”
David nodded again.
“You want people to scream when you appear.”
“Yes.”
“You want money.”
David hesitated.
Then he nodded.
Pinky smiled.
“I can give you all of it.”
David's heart raced.
“You can?”
“Yes.”
Pinky returned to his chair.
“Your voice will be heard. Your songs will be played. People will recognize your face. Your name will spread.”
David could hardly believe what he was hearing.
“What do I have to do?”
Pinky's smile disappeared.
“Everything has a price.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
David swallowed.
“What price?”
Pinky stared at him.
“I need five young women.”
David's expression changed.
“For what?”
“A sacrifice.”
Silence filled the room.
David took a step backward.
“No.”
Pinky did not move.
“You asked for fame.”
“I didn't ask for this.”
“You asked for the world to know your name.”
David shook his head.
“I can't do that.”
Pinky's eyes became darker.
“You can.”
“No.”
“You will.”
David stared at him.
Pinky slowly stood.
“If you tell anyone about this place, you will regret it.”
David's heart began pounding.
“What will you do?”
Pinky walked closer.
“You will lose your mind.”
David's face went pale.
“You will wake up one day and not know who you are,” Pinky continued. “You will hear voices that nobody else can hear. You will see things that nobody else can see.”
David stepped backward.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because you came here willingly.”
Pinky's voice was calm.
“You wanted fame.”
David lowered his head.
Pinky walked back to his chair.
“I will give you two days.”
David looked up.
“Two days?”
“Two days to decide.”
Pinky sat down.
“Return when you are ready.”
The stranger appeared beside David.
“Come.”
David followed him.
As he walked out of the building, he looked back one last time.
Pinky was still watching him.
And he was smiling.
---
David returned home later that day.
His mother was in the sitting room.
The moment she saw him, she noticed something was wrong.
“David?”
He stopped.
“Yes, Mum?”
“You look worried.”
“I am fine.”
His mother studied his face.
“You don't look fine.”
David forced a smile.
“I'm just tired.”
She continued looking at him.
“Did something happen at school?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Mum.”
His mother finally nodded.
“Go and rest.”
David walked into his room.
The moment the door closed behind him, his smile disappeared.
He sat on his bed.
Five young women.
The words continued repeating inside his mind.
Five young women.
He buried his face in his hands.
How was he supposed to do that?
He couldn't.
He wouldn't.
At least, that was what he told himself.
But then another thought entered his mind.
What if this is my only chance?
David lifted his head.
He looked at the poster of a famous singer hanging on his wall.
He imagined himself standing on a stage.
Millions of people watching him.
Millions of people shouting his name.
His heart began beating faster.
He wanted it.
He wanted fame more than he wanted to admit.
But was fame worth the price?
David closed his eyes.
For the first time, he realized that his greatest desire might also become his greatest weakness.
Meanwhile, far away from David's home, the mysterious messenger returned to Pinky's kingdom.
Pinky sat quietly in his chair.
“Well?” he asked.
The messenger bowed.
“He is thinking about it.”
Pinky smiled.
“Of course he is.”
The messenger looked at him.
“Do you think he will accept?”
Pinky's smile grew wider.
“Human beings are interesting.”
He leaned back.
“When they want something badly enough, they can convince themselves to do things they once believed they would never do.”
His eyes glowed in the darkness.
“This is only the beginning.”
Pinky laughed softly.
“Let us see how far human desire can take him.”
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