NYSC secret

📖 CHAPTER 1: The Posting The moment I saw “Oyo State” on my NYSC posting letter, my heart dropped. Not because I hated the place… But because of what I had heard about it. “Oyo ke?” my friend Chioma leaned over my shoulder, squinting at the screen. “Ahh, Amara… you don enter one chance.” I forced a laugh, but it came out dry. “Stop it, joor. It’s not that bad.” But even as I said it, my fingers tightened around my phone. It didn’t feel right. Nothing about it did. The room buzzed with excitement as other corps members celebrated their postings. “Abuja! I got Abuja!” “Lagos, baby!” “Port Harcourt! I’m not complaining!” Laughter filled the air, but it sounded distant to me… like I wasn’t really there. Because all I could see was that single line on my screen. Oyo State. A place I had never been. A place I never planned to go. A place I suddenly couldn’t avoid. “Calm down,” Chioma said, nudging me. “Maybe it’s even better than you think.” I shook my head slowly. “You don’t understand.” She raised an eyebrow. “Then explain.” I hesitated. Should I tell her? About the stories? About the whispers? About the strange things people said happened there? No… it sounded stupid. Even to me. “I just have a bad feeling,” I muttered. Chioma rolled her eyes. “You and your village people imagination.” But this wasn’t imagination. It was something else. Something I couldn’t explain. That night, I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing it again. Oyo State. Like it was calling me. Or warning me. I didn’t know which one was worse. By morning, I had convinced myself I was overreacting. “It’s just NYSC,” I told my reflection as I packed my bags. “Millions of people have done it. You’ll be fine.” But my reflection didn’t look convinced. The journey to Oyo felt longer than it should have been. The bus was crowded, hot, and noisy, filled with other corps members heading to different camps. Some were excited. Some were nervous. But me? I felt something else entirely. Uneasy. As we got closer, the sky began to change. The bright afternoon sun slowly faded behind thick, grey clouds. A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. I glanced out the window, my chest tightening. “Driver,” someone called from the back, “is rain coming?” The driver didn’t respond. He just kept driving. Then I saw it. A signboard by the roadside. Old. Rusted. Barely standing. But the words were still clear. WELCOME TO OYO STATE My breath caught. And for a split second… I could have sworn I saw something move behind the sign. “Did you see that?” I whispered. “See what?” Chioma asked, following my gaze. But when I looked again… There was nothing there. Just silence. And the sound of the bus engine. “Nothing,” I said quickly, turning away. But my heart was already racing. Because deep down… I knew one thing. I had just made a mistake coming here. As the bus crossed into Oyo State, the rain finally started. Slow at first. Then heavier. And heavier. Like the sky itself was trying to warn us to turn back. I pressed my forehead against the window, watching the rain blur everything outside. And that’s when I heard it. Soft. Close. Right beside me. A voice. “You shouldn’t have come here…” I froze. Slowly… I turned. But there was no one there. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. Too loudly. Because somehow… I knew. This was only the beginning.