Soon enough, the destination would be reached after what felt like days of suffering. It was only an hour though, but such is the lifestyle of using the bus in Nigeria. The 3 got off more weary than before. But just excited enough. They began to walk through the outskirts Iyana-Ipaja, soaking in the ever-present smell of goat dung.

"So where were the cave sightings, Obinna?" Eze inquired, still fiddling with the gym bag.

"We shouldn't be too far off now. According to my expert calculations, give or take 5 minutes," Obinna replied, scrolling through his phone with a hint of confidence.

"5 minutes is way too much! Especially since it's right..." Chinwe's arm swept through the air, her eyes scanning the entire area before settling on an abnormal-looking rock sequence. "There!" she exclaimed.

Chinwe's sharp eyes as always had led them right to their optimal destination. Her talent for spotting things from afar had always proven to be an invaluable asset for their small group of misfits. Without a hint of hesitation, they approached the cave entrance, their eagerness to explore overpowering any common sense or caution. It's not like they haven't done this before.

Almost immediately, darkness engulfed them as they stepped into the cave's depths. All manners of light that filtered in from the entrance quickly faded, leaving them surrounded by an almost pitch-black environment. The air inside felt stuffy, reminiscent of the average Lagos bus, and the walls were grimy with layers of unknown substances.
Obinna rummaged through the gym bag Eze had carried and retrieved a torchlight, only to find that it didn't work. It was an impossible situation, considering that it was a brand-new torch.

"Is it that the torch is fake or something again?" Eze asked, his cautious expression mirroring his concern.

"It can't be! I tested it on the way here! Wait a minute, try using your own phone light, Eze," Obinna suggested, his frustration apparent.

Eze pulled out his phone and attempted to turn on the torch. To their surprise, it didn't work either. It seemed like no form of light could even penetrate the infinite darkness of the cave.

"This seems like a great time to call it a day, guys," Eze said, trying to find a way out of their eerie predicament.

But Chinwe's excitement was clear, and she had a different opinion on the matter. "Not at all! This is obviously supernatural, Eze! Now we have to explore the place."

"Please, Obinna, don't tell me..." Eze implored, hoping Obinna would realise how bad of an Idea this is.

"I can't lie, chief. I can't disagree. What if I get superpowers or something?" Obinna said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

Eze shook his head, not-amused at the half-joke. "You people. We are Nigerian. We are not white people in a horror movie. You guys literally make fun of situations like this. So let's go,".

"I mean, you can go. But we're staying here. There is still more ground to be covered," Chinwe asserted, determination in her voice. Oblivious to the growing unease in Eze, she and Obinna ventured deeper into the cave, their curiosity overpowering any fear.

Eze let out a sigh, his heart sinking as he saw his friends disappearing into the darkness. He had always hoped they would listen to him more often: Maybe they would have gotten into much less danger. Then he realized the situation's weight. Alone? In a dark enclosed space where you have to light to help you and no weapons to protect you? Is that really the best idea? Suddenly, a series of different scenarios played out in his head of all the dangerous things that could happen to him, from injuring himself to getting attacked by a mysterious enigma. He felt his chest tighten more than it ever had in the last few years of his life. Then he thought about going back to meet his friends. But how so? Where did they even go? Every thought made everything seem worse and worse.

But before he could ponder further, a mysterious voice called out to him. "Bia Adi. Bia Adi." Somehow, the voice seemed to know his last name, sending a violent shiver down his already shaken spine.

"Nope. Last straw," Eze muttered with panic, trying to turn away and leave the eerie cave behind.
To his shock, a grimy stone wall, just taller than he could jump, rose up, blocking his path and almost crushing him. Panic surged within him as he realized he was trapped.

"I SAID COME!" the voice boomed again, causing Eze's heart to race in fear. As he looked around, his eyes fell on a small black spider with mesmerizing blue veins all over its body. The vibrant blue glow was the only source of illumination in the otherwise pitch-black cave.
The spider began to scurry towards a wall, and to Eze's amazement, the wall opened up, revealing a branching path. Unsure of what to do, Eze froze in place like any person his age would.

"WELL? FOLLOW ME!" the voice roared once more. Eze began wiring through his brain again, thinking of what he could do in this situation. He thought of different ways to escape. He began to speak in his head. "Maybe I could gain a running start towards the wall and climb it instead of jumping." more confident in his idea he began to speak out loud. "Yes. Great idea Eze I just have to get my feet ready and..." 

"I CAN SEE YOUR THOUGHTS OGA." the booming voice interrupted. YOU'RE BETTER OFF NOT DOING ANYTHING BUT MY INSTRUCTION. NOW PLEASE. FOLLOW ME. Eze didn't dare to delay. He sprinted toward the path, which is when it all began to be wonky. The place started to shift itself and he would trip over a rectangular stone that suddenly shot out of the ground. Eze stood up and dusted himself peering over the stone before being shot back out of shock. A bottomless pit.

 "SHOULD I GO BACK TO IGBO MM? I SAID FOLLOW ME!" the voice said, seeming not to understand how abnormal everything was for Eze. But the words were still his instincts taking over as he expertly utilized his parkour skills. The path was filled with differently-shaped blue-veined stones that glowed in the darkness. Eze jumped, vaulted, and maneuvered through the corridor, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The area continued to shift and change. Vaults turning into rolls, rolls turning into slides, slides turning into wall runs, even the floor would occasionally disappear. This did not help an already terrified Eze, who had to endure all of it. "Mary, Mother of Jesus, save my soul", he would mutter, every time he defied a near-death situation.

The blue veins acted as a guiding trail, leading him deeper into the mysterious corridor. His heart pounded in his chest as he continued his acrobatic journey, trusting the spider's guidance. As if he had any other choice. Finally, he reached the end of the road, where the spider awaited him, seeming to jump up and down in happiness.

"I don't even know what I'm doing, jor," Eze muttered, still in awe of the strange turn of events. He started panting harder. Then he bent over and panted even harder. The course had destroyed him physically. 

The spider scurried towards him faster than he could react. And without warning, the spider suddenly bit him, and a surge of shock shot through his body. His vision turned hazy and blurry, and he collapsed to the ground almost instantly.
But before darkness consumed him, the spider's voice echoed in his mind. "Then I'll help you." The spider crawled up on top of his shirt, and Eze was left with his own lack of general thoughts. Soon enough, his vision started the fade faster and his body suddenly became far more fatigued. Gradually, his body slipped more and more out of his control. Why did he even come to this stupid cave? And as he finally drifted into what he hoped was a temporary slumber, the mesmerizing blue glow of the spider's veins would be the last thing his blurry vision could observe. If only he had just gone home.