Zombie in Lagos

The danfo was almost empty.

Segun had lost most of his passengers along the way. Nobody wanted to follow a driver heading toward LUTH after hearing the hospital was where the outbreak began.

Only the old market woman remained.

And now she sat quietly behind him, her market bag pressed against her legs.

Outside, Lagos was changing by the minute.

The smell reached them before the scene did.

Blood.

Mixed with petrol, burning rubber and smoke.

Segun slowed.

A car was burning beside the road.

Its driver's door was open.

There was nobody inside.

Twenty metres ahead, an empty danfo sat across two lanes, its engine still running.

Segun stared at it.

"Keep your eyes front," the old woman said.

He did.

They drove on.

A police checkpoint appeared ahead.

Several officers had blocked the road with their vans.

One officer stepped into the lane.

"Stop!"

Segun stopped.

The officer approached the driver's window.

"Where you dey go?"

"Idi-Araba."

The officer's expression changed.

"Turn around."

"My sister dey LUTH."

"I said turn around."

"Officer, I need to get there."

The officer leaned closer.

"Listen to me. Nobody is going into Idi-Araba."

Behind him, a woman was arguing with another officer.

"My husband is inside LUTH!"

"Madam, please move back."

"My husband is a doctor!"

"Move back!"

A man pushed through the crowd.

"My daughter dey there!"

The police were struggling to hold everyone back.

Then a gunshot cracked through the evening.

BANG!

Everybody froze.

An infected man had attacked someone near the barricade.

Two officers rushed forward.

Another shouted:

"Everybody BACK!"

The crowd surged in the opposite direction.

Segun looked at the officer.

The officer pointed at him.

"Turn your bus around!"

Segun glanced at the road beside the checkpoint.

A narrow opening.

Then back at the officer.

"I'm sorry."

He turned the wheel.

The danfo jumped the curb and squeezed between two buildings.

The old woman grabbed the seat.

"Driver!"

"Hold tight!"

They disappeared down the side road.

The smaller road eventually opened into another street.

Segun slowed.

Something felt wrong.

There was almost no traffic.

No hawkers.

No horns.

Just a generator humming somewhere behind a closed shop.

Then they saw the bodies.

Not many.

Three.

A motorcycle lay beside them.

Segun kept driving.

Then-

CRASH!

A man ran into the side of the danfo.

Segun slammed the brakes.

The man fell.

"Help me!"

He scrambled up.

Behind him came three infected.

The old woman grabbed the seat.

"Don't open that door!"

The man banged against the danfo.

"Please!"

Segun looked at him.

Then at the infected coming closer.

He unlocked the door.

The man jumped inside.

Segun accelerated.

One infected slammed into the rear of the bus.

Another grabbed the door handle.

Segun swerved.

The infected lost its grip.

They escaped.

The rescued man collapsed onto the floor.

"Thank you."

Segun didn't answer.

He was staring at the road.

His hands were shaking.

The old woman noticed.

"You dey alright?"

"I'm fine."

She didn't believe him.

They reached a larger junction.

And there, Lagos fought back.

A group of area boys had barricaded the street with wooden tables, metal drums and whatever else they could find.

They weren't running.

They were defending people behind them.

One boy was handing out planks.

Another was shouting at civilians.

"Get inside!"

"Lock your doors!"

"Nobody stay for road!"

Three infected came around the corner.

The boys attacked.

There was nothing heroic about it.

It was desperate.

One of them recognized an infected man.

"Kola!"

He stopped.

"Kola, na me!"

Kola lunged.

His friend stepped backward.

"Kola!"

Another boy screamed:

"Don't let him bite you!"

Kola knocked one of them down.

The others dragged him away.

Then the boy who knew Kola raised his weapon.

He hesitated.

Kola charged again.

CRACK.

Kola dropped.

The boy stood there, breathing hard.

His eyes remained fixed on his friend.

"Sorry, bros."

Then he looked toward the civilians behind the barricade.

"Everybody move!"

Segun drove past.

The old woman watched through the window.

"At least some people still get courage."

Segun nodded.

"Some people no get choice."

6:05 PM

The government broadcast returned on the radio.

"The Lagos State Government continues to urge residents to remain calm. Residents are advised to stay indoors and avoid unnecessary movement. Security agencies are responding to isolated incidents across the state."

Segun looked at the burning vehicles outside.

"Isolated incidents."

The old woman shook her head.

"Na them sabi."

The broadcast continued.

"Citizens are also advised not to share unverified videos or information on social media, as this may create unnecessary panic-"

Segun switched the radio off.

His phone buzzed.

A message from Adunni.

BRO, WHERE ARE YOU?

He replied.

COMING TO LUTH.

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

Nothing came.

Segun called.

No answer.

He put the phone down.

"Drive faster," the old woman said.

A few minutes later, they heard a child screaming.

Segun saw him.

A 10-year-old boy was trapped inside an overturned car.

An infected woman was trying to reach through the broken window.

Segun stopped.

The old woman grabbed his arm.

"No."

"There's a child."

"Driver, you wan risk your life?"

Segun looked at the frightened boy.

Then at the road ahead.

LUTH was still waiting.

His sister was still waiting.

He grabbed the wheel spanner.

"Keep the door locked."

He jumped out.

The infected woman turned toward him.

She charged.

Segun swung.

Missed.

She slammed him against the car.

Her teeth snapped inches from his face.

Segun pushed her away and struck again.

She fell.

He grabbed the child.

"Come!"

The boy crawled out.

"Where's your mother?"

He pointed toward the distance.

"She was driving."

Segun looked around.

Nothing.

Just abandoned vehicles.

The boy was crying.

"What's your name?"

"Daniel."

"Daniel, you're coming with us."

Segun carried him back to the danfo.

The old woman pulled the boy beside her.

"Come, my son."

Daniel held onto her.

Segun returned to the driver's seat.

The old woman stared at him.

"You no fit leave anybody."

Segun started the engine.

"I can't."

She looked at the road.

"Then God help us."

6:22 PM

The road toward Idi-Araba was almost completely blocked.

Cars were piled against one another.

Some had crashed.

Others had simply been abandoned.

A police van sat sideways across the road.

An ambulance had smashed through a roadside barrier.

Smoke drifted over everything.

And beyond it-

LUTH.

Segun could finally see the hospital.

His chest tightened.

They were close.

But the closer they got, the worse the road became.

At the LUTH checkpoint, the rescued man suddenly leaned forward.

"Oga, stop here. I need find my wife."

Segun looked at him.

"You sure say you wan go alone?"

The man nodded.

"She dey somewhere around here. I need find her."

Segun pulled over.

The man opened the door.

"Thank you, Oga."

He stepped down and disappeared into the crowd.

Segun watched him for a moment.

Then turned back toward LUTH.

Police officers had sealed the entrance.

A crowd was pressing against the gates.

Some wanted to get out.

Others were begging to be allowed inside.

"MY BROTHER IS IN THERE!"

"OPEN THE GATE!"

"LET US IN!"

Police shouted back.

"STEP AWAY!"

"EVERYBODY MOVE BACK!"

Segun stopped the danfo.

He jumped out.

"My sister is inside!"

A police officer approached.

"Go back."

"She's a nurse!"

"I said go back!"

"Her name is Adunni!"

The officer looked toward the hospital.

Then back at him.

"Nobody is going inside."

Segun pointed at the gates.

"That's my sister!"

The officer's expression hardened.

"Everybody inside that gate is already trapped."

Segun froze.

Behind the officer, something slammed against the hospital entrance.

People screamed.

The police turned.

Segun stared through the gates.

LUTH was only a few metres away.

Yet it might as well have been another city.

His phone vibrated.

ADUNNI.

He answered immediately.

"Adunni!"

Silence.

Then-

a faint whisper.

"Bro..."

Segun stepped closer to the gate.

"Where are you?"

Static.

Then her voice again.

"Don't come inside."

The call died.

Segun stared at the phone.

The old woman stepped beside him.

"Driver..."

He didn't answer.

Inside LUTH, another scream echoed through the hospital.

Then another.

Segun looked at the sealed gates.

His sister was inside.

And for the first time since the outbreak began-

he had nowhere left to drive.