The Drum-Eater – A Nigerian Mystery Horror Short Story (Part 2)

The Drum-Eater: Part 2

---

Mama Nkechi’s voice carried again, softer this time, almost a whisper: “It is not of this world.”

The villagers gathered, lanterns flickering against the silence. No one dared beat the drums. Children clung to their mothers, and the hunters gripped spears that suddenly felt too small.

The Shadow in the Forest

Then came the sound — faint, rhythmic, like breathing but deeper, resonating through the trees. The forest seemed to pulse with it. A shadow moved between the trunks, taller than any man, its outline shifting as though smoke and flesh were one.

I wanted to run, but my legs rooted to the ground. The creature paused at the edge of the clearing, and the air grew heavy. The silence of the drums was not a choice — it was a command.

And then, it spoke. Not in words, but in a vibration that rattled the bones:

“You have called me with your endless beating. Tonight, I answer.”

---

To be continued...

— Fainass
#TheFainassChronicles #TheDrumEater #NigerianFiction #ShortStories