After Sunny did this, Chichi took some powder between her fingertips. It looked like soot in the dim firelight. She blew it toward the men, and it traveled easily in a dark mist for several yards, mingling with and dimming the firelight. Chichi brought up her juju knife and spoke some rapid words in Efik, then she stabbed her knife into the soil and twisted it.

“Is that it?” Sunny asked, when nothing happened.

“Shhh,” she said.

Sip! Something black flitted in front of them. Then it was gone. Then it came again and hovered before them. Even there in the dark, mere feet from the men who’d nearly killed her brother, Sunny found herself smiling. It was just so . . . cute! The small batlike creature was covered in downy black fur, its wings batting like those of a hummingbird. It hovered perfectly still so she could see its big black eyes, tiny snout, and pointy fox-like ears. It smelled strongly of perfumed oil.

“Who are you?” Chichi asked it.

It rapidly cheeped three times, and then said in a low voice that sounded like that of a very tall big man, “Od’aro.”

Every hair went up on Sunny’s body as she went from delighted to terrified.

“It calls itself ‘goodnight’ in Yoruba,” Chichi said. “Typical.” Then she spoke to it in either Yoruba or Efik. It did a quick turn and then zipped off. Sunny heard it cheep, and there were more responses from the treetops, which had started to shed leaves and shudder. The Red Shark members stopped singing, listening. One of them pointed at the fire, wobbling on his feet. But the fire was quickly dying, and soon they were all in darkness. Silence.

“Stupid boys think they are above reproach because they hurt and kill,” Chichi whispered. “Let them learn.”

“What are they going to do?”

“Watch.”

The darkness that had fallen suddenly grew heavy and thick. The cheeping in the trees stopped, and the silence was as pure and weighted as the darkness. Sunny grabbed Chichi. She opened her mouth wide, to make sure there was still air and she could breathe it. She could. Then the screaming began.

“What is happening?” Sunny asked.

“Murks like to slap,” Chichi said. “Their wings feel like hot steel.”

Sunny and Chichi stood behind the bushes listening to the screams, yelps, and moans. Let them hurt and remember my brother’s face and his pain with every slap and scratch, she thought. The sound of them running in all directions made Sunny freeze. For the amount of time Sunny had set the timer on her phone, the Murks would follow them to their homes, bringing their darkness and remaining quiet as air. And then when the members went to sleep, the Murks would bring the nightmares. Nightmares that would call up her brother’s face and name and warn the members to leave him alone forever or suffer more consequences. Chichi’s plan was flawless. But it wasn’t enough. Not for Sunny.