A hooded figure walked along the bushy pathway in the dark hours of the morning.His aim only known to him alone. Stopping by a large rock underneath a cashew tree,the figure sat down,leant his head against the tree and relaxed. Pulling out a cigarette from his pocket, he lit it and sighed in pleasure as he inhaled the smoke, a smile of relief on his face. Drumming his fingers on his thigh, he began to ruminate on the latest events that had transpired so far:
The boy was finally here and moments away from being in his grasp. The one he had tracked for years was finally within reach and all he had to do was get him to be alone and that’s all.
The problem? An irritating obstacle in form of a certain person kept on getting in theway and it was beginning to piss him off.
Speaking of obstacles….
“I know you are here.” He growled as he sensed the presence of another being nearby.
“You can come out now. It’s pathetic.”
A few feet from his left, another hooded figure stepped out of the darkness into the light illuminated by the moon.
“You know you had some real guts.Pulling that stunt yesterday.” The first man said,standing up and putting out his cigarette.
“What else were you expecting?” The stranger replied, the voice sounding a lot feminine.
“ I was only protecting my insurance.”
“You know you can’t protect him forever.”The man said, a sinister grin etching into his face.
“If it is not me, it’s going to be the others. They know where he is and they are coming for him. You think you can stand a chance?”
“ I can try.” The stranger replied.
“You can die trying.” The man smiled momentarily and then his face became serious.
“What is wrong with you? This boy can be the answer to what we seek. No more hiding. No more weakness. What do you stand to gain from protecting him?”
“None of your business.”The stranger snapped.
“It’s my business alright. And if you know what is good for you,help us or stay out of our way. There is an impending war coming. A war we intend to win. So…”
The man stood and walked towards the other figure. He reached leaned closer until their faces were a few inches apart.
“ Who’s side are you on?”
……………………………………………………………………………
“ Dan, I can’t make it to lectures today” came the weak voice of Jake as he squeezed himself under the covers of his blanket. His eyes squeezed shut, pain obvious on his face.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Daniel said. He had already taken his shower , dressed up and was combing his hair.
“ I’m having serious headache and everything feels hot. I also feel like throwing up.” Jake groaned.
Daniel sighed and placed his forearm on hisfriend’s forehead. His temperature was very high.
“Malaria.” He muttered. “ Dude, you need to eat something right now. Then take some drugs.”
“You didn’t get the part where I said I feel like throwing up?” Jake said sarcastically. “ I don’t think I can eat anything.”
“ Just try, please.” Daniel pleaded. “I’ll make cornflakes for you. Even if you eat five spoonfuls,It’s alright.”
“He’s right.” One of their roommates added. “ Malaria is not something to play with. Just try and manage something”
Jake turned to his friend. “ Alright."
Daniel made the cereal and gave it to his friend who had difficulty swallowing a spoonful much to his frustration.
“ You know?” Jake said weakly as heswallowed another. “ Ever since we’ve known each other, you’ve never complained of any illness before or rather put, you’ve never fallen ill before. I envy you.”
Daniel paused and a serious look appeared on his face. This was something he thought about since he was a little. He had never had any health problem before. Even as minor as headache. Nothing. Not that he complained,but he kind of found it strange. He kept it to himself though as he knew people would question his sanity if he mentioned something like 'Why can’t I fall ill? Other people fall ill. Why not me?'
Turning to his friend, he shrugged. “I don’t really know why.”
Soon Jake took the drugs and dozed off.
Daniel left him and set off to lectures.
*********
“ Hey, Dan. What’s up?” Sharon piped as soon as she saw him stroll in.
“Nothing much.” He replied.
“Hey, where is Jake?” Tomiwa enquired,chewing noisily at her gum.
“ He won’t make it. Malaria.” He said.
“Oh. I wish him a swift recovery.”
Tomiwa said sadly.
“ He’ll be fine. He is too stubborn to stay down so I doubt malaria will hold him down.” Daniel grinned and they laughed.
“ Which reminds me.” Sharon said, her face becoming serious. Reaching into her satchel,she pulled out a mini pamphlet and handed it to him.
“ You need to check this out. I bought it on my way here.”
Opening the front page, his eyes widened as he saw the headline :
MAN KILLED BY WILD ANIMAL OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY GATE.
Beneath the headline was a picture of a bloodied corpse. The man lay outstretched with his head twisted grotesquely . His shirt was torn and there was a bite mark on his neck. Similar to the one he saw on the previous victim.
“Another one again?” Daniel cried out.
“Yeah.” Sharon replied. “ In the space of one month. This is getting out of hand and seriously scary.”
“Tell me about it.” Tomiwa muttered, blowing a bubble.
“ You don’t really seem bothered.” Sharon turned to her.
“I am.” Tomiwa replied.
“I just don’t want to show it. It’s kind of funny how this school hasn’t addressed the issue yet. Hopefully they can declare a strike due to wild animal infestation." She giggled.
Sharon rolled her eyes and turned to Daniel.She was about to say something when she saw him spacing out again. It was becoming a habit of him recently. Zoning out during conversations and replying monotonously. Though she didn’t want to voice it out, she was actually worried for him.
Daniel however, was in his own world. The recent events were worth pondering about.
Sudden rainfalls on a dry season.School transformer set on fire.Now two men killed like wild stock in the space of a month. He glanced around and noticed his mystery girl was absent. Well, good for her.
“Dan?” he snapped back to reality as Sharon waved her hand in front of his face. “ You alright?”
“Yeah” he forced a smile on his face. “ Just thinking of well…things.”
“You sure?” she pressed.
“Yeah.” He replied.
" For goodness sake, Sharon." Tomiwa grinned slyly. “ Give your boyfriend some breathing space."
She dodged a grip from a flustered Sharon and took off, with Sharon hot on her heels.
“Come back here!” Sharon cried out as she chased her.
Lectures once again was uneventful and Daniel managed to stay focused. Though he couldn’t get the feeling out of his mind that something terrible was about to happen. He couldn’t place his finger on it but the danger alert button on his brain kept blinking red. If there was one special gift he had, it was the ability to anticipate bad omen. As much as he tried to shake it off, it always came back to stick to his mind like glue.
By 6pm, lectures were over. He stood up and was about to leave the class when his phone buzzed. It was an inbox from an unknown number. Opening it, he saw a message:
HEY, DAN. IT’S JAKE.I AM AT THE LAGOON FRONT WITH SEGUN NEAR THE FACULTY LIBRARY. PLEASE HURRY, IT IS AN EMERGENCY.
I COULDN’T USE MY PHONE BECAUSE IT’S DEAD.
THIS ONE IS ABOUT TO DIE TOO. PLEASE,HURRY.
“Jake?” Daniel pondered as he shoved the phone in his pocket.
“ I thought he was sick.What is he doing with Segun at the lagoon front?”
Segun was their roommate. A student studying medicine.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of hismind, he bid his friends goodbye and ran off towards the appointed destination.
On his way, the bad feeling began to intensify and he glanced up. The sky began to darken. He glanced at his watch.It read 6:25pm.
Why then was it getting dark?
Getting to the lagoon front, he was stunned.
The place was devoid of any human activity and was quiet, save for the chirping of the crickets and noises of other nocturnal creatures.
“Jake?” Daniel called out and he looked around. No response.
“Jake?” He repeated. Still no response.
He heard a twig snap behind him and he turned around. Standing in front of him was a figure dressed in a black hoodie and dark jeans. One glance at the figure’s stature was enough to alert Daniel that he was a man. He was quite muscular and his face was partly covered by the hood, save for the lower half of his face which revealed bright red lips.
“Hello, Daniel.” The man growled as his lips contorted into a twisted grin.
Daniel’s eyes widened as he backed up a bit.
There was something eerie about this man which gave him the creeps.
“ Who are you and how do you know me?” He said fearfully.
The man chuckled darkly and Daniel noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere. For some reason the air around him began to feel chilly.
“How do I know you?” The man smiled.
“Lets just say I’ve known you since you were born. And as for who I am?....”
The man walked slowly and stealthily towards Daniel.
He removed his hood to reveal an angular face with a permed hairstyle. His nose was pointed and his eyes were sharp with red glowing irises.
“Let’s just say I’m your debt collector. You have something I want, Boy. And I have come to take it!”
“Something you want?” Daniel gulped nervously as he slowly backed away from the leering figure. “Sorry I don’t have any cash on me but I have an ATM. We can work something out”“Oh, my boy.” The man replied as he finally had Daniel cornered. “ I don’t have any interest in your money.”“Then what do you want?” Daniel was literally sweating now.Smiling, the man rubbed his chin and stared at the sky as if in thought.“ Why don’t you lean back and relax. I am about to delve into a little bit of history here. You might as well know the truth about yourself.”Daniel said nothing.Noticing Daniel's attention, the man began.“Once upon a time in a boring little city, there lived a good doctor who was know to be indispensable and efficient. Dr Joseph Johnson.”“ My father?” Daniel interrupted. His mother had shown him pictures of his father since he was little and the only other information he had received was his name.“
“Make yourself comfortable.” Mystery girl said as she entered her apartment, Daniel following close by and shutting the door after him.She had invited him over and being driven by paranoia, he accepted. He didn’t want any further run-ins with Luke on his way back to his hostel.He paused to look around her apartment.It was well furnished and quite spacious.There were two armchairs, a couch, and a flat screen TV with a bookshelf beside it. A large glass table stood in the center of the room with lots of books piled on it. By the far end of the living room was a door which probably led to her bedroom. Few meters away from the couch was a large dining table.“Wow?” He thought. “All these for one person?"Glancing at her, he took in her appearance. If he deduced correctly, she was not older than 17. Then again it was more difficult to tell a girl’s age than a guy’s.“Nice place.” he said as he sat on the couch.“ Thanks” she
“For real, man?” Jake said as he walked alongside Daniel. The two were currently on their way to class. Daniel had left Ann’s place early and reached his hostel just in time to shower and leave with Jake as they had an early lecture, so which meant no time for breakfast. Daniel had given him the gist of how he left lecture and stayed in a friend’s place, omitting information of the ambush from Luke as well as not revealing the name of the 'friend' that he stayed with. He already had Ann laughing at him. He didn’t want another comedy audience.“Yeah.” Daniel replied. “it just happened all of a sudden. One minute, we are watching a movie and before we know it, time has passed away. The movie was awesome.”“Which one?” Jake asked.“The ghost and the darkness..” Daniel began.“Seriously? That movie is old school.” Jake interrupted “ You haven’t watched it before?”“ No.” Daniel lied. Truth be told, he had watched it a long time ago but he needed
~ THE PAST~“Honey, what do you think you are doing?” A man asked as he entered the kitchen to meet his wife cooking. He was in his early thirties and he was quite fit with no sign of protruding belly and he stood at an average height. He had well groomed raven black hair and a bit of stubble on his chin and he was currently wearing a red robe.The question was directed to his heavily pregnant wife who was by the gas cooker, making their breakfast.“I’m making breakfast.” She replied, giving him a look as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.She was met with a disapproving scowl on his face.“Come on, Joe” she whined. “It’s just cooking. Besides, it’s only a light breakfast I’m making.”He shook his head and moved towards her, collecting the spoon from her hand and ignoring her protests.“Light or heavy breakfast.” He said as he gently nudged her away from the gas cooker. “
Joe drove like a deranged lunatic on the way to the hospital, lucky and thankful that he didn’t run into anyone or even worse, encounter the police. Soon his wife was admitted into one of the labor rooms and being a doctor himself, decided to handle the operations. It was his hospital after all.Delivery process was hell. Trying as much as she could,there was no progress in the situation. After much efforts, she began to grow weaker and her breathing was slowly depleting. Joe and the midwifes around knew what this meant.“Doctor?” One of the midwives looked at him in fear.‘This is not happening.’ Joe thought in fear as he held his wife’s slowly growing cold hand.‘Esther, please stay with me. Please’ tears began to well around his eyes.Then it hit him!! The serum!! It was his last shot at saving the life of the woman he loved. He stormed out of the room, running into Luke along the way.“What’s going on?” Luke asked.
..A bat hung upside down at the branch of an oak tree. It’s wings covering it’s body as it snoozed peacefully. A sudden movement below startled it and it quickly snapped awake, eyes glaring .Below, a white rabbit hopped around, it’s nose twitching as it sniffed around for food. The bat adjusted itself and stood upright on the branch, excited at the sight of a new meal. It bared it’s fangs in excitement as the rabbit continued moving about, unaware of the imminent danger about to occur.With a sharp snarl, it swooped down and the rabbit suddenly, seeing the approaching predator, took off. It was a short chase as the bat was gearing closer, it’s feet close to grabbing the rabbit by the neck. Then it happened.Before it could lay it’s claws on the poor animal, a growl was heard nearby and a grey wolf jumped out of the swiped the bat away with it’s claw. The bat landed roughly against a tree bark and quickly regained it’s balance, flying to perch on the branch a
“Well,well,well. Look who's late." Tomiwa teased the boys as they finally made their way into the class. As predicted, they arrived twenty minutes late and after some insults from the lecturer, they were told to wait outside as punishment before being pardoned and allowed to come in.“It wasn’t our fault.” Jake grumbled.“Oh really?” she smiled. “ Who’s fault was it?”“ Long story.” Jake muttered.“ Yeah,right.” She laughed.Daniel sat down beside Sharon with a frown. He prayed that today would not get any worse because if someone managed to anger him, he would not go as easy on that person as he went on Falcon. Sharon for once decided not to bother him as she saw his mood.“I smell fury.” a feminine voice sang in his ear and he turned around to look into the teasing chocolates of Annabelle’s eyes.“Then your nose works well.” he managed a small smile.“Terrible morning?” She asked.“Yeah.” He replied as he faced his
“ Dan, hold on.” Annabelle pleaded as she advanced towards him.“STAY BACK!” he screamed as he moved backwards. He turned around and took off in the opposite direction only to meet her already in front of him, much to his shock.“Dan.” she said sadly. “I know you have every right to be scared of me. I would too."“Oh, is that so?” he cried out, an amused look on his face, despite his fear. “I can’t believe you hid this from me the whole time.Brushing aside my claims of vampire existence in this school.”“Oh, what did you expect?!” she cried out, eventually losing her temper, her eyes glowing momentarily. “That I should just walk up to you and say :Hi, my name is Annabelle and I’m a 67 year old vampire. Can we be friends? Is that what you were expecting?” she added.Daniel became quiet as he knew she had a point there, but that didn’t mean she was off the hook. For crying out loud, she just killed a guy moments ago. The guy was a