Chapter 3

 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!”