The hostel master

Chapter 9

 Ekemini opened his eyes to darkness all around him. He tried to move but realized his hands were tied behind him and his feet were also bound together. He heard footsteps coming down the basement stairs and the lights came on. The grim reality that dawned on him sent a shiver down his spine. Around him on the ground were his friends, all tied up on the floor. Mr. Lucas walked past them towards the mirror at the end of the basement. He stood in front of it, looking at his stomach wound. The Prefects were all awake now and had begun begging for their lives. Lucas ignored their pleas and focused on his injuries for a while before turning to them. He walked over to the spot where Anita's corpse was still hanging upside down and unlocked the cuffs around her feet, sending the corpse crashing headfirst to the basement floor. He then dragged her aside and approached the bound students. "You," he said, bending down next to Aniekan. "You did this to me," he said, pointing to his wounds. "Now it's your turn," he added. Grabbing the boy by his feet, he pulled him towards the beam that ran across the ceiling where the corpse had been hanging. "Get the fuck off me," Ak screamed as his body dragged across the floor. He threw the cuffs around the boy's feet and lifted him up, across his shoulder, securing the cuffs to the chains on the beam. Aniekan made one last attempt at him, sinking his teeth into the man's back as he hung across his shoulder. Lucas dropped him and he dangled upside down, his feet attached to the beam. "You little shit," Mr. Lucas cursed, sending a fist into the boy's groin. Ak screamed in pain as the man left him dangling, his hands firmly tied together behind him. "You have got heart boy, I have to give you that," Mr. Lucas said as he stretched his hand around his back to massage the spot he was bitten. "Most people in your situation would cry and beg for mercy but you fought back, even when all hope is lost. You have earned my respect for that," he added as he walked over to the table and picked up the sickle. The students panicked further at the sight of the curved blade, stained with Anita's dried blood and resumed their begging. Mr. Lucas returned to the swinging boy with the bucket, placing it just beneath him. "What are you doing?" Ak shrieked as the man crouched before him, bringing their faces closer. "This will be quick, I promise," the hostel master said and without further ado, he swiped the blade through the boy's throat, stepping away as blood spurted out of the severed neck and ran down the boy's head into the bucket below. The other bound students screamed in horror as they watched Aniekan's last struggle. His legs kicked together but were held in place by the cuffs until the life drained out of him and the movement stopped. Mr. Lucas rested his side on the table and watched the other students who were squirming in fear and sobbing profusely. "I'll kill you motherfucker," Ekemini cursed. "Will you now," Lucas teased him back. He waited until most of the blood had drained out of the boy's neck before proceeding to remove the bucket from under him. "Now I know what you all are thinking. Why am I doing this?" He said to the trembling students. "Now watch this and learn," he added as he raised the bucket into the air and turned its contents into his open mouth. Some blood spilled across his mouth and unto his chest and red robe, down to the floor. He dropped the bucket and turned to face them and they watched as the wounds on his stomach healed slowly until the skin was good as new. "So that's how you healed from that gunshot wound, what the hell are you?" Ekemini asked. "What am I? If only you know the amount of times I have heard that question in my lifetime," Mr. Lucas replied to him, wiping the blood off his mouth. "And after all these centuries, I still haven't come up with an answer," he added, walking towards the mirror to observe himself. "Since I remember, I have been called all sorts of names, a god, an angel, a demon, even the devil. I guess it's all a matter of perspective," he turned to face them. "I don't remember how I came to be or what created me. I only recall being this way all my life and trust me, I have been around for a very very long time. Over the centuries I have traveled and lived in almost every part of the world and in all this time I have never found anyone else like me. Maybe I was doomed to roam the world for all eternity, unable to reproduce with any human. I have been a surgeon, a lawyer, a soldier, a robber and much more. Despite all of these, I have been unable to find any answers to my being. Over the course of time I have learned to accept that some questions can never be answered and some things were just meant to be. Take yourselves for example, the warm blood coursing through your veins is all I need to survive. A little blood like that of Miss Eno or Ak here can heal me of any wounds but in order to retain my young and dashing looks, I need to feast on the blood of young humans like yourselves who are bubbling with life. Over the years, I have narrowed down my targets to those youths who have no ambition. Youths like yourselves who have nothing positive to add to this world, just a waste of space and oxygen. You, giving your lives to keep my youth restored is the greatest achievement of your worthless lives," he finished. He walked towards them and smiled, "Before Bako realizes what is happening, I'll be long gone from here, far away in another country with another identity. Your blood will keep me in this state for the next couple of months until I find new victims," he said, turning from them and walking towards the hanging corpse. "Now I know what you all are thinking," he said as he unshackled Aniekan's body from the beam. "You are wondering who is going next aren't you? I understand the feeling, it's hard for me to choose too. I mean I have known you guys for more than half the term. The only person I don't know too well is you Helen," he said, turning to gaze at her as he dragged Ak's body across the floor towards Anita's. "You're next Helen," he added, walking towards her as she wept bitterly. "What do you want man, just let me go. My parents are rich, I'll give you anything you want," Ekemini begged as the hostel master dragged Helen away. "Haven't you been listening?" Mr. Lucas asked, lifting the struggling girl up to the beam. "I have lived for hundreds of years, I have accumulated more wealth than I can count, safely hidden in different parts of the world. How do you think I can afford traveling the world, purchasing fancy cars? Think boy, I don't need your money," he said as he shackled Helen's feet to the beam.