In the night one day, a woman wanders out of her house tying only wrapper with blood dripping all over her body. She is very well known in the neighborhood, her husband’s a barrister, a really rich and powerful one in fact. So powerful that when her neighbors turned on the light to see who was screaming, they quickly turned it off out of fear that they’d get into trouble with him. The woman ran from door to door but each and everyone of the house owners ignored. Her vile husband steps outside of their home with a belt on his bloody hand and a smirk on his face.

”When you’re done with all this your rubbish you better come inside. I told you I want to eat and you have the audacity to tell me to get it from the kitchen”

The woman paid no heed to his words, as she continued to run all the way to the end of the road. The more she ran, the darker the road seemed but the dark unknown felt safer to her than the blinding lights of her home. As she got deeper in to the road, her husband became enraged and started to pursue her.

”Are you stupid? Come back here!”

He screamed with, tightening his fists and stretching his legs as fast as he could. His tired wife got even more tired and eventually tripped but before she hit the floor, she felt a cold embrace that saved her from the fall. She turns and sees a dark man with bright eyes and a cigarette in his mouth. She has never felt hands these cold before, not even her late father felt this cold on her death bed so shivered while asking him

”P-p-please, w-w-who are y-you?”

The man decides to hold her with one hand and is about to take off his cigarette to answer when he’s interrupted by the panting goof behind them

”Ehen! So not only can you no longer serve me food, you now follow other men Abi? Today you’re going to suffer! You and that stupid man, you’ll both sleep inside cell”

He gets close to them and whips his belt towards the man who, catches it instantly and does something strange. Suddenly, the husband began to shiver, the man had somehow transferred the cold ten folds to her husband’s arm and, it instantly became frozen.

“Jesus! My hand! What did you do to my hand o! So you’re sleeping with culti-“

Boom! The man’s hand shatters into pieces and he and his wife scream in unison. The dark man finally begins to speak

“Mr Barrister, I promise you I’m not cultist. I’m just a man……well, not a man per se, but I used to be. Now, I’m a wanderer, a force. I know you and your poor wife must be terrified, I would be too but she need not worry, I’m only terrifying to those who deserve it.”

Now on the floor in pain, the barrister begins to try and crawl away, tears pour from his eyes as the mysterious man walks closer and closer to him.

“Relax, I won’t hurt you……yet”

He grabs the man by his torn am so easily and takes him to where his wife is then begins to speak to her

”I am not an judge, I only reinforce their will so tell me, what is your will? How much has this man hurt you”

He senses she’s still frightened so he reassures her

”I know this is a lot to take in Mrs Edosio but I promise you I will not harm you. I know you’re a Christian so listen to me closely, I am not the devil or a demon, or a witch…..I’m just a vampire”

”Jesus!”

”He’s not here right now is he? Allow the lord rest, he has soldiers like us to protect you”

”Y-ou serve God?”

He looks to her husband perplexed, “Didn’t I just tell her I wasn’t the devil? I’m a Vampire, VAMPIRE”

The barrister begins to cry out loud which irritates the vampire more

”Hey you! Shut up! If you make me vex for here I go just cut your head now now”

The woman is surprised, looking at him in confusion

”I’m so sorry, I think I’ve stayed in Warri a little too long now, the lingo starts to stick. Anyways, back to business, I’m a vampire, I help those who need it and I kill those who deserve it. Do you want me to let him go or will you tell me all his sins?”

”Franca please, forgive me, let me go, I won’t do it again, you know I love you? It was the devil…”

“I promise you, not even he beats women but don’t let me stop you, keep begging her, maybe she’ll forgive you”

“Okay, it was me, I’m sorry, I was just tired, all those cases and you wouldn’t serve me because of your stupid television program”

Enraged, the woman rises up!

”stupid what? Do you know how I cleaned and the effort it took to prepare that food? Have you tried ironing all your clothes? Do you think it’s easy washing them? You smell horribly but don’t want to buy a machine! What kind of animal are you? You beat me and beat me again, I’m tired, I don’t want to die, I don’t even want your money!”

”Wow, that was a lot, what do you have to say for yourself Mr Barrister, I’ll give you ten seconds to come up with a strong argument”

”10? no wait please, she’s only telling her side of the story! I provide for her, I am a”

“Nine”

“…I…go to work everyday and…”

”Eight”

”Are yu listening to me? Just listen to me”

”Oh I’m listening, seven!”

”Ei God, this woman has killed me”

”Yes, yes keep blaming her, minus three seconds, four!

”i am sorry!”

”Three”

”I AM SORRY!”

”Two”

”I AM SORRY PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE”

”One. Your time is up”

The barrister gets up and starts running. The man is unphased and instead turns to the woman first to tell her

”I know it’s meant to be your choice but he has to go, look how he’s running”

In a flash, he suddenly appears in the front of the barrister again

”Barrister Edosie I’ll let you go this time because I want you to help a lot of innocents. Go to your office tommorow…obviously after you’ve gotten your hand treated. Take every poor person’s case for free, make sure the politicians you serve lose and most importantly, buy that washing machine and cook for your wife. Is that understood?”

He nods in agreement

”Good, now go home, call the hospital, get it treated. Your wife will follow you back home, you will apologize to your neighbors and you’ll never touch her again. I promise you if you don’t do everything I’ve told you, I’ll introduce you to the devil himself”

He pats him on the back and the barrister runs as fast as he can

“Have a happy holiday my barrister, be safe you hear! I’ll be seeing you soon”.

He walks back to the barrister’s wife and tells her

”I’m so sorry about your husband, he doesn’t deserve you or anybody else”

”It’s alright, thank you for helping me Sir”

”Not sir, my name is ….never mind, it would be too hard for you to pronounce anyway. You can just call me a friend. If you’d like, you can come with me or you could go home, he’ll never hurt you again, I promise. The choice is yours”

”I think I’ll go back home, things have taken a change for the better I think, I’ll keep living there until my parents are back in the village then I’ll go meet them”

He grabs her hands and suddenly the blood and bruises disappear. She’s shocked, how could he do that? He only smiles and says

”Very well then, goodbye, see you later”

he begins to walk away and she whispers

”hopefully”

He turns back smiling, he heard her and repeats the same thing.

“Hopefully”

She had just witnessed the most unthinkable thing imaginable but only one question came to her mind as he left her, “if he’s a vampire, why didn’t he show any teeth?”