Chapter One

It was evening already, the street of Anambra shoned brightly as if it was still daytime.

Two boys; sixteen and seventeen respectively were walking together, they were dressed in purple pants and white shirts with black school bags hung on their backs.

"Today was hectic," the sixteen years old boy said with an exhausted look on his face. Gabriel, fondly called Gabby by his mates was a jovial boy with black hair and blue eyes. He had a fair skin and slight dimples that would occasionally surface whenever he smiles.

"Yeah," the other boy, Stanley mumbled.

Unlike Gabriel, Stanley had a boring personality. He was blessed with good features; grey hair and green eyes and a face so fine that it was admired by both men and women. But unfortunately, he was not intelligent.

He couldn't be blamed for it because he was not opportuned to start school on time, this made him older than his classmates. Because of this, he had no friends, coupled with the fact that he came from a poor background and didn't like associating with people — He preferred to stay on his own.

It was surprising how Gabriel was able to take him, make friends with him, and was also able to put up with his bad attitude.

"Mathematics sucks," Gabriel whined. It was so obvious that he hated the subject mathematics. "I can only pass it because of you," he added and glanced at Stanley who nodded his head.

He had been bad at mathematics, failing the subjects like no other until Stanley came into his life. Stanley was dull in everything else except for mathematics and any mathematics related matters like money. No one could cheat him when it comes to calculation.

"It's nothing much," Stanley replied.

As they walked, they got to a place with dual roads and they stopped.

"I'll be heading home now," Gabriel said to his friend.

"Take care," Stanley replied and turned to the other road. He began walking down the road until he got to a bar. He pushed open the door as he arrived and went in. "Boss, I'm here!" He yelled as he walked over to the counter.

A middle-aged man came out from an inner room carrying a tray of food.

"The customers are many tonight, get changed and come join me, boy," he said to Stanley who nodded briefly and went into the inner room.

Seconds later, he came out dressed in black pants and white polo, a black cap to match. He walked to the counter and began to go through the records.

"Boss, I think you should pay me so I can tutor you," he said as the man approached him.

"I'd rather you insult me directly," the man said, walking past Stanley and going into the inner room.

"So many mistakes, ugh," Stanley muttered as he continued to go through the records. When he was done, he decided to join the man in serving rhe customers.

More customers trooped in until late at night.

"Boy, I think you should go home now," the man said to Stanley as they were both resting behind the counter.

"No, it's still early. I want to sell more," Stanley replied.

"I'm worried about your sick father," the man said. "He needs you by his side, take some food as well."

Stanley frowned. "I am working hard making money for his treatments," he said. "If he can't wait for me till I return, then he can as well go rest forever."

"That is harsh!" The man rebuked Stanley immediately. "Don't ever say something bad about your father, it is wrong!"

Stanley shrugged, unbothered by what the man said.

"Go and change, take some food back to your father," the man said and Stanley reluctantly got up and left to change. The man sighed and went back to his thing.

After changing, Stanley came out and told the man that he was off.

"Becareful out there, boy, the night is full of evil," the man said to him.

"I will, boss," Stanley replied and left.

His house wasn't that far from the bar where he works. As he trekked home, he thought about his mother.

Stanley's mother passed away due to an illness when he was barely five years old and as the bread winner of the family, everything went bad after her death.

She was his everything but death just had to steal her away from him.

*Sigh*

He sighed as he finally got to his house but a frown soon appeared on his face.

"Why is the door open?" He muttered and hurried inside.

He had carefully locked the entrance door in the morning before going to school; he would always do that whenever he was leaving the house and that was to protect his house and his father.

Why was the house open? The only person that knows where the key is was just himself.

As he ran into the house, the first thing he did was to check his saving box, hidden inside one of the cupboards in the kitchen. The reason he kept it there was because even if his house gets robbed, no one would actually think that something valuable would be in the kitchen.

When he got to the kitchen, he opened the cupboard and pulled out an iron box. He opened it and seeing that his money was still intact, he sighed and returned it.

Now that his money was safe, he thought about his father and left to check on him. His father's room was upstairs so he went up to the place, on getting there, he noticed that the door was slightly open.

His brows knitted into a frown and he went ahead to know what was really happening. As he peeped inside, he was surprised to see his best friend inside the room, his back was facing him.

"Ga—" He abruptly swallowed the name the moment he saw his father's arm drop to the floor with a light thud. The arm had been severed from the joint.

As he stared, he looked down and his eyes caught pieces of his father's legs. The white bedsheet had turned red from his father's blood, Gabriel his best friend was bent over and Stanley could hear the sounds of chewing in the air.

*Chop. Chop. Chop* "This one is not tasty," Gabriel said while chewing something.

Stanley was shocked to the core that his legs began to shake. He tripped and the noise attracted Gabriel who turned and saw him.

First, he was surprised but seconds later, the shock was replaced by amusement.

"Bestie, why are you back so early?" He asked in a cheerful tone. He smiled so charmingly but instead of his fine set of teeth to display, it was replaced by a set of bloody canines. Gabriel tilted his head to the side. "Why are you staring like that? Stabd up," he said to Stanley who was yet to come back to his senses.

What in the world was happening?

What is his best friend doing at their home?

Why was he in his father's room?

What is he doing, eating his father?

Is he a monster?

Is this a dream?

Many questions flooded Stanley's mind as he stared blankly at the horror before him.

His father had been devoured by no one else but his best friend!

"Come on, Stan," Gabriel said. "Don't be like that, you are making me worry."

Stanley mindlessly shifted his gaze to his best friend, the boy was holding a bloodied soft tissue in his hand.

That was his father's heart!

"Yo—" Stanley could not speak. He wanted to say something but the words could not pass through his throat to his lips. The shock had made him suddenly become dumb.

"I—" He tried once more but to no avail. Hot tears began to drop from his eyes.

Gabriel gazed at Stanley with his red glowing eyes. Black thin veins covered half of his face and while watching his best friend, he continued munching the piece of meat in his hand.

"Your father doesn't taste good," he mumbled. "Is it because he has been sick for a long time now?... This is why I told you to take good care of him before, if you had done what I told you to, his meat would have undoubtedly tasted better."

As Gabriel blabbed, Stanley blankly stared at him. He was yet to put the pieces of what was happening together.

"I need something else to wash my mouth," Gabriel said and his gaze abruptly changed. "Wonder if you will taste better."

With staggered steps, he began to approach Stanley who saw him coming but never did anything to run. When he got to him, he lowered himself, grabbed Stanley on the head and gave him a deep bite on the neck.

Stanley's eyes widened in shock, he tried shouting but for some reason, he couldn't make a sound.

Gabriel as he bit Stanley pulled out a chunk of his soft skin and began to chew. As he did, his eyes widened. The feeling for him was ecstatic.

"Oh my gosh! This is heaven!" He said as tears began to drop from his eyes. "I have always wanted to have a bite of you and know what you'll taste like. Finally, I am able to do it, you taste so marvelous, my friend."

Stanley cried silently as his best friend, the only friend he has in the whole world eats his flesh. Life slowly seeped away from his eyes and he wished... Oh he wished to....