After the Mark

CHAPTER NINE: Blood at Daybreak

"Wow," he said quietly. "Seems like there's a lot for me to learn."

"There is," I replied. "Now let me rest for a bit. When the sun is up, wake me."

I lay back down, and within seconds, sleep pulled me under.

It didn't last.

It felt like I had only just closed my eyes when I felt a gentle touch on my arm. I stirred as Daniel's soft voice reached me.

"Juliet… it's morning now."

I opened my eyes and glanced toward the window. The sky was already glowing, the yellow sun slowly climbing into view. I sighed, swung my legs off the bed, and stood.

"Come on," I said. "Let's get breakfast."

We headed for the lobby.

"Are we going on a hunt again?" Daniel asked as we stepped into the elevator.

"No," I said. "We're having a normal human breakfast."

"Yuck." He grimaced. "The last time I ate human food, it was tasteless. I have a feeling it's going to be even worse now."

"You're a vampire," I replied, "but you still need to look human. You can't draw unnecessary attention to yourself. So yes—you'll get used to the taste."

He sighed. "I'll try."

The elevator descended in silence for a moment before I turned to him.

"You do know I won't always be here for you," I said. "You'll need to learn how to stand on your own—and quickly."

He chuckled. "Why are you being so serious? I have infinity, remember?"

The elevator doors slid open before I could respond, and we stepped out.

The hotel's breakfast diner stretched before us—a bright, modern space enclosed almost entirely by glass walls. Morning sunlight flooded the room, reflecting off polished tables and marble floors. Outside, palm trees swayed lazily, while inside the quiet clink of cutlery and low murmurs of guests created a calm, almost domestic atmosphere. It was the kind of place meant to make people forget time existed.

We sat across from each other.

"What food do you usually enjoy the most?" I asked.

"Jollof rice with plantains," he replied flatly. "Now it tastes like… pencil."

I stared at him. "Like pencil?"

"Yeah," he said. "You know when you're a kid in primary school and you're bored, so you start chewing your pencil?"

I gave him a look of pure disgust.

"Don't look at me like that," he protested. "We've all done it."

"I've never done that."

"Whatever."

I waved at the lady behind the counter, signaling her over. She approached with a polite smile.

"Good morning, Miss Juliet. Would you like your usual?"

"Not today," I said. "We'll have two plates of jollof rice with fried plantain, and two iced Coca-Colas."

"Very well," she replied. "Your order will be out shortly."

As she walked away, Daniel leaned back slightly, watching her.

"She looks… tasty," he said thoughtfully.

"Daniel," I whispered sharply. "Don't you dare."

He burst into laughter. "I'm joking. You look so serious."

Then his laughter faded.

He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled something out. I noticed his expression change before I even saw what it was.

"What's that?" I asked.

He turned the phone toward me. The screen was filled with missed calls.

"Mark… my neighbors… my manager," he swallowed. "Or rather—my ex manager."

The sadness in his voice was unmistakable.

I reached across the table and placed my hand over his.

"I know how you feel," I said softly. "The hardest part of being a new vampire isn't the bloodlust. It's not even the guilt. It's letting go of your humanity—your friends, your family—just to keep them safe."

He listened in silence.

"It hurts now," I continued. "But it will get easier. I promise."

I smiled at him.

He smiled back.

And I immediately regretted it.

I couldn't let him grow dependent on me—not when I was leaving soon. Not when, after that, he would never see me again.

I withdrew my hand just as our meals arrived.

"dig in" I said to him as I started eating, I ate normally even though it was tasteless in my mouth, I've been doing it for centuries so I'm used to it. Daniel just stared at me amazed at how I was eating it. "Dig in" I told him again so he started eating, very slowly at first then he picked up the pace trying to be like me, after a while we were both done eating. "So where to now?" He asked me. I stared at him for awhile and replied "you aren't a child, stop asking for permission and do whatever you want" I could see that my words hurt him a bit but it needed to happen, he mustn't get used to me. "I'm going back upstairs" I said and I stood up and left the diner. I went back to the room and went into the shower and took a bath and I started feeling guilty about what I said to Daniel but I quickly brushed it off my mind and got out of the shower, changed my clothes into black tight jeans, black t shirt, black mini backpack and a black leather jacket. Black is my favorite color. I had been expecting Daniel to be back by now, I started getting worried, I hope he doesn't rip someone's head off but I can't always be there for him, he has to learn so I left and went downstairs back to the lobby, I glanced through the diner and he wasn't there so I left the lobby out into the street, the park that was empty like a graveyard last night was now filled up with different families, children were everywhere. I had to talk to Tunde and there was almost no space at the park so I decided to walk a bit and I dialed his number but he wasn't picking up, I tried again and again still no response, maybe he was asleep, I thought to myself so I decided to go to him. I highlighted a taxi and entered. "Do you know Fariday Nursery and Primary school?" The elderly driver looked back at me "That school has been abandoned for some time now" "me and my friends attended the school so we are all meeting there just to bring about old memories" "but that whole area has been abandoned, i can't be going there" "don't worry sir I'll pay you any amount you want" "Toor then you will pay me 6 thousand naira" "I'll pay you 10 thousand naira so you don't need to take any more passengers" "okay ma, no problem, let's go" he sounded happy. I rolled down the window glass and stared outside lost in thought, I really do miss my family even though they don't want me anymore. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride after a while we arrived at a desolate environment, dried field left and right but ahead was a school with a huge sign board that reads "Fariday Nursery and Primary school, knowledge is our legacy". As we got closer the school became more visible, I could see the old yellow painting, at the entrance of the school the car stopped and I reached into my backpack and brought out a few thousand notes and counted 10 thousand naira and handed it to him and I got down. "I thought you said you are meeting your friends here"the driver asked "maybe there are inside already" he pointed at the old rusted gate "but it looks locked" "then I must be the first person here, there will be here soon, you don't have to worry" "okay ooo" he said then drove off. I tried to open the gate but it was locked, seems like the nosy driver was right but it was locked from the inside. I used my vampire strength to push the gate door open braking the iron bolt and I entered (explain an old school environment) I could hear Tunde heartbeat so I followed the sound of it and it led me into a classroom and sitting right in the middle of the old classroom was his white coffin as I walked in, the rhythm of his heartbeat changed and I knew he was awake. "Are you going to let me rip you out of the coffin?"

There was movement inside the coffin. Slowly, the lid slid aside.

Tunde rose.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins faintly visible beneath them, as though he hadn't fed properly in days. His skin was paler than usual—almost translucent. I hadn't noticed it the night before.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he replied calmly. "I fed on an elderly woman last night. Turns out she had some kind of fatal illness in her blood. I figured it was safer to sleep it off."

"I see," I said. "That explains why you weren't answering your calls."

He walked to the rusted window, picked up his old BlackBerry from the sill, glanced at the missed calls, then set it down again. He turned to face me.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "I wasn't expecting you so soon after last night."

"Well…" I brushed dirt off one of the desks stacked near the classroom entrance and leaned against it. "I realized this is all my fault. You shouldn't keep suffering because of me. And I'm tired of this place. We need to go back home."

He studied me closely. "It's hard to believe you had a change of heart overnight."

"It wasn't overnight," I said. "It's been a long time coming. I was just too stubborn to admit it."

He paused. "So you have no problem killing your brother?"

Silence stretched between us. Birds chirped outside, oblivious.

"Half-brother," I corrected. "I barely knew him. And he's a threat. If this is what it takes to go home… so be it."

A slow smile crept onto his face—impressed.

"Now that," he said, "is what I like to hear. Give me a moment. I need to wash up."

"Here?" I asked.

"I fixed the restroom," he replied. "Everything still works."

I frowned. "Why would you choose to stay here?"

He shrugged. "I don't like socializing with humans. They're our source of food. Nothing more."

As he pulled off his tank top, three long scars became visible—stretching from his left shoulder down to his abdomen, old and brutal.

"Are you going to sit there staring all day?" he joked.

"Not really," I replied. "Just wondering why you've always stayed by my side."

"You saved my life."

"No," I said quietly. "I ruined it."

"Listen, you don't have to—"

"No," I cut in. "We're not doing this. Get dressed. Get ready."

I walked out.

I wandered through the school while he cleaned up. Every classroom looked the same—broken desks stacked in corners, shattered windows, chalkboards still bearing faint traces of forgotten lessons. Dust clung to everything like a second skin.

One room appeared to be the old science laboratory. Rusted stools, cracked counters, empty reagent bottles coated in grime. The scent of decay lingered.

On the wall, someone had scrawled:

Unc was here b4 u.

A careless farewell, frozen in time.

"Juliet."

Tunde's voice echoed through the hallway. He was done.

I returned to the classroom. He looked cleaner now, steadier—but still weak.

"Take me to him," I said.

He stepped closer and gently removed a thick cobweb tangled in my hair.

"Wow. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied. "Are you ready?"

We walked out of the school, past the dry fields stretching endlessly under the sun.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Ibadan," he said. "That's where he lives."

"That's far. How do we get there?"

He smiled. "Leave that to me."

I studied him again. "You look terrible. You need fresh blood."

"And where do we find that in broad daylight without drawing attention?"

Before I could answer, an engine approached.

A car slowed and pulled over in front of us.

My stomach tightened. "That's the taxi driver who brought me here," I whispered. "Why is he back?"

"You know him?"

"Yes. Something's wrong."

The driver stepped out—followed by three large men.

"You said she was alone," one of them complained.

"She was o," the driver replied nervously. "But no wahala. It's just one man—and look at him. He's already sick."

Another man smiled at me. "Fine girl. Let's do this the easy way. I promise you'll enjoy it. Tell your boyfriend to stay out of it."

"Or else," the third man cut in, "we kill him."

Tunde and I exchanged a look.

Then we smiled.

"There's your fresh blood," I said softly.

"The Lord works in mysterious ways," Tunde replied.

His face shifted—eyes darkening, veins rising, fangs extending as his humanity peeled away in an instant. The air cracked as he vanished in a blur, moving faster towards the men, faster than the eye could track.

The screams didn't last long.

When the field fell silent again, the wind carried nothing but dust and the distant hum of insects.