Chapter 2: The Search
2036 Words
As the years go by, John sets out every night looking for his lost wife.
In all the years he has lived, he hasn't ever felt a loneliness that compared to this
Emma was the rock of his sanity
Each day was the same result
He understood that finding Anastasia won't be possible in such a city
He has to be what he always studied.
John has to become human in one way or another
And he stayed more in his library, studying humans as much as he could and also giving Emma a normal life among humans.
The light in John's eyes darkened all so quickly
Even with Emma around, his heart grew
colder as he kept searching for his only known love
Romance is digressed into an eternity of loneliness in his eyes
Emma walked in. "Father, let's go and drink people's blood together."
John sighed in relief and smiled at his only hope- "Come here moonflower, do you know why I call you moonflower?"
Emma replied by nodding her head. "No, why?"
John smiled- "I have more of a heart for a vampire, and you, my moonflower. You're my light within the darkness; you make me more and more human each day. I love you, moonflower. "
Emma leaned on him for warmth
The search has begun
Night came once more, and they both had to leave the home they knew
During John's research, he realized that to be able to find Anastasia, he needs what humans call 'money'
He went through so many strategies he may be able to utilize
As time progressed, he, as a bartender, also sought the international market
To search for her, he'll need to roam the world
They are both immortals, but Anastasia isn't
They had limited time.
A beautiful flower is only beautiful for its season
It is inevitable, he thought, that his first flower would wither with time.
As her husband, he's ready to liquidate every dime.
John sought out every way to become rich
without fail and also to give Emma a normal life.
His determination was unwavering
He met a different side of humans
Way different from what the books taught him
Even on the path to becoming wealthy, he had to understand what being human means.
Emma was carefree regardless
Sunlight did not affect her and she was as immortal as her father
She was and is the perfect humanoid
John and Emma had so many conversations together although Emma was young, she was also highly intelligent which gave birth to easy communication between them.
Day and night passed as John accumulated a certain amount of money
to go into different businesses that were considered lucrative in the modern day.
It was harder to live an honest life if he was ever going to find Anastasia.
He knew how to take the world by storm
How to become wealthy regardless of the hurdles a human must surpass.
John can manipulate the human mind with his eyes
He has so many mystical powers unknown to humans
He had a plan.
John said to himself- "it's high time I put my powers to good use, I'm a bit rusty but let's see"
Something was different about him
The only time he showed compassion was when he was with Emma.
In the dead of night, John always leaves the little apartment he rented in the city
Emma always thinks it's because of work
That was the case but not fully
John has decided to become a slave to his powers
He kills, manipulates, and uses humans to achieve his goal
He lost all humanity he amassed in Emma's absence
Achieving wealth became easier
Giving Emma all she wanted was a more befitting statement each time the day turned dark
To search for his wife, he must lose himself.
As time passed, he started different businesses to cover his source of income
Humans call it 'Money laundering'
On another night, just like the rest
He sat next to Emma, as she lay beside him asleep
"Moonflower, one day you will find out how I was able to grow in the human world so fast. I have become a shell of my old self and the more time passes, I see the monster I have become but I believe it is for the right course. One day, maybe one day you'll understand why I had to do all this moonflower"
John understood that for everything humans worked hard to obtain, he could simply control them to do it for him
Whenever a 'mere human' as he called them would judge his authority or become a nuisance. He would suck their blood down to the last drop until their body becomes pale.
He made so much wealth, enough for him to start his search.
Emma was home-schooled
She was so intelligent that she grasped the
knowledge humans sought to acquire for years in just weeks.
She was 10 years old but knew professors.
Studying became a hobby since it took so little for her to understand.
As John would have it in his plans
They could start looking for Anastasia
Leaving no stones unturned or monitored...
John was under the perception that even If he were to check a city and leave, it still leaves the possibility that she may come there after his departure.
He had people everywhere
Each location he went through
He controlled the minds of so many just to be on alert
He called them "friends"
This was John's way of saying "I haven't lost the humanity I worked for"
This is his delusion.
Regardless of the search, he made sure that he had fun with Emma
They went to events, carnivals, tourist spots, and many more.
He gave her a luxurious life where her smile never fades
On one of their trips, John notices that someone kept following them
Unlike Emma, John has a very keen nose and hyper vision
There was nothing the person could do to avoid detection.
He took her to a hotel and told her to lock the door
"Moonflower, Father wants to go and get some work done fast. I will be back very soon honey."
"Okay father, don't take too long," Emma said.
John disappeared.
Standing on the rooftop
He looked down at the unknown human
He didn't hesitate to capture him but that proved difficult even for John
The person following was never a human but a vampire
John realized that the vampire masked himself in the human world so well that no one realized it
"Who are you," John said
The vampire responded with a very confident tone
"I am what you are but
unlike you, my heart always remained cold. You are
searching for a human aren't you?"
John was surprised cause he never expected to see another vampire
"I can help you find your human but first tell me something, (his voice becomes even more cold). What was following you
back there, She's not human nor vampire"
John stayed quiet, he sighed and said "She's my moonflower, and I advise you never follow us again... if you want to keep being immortal that is"
John let out a very evil aura, he let out his blood lust.
John has a very dark past and he exiled himself from his race before humans started executing them
"Your strength has always been unwavering, Lord Drago"
John's eyes widened, surprised, and shook to his core. He said-
"Who are you and how do you know my real name"
(The vampire got on one knee and bowed)
"I am Waldron but my human name is Lucas and it'll be a pleasure to serve you once more my lord"
"My finest never lose quality it seems"
"I am honoured to be your servant"
John sighed once more but in relief. His past remains a story untold.
They both returned to the hotel but Emma was fast asleep
Lucas could feel an unusual aura from her but he got used to it over time.
The morning came by and Emma was taken by surprise to see Lucas
She ran to John screaming- " Father, he isn't human, he's a vampire." John laughed and then introduced them to each other.
Emma didn't accept Lucas immediately but
grew closer as time went by
Lucas became Emma's bodyguard
She certainly didn't like it
The trip continued and so did the search
On their way, Emma said- "Mom is amazing, she even has you searching this hard to find her."
Lucas concurred.
John did what he always does before leaving any location.
He made 'friends.'
Innocent humans were forever forced to be on the lookout for Anastasia.
After leaving, John pulled out a paper
This was a map, marking all the locations to search and that had been searched.
It was certainly the tip of the iceberg
They would go through countries, oceans, snow, and deserts.
It was a journey that would take a lifetime.
"Good thing we have infinite lifetimes, but we have to hurry cause mom doesn't,"
Emma said after seeing John's worried face
He eased up almost instantly
Deep down he knew that if he lost her, he would lose himself completely.
The day is almost beginning
Unlike humans, they only move at night and rest at daybreak.
Lucas has been oddly silent
He hasn't uttered a word since they left the previous location
John notices but decides not to speak on it just yet
Right when Emma was about to ask him, Lucas spoke
The next few words left both John and Emma stunned
"I've felt pain, depression, and
loneliness for thousands of years.
I wonder what love feels like"
Lucas was reflecting on the emotion that he wanted to feel the most
An emotion that he has never known
Vampires are filled with so much hate
He has never been on the other side of the coin
The beauty of true love being reciprocated by another
Lucas wanted it
He loathes the idea of forever being alone after seeing his master Drago
Emma believed he was delusional.
"Do you think an ugly guy like you could find love, you wish"
She laughed at the fact
Lucas scoffed and shushed her.
But love is non-selective of its candidates
It takes its pick regardless of the person or kind
Fate keeps writing everyone's story in its way
The author of every life.
Fate knows the beginning and end of all stories
It's work is to conjure the process
It's a fan of plot twists
And the god of makeshifts
Vampires don't require sleep but do it regardless
While John was asleep, he had a dream
He saw Anastasia once more
John described her as the sun on his skin but he wasn't burning
He was bathing in it
Her eyes made stars envious
Her glow made his body freeze
Her beauty surpasses that of Medusa and he wouldn't hesitate to be captured and turned into stone just by looking into her eyes.
Trying so hard to get to her but he always seemed far
No matter how far he reached out
She always seemed to be at a distance
The distance kept increasing until she was out of sight
Heartbroken he let out all his anger
The pressure he released was all over the room even though he was asleep
Like a wounded creature, he stayed down
Suddenly a glimpse of light shined
He saw a hand stretching out to him
Right when he was about to reach for it
He was woken up by Lucas.
Scared for her father, Emma held him close as she cried
"Sometimes I forget you're still a child
moonflower, I'm sorry for making you worry."
The search continued as planned but John remained puzzled
Wondering why he was never able to reach her in his dream
John feared the worst but that was certainly not t
he end.
He had more dreams like that frequently and they all had one thing in common
The hand stretching out for him
There were no answers or clues as to why the hand kept stretching out or who was trying to reach him, or so it seemed.
- Writer
