4 hours earlier
Hendricks slammed the dark mahogany door shut and frantically locked the door. His hands shook as he fumbled with the cords to pull his pale blue blinds shut. Outside, the wind began to pick up.
Hendricks slumped onto the floor and scratched his balding head furiously with both his hands. His mouth twitched nervously as he eyed his apartment.
“Harry? Harry, come here,” he called out in a whisper, afraid to be heard from outside the apartment walls.
At the Alma Mater Home for the Aged, two figures emerged from the shadows as Suzanne left her grandmother’s unit. With their faces obscured by their hoods, they watched Suzanne sprint down the corridor into the lobby in silence. Then suddenly, just as she was about to enter into the lobby, she stopped and turned around, as if sensing their presence. Suzanne strained to see in the dark, but all she could see was the spirit of Mr Firash on his rocking chair.She was about to walk back to her grandmother's wing when the nurse called out to her. Suzanne turned back to the lobby and did not return.
The Delta had just taken off. It would be another 15 more hours before they would touch down in Seoul. Suzanne was drained, physically, mentally and emotionally. Just hours ago, she had lost someone dear to her; Hendricks. He had been like the grandfather she never knew. She had grown up under his tutelage and was a patron of his potions and talismans. The man was a genius talisman maker. As a child, she would spend hours playing with his ‘son’ while her grandmother and Hendricks discussed ways to better their craft. Suzanne couldn’t believe that he was gone. We didn’t even get to say goodbye. I’m so sorry Hendricks.
“Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking. I'd like to thank everyone for choosing Delta Airlines. This is Flight 86A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 2:25 pm. The weather looks good and with the tailwind on our side, we are expecting to land in Seoul approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in Seoul is cold and cloudy, with a temperature of 5 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage. I'll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enj
Tom stepped up, instinctively shielding Suzanne with his body, covering her petite body behind his towering frame. Suddenly, he believed every horror story he had read as a child, that they were all true; the undead walking amongst the living and feeding off them. At that very moment, he wanted to run away, more than anything. But he stood firm, he would protect Suzanne with his life if need be.The vampire found this amusing, “How sweet.”
Vlad the vampire began his tale of long ago. ‘In the beginning, HaShem created the heavens and the earth. He saw that it was good and created the first being, to rule over the earth. That being was my father. He was the first and greatest of our kind, and because he was from the very beginning, father was beautiful, wise and full of love. But he was lonely, so HaShem created a companion for father. The companion was mother. Their powers were great, far greater than the powers I wield today. Father would often busy himself tending the creatures of the world and communicating with HaShem and because of that, mother felt lonely.
'We had all but scattered across the earth, but father hunted us down one by one. And then, there were only a few of us left. My sister and I stayed with mother, we were the youngest in the family. A few were hiding elsewhere. I believe father came for us last. When he found us, we were surviving on the blood of lizards and snakes. All the other creatures had all but been consumed. We were weak, father would have no problem finishing us off. But father loved mother the most. She was his first love.
There was an hour or so left before the plane would land. By now, most of the passengers on the plane were sleeping, tucked away in their dreams. Suzanne, however, was awake, she sat in the sleeper chair and stared out the window. Outside, flashes of lightning could be seen within the clouds of the midnight sky. The rumbling and groaning of the sky did not sit well with her. She wondered how many more lives below had been lost and felt like a coward for hiding in the plane. But how could she warn them? No one would believe her. No one would believe them.
It was 2:15 am on a snowy Christmas morning when the plane landed at Incheon International Airport, but no one was celebrating. Instead, most of the passengers were glued to their phones, reading and watching the horrendous news in disbelief. While they were up in the air, the ‘plague’ had swept across the whole of the Middle East and a major part of Europe. Many were trying to call their loved ones back home, some were lucky to have their calls answered, others, were left in tears. Both Suzanne and Tom kept their heads down and hurried out of the plane.