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Chapter 169: The Grotto
EndeavourThank you for reading this far, dear Reader! If you liked what you've read, I hope you would give me favorable ratings and good reviews. I'm taking some time off, but I hope to be back soon. For now, you may want to read my other book - Journey Through the Shadow Realms. It's in the fantasy genre and a lot lighter in tone than this book.
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Vampire of the New World Prologue 1898
The derelict boat bobbed up and down with the waves as it moved across the dark ocean. It listed to starboard as it continued to take in water, every moment bringing it closer to sinking. There were no visible crew onboard and the boat appeared to have been long abandoned. Its faded paint and missing beams revealed that it had been in the water for a long time and had not docked for repairs. As the tide receded, the boat settled on the coral stones. Wood and metal groaned and creaked with the weight of the boat, its hull threatening to break. Waves continued to batter it with strong blows that gradually weakened with the ebbing tide. Two men walked from behind the rocks towards the shore carrying containers filled with water and some fruits. They resembled each other, but the older man had graying hair and his sunburnt face was heavily wrinkled due to age and exposure to the elements. Both men were wearing thin shirts that barely protected them from the sun and wind. The younger man
Vampire of the New World Book 1: Jon / Chapter 1: Invitation from a Mysterious Client
The plane was arriving an hour late due to the air traffic congestion at the main airport in the country's capital city of Malen. Flight delays have been the norm lately, thought Jon Aster as he looked around the crowded terminal. He had been travelling extensively in the past three years since he took on this job. He liked the mobility and the freedom it gave him, but the constant delays in the airports were starting to make it less and less enjoyable. Already, he missed Lisa and remembered her face and her tender gaze as he left her that morning. He would have stayed longer with her if not for this business trip that his manager said could last a few days. The steady buzz of conversation and noise that accompanied human activity inside the terminal was drowned by the pleasant voice of an airline staff. With a light tone that sounded like the female host of a radio morning show, she spoke the words as if announcing something delightful rather than another hour of delay. The
Vampire of the New World Chapter 2: A Charm to Ward Off Evil
It was a short two-hour flight and Jon felt comfortable in his first-class seat. He turned on the in-seat massager and tried to relax. Immediately, he felt the gentle movements of the massager loosen the tense muscles of his back. He then flipped the pages of the inflight magazine and started reading about new destinations available to the airline. When nothing took his interest, he replaced the magazine in the seat pocket and tried to take a nap. He drifted in and out of sleep, seeing foreboding images of castles and howling wolves. Clouds drifted over the moon and casted eerie shadows over the walls and towers of a gray medieval castle. The wind blew fiercely, carrying dried leaves from branches of trees and leaving them as bare skeletons silhouetted against the evening sky. The leaden clouds continued to drift overhead and once more revealed the ominous silver moon to the delight of the howling wolves. Jon woke up inside what appeared to be a dimly lit dungeon wit
Vampire of the New World Chapter 3: Journey to the Dock
As they resumed their journey, Jon saw the poor state of the villagers' houses and the still evident signs of the devastation caused by the recent typhoon. Trees that had their branches torn off by the strong winds were still growing new leaves and in some sections of the road, felled trees were simply moved to the side to give way to the infrequent traffic of trucks and passenger buses. Jorge said that not all of the roads had been cleared of landslide and debris and had they taken the usual route, they would have extended their trip by more than an hour. Fortunately, Jorge knew of an alternate route that led through dirt roads used by farmers bringing their produce to the market.The province was frequented by typhoons and was the worst hit area when a Category 5 ravaged the region a few months ago. Warnings had been given by the national weather bureau about the intensity of the typhoon before it struck and meteorologists noted the probability of storm surges. Howeve
Vampire of the New World Chapter 4: Aboard the Golden Cowrie
The weather was calm, much to Jon's relief. He could see clearly across the ocean to the line of the distant horizon, broken only by a few islands that seemed to sprout out of the water. The leaves of the coconut trees that lined the beach barely swayed in the almost imperceptible breeze and the sky was a bright blue with a few seagulls flying across it. The occasional call of the birds could be heard in harmony with the rhythmic sound of the waves gently lapping the sandy beach.In other circumstances, Jon would have enjoyed relaxing and swimming in these turquoise waters. He could imagine himself hanging from a hammock between two coconut trees and sipping a glass of ice cold tropical fruit juice as he listened to the soothing sound of the waves. He wanted to close his eyes that very moment and lie on the sand as he listened to the sea that beckoned like a welcoming innkeeper, inviting wearied travelers to rest.The sound of laughter caught Jon's attention and he turned his gaze to
Vampire of the New World Chapter 5: Death in the Water
The sharks continued to encircle the boat as it made its way through the tiny islets that seemed to sprout from the sea. The formations became more fantastic and grotesque as they moved southerly. The sun had moved closer to the horizon and the occasional flock of birds that flew overhead were already flying home.Jon decided to go to the deck to catch some air and watch the islets as the boat cruised along. The sharks had increased in number since he last saw them a few minutes ago with Captain Salazar. He felt agitated as he remembered the many stories and myths that revolved around these creatures. The closest encounter he had had with sharks before was when he went to an Aquatic Adventure theme park with Lisa a year ago. Before that, his knowledge of sharks were mostly from the movies he watched.Lisa had always been the expert on these things, Jon thought, as he tried to recall their previous conversations about the ocean predators.Shark attacks are fierce
Vampire of the New World Chapter 6: Meeting Dante
Jon stayed inside his cabin for the rest of the journey. He felt claustrophobic and without anything of interest to look at, felt every movement of the boat. He could not take his mind off the image of the body being dragged across the deck and the trail of smeared blood. The crew did not seem at all disturbed by what they were doing, as if it was just some cargo that needed to be transferred somewhere. As for Captain Salazar, he seemed not in the least affected that one of his crew had died, but furious that Jon witnessed the body being pulled across the deck. Jon thought about the poor crew member who fell overboard and wondered if he or she was one of those who served him not too long ago. He inadvertently began recalling the faces of the crew whom he met when a question surfaced in his mind. How were they able to recover the body from the sharks? That one, Jon can answer: Perhaps they have tools on board, maybe a net or hooks, whatever they use for fishing. Then, another question c
Vampire of the New World Chapter 7: Dante's Passions
"I am glad to hear you say that. As you can see, I have amassed considerable wealth over the years and I am also aware how easily these can be taken away from me. That would have been the case had I not discovered the duplicity of someone I placed my trust to." Dante heaved a sigh, his eyes appeared to be searching the far wall."I don't know what more reassurance I can give you, Sir, but I'm sure you have heard of our firm's reputation and our promise to all our clients," said Jon, remembering the marketing materials he was required to read at the start of his employment. "We have been in the business for more than a century and we have grown with our partners over the years. In fact-""It is not your firm that I'm worried about." Dante cut Jon mid-speech. "I have had transactions with your firm many years ago. What I am looking for is someone whom I could trust with my work, someone who would see it through whatever happens."Dante seemed composed as he faced
Latest chapter
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 169: The Grotto
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 168: Entering the Grotto
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 167: The Way to the Grotto
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 166: Planning Their Morning
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 165: Lisa's Thoughts
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 164: Talk With Celie
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 163: Going Back to the Adobe House
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 162: Apparitions
- Vampire of the New World Chapter 161: About the Devil's Sea
