The Offering

3

For centuries, Rahmi had roamed the earth, searching for the one woman he loved, his soulmate, who had been taken from him in a tragic twist of fate. And now, as he watched the crowds dance and laugh around him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness, as if something vital was missing from his existence.

Despite the endless array of beautiful women who frequented his club, Rahmi could not shake the memory of his lost love, and the pain of her absence followed him wherever he went. He longed to feel her touch again, to hear her voice whisper in his ear, but all he had were memories, memories that threatened to consume him at every turn.

As he watched the revelers dance the night away, Rahmi couldn't help but wonder if he would ever find his beloved again. He knew that he would never stop searching, never stop hoping that one day she would return to him, and they would be together once more. But until that day came, he would continue to run his club, A place where the lonely and the lost could come to forget their troubles just for one night. And maybe, just maybe, he would find a way to heal his broken heart and find solace in the company of others, until the day his true love returned to his side. Day after day Rahmi stood, surveying the nightclub that seemed less vibrant with every passing day.

"It was her, I'm sure of it." Said Rahmi.

"There is only one way to know for sure" Mentioned Dimitri

"That is not the only way, how can you be so sure Dimitri?"

"Because we do this every hundred years or so."

"This time is different."

"How?"

"Because she is different. Did you not see her eyes as she left?"

"There are a lot of lights in this building, Rahm."

"I saw her glow."

"Then we should see Ruxandra to see what can be done. If nothing else she will be able to tell you if she is Handu."

"... I don't want to go to the swamp." Rahmi said begrudgingly.

"Is it really the swamp that is keeping you away?

"Of course, it's the swamp. I have spent thousands of years walking this earth and that is the only place that I will never go back to

"Why?"

"You know why"

"So, it doesn't have anything to do with the swamp

"It has everything to do with the swamp.

"No, you just haven't seen her since the initial meeting.

"No, I'm fairly sure it's the swamp part. Alligators, snakes, smelly water. No thanks"

"You are just afraid that it might not be her. I get it."

"I'm not going to the fucking swamp."

***

The two vampires glided across the murky waters of the swamp in a fan boat. The humid air was sticky with the scent of decay and the eerie sounds of nocturnal creatures. They approached a rickety old hut perched on stilts above the water, its wooden planks weathered and worn.

As they climbed out of the boat and onto the creaky dock, the vampires could feel the squishy mud giving way beneath their feet. They made their way up the rickety stairs and entered the hut, the musty smell of old books and dried herbs filling their nostrils.

The interior of the hut was dimly lit by flickering candles, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Shelves lined the walls, filled with dusty tomes and jars of strange ingredients. The two vampires approached a figure seated in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, her face obscured by the hood of her cloak.