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Fairly short but epilogue after the next chapter
A third person narrative
He has been in a state of prolonged unconsciousness for a few years, with just about everyone now at their wits end, there was little to no hope of him ever waking up he. The doctors and specialists have done their share. Today just might be the last of one of his many evaluations. The last time the neurosurgeons had evaluated him, there were concerns he had minimal brain activities. So the fear of him being in a vegetative state was apparent amongst all involved.
As he was being wheeled in for a series of scans and blood tests, Dr Reuben couldn't help but hope all his efforts had paid off. If it hadn't, then they will have to pull the plugs, but news of his death would be a massive blow not only to his family, but also to the economy. And the last thing everyone needed was a news that'll rock the stock market.
Thinking back to that day years earlier when he had been brought in with severe head trauma and heart failure, everyone had thought it a lost cause but not Dr Reuben. He had to make that decision to give him a radical treatment, one he had never had to do in his centuries of being in existence. But one look at his family helped made the decision for him. They had been a close associate of his and a patron to the hospital, hence he came clean to them. And the decision to have him turned was made.
"Doctor, can we have a word with you privately?" His parents asked the nervous specialist. Who proceeded to walk with them to his office away from hearing range. Once sure they were alone, his mother asked, "What happens next if the news isn't positive?" He could feel and see just how terrified the woman was of the unprecedented task at hand.
"I have thought about it ma'am, and there just might be our last resort and only thing we could do to keep him alive." She immediately grabbed his hand and gave him a pleading look as if to say just do whatever it takes and make sure my son wakes up.
"Do it, do whatever you have to do as long as he wakes up. We don't care just bring our son and only heir back to us." She then looked at her nodding husband who seemed to have greyed overnight. "Darling I want our boy back. I wont be able to live without him." She whimpered as she buried her head into his chest. Doctor Reuben could only sympathise with the elderly couple. "If he dies, I die."
At her final word, the elderly gentleman held her firmly as a crackling sob she seemed to have been holding before then broke through her throat making her collapse to the floor from exhaustion. Unfortunately, her son's near death experience was beginning to take it's toll on her fragile self.
Doctor Reuben quickly helped sit her on a chair where he proceeded to tell them all about his kind and gave them the choice of having their son alive though no longer a human but a vampire. What perplexed him was the fact that they weren't scarred of him and they were very quick to make a decision to have their son turned into one of his kind as long as it kept him alive.
Four years on, though alive he fell into a coma. Staring at him Reuben couldn't help but feel himself a failure. He had failed his patient and his family. But he looked so peaceful as he slept hence making Reuben wonder what was going on in his head. What dreams was he having? Is he in such a happy place that he have refused to wake up?
Reuben was tempted to hiss at him, but had to keep it together since they weren't alone. As the other specialists finished up and exited the room, Reuben who had now had enough of this charade walked closer to the patient and said, "Listen here buddy, you have to wake up. There are millions of people who are reliant on you and most of all, your parents need you. Now do us all a favour and get the fuck up." He all but hissed out at the very still patient. Getting nothing in return, he stormed out of the room.
Across the pond, a similar situation had unfolded. In a temple thousands of miles away, laid a very still gentleman. He was being cared for by monks who had found him at the door step of their monastery. Who he was and how he got there was something of a mystery. He had been battered with life threatening injuries when they found him. But for some unknown reason, one the junior monks couldn't fathom, the Abbot had refused to send him to an hospital to have him thoroughly looked at. So all they could do was wait for this stranger who had been asleep for two years to finally wake up.
"He'll be waking up today, I want one of you to buy some blood." The Abbot spoke as he walked into the room where the stranger laid. The young monks frowned but proceeded to carry out his instruction. You just don't get in the bad books of the Abbot. They all knew better than to disobey the oldest Abbot in the world. No one knew how old he was but what they did know was that he was at least a century old. Once alone he spoke to the very still stranger who laid on a mattress that was placed on the floor.
"It's time to woke up young man, the gods have spoken and the message is that you are required alive. You are needed and there is someone waiting for you. That someone your cold non beating heart yearns for." He checked his pulse and a clouded worrying look graced his withered face knowing he would be very hungry once he woke up and unpredictable as well. The Abbot knew he had a task of keeping their existence a secret and to do that, this stranger must not come in contact with anyone.
Chuckling to himself at his predicament, he sent for a few monks and gave instructions that under no circumstances was anyone allowed into the room and anywhere around it. Just then the blood he had sent for arrived. Taking it he walked into the room and bolted himself and the stranger inside this confined space. Where he hoped he wouldn't have to spend longer than a fortnight.
Once again he questioned his motive for taking up this audacious task like he had done for the past two years. He even questioned the gods and goddesses for their reasons to keep him here all these time. Who could blame Abbot Titan? He knew next to nothing of who this patient was, all he had to go by was what the gods had told him. Not even a name or where he came from. All they had said was 'Look after him, he's important, he'll be a pioneer for the world.' Truthfully, that wasn't saying much. Abbot Titan thought scornfully as he hissed at his unfortunate fate.
While he was too deep in his own thoughts, he had failed to notice the stranger who watched him with something akin to an hunter watching it's prey. "Something smells good." The stranger's voice rang out shocking Abbot Titan who immediately got into a defensive mode as he glowered resentfully at the stranger even though he wasn't quite sure he could put up a fight if this powerful vampire decides to have him for a light snack. He showed his fangs to the young vampire and said,
"Listen here young man, I have been nothing but kind to you for the past two years you've been in a coma. Now are you going to pay my kindness by killing me?" He asked looking the stranger in the eye. The Abbot didn't fail to catch the look of repentance on the strangers face. He looked dispassionate so Abbot quickly reverted to a logical and fair-minded tactic. "You are hungry, I already got you some drink now calm down while I get it for you. Can you promise not to attack me?"
The stranger nodded his head and Abbot Titan got up carefully making sure he didn't make any abrupt movement the stranger could deem threatening. He gently opened the refrigerator and got the blood he had gotten earlier out. Before he could hand it over, the stranger had snatched it off him and drank with his eyeballs rolled into the back of his head. Abbot could only wish and hope he didn't go into a blood frenzy having lived without it for such a long time.
Once the stranger had finished drinking, he caught Abbot Titan staring at him with scepticism and fascination. The stranger smiled as he was duly grateful for the help the elderly Abbot had rendered him. What he says next though confused and shocked the Abbot. "Who am I and what is my name?" He croaked out. Making the Abbot look at him for a while and then proceeded to question him.
"Well, I was hoping you could tell me that when you woke up. But seeing as you don't know either, my guess is that you're suffering from hmm...memory loss." The Abbot rubbed his hand over in bald head once again cussing his ill fate. 'This is just going to complicate things even more.' He thought to himself. "What is it you remember? I mean don't you remember anything at all?" He looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Do you remember how you got injured and came to the monastery?"
All the stranger could do was shake his head 'No' which only frustrated the grumpy old Abbot. "So let me get this straight, no name, no age and date of birth, no family, no idea how you got here, no idea how you got beaten up to the point of almost being killed. So basically you are an empty shell." Abbot Titan was losing the little composure he had left by the minute. What he didn't know though was the stranger wasn't really fairing any better. "Can you even write? Since you ant tell me who you are I am wondering if you remember how to write."
That was the final straw, the stranger had the Abbot against the was as his legs dangled above floor level. "Do not insult our intelligence old man. The only reason you're still alive is because I had swore to not attack or hurt you. Now stop making me regret my decision. There's only so much my vampire can take of the insults you so readily ditch out." He gently placed the Abbot back on his feet as he gasped for some much needed air.
"I am sorry to have offended your sentiments and I hope you forgive me with time. And someday we could be best of friends." The Abbot genuinely spoke to which the stranger nodded his head happily. An overwhelming feeling of longing and sadness suddenly enveloped him. No matter how much he tried to brush it off, he unfortunately had no such luck. But not wanting to give the Abbot anymore ammunition to degrade him, he decided to keep what he felt to himself. Knowing he had other pressing matters that he was sure needed sorting out. Like who he was and who had hurt him wanting him dead? First though he needed a name.
"I was thinking perhaps I need a new name since I cannot remember mine and something tells me I need a fresh start." The stranger smirked as the Abbot's brain went into an over drive trying to figure what would help. "I was thinking about calling myself Des as in Desmond. I wanted something easy to spell and remember. Now Abbot Titan I need you to tell me everything you know about me."
The Abbot told the stranger everything from the start making sure he didn't skip or forgot anything. Once he was done, they talked about his feeding and he made a promise not to bite anyone. What surprised Abbot Titan was the strangers restrain. The Abbot had expected the stranger to go into a bloodlust frenzy. He was glad and at that moment he knew he had made a friend for life. One he'll protect and stand next to for as long as they lived.
Who knew things were about to turn really strange?
Author's note: Sorry about the long wait I had to seriously contemplate if I should write in a third person perspective.
Now who is stranger one and two?