Vampire Of The New World

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 has been travelling extensively in the past three years since he took on his job for one of the most prestigious companies in the world. It was a good job, he thought, but the constant delays in the airports were starting to make the job less and less enjoyable. Already, he missed Lisa, and would rather stay longer with her than go on this business trip that could last a few days.

The pleasant voice of the airline staff came on the speaker again as if announcing something delightful rather than another hour of delay. Jon looked around and saw a family of three with the father holding a baby girl and his young wife hanging on to his arm. Jon thought again of Lisa and how hurriedly he said his goodbyes because he was running late for his flight. Not that it mattered now, but he could have waited another hour.

Jon took out his laptop and opened it. He opened his favorite search engine and typed 'Orsica'. I might as well know where I am going, he thought. He clicked on the topmost link given by the search engine and immediately, the screen filled with amazing scenery of turquoise waters and white sand beaches as well as rolling hills and tree-covered mountains.

For a moment, Jon felt elated that he would be going to a place he had not visited before. Already, he thought of inviting Lisa to fly over to him after a few weeks when he had already finished with his work. She did say she has a cousin in Cardena, the city in the mainland that was closest to Orsica and she had been planning to visit her.

Jon clicked on another link on the website to find out more about the island.

Orsica is an isolated island sixty-six kilometers from the mainland which meant travelling another four hours by ferry. Jon g.r.o.a.n.e.d as he felt his stomach sink. He gets extremely dizzy and nauseous when travelling by sea and three hours of tossing around while on a small ferry did not bode well. He remembered his last ferry ride a year ago and how he felt nauseous all throughout the trip.

An email notification popped up from below the screen telling Jon that an email has arrived from his client.

Dear, Mr. Aster,

Thank you for agreeing to come to my beautiful island to meet me in person. The matter we are going to discuss is too important and confidential that I could not talk to you about it on the phone. I hope that you will be most comfortable on your trip. My staff will be meeting you when you arrive at the airport and he will take you to the dock to board my private boat.

Your friend,

Dante

Jon closed his laptop and heaved a sigh. At least there will be someone to meet him at the airport when he arrives and… a private boat! Jon tried to recall the contents of the dossier that his boss handed him just a week ago. Jon remembered reading the client's net worth and whistling at the huge amount. His client has a vast property on the western coast of Orsica with an enormous house on top of a mountain that was accessible mainly through cable car. Of course, he can afford a private boat!

Jon took off his eyeglasses and stood up. He looked at the large monitor with the flight schedule. Near the bottom was his flight with red capital letters indicating DELAYED.

Jon decided to stretch his legs and walked to a nearby bookstand where he looked for a travel guide on Orsica. Finding nothing, he asked the store clerk if there were any brochures or maps, but the clerk merely gave him a shrug and turned away to serve another customer.

For such a beautiful island, I wonder why it was not too well known, thought Jon. Giving up, Jon decided to buy himself a cup of cappuccino from one of the coffee shops and sat at one of the empty tables. He brushed off the crumbs left by the previous customer with his hand and rested his elbow on the table's polished wooden surface. After taking one sip of the hot beverage, he thought of using his laptop again to research on his destination, but decided against it as he had his phone out already.

Using his phone's browser, he once again typed 'Orsica', but nothing came out this time. He looked at the signal at the top of his phone's screen where it was indicated to be 'very strong'. He wondered if the network was as congested as the air traffic.

He remembered the short email he got from his rich client, Dante. "Dante… Dante…" He murmured as he recalled the 14th century Italian writer and his Divine Comedy. There were three parts to the epic poem, but for some reason, Jon only thought of the first one – Inferno. The images of hell flooded his mind – tormented souls that reside in the nine circles of hell. For a moment, he thought he could hear cries of anguish and pain as well as see writhing bodies amidst the red flames and scorching heat.

Suddenly, he felt as if his hand was burning and he was back in the terminal sipping his hot cup of coffee. He sighed and drank the rest of his cappuccino and thought how it would be like living with Lisa when they get married. He has not asked her yet, but the thought had already crossed his mind hundreds of times in the past few weeks. Lisa does not show it, but he is sure that she misses him during these long business travels as much as he misses her.

When he said goodbye that morning, he remembered Lisa clinging to his hand as he bent down to kiss her on the forehead as she sat at the breakfast table. He wondered how she was and how she thought about where their relationship was going. Nowhere, he thought, as his work always came first. Perhaps this should be his last assignment before he transfers to a new job. What if he just leaves the terminal and go back to Lisa? Forget the flight… forget his work… forget his client… forget Dante…

Jon would think of this moment a few days later and regret deeply that he chose to board the plane and made the decision that led him to the path of disaster and ruin.