Vampire Of The New World

As they resumed their journey, sadness filled Jon as he 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. In some sections of the road, felled trees were moved to the side to give way to the infrequent traffic of trucks and passenger buses.

The province is frequented by typhoons and was the worst hit area when a Category 5 typhoon ravaged the region a few months ago. If not for the aid coming from international organizations, the province would have made little progress in getting back on its feet.

In the past years, forests in the area also saw huge fires spontaneously lit by the hot temperatures and dry weather although there were reports that they could be manmade as farmers clear the land to cultivate more crops.

Storm surges also occur given the geography of the region and its low elevation. During typhoons, it is common for the weather bureau to give warnings of flashfloods as well as storm surges. In the past decade, the area had seen two flashfloods and one particularly deadly storm surge that claimed the lives of thousands of people.

Finally, the region is also riddled with fault lines, basically making it earthquake country. There had been movements in the fault in the past ten years. Luckily, the areas hit by the earthquake were sparsely populated.

Given so many natural and manmade disasters that has ravaged the province, Jon wondered how people still chose to live here.

"Have you lived here long?" Jon wanted to start a conversation.

"Long enough," came the reply from Jorge. "I grew up here, but left for the city the first chance I got. I just had to return a couple of years ago when my father died so that I can take care of my mother."

"Your mother is a very superstitious woman." Jon remarked.

"Everyone here is. They have been through a lot. When everything goes wrong, the first thing that they think about are elemental spirits or some other supernatural entity."

"Your mother seemed disturbed that I was going to Orsica. She made the sign of the cross when you mentioned that I was going to the island."

"That's what they do around here. Scare each other with stories and superstitions. They do not like Orsica. They would always say they have one ancestor or a relative of a friend or some neighbor that perished when they sailed close to the island. How they knew it was the island that caused it beats me. I do know that the waters around the island can be quite treacherous, especially during bad weather. Rather than blaming the incompetence of their relatives or stupidity for going out to sea during bad weather, they would rather blame some supernatural being."

"Have you been to Orsica yourself?"

"It's private property you know. You can't just go and invite yourself in. I was able to go sail around it when I was young."

"How well do you know Dante?" asked Jon.

"Ha! I don't know him. He is just the man who pays for my services."

"Don't you talk to him?"

"I haven't seen him nor heard him. No one has, except his servants who do not talk to us either."

"How did you end up getting this job? Who pays you?"

"I receive instructions through text messages. They are supposed to come from him, but with all his servants, would you expect him to lift a finger? As for the payment, I receive them through mobile payment. I don't need to talk or see them and that suits me very well." Then, Jorge turned to Jon and asked, "You do ask a lot of questions."

Jon shrugged and said, "I ask a lot of questions because I don't know myself who my client is. I do know his name and have seen his bank statements, but with all his wealth, I have not really encountered him nor read about him in the news. Probably one eccentric, rich, and secretive old man."

At this point, they were nearing the sea and Jon could catch glimpses of the beach between the trees. The trees soon gave way to coconut trees that grew on the sandy beach. There were no structures on the beach with the exception of the dock itself.

A lone boat was secured to a mooring and would sometimes drift with the slow movement of the water. It was badly in need of repainting and the blue paint was peeling in some areas. Discarded canvas that used to function as election campaign materials were tied to a beam and the sides of the boat, serving as roof against the elements.

"Your mother…" Jon began as the car stopped. "Your mother gave me something before I left the hut."

"Let me guess – the necklace of protection," Jorge said with a smirk.

"Is that what this is called?" asked Jon, taking out the necklace of dried sanaria leaves still redolent of the sweet pleasant smell which first attracted his attention.

"I don't know what it is called. I don't believe in all of their nonsense. It is meant to ward off evil especially today. Do you know what day it is?" Jorge spoke

"It's the 25th of September," said Jon. "Why do you ask?"

"In these parts, today is what we call Day of the Ember Ghost. People do not like to go out to sea during this time because they are afraid that they will meet an untimely death because of the ember ghost."

"Was that also the reason your mother was so distressed that I am going to Orsica?"

"I will have to say yes. You see, people believe that on this day, the ember ghost could take on human form to talk to you and entice you into doing something evil. They say that you can only tell that he is not human in the dark because his eyes glow red like embers."

"Why Orsica?"

They were walking towards the yacht and Jorge was looking intently at the sea. He answered without looking at Jon. "They say that Orsica is where the ember ghost lives."