Vampire Of The New World

The way that Dante brushed off the death of one of the people under his employ like some mundane occurrence troubled Jon, but he decided not to talk about the incident any further with his client. Dante seemed to be no different from the captain of the Golden Krone as to his apathy and coldness towards other people. If not for the difference in physical appearance and state of health, Jon would have thought of Dante and the captain as the same person.

Dante seemed more alive than when Jon saw him at the entrance hall earlier. His movements were faster, his speech clearer, and his face, though still pale, seemed more relaxed and youthful. Perhaps, there was some truth when he likened himself to nocturnal creatures who become fully awake at night as they search for their prey.

Dante was clearly obsessed with art, but his tastes tend to be unusual, even macabre. They talked about the images of death as they appeared in the history of art and Dante remarked how humans have shown more images of death and suffering in recent times. "Paintings tend to be the reflection of the artists' inner state and artists tend to represent their people and their times. This renewed interest in depicting death and human suffering is simply indicative of the society that we live in, don't you think?"

Jon merely nodded as images of death and violence inundated his mind. The images were not just in painting it seemed, but in all forms of art – film and sculpture, among others. He also could not recall watching the evening news without seeing reports of violence and murder.

Dante's most valuable paintings were hung in the library in order to protect them from the harsh sunlight. The temperature and humidity were carefully controlled in order to preserve the paintings, the oldest of which was almost two centuries old. He confided to Jon that only two people were allowed to stay in the library at any one time in order to keep the ambient air at the best possible condition for preserving the paintings.

"Let me show you some of my priced paintings which I have acquired over the years," Dante said, holding the armrests of his chair to stand up. Jon immediately rose from his chair to help his client, but Dante simply refused with a wave of his hand.

"I can stand up. No fuss." From under his desk, Dante took out a cane of carved hardwood. It was reddish in color and was polished until it obtained an almost natural sheen. The carvings on the cane were ornate and geometric without any recognizable pattern or design.

Dante proceeded to walk towards one of the paintings near the door and flicked a switch. Immediately, light beamed down from the top of the frame to show the painting with greater clarity.

"What do you think of this?" Dante turned to his side where Jon was already standing.

The painting showed an emaciated man with all his limbs seemingly cut off from his body. There were cuts and bruises as well as discolorations on his skin. He appeared to be sitting on the floor although his background was just a white void. His head was turned to the side and was bowed in dejection. The man in the painting did not appear to be in pain, but his physical state, the expression on his face, and the artist's use of color made Jon feel overwhelming hopelessness and sadness.

"This was painted by a Polish artist after the Holocaust. His pregnant wife was killed by Nazis in front of him and he was sent to the concentration camps. This was his last painting when he returned after the war to his apartment in Silesia where he eventually hung himself."

Jon did not speak at first, but looked at the painting curiously. The painter's style was quite distinctive and he could recognize at once from the brush strokes and use of color who the painter was.

"Kowalczyk. He considered this his self-portrait before he committed suicide. This painting broke records for a Kowalczyk painting when it was auctioned off last year. It was sold to an undisclosed buyer." Jon mumbled.

"And that undisclosed buyer is me," said Dante smiling widely, his sharp teeth glistening in the dim room. "Let's see if you can guess who painted the next one."

Dante eagerly walked to the next painting, his cane tapping on the wooden floor like a one-legged giant insect. He likewise turned on the pin lights and the painting exploded in colors of bright red and burnt sienna.

"This painting is something I really like. It is the oldest and the most expensive one I ever bought. Tell me what you think?"

The second painting showed a n.a.k.e.d man with eyes opened wide as if in a crazed state. In his hand was something that looked like a severed human arm while blood was seen dripping from his mouth. He appeared to be in a desert and faint smoke was rising in the distance.

"The painting reminds me of Goya's painting of the titan Saturn devouring his son as well as Gericault's Raft of the Medusa, but this had the realism of Caravaggio without any religious symbolism that I can see."

"Very good! And the artist?"

"I'm not sure." Jon pressed his hand against his chin as he tried to guess.

"This is what happens to man if you leave him stranded in the desert without food," Dante said with a short laugh. "The artist was a survivor of a plane crash in the desert. True to the meaning of the word, he was a predator rising above his prey. He was able to survive by killing his fellow passengers. When he was rescued, he had a short period of lucidity and was able to paint this. It was supposed to be cathartic according to those who were close to him, but eventually, the artist lost his mind."

"And he was placed in a lunatic asylum until he died!" Jon exclaimed, his eyes growing wild. "Is this the missing Gonzalez? It was mentioned in letters and memoirs, but no one had actual proof that it exists. People were saying that it has been lost forever!"

"No. Not lost. It eventually came into my possession," said Dante, glowing with pride. "The next one is something that you'll also find quite interesting," said Dante.

The third painting showed a black figure that was hardly discernible in the darkness. He appeared to be coming out of a tunnel or a well. Dante flicked on the pin lights and Jon's attention was quickly drawn by the eyes that glowed red like embers.