Maxwell drove the RV while Axel sat beside him, shaping the wendigo bone. He planned to make two daggers from the leg bones. As the RV moved steadily forward, darkness enveloped the outside. They wanted to reach Port Angeles, two hours away.
Felix had turned on the radio and they cruised along to a nice tune. Axel was working on a new project, trying to create a cigarette that vampires could smoke. Despite several failed attempts, he hadn't lost hope. Axel was someone who never lost faith; he always believed there was a way.
Axel had been through hard times. If he had given up, he might not be alive today. Axel never lost hope; he kept his promise to his mother.
Although Felix was happy and fun-loving, he hadn't had an easy life. None of them had. Felix had a philosophy that he believed in: "Hard times bring good times." It had proven true. After hard times, God had blessed him with two brothers.
Axel had made two daggers from the bones. The daggers were easier to carry than the axe. They didn't look as good as the axe, but they were quite effective. It wouldn't be easy for an ordinary vampire to break the daggers.
Maxwell admired the daggers. "Nice toys," he commented, while Axel was pleased with them as well. Even though the daggers were better than axes, Axel still preferred his axes. While Axel stored the daggers in the secret weapons cabinet, he returned to his seat.
The trip was pleasant, but after a while it got boring. Since Felix didn't have his driver's license yet, they didn't let him drive the RV. If Maxwell didn't know how to drive, it would be unbearable for Axel.
When they reached Port Angeles, Maxwell headed for the farmhouse. It was morning when they arrived. Felix got out of the RV and looked up at the sky. "Finally, this damn trip is over," he said, feeling relieved.
Maxwell looked at Felix with annoyance. "You were praising the RV trip when I suggested we take the plane, idiot."
Felix chuckled. "Praising the RV trip doesn't mean I'm bad-mouthing airplanes. After all, they do serve a purpose," he replied.
"When are we going to train, Axel?" Instead of answering Felix, Maxwell asked Axel a question. Felix preferred to remain silent when he guessed that Maxwell's intention was to vent his anger through training.
"We can do it tomorrow. Today we need to talk to the old man," Axel said as he locked the RV door and headed for the farmhouse. Felix led the way, followed by Axel and Maxwell. When they reached the door, Felix knocked on it.
Soon a voice came from inside and someone approached the door. The wooden door creaked open slowly, revealing a man in his late fifties.
"I thought you brats had forgotten the way to this house," the old man seemed irritated.
Felix laughed. "Old man, if we had forgotten, how would we be here?" he quipped.
"You're the old one here, Pops. I'm still young. If I wanted to, I could be with a different girl every day," the old man said, annoyed by Felix's banter. He thought he had to teach these kids a lesson. It was then that he noticed Maxwell's laughter.
Maxwell was laughing. Noticing the old man's anger, he stopped laughing and supported Axel. "You are still young. If you want, you can prove that you're still young by beating Felix," Maxwell wanted to see Felix being beaten by the old man under the pretext of training.
"John, you look good," Axel smiled kindly at the old man.
John was angry because he hadn't seen them in a long time. He had led these children, but they hadn't visited for a long time. John, being a lonely man, missed them. Axel had invited him, but John didn't want to leave the house where he lived with his wife.
John gave Axel a gentle smile. When he first met Axel, he was going through a hard time. He had a negative view of vampires, but that changed after he met Axel. Axel was depressed at the time. His family had just died, and even though he had taken revenge, he still felt empty. He had nowhere to go.
_________ Past Memories ____________
When John saw Axel, he wanted to kill him because he was an enemy of vampires. But he didn't expect Axel to stay passive. John approached Axel thinking it was a bluff, but when he realized Axel wanted to die, he stopped. Axel grabbed John's arm, preventing him from walking away. John initially thought Axel was going to attack, but Axel looked John in the eye and said, "Kill me.
John wondered what experiences had brought this vampire to such a state. "Why do you want to die so badly?" he asked Axel.
John believed that Axel was innocent in this story. Those who brought him to this state were guilty. John understood Axel's situation and invited him into his home. His wolf instincts told him that this young man had no ill intentions.
When John was home alone, Axel became his new roommate. Axel's presence was good for John. Axel's story had reminded him of his purpose in life. Over time, a bond had formed between them. John, who had no children, thought of Axel as his own son. He taught him all he knew. If Axel's ancestors had heard that he considered a vampire his son, they would have considered him a traitor, but John didn't care.
As a shapeshifter, John was immortal, but if he found a woman he loved, he could age with her. John had chosen to age with his wife, but when he lost her, he wanted to die with her. His wife's last words kept him from dying. Axel's story had inspired him to live, and he wanted to support this young man.
Tears welled up in John's eyes as he remembered his wife's last words.
It was a cold winter day. Snow could be seen falling outside the windows of the hospital. Evelyn smiled as she watched the snow fall outside.
She felt that her time was near. Her only regret was not being able to grow old with John. She didn't want to die; her greatest fear was to leave John alone. Although John kept assuring her that she would get better, Evelyn knew it wasn't true.
Evelyn felt that her time was up. Before she died, she wanted to see John's face one last time. "John," Evelyn called weakly. Hearing his wife's call, John got up and walked toward her. "I'm here, Evelyn. Is anything wrong? If you're in pain, I can call the doctor," John worried as his wife called out.
Evelyn put her hand on John's cheek and stroked his beard. Smiling at John, Evelyn said, "I love you. I want you to know that. I have loved you more than anything, John. You are my everything."
Evelyn was on the verge of tears, but she didn't want to cry before she died. She knew that if she cried, John would be even more upset. She didn't want to make John any sadder.
John did not know why Evelyn was talking like that.
"You are my everything."