The Last Chance (sequel to A Hundred Lifetimes)

Eighteen

Chiara found it a bit odd when the first stop that Mary wanted to go to was the “bad part” of the island. She had nothing against it, of course, but it surely did not seem like the 24-year old to prioritize a place that had a lifeless beach, a dilapidated port, a bunch of nipa huts that looked like they hadn’t been maintained for years, and a few rundown buildings that either seemed like they were being run by a gang as a front or the owners just stopped caring a long time ago. However, when Mary parked her UTV right in front of an old convenience store overlooking the sorry excuse of a beach, Chiara did the same.

“Hold on a second, I just need to pop by somewhere real quick,” Mary announced as she hurriedly turned the engine off and got the key. As soon as she hopped off, she did a quick sweep of the surroundings—checking the vicinity for anything or anyone remotely suspicious—as if she had taken the role of a bodyguard far too seriously. Seeing no one but a few local grade school children playing with cans a few meters away, the casual drunkard asleep at 10 in the morning by the entrance of the convenience store, and the store clerk himself, Mary nodded approvingly and went back to Chiara.

“Can I leave you here alone for a few minutes?” she asked, glancing at a building nearby. It looked like a motel, Chiara thought, only she wasn’t sure if it was still in business—given the state of it.

“Yeah, of course. I’m not a child, Mary. I’m older than you,” Chiara replied with a chuckle.

“You are older than me, but you can barely fight for s**t,” Mary scoffed before pointing a finger at her. “Don’t move too far away, okay? If I lose you, Clarissa’s going to kill me,” she threatened.

“Fine, I’ll just get some ice cream at the store and stay nearby,” Chiara agreed, which made Mary breathe out in content. “Do you need any back-up to where you’re going?” she asked as Mary grabbed her backpack from the vehicle.

“No, I’m good,” Mary replied, squinting up at the building once again. “It’s just a routine check-up or whatever. I’ll be back in a few. Scream bloody murder if you need help, and I’ll be there.”

Chiara lightly chuckled and nodded. “Got it,” she said, and with that, Mary was on her way.

Mary headed straight to the motel’s check-in desk where the same tired-looking middle-aged woman from the last night sat. “2C in?” Mary asked, sliding a few bills on the table which the woman was quick to replace with a set of keys.

“Thanks,” Mary said as she grabbed it and climbed up the stairs.

The motel she chose really did look as sorry as it did from the outside to its halls, especially during the day. Last night, Mary remembered it to look a bit more eerie that it made her feel like she was in a supernatural film, but at that hour—with the sun ever so brightly pouring into the cracked windows, showing the weathered paint and dirty carpets and numerous cracks on the walls, with the smell of old wood and fabric wafting through the air—it was just as she was seeing: a cheap, rundown motel that felt like it was getting close to hell with how badly insulated it was.

Mary was already sweating through her shirt and shorts, so she could only imagine what the vampire inside an oven of a room was feeling.

Without bothering to knock, Mary used her keys to unlock the door. She didn’t even give a warning—she was half expecting to see the hawklike vampire already turned to dust in a pile by the corner, or hiding under the bed and scratching the floors. So, she was the tiniest bit surprised when she opened the door and found the man standing by a window.

The room was a lot darker than normal—there were extra blankets and pillows pressed against the other windows—and Gabriel was wearing his slacks and the shirt she bought for him, but the room didn’t stink like death unlike what she expected. It did, however, make her smile a little to see how the vampire seemed so uncomfortable in the heat—so much so that he had resorted to using the ugly shirt she got on a discounted price, and that a few strands of his hair were out of place. Finally, Mary smugly thought, knocked down at least one peg.

“Hot, isn’t it?” Mary spoke as she closed the door behind her. It didn’t surprise her that Gabriel wasn’t at all startled by her appearance. He was probably already expecting it, if he hadn’t heard her from the stairs. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had really been pensively looking out the window the entire time or if he just chose to assume that position, knowing that he would have a visitor.

“It is survivable. I have been through worse,” Gabriel replied, keeping his eyes glued to whatever he was looking at down there.

“And how is the ‘I am here only to observe’ thing going on for you?” Mary asked. She began to slowly walk around, looking for anything that might be of importance—a clue as to why he was there, any indication that he met up with someone, anything at all. “Have you been doing much observing?”

“I have,” Gabriel simply answered. “You brought the girl—that Chiara Baker—outside.”

Mary stopped and looked at the back of his head. “You know her full name now. You’re making it too obvious you’re after her,” she said with a small smile. “But yeah, we’re friends and we’re both human so we can hang out in the sun and get our tans on.”

Gabriel slightly turned his head just to give her a disapproving look. “I do not think that’s wise,” he flatly said.

“It’s the middle of the day, you yourself are inside a motel and Mr. D is hiding out in his own place,” Mary counted with her fingers. “I think it’s safe to say that all of the vampires on this island will be on a night shift given this perfect weather.”

“Do not be too sure,” Gabriel warily replied before his eyes glanced at the bag behind Mary’s back. “Why did you bring blood?” he asked, turning his attention back to the window.

“A snack,” Mary said, taking the pack out as she figured she might as well just hand it over. From across the room, she threw it towards the vampire who caught it with barely a glance. “Just to make sure you won’t go off on a killing spree before lunchtime.”

Gabriel looked at the small, cold bag of blood in his hand, then placed it on top of the drawer beside him. “You’ve been helping me,” he spoke, while Mary had given up trying to find anything in his squeaky-clean room.

“Is that what I’ve been doing?” she rhetorically asked, standing behind him so she could take a look at what view he had been gazing at the past minute. Just as she thought, the window overlooked the port and the convenience store where they parked their vehicles. From their view on the second floor, Chiara could be seen clearly, sitting under one of those old, large umbrellas situated outside of the store, eating a quickly melting soft-serve ice cream while mindlessly kicking the sand with her bare feet.

“I’m buttering you up because I need to keep an eye on you and you’re a good source of information,” Mary continued. “It’s like making sure a wild bear is well-fed so it would keep other predators off me and my friends. There’s no guarantee you won’t hurt us, but there is still a possibility you won’t eat us.” Mary took a step back and moved on to check the view of another window. Much to her surprise, she heard Gabriel scoff.

“I know, I sound like a supervillain laying out all my plans,” she muttered, checking the perimeter below for anyone suspicious that might be on their way to Chiara. “So, why not do this girl a solid and just tell me why you’re here so I can leave you alone?”

“I am here—"

“To observe, yes, I know,” Mary filled in, her tone becoming more impatient as she turned towards him again. He had not moved an inch, still looking down the window and clearly observing. Only this time, Mary was sure who exactly it was he was paying close attention to. “But, why?” she asked, knowing full well he knew what she meant.

“It is my mission.”

“From the Council?” Mary said in confusion, but upon remembering their conversation from last night, she shook her head and answered herself. “No, I don’t think so.”

“From my master.”