THE LOST ONE
Excerpt
THE WIND
BATTERED NIKOS’S body as he soared through the midnight sky trying desperately
to determine from which direction the sounds were coming. Within seconds of
detecting the beating sound, the electrical storm that had been rolling in the
heavens broke loose delivering unto him massive chunks of ice and rain that
pelted every inch of his body. Lightning
ripped through the blackened sky illuminating the night as if it were day while
the deafening thunder shook the very ground beneath. As the violent storm
surged, he zigzagged and backtracked feverishly in an attempt to detect even
the slightest increase in his perception of the calling that he had only
moments before been aware of.
From the
ground, anyone seeing his erratic movements and motions might have mistaken him
for an injured and disoriented bird but his behaviour was a result of nothing
of the sort. The rapid shallow pounding flooded his senses as his own heart
instinctually attempted to set itself to the rhythm that could only belong to
one. He darted back and forth paying
close attention to the sound and vibration that rang in his head. As he turned south, the pounding was
perfectly synchronized with his own heartbeat and his instincts told him that
this was the direction from which the signal was coming.
It was far away and faint but it could
never be so far or faint as to escape Nikos’
detection. Nikos
stilled himself hanging in the air as if the clouds were as solid as the
earthen ground. His heart filled with
emotion and his thoughts lingered on every beat of the distant drum that called
to him. Overwhelmed with a feeling of
gratitude and wonderment of what he had done to deserve the miracle, Nikos found himself frozen in place for fear that the
heartbeat might fade or even disappear at any moment. He was hearing it, feeling it, absorbing it
and binding it to him for the remainder of his existence. He remained entranced
in his connection to the vibration of the beat for some time before he was able to
think of anything else. With his senses
piqued, he determined that the pulsation was coming from 500-600 miles
away. It was so close. Only half of a night’s travel but he could not
cover that distance on this night. In addition, a suitable arrangement for
sanctuary in the area from which the heartbeat was originating was a
necessity. Plans would have to be made
and they would have to be made quickly before the others sensed her presence!
It was this realization that others might
have simultaneously perceived the signal that broke his trance and he was
suddenly aware that dawn would soon be breaking. He needed to return to his sanctuary
immediately!
Nikos rotated
midair to begin the return trip home, constantly aware of the pulsation that
tapped away in his mind. Its rapid
shallow and slightly irregular pattern had, over the last hour, settled into a regular, bounding, and
rhythmic beating that lulled Nikos into a state of remembrance… remembrance of what he once had,
what he once lost, and the hope of what he might have once again. The night that was coming to an end seemed to
have passed in the blink of an eye while Nikos had
been engulfed in the familiar comfort of the life force of his equal
female. She was here, on this earth and
that was all that mattered to him. He
would have detected her presence anywhere in the world but it just so happened
that only a few years before, fate had led him to these
Dawn was just arriving when Nikos reached his destination of the old plantation
home. This was one of the largest and
most secure properties in the region, and for that reason he had come to spend
much of his time there rather than in other countries. True, his homes in
As
soon as Nikos entered his home, he placed calls to
his attorney and realtor. It was 6:30
a.m. and both of them would be getting into their offices soon but Nikos would need to be secured for the day by that time, so
he simply left messages instructing them both on his needs.
His
attorney not only managed all legal matters pertaining to his property
interests, but also oversaw all funds Nikos set aside
in trusts over the years for these transactions; of which, there was more than
anyone could ever spend. As for his
realtor, he instructed her to secure a home for him between 500 and 600 miles
south of his current location that could close immediately, and to then contact
his attorney for completing the transaction. His realtor already knew, having
procured many properties for him in the past, that he had only a few
requirements and those were that it be spacious, secluded, have a limited
number of windows and have a basement.
She had never asked any personal questions of him and he liked it that
way. Had she done so, he would have
fired her immediately as Nikos had learned over the
years that when people became inquisitive about him, it was only the beginning
of trouble.
He
had also learned to over-compensate the connections he developed. Money bought him not only privacy but also strict
obedience to his demands. His lack of
material inclination allowed him the freedom to be more than generous to those who did his
bidding, and who seemingly had an affinity for material attachment. He had no qualms about spending exorbitant amounts on
that which was important to him, and this had to be the most important of all
things ever to come his way.
After
completing the calls, Nikos adjourned to his basement
where he would rest during the day’s sunlit hours.
Over the years, he had come to detest these hours in which he was completely restricted
in his movements. Unlike others’ times
of rest, he had no choice in the matter of when his body’s recuperative hours
would take place, for this was determined solely by the suns blazing rays. It was a condemnation by the sun that
dictated his state and his abilities. It
was as if the moment the day’s light breached the horizon, he ceased to
exist. He was a spirit trapped inside of
a body whose life force could only be detected by one of his kind, as all
energy and appearance of bodily function disappeared as quietly as it
reappeared with the sun’s descent beneath the opposite horizon. A useless, motionless, secluded form, capable
not even of self-defence but only of thought… maddening thoughts of how this
came to be. While in his semi-comatose
state he could, with much effort, maintain a frail connection to his outside
world yet take no action in it. Over the
years, this ability, or rather this gift of discernment had begun to fade
making it difficult for him to detect real danger until it was nearly upon him. There had been no hope that this gift would
ever strengthen, only weaken, until this night.
Over the next 11 to 12 hours, Nikos
would use every last bit of strength he had maintaining the connection to the
beat that had captured him earlier in the night. This sound alone would soothe
him throughout his imprisonment during this day.