Chapter 26: Race against time.

                                    

                                          
" You smell all homosapien."
☆
Jamie enters the hospital room with the rucksack in his hand. "Your clothes, as promised." He takes it off his shoulder, placing it on the floor. 
"Thanks Jamie." John picks up the bag, pulling out items of clothing for him and Toby to wear. "So, you're not going to ask?" John looks up from what he is doing to look at Jamie. 
"I know already." Jamie replies. "I can tell, your smell. You smell all homosapian." 
John sniffs under his armpits. "I can't smell anything, just a bit of sweat." 
"Well that's good." Jamie says chuckling. "So I'm gonna go." Jamie begins to shuffle on his feet. 
"Oh ok. You not gonna wait for Rowan?" John speaks as he pulls a hoodie over his head. 
"Nah! I need to sleep. But John just so you know..." Jamie places his hands on John's shoulders. "I'm proud you didn't quit on what you wanted. You wanted Toby and now you have him." 
"Why are you going all soft on me Jamie?" John smiles, looking down. "You still have Rowan by your side. You'll get your happy ending too." 
"Yeah." Jamie sighs. Whether the ending would be happy, he didn't know, but at least all this would come to an end. 
"Look after him Toby." Jamie gives Toby a hug.
"Will do." Toby smiles.
Jamie then turns and leaves the room. That was it. The end of this life and a start of another.
"Are you ok?" Toby looks at John a little concerned. 
"Yeah, it's just, Jamie doesn't get sentimental like that, like...ever. It's just a little out of character." 
"It's not been a normal day for anyone." Toby responds, pulling on some sweatpants.
"No I guess not." John concludes. He begins to route around for the toiletries to go and wash. "Will you be ok if I go freshen up?" 
"Sure." Toby says with a smile. John smiles back, pulling out the last item he needs. His toothbrush. 
"Hey John, you dropped something." John looks at Toby pointing to something on the floor. He looks down to see a piece of folded paper. He bends over to pick it up, placing his toiletries on the bed, so he can unfold it. 
John takes a moment to read what is on the page, his hands grip the paper tighter as he seems to read faster, with John placing a hand to his mouth. 
"John, what is it?" Toby asks, now stood up next to John. 
"It's Jamie. He's gone, as in gone!"
"What?" John looks up to see Rowan stood in the doorway. "John, what do you mean James has gone?" 
John gives the note to Rowan. He takes it in his hands and begins to read...
John
I'm so, so happy for you and Toby, but what you have been through to get where you are, is a stark reminder of how dangerous we are. Beings are dangerous,  vampires are dangerous.  We hunt, we kill and we ultimately hurt the ones we love. All we do is destroy lives and I can't live as a being anymore.  
I've decided to go with dad, to accept that this is who I am. Please tell Rowan that I truly love him for accepting me for who I am, but I would not live with myself if I was to ever hurt him. 
Please don't try to find me. I promise I will be ok. 
Jamie. 
Rowan drops the note on to the bed. He looks stunned, he didn't see this coming. "I don't understand. What's happening? Is he gone? W...where's he gone?" 
John lifts up the note again and looks at it. "Our dad. He came to see us, Jamie and I. He offered to take us with him. To convert to full vampire, live in the shadows."  
"What? But why? Why would Jamie want to do that? I don't understand. I told him I'd be there for him!" Rowan collapses into the chair, head in hands.
"Rowan you have seen first hand the dangers of our kind." John gestures towards Toby. "He was scared of hurting you." 
Rowan shakes his head. "No. No he can't do this. You need to take me to him...now!" 
"I don't know where he's meeting him." 
"You're his brother for Christ's sake. Think, please." Rowan is in panic mode now. Time now becoming the enemy.
John thinks hard, then he has it. "I think I know where." 
"Well let's go." Rowan gets up to leave. 
"I don't have my bike. Don't you have a car?" John asks. 
"No...I don't drive, I just have my push bike." Rowan looks down rather annoyed he didn't pass his driving test.
"I can call Shawn." John suggests.
"No time. We'll have to take Hector's car." Rowan heads for the door.
"Hector?" John questions.
"Dr Bennett. He's still here." Rowan clarifies.
John turns to look at Toby still stood by the bed. "Just go. I'll be fine." Toby shoes them off.
John and Rowan now make their way to Hector's office.
"You want me to what?" Hector sits back from his desk. 
"We need your car, and sooner rather then later if you don't mind please Hector." Rowan literally snaps back. 
"Can I ask why?"
"On the way, just please, can we go?" Rowan begins to pace. 
Hector sighs and pulls a set of keys from his top drawer. 
---^---
Hector blows a shot of air from his hollowed cheeks. Having just been brought up to speed with the situation by Rowan.  "That is a lot to take in."
"Yeah so step on it please." Rowan leans inbetween the two front seats from the back, as John gives directions. 
It's pitch dark when the car pulls up to the cemetery gates. John tries for the umpteenth time to get a hold of Jamie on his phone, with Rowan trying too, but it seems it's switched off. 
John turns to Rowan and Hector. "Wait here. I'll go see if they're here and I'll let you know. Ok?" Rowan nods, biting on his nails. 
John exits the car and closes the door. He pushes the already slightly open creaky rought iron gate of the cemetery and begins to walk down the stone path. The silence seems deafening. But he can hear something. Something towards his right, just around the church building. 
John creeps up to the stone wall and peers around the corner. He can see Jamie, stood next to their mother's head stone and then he sees another man approaching....his father.