In Our Image: Return of The First Born

Chapter Five

That night sleep does not come easy to everyone, many wonder of what the future holds. They wonder if what Dendera and Serah have seen from the chalice is real or may have been misinterpreted. In the morning they will fly to Iceland in search of allies, but more than likely will find death. This does not sit well with the vampires but still they follow Dendera, she has yet to lead them astray.

A new day dawns and the house is filled with the sound of plastic bags being squeezed as Serah and Oliver pass blood pouches around to the vampires, they will need strength for their travels. Serah loads her backpack with the chalice, clothing and other items she will need while Daylen does the same.

There is a nervousness amongst the gathering though no one speaks of it, they instead gather outside and prepare to convoy to the airport. The escort makes final preparations as Oliver stands on the front porch looking back at his home. He nods at Daylen and they bid farewell to their sanctuary.

Everyone loads up into the SUVs; in a mix of dust and wind the vehicles disappear down the long driveway.

After a short drive the convoy arrives at a private hanger located in a small airport. Thaddeus exits the SUV and approaches a middle aged man standing near the hanger, he hands the man a neatly stacked sum of cash. The man waves at the vehicles and walks away into a small control tower. Thaddeus returns and opens the door to the SUV, the other two vehicles follow suit. Everyone exits and walks in front of the hanger where a black jet is waiting on the tarmac, the passenger door to the jet is opened by a female in a black suit as a set of stairs is rolled to the door by a member of the escort. Dendera enters and Serah follows behind, then Daylen. The female flight member smiles as Daylen passes her revealing vampires fangs, she tilts her dark shades and allows more members of the escort to enter. The jet is surprisingly luxurious with leather seats, plenty of room and state of the art electronics installed everywhere.

The windows are heavily tinted and some even blacked out entirely to prevent sunlight from entering. The party sits down and Dendera enters the cockpit, as she opens the door Daylen peeks in from his seat in the aisle and notices a man eating a sandwich. Dendera speaks to him briefly and pats him on the back before returning to the cabin and sitting next to Serah and Thaddeus. "He is human?" Daylen whispers to Dendera nodding to the captain of the jet.

"He is, in many cases trusted humans operate in our stead, it brings less suspicion on us." She answers. After a brief prep the aircraft takes off, Daylen is nervous and so is Serah, but Oliver has a ball of course, sure to post pictures on his social media.

After a ten hour flight and a changing climate, the plane lands in Iceland at another small, obscure airport. Oliver looks over at Daylen who is stretching his mouth open wide trying to pop his ears despite the pressurized cabin, he laughs. Everyone in Dendera's escort grabs heavy coats from storage on the aircraft and then begins to exit. Daylen, Oliver and Serah do the same. Outside it is cold to say the least, they dawn their coats and pull the hoods up. Light snowfall mixed with sprinkling rain makes it a miserable feel, the group head for another set of vehicles; these however are equipped with large heavy tires for off road travel. They load up into the older modeled SUVs and begin a trek in the direction of large Icelandic mountains in the distance. The darkness is haunting as the elements swirl around the vehicles forcing windshield wipers to work overtime.

After a long drive through achingly beautiful landscapes over ice, grass and along the clearest waters on earth, the convoy comes to a stop. They arrive at a small fishing village that sits at the base of several mountain clusters near a lake. Even in the darkness the group can see the simple means by which the residents live. Small handmade boats are tied to several shifty wooden docks that sway on the water. The homes are made with a mix of brick and wood, bundled up residents move about settling in for the night. Fires from pits inside the homes illuminate the outlines of people looking out their windows at the visitors.