(Events occur directly after Chapter 27)
After Marcus and the others left the village, Jesse and Joseph were wandering around the village, following Mira somewhere. Jesse approached Joseph and asked him, "Where are we going?"
Joseph looked towards Jesse with a cheerful face and replied, "I told you, we're just going to have fun and help the residents occasionally."
Jesse couldn't hide his confusion and replied, "Yeah...? So, what are we going to do for fun?"
Mira stopped walking in front of a hut and interrupted them, a small smile on her face: "You'll know soon, just be patient."
Jesse looked at her in bewilderment, then followed her inside the hut.
The hut was filled with clothes of various colors and shapes, with a group of people inside trying them on. Expressions of surprise and astonishment appeared on Jesse's face: "Is this a clothing store?"
Mira smiled while pointing her finger towards one of the clothing racks: "Exactly. This is the best place here, where people can get clean, new clothes, and at the same time, some women can practice their hobbies and make the clothes they want without worry, with almost all the appropriate supplies available."
Joseph moved towards one of the racks, grabbed an old hat, and playfully placed it on his head: "Hahaha, look Jesse, it's the sister of your hat, looks just like it. Come on, try something, my friend."
Jesse looked at the clothes hesitantly: "No thanks, I don't want to change my clothes."
Mira directed her eyes towards Jesse's tattered clothes, an expression of disgust appearing on her face. She then said while touching his clothes: "Man, your clothes are in bad shape and they even smell bad. I wonder how you or those two managed to sleep peacefully with this stench filling the air. Seriously, when was the last time you cleaned them?"
Jesse replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone: "They're not bad, they're still new... I think."
She retorted with a mix of sternness and jest: "What do you mean new? They're clearly in bad shape. You need to change them, pal. Look, there's a rack full of men's clothes, go there and swap out this thing you're wearing. If you need help choosing, I'm here."
Jesse tried to protest: "I don't need to wear anything new, these are still new."
Mira didn't give him a chance to object. She grabbed his hand firmly and started pulling him towards the racks: "I don't care. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself seeing someone wearing something like this."
Meanwhile, Joseph was watching the scene from afar, trying to stifle his laughter: "I don't think you'll leave here the same way you came in."
Jesse tried to pull his hand away from Mira's, but she was stronger than him, despite the vast difference in their height and size. Jesse took a deep breath, resigning himself to the situation. He then looked hesitantly at the clothes in front of him, picked up a simple shirt intending to get out of this situation quickly: "Alright, this looks good."
Mira looked at him as if unconvinced by his choice. She then took a set of clothes from the rack and handed them to Jesse, saying: "No, that's not good. Now you're going to try on all these clothes until you find one that suits you."
Jesse realized he wouldn't get away easily and headed towards a small room dedicated for changing clothes.
Jesse began trying on the clothes one after another, trying to finish quickly. But every time he came out to show a new choice, Mira would shake her head disapprovingly and send him back inside with comments like: "That doesn't suit you," or "Not good at all."
After a while, Jesse came out wearing a dark shirt and simple, comfortable-looking pants, his damp black hair visible without his hat, a look of dissatisfaction on his features: "Alright, does this look good?"
Mira replied to him, her face showing expressions of enthusiasm and happiness: "Now you look much better than before!"
Joseph chimed in: "Honestly, you do look better than before, Jesse."
Jesse replied in an annoyed tone: "Alright, are we done now?"
Mira replied excitedly: "Done? We're just getting started, my friend."
Jesse looked at her with worry and astonishment: "Wait, what?"
Mira quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the hut door, saying: "Get ready for the best day of your life!"
The three exited the hut, while Jesse tried to resist and go back for his old clothes, but Mira didn't give him any chance. Meanwhile, Joseph was laughing hysterically at Jesse's state.
The trio continued walking through the village streets. Jesse still felt uncomfortable, glancing several times towards the clothing store, while Joseph and Mira laughed with each other.
Joseph turned towards Jesse and said to him in a tone of sarcasm and inquiry: "What's wrong, my friend? You look uncomfortable? They're just new clothes, they won't kill you."
He replied with a tone of suppressed aggression: "That's not it... just give me back my clothes."
Joseph shrugged his shoulders and replied sarcastically: "Maybe later, but not now. Today won't end until we have as much fun as possible before that Marcus guy comes."
Mira and the other two stopped in front of the usual mushroom stall, while the stall owner was serving a bowl of soup to a customer.
The stall owner noticed them with a welcoming smile: "Oh Mira! Haven't seen you in a while, girl, where have you been?"
Mira replied while sitting on a chair: "You know Marcus, he never stops giving me lots of errands and tasks."
The stall owner gave a light laugh, then turned towards one of the shelves, pulling out three bowls. He turned towards the soup pot and began calmly pouring the hot soup into the wooden bowls. He turned towards them with a friendly smile as he placed the bowls in front of them, saying: "Here you go, it's on the house. The important thing is that you enjoy it."
Mira replied with a big smile: "Thank you, Uncle." She then raised her hand towards him while looking directly into his eyes with looks of confidence and friendliness. The stall owner returned her gaze, then extended his hand as if understanding what she intended. Their hands collided quickly and lightly, making a somewhat loud sound. The stall owner replied: "Uncle? I'm too old for anyone to call me that."
Joseph put his bowl on the table and replied flatteringly: "What do you mean? You're still young, man."
The stall owner scratched his head, an expression of contentment on his face because of their flattery: "Hahahaha, stop it, you're embarrassing me."
Everyone remained cheerful, laughing amongst themselves, except Jesse, who was staring into his bowl with a frowning, troubled face, as if those clothes were important to him. Jesse finally reached towards the bowl and began eating slowly, trying to blend in with the cheerful atmosphere around him. The stall owner noticed Jesse and turned to Mira, saying in a surprised tone, "Hey Mira! Who's this new friend of yours? Haven't seen him around before." Joseph looked towards him and said sarcastically, "That's Jesse. He came for the soup. He was wearing old grey clothes. Hahaha, seriously, did he change that much?" The stall owner looked at Joseph in surprise, "Well... aside from his new look. What's wrong with him? He doesn't seem well to me." Everyone turned to Jesse, who seemed lost in his thoughts.
Jesse noticed the surprised looks directed at him and began drinking the soup while saying in a quiet tone, trying to lighten the mood, "This soup is great, like last time. You really are a master at making it." The stall owner smiled and replied, "Oh, thank you, son. I always strive to make it perfectly." His smile diminished slightly, "Tell me, son, is something bothering you?" Jesse replied, "No, everything's fine. I'm just a little tired." The stall owner replied, "H. Alright." Then he looked towards Joseph, saying, "Anyway, any news?" Joseph replied while drinking his soup, "Nothing new, except Marcus went to the neighboring village to get a vaccine for some disease." The stall owner replied, "Despite being overly strict, he does his best to keep us safe in this place, away from those creatures." Joseph nodded in agreement while devouring his soup greedily. While they were talking, Jesse continued eating his soup silently. Meanwhile, Mira occasionally watched him with a mixture of worry and puzzlement as she thought.
"Why does he seem sad since leaving the store? Didn't he like his new clothes? Or did I do something wrong?"
After some time passed and everyone finished their meals, the three got up from the table and bid farewell to the stall owner to continue their day.
Joseph and Mira continued planning what they would do later, while Jesse walked quietly behind them, lost in his thoughts.
Suddenly, however, Jesse stopped walking for a moment, then turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.
After Mira and Joseph finished talking, Mira turned towards where Jesse had been: "Alright, what do you think about going t..." only to be surprised by Jesse's absence: "Hey, where did Jesse go?" Expressions of worry and surprise appeared on her features as she looked left and right hoping to find him nearby. Joseph looked at Mira in surprise, not even knowing Jesse had disappeared: "What's the matter?" Then he started walking towards her, realizing too that Jesse was gone: "Where did that Jesse disappear to?" She replied with a worried tone, "I don't know." Worry started to show on both their faces as they turned back to look for him.
Mira and Joseph began searching for Jesse everywhere nearby, calling his name hoping he would hear them, but to no avail. They continued like this for about an hour until they got tired and sat down on a nearby bench. Joseph turned to Mira to find her gripping her arms tightly while looking at the ground with a pale face.
Joseph said while catching his breath, "I'm exhausted, I can barely move." Mira replied in an emotionally broken tone, "Me too... Joseph... Why did Jesse decide to run away from us like that? Did we do something wrong to him?" Joseph leaned back comfortably on the bench and said tiredly, "I have no idea." Silence fell between them; Joseph tried to rest while Mira was lost in her thoughts.
"But where could he have gone? We've searched almost all the nearby areas... Could someone have kidnapped him without us knowing? No, there were a lot of people around, and he would have made at least some noise. So what... He's been tense since leaving the clothing store. Could the store have something to do with this?" Mira tried to connect the dots in her mind. Then she suddenly looked at Joseph, a faint smile on her face, and said happily, "I think I know where he went." Joseph looked at her in surprise before they both got up and headed towards the clothing store.
When they reached the clothing store, the atmosphere was quiet as usual. There was a group of women and men in the place; some were buying, others were sitting and stitching torn clothes.
Mira started walking around until she reached a small woman dressed entirely in black with short hair, sitting on her chair stitching some clothes. Mira approached her and asked politely, "Excuse me, sister, could you spare me a moment?" She replied, "Of course, what do you need?" Mira replied, "Nothing much, I just wanted to ask if you saw a tall person with green eyes and damp black hair." The woman thought for a moment before saying, "Green eyes...? Yes, I think I saw him here about an hour ago. He came in, took some clothes that looked old, and left the store without saying a word." Mira stood quietly for a moment, then said, "Thank you for your help, sorry for the trouble." The woman replied, "No, no, it's no problem. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come to me." Mira thanked the woman again, then she and Joseph left the store. Joseph looked at Mira with tired eyes and said in a displeased tone, "Seriously! He left us just to get those clothes of his?! He's crazy, for real!" Mira remained silent for a while. She gripped her purple scarf with her right fist and began looking at it with a mixture of confusion and interest. Suddenly, her pupils widened as if she finally understood why Jesse did all this. She put her hand on her head in shock: "How stupid of me! How could I not realize this sooner!?" Expressions of surprise appeared on Joseph's face and he said, "What do you mean? What did you realize?" Mira put her hand on her face, expressing regret for what she had done: "I think the mistake was mine in the end." Joseph replied, baffled and wanting to know what she meant, "What? What? Stop talking cryptically and tell me what's going on." Mira replied in a reassured tone, "In short and simply, those clothes are dear to him. That's why he didn't want to change them, and it seems I didn't understand that earlier because I was too excited." Joseph replied skeptically, "Those clothes? Are you kidding me?" Mira replied, "No, I'm not kidding. Those clothes might be in bad shape, but they might hold some value to him. We might not know the reason for that value now, but we tried earlier to take them off him without realizing it sooner." Joseph retorted sarcastically, "Hah, since when are you this wise?" Mira replied in the same manner, "I don't know hahaha... Anyway, let's look for him around." Joseph said, "Let's go to his hut since it's near the store." Mira nodded in agreement, and they began walking towards Joseph's hut, hoping to find him there.
The two reached the hut after a few minutes of walking. The hut looked empty from the outside. Joseph approached the entrance and moved aside the cloth covering the view inside. He was surprised to find Jesse sitting on his bed, wearing the same new clothes Mira had given him. He was reading a black-covered book so intently that he didn't notice Joseph entering. Mira entered the place. Expressions of relief and happiness appeared on her face upon seeing Jesse, and she shouted joyfully, "Jesse!!!" Jesse quickly raised his head, startled, then turned his face towards them and said in shock, "Mira!" Joseph interjected with a mix of anger and concern, "Where did you disappear to, you idiot? We shouted ourselves hoarse looking for you everywhere!"
Jesse replied while getting up from his bed, "Sorry, I wasn't comfortable without those clothes. I was afraid they'd be thrown away or someone else would take them, so I went to get them." Joseph shouted back, "At least tell us next time!" Mira grabbed Joseph's shoulder and pulled him back while stepping forward a little. She said with an expression of surprise, "You told us you went to get your clothes... but you're not wearing them now. Didn't you find them at the store?" Jesse replied while scratching his head, "Yeah, I found them, but I washed them so you'd stop complaining about their bad look and smell." Mira started laughing for a few seconds after hearing him, then continued in a gentle tone, "Well, that's good then. Thank goodness you're safe." Jesse replied with a faint smile, "Thanks." During this, Mira noticed the notebook Jesse was holding and said to him curiously, "What's that book you're holding?" Jesse glanced at the book briefly, then lifted it slightly so Mira and Joseph could see it. "This one?" It was a book with a black cover and slightly yellowed pages from age. In the center of the book was a phrase written in bold white letters: "My Dear Diary." Joseph looked at the book in surprise, then looked at Jesse: "Is that why you wanted your clothes back? Because of your diary?" Jesse replied, "No, it's not my diary." Jesse scratched his head hesitantly, and after a few seconds continued, "Long story short, a few years ago – I don't remember exactly when – I was running away from hordes of those Wanderers or those creatures. I don't know what you call them. Anyway, after hours of running, I ended up alone with no food or water in a semi-desert area. It left me stranded there. There was no hope for me to survive whether I went forward or turned back. In short, I thought it was my end. I didn't resist any further then... I collapsed on the ground, exhausted, surrendering to my fate, unable to do anything. After that, I completely lost consciousness..."
Mira said eagerly and curiously, "What happened after that?"
Jesse continued, "But contrary to what I expected, I didn't die. However, I was unconscious for a while, unaware of what was happening around me. After some time, I woke up from my stupor. I won't lie to you, I was shocked at how I was still alive even at that point, and I was a little angry that I'd have to die slowly from hunger instead of dying asleep. But what shocked me was seeing a strange man, his whole body covered in black clothes except for his eyes and hands. The ground around his hands was covered in blood. He was leaning on his arms over me, shielding me from the sun. Despite the fatigue and pain I felt, I kicked him hard with my foot and crawled away from him. The man fell to the ground, but he made no movement or expression, which puzzled me. I hesitated at first but decided to approach him. I reached him and started moving his body slightly to see if he was alive. I found him dead. I didn't care much about that at the time. My only concern was to find any food or water on him. I started searching him, and luckily, I found some canned food and a bottle of water. I pulled the scarf off his face and was shocked by his strange appearance. His face was unnaturally pale and full of wrinkles, with deep black circles around his eyes. That scared me for a moment, but I kept searching his clothes and found some other things besides the food, like a small knife, a matchstick, and of course, this notebook. I read half of it before, but I found it in my clothes by chance and intended to reread it because I forgot what was in it."
Joseph said with a mixture of surprise and curiosity, "That's wild! So what did you find in this notebook?! What's it about?"
Jesse replied while lifting the notebook towards him, "Like it says, it's the diary of the same person I told you about. But the strange thing is, according to what I read, this person is a vampire."
Joseph and Mira opened their eyes wide in shock, expressions of amazement appearing on their faces.
Mira said while putting her hand on her head, stunned by what she heard. Joseph reacted similarly.
Jesse replied, "Yeah, that's according to what I read."
Images of handsome vampires began forming in Mira's imagination.
Meanwhile, Joseph began imagining ugly and frightening vampire shapes.
Joseph and Mira looked at Jesse at the same moment, enthusiasm in their expressions. Joseph said in an eager tone, "That sounds awesome!! Let's read it." Mira also supported Joseph, "Yes, let's read it! That will be fun!!"
A faint smile appeared on Jesse's face, and he said in a quiet, happy tone, "Heh, alright. Sit down. I'll read it out loud to you." Both Mira and Joseph headed towards one of the beds and covered themselves while waiting for Jesse to start reading.
Jesse sat on his bed, using it as a chair, then looked at Joseph and Mira, who were looking at him with eager and curious gazes. Jesse's smile widened, and a strange feeling of nostalgia and contentment swept through his heart. He was silent for a moment, lost in his thoughts, as if recalling distant memories. But he snapped out of his memories when he heard Joseph and Mira demanding he start reading.
Jesse opened the notebook and began reading in a quiet tone:
"My Dear Diary"
(Continues...)