Loving Merritt Forever

Loving Merritt After 25

Sunrise was but minutes away when Levi pulled into the overgrown parking lot of a deconsecrated church. Merritt was closer than she had been. But still farther away than Levi wanted her to be. He knew she was stressed, could feel it. She wasn't in pain, she didn't think she was in immediate danger. She at least was wise enough to know that she was not safe wherever she was.

Levi knew she wanted him near. She regretted running from him as much as he regretted giving her a reason to want distance between them. This was all his fault. Merritt had chosen to run somewhere safe. Somewhere that Joy knew she would be protected. If she had stayed there, she would have been safe as houses. Levi's inability to restrain himself from his own desires had made everything worse. Joy had told him, specifically to let Merritt relax at a safe location. Let her come back to him. Joy trusted that Merritt would have returned,

Levi arriving too quickly had forced her to move. To take a risk. Which had not pleased Joy, who swore that she was only going to help Merritt from now on. Once she finished cursing Levi for being the selfish asshole she knew all vampires were. Levi had given her the warning from the Incubus. Levi knew that Joy was running herself into a mania triggered by her PTSD of the day Merritt died. Levi didn't care, as long as he found Merritt before anything happened to her.

As Levi curled up to rest. In a damp, moldy crypt, he lamented to himself that he had grown to lax. He had dared to already fantasize about punishing Merritt until sunrise as he pulled up to the resort. Imagining the two of them enjoying all the services the wonderful den of iniquity had to offer to their kind to indulge in. Instead Levi was going to spend daylight hiding like an animal. Knowing his sweet Merritt was in danger every moment she was out on her own with persons unknown.

All Levi could do was go to rest and focus on the fact that he could still sense Merritt. She had not broken their bond yet. She was not at ease, but she seemed to be safe for now. Levi did his best to focus on that as he lay deep inside the crypt of the now deconsecrated church grounds. Well ensconced to avoid the suns rays.

Levi timed his smart watch to alert and disturb him at the best estimate of twilight based on meteorological predictions and a measure of the ambient light outside based on any surveillance date connected to the internet,

Merritt just needed to stay safe until sunset on her own. Levi was certain he would be able to find her. She was so close. Had not moved. Wherever she had gone, she had arrived. Levi knew where to start looking. He knew he would find her, like a modern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, except Levi would do better. He would follow the rules. He would do anything to have Merritt by his side once more.

After a day spent in a basement full of mold spores, feeling the crawling of carrion beetles and other members of the natural death clean up crew crawl or nibble on his flesh, Levi had considered his actions with a clearer mind. He had indeed known Asher was not ready, and was willing to take the chance. His demon telling him either Asher would pass or he would get more alone with Merritt. He had been deeply selfish, even when he had promised himself he would be better for Merritt.

Not even Levi, with his harnessed self control was able to make good decisions all the time. He knew he had been arrogant, and he deserved the torment he felt now. Merritt was the only victim in this entire mess of Levi's making. The moment it was night, safe for Levi to travel in the unmodified rental, he was back on the road. Certain Merritt had not moved.

Almost everything was the exact same, except Merritt seemed to be even more stressed now that it was vampire's active time in the diurnal cycle of life. Merritt knew she wasn't safe, wherever it was she had gone, she knew she had made a mistake. It spurred Levi to find her even faster than his best efforts had already reaped. Merritt needed him to find her. He could feel it.

Levi drove his rental car the most direct path he would towards Lake Eerie and James town. Using the two locations to narrow down his search area. Joy had managed to find nothing of note, beside a few small time great lake celebrities having gone mission in the past three years. A MMA fighter, two models, a folk singer, and an actress with one successful movie on her resume. Really nothing overly obvious, except that that was far too many famous, beautiful people for the population in the area.

Joy was an expert at finding the monsters hidden in plain sight. Her mania and caffeine fueled research marathon indicated that there had to be something dark prowling this area. But she could do no better than vague insights, educated guesses, and profiles of the suspected victims of the hidden monster who may have also taken Merritt.

However, none of the information was factual. In addition, thanks to her distasteful remodel of her former office, and the likely culpability in protected files absconding from the Black Corporate Tower in the hands of persons unknown to The Black Corporation security teams, Joy was blacklisted from any resources and most of the contacts she had garnered through her employment. Joy was working as a civilian for the first time in years.

Joy had decided that there were a handful of properties that seemed possible. Private sprawling estates, hidden in their own forests around small lakes. Near enough to the highway to make for easy hunting. All within the driving distance Merritt could have traveled between her checkout time and when Levi believed she had come to a stop.

Having not had opportunity or means to make another plan, Levi started to head to the nearest location Joy had indicated might be Merritt's location. Levi had connected his phone to the system in the car, As he drove too quickly down unfamiliar roads, Levi thanked Joy. Telling her she needed to take a break, eat and shower. Before hanging up the phone from the controls on the steering wheel.

Levi knew soon after taking the exit from the highway that the closest location Joy had narrowed down to was wrong. Turning a hasty U turn back to the highway, Levi sped even faster than he had been to the second location on Joy's list.