Authors note: This is part two of a previous story that I have finished. Please read book 1 - Lessons in love before reading this sequel. Thank you. Also thank you to the people that have waited for this book, followed me and shown your support. I really appreciate that. :)
Twenty three years has passed. Twenty three long years. It felt like forever. Previously over the years Maria has returned to her normal life in her country home. She had successfully managed to get a job as a waitress, brought a new car and even made some new friends. Things had been looking up for Maria, however she hated everyday of these past twenty three years. Every morning for twenty three years she would wake up in her bedroom and glance at the window, despite knowing for a solid fact that he still had time left before he would next awaken. It was just a simple wish of her heart. To wake up and see him tapping on the window, watching her. For her to bolt towards the window and greet him with her usual warm embrace, to have the demon greet her back with both arms around her waist and his face in her neck. But all she saw in the mornings was a healthy looking sky and people walking to their favourite stores and coming out with multiple bags of shopping.
Every day was like doomsday, repeating itself with no usual change. Maria would awake in the mornings, her soft, sad, blue eyes, watching the windows until she would eventually get herself ready for work. When she was lucky enough to have a few moments spare before work, she would sit on her windowsill with a hot drink, sky watching for her demon to return. She could just imagine the loud flapping noises of his gigantic wings as they guided him through the air, soaring at great speed and having a gleam in his eye whenever he saw Maria. The counties beauty who wasn't interested in loving humans but demons. No, not just any 'demon'. Him. Jeepers Creepers. He was the only demon she wanted.
As if her days were terrible, Maria was also unfortunate to suffer from night terrors. Ones which made her pant as if she had ran for miles and miles without stopping, ones which would make her bolt up straight and sob with dry sweat staining her clothes. It all begins with her in the original house of pain. She sees the creeper standing there. Doing nothing in particular. Just standing with his arms by his side and his head straight. Eyes still, like a statue. Maria would always be with him but as soon as she realises he cannot move the church becomes hot with thick smoke. The church would have been set on fire with the birds squawking in the background and police sirens screaming. Maria realises she has to save herself as well as the demon so she makes a valid attempt to pick him up and walk out to safety. However it is not that easy and the Creeper feels solid, like he would weigh a house. It felt physically impossible to lift him up. "Come on! We need to get out of here!" She would call out. The roof would then begin to crash to the floor with all the bodies coming loose and falling around them. Eventually she would give up and hug the demon instead, if the demon dies, she would die to. Together. Then she would wake up. In tears and sweat. sometimes screaming. Of course this was just her insecurities about the incident twenty three years ago when his original house did actually go up in flames.
As a reminder she would look in the mirror and trace her fingers along the large scare on her neck from where the demon had bitten her. She didn't need this reminder. She remembered him in her thoughts as well as her heart. Obviously as the twenty three years passed by Maria had changed, but only physically. Her hair had grown longer to mid length and she was slightly taller. The colour of Marias hair and eyes hadn't changed. The way she would wear it was different. Instead of putting it up in two pony tails or one she would straighten it and leave it down or sometimes she would prefer to tie it up in a bun with the brown under layers sticking out. Maria didn't really care how she looked, she even stopped wearing her usual make up. Foundation and mascara. For once she didn't feel like she had to 'make the effort' because she had already met the person she was unconditionally in love with.
Today was different from the rest, however. Maria had been counting down the years. Today was the day Jeepers Creepers awakes and she's going to stay loyal to the vow she made the last twenty three years ago. She jumped out of bed and stretched with positivity, smiling and almost giggling. She can't remember the last time she felt this happy especially being a morning person as much as she was now.
She completed her usual routine and picked up the phone, dialling a few numbers, "Hello?" Marias voice was croaky. "Yeah it's Maria. Listen, I can't come into work for a few days, the doctor informed me that I have a really bad-"she made heaving noises, "Viral infection of some sort and it would be bad to spread it around. Especially to customers." She finished with more dry heaving noises, pouring a cup of water down the toilet to make it sound as if she had thrown up. "I really don't feel too good... okay...thank you..bye." She hung up and finished the morning with something she hasn't done in twenty three years. Put on makeup.
Of course it was only 23:40pm when she stepped out of her house. She made sure she was up in time to get to the demon before he woke up. It baffled her how her boss was able to pick up the phone in such short notice. Then something else happened. She was flown to the Creepers new base so she didn't know where it was exactly. But to her advantage there were taxis about to take people to and from nightclubs. "Taxi!" She yelled as she ran in front of the road. "Watch it lady I have passengers on board!" An angry taxi driver yelled as he skidded away from her. Estimating the time, she wouldn't have time to order a taxi so she decided to take the role of a hitch hiker by standing on the edge of the road with her thumb out. Five minutes passed, nothing. Ten minutes passed, still nothing. It was going to be time soon and she wasn't even on her way.