The Journey of Momo Part 5: The Abandoned Mansion
It was now a beautiful morning for Momo and her friends. The van was moving up on a hill.
Alex was driving the van today; he and Momo had decided to take turns driving the van on each day.
Conny was sleeping on the passenger seat beside Alex while both Momo and Chloe were in the back as Chloe was reading the lyrics on the back of a record to practice her singing.
"Oh stars…of the shiny sky…please fill the night?" Chloe said as she had trouble singing this song, and Momo chuckled.
"That's not right, Chloe, it's like this. Oh, stars of the shiny sky, please fill the night." Momo sang and Chloe pouted. "But don't worry, you just have to keep on practicing, and you'll get it."
Chloe smiles before she nodded and then they practice singing that song together.
Alex was watching them in the reflection of the rear-view mirror before he smiled.
But then they heard a loud noise as the van suddenly stopped causing Conny to wake up, Alex to flinch forward, and Momo holding onto Chloe to keep her from falling.
"What the…Alex, what happened?" Momo asked.
The vampire artist pressed on the gas pedal a few times, and the van was making rough engine noises.
"Oh boy…" Alex mutters before he turns to his friends. "I think we have a problem."
Momo along with her friends exited the van, and she soon opened its engine which unleashed the smoke that was in it.
Momo coughs as he fans away the smoke with her hand and sees the state the van's engine was in.
"Oh dear, that's not good." Momo said before her friends looked at the engine as well.
"Yeah, there's no fixing that." Alex said before he moved away and looked at the area with a pair of binoculars.
"Does that mean we're going to travel on foot?" Chloe said in some sadness, and Momo tried to cheer her up by petting her on the head.
"Yeah, I'm afraid we're gonna have to. But don't worry, Chloe, we'll find a new car soon. We just have to tough it out until then, okay." Momo told her, and Chloe nodded. "But first we should probably find some shelter before it gets dark."
"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Alex said, getting their attention.
Alex then gestures to Momo to come closer, Momo walks to his side and Alex hands her the binoculars before he pointed at something. Momo looked through the binoculars to the direction he was pointing and saw a large mansion from afar.
Momo smiles to see that.
The trio then begins pushing the van to the mansion, and after over an hour they finally arrive as they stopped pushing at the front of it.
"We're finally here…" Momo said in relief before they looked at the mansion.
They saw that the mansion's windows and large twin doors were all barred shut by wooden blanks.
Momo moves in front of the doors and knocks on them.
"Hello?! Is anyone there?!" Momo calls out but receives no answer.
Momo then tries to remove the wooden blanks off of the doors, but they are barred shut.
"No good, we're gonna need the crowbar for this." Momo said.
"There's no need for that." Alex said and Momo turned to him.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Just stand aside." Alex said as he moved in front of the door and Momo moved away.
Alex then begins to kick on the barred doors three times which knocks them down.
Seeing that amazed both Momo and Chloe before they clapped to Alex's strength.
"I've almost forgotten how strong you vampires are." Momo said.
Alex huffed with a smile on his face.
They soon entered the mansion and were now in the grand room of it. It was quite large with a large staircase that leads to the second floor, they also notice that the room was a bit dirty as well as they saw a few cobwebs, and Alex then notices a table that was covered in some dust before he uses two fingers to rub on it and looks at the dust on them.
"Doesn't seem like anyone has been here for a while." Alex said before he blew on his fingers.
"Yeah, it must have been abandoned for years." Momo said.
"But it doesn't mean that vampires hadn't taken refuge here. We should probably check the rooms just to be safe." Alex said, and Momo nodded in agreement.
"Right. You check the east wing while I check the west." Momo told him and Alex nodded in agreement.
"What about me?" Chloe asked.
"You're going to stay here where it's safe." Momo told her, but Chloe was disappointed about that.
"But I want to help." Chloe said before Momo smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"And you can help to keep watch here. Besides, I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you." Momo said.
"But…I don't want to be alone here." Chloe said in some worry.
"Don't worry, Conny will stay here to keep you company. Isn't that right, boy?" Momo said as she and Chloe turned to the said dog who barks and walks to Chloe's leg and leans close to her.
"Alright…But be careful, please." Chloe requested.
"Don't worry, I will." Momo said before she headed to the east wing of the mansion.
Chloe then notices that Alex was looking at with a narrow look as she nervously turns to the vampire artist.
"W-What is it?" Chloe asked nervously.
"Oh, it's nothing." Alex answered before he headed to the west wing.
Chloe then wonders if she had upset him in some way.
Momo was using her flashlight to light her way as she walked in the hallway.
She soon found a door to the wall; she then opened the door and saw it was a bedroom.
It was large and along with a large bed big enough for two people, Momo walked to the bed to get a close look at it. The sheets and pillows were a bit dirty but nothing a little cleaning wouldn't fix, plus the beds looked comfortable to sleep on.
Momo then notices another door on the wall, she walks to it and opens it and sees it was a walk closet filled with fancy dresses, shoes, and accessories. Momo smiles as she looks at the stuff in the room before she picks up one of the dresses and places it in front of her and sees it was about her size.
"This is so pretty. I wonder what else is in here." Momo said.
Alex was walking in the hallway before he found a door, he then carefully opened it and saw it was a library filled with books and other things.
"Huh…" Alex said before he walked into the library.
He then took out one of the books from a shelf and blew off some of the dust before he read the title.
"The Dark Knight…hmmm…" Alex said before he spotted a nearby painting on the wall.
It was a painting of three humans, a father, a mother, and a son.
"Guess those three must have been the owners of this place." Alex said before he begins reading some of the pages of this book.
Chloe was seated on the stairs with Conny right next to her as she was petting the dog waiting for her friends to return.
She then saw Momo had returned, Chloe smiles before she stood up and runs to Momo and hugs her.
"You're back!" Chloe said in happiness before Momo hugs her back.
"Hey now, there's no reason to be that happy." Momo chuckles before they see that Alex has returned as well. "Alex, I'm glad that you're alright."
"Same here." Alex said, but then Chloe soon hides behind Momo, Alex sighed to see that. "I swear that girl…"
"Just give her some time, Alex. I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually." Momo said.
"Yeah, sure. Anyway, did you find anything?" Alex asked.
"Well, I found some bedrooms that have large beds. They're a bit dirty, but they look comfortable to sleep on if we clean them. What about you?" Momo asked.
"I didn't find much. But I did find a kitchen, there's no food but we can still use the stove to cook. And there's even a bathtub we could use." Alex told her.
"Really? That's great. I hadn't had a warm bath in so long. Plus, this place has all the things we need, it might be a new home for us." Momo said with a smile.
Chloe had a thought before she nervously spoke up.
"T-Then maybe…We can live here for a while…" Momo and Alex then turned to Chloe and her cheeks turned red. "Sorry, I didn't mean it in a bad way…It's just…We've been traveling around for so long, so I thought…"
Momo and Alex thought about it before they nodded.
"Yeah, maybe we should stay here for a while." Momo said, and Chloe turned to her. "We've been traveling on the road for so long we could use a good break. I mean no one is using this place afterall."
"Agreed. Plus, it will be nice to sleep on actual beds for a change. Especially after sleeping on that van's seats for so long." Alex said as he stretched out his back.
"And what about you Conny?" Momo asked the dog, and he answered by barking. "I guess we're unanimous. This place will be our home for a while."
Chloe smiles to hear that before she nodded.
"But first, I think our first priority is to clean this place up." Momo said and they nodded in agreement.
They first started cleaning the main room by using wet pieces of clothes along with some feather dusters they found.
Momo then saw that the ceiling and the chandelier were a bit dirty before she called out to Alex.
"Hey, Alex, can you help me out here?" She asked before Alex looked at the chandelier before she walked to her.
"Yeah, yeah. Just hang on tight." Alex said before he offered his back to her.
Momo then hugs onto Alex's neck before his arms change into bat wings before they fall in the air and Momo begins cleaning the chandelier along with some parts of the ceiling.
Chloe was watching them as she was cleaning the stairs railings.
After they were done cleaning the main room, the trio then took the bed sheets and pillows from two bedrooms to clean them in buckets of warm water.
They then hang them on makeshift laundry hangers outside so that the sun can dry them.
Then after cleaning the bathtub and warming up some water, both Momo and Chloe begin to take a bath together.
"Ahhh…This is nice…" Momo said in bliss.
"Yeah…So this is what a bath is like?" Chloe asked, and Momo turned to her.
"Of course, it is. Why would you ask that?" Momo asked.
"Well…I never took a bath before." Chloe answered, which surprised Momo.
"Really? Never?" Momo asked, and Chloe nodded.
"Yeah. Water is a precious resource where I'm from. We only took showers and that's only for a short time." Chloe said, and Momo felt sorry to hear that.
"I see." Momo then had an idea before she mischievous smiles at Chloe. "In that case…"
Momo then splashes water in Chloe's face.
"Then how about I show you how to have fun in a bath? There!" Momo said as she continued to splash water on Chloe who covered her face with her arms.
"Hey! Stop that! Cut it out!" Chloe said but Momo ignores her as she continues to splash water on while smiling. "Alright, if that's how you want to play it!"
Chloe then begins splashing water back at Momo engaging in a splash battle with her as they smile and laugh.
The sun was beginning to set, after bringing the bed sheet and pillows back inside and placing them on the beds, Alex was in the kitchen/dining room cooking dinner for everyone as the girls in the bath.
Conny was in the kitchen with Alex.
"Honestly…Why do I have to always play the gentleman and let them have the bath first." Alex said as he stirred the soup that was in the pot.
That is when he heard the door opening before he turned to it and saw Momo and Chloe had entered the room wearing the dresses and shoes they found in the mansion.
"Hey, Alex, is dinner ready?" Momo asked, and Alex nodded.
"Yeah. It will be done in a few minutes." Alex told them as the girls took a seat on the table.
"That's good to hear." Momo said.
After dinner was ready, Momo, Alex, Chloe, and Conny began to eat the soup and bread.
After they finished eating, Chloe was cleaning the dishes before she looked at Momo and Alex as the two were making fresh bottles of blood using Momo's blood.
"Okay, that seems like a decent amount." Alex said before as he stops taking Momo's blood. "You know, Momo, there's no reason to keep on doing this."
"It's alright, Alex. I'm fine with it." Momo said as she removed the needle in her arm and placed a bandage on it. "Besides, we were running low on bottles anyway."
"Well, I suppose that's true. But still…" Alex mutters before Momo stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know you're only worried about me. But I'm fine, really." Momo said, and Alex simply turned away from her.
"Who said I was worried about you." Alex mutters while Chloe frowns to hear that, Momo simply chuckles and Alex chuckles with her.
Chloe blinks to see the two of them laughing and smiling like that despite the fact they were a human and a vampire. Chloe then wonders if she can do the same with Alex as well.
Momo, Alex, Chloe, and Conny then went to their rooms with Momo and Chloe sleeping together in one room while Alex and Conny did the same.
Momo then lies down on the bed, and she sighs in bliss.
"This is nice…I hadn't slept on a real bed in so long." Momo said before she saw that Chloe was a little nervous to lie down to her. "Come on, Chloe, there's enough room for the both of us."
"O-Okay…" Chloe said before she lied down next to Momo. "Oh wow…This bed is so soft."
"We should count ourselves lucky to find this place." Momo said.
"Yeah." Chloe said in agreement before she asked Momo a question. "Hey, Momo, do you think I'll ever be friends with Alex?"
Momo blinks before she turns to her.
"Why would you ask that?" She asked.
"It's just…I know you said he won't hurt us, but I can't help but still be afraid of him. I know it sounds mean…but I just…" Chloe said, and Momo frowns in understanding before she turns at the ceiling.
"There's nothing mean about it. I can understand that feeling. When I first met Fine, I was hostile towards her." Momo said, and Chloe turned to her.
"Really?" Chloe asked, and Momo nodded.
"Yeah. At first, I was angry at her because I lost my best friend when her group attacked our home. But then I realized I was only pinning the blame on her, and overtime she became my friend, the greatest friend I could ask." Momo said before she turned to Chloe. "So, just give yourself time with Alex. I'm sure you'll see him the same way as I do."
Chloe blinked before she nodded.
"I-I'll try."
"Good girl." Momo said as she petted her on the head before she had a mischievous smile on her face. "But…"
Chloe blinks before Momo begins to tickle her, causing her to laugh.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?! Hahaha!"
"I better still be your number one friend! Don't forget, I'm the one who's gonna teach you music, remember?" Momo said as she continued to tickle Chloe.
"Alright! Alright! I get it! Just please stop!" Chloe said while laughing and Momo began to laugh with her.
Alex and Conny's room were next door to the girls' room. Both the vampire and the dog were lying on the bed together, and Alex could hear Momo and Chloe's laughter through the wall behind him.
Alex couldn't help but smile and chuckle.
"It seems no matter where we go, I'm always the odd man out." Alex said and Conny barks at him. "So you understand that feeling too."
Alex then begins petting Conny.
"But still, it would be nice if another man joined our little group of misfits. Hell, I'll settle if another vampire joins us." Alex said and Conny barks at him. "And of course, dogs are free to join us as well."
Alex then begins to doze off before he goes to sleep and Conny soon goes to sleep as well.
Momo and Chloe then went to sleep on their own bed as well.
It felt nice to them to sleep in the comfort of a large house like this one. But how long will that last?
There you have it, I hope that you like it. Please review to tell me what you think.