Chapter 71: Chapter 66

The rain reached its heaviest, showing no signs of relenting, but Johan kept driving as if his life depended on it. Whether it was a miracle or the old charging dock still had some life left before finally dying, as long as it had enough charge to read the email before dying again, he was thankful for it. Finally realizing the error of his ways, he continued his drive on the highway.

Arriving at the train station in the city, with his umbrella in hand, he ran towards the usual spot only to find it empty. Not a soul was present in the entire train station. A panic hits him as thoughts of terrible possibilities run through his mind. Blame and agony were rearing itself, but his determination didn't allow him to give up. “She probably stopped at the beach. Maybe she's waiting for me there.”

Returning back to the beach, climbing the slippery steps as fast as he could, he arrived at the platform. It was just as empty as the one in the city with the exception of wet footprints left behind. “Could one of these footprints be hers? Did she board the last train? Did I barely miss her? Was I too late? Or maybe they aren't, and I'm here early. Maybe the next train coming, she'll be there. Or maybe... maybe... she already disappeared.”

He walked forward toward the large opening area where Lucy once ran with excitement to see the sun setting over the ocean for the first time. The rain was so heavy that the area was now a tiny lake as Johan's shoes were deep in. “The love of my life,” he uttered to himself but the rain drowned out his voice. He continued even louder, “how could I have been so foolish? This is all my fault. I am an idiot. How could I listen to everyone else by myself? Why did I trust everyone when even they couldn't give me an answer? I shouldn't have listened. They don't know me. They don't know who I am. They only make assumptions about me. They never cared about me, only their own self-interests! This is all their fault.” Another train was passing by, adding to the loud noise that further drowned out his voice, causing him to speak even louder. “No, this is all my fault. I should've stood up on my own two feet. I should've been making my own decisions instead of letting everyone tell me what to do. I'm in love with Lucy. I'm in love with that girl. I don't care what anyone thinks anymore. I don't care about your stupid opinions. I don't care if she's younger than me by a decade. I'm in love with her. I love you Lucy. I love you so much. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you. If only I had a second chance, I would declare my love and tell you that I want to be with you forever. I would hug you and never let go. Not even a thousand people would pry us apart. Lucy, I love you! I always have and I always will!” The weight of his stress caused his knees to falter and drop to the ground.

His tears were joining the raindrops as they joined the small river that his hands were dipping in. But with determination even though he didn't know where it came from, he got back up on his feet. "How many times have I beaten myself up? How many times have I blamed myself? Yes, this is all my fault, but crying won't do anything. Margaret is right, I'm not a man. I'm just a child. I'm still that child from high school. That pathetic fool who got too comfortable with acquiescing. I've had enough. That stops now, and this time I mean it. Even if I have to push what little friends I have left, I will no longer be pushed around anymore. Lucy, I'm going to find you. I'll spend the rest of my life if I have to. I have nothing anymore. Everything was taken away from me, and you're my everything. I don't care about college, or my grades, or my future. I don't care about my present state or my current friends. I don't care about my past either. The only thing that mattered to me is you, Lucy. Only you! Please, wait for me! Wait for me Lucy! Don't disappear. Not like this."

"Johan..." A quivering voice was heard a distance away, but even with the rain battering him, it rang as clearly as if it were on an empty hallway. It was such a familiar voice that Johan couldn't help but look at the train behind, the doors wide open, and a single passenger sitting on the seats watching him.

Even in the dimness of the train's worn-out lights, she shone so brightly to him as she clutched her chest.

"Johan..." Lucy uttered once again with a look of desperation. It was such a sight for Johan, illusion or not, that he was compelled to move his feet and propel himself against the tiny ocean beneath him.

"LUCY!" he shouted as his feet created waves. His determination did not make him immune to slipping, but he would fight for his composure to be with the one he pined for.

He reached out his arm as he neared the train. She got off her seat and reached out hers. Their hands open to interlock themselves into each other only achieved slapping the train doors as they closed between them. A ghastly face of complete and utter shock was displayed to each other as the train began accelerating. Johan raced alongside, afraid that this was the last time he was going to see her. Her banging on the door was futile as he slipped, nearly falling in front of the moving train. He willed his inertia to pull him back and staggered away from the now-empty train tracks. The image of Lucy was out of his sight heading off into the darkness and the only thing that remained was the twinkle of the train's many lights merging into a single speck.

Up on his feet, striding down the stairway, and back into his car, he returned to the highway. He had no idea where the next train station was located. His charger was officially dead furthering the difficulty of reaching the next train station. Still, with determination in his heart, Johan darted through the highway, with only the glint of the train tracks by the side of the highway guiding him. But even this would betray him as the tracks took a turn, no longer parallel to the highway. The darkness of the night now obscuring any remaining leads, all he could do was continue to move forward until he reached an exit ramp.

Back on the streets, he parked his car to get his bearings. "Lucy, I'm coming for you. Please, just wait for me. It won't be long. I just need to figure out where the train station is. There's a chance I could get lost, but I'll further lose you if I don't take action right now. All I can do now is just trust my instincts and brace myself."

Continuing his search, as he approached an intersection, a loud familiar horn in the distance was heard as he felt the rumbling of the ground. With his face lit up, he followed the origin of the sound to reach an overpass. A row of lights in the distance moving in the darkness had given him hope once again as train tracks would eventually reveal themselves.

It was a mix of desperation and carelessness with some audacity and remorse that had him drive right into the tracks where he continued his race for the one he loved. "I'm coming Lucy. Please, just let me see you one more time. I have so much to tell, and so much to apologize for. Please, don't disappear."

Finally arriving at a train station in this unfamiliar city, getting off the tracks and into the parking lot, grabbing his umbrella, and exiting his car, he stepped into the platform where a train had just stopped to load and unload passengers. There were only a few passengers leaving the train and not a single one was Lucy. He surveyed the area around the terminal in search of her, a task made easy as the train station was rather small enough for him to run circles multiple times, but not a single sign of the girl he loved.

When it dawned on him that circling the area was futile, he stopped and took a seat on a bench. "Where are you, Lucy? I would've sworn you would exit on the next stop. Did you not think I would come for you? Did I not make myself clear that I wanted to see you again? Or maybe you're not in this train station. I don't know this city, I don't know this particular station. Maybe you did get off but I'm in the wrong place. Or maybe... just maybe... you never got off at all..." He looked beyond the tracks into the distance. Despite the row of lights creating a glow that reached the farthest he could see, it might as well have been a void of darkness that not even light could not return from. The abyss in front of him was staring back at him, the last train now becoming nothing more than a dot consumed by the darkness, just like his hopes and dreams. And in that train may have been the only girl he truly loved.

“Not like this. Not like this! I can't give up! Not after coming this far! I'll find you, Lucy! I'll find you and let you know how I really feel!” His adrenaline returned and he got back on his feet. “No more feeling bad for myself. No more crying worthless tears. No more being such a coward. I don't have anything to lose. I have nobody I care about. I have no reason to turn back. I can only move forward. If I have to spend the rest of my life searching for you, I'll do so, even until my last breath.”

He turned around and began running back only to slip again, saved by him reaching out his arms to soften the blow of the impact.

Yet, even with this maneuver, a part of his head did hit the ground, enough to daze him. Holding his head from the minor pain, he noticed the umbrella fly off his hand but his vision was temporarily blurred, he could not see where it landed. Nonetheless, he managed to get up to his feet only to get back down as a minor sting was on his knees. His vision was returning to normal as the fuzz around him was clearing up but the rain also blocked his view, making it much more difficult to discern much. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, shook his head, and tried once again. It apparently worked as his vision was now clear enough that the rain was no longer a detriment, but to his surprise, the umbrella was nowhere to be found, nor was the rain for that matter. It was still falling like daggers from above, but no drop touched him, except for a few on his hand.

He lifted his head to see the umbrella above him being held up by Lucy.

With ears in her eyes, "I don't know where I am," she said, "I was scared of moving farther away because I didn't know what was beyond. I figured you would know all the stops and be here sooner. You dummy. You should get out more."

She wiped her tears with her other hand and Johan couldn't help but just embrace her right then and there as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Fearing he would fly away from her, she held on to him daring to never let go.

"Lucy, I'm sorry for hurting you so much. But the truth is I never wanted to leave your side. I was too afraid to admit my feelings, but I never realized that I was doing more harm than good.” He pulled himself away from her while still holding onto her shoulders. “Hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do, and it will be the last time I do because I love you. I love you so much. I never want to be away from you. Not in a million years. I am in love with you, and I will never again regret feeling this way for you. I love you, Lucy."

With her tears returning, Lucy smiled. "Of course, silly. We've been chasing each other for centuries. We were meant to be together."

"No. That's just a fairy tale. It's you who I am in love with, not some fabrication from my mind. I don't want to dream about falling in love anymore. I don't want to fall in love with a figment from my imagination. I am in love with you, Lucy, and only you."

This unprecedented response from him had given her a strong emotion that fired up inside of her. A powerful emotion that took control of her that she nor Johan were prepared when she leaned in fast and gave him a kiss. Before she knew what had happened, she pulled herself away from him and was no less surprised than he was.

He pulled her in again and passionately shared his kiss, one longer and perhaps more passionate. There was no resistance, no anxiety, no fear. Their turbulent emotions had been cindered away by the fire that burned within them. They closed their eyes, allowing their spirits to embrace each other, and indulging in the happiness they have been searching for so long.

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