AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so, way-back-when in my Freshman year, some of my friends and I got the idea to make a Dracula spoof… yeah yeah, been done, and redone, and overdone way too many times before. So, luckily for me, this spoof turned into one of the angstiest tragic stories that has ever graced my very angsty and romantic grin. And now that we're out of high school and this movie still has not even made it into the script stage—I decided to just write it. I mean, a lot of the time, the written word is even more powerful than a movie, right?

So, here:

Dracula

Lost in Eternity

SUMMARY: Vlad Dracula was a creature wronged by the superstitions of his land. And when the demon hunter Van Helsing gleefully looked into the Dark Prince's broken and tormented eyes as the vampiress Madelyn crumbled with a dying scream in the sun's scorching rays, a centuries-long war burst into existence. And now, in London, the year 2000, the battle between the Vampire Hunters and the Prince of Darkness roars to a bloody climax as Bram Van Helsing fights for the survival of his line and the lives of his friends in the face of a four-hundred-year-old vendetta that simply will not die.

.: Prologue :.

Transylvania

The sun dipped finally beneath the horizon, casting one last, feeble, ray of light across the urban landscape. The village was quiet, nothing stirred.

In the English countryside, no one moved after dark; if you did, you were a dead man. Because the night belonged to the vampires; no mortal walked abroad under the moonlight, the shutters of all the houses were closed and locked, crucifixes nailed firmly in place over the door just in case one of the undead did manage to gain entry. But all was silent this night. There wasn't even a small breeze to break the deathly hush that had fallen over the land.

And then, finally, something stirred. A single figure—dark, cloaked—extricated itself from the shadows surrounding it. A tall man stepped slowly away from the wall, his booted feet making no noise against the cobblestone road as he slipped down the alley and finally stopped. A soft breeze decided to kick up then, disturbing the small, slightly scattered pile of dust at the man's feet, causing the particles to swirl about the necklace at its center.

The man knelt down gracefully, his dark cloak swirling out around him in the breeze. He reached out, gently picking up the piece of jewelry and wiping the gem clean with long, elegant fingers. He stayed still for several minutes, simply staring down at the object in his hand as he caressed the stone almost tenderly. And then, he clutched the necklace tightly in his fist, rising angrily to his feet.

He glared into the darkness, his striking emerald eyes hardening, void of all tenderness or love which might have once lied there. "You will pay," he whispered into the silence. Opening his clenched fist, he glanced down once more at the simple necklace resting in his trembling palm. He took it gently in both hands, raising it and clasping it about his neck firmly. "By whatever god there may be, and the Devil himself, I swear that you will pay." He closed his eyes, tilting his head back to stare, unseeing, up at the night sky, screaming this vow to the heavens. "I will not rest until I have been avenged!" he cried, one single furious, broken tear slipping from beneath his lashes and trailing down a chiseled cheek, before finally dripping off to splash at his feet, disturbing the ashes one final time.

.: TBC :.

Author's Note Pt. Deux: Right then, so it's short. But in my actual manuscript (or what little there is, anyway) this "prologue" is actually part of Chapter One. I just figured a little exposition was a good idea… and it gives me a little time for writing while I hopefully acquire a somewhat interested audience. So, I'm working on Chapter One as you read this (hopefully… though I might be doing something else, who knows) and I'll get it up ASAP.

Reviews would be positively delightful! Thanks for reading.