Van Helsing Returns
Prologue
The murky water of the swamp splashed around as someone waded through it. They were being followed by something evil. And it was close. The robed figure held something wrapped in a cloth. If the evil got hold of it there was no telling what would happen.
A loud flapping sound was heard flying over the trees. It was gaining on them. The person hid behind a tree as the flying creature circled overhead. The robed figure pulled off their hood to reveal a young woman. She watched from the shadows as the evil creature searched for her.
Unknown to the mysterious woman, something was coming up behind her. The shadowy figure came right up to her and tapped her on the shoulder with a green moldy hand. The woman turned around and, quicker than the eye could see, had a dagger pointed at the shadowy figure.
The creature spoke, "Do not fear, it's me."
The woman lowered the dagger. "Alec? Thank heavens I've found you. I fear I will not make it out of this alive."
Alec looked up to where the flying creature had been. "I will protect you. I have the strength."
The woman shook her head. "You cannot defeat him. He is too strong, too powerful. He will not stop until he gets what he wants. Here." She shoved the wrapped up object at Alec. "You must not let him get it. If he does, all hope may be lost."
Alec held the object in his green hands. He looked at the woman. "What of you?"
The woman looked back up at the sky as the sound of wings grew louder. "He is after me. He will think I have it. I will lead him away. You must keep it safe. Please my friend, do this for me as a final wish."
Alec nodded. "I shall guard it with my life."
The woman smiled. "Thank you, and fare thee well my friend. I fear I shall not make it out alive. But if he does not recover the book, then my sacrifice will not matter."
With that the woman ran. The flying creature heard the sudden splashing and flew towards the woman. She did not get far as the giant bat like creature crash through the trees and landed in front of her.
The woman watched in fear as the monstrous creature took human form. It was still a terrifying creature, even in human form. It was tall, perhaps 6'8 and as pale as a skull. A long pointy nose and even longer and pointier ears stood out on his face. The only hair on his head was his gray eyebrows, that rested over his blood red eyes.
The man grabbed the woman by her robes and pulled her over to him. "Where is it?" he hissed, revealing sharp fangs.
The woman glared at him. "I shall help you no longer you fiend! I'll die before I speak!"
The man stroked the woman's cheek with an extremely long finger with a claw at the end. "That can easily be arranged. I at least know that the book is in this swamp. I have a very long time to live. An eternity in fact. I can look all I want."
The woman tried to pull away, but was unable to break the man's grip. "Dracula has made it clear that you are not welcome anywhere in Transylvania. He will find out about you."
The man laughed. "That is why the Left Hand of God will vanquish him for me, just as he did 400 years ago. And I have you to thank for that. Who better to kill the vampire king than the one that killed him when he was a mortal, something I have never been." His eyes burned into the woman's, and she knew what was coming. "But you are. So young. So fresh."
The man's mouth opened far wider than it should have been capable of and his fangs grew to become large pointy jaws which he sank into the woman's neck.
Alec watched from the shadows as the woman was drained of her life. It was too late to save her life, but he could save her soul if she became one of the undead. He already held a sharpened tree branch that he would shove through the woman's heart if she became a vampire.
He glared at the vampire draining the woman with pure hatred. "You will never recover the Necronomicon." he silently vowed.
The vampire dropped the girl to the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth. "And now to find the Necronomicon." he said before turning into his bat form again and taking flight.
Alec made sure that the vampire was well out of sight before he approached the young woman's body. He held the stake high; ready to strike if she awoke from death. He didn't have long to wait though. The woman's body jerked and her eyes snapped open.
The woman cried out as vampire fangs grew from her mouth. She hissed at Alec and he knew now was the time to strike. He stabbed the stake into the woman's non beating heart. She gasped in shock and pain as the stake penetrated her heart. She looked up at Alec and saw the sorrow in his eyes.
"Thank you." she whispered before her body turned to ash, freeing her soul.
A single tear ran down Alec's moldy green face. It was such a shame that death was the only way to remove the vampire curse, and even more of a shame that innocent victims had this evil brought on to them.
With one last look at the pile of ashes Alec disappeared into the swamp.
Far from the swamps of Transylvania, a child was born. A child that would grow up to be the greatest monster hunter to ever live. And he would be named Gabriel Van Helsing.