Mistaken Identity
Mistaken Identity
The Accident
Jessica picked up her silver picture frame from the bedside table and gazed at the faded black and white picture within. "You know most women would want to go to Paris, Italy, or Hawaii for their honeymoons. Why Romania?" said Jessica's new husband, Rick. She looked up and smiled at him, "My grandfather used to tell me stories about his childhood there. He said it was the closest thing to heaven as you could possibly get." She said, dreamily. She sat down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "It will be wonderful, I promise." She said and kissed his cheek.
The next day, they landed in Romania. They walked out the airport and both of them gasped in awe. It was like they had stepped back in time. "Look at this! It looks just like the photographs!" Rick ran his hand over his short blonde hair and laughed at the enthusiasm of his wife. He picked up his suitcase and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's go get a car. This crap is heavy." The couple went to the airport car rental service and rented a red Cavalier. After putting the luggage in the back they drove into a small village at the base of "Blood Mountain." They quickly realized that they were the only people in a car. The locals here still traveled by horse and wagon. Rick laughed to himself, "Jessie, I think we just stepped into the twilight zone." Jessica grinned and laughed with him. "Pull over at that pub. I'm starving."
The other diners in the pub stared at Jessica and Rick as if they were hideous creatures from the depths of hell. They sat down at a table and ordered some drinks and some local cuisine. As they ate, Rick studied his map, trying to find the road that would lead them to their hotel. "I don't get it. I don't see any road what so ever beyond the mountain. It's like everything just stops. " He whispered. "Go ask for directions." Said Jessica, stirring sugar into her tea. "I don't need directions, I have a map." He replied. She smirked at him, "A map you can't read." Rick sighed heavily, "Fine, I'll ask 'em."
He went up to the bar and asked the cook and the bartender if they spoke English. Rick noticed that they kept looking over at Jessica with terrified expressions on their faces. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. "W-who is that woman with you sir?" asked the woman in heavily accented English. "That's my wife, Jessica. We're here on our honeymoon." He replied, unsure of why they seemed so frightened of her. "She looks just like her." The woman groaned, holding on to her husband's arm for dear life. "Like whom?" asked Rick, glancing over his shoulder at her. Jessica looked towards him and her scarlet lips pulled up in a divine smile and brushed the bangs of her long black hair away from her green eyes. "Countess Caterina Dragomir, the lady of Blood Mountain. She and her husband, the Count, were believed to be vampires. They lived in a castle deep within the wooded forest of the mountain and only came down at night to feed on our people. About fifty years ago, the villagers dragged the Countess from the castle and beheaded her. I swear on my life, your wife is her spitting image." Rick chuckled, amused at their silly superstitious fears. "Jessica's family was from here, I suppose she dose look like a local. Now," he said, taking out his map, "could you please tell me how I can get to the Hotel Crystal Palace in Bucharest?" The woman shook her head, "Oh no sir, the only way out of the village is by the mountain pass, you will have to wait till morning to leave, it will be dark soon." Rick rolled his eyes, "and why do we have to that? Are the monsters going to get us?" Both of them nodded. Rick walked back to the table and pulled Jessica up by the arm. "Let's go."
Against everything he'd just been told, Rick began the drive through the mountain pass. Jessica stared out at the beautiful scenery as story ideas flashed through her mind. "I think I'm going to write a book." She mused out loud to herself. Rick smiled, his teeth were straight and perfect, "What about?" She sighed and leaned back in her seat, I don't know yet, maybe something about Romanian lore. They have plenty of interesting legends and a very rich history. But I'd really like to write something with romance in it. What do you think?" Rick took his eyes off the road to admire Jessica's beauty. "Actually, the people who ran that pub told me an interesting s…" "Rick, watch out!" screamed Jessica. Rick's attention snapped back to the road, in time to catch a glimpse of a grotesque looking creature standing in the road. The car's headlights elluminated the creature's white skin and bat-like wings. "Holly shit!" Panicking, Rick swerved the car to the right and plowed into the side of the mountain. Rick's head slammed into the steering wheel and was rendered unconscious. When he awoke almost an hour later, the roof was ripped off the car and Jessica was gone.