Darkest Hour

(Based off the Van Helsing 2004 movie version of vampires)

One. Two. Breathe in. One. Two. Breathe out. One. Two. Breathe in…

It was a trick I learned long ago. A way to keep my nerves from getting the better of me. I had been doing this job for years, but you still can't help but feel afraid.

I wasn't afraid to die; death was never a concern. What really worried me was that I might become one of Them. I hated Them with all my heart. I was just a child when I watched one of Them slaughter my parents then drink their blood. It was that sight that pushed me into this lifestyle. I am a vampire hunter.

I hunted all of those horrid creatures, but my deepest desire was to track down my parent's murder and kill him like the beast he was. I could never forget his face, no matter how hard I tried.

He had piercing black eyes that looked into your soul, long black hair that seemed to vibrate with evil, and a thin, pale face that spoke of cruelty and bloodlust. He wasn't just any vampire though; he was Dracula, the master of all vampires.

Even other vampire hunters like myself feared him. People who spent their entire lives killing and tracking vampires knew better than to try and fight Dracula. I wasn't afraid though; just angry.

But none of that matters at the moment. The only thing that matters is the hunt. That is why I'm crouched in the darkness, breathing silently, clutching a wooden stake in one hand and a silver cross in the other. There is a vampire nearby.

This barn had become the hideout of a young vampire a few months ago. I heard rumors of ghosts but I knew that was impossible; ghosts don't exist. Vampires, however, aren't so fictional. So the only thing I could do was investigate these stories. The more I heard, the more I realized that this wasn't just a local legend; it was really a vampire.

There was a flutter overhead. The creature knew I was here, but because of my special cloak she couldn't see me. It had been designed to shield me from the night-vision of vampires. When they looked at me, they saw only shadow.

The vampire growled in frustration. She couldn't spot me, so instead she tried to listen for me. However, I was quiet as a mouse. Another good reason to keep yourself calm and your heart-rate under control; vampires have excellent hearing.

The ironic thing was, my prey thought she was the hunter here. She thought I was hiding in a corner, scared out of my mind, waiting for her to swoop down and feast on my blood. Vampires were smug like that; they didn't think mere humans could ever harm Them. Their mistake.

She screeched, hoping to frighten me and cause my heart to pound loudly in my chest. I didn't even flinch at the horrible half scream, half growling sound that came from her fanged mouth.

I waited calmly for her to pass by my hiding place, then I lunged. I wrapped one arm around her neck, pressing the cross to her chest. There was a satisfying sizzle as her flesh burned. With the other arm I tried to shove the stake into her neck, but she was already slamming me against the wall, crushing my body between hers and the barn.

Her clawed fingernails raked down my face, casing me to gasp in pain. The vampire woman was gasping as she yanked my cross away from her body, careful tot ouch only my wrist as she did so.

I wrapped my legs around her waist, grabbed a handful of her hair, and wrenched her head to the side. She spun around and managed to send me flying through the air. I dropped the cross in the process, but I still had my wooden stake.

I flipped my body and managed to land on my feet, but the vampire gave me no time to recover. Almost before I was on solid ground she was flying at me, top speed. I ducked beneath her, rolling across the floor.

She tried to change directions but she wasn't fast enough. There was a satisfying thud as she hit the wall.

I took the time to scurry up the ladder into the loft.

It was best to kill a vampire quickly, before they had the chance to attack you. Mostly I managed to jump out and surprise them, then kill them before they could even blink. Nice and neat, that was how I liked my hunts.

But the occasional vampire gave me problems. This however was just a minor setback. The vampire woman was already as good as dead; she just didn't know it yet.

I heard the flap of her leathery wings as she transformed from a human to a strange bat creature. She knew I was in the loft and it wouldn't take her long to fly up here. I wasn't going to give her the chance.

I took a flying leap, coming at her just as she was coming at me. I had pulled up my hood and draped the cloak around my body so that she didn't see me until it was too late. I shoved the stake into her heard just as she flew over the edge of the loft.

A gurgle came from her throat. We both fell to the ground and went rolling. Her wings vanished, turning into her garments. The bluish-white skin of the creature returned to a more normal color and her yellow eyes went back to brown.

I stood up, brushing hay off of myself and watching as her body started to melt away. They all died like this. It looked gruesome and painful, yet I never looked away. Seeing Them suffer gave me unique satisfaction, as if it somehow made up for the death of my parents.

In just four seconds her body was completely gone, leaving nothing but a scrap of steaming clothes where she used to be. I kicked the clothes once, just for kicks, then picked up my wooden stake and examined it.

There was vampire blood dripping from the end of the wood, thick and black as death. I wonder if vampires like the taste of their own blood. To me, their blood looks poisonous, like snake venom or something equally deadly.

Just as this thought crossed my mind I heard loud clapping from behind me. I wheeled around, my cloak spinning behind me. My feet spread apart and I crouched slightly, taking up a defensive stance, ready to fight.

All thoughts of fighting vanished however. I blinked in shock. It was Him! It was…no…it couldn't be!

He stood below me, staring up with a smug expression like I was a mouse that had just given into the temptation of a piece of cheese and would soon be caught by the trap.

His body language was confident, like there wasn't a care in the world. He had just seen me kill one of his fellow vampires, and yet he had no fear for himself.

"You bait the trap, then sit back and wait for your prey." He said, sounding very pleased with himself.

I felt a flash of fear. The last time I had seen this creature, his teeth were red with the blood of my beloved mother and father. I watched him kill them, then I ran away like a coward and left him to devour the only people I loved in this world. I was ashamed of myself and vowed that never again would I let fear rule me.

But I guess some things never change. This Dracula had something about him, something dangerous. You couldn't help but be afraid of him. I wasn't terrified, mind you, just afraid.

"Back off fang-face! I've killed bigger vampires than you!" I spat.

It was true. Dracula wasn't the biggest or most muscular vampire. Many were huge men who must have been weight lifters in their human lives. But still, it was just a bluff. Dracula wasn't the biggest but he was the strongest and the most powerful. Just looking at him I knew I had been a fool to ever think I could actually kill him; he was just too powerful.

He chuckled menacingly, then took a step closer. Though we were separated by several feet and I was standing above him in the loft, that one tiny step made me feel like I was dead already.

"I have heard much about you. Many of my Kind are afraid of you, hunter. They begged me to…" He paused, tilting his head and smiling wider. "Remove the threat. It wouldn't be too hard you know. I could crush your skull, snap your neck, break your spine, or perhaps I could just drain all the blood from your body."

A shiver ran down my spine. I felt cold inside, like a blizzard was blowing through my stomach.

The most important thing, my mentor in vampire hunting used to tell me, was to never let a vampire smell your fear. You had to act confident even when you are terrified. Confidence was everything. I swallowed hard.

"My blood prefers to stay inside my body, thank you. But if you must crush my skull, I have to warn you I don't go down easily." I held up my blood soaked stake as if it were a shield.

Dracula moved with lightening speed. Out of nowhere he was suddenly standing on the loft, knocking the stake from my hand, squeezing my wrist with startling strength and pressing me against the wall.

His gaze burned into me until I could hardly breathe. His grip was so tight I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. Now I was terrified! I could feel the blood racing through my veins, my heart slamming against my chest, my fear causing me to sway dizzily.

He leaned closer, his lips whispering into my ear. "I didn't come to kill you though, Serena. They asked me to kill you, but that wasn't my intentions. Fifteen years ago I came to find you, but you managed to escape me. We vampires live in the shadows. Most people don't know that we really exist, and that it how we stay protected. The more humans that know about us, the more vampire hunters show up to kill us. Hunters like yourself."

He paused, blocking the punch that I threw at his jaw with his free hand. My fist slammed into his palm, causing pain to shoot up my left arm. His facial expression was one of annoyance, as if he couldn't believe how rude I was being. But oddly there was also amusement and…pride?

"That night I came for you, but you ran. Your 'parents' knew what I wanted. They tried to protect you. By the time I had rid myself of them you were already out in the open, surrounded by witnesses. Then you vanished. I looked for you, but you were good at hiding, weren't you Serena?"

I sucked in a breath, trying not to lose my common sense. If I was going to survive I had to think and then I had to act. If I could keep him distracted maybe I could…what? Retrieve my stake somehow? Shove it through his heart? Or maybe run for my life.

"How...how do you know my name?" I tried to sound forceful, but my voice trembled.

The vampire then did something that shocked me. I knew he was a killer, I knew he was cruel and evil, I knew he was strong and ruthless, but never did I expect this. He lifted a hand and stroked my cheek, as if I was a priceless gem to treasure.

"Because I'm your father. Your true father."

And that was when my entire life shattered…