Disclaimer: I do not own the movie Van Helsing or any of the character from it. All rights go to Universal Studios and Steven Sommers
Damp, dark and musty, the old castle stood on a hill as it had for centuries. At one point it had been beautiful and well cared for. But those were in its glory days. Now the place had fallen into disrepair as no one dared venture into its shadow.
Or did they? Tonight, footsteps sounded as someone ascended the hill up towards the old castle. A young man, about twenty, walked up the old castle steps, pushed forward by a weak sense of confidence and the threat of a lost bet hanging over his head. He did his best to ignore the eerie sounds that resounded through the forest about him, to block the sinking, acidic fear that gnawed at the back of his mind. All he wanted to do was walk inside the castle, find it to be empty and therefore prove that Dracula really was dead, and leave. No problem.
So why was he afraid?
Finally he arrived at the top of the stairs and stared down the massive set of doors in front of him. Drawing in a long breath of the icy night air, he gave them a firm push. Even though he was as nervous as rabbit, what small amount of pride compelled him to continue shoving against the doors until they at last opened up to him. At least now he could say he was first living creature to enter in a long while. It was a feeble thought, but it at least kept his sanity about him as he hesitantly stepped inside.
However, the moment his foot pressed onto the disintegrated velvet carpet underneath, there was a loud whoosh and a drop in air pressure behind him. He whipped his head around and found to his dismay that the doors had swung shut on their own accord. With no other thing for him to do, the man looked on in front of him, shivering a little from both the cold and fear. The room was very dark, except for the silver light of the crescent moon flowing in through the massive window to his left, revealing the true, sad state of the building. Nary a breath was made in the main room - no signal of life was around... much to the man's relief. It seemed as though the legendary Van Helsing had indeed freed Transylvania from its curse at last. Now the man could return home and tell his friends - who had dared him to make this journey in the first place - that there was nothing to be scared of. Maybe someone could come to finally buy the property and make something of it again.
The man turned and marched back to the doors, feeling far more confident than he had just a few minutes earlier. He grabbed the door handles and gave a strong tug... but they refused to budge. Now the man was worried. Wouldn't Dracula's spells have died with him?he wondered. It appeared not. The man tried the doors, this time with a sense of desperation, praying a catholic prayer that he might be saved from the devil that dwelt in this castle. His breath now was wheezy and shallow as he glanced about himself, searching for other ways to escape. He walked over to the window and picked up a splintered piece of wood that seemed once to be a supporting beam, and aimed to throw it towards the window. But as he wound up his throw, a something,cold and clammy, grabbed his hand. In horror, he whirled around to see the culprit, but instead found... nothing. Just the utter blackness that bled into the pool of light from the window.
The man paused at this. Had he imagined the hand that grabbed his own? It appeared so, yet it had felt completely real. He turned around and suddenly from his mouth erupted a scream.
Behind him had stood everyone in Transylvania's worst nightmare, the vampire king, the one who was supposed to be dead. Count Vladislaus Dracula himself. His pale skin was nigh unto white in the moonlight, framed from the sharp contrast of midnight black hair that was pulled smoothly back into a ponytail; he flashed a devilish grin, waiting patiently while the man continued to scream his voice out. When the man finished, Dracula then stated coolly, "They can't hear you. You came alone, remember?"
The man finally stopped screaming and turned to the vampire king once more, his heart pounding in his chest. "Y-you're s-suppose t-t-to b-be d-dead," the man gasped, shaking from the utter terror that coursed through his body.
"So I have gathered," Dracula drawled as his smirk faded. "And I am. Now, would you care to explain why you dared trespass on my property? Perhaps you had greedy intentions to sell it?"
The man didn't reply; instead, he stood stock-still, unsure of what to do. Finally he said, "We all th-thought that you were g-gone, um, s-sir."
"And I was. Yet I had still hoped I could return to my home." The vampire was now frowning at him. "Is it a common thing for you humans to sell properties when the owners are not at home?" He began to pace slowly around the man.
"No, I m-meant that we thought th-that V-Van Helsing had..."
Dracula roared with anger and grabbed the man by his throat. The man sucked in a desperate gulp of air and tried to pull away. "Do not speak of that name in my presence!" Dracula hissed. "He is the most loathful thing ever created. He has destroyed everything of mine: my home, my children, my brides and even my servants. He was my friend, and he repaid me with the murder of everything I loved!" Now his voice cracked, despite himself.
"I'm sorry, s-sir," the man gasped out. "It was a m-mistake on my p-part. P-please, forgive m-me. I-if you'll just l-let me go, I'll be on my w-way."
Then the Count smiled. "I'm afraid I cannot do that," he purred. "I cannot have you running off to the village and telling everyone that I am here. You must understand, no?" A twisted smile teased at the vampire's lips.
"W-What?" The man cried, his face turning pale, "please, sir, I beg of you, don't..."
"Don't what?" Dracula's nose crinkled in amusement. "Feed off of you? Kill you? I honestly believe it would be only fair for me to do those things, considering all that the humans have done to me. But, lucky for you, I'm not hungry now. I fed just the other day, in fact."
"Th-then what will you do with me?" The man asked, feeling as though he would not enjoy the answer.
"As you well know, I lost everything except this dear old place, including my servants. I need to find new ones should my new plans succeed. Mortal as you may be, you'll do for the time being. And if you prove to be trustworthy..." He hissed the word. "...we will see if we can fix that."
"Wait, you want me to help you with whatever schemes..."
"PLANS!" Dracula roared, "I do not make schemes. And yes, that is what I just said, is it not? Or would you prefer I tear you limb from limb?"
"Ok, ok," the man agreed feebly, unsure of what else to do, "What are these plans that I must help you with?"
Dracula released his grip on the man's throat, dropping him to the floor. "That is for me to know. You should just do as you are told. But mark my words. Van Helsing will pay for what he has done."
His cold laughter rang through the night, gripping the hearts of all the woodland creatures that heard with pure terror.