"This is why I never told her about me and Martha!" Dracula shouted. "She's so young Eunice. She doesn't understand that her Mother isn't coming back."
Frank stood between Dracula and Eunice.
"Don't stand here blaming Eunice for this Drac! Every moment we waste not looking for her is another moment that a Human could find her and kill her!" He tried to get some sense across.
"I'm going out there." Dracula ran back to the lobby.
"Are you crazy Drac!?" Murray exclaimed.
"You expect me to leave Mavis out there on her own!? I promised Martha I would never let anything happen to her."
Dracula was already standing beside the front entrance.
"What I mean is, are you really going out there on your own?" Murray tried to stop him as they passed through the revolving door, his wrappings getting caught.
"What choice do I have?" He walked with speed towards the bridge.
"We're going with you." Frank told him.
"Not a chance. I won't risk anything happening to any of you as well." Dracula answered.
"I wasn't asking Drac, I'm telling you. I'm not about to let my friend walk off out there to get hurt either."
A suit of armour approached the Vampire Lord.
"Sir. I just thought I'd let you know that your first arrivals are imminent tomorrow night."
Dracula screamed.
"We've got to get her back now!"
Dracula summoned a Hearse to the front doorstep.
"No more arguing. If you want to help then get in."
Frank, Griffin and Wayne found their seats whilst Dracula grabbed hold of the steering wheel. They were in awe of the device.
"Now I haven't properly tested this thing yet." Dracula fiddled with the controls, trying to turn it on.
"Err… where are the horses, Drac?" Wayne asked.
"Horses? What horses?"
The engine roared into life, scaring the Monster's in the back seats.
"Hold on!" The Vampire shouted.
Murray let out a high pitched scream as the hearse smashed through the front gates and grinded against the walls of the bridge.
Eunice and Wanda watched on as the group left them behind.
"Don't you blame yourself, dear. I'm sure she will be fine." Wanda comforted the Stein.
"If he had been straight with her in the first place, this mess wouldn't be happening. The poor girl is so confused about her Mother. Oh, why do we have to be here? Why can't the Humans accept us? We're not all bad." Eunice was frustrated.
"Maybe one day someone can show them that we aren't all bad." Wanda answered as they entered the Hotel.
…
The couple walked hand in hand with a nervous look in the dead of night. They approached an old home near the outskirts of the town. The place had not been well kept by the landlord, leading only the desperate or secretive to rent it. The man knocked on the door three times. There was no answer for a moment but just as he was about to knock again, the door opened on its creaky hinges. The room was completely dark, say for a small candle on a table in the cluttered room. They could see the vague outline of someone sitting by the table.
"Do you require my services?" The deep voice spoke.
The man cleared his throat.
"We were told that… you were able to catch Monsters."
The figure didn't answer for a second. Instead he threw a knife dead on target at an old painting on the wall.
"I kill Monsters, if that is what you are requesting?" He answered.
The woman spoke up.
"There was one in my daughter's room tonight. It flew off before I could see it clearly."
The figure's interest peaked.
"Flew off… like a bat?"
The Woman was surprised at his accuracy.
"Yes, just like a bat. Well, it looked like a small girl to begin with, but then it changed."
A grin grew across the figure's face.
"Alone, was it?"
The woman nodded as the figure stood up.
"I will deal with this creature for you."
The couple looked at each other nervously.
"You don't mean you will… kill the girl?"
The figure retrieved his knife from the wall.
"All Vampires were once children. Eustice Chaise does not take prisoners. Would you rather it came back and devoured you daughter?"
The couple felt they had no choice.
"Of course not. It left this behind when it fled." She held the locket up to the hunter who swiftly took it from her.
He gazed at the painting.
"What payment do you require?" The man asked.
"For this kill… nothing."
The couple were taken aback.
"Nothing? Not a single coin?" She asked.
"I know how every type of monster works. Some fight. Some run. Vampires however, now they are very different. Monster's rally behind them. Just one of them can lead you to the nest. If this one in particular leads me to the rest of them, that would be payment enough. Now leave me, I have some preparation to do."
The couple left without hesitation. They felt horrible for what they were doing to the girl that had snuck into their daughter's room, but if she truly was a Vampire, they couldn't risk their own daughter's safety. Inside the house, Eustace took off his hat and lent against the wall in isolation.
"A lone child. I wonder…" He thought to himself.
He checked his equipment. Everything was always cleaned and tested before each hunt. This hunt in particular would be different. He knew how to kill each kind of Monster, but Vampires were his forte.
Atop the high trees that cut through the small town, a little bat scanned the horizon. Mavis had no idea where she was. Was this Paradise? It couldn't be. The place Eunice had described was a marvel, not this Human infested trap. She was about to take off when she realised the locket was no longer round her neck. She had lost it. She panicked and looked around her. There was no shine among the dirty floor. She thought back to what her father had said.
"Can you look after this forever?"
She had promised her father that she would, and a Dracula's promise was sacred. She couldn't return without it.
She flapped her wings and returned to the village. She stayed in bat form to avoid detection. The streets were still dark, though she had no idea what hour it was. She retraced her steps. That was when she returned to the open window. She did not want to return to the scary room, but she had to get the locket back.
She peeped through. This time there was no candlelight, and no Human in sight. She pulled herself up and searched the room. Still she could not find her father's locket. She would have to search the whole house. Slowly she entered the landing outside the bedroom door. She could see the faint flickering of light coming from downstairs. There were humans there after all. She tried to keep quiet as she opened each door to look.
"Ow!" She whimpered as she stubbed her toe on the leg of a drawer.
She heard footsteps. She rubbed her foot and ran into a wardrobe.
She sat down and put her hands over her eyes.
"Mavis?" It was a familiar voice.
With one eye she looked through the crack in the wardrobe doors to see Kathy searching around the room. The girl noticed her.
"Hello again. Don't worry, Mummy is gone. She closed the window, but I opened it again."
Mavis slowly revealed herself and left the cupboard.
"Your Mummy is scary." She said sweetly.
"No she isn't. She was scared."
Mavis was confused at the idea. She brushed the comment aside and continued to the look for the locket, but kept Kathy in her side vision in case she tried to hurt her.
"What are you looking for? You're Mummy?" Kathy asked.
"Daddy's locket." She looked under the double bed.
"Mummy took it."
Mavis started to cry. Kathy went to give her a hug but Mavis pulled away immediately.
"I won't bite you silly Billy!" She laughed.
"I'm not a Billy." Mavis wiped her face.
Mavis' stomach rumbled.
"Want food?" The blonde girl asked her.
She nodded. Kathy led her down stairs. Mavis took in the view of the house as they walked through the living room. She could see a warm hearth surrounded by fancy brickwork and various paintings on the walls of the family. The two girls had disappeared into the kitchen when the front door opened. Kathy's parents sighed and sat down beside each other.
"Do you think we did the right thing? Her Mother asked.
"We did what we had to. We can't risk that thing coming back." He comforted her.
They heard a ruckus coming from the kitchen.
"Is that you Kathy, dear?" Her mother called out.
Kathy made a shushing noise to Mavis as the young Vampire slowly sipped some milk from a small tankard.
"You don't think…" Her mother whispered.
They both stood up. Kathy's father reached over and grabbed hold of a piece of firewood by the hearth. He held it like a club as they entered the kitchen. The two girls stared up at them. Mavis dropped the tankard and shook in fear.
"Vampire! Her mother shouted.
"No Mummy! She's my friend!" Kathy tried to stop them but her Mother simply grabbed her and held her tightly.
Mavis ran for dear life as the father chased after her. She ran for the front door and vanished into the night. As a bat it was impossible for Kathy's father to see her.
"If you come back I will kill you, you hear me Monster!? I'll kill you!"
Mavis listened to the threats from a nearby tree. She was so frightened that she flew away in a random direction to get away. She was about to leave the small town when she heard someone else call up towards her.
"Is this your locket, little one?"
She stopped in mid-flight and looked down to see a lone figure. He held the golden locket up to her. The girl made her way back down and transformed. She was still shaking, but she had promised her father she would look after the locket forever. The man lent down and took off his hat to reveal his face. He smiled at her and held out the locket to her. Ever so slowly, taking one step at a time, she walked towards him. Other Humans that had heard the noise were now looking outside their windows or doors at the sight. Kathy and her parents watched on.
"Don't be frightened. Eustice spoke kindly.
She reached out to take the locket. He let go, letting it fall into her hand. She examined it, making sure it was hers. With her distracted, Eustice stood up straight and pulled out a single matchlock pistol. He pointed it straight down towards the girls head. The crowd held their breath. Some held their hands over their mouths, others looked away. Even though she was a Monster, something in them couldn't bear to see the shot. But the hunter didn't fire, he was waited for something.
"Mavis!" Kathy shouted out.
The young Vampire looked up to face the barrel of the weapon. She gasped and ran away from the man. He took a shot, barely missing her as the musket ball cracked the hard floor. Both Mavis and Kathy screamed at the sound. She was an open target in the courtyard, so she transformed and attempted to flee above their heads.
"Fly away little Monster…" Eunice whispered as he revealed a second pistol.
He took steady aim at the bat above him. Holding his breath, he pulled the trigger. With a sharp bang the ball was launched upwards. It hit home, clipping the bat's right wing. She screamed and lost altitude. As she approached the ground she transformed and rolled across the dusty floor. The wound wasn't serious, but it was enough to draw blood. She picked herself up slowly, clutched her arm and ran away, tears streaming down her face. Eustice was in pursuit behind her.
Mavis came to a road on the edge of town. There was nothing around her but empty fields, leaving nowhere to hide. She turned round to see the Hunter staring right back at her.
"Nowhere left to go, little demon."
She cried in front of him as he took out a third pistol. With it pointed at her there was little hope.
"Daddy!" She screamed.
Just as he fired, a black cloak whizzed past the girl and she was out of sight. Eustice wasn't disappointed, in fact, he was pleased.
"Just in time." He spoke to himself.
Dracula embraced his daughter.
"My dear little honey bat! I promised I would protect you forever, didn't I?" He spoke softly to her.
He saw the wound on her arm and panicked.
"No, no my dear you're alright. It's just a scratch. You will be fine." He tried to comfort her and himself.
He heard a clicking sound nearby.
"One final farewell." Eustice spoke.
Dracula stared straight at the figure that hid his face under his hat. He pointed a crossbow at the duo. Dracula revealed his fangs and felt nothing but rage. The hunter fired, but the gang was just in time. The bolt pierced the side of the hearse as they sped past. Dracula grabbed on, pulling himself and Mavis into the vehicle.
"See? I told you I could drive this thing!" Griffin boasted.
He skidded and made a U-turn.
"Drive, drive, drive!" Wayne shouted as the hunter stood in the centre of the road.
He loaded his weapon and aimed to take a final shot. The hearse accelerated forward at a rapid rate. Undaunted, Eustice took aim, but not at the occupants. Instead he aimed straight down towards the engine. With a pull of the trigger the bolt lodged itself into the front of the hearse. There were mere seconds left before he would be hit. The Monsters screamed inside as they prepared to hit him, but at the last second he was gone from sight.
The sat there in a daze as the hearse left the scene. Dracula held Mavis tightly.
"Get us back to the Hotel, Griffin." He ordered as he hugged his daughter.
Watching on as his prey drove from sight, Eustice stood unscathed in the middle of the road. A smile was across his face. He lent down and followed the trail of oil that had been poured out onto the road.
"Now then. Where have you been hiding, Count Dracula?"
