Cht 10
Calling you
Slowly coming to, Shaw hears the others talking.
"You think..." As Ray hesitates.
"Dracula? Yeah!" Jeff helps finish, "who else could it be?"
"But it's just a myth? There's got to be a better explanation!" Ray continues both amazed and scared.
Bemused, "like what?" Jeff asks incredulously, "what plausible and logical explanation could possibly..."
And the conversation is briefly interrupted as Shaw groans and stirs.
"Finally, thank God!" Jeff calls in relief, "Doc, you OK?" As he crouches next to her waiting for her to regain full consciousness and checking that the bag of ice hasn't fully melted yet.
They all look to each other and sigh momentarily in relief.
"What are we going to do?" Ray asks continuing where they left off. "They've got our women.."
"And our kids" Jeff adds.
"Oh mate, that's rough" Charlie consoles as he places a heavy hand on Jeff's shoulder for support after seeing his body drop. "Don't worry, we'll get them all back!" He adds reassuringly.
Looking up at Charlie I hope, and then standing, "how?"
Just then Roberto-Romeo bursts into the hall and quickly runs to them after spotting them. "Thanks to God, I thought I only one left!"
"We're happy to see you too" Ray offers. "Except we have problems of our own."
"They have got your people too?" Roberto-Romeo enquires as he waits expectantly for an answer, an answer he already knew and feared would come.
"What do you mean, "too?"" Charlie enquires, "who else did they take?"
"Mihaela," as he thinks back to moments earlier, "she was behind me then... Gone. Many people sleeping, others puff... Gone."
"What the hell is going on Roberto?" Jeff shouts.
Shrugging, "I don't know. This never happen before. Vampires. I thought just my country's myths, not supposed to be real! And storm outside, that very real! Heavy snow, frozen lake. It Autumn, suppose to be warm, crazy."
"OK" as Charlie starts to calm everyone, "this isn't helping. We need a plan" before turning to Roberto-Romeo. "Roberto, are there any hidden dungeons or tunnels in this castle?"
Confused Roberto-Romeo just looks blankly at Charlie.
"OK, let me rephrase" as Charlie pauses to rethink the question, "according to the myth of... Dracula, right?" As Charlie looks around the group for confirmation, to which they all nod, "where would Dracula take his victims?"
Dropping his mouth and thinking... "Ah!" As Roberto-Romeo finally remembers something, "fortress Poenari. Said to be real home of Vlad Dracul. Or for you travellers, Dracula."
"OK, we're getting somewhere. Where is this fortress?"
"Uh... Across the lake."
"And the lake is frozen amidst a storm, great!" As Jeff jumps in.
"Even better, we can take the horses across it!" Ray chips in now helping to create the plan.
"OK, hot shot" as Jeff bites back defensively and out of fear, "even if we do get there, how are we going to fight them? They're vampires, with powers for Christ's sake."
Placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder and squeezing it hard, "it's OK mate, we'll get your family back" as Ray stops and pauses looking straight at Jeff and reconfirming the message, "we'll get them back!" Watching Jeff's expression turn as he finds courage again, Ray adds, "plus, we're the Brits, you're the American. Leave the pessimism to us will ya?" As he chuckles and the tension lightens.
"What about her?" As Charlie nods his head towards a still half unconscious Shaw.
"Her is going to kick your ass too!" Shaw spits as she tries to get up.
"OK, OK," as Charlie moves to catch Shaw, "you're majesty," and helping her to stand. "Even without that crown you're a sharp shooter" Charlie continues half concerned half impressed at how strong this woman appears to be.
"What's it with you English, is everything funny?" As Shaw finds herself being half dragged and half walking out the hall.
"We're accused of many things, funny really isn't one of them, Ma'am" as he continues to tease smiling down at Shaw.
Gathering in the landing on the first floor a short time later, they're all covered up in layers and wearing their jackets. After all, they don't want to freeze to death outside before reaching the fortress.
Of course Root was right, Root was always right. Why wouldn't anyone need a spear as Shaw grips the spear in her hand. 'Dxmn it, Root!...'
"Nice!" as Charlie spots the Spear before turning his attention back to Ray who was throwing down a sword mounted on the wall next to the shield with the family coat of arms.
Ray then continues to rip and throw the other sword to the ground. Finishing with that set Ray walks along the thin skirting board half way up the high walls and stops at the mounted maces. Tearing at those too, Ray throws those free to the ground.
"Dude, what about the shields," Jeff enquires as he points at them still on the wall.
"Nah mate," Ray replies, "they're too heavy, it'll slow us down."
Nodding, Jeff picks up a mace. Ray wasn't wrong, if the mace was this heavy, as he struggles to heave it over his shoulder, then he could only image how heavy the huge shield was.
Regrouping and picking their weapons, "OK, let's get this done" Charlie confirms.
Shaw nods at Charlie and they head down the stairs and towards the front door to the stables. Thinking he was just another punk ass kid trying to hit on Root, this cheeky cheery kid is turning out to be OK after all...
Digging his hands into his jacket pockets and preparing for the cold as they open the front door, Jeff pulls out the small black pouch from his pocket.
While Jeff looks confused at the pouch, Ray also pulls out the small black pouch from his pocket.
"My God..." Roberto-Romeo comments as he watches the two followed by Charlie also producing the same pouch. Roberto-Romeo then pulls out his own.
Reaching the stables Roberto-Romeo, Shaw and Charlie start to prep the horses, stopping only momentarily as they look at Shaw.
Looking around the group Shaw shrugs, "what?"
Unknown to Shaw Root had the same small black amulet too, only it fell onto the floor and out of Shaw's sight as Root distracted her with other activities last night.
"You don't have one?" Jeff enquires, "then how?..." As he tries to make logic of this.
Roberto-Romeo fills in the blanks, "these are amulets, used for protection. I thought Mihaela placed this in my pocket, but can't be. You all have one. But not you, Doctor."
"Is this why we're the only ones walking around and not sleeping" before stopping himself, "but then Doc, you're... Awake?" As he looks at Charlie looks to her confused.
Backing away slightly, "you're not one of them are you?" Jeff considers.
Glaring at him unamused Shaw lifts her hand and shrugs, Shaw was just as confused as Jeff.
"Wait!" As Roberto-Romeo stares at Shaw. Reaching out to take her arm and looking at her wrist, "a talisman."
"What, this piece of string?" As Shaw focuses her attention on the white and red tassels tied around her wrist.
"No" Roberto-Romeo corrects, "our country's most powerful talisman. It protects and brings you strength. We call it Matisor."
"That's it then, the missing link" Charlie adds. "That's why we're all still conscious."
"And explain why you're still alive Doc, that cauldron must have weighted a huge mass!" Ray praises impressed and marvelling at the mythical items.
"They say that the blood of children, so innocent, is one hundred times the worth of one adult" Robert-Romeo continues to share.
Swallowing, "what about... An unborn one?" As Charlie asks the question Shaw didn't want to and they all turn to look at Shaw.
Not wasting anymore time talking, Shaw leaps on onto her horse and rides out into the storm like a thunder bolt herself.
Roberto-Romeo and Charlie both mount their horse and wait, watching on in momentary amusement as the other two bumbling members of their rescue party fail again and again to get on their horse.
Jeff couldn't mount himself onto the saddle while Ray couldn't keep control of the horse as she moves around refusing to let him jump onto the saddle.
"OK, enough, we don't have time for this" Charlie shouts and leaves them behind as he rides off after Shaw, followed by Roberto-Romeo. The other two soon catch up as Shaw continues to lead them, riding hard.
The ice crackles under the hooves as they cross the river. Though Jeff and Roberto-Romeo hesitate, Shaw charges on it tearing down the ice as the horse stumbles several times and slides along the ice. Shaw didn't care, as long as they were moving forward Shaw didn't care how they moved.
'Seriously' as Shaw looks up and along the horizon.
Reaching the bottom of the fort they're greeted by a long grey brick wall extending across the horizon towards the fortress at the top of the mountain. A mountain which was towering over them almost overwhelming as they look to the stairs and path leading up to the wall. They were small, steep and winding, which meant they had to ditch the horses.
"Awwww, come on!" Ray complains as Shaw has already dismounted and starts running up the steps. Her spear is looped through the loopholes in her pants waistband and the horse trots of further into the forest looking for warmth and shelter.
Ma, hurry!... As that same young boy's soft call cries out to Shaw again, and Shaw feels the tug on her getting stronger. Not knowing why she was, but spurred on Shaw starts jumping a handful of steps at a time as she sprints up the stairs pulling further away from the others.
Shrugging at Ray, Charlie follows Shaw's lead, and the others soon also climb the stairs, all struggling to keep up with Shaw.
Lying on a long futon sitting on one side of a long hall and looking into his eyes, Root's lips part as he takes his time on her. Slowly moving her waist coat to the side and opening her blouse, Dracul peers down her body, Root's limp body. Without the amulet or talisman Root didn't have the power to withstand Dracul's hold on her.
Seeing the punching and frantic kicking around her belly, "feisty little one you have there" Dracul appreciates as he draws his nail down Root's chest, drawing blood and then licking down the same trail, inhaling her blood. Inhaling the blood of an unborn child, a delicacy. "I'm going to enjoy feeding off you" he whispers into the side of the belly before kissing it as his face instantly rejuvenates, clears and Dracul becomes younger and stronger as the skin and muscles in his body tighten. Dracul's regeneration process was nearly complete and he knew it as he relished leaning down to kiss...
Whizz...