There was one heart left beating in the wrecked town. Groans were followed by the scratching of a cloak through the wreckage. The cloud had passed, leaving Dracula alone to contemplate his fate as the path flowed with red. On his knees, he dragged himself on. His body would heal faster than any Human, but the wound was burning as if the blade was still there. Holding his stomach, his weak legs shook as he rose to his feet. Alone, he took each step one after the other, past the dead that surrounded him.
His plan had failed to work, and now he was paying the price. The creature was gone from sight and he knew where it was headed. He only hoped that Frank would find a way to stop it, if they could even make it back to the Hotel in time at all.
The dust was unsettled beside him, as if the breeze was being summoned by something. The spectre of the Witch stood beside the ruined town hall.
"There's nothing I could have done against that. What do I do!?" He was hopefully for any advice, he was completely lost.
You can't hide from it. You had the chance to run and you chose not to. You left your daughter and your friends in the dark. Secrets and lies. They have given you nothing but peril. Now you pay the ultimate price.
"No! I'm not going to give up! I can't…"
He took his hands from his stomach and headed onwards. The pain wouldn't stop him. He had one last promise that drove him back home.
"Too many people are suffering because of me."
He saw the broken fountain at his feet.
"Too many people have gone. I swear, Martha, I'll save them."
…
The Monsters had gathered around the Hotel TV.
"We must have the Precious!"
The Monsters were glued to the TV.
"I don't know why, but I have the feeling this film is mocking me." Doctor Jekyll commented.
"Frozen! Frozen!" Wayne's pup Winne chanted.
"Again? Grrr… If I have to hear that talking snowman one more time!" Wayne complained.
"Relax, dear. Let it go." Wanda answered.
The paintings on the wall began to shake. The rumbling travelled across every hallway.
"An earthquake?" Blobby suggested, though no one understood him.
The guests shut off the film and went out into the corridor. They could hear loud chatter coming from the entrance. A huge wave of Humans flooded the lobby.
"I know Drac wanted to start letting in Humans, but this is ridiculous!" Eunice complained.
Frank, Mavis and Johnny were the last to enter. He held them close. Johnny had a look of disbelief on his face, whilst Mavis cried her eyes out.
"What in seven hells has happened here?" Eunice approached them.
"The town's been attacked." Frank began.
"Don't tell me it was Dracula!" She could remember the last time she had seen him.
The state he was in, she wouldn't put anything past him.
"Worse. Oh, Eunice. They've all lost everything… and we…" he hadn't the heart to tell her.
"Dad's gone!"
Eunice covered her mouth with both hands. She took hold of her niece.
"He stayed behind to hold the Monster up." Frank continued.
"What Monster?" Eunice asked.
"It's like nothing you've ever seen Eunice. It took everything."
"It's the demon from our past!" One man shouted out amongst the crowd. "It claimed a generation from our town before. Now it's come back for more!"
Wayne and Wanda gathered their pups.
"What's happening, Mummy?" Winnie tucked at her dress.
"Nothing dear, we are all safe." She lied.
The rumbling was getting louder.
Frank left them and headed outside. The castle grew darker. A cloud descended on them.
"Drac!" Frank shouted up to the sky. He had lost his best friend. He looked at the Hotel behind him.
"It's up to me." He ran back inside.
"Everyone. Listen!" The Humans and Monsters grew silent. "There is a Monster coming to take this Hotel from us. A Monster unlike any before it. It won't stop until it kills all of us… It's already claimed Dracula and Griffin."
The guests gasped.
"What did he say about uncle Drac?" One of the pups asked their parents.
"Get the children to safety. We'll need everyone else to help fight it off! Gather all the fireworks that are left from Mavis' party and get them to the closest balcony you can find."
The crowd moved aside as the lobby echoed with the sound of clanking. A group of armoured suits marched towards the front.
"If our Master is really gone, as you say, then we belong to his next of kin. Mavis Dracula, we are at your command." The head suit bowed to her.
She stepped forward and wiped her eyes.
"Do everything you can to protect my family and friends… and the Humans."
It saluted her. The army raised their halberds and headed outside. The crowd gathered their children together in a bid to protect them.
"If only we had somewhere that the children and wounded could be safe." Frank said to them.
An idea came to Johnny.
"We do. The tunnels! Drac showed me a network of tunnels throughout the castle, it shouldn't find them there." He told them his idea.
"Show us."
The entire castle was on the move. The guests led their children and those that weren't strong enough to fight to the tunnel system. The Humans were given various weapons that hung from the wall as decoration. The army of suits stood together on the bridge, blocking off the main entrance from attack.
"I had hoped this would never happen again." Frank stared out across the bridge.
"You mean Eustice?" Mavis asked.
Frank had forgotten that she had been shown their past.
"Mavis… I'm sorry we kept it from you all this time."
"I understand. I wish Dad had been honest with me, but at least I understand why he wasn't." She looked at the ground.
"We all do stupid things to protect our family. We may not always be right, but who ever could be?" Frank hugged his niece. "Get to safety Mavis, you and Johnny. I've already lost Dracula today. I swore to him I would keep you safe."
Although she didn't want to, she reluctantly went inside, hand in hand with Johnny.
"Don't worry Frank, I'll protect her." Johnny said to him as they disappeared.
"Excuse me Johnny if that doesn't fill me with confidence." Frank said to himself.
"Yeah, and what about me?" Eunice was standing beside him.
"Eunice, go with the others."
"Like hell I will! Don't think you're fighting this thing off alone Frank."
Frank knew not to argue with her. He held her hand and waited for the cloud to cover them both.
"And there was me thinking I could have a nice, quiet holiday." Murray joked.
The valley that hid the hotel was covered in darkness. From within the cloud, the creature revealed itself. With an arm outstretched, figures came forth from the shadow, covering the entrance to the bridge.
"Frank, what are they?"
He could see the fallen townspeople rushing towards them, looking identical to the things that had attacked their hearse.
"Not good!" Frank answered.
The suits lowered their halberds and charged head on. The two hosts clashed. The Monsters were pierced and flung aside, yet they didn't flee. They climbed over the suits and dragged them down.
"Close the gate!" Frank shouted to his friends.
The Zombie staff dragged the door slowly. With it closed, Frank wrapped a thick chain around the centre and locked it shut with a padlock. The bodiless suits did their work, but the creature was now right above them. Frank roared, giving the signal. Throughout each floor of the hotel, Monsters came forth at each balcony with a firework at the ready.
"Three didn't work, how about three hundred?" Frank gloated.
The creature wasn't impressed. As the battle raged on below it, it lowered its arm and pointed towards the army of suits. From out of the cloud came a lightning bolt. The bridge cracked as the energy obliterated countless suits.
How long do you think your tin men can slow me?"
Every Monster could hear its voice in their head.
Another bolt came forth. The bridge began to split. The suits knew they were sitting ducks where they were, they retreated back towards the gate, the risen Humans pursuing them.
"Wait till you have a shot!" Frank shouted upwards.
The suits fought with their backs to the gate. There was nowhere left to go for them. With one last lightning bolt, the suits were gone and the gate was blown apart.
How long do you think death will wait for you?
The strongest Monsters stood beside the Humans as the ravenous horde came at them. Standing side by side, Frank and Eunice led the charge. The fighting was bloody, but there was nowhere left to run now, it was do or die. The creature floated above them, watching the chaos unfold. It knew all it had to do was wait outside the fireworks range.
"We need some way of drawing it in!" Frank rallied his friends.
Smashing much of the horde out of the way, big foot headed straight for it. At his height, he could look the creature straight in the eye. Big foot swung his fist at it, but it simply moved aside. Every time he grabbed at it, the creature came closer to the hotel.
"Fire when you can!" Frank called upwards.
One Monster took a shot but missed completely.
This one bores me.
The creature reached out, sending a lightning bolt straight towards the Monster's face. It was a fatal shot from that distance. With Big foot no longer a threat, the creature used its power to drag his body through the air. With a shove, big foot collided with the front of the hotel. The walls came crashing down, blocking the entrance.
"What's it doing!?" Eunice shouted.
With speed it had not revealed until now, the creature flew above the battle and landed on one of the upper balconies. He took the Monster guarding it by the throat and let it fall over the edge. Blobby rushed over as fast as he could and let the Monster fall into him. The landing was somewhat strange for them but at least they were alive.
"It's going for the tunnels!" Frank told Eunice.
"Come on!" She barged through one of the lower windows.
Floating through the corridors, the creature came closer to the lower levels. It came to one room.
Down in the tunnels, Johnny felt ill. He was weak, as if something was inside his head.
"Johnny, look at me. What's wrong?" Mavis held the side of his face.
"I think… the Monster's in my head."
It scanned his memories, looking for a way into the tunnel.
You're soul reveals your friends to me, Human.
"No, no, no! It knows where the tunnels are!"
Without hesitation, Mavis ran towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Johnny called to her.
"Someone has to stop it."
Johnny moaned before grabbing his bat and heading after her. The room the creature now stood in was where Johnny and Mavis had first properly spoken to each other. Facing the wall, the creature crushed it with its power. The children down below began to cry as their parents comforted them.
"Not one step further!" Frank confronted the creature. "This is for Drac." Frank punched the creature straight in the face, but it didn't as much as flinch.
Bravery is admirable. Sadly, not by me.
The creature picked his large body up off the ground.
Get away, beast!"
Frank was thrown through the window. Frank had fallen into pieces in the collision. Poor blobby was running back and forth below to safe his friend. With him dealt with, it turned to proceed, but one Dracula remained to protect her home. Mavis stood in the hidden tunnel without saying a word, staring into the creature's eyes.
Can your heart cope with the loss of Kathleen, your Mother and your father?
"Get away from my friends!" Mavis bore her fangs as her eyes turned red.
Theatrics are a waste of time. Thankfully, you have saved mine by showing yourself. It's not your friends that I want.
Mavis pulled a torch from the wall and flung it at the creature. It covered its face as the fires spread. Johnny came shouting behind and swung his bat. He smashed the makeshift weapon right over its head. It roared as it backed away.
There are many entrances to the tunnels throughout this hotel. You can't block them all!
Before they could continue, a small girl stood in the doorway to the room. She screamed before fleeing.
Perhaps you should take better care of your guests.
The creature took off after her. Mavis tried to pass it as a bat, but it swatted her away. She rolled across the hall. Johnny knelt down to her in a panic.
"I'm fine. We have to stop it Johnny. Please!"
They ran after it. Together they found themselves having to split up at a crossing in the hallway. They had lost sight of the both the girl and the Monster. Heading upstairs they began to check every room, but all of them were empty. Johnny came to one of the higher floors and saw only one door open. Room one seven four.
Johnny grabbed a torch off of the wall for protection and slowly entered. He saw the girl standing in the middle of the room, but something was strange about her. She looked out of her time. It was too late when he realised that she was little more than a vision. It was Kathleen. The figure faded into the air. Johnny felt a sharp tug on his neck. His head was slammed into the wall, breaking his nose. The torch was pulled out of his hand.
"Johnny!" Mavis had reached the room.
Jonathan's feet dangled in the air as he held onto the creatures arm, he was struggling to breath.
Can you heart take this loss?
She zoomed towards it but it punched her away. She landed on the bed and rubbed her face. The creature's arm was reformed into a blade.
You really shouldn't go into a spooky forest on your own.
The blade pierced through his heart. Mavis' scream was so loud that her window shattered.
Goodbye… Zing.
Jonathan Locker took one last look at her. Nothing could describe what was happening in her heart and mind. She ran to claw at the creature but she found its hand around her own throat. With the other it destroyed the wall, revealing the darkness outside.
This is what we have waited for. Is it not, Dracula?"
Across the bridge, a lone Vampire walked in pain. Dracula was home at last, but the sight was devastating.
"Mavis!" He shouted out to her.
Drawing in what was left of his strength, he ran across the bridge. Mavis looked down at Jonathan's body. She didn't care anymore what happened to her. Her Zing was gone. She could feel what Dracula had once felt, the pain he had carried for over a century.
"Why did you do this to me?" her voice was barely legible now.
To you? Don't flatter yourself.
She looked out to the horizon. She could see her father. What should have been a moment of relief was poisoned with loss.
Look at her Dracula. Look at the last promise you are about to break. Martha's soul screams out to you. You have destroyed it!"
Dracula had no strength to fly up to her. Frank had finally put himself back together. At least his friend was alive, but everything was still about to fall apart.
"I tried Drac, I really did.
Dracula saw the blade behind her rise.
Feel it Dracula!
"Dad!" She cried out.
The blade went through her back and out of her chest. Dracula saw the face of Martha in hers. The Dracula blood line had ended, for his heart could no longer live on under the weight of such loss. They shared their gaze as a last goodbye. Slowly she began to lean forward, her eyes wide open. The blade squeaked as it slid back through her. Under her weight she fell through the air. Dracula ran to her and caught his daughter. He was on his knees, looking into her lifeless eyes. No one could move for the strength had been drained out of them. Her blood mixed with his own on his cape.
He lay her down and rose to his feet. He transformed into a bat and flew up to the balcony. As a Vampire he stood face to face with the creature.
"I know what you are…"
Do you feel it?
"…yes."
Good.
The Blade shot through his heart.
"Drac, no!" Frank roared out.
He knew he would die. Nothing was there for him now.
His own body fell backwards. He felt weightless. It was the split second when his soul passed from that world. All emotions faded away. He did not hit the floor, he passed through. Everything was dark around him, as if the world had gone and all that was left was the empty universe. He took his place beside his family. They lay in the abyss. Martha, Johnny, Mavis, Kathleen and now Dracula. They were gone to the darkness.
Do you feel it, Dracula?
She warned you.
You should have run.
So many years I've waited.
I told you… I would tear you're heart from you… just as you did to me.
Dracula's eyes shot open.
