Winnie put pen to paper. Scrunched up sheets surrounded her on the bed, all covered in words that couldn't express what she wanted to say. It was eating her up. She kept strong for her parent's sake, but as each day went by she saw their spirit grow weaker. With Dracula and the hunter gone once again, she began to wonder if each plan they conceived would end with the same result as all the rest. The words she tried to say through writing were all that were keeping her going. If she could get the right ones out, maybe fate would be kind to her and let her see Dennis again.

Outside her door, Frank paced back and forth along the corridor. He had only just awoken and was watching the moon rise high over the hill side through each window as he passed. He tried to be as quiet as he could but his heavy boots continued to cause the wooden floor to creak. Dracula had refused to tell him where they were going. He had hoped that the days of his friend keeping himself locked away had passed. Perhaps Mavis' passing had resurrected the old Count? Maybe he didn't know him anymore.

"Still walking around?"

He heard his wife's voice coming from their bedroom.

"How can I sleep when they are out there again? Every time they go, less of him comes back."

She gave him a reassuring hug. Even Eunice could show a soft side when it was needed.

"They will get him back. Think of everything we have been through, this will be no different."

Frank gave her a smile with a heavy heart and a mind that didn't really believe her. He felt useless, stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere while his friends were being picked apart. If only they had some way, some little hope of surviving, he would grab at it with every fiber of his being.

"Where is Vlad?" Eunice asked, not knowing what to say to reassure him.

"Outside. I don't think I've seen him sleep the last couple of days."

Vlad had been as aloof as his son. Every attempt to get a word out of him resulted in a ramble about doing what had to be done.

"I'm not sure Eunice, but…" He stopped himself.

"Not sure about, what?" She sounded worried.

"…I think Drac might do something terrible."

Eunice waved her hand in front of him and tutted.

"I'm serious. You know how he reacted when Mavis… When she wasn't there anymore. What if there is no plan and he's given up?"

"Drac doesn't give up. It's not in his nature."

Frank, although he hoped to be wrong, couldn't hold faith in that anymore.

"Mavis became his nature. Everything he did was for her. What is he now?" Frank stared into her eyes.

"Dennis. He still has Dennis." She said with an upbeat tone. She hoped it would be contagious, but his face remained blank. "You don't think he'd surrender to get him back, do you?"

Frank turned his gaze to outside the window. There wasn't much to see but the bright moon overhead in the looming dark.

"I'm not sure of anything anymore."

As much as the two of them wanted to keep quiet, Winnie had a sharp ear for secrets. Could it be true? Was Dracula out there because he'd given up? No, that's impossible, she thought. Yet, doubt lingered. She wanted to see Dennis so much but she knew everyone else felt that way too. She tore the latest piece of paper up and threw it across the room. No longer would she sit back unable to do anything. She opened the door quietly and crept towards the room that had been used by Mavis and Johnny. She wanted to reassure him that Dennis was okay and do her part to keep spirits alive. The door was open slightly so he must have been up already, she thought. She knocked gently and awaited a reply.

None came.

"Mr Loughran, its Winnie. I wanted to talk to you, if that's okay."

Again she was met only by silence.

"Mr Loughran?" She pushed on the door and let it swing on its hinges.

The room was empty. She could have sworn that Frank was the first up. She looked around, ignoring Frank and Eunice's questions upon seeing her. She checked the bathroom. No one. Outside was the last port of call. She led herself out the front door and let her eyes wander over her surroundings. She spotted Vlad, perched high above her in the tree, but there was no Jonathan.

"Mr Vlad!" She called up.

He looked down but gave her no reply.

"Where is Mr Loughran!?"

Maybe he couldn't hear her. She started to climb, using her instincts to keep her grip. She was more agile than her brothers, even when they were running riot, and without a doubt more graceful. She reached the top and sat beside the old vampire.

"Are you alright, Mr Vlad? I was looking for Mr-"

"Shush."

She stopped talking in her surprise. Did he just-

She heard a noise down below.

Frank felt his frustration building with every minute.

"I can't stay here anymore Eunice. If Drac is in trouble then I have to do something." He pulled away from her and headed for the door.

"You don't know where he is! Don't be rash." She wasn't concerned with waking the others now, only keeping her husband from doing something without thinking.

"I'll find him. I did last time."

He opened the door, only to confront a smug face.

"Knock knock."

Vincent Lebeau, his hands behind his back, his fangs sharp and shining in the moonlight. Behind him, men and Monsters took up positions on every corner of the cabin. For those on foot, there was no escape, and only a vampire was blessed with wings.

"We both know what is about to happen. Let's put an end to these fights and theatrics. I assume you have grown tired of being outlaws." The usual mocking was seemingly absent from the banker's voice, though the fact did nothing to stay Frank's anger.

"That's rich coming from you!"

Frank only took one step before illuminated hands appeared in the dark. Surrounding him were sorcerers all ready to torch the place. Frank's pyro phobia paralyzed him. His soul screamed for him to say something, but Vincent's smile was the only thing that would win that night.

"You haven't any reason to fear for the rest. We aren't here to harm you, quite the opposite. You are to be guests to our hour of glory, as you were always meant to be, had you not been so stubborn."

Frank knew there was no time to sound the alarm, much less get the others out to safety.

"How did you find us?" he asked, defeated.

"We knew you were around here somewhere, but you kept quite so we let you go on. Why waste any more lives, eh? Now though, things have changed. You have your friend to thank for that."

No, it couldn't be. Frank felt fear like he only did in the presence of fire. The thought of Drac of all people joining the Court of Skulls was unthinkable, even to save Dennis.

"Frank, what's wrong?" Eunice asked no more questions when she saw the sight.

Frank placed his hand on her arm to prevent her from doing anything rash.

"No one else has to die today. Call the others, bring them out, and we can discuss peace." Vincent offered them one more chance that deep down he wanted them to take.

Nerves were wracking as one by one, Murray, Griffin, Blobby, Wayne, Wanda and their pups left the cabin and entered the cold night.

"The whole group. Wonderful."

Eyes darted around the group, the not so whole group. Adrenaline ran as they prayed inside that Vincent would not notice those that were missing. Nicolae and Agatha had yet to return with fresh supplies. Vincent was not yet aware of their role.

"Hmm. Something seems, odd."

Wayne held onto Wanda's hand tightly. They looked up in the tree at their daughter, and the vampire beside her.

"Ah, that's it. You are missing one, are you not?" Vincent asked, most amused.

They kept silent.

"Two?"

No one said a word. Vincent snapped his fingers.

"That's it. Where is the proud father!? It is time to watch your son become a legend amongst his people, Mr Loughran! And where is my old rival, that old crone of a man? Vlad, enough games, we have work to do!"

There was a gust of wind as two feet landed firmly behind the banker.

"He is gone."

Lebeau looked at Vlad with a confused scowl.

"Gone, you say? Oh…" he looked towards the hill side. "…he didn't do himself in did he?"

"No! He just… couldn't take it. Solitude, both you and I know how desirable it is."

Vincent didn't give away his thoughts on the matter, he just smiled and held his head back.

"Indeed. Still, I would hate for him to miss his son's ascension. If he doesn't wish to be branded a traitor, he better show up. Now, It's time we all came together and-"

"Where is Drac!?" Frank interjected.

Vincent looked most displeased. He didn't like being interrupted, especially not in his hour of glory.

"I see the doctor that put your rotting mass together forgot to insert a sense of manners. Rest assured, your friend has seen sense. He is the only reason I'm not dragging you to the main event."

"No…" Frank's worst fear had been realized.

"He would never do that!"

Wayne and Wanda looked on in horror as Winnie marched towards the banker.

"What have you done to him!? What have you done to Dennis!?"

Winnie was stopped sharply in her tracks by Vlad.

"If you want to see Dennis again I suggest you don't act insufferable, little runt." Vincent's distaste for werewolves almost rivalled his distaste for Bela.

"Mrs Loughran is dead because of you! How could you do all of this!? Let Dennis go! Please!" She pulled and tugged at Vlad's grip.

Vincent rolled his eyes and looked away from her.

"This is your last chance. Dennis is safe, as is the friendly neighborhood bookkeeper you call a Count. If you want that to stay true, then I suggest we make our way onward."

Frank turned his attention to Vlad, who remained quiet after Winnie's outburst. Dracula's submission, Vlad's silence, all of it was adding up. Vlad's face said it all, his own eyes breaking away towards the ground.

"This was the plan all along. You knew he was going to give up, didn't you!?"

Vlad stood up straight and proud with Winnie still in his grasp.

"Yes. I did know. What else is there to do Frank? We tried to persuade them of the truth but all that was going to do was get us all killed."

"Then we all die! The Eldritch King will see us all dead and you lot still follow him!? You are all idiots if you can't see it! What need does he have for any of us if he is a god!?"

"Frank, silence!" Vlad's voice was booming. It was like hearing the old Vlad, the vampire that had struck fear into his kind and beyond.

"We forgave you, and you do this? Low Vlad, really low!" Murray laid into him, no longer caring about the consequences.

"Vlad… I never thought you would see sense after all this time. I may just forgive you for killing me, just a bit." All of Vincent's Christmases had come at once.

Vlad kept calm as much as he could, but it still repulsed him inside, having to do what was necessary. Vincent let his cape flow behind him as he approached the angered werewolf in his rival's arms and knelt down.

"I have worked so long for this. You couldn't even imagine how many years have passed since the day I began work on this great venture. You will be reunited with Dennis. I only ask that you behave, and join us in the new world."

Winnie wouldn't look at him, but she had no choice but to go along with it.

"This has been fun, but now it's time." Vincent signalled for his personal vampire guard to encircle the group. "Keep the pups under control. Make sure the rest behave themselves as well. I don't want anything going wrong this time."

The group was marched off towards a fate uncertain. Resting on Winnie's bed was the present for Dennis Loughran, its pages open to the last picture taken of the two of them.

…

Unrelenting shaking overtook him. Voices and dark men were his only company as the lorry rocked from side to side. Pain and discomfort had long faded as a worry to him, all Dennis could feel was the hours of the Eldritch King's voice drilling into his brain. He had felt the same rush of adrenaline before. Although the sorcerer's inside the vehicle with him kept him contained, he could sense the hunger to do something reckless, as he had the night he broke his arm at the hotel. His instincts were waking up, but he couldn't get them to serve him.

Two faces blocked his vision each time he wrestled for control. To willingly go through with the last stage of the Court's plan meant disaster for humanity, but his torn heart cried out for Mavis. Dennis remembered the look of powerlessness she had given him as she tried to take hold of her only son, her own form trapped in a void away from life. The thought of her trapped in such a place terrified him. Sane thoughts were mixed with grief and a will to see his mother.

He stroked the back of his hand with the other. He had been alone for weeks, months, he couldn't tell anymore. He could play mind games with Vincent, but he couldn't deny the Eldritch King's will. Any chance of fighting back was pointless now. He was just a boy. What could he do? All he had was a choice. Could he resist? Fight back against the inevitable dark? What would his family think of him if he just bent the knee and let the Eldritch King reign? He was meant to be a vampire, a Dracula. Now all he felt was the vulnerability of the Human inside him. He whispered to himself.

"It takes an impossible trap to seal-"

The doors to the lorry opened almost as soon as the vehicle had ground to a halt. Someone had been waiting for them. Dennis covered his eyes to shield them from the light. The robed acolytes inside rose and waited for the boy to do the same. He thought of running, clinging onto a broken hope of somehow escaping, but the voice of blood lust held him back. The Eldritch King had done his work.

He stood and let them take hold of him. When he took his first step on land, he felt the softness of grass under his shoes. He was no longer in Egypt. He had slept for much of the journey, completely missing the boat ride. Vincent had been a master of connections in a past life and that had come in handy once again. No one stood in their way. Governments had stepped back after the Human-Monster segregation act was passed. Attacks and threats had put a stop to any form of resistance. Monsters had infiltrated society and ground it to a halt. At least, it had stopped long enough for the King's grand plan to come to fruition.

Dennis had hoped deep down that someone would be there to end it all, to wage war against the Court, but fear of demons in the night had risen once again. Monsters of all kinds were around him. Many had eyes of red, their will bent in a way they had refused to agree to willingly. Dennis wondered how many around the globe had succumbed to fear and the thought of dominion, and how many had to be 'persuaded' with dark magic. Could his family fall to the same ploy?

They led him onward. He didn't recognize his surroundings. Plains of grass and roaming hills were only interrupted by a single road. He hadn't seen much of Romania outside of his home. His own kind had never scared him, until now. Their nature brought a morbid reality to the tranquillity around him. The sun was falling, it would soon be dark.

They watched him, every single one of them. Is this how they had seen Jeremiah Constantin in his day? He felt like a piece of meat, a lamb being prepared for slaughter. Maybe he wasn't meant to survive whatever they had planned for him. The urge to run strengthened, until he caught sight of a pair of eyes that froze him on the spot. Amongst the crowd was a single vampire, a cloak covering most of his form. He seemed to float as he approached, his legs barely appearing through the folds of his black robe. Only when he was mere feet away did the truth of what Dennis was seeing hit him.

The man's smile was half-hearted, a lie that existed only to give Dennis false comfort. He bent down on one knee. Dennis grimaced. One of the very people he had pleaded to see again, one he had prayed every night to save him was now someone he did not want to see.

"Dennisovich?"

The boy shook his head as voices continued to torment him.

"What have they done to you?"

He closed his eyes and let his tears land softly in the grass. He felt a pair of arms around him, but they were not a familiar comfort he was used to.

"It's alright. I won't let them hurt you. I made a promise."

Promises, promises. So many broken, not from neglect or betrayal, but they were from the hearts of people that meant to keep them, only they couldn't.

"Vampa… what's going to happen?" Dennis asked with a childish innocence.

"We endure Dennisovich. We endure." There was little comfort to give in Dracula's position.

Dennis looked into his eyes. They stared back with a familiarity that confused him. He had seen that look before but he wasn't sure when his grandfather had done so. He was in the arms of someone that loved him; that was all that mattered. He felt just that bit safer.

"How happy, how sweet. I almost want to throw up." Bela's bolshie voice was insufferable, but Dracula kept his cool for his grandson's safety as the beast made his presence known.

"I will walk with Dennis." Dracula announced.

"Whatever. Like I care. Just don't call my temper out. There is no banker here to save you this… what?"

They both turned to Bela as his voice rose. They heard his bulk stomp closer and closer.

"You will, what?" Something had caught Bela's ear.

"I will walk with Dennisovich, I don't care what you want to do to me. I've agreed not to resist, just let me walk with him."

Bela grit his teeth as his beady eyes pierced into Dracula's soul. He gave up, no longer caring for the wretch in front of him. He waved his hand as if swatting a fly and backed away.

"Keep them moving. If they slow down, I'll eat whoever let them!"

Bela's motivation drew his followers to immediate action. Dracula took hold of the boy's hand. Guilt weighed heavy.

"It will be okay Dennisovich. I promise."

As much as Dennis wanted to believe him, it was something he couldn't do anymore.