Disclaimer: the story is based on the Austrian musical "Tanz der Vampire" and its predecessor, the movie "Fearless Vampire Killers". All due credit goes to Mr.s Michael Kunze, Jim Steinmann and Roman Polanski.

- CHAPTER 9 - BROKEN HOPES -

Dora's untimely death was the main topic at dinner that night. All the resident vampires seemed equally shocked by the news but it didn't stop them from accusing one another of having committed the murder.

"It can't have been any of us," Anna Borbély finally pointed out. "The last time we saw Dora was when she left on Tuesday morning and she was found dead..?"

"On Wednesday afternoon," Anton reminded her.

"Right. And we have all been here in that span of time."

"Someone could've snuck out during the ball," Jan suggested.

"No one would do that. Not when we had a human over."

"And even if they did," Hasek, who'd been avoiding the conversation up until now, spoke up, "they would've found the poor girl dead already."

The other vampires raised their brows at the Doctor.

With a roll of his eyes, Hasek explained, "Dora's body was found in the woods and she had only reason to be there when going home from or returning to the castle. That meaning she could have only been killed on Tuesday morning or Wednesday evening. We can rule out the latter as we know she was already dead by then so that leaves us with Tuesday, likely sometime between 3 and 4 a.m."

"That makes a lot of sense, Doctor," Anna agreed, "but I don't see how it changes my point that it couldn't have been any of us."

"Precisely," Zoltàn put in his two cents. "All of us have been here at that time."

"Not all of us," Jan said pensively. "I remember Eszter had left the castle earlier that morning and no one had seen her until the evening."

"Yes, you're right," Helene backed him up. "She was angry the Graf decided to let that German go for the time being."

"That German has a name, you know," Anton grunted but nobody paid him attention as one by one the other vampires joined in the accusations against Eszter.

"It hadn't been I," the Hungarian barked. "Yes, I was angry and yes, I stormed out of here before anyone else but I went straight to my grave!"

"We only have your word for that and we all know how much your word is worth: nothing."

"Well, you don't have to take her word for that," Zoltàn came Eszter's defense, "just use your common sense. My sister would never harm Dora as wouldn't I. As none of us would. And do you know why? Because she was our loyal servant! She took care of our home and brought food to our table!" He pointed out to the remains of his meager portion of rabbit stew. "If someone hadn't killed her we wouldn't have to dine on this excuse for a meal!"

"Hey, have some respect," Chagal gruffed, offended. "Magda and I did the best we could to serve you loafers anything at all."

"Not to mention," Zoltàn continued without interruption," Dora was so anemic her blood was no better than water. We all knew that."

"Well, perhaps our dear Eszter wasn't after Dora? Perhaps she was after that German and just made a mistake?"

The Hungarian squinted her eyes in fury. "You think I can't tell one person from another!?"

"No, I'm not saying that-"

"Except you just did!"

At the other end of the table, Anton leaned in towards Alfred. "What do you think? Could Eszter really have done it?"

"I wouldn't put it past her," Alfred said, watching the raging vampiress, "but Zoltàn had raised a very valid point. Dora was our ally; it would've been plain stupid to kill her. And Eszter may be a lot of things but stupid isn't one of them."

"What if it was a stray? You know, a vampire coming from another area or someone turned lately without your knowledge?"

"Even if there was a stray wandering around, they'd go after someone healthy and strong like your sister, not some scrawny anemic. No, I don't think it had been a vampire at all."

"Gabor had told Meike it had been a wolf but it can't have been one. I know what a wolf bite looks like and it's nothing like the wound the men in the village had described: a single clean bite mark on the side of the neck, exactly like mine." Saying that Anton threw a reproachful glare at Herbert. The vampire met his eyes and for a moment Anton thought he'd seen a flash of remorse in them but it vanished the moment it came and he decided he must have just imagined it.

Eszter must have had enough because suddenly she got off of her seat and stormed out of the room followed by her inseparable brother. One by one, the others began to leave as well. Soon the only ones still at the table were Magda, Herbert, Alfred, and Anton.

"We need to get more provisions. Not only meat but other things too," Magda said as she collected the dishes. "I think I'll take the car and drive to Bistritz tonight."

"Can I go with you?" Anton asked. He hadn't been to Bistitz in ages and would gladly take the opportunity to visit the city again even if it was for something as boring as grocery shopping.

Magda replied, "Sure, I don't see why you couldn't."

Alfred, who'd been sitting in deep thought for the last few minutes, spoke up. "There is one more thing that has to be done. Someone must go to the inn and retrieve the Professor's books and my journal."

"We could stop for that on our way to Bistritz," Anton suggested. "I know where the books and the journal are. I could go in and get them in no time."

"Yes, good idea," Magda agreed. "Herbert, you'll come with us as well."

Herbert rose his brows. "Me? Why?"

"I need someone to keep on the lookout while we break-in."

"Can't you take Alfred? He sure knows his way around the inn way better than I do."

"I can come," Alfred offered but Magda dismissed him.

"No offense, Alfred, but you're a bit clumsy," she said. "The last thing I need is for you to trip over your feet and wake up the entire house."

Alfred opened his mouth as if to argue but meeting Magda's eyes, he only mumbled something like, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Anton looked between the one and the other, a funny feeling building at the back of his head. He couldn't for the death of him remember Alfred ever being particularly clumsy.

§§§

Meike stared into her wine glass, her mind revolving around a single thought. Antidote. There existed an antidote. She had to find out if Otto had any and then convince him somehow to give her some, but how? So far she failed to even steer the conversation on the vampire topic. Luckily for her, the Doctor did that for her.

"So, Frau Eckstein," he began, "I believe you wanted to ask me some questions about vampires, did you not?"

Meike faltered. She had to phrase this carefully so that Otto wouldn't realize what she was really after.

"What happens exactly when someone gets bitten?" she finally said, figuring it sounded vague enough and like something born out of genuine interest in the subject.

"Well," Otto began, "things can really go one of two ways: the person can die or they can turn into a vampire. Death generally only occurs in case of a mass attack. That is because, in order to actually die, a person has to lose more blood than their body is able to compensate - that's about two to three liters, depending on the person. A single vampire is hardly able to drink this much in the short time span given."

"How so?"

"When a vampire bites a person they inject them with a dose of a unique chemical substance their body produces. Its immediate effect is that of slowing down the heart rate which would normally increase under these circumstances. This is to prevent the person from bleeding out and the vampire from drinking too much because biting is first and foremost a mechanism for reproduction. This is further proven by the fact that the consumption of prepackaged blood, while perfectly capable of satisfying the need for nutrients, is unable to placate, let alone erase this natural instinct."

"So this is what it's really about? Reproduction? Can't you reproduce in more... traditional ways?"

"Vampires can have sex just like humans," Vanda threw in, "but it will never result in a pregnancy which makes perfect sense from a biological standpoint. The human capacity to create new life is the outcome of our existence as part of a cycle. We are born, we age and we die. Vampires are unchanging so logically they can only be made as such."

"And speaking of that, I was saying" Otto took over, "as the vampire venom enters the bloodstream it causes the heart rate to slow down which results in undetectable pulse and breathing, a drop in body temperature, and extreme pallor. If the person had fainted as the result of blood loss, once they recovered presenting these symptoms they may give off the impression of a reanimated corpse. In the next twenty-four hours or so the venom comes into a series of chemical reactions within the human body triggering a mutation on a genetic level. This is usually accompanied by cold sweat, shivers, increasing sensitivity to smells and sounds, and sometimes a major lack of appetite. Eventually, the craving for blood manifests. When the person has some - and they always to for how strong the first bloodlust is - their pupils dilate and paralyze resulting in a sudden and extreme aversion to light which marks the completion of the turning process."

"Can... " Meike held back. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to pose the next question but she didn't have much of an alternative if she wanted to find out what she had come there for. Ultimately, she asked, "Can the process be reversed?"

"No," Otto replied easily, "it can neither be stopped nor reversed."

Meike felt her head spin. Abandoning all pretense she blurted out, "I know there exists an antidote. Vanda told me."

"Yes, there is one," Vanda said, "but it works as a contraceptive, not a cure."

"Indeed," Otto confirmed. "After years of research I found a way to neutralize the venom and prevent people from turning but that was the most I was able to do. Once you have turned, there is no going back."

Meike suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe. "Excuse me," she uttered, and getting off her chair, she ran out into the porch. Grabbing at the wooden handrail, she desperately gasped for air but it was as if someone was holding her by the throat.

There was the sound of steps and a cold hand rested on her shoulder.

"I now finally understand what you really came here for," Krolock said with a slight note of disappointment. "I don't know how couldn't I see it before. Perhaps I didn't want to see."

"Anton never meant to come to the castle, you know. It had been I who talked him into it. It's my fault if he got bitten."

"It's not your fault."

"I promised him I'd find a way to get him back to normal."

"The best thing you can do for him now is to show him that it doesn't matter for you if he's changed. Now come. We'll better get going if we want to be back to the castle before dawn."

Without a word Meike let the vampire walk her back inside. They said their goodbyes to Otto and Vanda and then prepared to leave.

As she was waiting for Krolock to roll the bike into the road, Vanda came out of the house.

"Take this." She thrust something into her hand.

Meike stared at the object. It resembled an insulin pen. Guessing she had just been offered a dose of the infamous antidote, she said, "It won't be of use anymore."

"Not to the person you wanted it for," Vanda admitted, "but it can be of use for you. Krolock wants to turn you - he'd have asked for the antidote if he didn't - and that means he likes you. I can tell you're not entirely indifferent to him either but you might want to think twice before becoming a vampire for him. If you do you'll have to say goodbye to tropical vacations, to a regular day-time job, to ever having children. You'll have to get used to living at night, to sleeping underground, to drinking human blood."

"Meike!" Krolock called. "Come on, let's go!"

Meike quickly put the pen shot into her jacket pocket, and giving one last goodbye and a thank you to Vanda, she ran out into the road. Putting her helmet on, she mounted the bike and wrapped her arms around the vampire's waist. Seconds later they were running at full speed towards the highway, leaving behind Cluj Napoca and with it the last hope Meike had for making up for her mistake.

§§§

It had been agreed that the best time to break into the inn would be between 2 and 3 a.m. as all the residents should certainly be asleep at that time.

Anton felt like the night stretched into infinity as he waited for Magda to call him in. Meanwhile, he went through the clothes Alfred had brought him earlier looking for something suitable to wear. As he tried on another fancy fishnet top he made a mental note to pick up a few of his own things while at the inn. Still, he managed to find a pair of basic black jeans and a black sweatshirt.

The call finally came. Coming out into the courtyard ten minutes later, Anton found Herbert and Magda already there, both dressed down and with their hair fixed into neat braids. Magda got the car out of the garage and once the other two hopped on, she slowly rolled it down to the village.

At the sight of the inn, Anton felt something heavy rest in the pit of his stomach. He didn't miss the place, nor did he miss his family. He'd been wanting to leave for a long time already but not in the way he did. The memory of his father raging after him and his sister crying in terror weighed him down like a ball of led.

"Anton!" Magda's voice broke through his thoughts. "Did you hear what I said? Where are the books and the journal?"

"Huh?"

"The books. And the journal. Where are they exactly? Which room?"

"Oh, yes," Anton snapped back into the present. He pointed towards the attic window to the left. "That's Meike's room. Both books are going to be there. Next door there's Zhenia's room but she'll definitely be dead asleep at this time. The journal is in my room. It's right by the stairs on the second floor. Down the corridor, there's the master bedroom and next to it, my grandma's room. Hard to tell about her, but my father has a very light sleep. We'll have to keep very quiet as not to wake him up."

"Alright, here's the plan," Magda began, "we'll get in through the skylight in the bathroom-"

"I say we just use the front door," Anton cut in, producing from his pocket and old metal key. "I had left it at the castle on the night of the ball along with my jacket."

"Anyway, Anton, you go to your room and get the journal. Herbert, you stay by the door and keep watch. I'll climb to the attic to search for the books."

Anton and Herbert nodded in agreement and then they got going.

As dark and silent as shadows, they slipped through the door and reaching the staircase, they climbed to the second floor. There they divided. Magda continued further up while Anton snuck into his old bedroom, Herbert watching his back.

The journal was exactly where Anton had left it, hidden deep in his desk drawer underneath a pile of old papers.

"Here, take it." He handed it to Herbert before digging his backpack out of the wardrobe and starting to shove inside random clothes and other assorted items. He was contemplating the utility of squishing in a couple of fairly mediocre books he never finished reading, having a large library at his disposal at the castle when he noticed Herbert had left his spot by the door and looking around, he found him rummaging through the papers that lay scattered on his desk.

"Hey, get away from my stuff," he hissed under his breath.

In response, Herbert just waved one of the pages at him. "Did you write this?"

"Give me that!" Anton yanked the page out of Herbert's hand.

"Honestly though, did you write this?" Herbert insisted on asking, not at all bothered by Anton's brusque reaction. "I'd have never thought you had a knack for poetry."

"They're not poems," Anton huffed. "They're songs. Well, they could be if I could actually write music. I can't even play any instruments."

"I can do both," Herbert said. "I could teach you if you'd like? We have an old piano in the castle. If you had a melody in mind perhaps you could hum it and I could try to play it and then we could just write it down and see what comes out of it. We could make this work."

"I guess…"

"You'll see, we're gonna have a lot of fun with this."

Anton imagined the situation: him and Herbert at the piano, playing and singing, giving a proper shape to those half-formed creations of his that he always thought would forever rot in his desks' drawer. He had to admit, the idea was tempting.

"Alright, let's do it," he finally said, walking up to the desk and starting to gather the papers up into a pile.

There was a barely audible creak.

Anton and Herbert exchanged a horrified look. Had they woken someone up with their careless chatter?

In a heap, Herbert was at the window, clearly intent on getting through onto the tin roof below and out of the inn, but Anton grabbed him by the arm.

"The damn thing won't open since I broke the latch a few years ago," he whispered. "Here." He pulled Herbert towards the wardrobe but then he realized there was no way either of them would fit inside, let alone both. Perhaps if they threw out all of the contents…

There was another creak, this one much closer.

In a flash, Anton shoved Herbert into a dark corner and ducked behind the curtain that, being translucent, actually did little to conceal him.

The door opened and Magda peered in. "What the hell are you doing?"

Herbert and Anton came out of their hiding spots if one could call them so.

"You scared the hell out of us," Herbert explained. "We thought someone was coming and we just panicked."

"So? Do you have those books?" Anton asked, hoping that they could finally get the hell outta there.

Magda raised her empty hands. "I searched everywhere. There's no trace of them upstairs."

"They're not here either. Perhaps Meike took them with her when she left with the Graf."

"Yeah, perhaps," Magda muttered without much conviction as she backed out into the corridor.

The floor creaked again but this time it hadn't been her. A familiar voice screeched, "Vampire! Vampire in the house!"

Magda cursed under her breath and hit the stairs. Herbert wanted to follow but Anton stopped him.

"Under the bed, quick," he huffed, bringing him onto the ground and helping him slid into the narrow crevice.

There was the sound of a slamming door followed by quick angry steps.

Anton squeezed himself under the bed next to Herbert just in time before a pair of feet tucked inside ugly brown slippers appeared on the doorstep. Frozen, he watched as the feet trudged across the room, their owner checking all the possible places where someone may try to hide. It was only a matter of time before he looked under the bed.

"She's not here, you fool," screeched grandma Hayman. "She ran off downstairs."

Anton's father ran out of the room but it was too late. Magda had already made it out of the building and drove off into the night.

"I can't believe she left us here," Herbert fussed listening to the fading roar of their car's engine.

"Shut up." Anton put a hand over his mouth. Thankfully his father hadn't caught notice of their little exchange, too preoccupied with Zhenia who had appeared on the attic stairs.

"Papa! What happened? Did a vampire come again?" she cried.

"Yes darling but don't worry, they are gone now. Papa has chased them away. Now go back to sleep. You too, mother."

There was the shuffling of feet followed by the slamming of a door, then silence.

Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, then half an hour.

"Do you think it's safe to get out?" Herbert finally asked.

Anton rose the hem of the blanket and peeked outside. The room and nearby corridor were perfectly dark and still.

"Yeah, it's fine, he said. "Come on."

Carefully, they slid from under the bed and collecting Anton's backpack and the Journal, they moved towards the stairs.

Anton cursed in his mind each time the wood made the slightest of sounds and relaxed only when they finally made it outside.

"Damn, that was close," he muttered, looking back at the inn. "My father had gone after me, his own son, with a bloody wood hatchet. I don't even want to think about what he may have wanted to do to you. Or Magda for that matter."

"Speaking of her, I still can't get over the fact she just drove off, leaving us to ourselves," Herbert grumbled.

"I think she was trying to get the attention away from us. She probably thought that my grandma or my father would follow her downstairs without checking the room, giving us the opportunity to hide and sneak out when things have calmed down. Think of it, that plan actually worked."

"Still, she could've waited for us in the car."

"As if that wouldn't look suspicious. If she did that, she could've just as well told my father that she was waiting for two more vampires that were still in the house. Besides…"

"Yes?"

Anton bit his lip nervously. "Besides, I think she wanted to give the two of us an opportunity to talk. I mean, what argument did she use to get you to come with us? Alfred being clumsy! Seriously? I haven't seen him trip once, have you?"

"Once or twice. But I agree with you, Magda orchestrated all of this."

They walked for a few minutes in silence until finally, Herbert spoke again.

"I didn't bite you out of spite, you know," he said.

It was hardly an apology but for Anton, it sufficed as such. He flashed Herbert a forgiving smile and sighed, "I know."