The sound of rain against the roofs of the barracks was enough to make anyone feel sleepy, but Carter stayed awake, not wanting anyone else to receive Veidt's reply. It would probably take a few hours to reach him, though, so he considered napping for a bit. The others were reading or writing letters in their bunks. Water was being boiled for tea.

Carter dropped down from his bunk when he heard the familiar tapping of a raven's beak against a window. The shape of the bird was distorted by the rain rolling down the glass until he opened the window, seeing the raven, holding out an envelope. I thought it would be here a lot later, Carter thought.

He opened the envelope after closing the window, and quickly realized why it hadn't taken long to arrive. Veidt's here? That's some incredible timing. He hid the letter, and figured now was a good time to nap if he was going to stay up late to meet Veidt in the woods.

The day continued as normal, though Carter was looking forward to seeing Veidt again. They had seen each other a few times since their initial meeting back in December, and in some ways, they had gotten close, though not nearly as close as Carter was with the rest of Barracks Two. Veidt had a tragic history in that he used to be completely loyal to the SS, but had begun changing for the better. The fact that he had saved Carter's life proved it, but he was still riddled with guilt and prone to self-deprecation if something went wrong.

Carter hoped Veidt was in a good state of mind that night. He had to sneak past the others to get to the tunnels under the camp. There was silence when he emerged from the tree stump, and disappeared into the dark forest after avoiding being seen by the camp searchlights. The rain had finally stopped, but it left everything soaking wet. Puddles of mud and water covered the forest floor, and Carter found himself hopping over them, not wanting to be stuck with wet shoes and socks.

As he came to the edge of the woods, he spotted a tall and thin figure standing on a slight hill. The figure spotted him as well, and whispered, "Carter! Is that you?"

"Veidt?" Carter whispered back. He jogged forward, seeing Veidt in a gray turtleneck sweater, brown pants, and boots already covered in mud. It was odd seeing him in civilian clothes. "You look… surprisingly normal."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Veidt raised an eyebrow, grinning a little.

"I guess. Never seen you in anything other than a uniform."

"Well, when I mentioned I am on 'business' for Kaschel, I meant that I am somewhat undercover."

"Is there anything I—we can help you with?"

"At the moment, no, but I will ask if the need arises." Veidt sat on a log, prompting Carter to sit as well. "So, Colonel Hogan has been helping a German officer with something and you want information on him?"

"Yeah. I know it's not… well… I didn't exactly get Hogan's permission for this. I've been curious about this officer for a little while. He's very secretive, has some odd habits, and Hogan has said that what this guy is doing isn't any of our business anymore. Something is off about him and I feel like I should know."

"What is this officer's name?"

"Captain Florian Reiger. He's part of the army."

A stunned look came over Veidt's face. He looked down, as if trying to compose himself.

"Do you know who he is?"

Veidt nodded a little. "I know exactly who he is. I cannot say that I am surprised Colonel Hogan does not know the truth."

"The truth?"

"Florian Reiger is a vampire."

Words caught in Carter's throat. He blinked and shook his head, wondering if what he had just heard was real. "What?"

"Yes. He is an artificially-made vampire, the result of an experiment to create a 'perfect' vampire. One with all the advantages and none of the weaknesses."

"So… he… drinks blood? Like any other vampire?"

Veidt nodded. "That is one weakness that cannot be removed. Like all other vampires, he must drink blood to survive. Naturally, the reports would not say if any other weaknesses are present."

"Like what? Honestly, I don't know much about vampires."

"A normal vampire is nocturnal, largely due to being burned by sunlight. Reiger is fully immune to sunlight. He also has some resistance to silver, but rarely is any magic user fully immune to silver."

"What about garlic? Don't vampires hate garlic?"

"The garlic thing is a myth. They can consume garlic just fine. Reiger can see his reflection, and he can be seen in photographs."

"I remember reading in a pulp novel that vampires have to be invited inside in order to come in your house. Is that true?"

Veidt gave him a look. "That one is even more absurd than garlic."

"Sorry."

"It is not your fault. Few people will ever have the chance of meeting a real vampire."

"Good point." Carter brushed aside all other questions he had. "Reiger's father is a member of the Underground. We met Reiger once, and… from the start, something felt strange about him. Along with that, he didn't talk much and would cover his mouth when he did need to talk. He wanted us to get papers on a Lutz Steichen. Do you know him?"

Veidt nodded. "Steichen is a member of the Sorcery Division. He is in charge of the project that gave Reiger the vampiric curse."

Carter frowned. "Kinch asked London to find information on Steichen. They said he was a member of the Waffen-SS, not the Sorcery Division."

"That is what the SS wants London to think. What exactly did Reiger want on Steichen?"

"An itinerary. Apparently, Steichen is coming to Hammelburg to inspect a detachment."

Veidt shook his head. "Steichen is not in Hammelburg to inspect a detachment. He is here to re-capture Reiger and finish his experiment. He wants Reiger to find him. This is a trap."

From his vantage point on the roof of the Hammelburg hotel, Captain Reiger could see Sturmbannführer Steichen's staff car pull up outside his father's tavern. It was a particularly busy night, and Reiger didn't want the risk of any of the patrons seeing him. He nervously glanced up at the moon. It still looked like a half-moon, but Reiger could sense it was just a little bit fuller.

He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. Kneeling, Reiger watched Steichen and his two bodyguards, armed with MP40s, walk into the tavern. What is he planning to do? He knew it would be suicide to run down to stop them, especially if Steichen armed his men with bullets cased in a silver alloy. He knew Steichen himself had silver bullets in his Walther P38 handgun. That alone was a good enough reason for him to stay put. Making a scene would not do any good, either.

The gentle murmur of tavern chatter was suddenly broken by the rapid banging of the MP40s being fired. Some screams were heard, followed by Steichen shouting, "Where is Florian Reiger?!"

Reiger winced, but he didn't smell blood. Frankly, he was glad he didn't smell blood. I cannot be here if Steichen starts killing people. I am too close. I do not know if I would be able to control myself.

The next voice he heard was his father's. "Stop scaring my customers! What do you want with my son?"

"I want to know where he is, old man," Steichen replied. "Tell me where he is, and I will leave quietly."

"I do not know where he is. He left earlier today."

"And where did he go?"

"He would not say."

"Oh, how unfortunate. Do you know how to bring him back?"

"He said he was leaving for another town. I do not think he will be back for some time."

"Do not worry about it. I know how to… lure him here." Steichen turned to his guards. "Pick a patron. Execute them. Shoot them through the neck. I want as much blood as possible."

Reiger dashed to the other side of the roof when he heard the guards start shooting. He had to get away before he smelled the blood. As he approached a fire escape ladder, the metallic scent struck him, and a voice deep inside began begging him to go to it, to drink it. No. No, that is what Steichen wants… but I have not drunk in so long. I drank the bare minimum to keep myself alive on the last full moon. He didn't want to start craving it. Not now. It was just going to make things difficult.

After climbing down the ladder and making a run for it out of town, an overwhelming urge to cry broke through his sudden desire for blood. I have left my family alone with those monsters!

"We have to go find Reiger, then." Carter stood up, but Veidt gently took his wrist.

"Let me," Veidt said. "I can bring him here."

"You are part of the Sorcery Division, though. He won't listen to you. Does he even know about the League of Sorcerers?"

"No."

"Then it would be better if I was with you. Reiger would at least recognize me."

Veidt sighed, and nodded. "Alright, but you should tell Colonel Hogan. I do not want a repeat of what happened when I took you and Private Lechner to Augsburg and you were reported as escaped."

"I'll tell him, but we have to find Reiger before Steichen gets here."

"Steichen is already in Hammelburg. I followed him today—" Veidt looked over his shoulder when the distant cracking of gunshots rang out. "I have a bad feeling about what that is about." He glanced at Carter. "Go on back to your barracks. I have an idea on how I can get you out of your barracks for an extended period of time."

"What's your idea?" Carter raised an eyebrow.

"I am going to come and 'arrest' you for questioning, saying a man who looked like you had been spotted with a known Underground agent."

"That's more of a Gestapo thing."

Veidt grinned. "An Underground agent suspected of possessing magical artifacts."

"That makes more sense." Carter couldn't help grinning as well. "You're getting good at the quick lies and excuses."

"It is not something I am proud of, but if it keeps you and everyone else that I care for alive, I am willing to do it." Veidt's expression sobered. "I should… go investigate what those shots were."

"Are you okay?" Concern speared Carter's chest.

"I will be alright."

"You don't look like it."

"Let me take care of this first, and then we can talk more tomorrow." Veidt turned to head back to Hammelburg, looking over his shoulder once at Carter before disappearing over the hill.

Carter remained where he was for a minute or two. His thoughts were now on Veidt's burden of guilt from his days of being loyal to the SS. Did I say something that made him start thinking about his past? He tried to think of what he could have said that bothered Veidt, but paused when he remembered Veidt saying "It is not something I am proud of," in response to Carter praising his ability to think of a quick excuse to get him out of Stalag 13. He always says that when discussing his past. Damn! I shouldn't have praised him for lying. That's such a stupid thing to praise anyway.

Carter stood, looking around cautiously. He heard another set of gunshots, and found himself hoping that Veidt was alright. A second later, he dismissed that fear. There's no way Veidt is even back in Hammelburg now. He turned to head back to camp.

He froze in place when he heard a twig snapping. Looking to his right, Carter spotted something approaching him, something that he could somehow tell wasn't human. A deer stepped into the moonlight, pausing a few feet away from him. The buck lowered his head, almost in a greeting of sorts.

"Long time, no see," Carter whispered. He reached out, touching the buck's nose. "What do you have for me now?"

After repeatedly running into and dreaming of deer throughout the course of his mission to save Lechner, Carter had somewhat begun to accept the idea that he had a connection with them, but he by no means understood it. He wasn't sure he ever would.

The buck let Carter stroke his nose one more time before slowly turning and running north. Sighing, Carter ran after it. The buck would stop occasionally to let him catch up, then keep going.

They ran for some time, until coming to a point where the forest thinned and narrowed into farmland. The buck stopped and looked around, and so did Carter. As he got closer to the buck, he suddenly felt as though he wasn't alone. Looking to his right, he saw a figure coming over the hill from the direction of Hammelburg. When he saw the trademark peaked cap of a German officer, Carter frantically glanced around for a place to hide.

The German got closer, and Carter soon recognized him in the moonlight. "Captain Reiger!" he called.

Reiger panicked. He slipped and fell as he was coming down the hill, and tried to scramble back up.

"Wait!" Carter said in German. "I was with Papa Bear! You can trust me!"

"Stay away!" Reiger shouted. "S-Stay away!"

"I want to help you, Captain. Hear me out, please." Carter moved closer to Reiger, who was breathing hard with his mouth open. He finally saw for himself why Reiger kept it covered; all four of the German's incisors were elongated fangs, razor-sharp like those of an animal.

When Carter approached, Reiger covered his mouth with his hands, and shook his head. "Please, stay away," he begged.

"Reiger, I know that you were turned into a vampire."

"How? Who told you?"

"Another contact. He told me about Steichen. Steichen is setting up a trap for you. He—"

"I know. I know it is a trap." Reiger lowered his hands. "Steichen took over my family's tavern not even a half-hour ago. He is going to stay there until I go back. I cannot go back."

"What about your family?"

"I cannot go back."

"But—"

"Please, do not argue with me. I do not need help." Reiger stood up. "My mission is over. I have to go into hiding."

"You cannot just leave them!"

"If you were in my position, you would understand."

"No. We can help you."

"You cannot help me, and you do not want me around. I am too dangerous."

"I still think we can help you. Give us a chance."

"No. I will only hurt you." Reiger backed away as Carter continued to approach him.

"I know you would not." Carter held out his hand, which seemed to only frighten Reiger more. When he saw it wasn't helping, Carter lowered his hand. "What can I do to make you comfortable?"

"Let me go. That is all I ask."

Carter could see tears sparkling in Reiger's eyes. Is he really that dead-set on not having help? There was so much pain in Reiger's expression that it was hurting Carter as well. "Please, Captain, I want to help you."

"You cannot help me. Are you unable to take 'no' for an answer?"

"Not when I can see how much this hurts you."

Reiger was quiet for a moment. "You really do not care that… I could hurt you?"

"I know it is not your fault."

A defeated look came over Reiger's face. "Let me think about it." He turned north, then looked at Carter. "I will be hiding in a ski lodge in the mountains a few kilometers north of here."

Carter nodded. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

"I have not decided on that yet, but I will in time. I just need to be alone for the night."

Veidt spotted Steichen's car parked in front of the Reiger family's tavern. His stomach dropped before he could even think about what Steichen could be doing, and he crossed the street in order to get a better look at what was happening without being seen himself.

Steichen was lounging in a chair with his boots up on a table. One guard was at the front door, while another was at the back. The strong smell of blood had filled the air around the tavern, and Veidt suppressed a gasp of horror at seeing the body of an older man slumped over, the front of his clothing completely soaked in blood. He is preying on Reiger's primary weakness. Vampires could smell blood from a greater distance away than a non-cursed individual, and it was often more powerful in vampires who hadn't drank in a while.

Veidt kept walking, his mind hard at work. If I get Kaschel involved, I will not be able to help Reiger. It will just make things harder. On the other hand, Steichen is going to kill innocent people until he gets Reiger back. Kaschel would not allow this to continue, and he has the authority to stop this. Steichen might not listen to me, and I do not want him to know I am here.

Walking away hurt. Veidt looked down, feeling sick. If I do not do something, this will be all my fault! No… why are you thinking that? You did not start this. This is Steichen's doing. He entered the lobby of the Hammelburg hotel, struggling to maintain a neutral expression. Once he was in his room, a torrent of guilt and frustration burst from him in the form of heaving sobs. This is all your fault! If you cannot do something then you have not changed at all! Veidt clenched his fists as he sat on his bed, fighting his own thoughts and hugging his knees. He could envision his past self being happy about seeing what Steichen was doing. Glancing across the room, he saw the large ornate mirror on the wall, above a table with a vase of flowers. He could still see the smug and prideful look, hidden deep within the recesses of his memory. It was unbelievably hideous and horrifying.

Veidt stayed still for several long minutes, feeling his fear and terror start to melt away as he forced himself back into reality. His body was shaking as he let go of his legs, and sat hunched over, feeling as though he was going to throw up. The nausea passed within a few minutes of starting.

I have to find Reiger. Either he is not in Hammelburg, or he is strongly resisting the smell of all that blood. I imagine that is quite painful. Veidt stood, going into the bathroom to get changed into his nightclothes. His guilt would return in waves as he went about his nightly routine, but he continued to tell himself that he needed to be logical about how to save Reiger and the people being held hostage in the tavern.

As he was leaving the bathroom, the telephone rang. Veidt had a feeling he knew who was calling. Part of him wanted to ignore it, but he knew he would get in a lot of trouble if he did, so he picked up. "Hauptsturmführer Veidt speaking."

"Good evening, Veidt," Kaschel said. "Have you anything to report?"

Veidt swallowed. Should I tell him? He could end this quickly, but he would also get in the way. "N-No, Standartenführer."

Kaschel was quiet for a moment. "Steichen must be attempting this much more carefully than I was expecting."

"Perhaps, sir. He has done nothing out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary for a normal person, or out of the ordinary for someone like him?"

"I would say, 'out of the ordinary for a normal person,' sir. He is… presently enjoying some of the local food and drink."

"I cannot say I am surprised. Keep an eye on him. Has he suspected anything yet?"

"No, sir."

"Good. I am glad you volunteered to undertake this, Veidt. This will be a great test of your strength."

"Indeed it will." In more ways than one. "Is there anything else you need, Standartenführer?"

"No, Veidt. Have a good night. Get some rest."

"You, too, sir." Veidt waited for Kaschel to hang up before putting the phone down. He sighed heavily. If he finds out I lied, I am a dead man. Although… Veidt rubbed his chin, thinking. I could tell him it was to keep Steichen from suspecting anything. I could tell him the phones were tapped and I had to lie. He grinned a little, but it quickly faded. Carter is right. I am getting good at lying and making things up as I go. It really is not something I should be proud of. It keeps me alive. I guess that is all that matters.