Beth sniffed the air. He wasn't there, though he had been. She went up to the librarian.
"Miss," she smiled sweetly, "My name is Beth. I'm looking for a young man, a doctor, was probably looking at a couple of books... Have you seen him?"
"Hello, dear, nice to meet you," she held out her hand and Beth took it. The woman's blood was weak and unhealthy. The disease had not yet even began to incubate, but Beth could tell. She could always tell.
"He might have been here with a girl," Beth added, catching the scent of Abby Lockhart.
"Well a lot of people come and go in here, but there was a man who had plenty of books on the supernatural sprawled across that table there..."
"Yes, yes, that's him," Beth nodded, "Did you happen to see where he went?"
"I'm afraid not. He left with a brown haired young woman in quite a hurry."
"Do you know the last book he looked at?"
"I believe it was Vampire Legends by Lisa Callaway..." Beth snorted. "Is something funny?"
"No, no, not at all," Beth lied. In the seventeenth century, Beth's sire, Lisa, had researched vampires before being bitten herself back in England. She had written and in a later century published her book when it was easier to print. It was almost as a joke, really, because though most of it is true, people would believe it to be fairy tails and such. Though Dave was smart. Dave believed... Or remembered.
"Thank you, ma'am," Beth nodded and remembered a certain legend in Lisa's book, "Your help is greatly appreciated," and with that, she left. She knew where Dave would be. She knew that he would put two and two together.
"Carter, weren't you taking the day off today?" Mark asked when he saw him pick up another chart.
"I changed my mind. I mean, what's the point?" Carter asked.
"Your call," Mark shrugged and turned away from him. Carter sighed and looked at his chart.
"OK, twenty-five-year-old female, muscle pains..." he muttered.
"Dave, what are we doing?!" Abby demanded as Dave walked briskly down the street.
"Beth said something about a chosen one. I looked it up. In 998 there was a vampire. She wasn't your everyday vampire. She practiced magic and was one of the few vampires at that time to do so. She became very powerful. Unfortunately, one day, she fell in love."
"Wait, hold on, vampires?" Abby asked, "OK, Dave, whatever you say."
"The man she loved was a mortal," Dave continued, ignoring her, "And she found he felt the same way about her. Unfortunately, they could never be. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and he was betrothed. The vampire killed his fiancé. He screamed and couldn't believe what she'd done. She asked him if he would like to become a vampire, the most powerful of all vampires. Reluctantly, he agreed and for two years they ruled as the most powerful vampires in the land. But something went wrong. A crazy mortal suspected something. He blew their cover in a small town and they were staked. But before they were, she cast a spell. A spell that she and her beloved would return, in a new form and new place, in one thousand years. A form that no one would suspect. In a form that one wouldn't believe... Do you know what day that was Abby?" Dave asked.
"Um... huh?"
"The Eve of St. Valentine's. They were killed on Valentine's day. In Vampire Belief, a vampire must be sired when there is blood on the moon, ever since that day. Because the blood symbolizes Emily's blood. Emily was the only name they knew her by and her husband was Jonathan."
"What does this fairy tale have to do with Carter?" Abby asked. Dave stopped dead making Abby run straight into him. He spun around.
"It is not a fairy tale! Don't you understand? It's happening now! All of this is happening right now! A few nights ago, I could have sworn I saw Lucy. Of course that's impossible because she died. On February 14 2000. Exactly 1000 years after Emily and Jonathan's deaths. And who was stabbed along beside her in that incident? John Carter. But I have a feeling he wasn't supposed to survive. Didn't Lucy and Carter meet in 1998? 1000 years since Jonathan and Emily met? The legend speaks of two Chosen Ones, supposedly Emily and Jonathan reincarnated. 'They will arise from the ashes and be reborn!' It's all right there. I have a feeling that they think it's Carter and Lucy." There was silence for a while.
"Dave..." Abby whispered.
"What? I don't care if you don't believe me, I believe myself."
"First of all, I won't say you've been reading too much Dracula. Secondly... have you noticed how fast you've been walking? You've been acting very strange lately..." Abby squinted at him and saw how clammy and pale he was and gasped. He was shaking.
"Dave!" she cried, "What's happened to you?"
"We don't need to worry about that now!" Dave cried, "Carter's going to be bitten!"
"Congratulations, Dave." The voice made both Dave and Abby jump. They looked around but couldn't see where it came from.
"I must admit, I didn't think you'd be going through Lisa's old books. I thought you'd just forget. But you don't forget easily, do you? Roxanne underestimated you." There was a whoosh of air as someone jumped off the roof of the store they were by. Abby let out a small shriek of surprise. The girl straightened up and smiled at Abby. She then turned to Dave.
"We haven't much time. Roxanne's doing it tonight. The Master wanted Lucy to do it, but she wouldn't allow it. She wasn't going to kill one of her friends. But you have to be careful. Roxanne will also be looking for you tonight. She was planning on siring you tonight before the Master even asked her to do the honors of Carter. Quickly!" And with that, Beth turned and sprinted away with Dave on her heals. Abby stood there staring after them for a minute or two, then laughed.
"Oh I get it! You hired some girl to pretend she was a vampire! Dave? DAVE! COME BACK HERE!" Abby started running after them too, "Carter's not going to like this!"
Carter walked slowly to his room, looking at the chart. Marion Wallace was the woman. About to open the door, he felt someone grab his hand. He looked up and saw a woman in a black coat and sunglasses. The same woman who had talked to him yesterday.
"You!" he cried, "what are you doing here?"
"I strongly suggest you don't go in there, Dr. Carter," she whispered. Carter, his senses more aware than they had been that day in the lounge from all the coffee he'd been drinking, squinted at the woman. Something about that voice...
"You sound familiar..."
"I should. I'm an old friend of yours but don't puzzle it too much. Get another patient. Give me the chart. Go on. Give me the chart," the woman held out her hand, expectantly. Carter stared at and noticed she was wearing a ring.
"Where'd you get that ring, Lucy?" he asked.
"I told you, it was my grandmother's, remember? That time when... wait, what did you call me?" The woman looked up at him, surprised. Carter took off her glasses and found himself looking once more into those bright blue eyes that looked terrified. He smiled.
"I don't know why," he said, "But I'm not surprised to see you. Can you tell me why?"
"I cannot," she said, "Because I'm not quite clear on it myself yet. In fact, I'm not quite sure why I'm even here right now. By all accounts, I should be dead. You know it, I know it, the whole country knows it. But unfortunately, thanks to creatures who are unnatural in every sense of the word, I am not dead but I can never be alive again. Carter you listen to me. You have to leave this patient. Your life is in serious danger!"
"How so?" Carter asked. He sounded skeptical and the look on his face confirmed it. Lucy frowned.
"You remember me, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Do you trust me?" she asked and waited. But there was no answer. She repeated the question, "Do you trust me?" But Carter was hesitating. Lucy sighed.
"You can't blame me, Lucy, can you? For not trusting you, I mean. You're dead."
"Then why aren't you surprised to see me?" she asked.
"Anything could explain this. A dream, a nightmare, a mental illness. Someone could have slipped me some LSD, I don't know! Hell, Lucy, the truth is..." Carter was shaking his head and laughing at himself, "The truth is, you're not real. You don't exist. You're not here. So I'm just going to go in and see my patient and when I come out, you'll go away." Lucy gaped at him as he looked calmly at her.
"Of course!" Lucy rolled her eyes, "Good sensible Carter will always find an explanation! Ah, here comes the cavalry! Explain that, doctor!" Lucy nodded past Carter and Carter looked over his shoulder to see Dave and Beth running their way with a panting Abby running after them. When all three of them finally got there, Dave noticed how pallid Dave's color was and how he didn't seem to be worried about the fact that he was shaking and sweating. He didn't even seem to notice.
"Carter, you can't see Roxanne tonight!" Beth cried.
"I have no intention of doing so!" Carter said.
"She'll find you. She always does. And if she doesn't, I know the Master will. You don't want to suffer his wrath, he's killed thousands." Carter looked at Beth for a long time. But Beth's eyes were suddenly diverted as were Abby's and Dave's. Abby's jaw could have reached the floor had she been a cartoon character. The shock she was experiencing was evident in the obvious expression on her face. Dave seemed less surprised, though surprised none the less.
"Lucy!" Beth cried, "What in God's name are you doing here?" she sounded angry. Lucy just held up a hand.
"Honestly, Elisabeth of Canterbury, I grow weary of you scolding me when I am not wrong!" Lucy imitated the Master. Beth couldn't help but giggle but Lucy frowned, "I'm serious, Beth. I have just as much reason to be here as you do!"
"So the legends were true..." Dave whispered. Lucy smiled at him.
"Oh you poor soul! Let's get you a blanket and something warm!"
"You sound like my mother," Dave grumbled.
"I'll live to be older than that. And older than you for that matter."
"You will, won't you. You'll probably outlive everyone in this hospital. It's a lonely life you chose to lead, Lucy. Lonely indeed." At Dave's words, Lucy glowered at him.
"You think I chose this life?!" she fumed, "I don't want to be what I am any more than you do!" when she realized what she said, she put a hand over her mouth. As quick as lightning, Beth whipped her head around to see Dave's reaction, her brown hair flying as she did so. Dave was looking at Lucy confused.
"I'm sorry, what..." but he was slowly remembering...
"If you let Roxanne finish, you will become something unreal, unnatural... you will become like us."
As Dave nearly fainted on the spot, Abby was muttering to herself.
"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening..."
"Well what is happening?!" Carter finally screamed. Everyone but Dave, who was still in shock, now looked at Carter.
"It's about time you knew your history," Beth whispered.
"You're right, Beth. It's about time the lad learns his history... and his fate!" the voice was that of an Irish woman who stepped out of the exam room, Carter had been about to enter. She was holding a knife and her sharp, ivory teeth were bared as her evil, now unnaturally colored eyes glared at the assembled crowd.
"I'm afraid there will have to be more than one death tonight."
"Miss," she smiled sweetly, "My name is Beth. I'm looking for a young man, a doctor, was probably looking at a couple of books... Have you seen him?"
"Hello, dear, nice to meet you," she held out her hand and Beth took it. The woman's blood was weak and unhealthy. The disease had not yet even began to incubate, but Beth could tell. She could always tell.
"He might have been here with a girl," Beth added, catching the scent of Abby Lockhart.
"Well a lot of people come and go in here, but there was a man who had plenty of books on the supernatural sprawled across that table there..."
"Yes, yes, that's him," Beth nodded, "Did you happen to see where he went?"
"I'm afraid not. He left with a brown haired young woman in quite a hurry."
"Do you know the last book he looked at?"
"I believe it was Vampire Legends by Lisa Callaway..." Beth snorted. "Is something funny?"
"No, no, not at all," Beth lied. In the seventeenth century, Beth's sire, Lisa, had researched vampires before being bitten herself back in England. She had written and in a later century published her book when it was easier to print. It was almost as a joke, really, because though most of it is true, people would believe it to be fairy tails and such. Though Dave was smart. Dave believed... Or remembered.
"Thank you, ma'am," Beth nodded and remembered a certain legend in Lisa's book, "Your help is greatly appreciated," and with that, she left. She knew where Dave would be. She knew that he would put two and two together.
"Carter, weren't you taking the day off today?" Mark asked when he saw him pick up another chart.
"I changed my mind. I mean, what's the point?" Carter asked.
"Your call," Mark shrugged and turned away from him. Carter sighed and looked at his chart.
"OK, twenty-five-year-old female, muscle pains..." he muttered.
"Dave, what are we doing?!" Abby demanded as Dave walked briskly down the street.
"Beth said something about a chosen one. I looked it up. In 998 there was a vampire. She wasn't your everyday vampire. She practiced magic and was one of the few vampires at that time to do so. She became very powerful. Unfortunately, one day, she fell in love."
"Wait, hold on, vampires?" Abby asked, "OK, Dave, whatever you say."
"The man she loved was a mortal," Dave continued, ignoring her, "And she found he felt the same way about her. Unfortunately, they could never be. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and he was betrothed. The vampire killed his fiancé. He screamed and couldn't believe what she'd done. She asked him if he would like to become a vampire, the most powerful of all vampires. Reluctantly, he agreed and for two years they ruled as the most powerful vampires in the land. But something went wrong. A crazy mortal suspected something. He blew their cover in a small town and they were staked. But before they were, she cast a spell. A spell that she and her beloved would return, in a new form and new place, in one thousand years. A form that no one would suspect. In a form that one wouldn't believe... Do you know what day that was Abby?" Dave asked.
"Um... huh?"
"The Eve of St. Valentine's. They were killed on Valentine's day. In Vampire Belief, a vampire must be sired when there is blood on the moon, ever since that day. Because the blood symbolizes Emily's blood. Emily was the only name they knew her by and her husband was Jonathan."
"What does this fairy tale have to do with Carter?" Abby asked. Dave stopped dead making Abby run straight into him. He spun around.
"It is not a fairy tale! Don't you understand? It's happening now! All of this is happening right now! A few nights ago, I could have sworn I saw Lucy. Of course that's impossible because she died. On February 14 2000. Exactly 1000 years after Emily and Jonathan's deaths. And who was stabbed along beside her in that incident? John Carter. But I have a feeling he wasn't supposed to survive. Didn't Lucy and Carter meet in 1998? 1000 years since Jonathan and Emily met? The legend speaks of two Chosen Ones, supposedly Emily and Jonathan reincarnated. 'They will arise from the ashes and be reborn!' It's all right there. I have a feeling that they think it's Carter and Lucy." There was silence for a while.
"Dave..." Abby whispered.
"What? I don't care if you don't believe me, I believe myself."
"First of all, I won't say you've been reading too much Dracula. Secondly... have you noticed how fast you've been walking? You've been acting very strange lately..." Abby squinted at him and saw how clammy and pale he was and gasped. He was shaking.
"Dave!" she cried, "What's happened to you?"
"We don't need to worry about that now!" Dave cried, "Carter's going to be bitten!"
"Congratulations, Dave." The voice made both Dave and Abby jump. They looked around but couldn't see where it came from.
"I must admit, I didn't think you'd be going through Lisa's old books. I thought you'd just forget. But you don't forget easily, do you? Roxanne underestimated you." There was a whoosh of air as someone jumped off the roof of the store they were by. Abby let out a small shriek of surprise. The girl straightened up and smiled at Abby. She then turned to Dave.
"We haven't much time. Roxanne's doing it tonight. The Master wanted Lucy to do it, but she wouldn't allow it. She wasn't going to kill one of her friends. But you have to be careful. Roxanne will also be looking for you tonight. She was planning on siring you tonight before the Master even asked her to do the honors of Carter. Quickly!" And with that, Beth turned and sprinted away with Dave on her heals. Abby stood there staring after them for a minute or two, then laughed.
"Oh I get it! You hired some girl to pretend she was a vampire! Dave? DAVE! COME BACK HERE!" Abby started running after them too, "Carter's not going to like this!"
Carter walked slowly to his room, looking at the chart. Marion Wallace was the woman. About to open the door, he felt someone grab his hand. He looked up and saw a woman in a black coat and sunglasses. The same woman who had talked to him yesterday.
"You!" he cried, "what are you doing here?"
"I strongly suggest you don't go in there, Dr. Carter," she whispered. Carter, his senses more aware than they had been that day in the lounge from all the coffee he'd been drinking, squinted at the woman. Something about that voice...
"You sound familiar..."
"I should. I'm an old friend of yours but don't puzzle it too much. Get another patient. Give me the chart. Go on. Give me the chart," the woman held out her hand, expectantly. Carter stared at and noticed she was wearing a ring.
"Where'd you get that ring, Lucy?" he asked.
"I told you, it was my grandmother's, remember? That time when... wait, what did you call me?" The woman looked up at him, surprised. Carter took off her glasses and found himself looking once more into those bright blue eyes that looked terrified. He smiled.
"I don't know why," he said, "But I'm not surprised to see you. Can you tell me why?"
"I cannot," she said, "Because I'm not quite clear on it myself yet. In fact, I'm not quite sure why I'm even here right now. By all accounts, I should be dead. You know it, I know it, the whole country knows it. But unfortunately, thanks to creatures who are unnatural in every sense of the word, I am not dead but I can never be alive again. Carter you listen to me. You have to leave this patient. Your life is in serious danger!"
"How so?" Carter asked. He sounded skeptical and the look on his face confirmed it. Lucy frowned.
"You remember me, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Do you trust me?" she asked and waited. But there was no answer. She repeated the question, "Do you trust me?" But Carter was hesitating. Lucy sighed.
"You can't blame me, Lucy, can you? For not trusting you, I mean. You're dead."
"Then why aren't you surprised to see me?" she asked.
"Anything could explain this. A dream, a nightmare, a mental illness. Someone could have slipped me some LSD, I don't know! Hell, Lucy, the truth is..." Carter was shaking his head and laughing at himself, "The truth is, you're not real. You don't exist. You're not here. So I'm just going to go in and see my patient and when I come out, you'll go away." Lucy gaped at him as he looked calmly at her.
"Of course!" Lucy rolled her eyes, "Good sensible Carter will always find an explanation! Ah, here comes the cavalry! Explain that, doctor!" Lucy nodded past Carter and Carter looked over his shoulder to see Dave and Beth running their way with a panting Abby running after them. When all three of them finally got there, Dave noticed how pallid Dave's color was and how he didn't seem to be worried about the fact that he was shaking and sweating. He didn't even seem to notice.
"Carter, you can't see Roxanne tonight!" Beth cried.
"I have no intention of doing so!" Carter said.
"She'll find you. She always does. And if she doesn't, I know the Master will. You don't want to suffer his wrath, he's killed thousands." Carter looked at Beth for a long time. But Beth's eyes were suddenly diverted as were Abby's and Dave's. Abby's jaw could have reached the floor had she been a cartoon character. The shock she was experiencing was evident in the obvious expression on her face. Dave seemed less surprised, though surprised none the less.
"Lucy!" Beth cried, "What in God's name are you doing here?" she sounded angry. Lucy just held up a hand.
"Honestly, Elisabeth of Canterbury, I grow weary of you scolding me when I am not wrong!" Lucy imitated the Master. Beth couldn't help but giggle but Lucy frowned, "I'm serious, Beth. I have just as much reason to be here as you do!"
"So the legends were true..." Dave whispered. Lucy smiled at him.
"Oh you poor soul! Let's get you a blanket and something warm!"
"You sound like my mother," Dave grumbled.
"I'll live to be older than that. And older than you for that matter."
"You will, won't you. You'll probably outlive everyone in this hospital. It's a lonely life you chose to lead, Lucy. Lonely indeed." At Dave's words, Lucy glowered at him.
"You think I chose this life?!" she fumed, "I don't want to be what I am any more than you do!" when she realized what she said, she put a hand over her mouth. As quick as lightning, Beth whipped her head around to see Dave's reaction, her brown hair flying as she did so. Dave was looking at Lucy confused.
"I'm sorry, what..." but he was slowly remembering...
"If you let Roxanne finish, you will become something unreal, unnatural... you will become like us."
As Dave nearly fainted on the spot, Abby was muttering to herself.
"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening..."
"Well what is happening?!" Carter finally screamed. Everyone but Dave, who was still in shock, now looked at Carter.
"It's about time you knew your history," Beth whispered.
"You're right, Beth. It's about time the lad learns his history... and his fate!" the voice was that of an Irish woman who stepped out of the exam room, Carter had been about to enter. She was holding a knife and her sharp, ivory teeth were bared as her evil, now unnaturally colored eyes glared at the assembled crowd.
"I'm afraid there will have to be more than one death tonight."
