CHAPTER NINE: Nightfall
Author's Note: This chapter got a little too bloody, so just in case, I'm changing the rating to an 'R' for the time being.
"Mrs. Johnson will die tonight." Angelique told Barnabas and Julia.
At Collinwood, Sarah Johnson's eyes were focused on the setting sun as it dipped below the trees outside her open window. Languidly, her feeble hand unbuttoned the high-necked collar of her somber charcoal dress. She rapidly tore at the buttons, until her neck and chest were free of the constraining fabric. Then, Sarah slowly got up from her chair and walked to the mirror on the wall. The thin skin of Sarah's face was wrinkled and hideously pale. Her eyes were dreamy, like she was living in another world. Listlessly, Sarah let down her curly, graying hair. She turned to face the window. Orange moonlight began to fill the dark room.
The vampire Roxanne was standing in front of the window, her blood red hair falling about her pale shoulders. Roxanne wore a loose, diaphanous chemise that fell all the way to the floor. She opened her milky white arms, beckoning her victim.
As Sarah went into the vampire's embrace, Maggie Evans burst into the room, an antique wooden crucifix in her hand. Roxanne threw Sarah to the ground and backed away to the window. Maggie advanced on Roxanne, holding the holy symbol up high. Roxanne shrieked, opening her mouth and hissing through her vampire fangs. Then, a cloud covered the orange moon, and the room was pitch black. When the dim light returned, the vampire woman was gone. Maggie kneeled down at once to help Mrs. Johnson, who lay on the floor in a swoon.
Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, and the witch, Angelique, walked briskly through the dense forest to Eagle Hill Cemetery. It was getting chilly, and Angelique had again donned her black leather trench coat. Both Barnabas and Julia wore full overcoats against the cold as well.
"I hope Maggie followed my instructions," Julia said, "I told her to go and look after Mrs. Johnson at sunset and stay with her until dawn."
"I don't trust Miss Evans with someone's life. She doesn't seem that dependable. Why, it's no wonder her fiancé preferred me." Angelique said, rather arrogantly.
"Angelique," Barnabas chided her, "Don't be cruel."
"Ha!" Angelique's mocking giggle answered him.
Maggie yelled for help, and soon, Roger and David were in Sarah's room, helping Maggie lift the old housekeeper into bed. After some flustered words of concern, Roger sent David to bed and left to call an ambulance. Maggie sat next to the bed, clutching her crucifix in her sweaty, shaking hands. Sarah was still half-awake, groaning and muttering incomprehensible sentences. The wounds on her wrinkled neck had not been punctured again.
"Thank God I got to her in time!" Maggie said to herself. Then, she gently patted Sarah's arm, trying to calm the older woman, "Hush now, Mrs. Johnson. The ambulance should be here soon. Shhhh." Despite Maggie's calming words, Sarah kept moaning and groaning and muttering. Then, without warning, Sarah began to thrash about on the bed, writhing in bizarre contortions. Sarah's hand clasped onto the part of her neck where the wounds had been inflicted. Maggie screamed as she realized that bright crimson blood was welling up from the wounds, staining Sarah's pale hands. As Sarah writhed on the bed, crying out in pain so horrific that it was sensual, the blood was smearing all over her bare neck and chest and on her dress.
Julia came into Sarah's room, soon followed by Barnabas and Angelique. Julia quickly went to Sarah's side, trying to examine the woman who was twisting and turning and tossing on the bed. Julia noticed that Sarah was not only bleeding from her neck, but from her wrist as well. The two wounds on the wrist artery were spraying blood on Julia, but the doctor paid no attention as drops of redness hit her pastel pantsuit and her bare hands. Maggie was screaming, loudly and in terror.
"Come, Maggie," Barnabas put his arm around Maggie, trying to comfort her, "Let me take you away from here." With the gentleness of a father (or a lover), he led Maggie away to her own room. Angelique stared angrily at Barnabas as he did this, but turned back to Julia when the doctor called to her.
"Angelique, please get me my medical bag. It's in my room."
"It's no use, Julia." Angelique said, traces of coldness in her voice, "That poor woman will be dead before the hour is out."
"GET ME MY BAG!" Julia forcefully commanded, finally finding her strength, "I will not let my patient die without a fight! GO NOW!"
A tad shaken at Julia's newfound force, Angelique went for the bag. By the time she returned, the bed itself was smeared with blood. Angelique handed the bag to Julia, and the doctor tried to bandage Sarah's wounds. Julia was trying in vain. Sarah would not stop bleeding.
"Angelique," Julia implored, "I can't help her. You must try! Use your magic! Surely there is some spell you could use! You must try!"
"I'm warning you, Julia, this may not work. Vampires have great powers, especially great is their control over their victims. If Roxanne keeps willing Mrs. Johnson to die, it will happen sooner or later."
"But you can do something! You have powers too, Angelique!" Julia begged.
"Alright." Angelique said as she moved toward Sarah, whose moans had grown weak and tired. Angelique said something in French and then laid her hands on Sarah's neck and wrist. Sarah finally stopped moving and lay still and quiet. Angelique continued speaking, but she switched from French to a language Julia did not recognize. "Julia, get me some water and a needle. Hurry!"
Julia gave Angelique the glass of water and the needle as quickly as possible. Angelique put the glass down on the bedside table and then took the needle in one hand. The witch used the needle to prick her finger and squeezed it over the glass until several drops of Angelique's blood had dripped into the water. Angelique said a few words in the unknown language as she watched the blood spiral around in the water. Swiftly, Angelique forced the bloody water into Sarah's mouth. Sarah started to cough the liquid up, but Angelique held the older woman's mouth shut and made her swallow. Then, the witch stepped away from the blood soaked bed.
Julia moved to examine Sarah. "She's stopped bleeding! Look, her breathing is normal!"
"We don't know if it worked yet, Julia." Angelique cautioned.
Julia took a white napkin and began to wipe the sweat and blood from Sarah's face, neck, chest and arms. Sarah was docile now, almost asleep. But then, suddenly, Sarah's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed with supernatural swiftness.
"Roxanne!" Sarah cried out, as she slumped back onto the bed, her eyes open and staring blankly. Julia hurried to take Sarah's pulse. A look of horror came over Julia's plain features.
"She's dead." Angelique took the words from Julia's mouth. "Calm yourself, Julia. Don't you see? This has all been a distraction so that Roxanne can."
"Barnabas!" Julia realized what was happening. Without another word, Julia raced down the hall to Maggie's room. Barnabas wasn't there. Maggie was sitting on her bed in a yellow bathrobe, stifling tears.
"Is she?" Maggie began, but Julia interrupted her.
"Where's Barnabas?" Julia's voice was urgent.
"I thought he.well he said he was going back to help you and Mrs. Rumson. Didn't he go to.Oh no!" Maggie suddenly understood.
"Barnabas is with her." Angelique said simply as she appeared in Maggie's doorway. "I know it for certain. And I also know where they are."
Author's Note: This chapter got a little too bloody, so just in case, I'm changing the rating to an 'R' for the time being.
"Mrs. Johnson will die tonight." Angelique told Barnabas and Julia.
At Collinwood, Sarah Johnson's eyes were focused on the setting sun as it dipped below the trees outside her open window. Languidly, her feeble hand unbuttoned the high-necked collar of her somber charcoal dress. She rapidly tore at the buttons, until her neck and chest were free of the constraining fabric. Then, Sarah slowly got up from her chair and walked to the mirror on the wall. The thin skin of Sarah's face was wrinkled and hideously pale. Her eyes were dreamy, like she was living in another world. Listlessly, Sarah let down her curly, graying hair. She turned to face the window. Orange moonlight began to fill the dark room.
The vampire Roxanne was standing in front of the window, her blood red hair falling about her pale shoulders. Roxanne wore a loose, diaphanous chemise that fell all the way to the floor. She opened her milky white arms, beckoning her victim.
As Sarah went into the vampire's embrace, Maggie Evans burst into the room, an antique wooden crucifix in her hand. Roxanne threw Sarah to the ground and backed away to the window. Maggie advanced on Roxanne, holding the holy symbol up high. Roxanne shrieked, opening her mouth and hissing through her vampire fangs. Then, a cloud covered the orange moon, and the room was pitch black. When the dim light returned, the vampire woman was gone. Maggie kneeled down at once to help Mrs. Johnson, who lay on the floor in a swoon.
Barnabas Collins, Julia Hoffman, and the witch, Angelique, walked briskly through the dense forest to Eagle Hill Cemetery. It was getting chilly, and Angelique had again donned her black leather trench coat. Both Barnabas and Julia wore full overcoats against the cold as well.
"I hope Maggie followed my instructions," Julia said, "I told her to go and look after Mrs. Johnson at sunset and stay with her until dawn."
"I don't trust Miss Evans with someone's life. She doesn't seem that dependable. Why, it's no wonder her fiancé preferred me." Angelique said, rather arrogantly.
"Angelique," Barnabas chided her, "Don't be cruel."
"Ha!" Angelique's mocking giggle answered him.
Maggie yelled for help, and soon, Roger and David were in Sarah's room, helping Maggie lift the old housekeeper into bed. After some flustered words of concern, Roger sent David to bed and left to call an ambulance. Maggie sat next to the bed, clutching her crucifix in her sweaty, shaking hands. Sarah was still half-awake, groaning and muttering incomprehensible sentences. The wounds on her wrinkled neck had not been punctured again.
"Thank God I got to her in time!" Maggie said to herself. Then, she gently patted Sarah's arm, trying to calm the older woman, "Hush now, Mrs. Johnson. The ambulance should be here soon. Shhhh." Despite Maggie's calming words, Sarah kept moaning and groaning and muttering. Then, without warning, Sarah began to thrash about on the bed, writhing in bizarre contortions. Sarah's hand clasped onto the part of her neck where the wounds had been inflicted. Maggie screamed as she realized that bright crimson blood was welling up from the wounds, staining Sarah's pale hands. As Sarah writhed on the bed, crying out in pain so horrific that it was sensual, the blood was smearing all over her bare neck and chest and on her dress.
Julia came into Sarah's room, soon followed by Barnabas and Angelique. Julia quickly went to Sarah's side, trying to examine the woman who was twisting and turning and tossing on the bed. Julia noticed that Sarah was not only bleeding from her neck, but from her wrist as well. The two wounds on the wrist artery were spraying blood on Julia, but the doctor paid no attention as drops of redness hit her pastel pantsuit and her bare hands. Maggie was screaming, loudly and in terror.
"Come, Maggie," Barnabas put his arm around Maggie, trying to comfort her, "Let me take you away from here." With the gentleness of a father (or a lover), he led Maggie away to her own room. Angelique stared angrily at Barnabas as he did this, but turned back to Julia when the doctor called to her.
"Angelique, please get me my medical bag. It's in my room."
"It's no use, Julia." Angelique said, traces of coldness in her voice, "That poor woman will be dead before the hour is out."
"GET ME MY BAG!" Julia forcefully commanded, finally finding her strength, "I will not let my patient die without a fight! GO NOW!"
A tad shaken at Julia's newfound force, Angelique went for the bag. By the time she returned, the bed itself was smeared with blood. Angelique handed the bag to Julia, and the doctor tried to bandage Sarah's wounds. Julia was trying in vain. Sarah would not stop bleeding.
"Angelique," Julia implored, "I can't help her. You must try! Use your magic! Surely there is some spell you could use! You must try!"
"I'm warning you, Julia, this may not work. Vampires have great powers, especially great is their control over their victims. If Roxanne keeps willing Mrs. Johnson to die, it will happen sooner or later."
"But you can do something! You have powers too, Angelique!" Julia begged.
"Alright." Angelique said as she moved toward Sarah, whose moans had grown weak and tired. Angelique said something in French and then laid her hands on Sarah's neck and wrist. Sarah finally stopped moving and lay still and quiet. Angelique continued speaking, but she switched from French to a language Julia did not recognize. "Julia, get me some water and a needle. Hurry!"
Julia gave Angelique the glass of water and the needle as quickly as possible. Angelique put the glass down on the bedside table and then took the needle in one hand. The witch used the needle to prick her finger and squeezed it over the glass until several drops of Angelique's blood had dripped into the water. Angelique said a few words in the unknown language as she watched the blood spiral around in the water. Swiftly, Angelique forced the bloody water into Sarah's mouth. Sarah started to cough the liquid up, but Angelique held the older woman's mouth shut and made her swallow. Then, the witch stepped away from the blood soaked bed.
Julia moved to examine Sarah. "She's stopped bleeding! Look, her breathing is normal!"
"We don't know if it worked yet, Julia." Angelique cautioned.
Julia took a white napkin and began to wipe the sweat and blood from Sarah's face, neck, chest and arms. Sarah was docile now, almost asleep. But then, suddenly, Sarah's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed with supernatural swiftness.
"Roxanne!" Sarah cried out, as she slumped back onto the bed, her eyes open and staring blankly. Julia hurried to take Sarah's pulse. A look of horror came over Julia's plain features.
"She's dead." Angelique took the words from Julia's mouth. "Calm yourself, Julia. Don't you see? This has all been a distraction so that Roxanne can."
"Barnabas!" Julia realized what was happening. Without another word, Julia raced down the hall to Maggie's room. Barnabas wasn't there. Maggie was sitting on her bed in a yellow bathrobe, stifling tears.
"Is she?" Maggie began, but Julia interrupted her.
"Where's Barnabas?" Julia's voice was urgent.
"I thought he.well he said he was going back to help you and Mrs. Rumson. Didn't he go to.Oh no!" Maggie suddenly understood.
"Barnabas is with her." Angelique said simply as she appeared in Maggie's doorway. "I know it for certain. And I also know where they are."