CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Gegenüberstellung
Author's Note: To all animal lovers and my dear friend Megan, be warned, a cat dies in this chapter. There, don't complain to me.
Julia was speechless when she saw the face of Mrs. Johnson. The former housekeeper's now smooth skin glowed faintly crimson with the pigment of new blood. Mrs. Johnson smiled with sharp white teeth. How beautiful she was now, so compelling and resplendent. Even in the fullest flower of youth, Mrs. Johnson had never bloomed with such mysterious sensuality. She was no longer wearing the morgue tunic, but was instead wore a long black negligee that revealed how smooth and lithe her new form really was.
"Ah, Doctor Hoffman. We've been waiting for you," Mrs. Johnson's eyes watched Julia closely, "She wanted to speak to you about Mr. Collins. Barnabas Collins, that is."
"Who wanted to speak to me? Roxanne?" Julia was hostile with fear.
"Did I hear my name?" Roxanne said as she descended the staircase, clad in a sleeveless red satin gown that fell to her ankles. She was majestic, a goddess looking at a lowly mortal. "Leave us, Sarah." The dark haired vampire disappeared though a paneled door.
"Where is Barnabas?" Julia demanded, pushing her fear to the back of her mind. Her life did not matter, only Barnabas, that's what Julia tried to remember.
"I believe that his family took him to the hospital. They're all there now, even Elisabeth and the boy, David. He looks so like my nephew Tad, doesn't he Julia?" Roxanne was at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on Julia's shoulder. Julia couldn't help shuddering at the chill of death.
"You stay away from David, and all the others!" Julia felt a sudden fear for all her dear friends.
"Look at me, Julia?" Roxanne stared into Julia's eyes, "Could I ever hurt anyone?"
"Stop that! I know what you're doing. I've done it myself. You're, oh." Julia was drifting away.
"You are so plain, Julia. Just compare yourself to me. Even as a mortal woman, I was more beautiful than you. Think, Julia, you are just going to grow more and more old and ugly and undesirable. But, my beauty will never fade. Men will always desire me, Barnabas will always desire me." Roxanne was pulling Julia close to her.
"Please!" Julia was crying, "Don't be so cruel. Please, don't do it!"
"Don't you want to be desired, Julia?" Roxanne was clutching Julia, her mouth inches above the doctor's neck.
With all the strength in her frail body, Julia shoved Roxanne away and reached into her wet clothing for her cross. Julia held the cross in front of her, backing Roxanne into a corner. Roxanne hissed, her face becoming more animalistic and fierce. Suddenly, Julia felt the rush of misty wind hit her body and then Roxanne was gone.
Sarah Johnson entered the garden of Collinwood, where she saw, in the ornate gazebo, a sleek black cat was sleeping. Silent as the most skilled predator, the vampire approached the slumbering animal. With unnatural speed, her white hands had picked up the cat and her sharp nails had pierced its skin through the silky fur. Blood was smearing her fingers. Briefly she tasted the living blood, and then swiftly crushed the animal's windpipe. She lifted the cat to her lips and drained it greedily. As she coldly threw the dead beast to the ground, Sarah Johnson felt horrific pain through her heart.
She fell down.
There was blood all over the ground.
Angelique did not put down her crossbow as she walked to the disgusting form on the ground, a dead old woman covered with vampire blood. Quickly, the witch proceeded to burn the body. Afterwards, Angelique walked through the woods to the spot where she had hidden her black car.
Angelique tried not to think of Barnabas as she drove back to New York. As she drove through the village, she passed another car but did not know who was in it.
"I wish we could have seen Barnabas before leaving." Maggie said to Elisabeth as the Collins family and their governess drove back to Collinwood.
"Shhh, Maggie," Elisabeth whispered, "Look, David's asleep."
"Oh," Maggie sighed, "I'm sorry. He looks like he's still a little boy when he sleeps."
"How sentimental you are, Maggie." Roger scoffed. They reached Collinwood at about an hour before dawn. A few minutes before that, however, the nurse came to Barnabas Collins room and discovered that the patient was missing.
Barnabas Collins, fully dressed in stolen clothes, walked up the steep slope of Widow's Hill without much difficulty. As he reached the top, Barnabas remembered another time, so long ago, when he had seen his dulcet Josette leap from the cliff on Widow's Hill. He remembered her broken body on the rocks below, where the evil waves hit the silent rocks. Roxanne waited for him at the summit, her crimson dress lending a warm glow to her pale undead flesh.
Barnabas was holding her and kissing her and whispering words of love. Then her little mouth was pressed against his throat and they were lovers once more. Angelique turned her car around only a few minutes after she had left Collinsport and drove back to the estate. On the road to the great house, Angelique saw Julia Hoffman and stopped the car.
"Angelique!" Julia was shocked.
"Oh Julia," Angelique laughed, "You must know by now that I have a nasty habit of coming back over and over."
"But I saw, oh, you must help me."
"I know. I have the sight, Julia. Listen, I was on my way out of town, but I realized that I couldn't let this happen to Barnabas. He's at Widow's Hill with Roxanne. Go there, now." Angelique was calm and precise.
"What about Mrs. Johnson?"
"Destroyed." Angelique glanced into Julia's eyes and knew what the next question would be, "No, I can't go with you, this is something you must do alone."
"Help me! I must save Barnabas."
"Love him, you love him. Here, I'll drive you. Don't worry, I have some weapons in my car."
Soon, the blonde witch dropped Julia off at Widow's Hill and sped away into the night. Armed and ready, Doctor Julia Hoffman ascended Widow's Hill to save the man she loved.
Author's Note: To all animal lovers and my dear friend Megan, be warned, a cat dies in this chapter. There, don't complain to me.
Julia was speechless when she saw the face of Mrs. Johnson. The former housekeeper's now smooth skin glowed faintly crimson with the pigment of new blood. Mrs. Johnson smiled with sharp white teeth. How beautiful she was now, so compelling and resplendent. Even in the fullest flower of youth, Mrs. Johnson had never bloomed with such mysterious sensuality. She was no longer wearing the morgue tunic, but was instead wore a long black negligee that revealed how smooth and lithe her new form really was.
"Ah, Doctor Hoffman. We've been waiting for you," Mrs. Johnson's eyes watched Julia closely, "She wanted to speak to you about Mr. Collins. Barnabas Collins, that is."
"Who wanted to speak to me? Roxanne?" Julia was hostile with fear.
"Did I hear my name?" Roxanne said as she descended the staircase, clad in a sleeveless red satin gown that fell to her ankles. She was majestic, a goddess looking at a lowly mortal. "Leave us, Sarah." The dark haired vampire disappeared though a paneled door.
"Where is Barnabas?" Julia demanded, pushing her fear to the back of her mind. Her life did not matter, only Barnabas, that's what Julia tried to remember.
"I believe that his family took him to the hospital. They're all there now, even Elisabeth and the boy, David. He looks so like my nephew Tad, doesn't he Julia?" Roxanne was at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on Julia's shoulder. Julia couldn't help shuddering at the chill of death.
"You stay away from David, and all the others!" Julia felt a sudden fear for all her dear friends.
"Look at me, Julia?" Roxanne stared into Julia's eyes, "Could I ever hurt anyone?"
"Stop that! I know what you're doing. I've done it myself. You're, oh." Julia was drifting away.
"You are so plain, Julia. Just compare yourself to me. Even as a mortal woman, I was more beautiful than you. Think, Julia, you are just going to grow more and more old and ugly and undesirable. But, my beauty will never fade. Men will always desire me, Barnabas will always desire me." Roxanne was pulling Julia close to her.
"Please!" Julia was crying, "Don't be so cruel. Please, don't do it!"
"Don't you want to be desired, Julia?" Roxanne was clutching Julia, her mouth inches above the doctor's neck.
With all the strength in her frail body, Julia shoved Roxanne away and reached into her wet clothing for her cross. Julia held the cross in front of her, backing Roxanne into a corner. Roxanne hissed, her face becoming more animalistic and fierce. Suddenly, Julia felt the rush of misty wind hit her body and then Roxanne was gone.
Sarah Johnson entered the garden of Collinwood, where she saw, in the ornate gazebo, a sleek black cat was sleeping. Silent as the most skilled predator, the vampire approached the slumbering animal. With unnatural speed, her white hands had picked up the cat and her sharp nails had pierced its skin through the silky fur. Blood was smearing her fingers. Briefly she tasted the living blood, and then swiftly crushed the animal's windpipe. She lifted the cat to her lips and drained it greedily. As she coldly threw the dead beast to the ground, Sarah Johnson felt horrific pain through her heart.
She fell down.
There was blood all over the ground.
Angelique did not put down her crossbow as she walked to the disgusting form on the ground, a dead old woman covered with vampire blood. Quickly, the witch proceeded to burn the body. Afterwards, Angelique walked through the woods to the spot where she had hidden her black car.
Angelique tried not to think of Barnabas as she drove back to New York. As she drove through the village, she passed another car but did not know who was in it.
"I wish we could have seen Barnabas before leaving." Maggie said to Elisabeth as the Collins family and their governess drove back to Collinwood.
"Shhh, Maggie," Elisabeth whispered, "Look, David's asleep."
"Oh," Maggie sighed, "I'm sorry. He looks like he's still a little boy when he sleeps."
"How sentimental you are, Maggie." Roger scoffed. They reached Collinwood at about an hour before dawn. A few minutes before that, however, the nurse came to Barnabas Collins room and discovered that the patient was missing.
Barnabas Collins, fully dressed in stolen clothes, walked up the steep slope of Widow's Hill without much difficulty. As he reached the top, Barnabas remembered another time, so long ago, when he had seen his dulcet Josette leap from the cliff on Widow's Hill. He remembered her broken body on the rocks below, where the evil waves hit the silent rocks. Roxanne waited for him at the summit, her crimson dress lending a warm glow to her pale undead flesh.
Barnabas was holding her and kissing her and whispering words of love. Then her little mouth was pressed against his throat and they were lovers once more. Angelique turned her car around only a few minutes after she had left Collinsport and drove back to the estate. On the road to the great house, Angelique saw Julia Hoffman and stopped the car.
"Angelique!" Julia was shocked.
"Oh Julia," Angelique laughed, "You must know by now that I have a nasty habit of coming back over and over."
"But I saw, oh, you must help me."
"I know. I have the sight, Julia. Listen, I was on my way out of town, but I realized that I couldn't let this happen to Barnabas. He's at Widow's Hill with Roxanne. Go there, now." Angelique was calm and precise.
"What about Mrs. Johnson?"
"Destroyed." Angelique glanced into Julia's eyes and knew what the next question would be, "No, I can't go with you, this is something you must do alone."
"Help me! I must save Barnabas."
"Love him, you love him. Here, I'll drive you. Don't worry, I have some weapons in my car."
Soon, the blonde witch dropped Julia off at Widow's Hill and sped away into the night. Armed and ready, Doctor Julia Hoffman ascended Widow's Hill to save the man she loved.