Harper backed away, trying desperately to escape from the ghouls. He was
vaguely aware of the door opening behind him, but the first ghoul was
already on him. He slashed at it with the screw driver, grunting in
satisfaction as the tool connected with its foul flesh. Hot foetid blood
spurted over him and he pushed its body away. Another attacked him from
behind taking a large bite out of his left shoulder. Harper spun round to
try and attack the fiend.
"Need a hand kiddo?" Beka shot the ghoul between its eyes.
Harper sobbed with relief when he heard Beka's voice. Dylan was right behind her. The three of them were soon trying to fight off the enraged sisters. Dylan fought like a man possessed. His movements were a blur as he used his force lance to slice through the creatures.
"Where's Tyr?" Harper managed to gasp.
"Lost him, thought he was right behind us. S'OK, Nietzscheans and cats always land on their feet." Beka tried to reassure Harper but her voice sounded worried.
Unfortunately they were still outnumbered by two to one. Beka glanced over at the other two. "Time to get out of Dodge I think." She headed for the door, shooting another ghoul at point blank range as she did. The two men followed her. The five remaining creatures followed them.
The Andromeda's crew-members were once again running for their lives. They raced through the corridors pursued by the screaming ghouls. Harper was having trouble keeping up with Beka and Dylan. He had lost a lot of blood from his shoulder wound and he was becoming weaker by the minute. Beka noticed that he was in trouble and grabbed his good arm to drag him along. Dylan made sure he was between Beka and Harper and their attackers.
After a few minutes the sounds of pursuit died away. The three stopped, they were breathing heavily, exhausted by their ordeal. Harper slumped to the floor. Beka knelt down by him, her face full of concern. "Come on Harper, don't you dare give up on me now." She looked straight into his eyes. "We're gonna get out of here."
He smiled back weakly. "Yeah Boss, I know, I'm good, just let me sit here for a minute." He leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.
"Come on Harper." Beka shook him. He mumbled something but didn't open his eyes.
"Beka, we have to move." Dylan was worried. "We have no idea where those things went and we don't know where the Count is either."
He bent down and picked Harper up, throwing him over his shoulder. They began to walk through the corridors again, despite having no idea where they were. More by luck than judgement eventually they came to a large wooden door, it opened easily and suddenly they were in the large entrance hall. Tyr was standing by the staircase. He was leaning against the banisters, his arms folded.
Dylan put the now conscious Harper down. The engineer struggled to his feet. "Tyr, thank the Divine." He stumbled over to Tyr and hugged the man. Tyr looked down at Harper. He smiled when he saw the fresh blood running down the small human's arm. Tyr licked his lips, his sharp fangs showing prominently. He leaned forward and with a snarl pierced Harper's neck.
The Count and his sisters, all now restored to life and beauty appeared on the stairs behind Tyr. Their eldritch laughter resounded in Harper's ears as he struggled to get away.
Harper felt the sharp sting in his neck. He heard Beka calling his name. He looked up and saw Trance looking down at him, she was holding a hypo. Where had she come from? "Trance, run." He tried to sit up. Where was he, he looked round. He was lying on a bed in the medical deck on the Andromeda. Beka, Dylan and Tyr were standing by his bed. Tyr leaned forward, Harper tried to get away from him. "No, don't let him near me." Harper was panicking now.
"It's all right Harper, you're safe now, Tyr managed to get the Maru back on board. Both you and the ship were pretty knocked about by that electrical storm" Trance tried to soothe the young man. You've been in a coma for days, you started to become agitated about an hour ago so I decided to try and wake you up.
"Boy," Tyr's voice was gruff. "Do not scare us like that again."
"Beka, Dylan he's a vampire, look at his teeth, he bit me." Harper wasn't convinced by Trance's explanation.
"You banged your head when we crashed and you got a nasty gash on your shoulder. You've been unconscious ever since. I managed to take off again and got us back to the Andromeda." Tyr tried to explain.
"No." Harper shook his head and winced at the pain. "We went to this big creepy mansion full of vampires and ghouls. They were going to eat me. Tyr got turned into a vampire and he bit me." He looked round in terror. "That makes me a vampire too. I'm a vampire. Oh God I'm one of the undead. No, no, no this is not good." He was very scared and the monitors showed his accelerating heart beat.
"Harper, you are no more a vampire than I am." Tyr's voice was calm and matter of fact. "He held a mirror up to Harper. "Can you see any bite marks?"
The engineer looked; a big smile spread across his face when he realised that he had a reflection. "Tyr," he said. "Just to set my mind at rest will you look in the mirror too? Vampires don't have a reflection."
Tyr sighed. "I see no need for this charade but if it will make you happy I will show you my reflection in the mirror." The Nietzschean took the mirror and glanced into it, he angled it to show Harper that he was indeed visible in the glass.
"Now child less of this nonsense. You must get well, the Maru is in need of repair." Tyr smiled. "Of course once it is repaired we could always go back down to the planet and indulge in a little vampire hunting. I have read the works of Mr Bram Stoker and..
Weak though he still was Harper managed to throw a pillow at Tyr, cutting the Nietzschean off in mid sentence.
Trance smiled secretively, she knew all about vampires and ghouls too for that matter, but she wasn't telling! There were some things humans just weren't ready for.
"Need a hand kiddo?" Beka shot the ghoul between its eyes.
Harper sobbed with relief when he heard Beka's voice. Dylan was right behind her. The three of them were soon trying to fight off the enraged sisters. Dylan fought like a man possessed. His movements were a blur as he used his force lance to slice through the creatures.
"Where's Tyr?" Harper managed to gasp.
"Lost him, thought he was right behind us. S'OK, Nietzscheans and cats always land on their feet." Beka tried to reassure Harper but her voice sounded worried.
Unfortunately they were still outnumbered by two to one. Beka glanced over at the other two. "Time to get out of Dodge I think." She headed for the door, shooting another ghoul at point blank range as she did. The two men followed her. The five remaining creatures followed them.
The Andromeda's crew-members were once again running for their lives. They raced through the corridors pursued by the screaming ghouls. Harper was having trouble keeping up with Beka and Dylan. He had lost a lot of blood from his shoulder wound and he was becoming weaker by the minute. Beka noticed that he was in trouble and grabbed his good arm to drag him along. Dylan made sure he was between Beka and Harper and their attackers.
After a few minutes the sounds of pursuit died away. The three stopped, they were breathing heavily, exhausted by their ordeal. Harper slumped to the floor. Beka knelt down by him, her face full of concern. "Come on Harper, don't you dare give up on me now." She looked straight into his eyes. "We're gonna get out of here."
He smiled back weakly. "Yeah Boss, I know, I'm good, just let me sit here for a minute." He leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes.
"Come on Harper." Beka shook him. He mumbled something but didn't open his eyes.
"Beka, we have to move." Dylan was worried. "We have no idea where those things went and we don't know where the Count is either."
He bent down and picked Harper up, throwing him over his shoulder. They began to walk through the corridors again, despite having no idea where they were. More by luck than judgement eventually they came to a large wooden door, it opened easily and suddenly they were in the large entrance hall. Tyr was standing by the staircase. He was leaning against the banisters, his arms folded.
Dylan put the now conscious Harper down. The engineer struggled to his feet. "Tyr, thank the Divine." He stumbled over to Tyr and hugged the man. Tyr looked down at Harper. He smiled when he saw the fresh blood running down the small human's arm. Tyr licked his lips, his sharp fangs showing prominently. He leaned forward and with a snarl pierced Harper's neck.
The Count and his sisters, all now restored to life and beauty appeared on the stairs behind Tyr. Their eldritch laughter resounded in Harper's ears as he struggled to get away.
Harper felt the sharp sting in his neck. He heard Beka calling his name. He looked up and saw Trance looking down at him, she was holding a hypo. Where had she come from? "Trance, run." He tried to sit up. Where was he, he looked round. He was lying on a bed in the medical deck on the Andromeda. Beka, Dylan and Tyr were standing by his bed. Tyr leaned forward, Harper tried to get away from him. "No, don't let him near me." Harper was panicking now.
"It's all right Harper, you're safe now, Tyr managed to get the Maru back on board. Both you and the ship were pretty knocked about by that electrical storm" Trance tried to soothe the young man. You've been in a coma for days, you started to become agitated about an hour ago so I decided to try and wake you up.
"Boy," Tyr's voice was gruff. "Do not scare us like that again."
"Beka, Dylan he's a vampire, look at his teeth, he bit me." Harper wasn't convinced by Trance's explanation.
"You banged your head when we crashed and you got a nasty gash on your shoulder. You've been unconscious ever since. I managed to take off again and got us back to the Andromeda." Tyr tried to explain.
"No." Harper shook his head and winced at the pain. "We went to this big creepy mansion full of vampires and ghouls. They were going to eat me. Tyr got turned into a vampire and he bit me." He looked round in terror. "That makes me a vampire too. I'm a vampire. Oh God I'm one of the undead. No, no, no this is not good." He was very scared and the monitors showed his accelerating heart beat.
"Harper, you are no more a vampire than I am." Tyr's voice was calm and matter of fact. "He held a mirror up to Harper. "Can you see any bite marks?"
The engineer looked; a big smile spread across his face when he realised that he had a reflection. "Tyr," he said. "Just to set my mind at rest will you look in the mirror too? Vampires don't have a reflection."
Tyr sighed. "I see no need for this charade but if it will make you happy I will show you my reflection in the mirror." The Nietzschean took the mirror and glanced into it, he angled it to show Harper that he was indeed visible in the glass.
"Now child less of this nonsense. You must get well, the Maru is in need of repair." Tyr smiled. "Of course once it is repaired we could always go back down to the planet and indulge in a little vampire hunting. I have read the works of Mr Bram Stoker and..
Weak though he still was Harper managed to throw a pillow at Tyr, cutting the Nietzschean off in mid sentence.
Trance smiled secretively, she knew all about vampires and ghouls too for that matter, but she wasn't telling! There were some things humans just weren't ready for.