It is midwinter and you are surveying your small town in Transylvania before you retire for the night. It has been three years since the great Van Helsing came to vanquish Count Dracula and all his evil plans. The Valerious family is dead, so, being the next from a line of royalty, you were summoned to take up the town duties. A part of you craves eternal safety, yet another part of you craves... adventure.
Regardless, you go about your duties and see that the town is secure.
You retire to your chamber that is draped in heavy wine-colored velvet. The tapestries all around are not only for decoration, but they keep the cold out. You are restless this evening, and you do not know why. Still, you nestle snugly under the covers and zone out.
You are encountered with strange images of phantoms and rising darkness. Then, in a flourish, you see great black wings rise out of Dracula's castle, and a flash of fangs. You wake up abruptly in a cold sweat. All is silent. But it is an unearthly silence.
Suspicious, you get up, making sure to grab the sword you keep under the bed. You go and listen intently to the door, but hear nothing. Something is happening, but you are too afraid to go out there and find out. However, you are the master of the house, and it is your duty to make sure all is well.
You light a lantern, your heart rate increasing already. Then you open the door, cautiously. The winter wind blows through the hall freely and chills you to the core. Bravely, you inch along the hallway into the weapons room. The window is wide open. Your pulse quickens again. Things like this should not be happening. You wonder about what you should do next.
You approach the window with clear caution, paying attention to all of your surroundings and the slightest movements. There is no sign that anyone would have entered. What could enter anyway? The weapons room is situated high up off the ground, and Dracula is destroyed, along with the werewolves.
Silly, you think to yourself, there is no full moon anyway. You hear a scream from downstairs.
Immediately, you forget your fear and rush from the room, down the staircase, and into the ballroom where the scream had come from. In the middle of the floor, you can make out two figures. One appears to be holding the other limply in their hands.
"You!" You shout at the figure. No movement ensues. You think maybe you are just imagining things, but you approach anyway. The figure turns to look at you and you gasp, dropping your sword.
Revealed dimly by the starlight of the grand windows, you can see clearly the smirk upon Count Dracula's face, complete with a trickle of blood which he licks away as he looks at you. He drops the servant woman he was holding. She falls lifeless to the floor. You just stare at him, completely speechless as if you were hypnotized.
"But you..." You squeak. He laughs a cold, menacing laugh.
"...are supposed to be dead," he finishes for you. You just stare at him. He chuckles, and begins to circle you. "I was dead," he says. You gulp and don't even dare to make a move for your weapon.
"You killed one of my servants..." You whisper softly.
"Yes...Sweet blood...the bane of my existence!" He emphasizes, stepping closer to you. You back away instinctively. He laughs, his voice ricocheting off of the pillars of the ballroom.
"Why are you back in this house?" You demand.
"Where is Gabriel?" He asks, ignoring your question.
"He has left," you answer, "I do not know where to."
"I think you know," says the Count, as he continues to circle you.
"The last place I heard he was at, was the sea. And then he left to go West somewhere," you say.
"Hm..." Ponders Dracula aloud, "And why did he not cross the sea?"
"He went to the sea to burn Anna's body," you say, "I can tell you nothing more." Dracula seems surprised at this, but he still circles you. Then suddenly, he comes and grasps your chin, pulling you up erect and tight against him. You gasp for air and choke.
"You will do this for me, so you best listen carefully," he says coldly, "You will find the whereabouts of Gabriel Van Helsing, and then you will inform me of where he is. Take heed, child. This is nothing to take lightly. You will send and tell nothing to Van Helsing. And if you do, I shall have to kill you. Understand?"
"Yes," you choke over his grasp. He tightens his hand. "I understand!" You choke again. He drops you to the cold floor. Your vision is blurred by the tears in your eyes.Your faith is crashing down around you, and your hope is trickling away through the cracks of a temporarily built illusion of greatness.
As an afterthought, he picks you up again more gently by your nightclothes. "The rewards will be great, if you do as I command," he whispers into your ear. You shudder as he kisses hungrily at your neck and then places you before him. You stare at his eyes, mortified. Yet there is something in his eyes that makes you want to do what he asks. Something in the cold fire makes you... pity the cursed beast.
"Are you going to kill me?" You ask in a whisper. He laughs, but not as coldly as before.
"No, my dear. I kill only those that are useless to me. And you are quite useful," he said, "Quite useful indeed..." He runs a long fingernail along your jaw and down your neck. You shiver and he smirks. "There is much I have to do. Remember what I told you," he reminds. And then he turns and vanishes from the hall without another word.
Astonished, you exit the hall, pass through the weapons room, and settle back into your bed. But you do not sleep. Strange things are happening, and despite Dracula's warning, you know you must send again for Van Helsing.
Your life may depend upon it.
A/N: This story has been picked apart to the bare bones and there should be absolutely no spelling/grammar errors in it. If you are to encounter an error, please contact the author immediately.