When you wake up, the sun's rays are just barely peaking over the horizon. The storm clouds have rolled away but all around you is a thick blanket of untouched snow. You realize that your horse is tied off to Vladimir's and he is covered in snow and ice; but he seems unaffected. You are draped in a wool blanket, that is in turn covered in snow and ice.
Vladimir turns his head to look at you, and smiles. "Good morning, Mira. I see even the face of evil cannot keep you from sleeping," he says sarcastically. You frown at him.
"I haven't slept for a while," you state blatantly. Vladimir laughs but says nothing.
"It is a bright, beautiful morning," he says, "But I fear our traveling conditions are not very good."
"What happened last night?" You ask drowsily. You can barely remember which was dream, and which was real.
"Dracula nearly caught us in the forest," reminds Vladimir.
"Oh, that's right," you say. You wish it had just been a dream.
"If we keep riding through the day all the way until dusk, we may stand a chance of reaching Van Helsing before the Count can reach us again," says Vladimir, "Can I see the map?" You carefully take off the blanket and fold it over the horse's neck. You reach into the saddlebag and take out the map, handing it to Vladimir.
He brushes himself off before he opens it and has a look. Then he refolds it and hands it back to you.
"We need to veer a bit more southward," he says, "Just a bit though. That should put us straight on the course." You nod, placing the map back in your saddlebag.
Since you are forced to have the horses walk the distance because of the snow, you decide to take this opportunity to have a conversation with Vladimir.
"Vladimir," you say, "Who are you?" His response is silence, until finally, he sighs.
"Why do you want to know, Miss DeLune?" He asks. He does not even look at you.
"I would like to know who I am traveling with," you state. He turns and looks at you through bright sky blue eyes. "I want to know who the Rogue is," you add. He still looks at you. "The priest says you have committed great sins against God…"
"Yes," he interrupts, "The priest says I have committed great sins against God."
"What sins?" You ask. He sighs, turning his eyes back on the course.
"The world is full of great evils. It is no secret that I fell to evils more than once," he answers.
"What kinds of evil?" You press.
"The evils of lust. The evils of victory. The thirst for glory. The thirst for power," he lists.
"Does not every man fall to such evils?" You inquire.
"Not every man is caught going after them," replies Vladimir, "Not every man is caught in bed with a woman that is not his. Not every man is caught betraying those in power. Not every man is caught while trying to assassinate a public official. Not every man is…" He stops now, staring hard at the road ahead. "Not every man is a man, Mira," he finishes.
"You have done all of this?" You ask, flabbergasted. You cannot see this in him.
"I have long since retrieved some kind of reputation," says Vladimir, "I was young and stupid. But I learned. I grew up to vanquish these evils, and fight them. Dracula was one. I fought him, but I never won. You see, I was not born as the left hand of God. That is why Van Helsing was born." He looks at you once more. You are astounded.
"How old are you?" You ask. He smiles, shaking his head.
"I turn 201 at the end of this week," he says. You stare at him, shocked.
"No…" you say.
"The church was very decent to me," continues Vladimir, "They gave me the elixir of life. I am to live until I have redeemed myself."
"Have not sinners died before?" You ask.
"Yes; sinners who have never learned they were sinners have died," says Vladimir, "The difference is that I tried so hard to repent. I prayed, I offered, I did everything in my power… but it was never enough."
"Why? Surely you have done great things since you realized your mistakes?" You are astounded by this man now.
"I have done great things. But none great enough to retrieve my soul," replies Vladimir.
"Your soul?"
"I sold my soul," says Vladimir, "To Dracula. To the devil." There is a very long, awkward silence. "Now, I can only retrieve it if I defeat the devil, in some way or another." Flabbergasted, all you can do is stare at him. He does not look at you. "I just want to die, Mira. I want to die and go to heaven. That is what I strive for now. I used to live for nothing except to live. Life holds no substance for me now…life holds no purpose."
"I'm sorry…" You say meekly. Vladimir turns and smiles at you.
"Don't be. I brought it upon myself," he says. You continue along in silence. Afternoon passes uneventfully and soon the sun is setting. There is still no sign of Van Helsing. You watch as the sun slips behind the horizon, and exchange a glance with Vladimir. He unties your horse from his. "Just be ready to sprint," he says.
"Vladimir," you say, "I never wanted to do this." He looks at you with a smile.
"No one would ever want to do this," he replies, "It's madness." There is an evil cry and you both look back across the plain. The creature is sweeping the ground in a frenzy, and it makes a bee-line towards you. "Go," says Vladimir calmly. You don't question his command and kick your horse into a run. Vladimir follows suit, but he turns and shoots at the beast again. This time, the creature dodges the flying stakes.
As you ride further, you can see a dim yellow light in the distance. "Vladimir!" You call, "I see a light!"
"Good!" He calls back, with some restraint. The creature is trying to dislodge him from his horse. You make it about two more miles before real problems start to happen. You can clearly see a camp straight ahead, but the creature grabs Vladimir off the horse and throws him.
"Vladimir!" You scream, halting your horse.
"Keep going, Mira!" Yells Vladimir. He stands up, watching his horse run off. The creature settles to the ground and snarls menacingly at him. You can't let him face Dracula alone. You gather all your weapons, and the package that the priest gave you. You leap off the horse, and then smack it so it keeps running.
Dracula is fighting Vladimir into the snow, still in devil form. You race over and stab him in the back. He emits an awful cry and flings you backwards.
"Mira, no!" Screams Vladimir, "Mira, get out of here!" You stand, a bit bewildered, and look straight at Dracula. He snarls and then shrinks until he is in vampire form. He approaches you in a rage, and you back away until he stops.
"Nothing can save you now, Mira," says the Count, with an evil smirk on his face, "Here you are, all alone in the middle of the plain. Your escort is down and injured." You glance over and see Vladimir gripping his shoulder in pain. "And you are only armed with mortal weapons."
"No," you say bluntly. He blinks at you, clearly having not expected such an answer.
"No? You have a sword, maybe a few knives, a bible, and possibly some holy water," he says suspiciously, "Honestly, none of these things can defeat me. I only burn them." He grins evilly and his fangs come out of their sheaths.
"You forgot one thing," you say.
"I've forgotten nothing," says Dracula, approaching you, ready to bite. He makes a quick motion to grab you but you flip yourself out of his grasp, getting your cheek slashed. You quickly regain your composure and pull out the one other device given to you by the priest.
"You see this?" You ask. You are trying to hold yourself together. He blinks at it. He is no more than two feet away from you.
"Your heartbeat is…intoxicating," says Dracula, moving a few inches closer.
"It generates light!" You yell, backing away a step. You are trembling by now. He growls at you and turns back into the creature he was. Then without another word or glance, he flies away and vanishes into the night.
You put away the device and rush to Vladimir's side. "Vladimir," you say gently. He groans and opens his eyes.
"I told you to run," says Vladimir.
"…I couldn't," you say simply. He smiles, closing his eyes again.
"Van Helsing is close," he says tiredly. You hear the sound of hoof beats and look up to see a figure riding towards you. There is no mistaking the tall brimmed hat. You smile, looking down at Vladimir. He falls asleep.
The horse reaches you and the rider dismounts.
"Are you hurt?" Asks a voice.
"No," you state, even then touching the slash marks on your cheek, "But my companion is." You turn, standing up. "Gabriel Van Helsing?" You ask. He nods, removing his hat and looking at you. "Count Dracula has been resurrected."