Chapter Twenty Six: Unresolved Escape
Suddenly, the Count is thrown from you violently as Van Helsing in werewolf form, grips Dracula's shoulders. Dracula lets out a surprised gasp and then quickly flies upward. Van Helsing follows, climbing deftly up the pillars.
You let out a gasping breath and fall to the floor. Vladimir rushes to your side, Carl not far behind. "Oh, God…" He murmurs, putting a cloth on your neck to stabilize the blood flow. "I told you not to go…" He whispers, almost crying, "I told you not to go…"
"Vladimir…" Carl says. You can only see their forms through blurry eyesight. Your consciousness is fading fast.
"What is it, Carl?" Vladimir asks, looking up from beside you. Carl stands with the antidote in hand and he points upward. Suddenly, Van Helsing comes crashing down, dangerously close to the three of you. He growls, standing, and then towers over you. Dracula sweeps downward and a cloud covers the moon. Van Helsing becomes a man again. He runs, hiding behind the pillars. Dracula snarls at Vladimir and then sees Carl. The awful expression fades from his face as he looks intently at Carl. Then, he swiftly walks forward and seizes the antidote from Carl.
"Thank you," Dracula says, before walking back in the direction of Van Helsing. Carl is too awe-struck to respond.
"What are you doing?" Bursts Vladimir, "You let him take the antidote!" Vladimir desperately fires shots at Dracula, but they do not phase him in the least. Carl has no response. He stares off, dazed. "God damn it!" Shouts Vladimir, standing up. The moon becomes visible again.
Dracula makes an agile movement and swings his arm around the pillar, stabbing Van Helsing in werewolf form, injecting the antidote. Then he quickly flies again up to the rafters as Van Helsing stumbles out of the shadows, and shrinks back into man form. He falls to his knees not too far away. Then there is complete silence. The Count swoops downward once more, landing triumphantly upon the floor.
Your senses are slowly returning. Dracula did not have sufficient time to take enough blood to kill you. You are still weak, but you sit up slightly, blinking your surrounding images into clarity.
"After last time, I do not think it was wise of me to be unprepared for such an instance, Van Helsing," says the Count with a smirk, "Now I shall kill you, and take your beloved away as well. My vengeance will finally triumph."
"No!" You yell, half stumbling/half crawling to his feet. You look up at him. "Let him go! It is me you want!" You stand up and remove the cloth. "Now finish what you have started…but let them go…" Greed shines in the Count's eyes as he steps close to you and stares at the wounds on your neck. Van Helsing has recovered now, and he stands, throwing the needle aside.
"Don't you touch her, Count Dracula!" Van Helsing says, "It is I that you want!" The Count, surprised by the double offering, backs up a step in momentary confusion.
"I…" The Count looks positively baffled. Van Helsing smirks. While the Count begins to ponder this, you catch a wink from Van Helsing. He seems to have this all figured out, so you stay silent.
"No, I want both," Dracula finally says, "I will let no one go." He takes you firmly into himself and backs towards the shadows.
"Put her back, Dracula," Van Helsing says, following you.
"I think not, Gabriel," replies Vladislaus, "But take comfort in knowing that the conditions in which I take your beloved will be no less than paradise itself."
"Let's make a deal, Vladislaus," suggests Van Helsing. Carl and Vladimir remain where they were, completely discombobulated.
"I do not make deals!" Says Dracula, "I am through with deals! And I do not compromise, Gabriel!"
"What a shame! My idea of a deal was more so in your favor than in mine!" Says Van Helsing. Dracula continues taking you towards the shadows. You feel like you should be panicking, but you do not.
"Where is my ring, Van Helsing?" Demands Dracula. Van Helsing smiles slowly.
"It is somewhere safe," he replies. You notice that Carl and Vladimir have vanished. Suddenly, the plan makes perfect sense to you now. "Before you take her, Vladislaus…tell me something of my past."
"Another time we shall speak of that!" Hisses Dracula, "Right before your death!"
"Now, Vladislaus," says Van Helsing. He seems terribly calm, and though you know the current plan of action is likely going to work, you are still fidgety. Dracula is silent and suddenly, he releases you, going out onto the floor with Van Helsing.
"Very well, Gabriel. I will give you a little history lesson," says the Count, raising his brows. Suddenly, he strikes Van Helsing. Van Helsing falls back, surprised and dodges another blow from the Count. He leaps behind the pillars, falling out of the Count's sight. You are content to rest for the moment, being quite exhausted. "You remember, of course, Van Helsing, the lovely Adriana Valerious…" The Count strolls in front of the pillars at leisure, glancing occasionally behind them. "Do you remember that you stole her from me too, Van Helsing?" He hisses, glaring into the shadows.
You watch the scene, biting your lip gently. The outcome of this evening worries you greatly and now you are not sure how the whole thing is going to work out.
And then, the ballroom comes to full light yet again. You are Adriana Valerious, held in the strong arms of Count Vladislaus Dracula. Van Helsing approaches you and then swiftly takes you out of Dracula's arms, dancing off with you in a trance. Vladislaus watches, a dark expression upon his face.
"Little did I know that I would spend the next four centuries trying to defeat you…and trying to recover my beloved Adriana," says the Count. The scene fades and all becomes as it was. There is a crack of thunder accompanied by bright lightning and suddenly Van Helsing and Count stand face-to-face in the middle of the hall. You wonder what it is they are seeing because suddenly they begin to fight without actually striking each other, and it seems they fight with swords. You cannot see the swords of course, so it just looks strange to you. They fall out of the flashback and Dracula snarls as Van Helsing retakes his cover in the shadows.
"So you sent me to my grave, so it seemed," states Dracula, "And shortly there-after, I rose from that cold and lonesome grave to take into my company… my three beautiful brides. Oh, you were nothing in the following three centuries. Only until three years ago did you become a threat again…" He suddenly seizes you from your resting place once more. "And that is all I have to say to you, Gabriel," says Dracula, grinning devilishly, "Because, you see, these memories mean nothing to you anymore, for I will shortly destroy you." He strokes your neck softly, numbing it with his cold. You realize now that your previous confidence was completely false; you truly are doomed now.
"Vladislaus, I don't want to go…" You whisper.
"Have you ever gotten a say in these matters, Adriana?" Says Dracula fiercely. You fall silent. "You are my bride! We will have such beautiful children once the laboratory is fully restored. Dr. Frankenstein left wonderful quantities of notes that have been recovered, and my scientists say that life can be given again without the mind of the Doctor at hand. Besides, we have the key to the process. Now, my love…"
"Dracula!" Counters Van Helsing, approaching the two of you, "I will not let you take her away from me! She is my mortal destiny!" At this point, you feel exasperated, and very tired. You blink in exhaustion and feel like falling back into Dracula's arms and sleeping.
"Give your mortal destiny to me now, Van Helsing," grins Dracula, "For she is my immortal destiny, and I will have her."
"She is a fragile, good creature! She does not belong to you, Vladislaus!" Cries Van Helsing, only a short distance away.
"Oh it is only right that I steal such innocence from such beauty… she will be an exotic thing to behold, will she not?" Dracula smiles rather fondly, running his hands along your neck. You gasp slightly, leaning stiffly into him. He strokes your shoulders and you relax into him, delving into the chilling sensation. "That's right, my love… surrender to it…become it…"
"Fight it! Deny it, Mira!" Yells Van Helsing. His voice comes foggy over the Count's commands and you struggle slightly with Dracula's mind, but it seems now that he has pinned you down and you settle peacefully into his arms, allowing an unobstructed path to your neck open.
"Oh, delicate…beautiful woman…" Says Dracula, resting his hand on your cheek. "Be my queen…"
"Fight him, Mira!" Shouts Van Helsing relentlessly. Dracula ignores him rather easily and you don't even hear Van Helsing's voice at this point. You are completely hypnotized and the world seems to swirl and vibrate around you. Suddenly, Van Helsing starts speaking in Latin. His words translate to: "In the name of God, save her soul…in the name of God, I command you, Adriana Valerious, to become alive…in the name of God—"
"—Stop speaking!" Hisses the Count, holding you more protectively than ever. Your eyelids flicker and suddenly, you are not you. Or are you you? You cannot tell who you are at the moment. But the fact is that you are revived, and you must resist the Count. You shove him away with a mighty kick. The Count hisses and gasps. Van Helsing grabs your hand and you are running down the halls, heading towards the gate. Voices rise out of the walls again like they had earlier.
You are so conscious now that the world is nearly in chaos. The front gate is now in sight and you finally become sensible again. Carl and Vladimir have opened the gate and they stand waiting for you.
"We are running!" You realize aloud.
"Yes, and bloody fast too!" Shouts Van Helsing.
"But… we have not defeated him…" You say, bewildered.
"Save it for another day, Mira! We cannot beat our enemy in his own home! We must face him elsewhere!" You reach Carl and Vladimir and run along the narrow pathway towards the portal that will lead back into your castle in Transylvania. "The dawn is fast approaching. He cannot follow us yet so we will have the day to find Sanctuary!" The sun finally sparks slightly on the horizon and relief hits you.
The task is not done, but for a while, you can feel safe. You slow to a walk, realizing that you are no longer in danger.
"Van Helsing…" You sigh weakly, stumbling, "I need…rest…" You fall into his arms. He strokes your face and looks warmly into your eyes.
"I promise I will find the way out of this… we may have failed this time, but we are still alive…slightly scathed, but alive, and we shall not perish until our task is done," promises Van Helsing. You smile as he sweeps you off the ground, reaching the portal. "And sleep a bit, Mira…while you can."
He does not have to speak twice; you are unconscious almost immediately.