DISCLAIMER: Okay, should I be dismayed that The Clash recently sold out to a car commercial? Or should I just accept the sad truth that the integrity of all artists has a price? Especially if it comes with a sunroof, satellite radio, DVD player, and OnStar system. Heck, I might even sell out for that. Aw, who am I kidding? I'd sell out for a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a Princess Bride DVD.

Ladies and gentleman, buckle your seatbelts for the Act III climax of our story. Or the early beginnings of it, at least…

Shaun downed his second cup of tea. "Right, so what do we know?"

Grayson looked at the clock, whose hours were passing far too quickly. "Well, sometime between 10:13 and 11:21 tonight during the Lunar Eclipse, Davrok will use Sara's blood to open a seal called La Trayectoria Luz. Darkness and death will ensue unless we stop it."

"And the seal is where?"

"We're thinking Kimbolton Castle. It's the last place that Katherine of Aragon lived in exile. The seal would most likely have been placed in her private chapel on the grounds. Probably in an older part of the castle that hasn't been renovated for the present-day Kimbolton School."

"And how many vampires do we think will be attending this grand opening?"

"Hundreds."

Shaun got up from the kitchen table and paced while he absorbed the information.

"So what's the plan?" Grayson asked.

Then Shaun turned quickly, placing his hand thoughtfully on his chin. "Right…We take your car, go round to the Council, pick up all those UV lamps we used at the rave, drive to Kimbolton, turn on the lamps to toast the vampires, kill Davrok, rescue Sara, and be home in time for tea and Trisha."

"It's an old castle, Shaun. We don't know if it has electrical outlets that could handle that kind of power surge. Plus the UV rays only burn vamps, they don't kill them. We'd still have to deal with hundreds of vampires, which would greatly reduce any chance of saving Sara."

"Okay then. We take your car, drive to Kimbolton, let all the vampires gather in the chapel, lock the door once they're inside, and then when the sun comes up, we open the door and toast them, kill Davrok, rescue Sara, and be home in time for tea and Trisha."

"We save Sara by locking her in a room for several hours with hundreds of bloodthirsty vampires?"

"Good point."

"Besides, there may be other exits and entrances we don't know about. Catacombs, dungeons. We haven't had time to do a thorough assessment of the building."

"Look, we can't waste time assessing."

"I agree."

Shaun realized they were going to need something bloody spectacular to resolve the situation. "Do you know where we could get our hands on some explosives?"

"Well, the Council usually keeps some in an underground safe," Grayson answered.

"Have you ever used them?"

"Yeah. It's not my favorite method, but I've had to use nitro a few times on some vamp nests in Mexico."

"Good, because I think I just came up with a new plan. I've got to go out to the garden shed."

"Why are you going to the garden shed?"

"I need supplies."

"What supplies?"

"My friend Ed."

"What?"

"My zombie friend Ed, he's in the shed."

"Your zombie friend Ed in the shed?"

"That's what I said."

"I thought Ed was dead."

"He is, but now he's a zombie instead."

"Shaun, you are not right in the head."

"Look, this is starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book. After weighing all our options, I think this is the one with the lowest human casualty count and the highest vampire one."

"Casualty count?"

"We can't send anyone in there, right? Anyone with fresh blood? Ed doesn't have any. The vampires won't go for him. So we strap some explosives onto him and use him as a suicide bomber. It's the easiest way to take out all the vampires at once."

"No, no, no. Shaun, I am not okay with this plan. Not only does it put Sara in even more danger, but what if Ed bites someone before we even get there? What if he bites you or me? Then we'll have a zombie infestation on top of the vampire one."

"He hasn't bitten me," Shaun insisted. "He hasn't even tried lately. He's tame."

"A tame zombie? You expect me to believe that? As if he could ever lose the characteristic desire for fresh blood."

"If you've got another plan, Grayson, I'd be happy to hear it," he snapped, turning on him. "Right now, this is the best we've got. I don't know why you're getting so freaked out anyway. You deal with the undead on a daily basis."

"Yes, a completely different kind of undead. Vampires still look human. They have clear complexions, and their body parts are largely intact," he countered, with a shudder.

"Just go wait in the car then," he ordered.

"Fine."

"Zombie-ist," he called to Grayson's retreating back. Shaun hesitantly walked across the garden, entered the shed and prepared to undo Ed's restraints. "Well, Ed, ready to save the world?"

The zombie looked up at him with a white-glazed stare that Shaun took as an affirmative. He unhooked Ed's chain from the wall, but left the shackles on his arm. Placing a blanket over him, he hustled (or tried to hustle) Ed into Grayson's waiting Range Rover. He helped Ed into the backseat and made sure to buckle the seatbelt, then jumped into the passenger seat.

As Grayson started up the car, the sound of REM's song "It's the End of the World (As We Know It)" loudly filled the interior.

"Sorry," Grayson said, with a sheepish grin and quickly switched to a different CD.

Meanwhile, Sara was patiently waiting on the grounds of Kimbolton Castle. After following Ryland and Davrok there all the way from London, she'd watched them enter the castle before sunrise. She waited and waited for any further sign of movement. They hadn't left the building, nor had she seen any sign of the sacrificial girl whose blood was supposed to open the seal. Maybe she was already being held inside.

Equipping herself with various weapons, she decided to go in and investigate. She was steeling herself for a quick sprint across the open lawn to the front door when her cell phone rang, making her nearly jump out of her skin. "Bloody hell, stop doing that!" she yelled at the inanimate object before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Sara, it's Michael. Where are you?"

"Sitting outside Kimbolton Castle."

"Where are Ryland and Davrok?"

"Inside the castle. They went in before sunrise. I haven't seen them since."

"Listen, the seal is located in Katherine of Aragon's private chapel, in the old part of the castle. I've contacted the headmaster of Kimbolton School. He's expecting you. I've advised him to evacuate the school and…" Static made the rest of his sentence inaudible.

"Michael, you're breaking up. What did you say?"

"Your first priority…minimize the casualties…evacuate the school."

"What about the ritual? Have you figured out a way to stop it?"

"We're still trying to decipher Ryland's notes…" More static. "But you should not…" Even more static.

"Michael, I can't hear you! I should not what? Michael? Michael?" The call was lost. The phone was unable to get a signal this far out in the country. Perfect. Well, at least she knew the headmaster was expecting her. She grabbed a grey trenchcoat out of the backseat, threw it on and tied it at the waist to conceal all her weaponry. Then she walked calmly across the lawn, up the steps of the columned entrance and through the front door.

She smiled at the receptionist at the front desk. "Hello, I believe the headmaster is expecting me," she proclaimed.

"Ah, yes, you must be Misses Davenport. So lovely to meet you. The headmaster is in a meeting at the moment, but he's arranged for one of the instructors to give you a tour of the place. I'm sure you'll find that this is the perfect school for your son."

"My son?!" she spurted.

"Yes, little Jordan. If you want him to be a top barrister like his father, you would certainly want him to obtain the best education possible."

"Yes, certainly," she stammered. So her cover story was that she was a barrister's wife with a son called Jordan? It would have been nice for Michael to mention that on the phone.

"Ah, here's Mister Barnaby," the receptionist beamed as a distinguished looking man approached.

"Good day, Misses Davenport. How was the drive from Cambridge?"

"It was lovely, thank you for asking. Shall we get started on the tour? I have an appointment later that I mustn't be late for."

"Of course. Follow me please." He led the way up the staircase to the second floor. She pretended to listen intently as they walked and he droned on about the history of the school, its distinguished alumni, its stellar academic programs. After what seemed like hours, he stopped at a doorway. "And through here, is the oldest part of the castle. This was where Katherine of Aragon established her residence while she was in exile. Terribly sad story."

"Yeah, no kidding. But she did manage to keep her head on straight, huh?" she laughed, though she could tell from his stern expression that the joke was lost on him.

"This concludes your tour." He started to walk back the way they had come.

"I was really hoping to see that part of the castle," she attempted.

"I'm afraid we don't allow visitors in there. I must insist that you follow me back to the lobby."

As his back was turned, she removed a dagger from her belt and poised the blunt hilt of it over the base of his skull. "I'm terribly sorry about this," she whispered and struck him, knocking him unconscious. She opened a nearby door and found it to be some sort of storage closet. She dragged him into the room and propped him up against the wall. "You'll have a splitting headache when you wake up, but you'll be fine. I hope."

She closed the door and then made her way into the forbidden area where a long corridor stretched into darkness before her. She continued along the corridor, down a narrow flight of stairs, along another darker and colder corridor that led to an imposing set of double doors. She slowly opened them and peeked inside. The chamber was lit only by torches. She stepped inside and silently shut the door, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She could see two figures ahead of her, moving around the altar at the far end of the room, and she knew she was in the right place.