Author's Notes: Greetings everyone! Well, after having a few chapters to read that were relatively short, we're back to the longer chapters. These next chapters will build into the final conflict. Until next time, please continue to read and review!

Shame on the sun.
For the light you sold.
I've lost my hold,
on the magic flame,
but now I know your name.
Oh, lord, just go the way you came again.
Oh, shame on the night—

"Shame on the Night"—Ronnie James Dio

Seuche in Deutschland

Chapter XIII

Lysander secured a carriage, and within thirty minutes he, Adrian, Alcander, and Christian were near north Berlin. Their situation, however, was similar to what Lysander and Alcander experienced on New Years Eve. The driver would not enter the northern part of the city, due to the fear created by the epidemic. So Adrian, Lysander, Alcander, and Christian were forced to walk.

When the four arrived in north Berlin, Adrian turned to his oldest. "All right, where should we start, Sander?"

Lysander observed the buildings, until he discovered one that appeared to have been abandoned for at least twenty years. "That one!" he said, while he pointed to the building. "That's a perfect hiding spot."

The entrance to the old building was about to fall off its hinges; and based on its interior, the building was once a tavern.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," a voice said.

The men's hearts almost skipped a beat. They turned to the voice. It belonged to a man in his middle-twenties, with a blanket around his legs and a whiskey bottle in his hand.

"Who're you?" asked Alcander.

"Perhaps I should ask you the same question, but it probably doesn't matter. Nicholas's my name."

"And what're you doing here?" added Lysander.

Nicholas took a sip of whiskey. "What does it look like? I'm trying to stay warm."

"Wouldn't you be warmer in your own home?" asked Christian.

Nicholas chuckled. "A little naive, aren't you? This is my home."

"So I take it that you're homeless?" added Adrian.

Nicholas took another sip of his whiskey. "And you're the wisest one of the bunch, old man!"

Adrian raised an eyebrow at Nicholas' 'old man' comment.

But Nicholas chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean any offense. I often refer to any man who's old enough to be my father as 'old man.'"

"Or your great-grandfather," Adrian said with a smile.

"Why're you homeless?" asked Alcander.

"Because I don't have a job."

"Well, find one."

Nicholas sighed. "It's not that easy…Look, I don't know your background, but based on how you're dressed—and based on how old you look—you probably come from a fairly wealthy family. And because of that, you probably don't understand what it's like for some people to struggle with money, because you've never had to experience it yourself."

Alcander was silent. As were his brother and cousin. All three of them had been born with silver spoons in their mouths.

"In this world," continued Nicholas, "people, who can work, struggle to find work, because there're no jobs available for them. And because they don't have any close relatives to provide them with money or shelter, they become homeless and live on the streets."

"Very true," replied Adrian. "You're able to work; are you not, Nicholas?"

"Yes, sir, I can work."

"In another country?"

"…I don't know…Can they speak my language?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes, they can understand your German." Adrian reached into his pocket and removed some gold. "Here…this'll get you to Romania."

Nicholas' eyes became a lighted Christmas tree when Adrian handed him the money.

"Go to the village of Warakiya," continued Adrian. "That's our home. Mention my name—Adrian Tepes. There, you'll be able to find work. And if you forget my name then mention a tall blonde-haired man that you met in Prussia who slays vampires."

"Slays vampires?"

"It's queer, I know; but they'll understand who I am."

Nicholas nodded.

"If, however, I discover that you used my money purchase some more whiskey bottles," Adrian added, while he knocked Nicholas' bottle away, "then I shall beat you to a bloody pulp!"

"Ye-yes, sir, Mr. Tepes! I'll leave for Romania right now! …You're a good Christian man, Mr. Tepes."

"…Thank you…Umm, Nicholas?"

"Yes, Mr. Tepes?"

"Before you leave for Romania, I've something important to ask you."

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you the only person living in this building?"

"…I believe so, yes…Well…"

"Yes?"

"Well, late at night, I sometimes hear voices…But I'm sure they're simply my imagination."

"Where're these voices coming from?"

"From beneath my feet…But I know of no basement in this building. That's why I think it's only my mind playing tricks on me."

Adrian nodded. "Thank you."

After Nicholas left the building—in hopes of discovering a better life in Romania—Adrian turned to his sons and nephew.

"All right, looks like we discovered our next important clue. Now—all we need to figure out is—how to find a way underneath the floor."

"Umm, Dad?" began Alcander.

"What is it, Cander?"

"Why did you give that man your money?"

Before Adrian could answer, Lysander and Christian looked at him with the same question on their faces.

"Because I thought it was the right thing to do."

"You mean 'the right Christian thing to do,' don't you, Uncle?"

"If you wish to call it that you can, Christian. But I wasn't thinking about Christian Law when I gave Nicholas that money. What I was thinking about was the righteousness of man. We're supposed to help each other, and sometimes it's hard for people to understand that. You boys've never understood what it's like to be poor. And with all due respect, neither've I. But if that boy's a hard worker, he'll have a chance to make a living in Romania…That's why I did it…Now, help me see if there's a basement door."

Adrian, Lysander, Alcander, and Christian tried to locate a basement door but were unable to find one. However, Christian did discover something that was useful to the party.

"What is it, Christian?" asked Lysander.

Christian rapped on the floor. "Do you hear that? It's hallow. Not only's it hallow, but it's also breakable." Christian turned to his uncle. "Should I break through it?"

Adrian nodded. "By all means."

Christian rammed his fist—and then his foot—through the floor. Adrian, Lysander, and Alcander assisted Christian, until they created a hole that was large enough for them to see and fit though.

"The floor beneath us is not very deep," Adrian began. "And it appears that all of us'll be able to stand and move around in the basement."

"True, but there's only one problem," Lysander said. "None of us'll be able to see where we're going."

"We can create some torches from the wood that we've broken to make this hole. All we need is some flint stones."

The party was silent.

"I take it that nobody brought any?" added Adrian.

Lysander shook his head. "No, but I can buy some."

Adrian nodded. "Very well…but be quick. Based on the position of the sun, we'll probably have only an hour of daylight."

Lysander returned ten minutes later with some flint stones, and the party made their torches. With the flames to guide their way, the party entered the basement. And it did not take long for the party to stumble upon their prize—five large caskets.

"This is their crypt," Adrian said.

"Now we must end their unholy lives," added Christian.

"I don't think so," a voice replied from one of the caskets.

And after the voice finished its sentence, five vampires emerged—three young men and two young women.

"Well, I'll be damned," Lysander said. "If one of them isn't that prostitute I encountered on New Years Eve."

"Hello, Mr. Tepes," the young woman said that encountered Lysander. Although her 'Mr. Tepes' could have referred to Adrian or Alcander, her eyes were squarely on Lysander.

"Oh, yes," replied the other woman, "you told me that you met Lysander before, Haidee. He's very beautiful…And so's his younger brother."

The woman looked at Alcander and performed an erotic gesture with her tongue. "There's so much I could do to him…There's also so much I could do to Christian Belmont as well…along with even Adrian Tepes."

"You speak too much, Katherine," responded one of the young men. "We woke up early, because one of them mentioned something about ending our 'unholy lives.' Our lives aren't 'unholy.' We simply have a different way of viewing the world than you. Why does that make us evil?"

The party did not answer the vampire's question. Instead, the Tepeses unsheathed their swords, and Christian cracked his family's whip.

"All right," began Adrian, "which one of you's, Alric?"

The same vampire chuckled. "So, you're unable to answer my question about why our lives are evil, so instead you ask us where our master is?"

"Where is he?" Adrian asked again.

The vampire chuckled again. "Do you think we'd actually tell you?"

And another male vampire smiled. "We outnumber you four to five."

Adrian nodded.

The third male vampire stepped forward with a smile. "Ah, that's good. I can see the fear on your face!" And he leapt at Adrian.

But Adrian merely held out his sword; and because of the young vampire's recklessness, he found himself on the other end of the blade with his heart pierced.

The other vampires gasped at what they had witnessed. Adrian had killed one of their members in under a minute.

"That wasn't fear," Adrian replied, while he removed his bloody sword and decapitated the vampire's head. "I was simply agreeing with you that you outnumbered us. But from I can tell, it now appears that we're even."

Christian Belmont responded to his uncle's statement by cracking the blessed whip. The vampires stepped back, and Christian's party took a step forward. Through his torchlight, Christian noticed something—a door. "That door's unquestionably the exit to this crypt. I can see faint traces of sunlight through the cracks in that door. If I was able to open it, it'd ensure our victory."

Finally the vampires held their ground, and the first male vampire smiled. "All of us chose to surrender our souls to darkness. You can call it an 'unholy life' all you want to, but we call it a lifestyle without fear and worry."

Haidee nodded. "We no longer have to worry about disease, age, or death."

"What about eternal damnation?" asked Lysander.

The second male vampire smiled. "That's the problem with you Christians. As a child, I sat in my Lutheran Church and listened to the pastor preach about the 'all loving-merciful God…'But here's the mercy that I saw. My childhood friends, dead from diseases—along with a large number of other people; but I prefer to focus on the children. God's an all loving-merciful God, you Christians say. But where was all His love and mercy for these children…or for their parents? What crimes did they commit? Not that you four'd ever understand! I heard all about your background from Alric—a bunch of little rich bastards! But I'm free from worrying about all your Christian bullshit!"

"Although there's a lot that I'd like to say back to him, I realize that all he's trying to do is stall us until the sun sets," replied Christian. "There's no time. I must act now!"

Christian charged at the door—with whip in hand—but was quickly struck down by a powerful right-hand from the second vampire. What resulted from Christian's charge were the attacks of the other vampires on his party.

Lysander found himself in a dangerous position with Haidee. Lysander dropped his sword, and Haidee had Lysander trapped against the wall with her hand around his throat.

Lysander gasped for air, while sweat rolled down his cheeks. Despite how terrified Lysander was it was nothing compared to the moment when Haidee grabbed his crotch. Her hand caressed Lysander's manhood, and she presented him with an erotic smile. "There's so much I can do here…And I know I can do it better than your little wife back home."

Lysander's perspiration increased. "My God…If I make even the slightest mistake my testicles'll be ripped from my flesh! I must do something…"

With his right-hand, Lysander tore open his shirt to expose his crucifix. Haidee released Lysander, and Lysander quickly recovered his sword. But he could not follow through with a counterattack. He was out of breath. So—instead—he held Haidee at bay.

The first male vampire decided to try his luck with Adrian, but Adrian was ready.

The vampire smiled. "I wouldn't let your quick victory over Michael go to your head. He was too irrational."

Adrian said nothing.

The vampire tried to use his speed to knock Adrian down with a right cross, but Adrian sidestepped his opponent's attack; and slashed him with his sword. Adrian's blow did not inflict as much damage as he would have preferred, but it was enough to stun his opponent.

The vampire held his ribcage. His white shirt became soaked with his blood. He attempted a counterattack, but it was of little use.

Finally, Adrian pierced his sword into the vampire's chest, but stopped a few inches from his heart. "Perhaps it was I who was underestimated," Adrian said, before he impaled the vampire's heart and severed his head.

With one battle completed, Adrian turned to another. His youngest, Alcander, suffered from some of the same problems as his brother. He had lost his sword, and was trapped against the wall by Katherine. His only hope lay with his crucifix. But Alcander was unable to remove it. And as he struggled to do so, Katherine prepared to bite him on the neck.

But Adrian would not allow that to happen. And with a powerful right-hand, he knocked the vampiress away.

Adrian handed Alcander his sword, while his son gasped for air. "You should be more careful, Cander."

From the ground, Christian put a hand to his head and blinked his eyes. It was his method to recover from the blow that he had sustained. But he did not have any time too lose. For the second vampire prepared another assault.

But Christian would not let the vampire touch him again. From his belt, he secured a bottle of holy water, and splashed it on the vampire in the shape of a cross. The vampire snarled—the blessed water burned his skin like acid.

"It's now or never!" Christian declared, as he charged for the door.

When he opened it, the final rays of the day's light entered the crypt. It was a moment where Christian was glad to see something he had often taken for granted—sunlight.

"And with maybe only ten minutes to spare," replied Adrian.

The vampires gasped at the light, and they tried to escape its rays—but there was nowhere to hide. Because these vampires were not strong enough to resist the sun they fainted.

"Now," began Adrian, "let's finish what we tried to do before the sun sets."

Once Adrian, Lysander, Alcander, and Christian made certain that the vampires would not rise from their crypts again, Alcander made the comment, "There's only one problem with all of this."

"And what's that?" asked his father.

"It's almost nightfall, and we still don't have any more information on Alric than we did when we first started."

Adrian shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. I think we've learned something today."

"What did we learn?" asked his other son.

"We learned about the type of people that Alric recruits into his army….At least those whom he willingly recruits."

"And those are?" asked Christian.

"Those're people who're struggling with life's questions. The most obvious I can tell is, 'Where was God when this particular event happened in my life?'"

"I've asked that question before," said Alcander.

"I've asked it as well," replied his brother.

"So've I, and I'm the son of a priest…I know that we were born rich, but we struggle with the same questions that these vampires had."

"Yes and no," replied Adrian. "It's true that all of us may've asked 'where was God' at one point in our lives, but we've never had to struggle with some of the issues that this vampire presented. For example, none of us have ever had to watch a child die—whether as a parent or as a friend. All of us were raised in a much healthier environment than most of the children here in Berlin. And because of that, it's hard for us to relate to what he was saying.

But, at the same time, you're right, Christian. I lost my mother in the most horrible of circumstances. I don't hate God for the incident—based on the lessons that my mother taught me—but I could easily understand a person who would…There's one important lesson in all of this, boys. Your opponent usually believes that his cause is as just and as noble as you do. Never forget that!"

The three men nodded.

And Adrian smiled.

"…I suppose we did learn something from all of this," responded Alcander. "But there's still one thing we don't know."

"And what's that, Cander?" replied his father.

"We still don't know where Alric is. We weren't able to gain any information from those vampires about where his hiding spot is, or where he might next strike."

Adrian nodded. "True, but I think we'll be seeing him soon."

"Huh?" responded the three men at nearly the same time.

"I think Alric senses that a large portion of his family has been eliminated…I think he'll look for us."

"But if he knows who we are—and certainly knows that we're already here—why didn't he come after us before?" asked Lysander.

"…I don't have all the answers, Sander…For all I know, he simply wanted to see how powerful his army was—that's why he never bothered to come after us himself…But now that we've defeated five members of his family at once, he'll decide that it's time to remove us. I suspect that this Alric's a powerful foe, one that shouldn't be taken lightly."