Chapter 4: The Swamp Thing

The next morning, Van Helsing had Reinfield lead him and Carl to the Black Swamp. Reinfield brought them to the entrance, but would go no further.

"There are other things in here besides Orlok's minions." he said.

Van Helsing figured as much. "Thank you, we can take it from here."

Reinfield nodded and turned to leave. Carl looked ready to leave too. "Well, this more of your area of expertess." he said nervously. "So I'll just be going and-" Van Helsing grabbed Carl's robes and dragged him into the swamp. "But I don't want to go!"

Van Helsing couldn't blame him. He didn't want to be in this place either. It was very warm and damp. It smelled very bad and a layer of mist covered the ground, making it difficult to watch where you're stepping. Several times Van Helsing stepped in a muddy sinkhole, getting stuck in the smelly muck.

After about half an hour of mindless wandering, Carl finally spoke up. "Why are we in here? We don't even know what we're looking for."

Van Helsing sighed. He wasn't enjoying this anymore than the friar. "We're looking for any signs of evil."

"Well we could be looking for a very long time." said Carl. He cried out as he walked into a spider web. "Besides, we might run into one of Orlok's minions."

Van Helsing nodded. "That's what I'm hoping for."

"Why?"

"They may be able to lead us to Orlok. And something tells me we're getting close. I sense something. A presence of some sort."

Carl went pale. "It's not that creature that's supposedly worse than a werewolf, is it?"

Van Helsing drew his guns. "No, it seems to be human. Or part human. It's close. Watching us."

Immediately, Carl grabbed hold of Van Helsing's jacket. "Watching us? Where?"

Van Helsing waited a couple of seconds before answering. "In the trees."

Someone, or something cried loudly and jumped down from the tree it had been hiding in. It tackled Van Helsing, knocking the guns from his hands. It was strong, that was for sure, but it was in a vulnerable position. Van Helsing kicked upwards with both legs, catching the creature in the stomach. It flew off him and slammed into a tree. Van Helsing got to his feet and got a good look at the creature. It looked like a human, but its skin appeared to be made of moss. He didn't know what this thing was, and it surprised him when it spoke.

"You fiend!" it cried. "You shall never retrieve the Necronomicon!"

It dove at Van Helsing. The monster hunter pulled out his spinning blades. He jumped to the side to avoid the creature's attack, swinging the blade. It cut the creature across the chest. It howled in pain and leapt at Van Helsing again.

Van Helsing stepped backwards, right into a sinkhole. He sank up to his knees in the swamp. Unable to move, the creature was able to pounce on Van Helsing, pinning him to the ground. The creature kneeled on Van Helsing's arms as its hands closed around his throat.

"I'll see to it that the book is kept safe." the creature said, tightening its grip.

Gunfire was heard and the creature released Van Helsing. It cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Van Helsing pulled himself out of the muck and saw Carl standing several feet away with Van Helsing's gun.

Walking over to the terrified friar, Van Helsing took his gun back, practically prying it from Carl's grip. "Carl. Carl! Give me the gun."

"What? Oh, yes, right. Of course." said Carl nervously. He turned back to the green creature that was lowly crawling away. "What is that thing?"

The creature continued to crawl away until it came to a place where the sun penetrated through all the trees. It stayed in the light for a few second before rising to its feet. Its wounds began healing. Apparently, sunlight gave it strength.

Van Helsing aimed at the creature, but did not fire. "Who are you? Are you working for Count Orlok?"

The creature gave Van Helsing a confused look. "I assumed you were?" it said.

Van Helsing shook his head. "No, I have come here to kill that monster. I am Van Helsing."

The creature's eyes widened. "Thee Van Helsing!" it gasped in awe. "My most sincere apologies. I thought you were one of Orlok's servants. Forgive me. My name is Alec. Although the villagers refer to me as the Swamp Thing."

Van Helsing lowered his gun. He was sure that this creature would be no trouble for them. "Most people fear what they don't understand."

Alec nodded. "Indeed. But if you are here to slay Orlok, why are you here?"

Carl managed to find his voice. "We were told his forces were seen searching for something in here." he squeaked.

Alec clenched his hands into fists. "Yes, they search for the Necronomicon. I have been protecting it for several years. It was the last wish of a friend. But if you are who you say you are, then the book will be much safer in your hands. Follow me."

Alec began heading deeper into the swamp. Van Helsing followed, and after a moment's hesitation, Carl did too. As they walked further and further into the swamp, Carl became more and more uneasy. He quickly ran up to walk by Van Helsing.

"How do we know we can trust him?" he asked.

"Don't worry, we can." said Van Helsing confidently.

Carl didn't seem convinced. "But how do we know he's not lying and isn't really working for Orlok?"

"It goes both ways."

That seemed to shut Carl up. He didn't know what else to say. So they walked in silence as Alec led them into the heart of the swamp. After awhile, Alec stopped by a large tree.

"Wait here." he said.

One of the tree's roots was sticking up. Alec grabbed this root and lifted it up. With superhuman strength, he pulled the tree half way out of the ground. He used his foot to kick something out from under the tree, since his hands were full. He dropped the tree and it fell perfectly back into place.

Alec moved over to the thing he had gotten out from under the tree. He picked it up and wiped some muck off. It looked like a piece of flesh to Van Helsing, but when Alec brought it over to them, he saw that it was actually a book.

"This," said Alec, handing him the book, "is the Necronomicon; the Book of the Dead."

"Good lord!" gasped Carl, doing the sign of the cross. "It's real. I thought it was merely a legend."

Van Helsing had never seen, or heard of the Necronomicon before, but something about it seemed familiar to him. Carefully he took the book from Alec and opened it. It was written in some language Van Helsing didn't recognize. And the writing was in red; Van Helsing had a feeling it wasn't red ink.

"This book is a very powerful item." said Alec. "In the right hands, it can be a powerful tool against the forces of evil. But in the wrong hands... I shudder to think of what can happen."

Van Helsing continued scanning the book. Nothing in here made sense to him. "Why would Orlok want this?"

"It can be used to bring people back to life, or kill them." said Carl. "Most of the spells are meant for evil. But they can also undo the evil."

"But why would Orlok want this?" Van Helsing repeated impatiently.

It was Alec who answered. "He could use it to kill an enemy. Create an army of zombies. Resurrect someone close to him. Use your imagination."

Van Helsing's head suddenly filled with possibilities. But the one that caught his attention the most was the one Alec had just said. 'Resurrect someone close to him.' Could this possibly mean what Van Helsing that it meant?

He handed the book to Carl. "Can you read any of this?"

Carl seemed taken aback, but then he began looking through the book. "It's very hard to decipher. But I can make out some of it. I'm sure with some time I could."

Van Helsing's heart began beating very fast. "Do you know what this means?" he said excitedly.

Carl nodded. "We can use this book to kill Orlok."

"No!" cried Van Helsing. But then he thought about it. "Well ok, yes we can, but I meant that we can bring Anna back!"

Carl's eyes widened as he realized what Van Helsing meant. "Um, Van Helsing, don't get your hopes up. It's not that I don't want Anna back, it's just that, most spells in this book are meant for evil. There most likely will be a spell that can bring her back, but what if we use the wrong spell, or what if it goes wrong. We might bring her back as a vampire or something."

Van Helsing's heart sank. Carl was right, it could be dangerous. But if there was even the slightest chance that he could restore the life he took, he would do whatever it took; even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

"If you're going to go through with this, you must be careful." Alec warned them. "Even if you do manage to successfully bring the princess back, you will have to make sure Orlok does not find out. If he does, he will know you have the book."

Van Helsing nodded in understanding. "I will be careful. Thank you my friend."

Alec smiled. "I do not know why Orlok wants this book, but I know nothing good will come of it if he gets it. The burden is on you now."

He turned to leave. "Wait!" Van Helsing called after him. "Come with us."

Alec just laughed. "My place is here. This is where I belong. I wish you the best of luck in your quest. Good bye my friends."