FInally! An update! I apologize to all of you who have been wondering when I will update on this story. It's been almost a month and I have been so busy with the holidays. I'm glad they are over although I did enjoy them immensely. There were several reasons it took me so long to update: I struggled with this chapter and rewrote it, plus if I wasn't Christmas shopping, being whisked away to holiday parties or working, I also had two other holiday-themed stories I needed to get published here. But, here it is and thanks so much for reading and following this story. I know you're wondering who the head vampire is and I'm sorry, it's not revealed yet in this chapter. Sorry.
Allura with now fellow vampires Nanny, Coran and Dr. Gorma all set out on a bloody rampage of the castle. No maid, no castle guard, cook or anyone was safe from their bloodthirsty quests. One by one people were attacked, their shrieks and cries of horror filling the castle halls and rooms, their blood splattered about. Soon, the castle had a mass of vampires on the loose and it would be only a matter of time before everywhere outside the castle would be under the curse. Only two humans remained alive and they were Hunk and Pidge. When the carnage began, their disbelief coupled with terror at what was happened to the princess and the others.
Pidge had delved into quick vampire research after grabbing books from Coran's library as he hid from the chaos and mayhem in Green. Behind his glasses, Pidge's gentle brown eyes with their dilated pupils could not hide his intense fear. Never had he been more frightened by anything in his life. What he couldn't get out of his brain, were the cries of the victims as they were being hunted and bitten. Again and again, the screams came and he involuntarily clapped his ears with his hands as though to shut them out. The sight of the princess, Dr. Gorma, Coran and Nanny flying through the air coming for him was unbearable. Keeping in contact with Hunk, he relayed what information he could, so they could stay safe.
After storming the castle's huge kitchen and grabbing bushels of garlic bulbs and then the castle's workshop grabbing wood for stakes he too hid out in Yellow. There he sat in Yellow vigorously turning two by fours into wooden stakes. Both pilots were uncertain how protected they were in their lions from vampires. Futile attempts were made to contact Galaxy Garrison for help, thus the boys had to come up with a plan. They would have to intercept Keith and Lance's return to the castle, tell them what was happening, hope that they would believe them and figure how to stop the vampire curse.
"Keith and Lance will never believe what's happening here!" Hunk called to Pidge on his intercom.
'Yeah, they're gonna have to see it to believe it!" Pidge yelled back still with his nose in the vampire book.
"Hunk. Pidge. Do you copy? This is Lance. What's going on at the castle?" Lance called into the intercom. To his right was Keith staring blankly ahead, his palms together with his fingers pointing up to his chin as he was in intense thought of Allura.
"Lance. Keith. It's Pidge in Green. Meet Hunk and me down in the desert. It's the same area where we first crashed on Arus. We have to talk. Something terrible is happening at the castle," Pidge stammered out.
"What's going on Pidge?" Keith suddenly interrupted, his voice raised and demanding. Lance nudged him back gently. "No! I need to know if Allura is okay!" Keith yelled as his head turned furiously to Lance's right.
"We're almost there Keith!" Lance told him firmly. "We'll be landing there shortly. Don't you see the castle there in the distance?" he said pointing to the great fortress that was straight ahead. Soon, they had landed and Keith rushed out of the ship towards the yellow and green lions. Lance was not far behind on foot.
It was early morning, still dark in the desert with the dry, arid air and they were only able to make out the outlines of the large rocky mountains and hills. Tumbleweed and a few cacti lie at their feet as Hunk and Pidge sprinted on towards Lance and Keith.
Wrinkling his nose Lance then asked Hunk,"Whoa! What have you been eating that's stronger than pizza. Are you on some kind of garlic diet?" he laughed.
"Well actually" Hunk began before pulling up his shirt to show bulbs of garlic on a string around his neck.
"What the .."Keith hollered before asking again," What is going on?"
"Lance, Keith, we need to talk," Pidge managed, his large brown eyes magnified behind his glasses. He swallowed hard before he finally blurted out, "The castle is full of vampires."
"What?" Lance exclaimed, his hazel eyes filled with disbelief and shock.
Expecting the two men to not believe them, Hunk explained what had happened at the castle earlier, the attacks and how many vampires there were. He did not, however tell Keith the princess had become one too, but if he happened to ask, Hunk would have to tell. Pidge looked at Hunk in surprise when Keith finally spoke.
"I just know that witch Haggar is up to something. It's gotta be Lotor and her behind all this!" Keith said. "How is Allura?" he suddenly asked, that look in his eyes dark and persistent. Pidge swallowed hard again and looked to Hunk for reassurance. Hunk then stepped forward.
"Keith, you're not going to like it. She's one too," he replied, a sickening paleness washed over his face.
Keith's hands flung to his head gripping his hair as he turned around letting out an angry grunt. "Dammit! I knew it! We've gotta save her and the others!"
"What's your plan of attack Keith?" Lance asked. His angry was boiling to the surface as well and he was willing to fight. Keith continued to spin around confused and uncertain of how exactly they were going to fight vampires.
"If it helps anything, I've got a book from Coran's library on vampires," Pidge said pulling a small pocketbook out of his pants pocket. "We've got what we need to ward and fight them off: garlic and wooden stakes."
"We are not going to stake anyone!" Keith stated furiously.
"But, if we don't find who the head vampire is.." Pidge said.
"We will. I don't care what it takes," Keith stated. "It's almost dawn and the vampires will settle down. Then, we will enter the castle. Let's get what rest we can and then head over there before they all wake up. It'll be nighttime in no time."
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The team tried to get what sleep they could, but soon Yellow, Green and the Keith and Lance's ship landed at the castle. Stepping out, they walked into the castle that when they stepped in, felt like cold and frightingly quiet like a tomb. There were no guards anywhere, no maids welcoming them. Where was Coran? Keith could feel the goosebumps on his arms. He clenched his fists in fear and frustration wondering about Allura. If they didn't find and kill the head vampire, she would forever be one of the living dead and he couldn't bear that to happen. As they continued to walk through the castle, only the sound of their shoes clacking on the stone floors could be heard and echoing in the halls.
"Where is anyone?" Hunk asked looking around for any sign of living beings.
"Probably asleep in their coffins wherever they are," Lance answered him.
Keith entered Coran's empty office. It was exceedingly odd not to see Coran there sitting at his desk or the seating area having coffee. Strolling over to the library shelf, Keith grabbed a book with an emblem of a bat on it.
"More vampire facts in this one. It also talks about crosses and crucifixes, yet we don't have any. Look, I know of a Catholic church just down in the valley, about a ten minute ride in the lions and you're there. We can go in and and get grab some," Pidge said.
"We don't have time for that. It's going to be dark soon and we need to be here to fight off the vampires," Keith replied sternly.
"Lance, you're Catholic! You must have a crucifix somewhere!" Hunk stated giving Lance a slight punch as his brown eyes lit up.
Prior to responding, Lance looked at Hunk and then Pidge before Keith who shot up an eyebrow at him. "Well, I'm not exactly a devout Catholic lately, but I'll see what I can find in my dresser drawers."
Leading them up to his room, he rummaged through socks, underwear and some other unmentionable items that Hunk raised his eyebrows at while covering Pidge's eyes with his hands. Lance then came across a shiney, silver rosary with the crucifix n the end.
"Will this do?" he asked as he gathered the rosary in this hand, the cross on the end dangling. Pidge took it from him and remarked as he held it in his small hands and studied it, "It's perfect!"
"Alright Team," Keith spoke up as he looked each of the others in the eye,"I think we have enough to fight off the vampires until we can figure out who the head one is. That way we can stop the curse before it gets out of the castle, the nearby villages and all of Arus becomes one giant vampire plague!" Narrowing his eyes that had now become black as night, he added, "Under no circumstances can anyone stake and kill Coran, Nanny, Dr. Gorma, but especially Allura! I don't care how threatening she is!"
They all nodded in agreement and after a moment of silence, Keith said, "We all stick together," and again more nods from his friends. "I need to see Allura. I think I may know where she may be resting in a coffin," he said as everyone of their mouths gaped open. "Let's go to her father's crypt," he added as he turned and they reluctantly followed him.
"You sure you want to do this Keith?" Lance asked nervously. He was not even sure how Keith would react once he found the princess in a vampire-state, but knowing how persistent Keith could be, he better not challenge him more.
There was no response from the commander and as they all descended the stone stairs that led down to King Alfor's tomb, fear and apprehension began to grip at their throats as their hearts pounded madly. Coughing in the dusty air and pushing back stray cobwebs, Keith was just feet away from Alfor's coffin and he went straight for the smaller coffin next to it.
"It's gotta be hers. Give me a hand with the lid," he demanded glaring at his teammates who then immediately helped him pull off the coffin lid that made a jarring noise. He caught his breath as he was now glancing down at his beloved's face.