Hey! I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long to put out, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind reviews; I wasn't sure whether I was going to continue with this story but your pushing of my butt helped motivate me to get it out there! I hope I can do it justice :)
Enjoy and review! :D
hazeloakleigh.
Chapter 3 – Rogue Hunter
The following day dawned just as bright and sunny as the day before. Vlad found Robin was right about his father, who had burst in the room right on 6 o'clock to advise them to get up; then started his rounds on the other children. They could hear him singing that abject song the entire way down the hall.
Vlad turned over in bed and yawned; it was too early to be waking up, even in his keen camping eyes. He looked up at Robin, who was groaning into his pillow about it being still dark, although the summer sun was streaming in through the window annoyingly.
He got up from his makeshift bed on the floor, (which inevitably had been quite comfortable), tidied it up so that you could actually walk across the floor without tripping over, and proceeded to drag Robin out of bed by pulling his blankets off him and hitting him with a pillow.
"Come on Robin; time to get up for the Branaugh holiday." He sung the last part in emphasis of Graham's song.
Robin flinched at his words and the pillow and stood up trying to hit Vlad back; stumbling over in morning dizziness before catching himself on the wall.
"Shut up Vlad." He spoke in his morning voice, giving a small smile as the two stumbled down to breakfast.
The morning went by in a blur, with everybody still half asleep as they got the final things ready and packed the car. Elizabeth, Ian and Paul would be staying behind, as they couldn't afford to miss any school; they were doing bad enough as it was. Robin grumbled saying he wasn't doing well at school either, to try and get out of it, but they wouldn't hear a word of it.
By seven o'clock, everything was ready. The car was packed, children fed, the song outsung already. Vlad and Robin had gone through Robin's wardrobe and picked out all the clothes Robin usually wore, and divided them in half, so each had the right amount of clothes with them. Vlad didn't mind wearing Robin's shirts and pants; most of them were fairly normal looking (just black, which he was used to seeing by now with his family and best friend). They found some old shorts of Robins' that he was to use as boxer shorts; because actually wearing his friends' boxers would be a little too awkward for both of them.
"Thanks mate." Vlad said sincerely when the clothing arrangement had been sorted out and they had packed his half into another carry bag.
"Just don't wreck them; I really like that black shirt." He turned to leave the room, as his father was impatiently beeping the horn, leaving Vlad to laugh and wonder just which shirt he was talking about.
A two-hour car drive and hour long hike later; they finally reached their camping destination in the middle of the British forest. The camping ground, which Graham had stumbled upon years ago on a hiking trip, was a small green circle patch of grass in the direct centre of the forest. It was almost creepy it being there; as there was no civilization for miles.
"Right." Graham said, when he found suitable soil in the ground for their tents; telling them to pitch them there.
Now Vlad had never really gone camping before, so he hadn't had any real practise at setting up a tent. He looked at all the pieces warily before attempting to put the poles together, while Robin tried to read the back of the box; although he had been camping many a time with his father he still refused to learn how to pitch a tent.
Chloe saw they were having trouble and sighed, walking over to them and holding out her hands for the poles. They didn't dispute as they handed them to her, and she set to work assembling their tent in record speed. They watched in awe as she seemed to fly around, not even pausing once.
"The only other person I've seen move that fast is my dad, but he's not even a vampire." Vlad whispered quietly to Robin, as Graham was only a few metres away whistling to himself as he set up his and Chloe's tent.
"Well that's what you get for being so dedicated to something," Chloe spoke, now finished assembling the boys tent. "You learn about it. Know how to do it." She smiled. "Might want to try it sometime, Robin." She moved back to her father, to help him finish up. Robin merely poked his tongue out at her.
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"This is it Jonno!" Eric Van Helsing spoke like a maniac as he shook his son Jonathon's shoulders excitedly from inside the caravan they shared. Jonno however, was less than excited at the tone of voice coming from his father. He knew that whenever his father seemed that excited about something, it couldn't be about anything other than slaying.
The Van Helsing's had been vampire slayers for centuries. Eric had great pride in his family history, and at every available moment would love to inform Jonno of this. Jonno couldn't remember the last time an entire day had gone by when his father hadn't mentioned vampires or slaying or his ancestry and the fact they were apparently born to kill.
He didn't believe in vampires himself, and this greatly annoyed Eric. He had invested countless hours of his days to teaching him to hunt, track, capture and slay vampires ever since he was old enough to walk and talk. His own wife had run out on him because of his obsession- she had never believed in it either.
The fact remained that, even though there were a few strange coincidences surrounding the people in Stokely that his father believed were vampires, there was nothing conclusive about the matter.
"What is it dad?" He asked irritably. He had been trying to finish his maths homework before school. Mr. Cleary wasn't a very happy man when you didn't finish your homework on time.
Eric momentarily came out of his daze, and looked down at his son. "What are you doing that for Jonno?! We have bigger fish to fry- or in this case, vampires to kill- than," he looked at the paper Jonathan was writing on, "long division!" He snatched the pen he was using and threw it to the floor.
"Dad!" Jonno protested. "Homework is important if I want an education, and you never help me so I have to do it myself when I can." He tried to lean down and pick the pencil up off of the floor, but his father stopped him in his tracks and pinned him against the wall.
"Jonno have you been paying attention to what I've been doing all night? This is my latest breakthrough!" He looked him sternly in the eye as if to intimidate him, but Jonathan had heard about his "latest breakthroughs" nearly every week for the past year since Vlad and his family had come to Stokely, so the affect had worn off completely when he tried to scare him like that.
"I know you didn't go to bed at all last night. What were you doing? Watching the telly? There isn't that much on at three in the morning you know."
"This isn't about TV! Well it involves a TV, but that's not the point. Look!" He loosened his grip on his son's school blazer and directed his attention to the TV set up in the caravan's kitchen/living room. It was covered with wires and metal parts making it look like a mess, and Jonno wondered just what his father had been doing with it all night.
Then he noticed what was on the screen.
"That's the Draculas living room…" He said in surprise. He recognised it from their many expeditions up to the castle, which almost always resulted in them making a fool of themselves and Eric failing to prove to his son that they were truly vampires. He cringed at the site. If that living room was on his their TV screen it could only mean one thing; another slaying mission.
Currently the room was empty, only stone walls with candles and drapery here and there could be seen, with a long wooden table running down the middle, and a throne like seat at the head of the room.
"Why… how is it that Vlad's living room is one our television screen all the way down here in the caravan? What have you been doing?!" He was horrified. If anyone found out that his father was… spying on the Dracula's, well he'd have even less friends than he had now, and that was none.
Mr Van Helsing didn't seem to pick up on his son's tone. "This is my latest creation Jonathan," He began excitedly. "And it's leading us to the biggest vampire slaying this town has ever seen." He turned his attention away from the Dracula's motionless living room and began packing his bag with supplies. Garlic, wooden stakes of various sizes, garlic juice, silver bullet and stake launchers, and a sunlight gun were all placed either into his bag on attached to his body with belts and straps. He thought looked like a warrior.
Jonno thought he looked mental.
"This town has never seen a vampire slaying dad, probably because there are no vampires to slay. Anyway what's this all about? Why are you spying on the house anyway? What's so exciting about an empty living room?"
"It's exciting for the reason it's empty Jonno! Pay attention and keep with me alright? This is going to be part of your training."
He ignored his son's sigh and continued.
"You're not going to school today – no complaining!" He said, when Jonno began to whine.
"This is important Jonno, stay with me. As I was watching last night while you were snoring in the back room, I noticed the Count in the living room, frantically speaking to that vulgar servant of his. He was saying something about-" He was interrupted by a squeak of protest from Jonno.
"You heard him saying something?! There's sound on this thing too?" He asked in disbelief. You do realise that is classed as stalking don't you? You could go to prison!"
Eric rolled his eyes. "Prison is for people who get caught Jonno, and I, Eric Van Helsing, never get caught."
"Yes you do! What about that time the Principle walked in while you were showing me how to stake through a coffin in the woodwork room? Or that time Ingrid found out you were planning to kill her when she left the school gates and got the local policemen to arrest you for stalking? You're on their watch list in the station you know, I've seen your picture on the walls when we went there with school. And what about the time-"
"Enough!" His father yelled in exasperation. "This isn't like those times son, this is different. It's the one. I can feel it." He spoke in his over exaggerated voice he saved for times like these; when he really believed in his plans. Jonno realised he had no choice but to go along with it, because when his father got in one of these moves, there was no stopping him.
"Okay, okay I believe you. So what did you hear the Count talking about? The weather? I'm sure their living room conversations really aren't that interesting you know."
"Creatures of the night don't need to talk about the weather Jonno, remember that, it may save your life one day." Jonno was getting used to his fathers crazy talk, but it never made sense to him.
"Apparently our young Vladimir Dracula has run away from home! Something about the Count being too harsh on him for something… but the details don't matter Jonno! The fact is; Vlad's gone! This is the perfect opportunity!" Jonno remained silent, letting his father complete his story he was so obviously desperate to tell.
"You see son, it seems as though the Count has done something to make Vlad angry, because he's been looking for him for hours, and doesn't know where he's gone! Meaning the little blood sucker is un-protected without his father!"
Jonno looked at his own father, still confused about the situation. "Yes, but he doesn't know where he's gone, so that's not really helpful to us is it?"
"Oh no Jonno, you haven't heard the greatest part! The staff was informed last week of Robin and Chloe Branaugh's absence from school most of this week due to some camping trip they were going on with their father. Vlad's only friend is that Robin kid, so I'll bet my garlic gun that's where he's gone; with the Branaugh's camping!" He looked down at his son with sheer glee.
"It'll be my greatest plan yet! I'll slay Vlad, which will lure the Count to me to seek revenge for his son's death! A two in one deal! Then without her blood sucking family there with her, she'll have no choice but to beg me to kill her! It's going to run perfectly Jonno."
Jonno looked sceptic. "I'm not so sure she'd care actually dad." He knew how much Ingrid despised her family, especially Vlad.
Eric frowned. "Everyone cares when their family die. Even a heartless vampire. Family's all they've got. Besides, I thought you'd be glad son; we're finally going camping like you always nag me to do. We'll be out with nature and all that other garbage." His mind was too focused on vampires Jonno could tell.
"I may even let you cook some marshmallows over the fire." He said, knowing it would tempt Jonno even more.
"Camping instead of school!? That's great! I mean, at least I've got a good reason now." He looked away, embarrassed, and then turned back to his father. "So you know where they've gone then?" He asked.
"I know they're somewhere around here." He unravelled a map quickly along the table and showed Jonno where he had circled a section of the forest that was a few hours from Stokely. This is where Branaugh family holidays usually take place." Jonno didn't ask how he knew this, only when they were leaving. Maybe he could get his father more interested in the camping side of things on the way there.
Turns out they were leaving right then and there. Eric had thought of everything; packing Jonno's bag overnight, as well as his own, and of course loading the car with as many slaying weapons as it could fit, making the windows look as though they'd smash if even so much as a silver bullet moved out of place.
Five minutes later they were off, with a thorough plan in place and the bottom of a wooden stake digging into the back of Jonno's head the whole way there.
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It was approaching dusk in the forest, when the campers returned from their long "wildlife tour". Graham had taken them on a five hour long hike through the hills and grass lands, over streams and through the trees, to sight see all the native English animals. Vlad had never remembered such a great day; he had heaps of photos of the various creatures on the camera Robin's father had leant him, and had seen more of the outdoors in those five hours than he had in his entire life.
Robin, however, had hated every moment of it.
"I don't think my legs will ever work again." He'd complained as they returned to the campsite; Graham going to light the fire to start cooking them some dinner.
"It wasn't that bad Robin." Vlad said, laughing at his best friend when he dove into the tent and onto his side where his mini mattress lay.
"Your right." Robin's muffled voice came from under the pillow; he was plonked face down on the bed. "This wasn't as bad as last time, where he had us hiking up mountain sides all day. I couldn't walk for months." Vlad knew he was exaggerating, but thought it sounded a bit like fun. He kept his mouth shut about that however, and decided to join him in the tent, Chloe going to help with supervise the cooking; Graham wasn't much of a gourmet chef.
After a dinner of sausages and beans on toast, the three children retreated to the comfort of Vlad and Robin's tent. Chloe was allowed to stay in there as late as she liked, just not sleep, as it wasn't just her brother in the tent now. She had rolled her eyes at this.
"Finally night time!" Robin enthused, sitting on his mattress under a few blankets. Vlad was doing the same, and Chloe sat closer to the doorway. The wind howled outside, so all three being together in the tent meant it was really quite cosy.
"You're just happy because now you can finally wear your pyjamas without looking as weird as during the day." Chloe stated matter-of-factly. Vlad sniggered as he handed around the lollies Chloe had thought to bring with her.
"And here I was thinking what you wear to school was weird enough." He gave Robin a playful pat on the shoulders.
Robin played with his hand sown on cape carefully. "Shut up." He said, glaring at the two. Vlad decided it was best to comply, he knew how much teasing he got for wearing a cape over his school uniform, he didn't need his friends making fun of his black and red pyjamas with a sown on cape to add to it.
"So what do you two want to do tonight?" He asked casually, placing more sugar coated confectionary in his mouth. Oh if only dad could see me now.
Before Chloe could speak, Robin literally began to bounce where he was sitting. "Truth or Dare! I haven't played that game in years!" His face lit up in that grin he always got when he was overly excited about something.
Vlad smiled; he'd never played truth or dare before. He'd heard of it of course, but had never really had anyone to play it with.
Despite herself, Chloe smiled too; she guessed there was no better time than then to play a game like that.
"Alright then, truth or dare it is." She looked around the group, torch in hand. "So who wants to ask the first truth or give the first dare?"
Robin was beside himself.
"Oh that's easy! I dare Vlad to bite me!"
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There! I hope this chapter has sufficiently filled you for the time being, and that I didn't disappoint =] I'm in the middle of working on chapter 4, so PLEASE, if you liked it [or hated it] let me know! I'd love to hear your feedback and get motivated for the next chapter! =D
hazeloakleigh