Chapter Seven:
The whole atmosphere was unsettling and creepy. The place had the stench of death.
Phoebe, of course, would never say that to Matthew's face. She was too polite to say such harsh but not untrue things. She ended up squeezing Monty's hand quite tightly as they walked through the house on a tour.
Everything was just so jarring and peculiar, the Countess felt extremely uncomfortable and nervous as she took in the scenery. The dark striped wallpaper coupled with the black leather furniture made her shudder involuntarily. Monty felt the same way, and he felt a shudder go down his spine as they climbed the staircase to the second floor, all the while Matthew explaining his décor to them.
This house was more like a mad scientist's laboratory or a serial killer's museum of his prizes than a home.
The stairs creaked as they ascended them as if something or someone was underneath them.
"So Phoebe, how did you become interested in vampires?" Matthew asked her as they finished climbing the stairs.
Phoebe glanced at him, "Oh, well I've just started reading Dracula and I wanted to separate the fact from the fiction. Other than that, I don't know much about them."
"Ah," Matthew mused, "Dracula, a wonderful story but quite the tale of fiction," he laughed lightheartedly.
"So I've heard," replied Phoebe, frowning.
Matthew went on, "I admire Stoker very much for bringing the subject of vampires into the public eye and showing them how terrifying they can be, but alas he took too many artistic liberties and the lies he spread have become to be regarded as true when they are simply not."
Phoebe bit her lip, wondering how far she should go with her questions.
"What exactly are some of the fictitious musings of Stoker?" She posed carefully.
Matthew took the bait, appearing all too eager to tell her everything he knew.
"Well for one…."
Monty at this point had been distracted by the wall hangings and Matthew's speech was nothing but background noise to him. Monty felt like he was in a museum as he stared at the artifacts encased in glass. There was different tools and memorabilia scattered around the halls.
Monty noticed that Phoebe and Matthew had moved on, probably to the library that Matthew had originally said he would take them into. Monty hung back to look at the strange collection.
Bundles of garlic, religious artifacts such as crosses and wafers, and several wooden stakes were displayed proudly in the glass cases.
Monty shuddered at the thought of Matthew using the stake on Sibella, driving it into her heart and instantly killing her. His hands started to tremble at the thought. He couldn't let her die, not by a man such as Matthew.
Monty half thought about breaking the glass and taking the stakes, but just as he was about to do so, he heard Phoebe's voice call out to him from atop the staircase.
"Darling?"
He looked up at her, and tried to give her a fake, content smile. He could tell she saw through his lie.
"I'm terribly sorry for my delay, I was admiring this fine collection of yours, Matthew," he complimented as the man joined Phoebe at the top of the stairs and they both descended to where Monty was.
Phoebe held some more books in her arms and Monty wasn't the least bit surprised at the fact.
"Ah… yes, my grand collection," Matthew said quietly, "All artifacts that one would need to destroy and detain a vampire."
Phoebe came close, and with a free hand, she held Monty's hand tightly.
"Have you ever had to use those?" she asked softly.
"Not yet, but I might, in the future," remarked Matthew as he glanced at the stakes.
"What do you mean by that?" Monty asked sharply,
Their host turned to face them.
"What I mean is that I suspect that there is a vampire, right here, in this town…" he said seriously.
Monty felt the blood rush from his face. His heart froze with fear.
"Do you really think so?" Phoebe asked on behalf of Monty, sensing his fear.
Matthew nodded, his eyes eager.
"How do you know this?" Monty finally found his voice.
Matthew grinned, a truly terrifyingly sadistic smile, "Let me show you…"
"This is wrong," Monty interjected as Matthew led them through the cemetery to the grave that he was looking for," This is wrong and you can't do this."
"It needs to be done, people need to be aware of what's happening in this town, and if this is the only way to get through to them then so be it," uttered Matthew.
Phoebe and Monty exchanged a fearful glance as they followed Matthew through the maze of graves.
"You could be arrested!" pointed out Monty, desperate.
Matthew laughed, "The police will be thanking me when I save their children and their wives from this monster!"
"They could still arrest you for trespassing, it's a crime to break into graves," Monty reasoned.
"It's for the good of the people, I'm protecting them," Matthew huffed, "This is about us versus them, and this is about saving ourselves from these hellish creatures."
Silence fell between them all for a moment.
"Matthew, this is entirely inappropriate," Phoebe spoke up, "Vampires don't exist," she told him, "They're purely fictional. You can't be positive that you've really seen one, have you?"
Matthew stopped dead in his tracks. He whirled around, rage in his eyes.
"Madam, I can assure you quite confidently that these creatures exist. I will not be disrespected like that again. My work is true and is for the good of the public. Do not discredit me or cross me," his voice was stern.
Phoebe froze, terrified. Monty nearly growled and lunged for the man's throat for yelling at his wife like that.
"Can't we agree to disagree on our opinions on this matter, and not attack one another?" Monty got out through his teeth.
Matthew's face softened. His demeanor changed completely. He extended his hand towards Phoebe, bowing, "Madam, you must forgive me. The subject of my study has always been mocked and laughed at, I thought I had a true confidante in you, but I can see I still need to prove that my work is needed to you. I am sincerely sorry for my actions. Please forgive me, Countess."
Phoebe took his hand, and he kissed her knuckles lightly.
He then straightened up while Phoebe curled into Monty's chest, afraid.
"Come, let me show you the monster that my work has trained me to eliminate," he said softly and without another word, he continued walking to the grave in which he intended to show them.
Phoebe and Monty followed silently, and finally they reached the intended crypt.
The name engraved on the top read: HALLWARD
Monty and Phoebe knew that Lionel had fought to have Sibella buried in a separate plot, one where she could be called; Sibella Holland nee Hallward, but he had been over-ruled by Sibella's parents who wanted their daughter in the family crypt. Sibella had mentioned her family crypt once, saying that her great-great grandfather had purchased the plot and that generations after generations of Hallwards had been buried there.
In her youth, Sibella had loved to tease Monty about her death. She enjoyed seeing the look of utter pain and agony on his face whenever she brought it up. She had teased him mercilessly about it.
"Will you fling yourself at my casket and weep uncontrollably?" she used to ask him, a smirk on her lips as she laid entangled with him on his bed while his mother was out working, her fingers dancing across his shirt, her lipstick smudged on the bare skin of his neck.
"Of course I will," Monty had answered. "I'd be in utter despair if I lost you."'
"Would you send me roses every day, and would you kiss me before they locked me up in a casket?" she had asked him.
"Absolutely."
"Would you find someone else?"
"No," his answer had been firm.
"If I was dying, would you be there to comfort me?" She had asked a while later, in a quiet sort of tone.
He had looked in her eyes. "I would never let you die alone," he promised her.
"Never?" Her eyes were imploring.
He kissed her, "Never."
When Monty came out of his reverie, the door to the crypt had been opened by Matthew, and Phoebe was tugging on his hand as she entered the crypt.
Monty felt sick, he didn't want to be here or watch Matthew do this. Matthew walked over to Sibella's grave and started to tug on the top of the casket.
"What in God's name are you doing?" Monty let the words escape his lips before he could think how dangerous they were to utter.
Matthew looked up, a small smile on his face.
"Showing you the vampire herself."
He got the top off, triumphantly grinning as Phoebe and Monty reluctantly came closer.
"This is the vampire, this hellish fiend right here."
There laid Sibella, in her pink dress, her hem dirty and stained with blood, but other than that she looked beautiful, perfect. Her skin almost looked life-like again, her cheeks were rosy, her lips red.
She looked alive, they couldn't deny it. For a second, Phoebe and Monty actually thought she was alive.
But Monty and Phoebe kept their faces blank… expressionless, though inside they were terrified and angry.
"Who is she?" Phoebe pretended to play dumb, but inwardly she was horror-stricken. She wanted to get Matthew far away from her precious Sibella.
"Sibella Hallward, or at least that's what the groundskeeper told me."
"And how is she considered to be a vampire?" Monty half growled, unable to keep his emotions restrained.
"She is not here in her crypt at night, and when she comes back in the morning, she looks more refreshed and beautiful than ever," explained Matthew.
"It might be grave robbers," piped up Phoebe.
"No, no, it can't possibly be grave robbers, I've seen her walk around."
"That's impossible," uttered Monty.
Matthew sighed, and bent down towards Sibella, pulling back the upper part of Sibella's lip, exposing her fangs.
Monty had half the mind to bludgeon in Matthew's skull with whatever he could get his hands on for touching Sibella. He wanted to lunge at the man for even daring to touch her.
"Now do you see?" Matthew asked patiently.
"So her teeth are irregular, that doesn't make her a vampire," said Phoebe.
"She has the fangs of the devil, of a vampire. No normal human has teeth like this," Matthew pointed out.
"Don't you have any respect for the dead?" growled Monty, glaring at Matthew with murderous eyes.
"Of course I do, but she's not a mortal, not anymore anyhow. She's part of the Undead…" he paused, running a hand over Sibella's cheek and neck, "It's too bad though, she's quite beautiful… I wouldn't have minded being married to her…"
Monty fought the urge to hiss at him. His hands clenched into fists, shaking horribly. Phoebe tried to calm him with a hand on his shoulder but he was too enraged.
"Isn't it quite strange, that the fiends from hell are always so gorgeous and irresistible, and yet we must dispose of them for the sake of our souls?" Matthew murmured. He then suddenly took out a stake and held it in his hands.
"You know, I could plunge this into her heart right now… I could end this right now, but what good would that do if no one knows about her yet? She'll soon stop feeding on livestock and start killing people and that's when the people will need a savior, someone like me to combat this terrifying creature."
"So you want to a martry, is that what this is about?" Phoebe asked quietly.
Matthew looked up, "If I save these people, they will have no choice but to accept me and my work. I will be hailed as a national hero."
"And if you fail?" Monty asked in a dark tone.
"I won't," Matthew said firmly.
"Why play such games, Matthew? Do you enjoy pretending to be like God?" Monty asked him, "Do you enjoy deciding who gets to live and who must die? Do you think that stake gives you the almighty power to do whatever you want?"
"No. Science does. These are not creatures of God, and so they cannot be defeated by God," said Matthew softly, "As to your other question, my Lord, I do enjoy playing games. You will soon find out that I always win."
He put away the stake, and climbed out of the crypt.
Monty placed the top back onto Sibella's casket, not before kissing her lips gently before leaving with Phoebe.
"What are we going to do, Monty?" Phoebe asked him, frightened. "He's going to try and kill her."
"We're going to protect her, Phoebe. We have to. He cannot win at this game…"