Dark Shadows: Risk of Discovery
Chapter 1
1
Barnabas Collins awakened from his vampiric slumber. He pushed open the top of his daytime prison, through his legs over the side of the coffin, and stood up. Looking around, he wondered where Julia and Willie were. One or the other, and sometimes both would greet him as he awakened.
The vampire decided to check Julia's lab first. Maybe she lost track of time and continued working. He pressed the button that would allow him to enter the accessible part of the cellar. Too many incidents made it dangerous to leave his coffin at the bottom of the stairs. He and Willie moved it into the tunnels on the other side of the wall. Only Julia and Willie knew how to open the section of the wall the coffin remained hidden behind. He supposed he would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had just moved it there from the beginning.
After closing the entrance into his hidden lair, Barnabas headed for Julia's laboratory. She had been actively seeking a cure for his vampirism. Her work had discovered that vampirism was only a form of a blood disorder. The bite of the vampire bat changed the makeup of his human blood. Dr Hoffman was attempting to discover exactly how it was changed and how it could be reversed. Eventually, they both knew she would succeed. Several trips into the past, and one when Barnabas was thrown into the future revealed that she would find the cure. For now, he had to be content with the knowledge Julia was working daily to find that cure.
After checking the lab and finding Julia was not there, he headed up the stairs to the foyer. Barnabas locked the door into the cellar and placed the key in his pocket. Taking the long walk down the foyer, he turned and entered the drawing room. It too was empty. Where were Willie and Julia? It was unlike them not to be around when he rose.
Barnabas left the drawing room and walked back down the foyer again to the kitchen. Still no sign of Julia or Willie. Where could they be? He went back into the foyer to see if either one left him a note on the desk. Normally, if Willie wasn't going to be there when he awakened, he would inform Barnabas as to his whereabouts by leaving a note there. There wasn't one to be found.
He was now worried that something might have happened to them. Collinsport had become known for supernatural beings. Actually, Barnabas was one himself. A vampire was a supernatural being. It wasn't uncommon for witches, warlocks, werewolves, and ghosts to be present in the oceanside community.
Not everybody believed in supernatural beings. Despite that, many would not go anywhere near the grounds that supported Collinwood or The Old House — the ancestral home of the Collins family several hundred years ago. The legend, of course, was spread many years ago that Barnabas Collins left Collinsport in 1795 as a vampire. When Willie Loomis freed him from his coffin in the secret room of the mausoleum, some thought the vampire had returned. Of course, most didn't believe that. Even less believed it when they saw Barnabas Collins in the daytime. Little did they know that they were right about him being the same man from two centuries earlier. They had no way of knowing that Julia Hoffman made enough progress with her research that the serum she created would allow Barnabas to walk in the daylight for a short period of time.
Since the serum was extremely hard to come by, it was only administered when Barnabas had a dire need to appear in the daytime.
Unable to find either Julia or Willie in any section of the old house, his concern only heightened. Barnabas wasn't even sure where to start checking. He supposed Julia could have gone over to Collingwood. That wouldn't explain Willie's absence, as he never went to Collinwood unless he went at Barnabas's request.
The vampire walked over to the phone. It was not an invention he was very familiar with. He only had it put in at Julia's insistence. Right now, he was beginning to appreciate that she did. He picked up the receiver and dialed the now memorized number to Collinwood.
"Hello," said the familiar voice of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard.
"Elizabeth, it's Barnabas."
"Hello, Barnabas. It is so good to hear your voice. It has been some time since you and Julia have come to Collingwood."
His heart sank at her words. It meant that Julia was not visiting his family. "Thank you, Elizabeth. I have been away out of town quite a bit lately. I just got back. Neither Julia or Willie were here when I came in. I was calling to see if they possibly had been to Collingwood to see you."
"No, they haven't been here, Barnabas. Is there something wrong?" She could detect the concern in his voice.
He didn't want to worry Elizabeth, especially since he had no reason to believe that any harm had come to Willie or Julia. Until he knew more, he wouldn't say anything. "No, nothing is wrong. I've been away, and I was just anxious to see them."
"If they come by here, I will certainly tell them."
"Thank you, Elizabeth," Barnabas said, disappointed that the phone call brought him no results.
"Please stop by when you get a chance. It has been a while since we've seen you."
"I will," the vampire told her. "Goodbye, Elizabeth."
"Goodbye, Barnabas."
He hung up the phone. He was now really becoming very worried. Barnabas went into the foyer, put on his cape, grabbed his wolf head cane, and left the Old House.
He could make much better time if he transformed into a bat and flew over the area. With his superior sight, he would easily be able to spot them if they were not inside.
He began walking toward the Blue Whale. Maybe Julia and Willie went shopping, lost track of time and stopped off at the Blue Whale for a drink. It was simply unlike them not to leave a note letting him know where they were. Barnabas had developed enemies in the supernatural world. They would know he would be worried about them if he didn't know where they were and if they were all right. As he approached the tavern, there was a large crowd mulling around the parking lot. Barnabas spotted Joe Haskell and Sam Evans. He headed directly for them.
Sam was the first to spot him. "Good evening, Barnabas."
The vampire looked around. There were people everywhere. "What is going on? Why are all these people out here?"
Joe put his hands together and blew into them in an attempt to warm them. "You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" Barnabas asked.
"A woman was attacked and killed behind the Blue Whale," Sam told him.
Barnabas furrowed his brow. He prayed it was only a coincidence that he couldn't find Julia, and a woman was murdered. He had to know who the woman was. "Do they know who she is? It's not anyone we know, is it?"
"We don't know yet," Joe told him.
Barnabas looked around but did not spot Maggie Evans. "Where is Maggie?"
Sam realized what Barnabas was thinking. He would put his mind at ease immediately. "Maggie went inside. She was getting cold and couldn't handle the weather any longer."
Barnabas exhaled a sigh of relief. Yet, he wouldn't relax until he knew who the woman was, and that it wasn't anyone they cared about. He realized his thoughts were somewhat crass, but he certainly didn't want it to be any of the Collins women or friends of the family.
Sheriff Patterson was headed their way. Barnabas went immediately over to him. "Sheriff, is it true? Was a woman killed?"
People were standing all around him shouting questions. Patterson motioned for Barnabas, Sam, and Joe to meet him inside. The four men entered the blue whale and sat down at a table. When Maggie saw them come in, she joined them at the table.
"You look like you could use a drink," Joe said. He could see the circles under the sheriff's eyes, and it was obvious the events of the evening were taking its toll on him. Joe stood up and went over to the bar. He came back with four glasses of beer. After setting a glass in front of each one of them, he sat back down.
Barnabas was anxious to find out what happened and who it was. He waited until the sheriff took a drink of his beer. He was surprised that he did since George Patterson never drank while on duty. Then again, after dealing with a murder, Barnabas certainly wouldn't hold it against him. "Sheriff, do you know who she is?"
"At this point, no I do not. She did not have any identification on her, and no one seems to know who she is."
"What did she die of?" Sam asked.
"To be honest with you, I am not sure. She was not stabbed, shot, nor strangled. There doesn't seem to be any signs of a struggle. To be honest with you, Sam, I'm baffled at the moment. Hopefully, when an autopsy is done, we will know more. I am not ruling out an animal attack."
"Animal attack? What makes you say that?" Barnabas was worried about what answer he would receive. In the past, they had to deal with a werewolf. Was there one in Collinsport once again?
"It looks to me as if she was bitten."
"Bitten?"Joe wondered.
Sheriff Patterson's revelation upset Barnabas. He needed the answer to his next question. He hoped it wasn't what he suspected. "What do you mean by bitten? Where was she bitten? Was she mauled to death?"
"No, nothing like that. In fact, if she was attacked by an animal, it simply just bit her on the neck. She had two puncture wounds on the left side of her neck."
Barnabas would have turned pale if it weren't for the fact that his condition already caused him to be so. It could only mean one thing — there had to be another vampire feeding in the area.
"Sheriff I don't mean to burden you anymore than you already are, but I am worried about Julia and Willie. I just got back into town and neither one of them were in the Old House. They knew I would be back tonight. It is unlike them not to leave me a note and let me know where they are going to be. I am quite concerned about them."
Patterson gave him a tired smile. "Well, let me set you at ease. Willie and Julia are here. They went into town, well actually, to buy you a birthday present. They said your birthday is coming up in the next couple days."
Relief flooded through the vampire. It wasn't that long ago that he finally realized his feelings for Julia. She was actively seeking a cure for his condition so the two of them could be together.
"Did you hear me, Barnabas?" Patterson asked.
Barnabas realized he was so relieved that Julia and Willie were all right, that he had not listened to the rest of what Sheriff Patterson had to say. "I am sorry, Sheriff. I am just relieved that they are all right. What did you say?"
"I said they were on their way back to the Old House and were passing the Blue Whale when they spotted a woman lying in the parking lot on the ground. They got out of Willie's truck and investigated. They were the ones who called me when they realized the woman was dead."
"Where are they now?" Barnabas asked.
"One of my deputies is questioning them right now. They should be in here in a few minutes. I spotted you, and told Willie that you were here."
The door opened and patrons of the tavern started returning. Barnabas watched as Willie and Julia appeared through the door. He caught Julia's eye and she headed straight for his table.
Sheriff Patterson stood up, put his cap back on his head. "I must be going. I'll keep you up to date on the investigation." He left them and walked out of the Blue Whale.
"Joe, make sure you don't let Maggie out of your sight when you are together until they catch this maniac, or animal, whichever it is," Sam said.
"And Maggie, don't go out by yourself either," Barnabas added. He looked at Julia. No more walking at night by yourself."
"Not just at night either," Joe said.
If Barnabas was right, they would be perfectly safe in the daytime. He watched as Joe, Maggie, and Sam called it a night and left.
"When you are going to be gone when I awaken, the vampire scolded, "you are to leave me a note. I was worried for your safety. And now, with the news of the murdered girl . . ."
Keeping her voice low, knowing Barnabas would still hear her with his super hearing, she stated what all three of them were thinking. "Barnabas, there is another vampire in Collinwood. Sheriff Patterson had me look at the puncture marks on her neck."
"It is worse than that, Julia. They are going to discover every drop of blood will have been drained from her body," Barnabas said.
What are we going to do?" Willie fretted.
"We are going to inform the Vampire Council in Romania. Another vampire feeding in my territory gives me the right to destroy him."
"How are we going to find him?" Willie's voice was starting to become shrill."
"Willie, you are drawing attention. Keep your voice down," Barnabas warned. "I don't want either one of you to go out at night without me until this vampire has been destroyed. I will accompany you both back to the Old House. I will see you later after that."
Julia expressed your concern. "What are you going to do, Barnabas?"
"I'm going to see if I can find out if there are any strangers in town. I can easily spot one of my kind."
"Be careful, Barnabas. If the vampire is older than you, he may be stronger." Julie was afraid her warning would fall on deaf ears.
"He has to be destroyed. I can't have him killing here in Collinsport. He is endangering my existence and the safety of my family, as well as all of Collinsport. I will call Morgan and find out if there is a known rogue vampire in this area. If it is one I know, I might be able to figure out where he is likely to hide his coffin."
Julia couldn't argue with Barnabas. He was determined to find the rogue vampire. It had to be done, although she would still worry about him. Barnabas was stronger than his years as a vampire. No one seemed to know why he was stronger and faster than vampires who suffered the condition many more years than he, yet it was true.
They left the Blue Whale and got into Willie's beat up truck. Disgusted with the condition of the truck, Barnabas got in anyway. He could transform into a bat and fly back to the Old House in more comfort than riding in the heap Willie called a truck. "Willie, I don't know your attachment to this thing, but if Julia and I are going to ride with you, I insist on buying you a new truck."
"Ah, Barnabas, I love this truck, it took a long time to break it in," Willie objected.
"I think he means broken down, Barnabas," Julia said with a smile.
Barnabas looked at Willie. "Broken down or broken in, you're getting a new truck."
Willie said nothing further. Arguing with Barnabas would only make him more determined to buy that new truck, and Willie didn't want one. He loved the one he had.
As they approached the Old House, Willie attempted to pull in front of the mansion. Barnabas wasn't having any part of it. "Willie, I don't want this thing in front where it can be seen. Pull it around the back."
Julie chuckled as Willie pulled the truck around the Old House. Everyone got out of the truck. Barnabas saw to it they made it inside before he considered leaving. "Stay inside the Old House. I don't want either one of you outside until this vampire is found and destroyed. Is that clear?"
Julie and Willie nodded. Neither one of them had any desire to go out anyway. They had a long day and long drive, and they didn't have any desire to leave the Old House.
2
The stranger waited until the crowd outside the Blue Whale broke up. Collinsport was a small community. Everyone knew everyone else. If he stood among the crowd with the sheriff there, he would have become immediately suspicious of him. He couldn't have that. It was best that he remained under the radar of the authorities. He didn't need them checking into him.
This was the first time he chose a small town to feed in. Usually, the larger cities were much better feeding grounds. Not to mention, it was much harder for police authorities to single him out. In large cities, it was impossible for people to know everyone else. That was not the case in Collinsport. Even if they didn't know all the names, they knew the faces, and his was not one anyone in town would recognize. It had to remain that way for now. He always wanted to come to Collinsport. It had a reputation for the supernatural. It made it an attractive place to seek out. Now that he fed, he wouldn't need to for a couple days. He would check out the locals.
DeSandro was turned in Italy by a beautiful woman. He always had a weakness for beautiful women, and Francesca was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met. Little did he know the woman may have been the most beautiful; she was also the most dangerous. The evening went so well, he anticipated the rest of it. Inviting her to his villa outside of Rome, she agreed to go with him.
DeSandro couldn't believe his fortune. He figured on having the most memorable night of his life. He had been right about that, just not in the same way he hoped for. Once they were alone in his villa, she began kissing his neck. When he suggested they retire to the bedroom, she sunk her canines, he didn't even know she had, into his neck. He could feel the blood being drained from his body. He finally fainted from the loss of blood. When he woke up again, he was in a coffin.
That was many years ago. DeSandro hated her in the beginning for what she did to him. The bloodlust literally drove him crazy. He craved it almost all of the time. Like any fledgling vampire, he couldn't control it at all. He would attack and drain his victim completely. Fortunately, he had no idea how to turn an individual. That knowledge would come with time.
Being a vampire certainly had not tempered his lust for beautiful women. He always chose the most beautiful as his victims. DeSandro didn't care what class of people they belonged to. The woman only had to be beautiful enough to attract his attention.
DeSandro was well aware that Collinsport was named after the famous Collins family. He also knew the famous vampire, Barnabas Collins lived in Collinsport. Having convinced the Collins family that he was a descendant of the original Barnabas Collins, and arrived from England, he was accepted as a member of the family.
What the Collins family didn't seem to know was he was actually the original Barnabas Collins of the 1700s. DeSandro had more than one reason for coming to Collinsport. Barnabas Collins was responsible for the death of Ramon, who was attempting to make the vampire race the dominant on earth.
Collins, with the help of the Father of the vampire race, Dracula, destroyed Ramon. What they hadn't known at the time was that Ramon had taken DeSandro under his wing and taught him how to handle the bloodlust and ingrained in him that vampires should not remain in the shadows. If it had not been for Ramon, DeSandro would have been destroyed.
DeSandro never believed in vampires. Like everyone else, he thought they were simply a myth people created for entertaining one another with horror stories.
He was never much for storytelling, let alone myths of vampires. In fact, when he was turned by Francesca, he had no idea he had become a vampire. He only knew that he had a horrible lust for blood. He didn't understand it; He only knew he had to have it. Fortunately for him, He just happened to run into Ramon not long before the sun would rise. Since he had never paid any attention to vampire legends, he had no idea that vampires could be destroyed by the sun. DeSandro thought back on that time.
What had she done to him? He had a horrible ache in his stomach, one that could double him over. It was a hunger, he knew that. It just wasn't the hunger for food that he was used to all of his life. This was a strange hunger he didn't understand. He wanted blood! But he resisted.
He put his hands out in front of him and studied them. What happened to the tan that he had cultivated over the years? He was pasty white. It didn't make any sense. It just simply was not possible for his skin to lose its color overnight. If only he could find Francesca, then maybe she could explain what was happening to him.
DeSandro's eyesight in the dark was even better than that of which he was used to in the daytime. His sense of hearing was also heightened. And his sense of smell! He could smell — blood. Yes, there was no doubt about it. He could smell blood. Not only could he smell it, but he could hear the blood pulsating in the neck of every human being that walked past him. Why did he refer to them as human beings? Was he not one of them? Somehow, he felt as if he no longer belonged to the human race, but he couldn't explain it. In fact, he couldn't explain anything that was happening to him.
Right now, all he knew was he needed blood. Nothing mattered except blood.
At first, he was appalled at his condition. It didn't take long and he learned to love being a vampire. His senses were heightened. His strength was unbelievable. He couldn't believe the speed that he could move at. His favorite part was being able to disappear and reappear somewhere else. Being able to turn into a bat and fly was just another perk. However, he really didn't need that particular perk. His speed would take him anywhere he wanted to go at a much faster rate than he could as a bat.
His closest friend after he had been turned was definitely Ramon. DeSandro didn't make friends easily. In fact, he really didn't make them at all. DeSandro roamed the world trying to figure out where he fit in. Then he met Ramon. He recognized Ramon to be one of his kind immediately. The two of them struck up a friendship and went hunting together. They would take turns choosing their victims. Ramon never settled for anything less than a beautiful woman. DeSandro didn't really care what the woman looked like. If all he was going to do was feed, any woman would serve the purpose. If he wanted more than that, then of course, he would seduce only beautiful women.
Ramon had invited him to become part of the war against Dracula, Collins, and the vampire council. He arrived in Transylvania only to find that Ramon had gone back to the United States. It was there that Dracula and Collins destroyed him.
DeSandro wanted revenge. He knew he would never be strong enough to go up against Dracula, so Barnabas Collins became his target. As far as he was concerned, Collins was a despicable vampire. He didn't seem to appreciate what it meant to be one of the living dead. DeSandro heard that Collins was attempting to reverse his condition by the way of a doctor who resided in Collinsport.
He would find a way to destroy Barnabas Collins. Unable to stand toe to toe with Dracula, destroying Collins would be the only way he could punish the Count. For some reason, Dracula had struck up a friendship with Barnabas Collins. It was said that the two of them kept in very close contact. He couldn't think of a better way to punish the father of the vampire race then to destroy his closest friend.
The best way to do that would be to start a reign of terror in Collinsport where the vampire resided. He would find a way to reveal Barnabas Collins' vampiric condition to the Collins family. How long would it be before they turned on him? After all, no one would want a vampire living among them. To the people who actually knew of their existence, they were murderous monsters. It didn't matter to him that Barnabas Collins was nothing of the kind. He would still be accused of such. He was a vampire after all. Thanks to the movies and television, people would want him destroyed upon discovery.
By now, Collins knew there was another vampire in Collinsport. The two puncture wounds on the woman's neck would be a dead giveaway for him. He would know exactly what caused it despite the fact no one else would. That is exactly what DeSandro wanted. One death wouldn't accomplish what he intended. However, several deaths under the same circumstances certainly would. Collinsport was not a big community. People would panic and demand the culprit be found.
And, the culprit would be found. Only it wouldn't be DeSandro who would be blamed. He would make sure it would be Barnabas Collins. Before he left Collinsport, he would make sure that Collins was destroyed.
3
The Collinsport vampire sat next to the fire. It was chilly outside, but he didn't need the fire to keep him warm. Vampires were impervious to cold. Barnabas liked to sit next to the fire and watch the flames dance in the fireplace. It helped him think clearly. Tonight, however, it didn't seem to be helping. He was dealing with the threat of being discovered. Barnabas was well known the world over among vampires, basically because of his association with Dracula. What vampire would possibly have the nerve to feed in Collinsport knowing he was there. Obviously, it was one who didn't care about following the rules of the vampire council. Finding him or her would not be easy. Vampires had a knack for being able to hide their coffins in areas nobody else would think to look.
"Willie!" Barnabas called out.
Loomis appeared in the drawing room almost immediately. "Yes, Barnabas. Is there something I can do for you?"
"There is. Willie, I want you to check out the cave and tunnel near Widow's Hill. Keep in mind if it is the lair of this vampire, he or she will have a servant. You will have to restrain the servant. Take a stake and a mallet with you. If by chance, the vampire's coffin is there, you are to stake and destroy him or her. Do not forget to remove the head and burn the body. Take it deeper into the tunnel so as to not alert anyone with smoke."
"Why do you keep saying him or her? Barnabas, the vampire attacked a woman. Wouldn't that indicate that it was a man?"
"Not necessarily. If a woman is the culprit, the best way to mask the fact that she is, would be to attack another woman. She would think that we would assume it's a man. So, for now, we have no idea which it is."
"All right, I'll do it first thing in the morning."
"Make sure it is after I have returned to my coffin and am sleeping. That will ensure that the other vampire is doing the same. I don't want you taking any chances. Is that clear?"
"It's perfectly clear, Barnabas. I will take care of it. But, what if the vampire is not in that cave?" Willie asked the obvious.
"Then when I awaken tomorrow night, we will sit down and try to figure out exactly where this vampire is resting. I am going to have to depend on you to destroy him or her once we discover the resting place."
Julia Hoffman walked into the room. She heard enough of the conversation to know that Barnabas was sending Willie out to possibly locate the vampire who invaded Collinsport. "Barnabas, I don't think he should do it alone. What if the servant is much bigger and stronger than he? Perhaps Professor Stokes will be willing to help. After all, he has been very loyal to you, and has helped in the past. I don't like the idea of Willie attempting to do this on his own."
"You are probably right, Julia." Turning his attention back to Willie, Barnabas ordered, "Call the professor in the morning and ask for his assistance."
"Yes, sir. I am sure Professor Stokes will be willing to help."
"Julia, I know you are tired, but I think we should make a short visit to Collinwood. If this vampire has a vendetta against me, he may go after a member of my family. I want to make sure none of them go out at night until we have destroyed this vampire."
"That is probably a very good idea. I will get my coat."
After assisting Julia with her coat, Barnabas put on his caped coat and grabbed his wolf head cane. They left the Old House together.