Vampires

ne dark night in the old city of Coventry -'

Having finished his 'beeznis', Count Hugo left the Old Priory Prison and made his way toward the crumbling Cathedral, hoping for a little more 'beeznis'. At the Cathedral he passed an open door which lead down into its catacombs. Pausing for a moment he listened to a whispered conversation but never heard its end as he hid himself from the approaching footsteps. The footsteps revealed a police officer who glared sternly at The Count. Scurrying rapidly away, Count Hugo pushed on toward the shunned house instead.

Concealing himself within, he didn't have to wait long for soon a young woman quietly entered through the invitingly, open front door. The wan light of the icy, gibbous moon threw the shadow of Count Hugo across his victim. Shortly, the noise of The Count licking his lips as he carefully stroked the soft flesh of her thigh, thinking of the succulent meal to come, could be heard resounding through the house.

Unexpectedly a solemn cluster of figures began to gather round The Count and his voluptuous victim, fiendish tracks scattered behind them in the thick dust, among these figure stood a well known psychiatrist.

Horrifying screams rose from the bleeding throat of the girl as she saw what was to come. Count Hugo, enjoying every moment of the carnival atmosphere drew from his breast pocket a loathsome fat rat which squealed shrilly as it swung by its tail from his hand. Dropping the rat to the bare floorboards, The Count returned to the subject at hand. The rat, disgruntled by the rough treatment took a passing sniff at her then scuttled into the darkness. Chris Barbie, The Butcher of Coventry standing in the ignoble gathering, held aloft a pale light, outlining the frightened features of the girl. In the light of the pale illumination The Count sank his teeth, blissfully, into her fine, powder white skin.

Having finished his meal The Count left the shunned house and coughing slightly returned in the direction of the Cathedral. On the way he set eyes upon the abandoned mansion, a light glowing in an upstairs room, silhouetting the insipid form of one of The Count's passing 'friends'. Other passers by noticed the form in the window but only sneered at The Count, one of these figures was cowled in a sinister black robe. Fearing this stranger to be a priest out to drive a stake through his heart, The Count walked briskly on, only to break into a run when it became obvious that the cowled figure was following him. The Count being of superior strength made it to the graveyard and entered the mausoleum before the final act could be inflicted on him.

By the time the dark clad priest reached the graveyard all to be heard was a half real, half imagined flopping about the graves. As the noise drew closer to him he recognised it as bats, vampire bats. The priest flailed about himself, his heavy stake crushing the tiny bodies but still their teeth raked his flesh, sinking into his mortal body....

'Later -'

Feeling confident of having lost the priest, The Count again ventured abroad, stalking from his mausoleum in search of his next meal. Strolling through the graveyard he was reassured by the familiar sounds of hidden rustling. He stumbled across what appeared to be the body of an old man. but coughing enigmatically he took a closer look, revealing the body to be the soulless husk of the priest, his body drained of all fluids.

Dreary, cold rain began to flow unhindered from the skies, washing mud across the husk of the priest. Leaving the graveyard once more The Count perceives a shadowy follower stalking through the undergrowth. "Probably getting as wet as I am!" he grumbled to himself. Stepping from the soft, wet loam of the graveyard onto the metalled road he heard his own footsteps echoing from the surrounding buildings, but the footsteps of his follower remained silent. Hypnotised by the sounds of his own footsteps The Count almost stumbled into a procession of stake wielding vampire hunters.

Creaking hinges alerted him to a door opening, peering behind him he saw his follower enter a house, hurriedly following The Count entered the house and walked into the front room. Inside he found the room to be full of drunken derelicts but no sign of his follower. At the back of the room drifted murky dank fog, half concealing a beckoning cosmic gateway or was it a whirling dimensional passage.

Seeing the derelicts being consumed by the mind deceiving thing, The Count hurriedly left the room. Returning to the street he was confronted by one of the stake carrying pose who gave chase as The Count attempted to flee. Finally within the crumbling Cathedral The Count was cornered by Timmy Kruger, a lunatic priest, wielding his wooden stake gleefully.

Concentrating desperately The Count tried to transform into smoke but too slow, Timmy's stake pierced his heart. The warmth of death crept through his body, holding him close after more than a thousand years of life.

Awakening from the horrible recurring dream, Vlad Givanski thought of his brother, Count Hugo had always turned in his grave by now. Having cleared his senses and brushed the unwholesome smell of death away that clung to him, Vlad stepped from his coffin.

Looking down he noticed that he had stepped in a puddle of thick black ooze, the tar like remains of his brother. Vlad knew that all those cigarettes his suave brother had smoked had finally taken their toll, the tar holding him together as he attempted to transform into smoke. However, although it was too late for Count Hugo it was still early for Vlad and revenge would be oh, so sweet.

Vlad glanced at the slumbering forms of his family, fond memories trickled through his mind as he watched their unnatural stillness. Vamp, a once friendly acquaintance glared malevolently at the majestic form of Vlad, her eyes glittered dully in the darkness. She blamed him for the death of her love, The Count. Vlad would take no stick from this mere woman, grasping her struggling body he tore her heart from the firm, beating breast and threw it contemptuously into a corner.

Strange, unsettling diggings rocked the foundations of the mausoleum and a ghoulish cannibal burst into the inner sanctum, brought forth by the smell of fresh blood. Acting like lightning, Vlad soon overcame the surprised cannibal and sinking his teeth into the cannibals neck he drew the mans life force slowly from him, savouring every moment of the mans agony.

Shortly, Vlad climbed the stairway and left the protective womb of the mausoleum and proceeded toward the dreaded glade where he had some unfinished business to begin. When he reached the glade he summoned up a demonic creature, who stalked into the bushes, searching for its masters most hated enemy. Its frenzied silhouette flitting silently from doorway to doorway, thunder announcing its coming. With the aid of the darkness it soon caught Timmy Kruger unawares. The horror stricken priest cowered as the demonic creature stretched its fetid talons towards him.

Having dealt with Timmy, the demon returned to the foreboding cemetery, just in time to join the beastly half hidden, half seen shapes returning to their graves before dawn and the end to the nights activities, leaving the old city's inhabitants to live in peace once more.

Until tonight