Dracula’s Descendant

The night was chilly. The frigid breeze howled through the wide-open window on the fifth floor of a drowsy apartment building in Bailey County. Scott Anderson was sound asleep on his black leather couch, exhausted from a long day. He was so drained that he didn't even have the energy to walk to his bed and collapsed on the couch instead.

The moon had been out for quite some time, leaving only the street lights to guide the weary travelers home. Something about this county in Texas didn’t feel right that night. It was as if something was prowling the dark alleyways in search of some helpless prey.

“I need help! Help me, please!”

A desperate cry followed by full-fisted knocks on the wooden door of Scott stirred up with a start. It was so dark inside Scott’s apartment that for a moment he really thought he was dreaming.

“Oh no…”

There was no doubt now. It was the terrified cry of a young lady, who sounded like she was nearly out of breath.

“Who’s there?” Scott grabbed his cell phone and quickly switched on the flashlight and jumped out of the couch. He was still in uniform, except for his hat that looked like that of a cowboy. “Is anyone there?” he asked one more time but there was no response.

Hastily, he slipped into his shoes without relenting. On reaching his door, he slowly held the metal doorknob, he felt an icy chill run through his fingers and seep into his body. With his cell phone in his hand, he twisted the lock inside his palm and carefully opened the creaking door. It was really dark outside and the darkness was so blinding that even in the bright of his phone flashlight, half of the hallway was visible.

“What in the hell happened to the lights?” he mumbled with his eyes fixed on the dead bulbs.

Cautiously he looked around and then he glanced at the time on his wristwatch. It was past 2 AM. No wonder none of the neighbors cared to open their door. Scott was so desperate to see the end of what’s happening. He couldn’t shirk off his duty. Scott worked at the Sheriff’s department as a Deputy; his passion and desire had been to save lives and protect the citizens from any danger.

Although he would have liked to dismiss the incident before him and go back to bed believing it was all a bad dream but his heart wouldn’t listen to his inner thoughts. He gently locked the door from the outside and set off to search for the young lady whose cries he thought he had heard.

He boldly followed the long dark hallway to the elevator and pressed its steely button. The power had been out for some days now and the elevator was as dead as the dead bulbs in the hallway. He decided to take the stairs.

Scott narrowed his eyes on the path ahead and focused his gaze as he slowly made his way down the wooden staircase which creaked under his shoes. But he never bothered about the old apartment building that desperately needed repairs.

As he reached the foot of the stairs, he was surprised when he saw the front door wide open. He was filled with mixed feelings as well when he saw no one around.

Not quite long as he was gazing around, he heard a very horrific loud cry and immediately he rushed outside the building, towards where the cry was coming from.

“This is the Sheriff’s Department!” Scott shouted as he quickly reached out to his side pistol without hesitation. With the pistol held firmly between his sweaty fingers, he felt bold enough to enter the dark part of the alleys.

During his years in the police academy, he had read reports of chain snatchers and robbers mugging people in the alleys during the dark hour of the night. As the case may be, he was puzzled as to why the young lady ran back outside after knocking on his door. Could she have been dragged outside by the robber or what? If that be the case, then, there won’t be only one robber down here. However, no robber can follow a victim inside the building and drag her outside. This seems like a ganged work of multiple robbers.

“This is Deputy Anderson, requesting backup. Suspected gang violence,” he spoke into the talkie after some initial hesitation. “I repeat, this is Deputy Anderson, requesting backup. Suspected gang violence,” he added. He was not sure if there would be any response because he had been warmed by the Sheriff not to call for backup without confirming the situation.

There were gunshots fired. The sound of 3 gunshots fired in rapid succession rang out with a deafening noise. Scott instinctively ducked behind a dumpster taking cover. “Multiple gunshots fired. I repeat, multiple gunshots fired. Requesting for immediate backup at Lane 7!”

A bloodcurdling scream escaped from the shadowy alley before he could get a response from his department. His heart raced inside him as beads of cold sweat streamed down his smooth cheeks. At this time he knew he couldn’t wait for backup anymore; he really needed to act quickly.

He steeled his failing nerves and breathed out a puff of cold air and sprang back to his feet. He then pointed his gun and cell phone forward. He yelled in a loud voice, “The Sheriff’s Department has you surrounded. Drop your weapons and come out with your goddamn hands above your head!”

There was no backup neither was there anyone in sight but he really needed to act up with a bluff. At every step he felt the stifling darkness around him thickening. The street lights were all out. His teeth chattered as an unnatural coldness cut through his uniform and brushed against his body.

As he was about to speak, “Come out with your…” His words were pushed back into his drying throat as the light from his phone flashed on the mutilated corpse of a young lady wrapped in red clothes. At this time, it was really clear from the lady’s stitched attire that she was most probably a tramp.

Blood was oozing out from her neck like a bite but from the look of things he was unable to really say what it was. In her right hand was a shotgun still smoking from the gunshots that were fired a few moments ago. He made sure that no one was around and then he crouched down to examine the lady’s bite mark on her neck. He put his finger on the lady’s neck but there was no pulse.

Scott was about to check the wounds when he caught a glimpse of a shadow that swiftly jumped on top the wall. Scott without hesitation flicked around and fired his gun. To his greater horror, all the shots he fired had no effect on the shadow. The shadow turned into a muscular man with fangs and claws and lunged at him from the wall.

Before Scott could react, he had already dug its claws into Scott’s heart. Scott’s eyes gleamed with horror as the dark night closed in on him forever and his limbs went limp.

“Dispatch unit on the way, Deputy Scott! Backup is heading to Lane 7 right away. What’s the situation on the ground? I repeat, what’s the situation on the ground?”

The radio on Scott’s shoulder kept making announcements but it was already too late. Scott’s disemboweled corpse now lay beside the female victim.

“Feeling a bit better right now, are you?” a prudish voice inquired.

The smell of formaldehyde and phenyl was clear as it wafted in the air. This wasn’t the hospital and there was something weird about this place, the awful smell. It was really the stench of death.

Scott Anderson opened his eyes to the bright sun rays.

“Where in the hell am I?” he muttered. His head was still reeling from concussion and it hurt to move his limbs.

“Well, it’s not heaven if that is what your mind is thinking,” another voice answered from behind. “You have to take a guess, Deputy Anderson.”

Scott at this time could make neither head nor tail of the situation he has found himself in. What he could vividly remember were bloody red eyes, and a man with vicious claws and fangs of some kind of a beast tearing him. He was supposed to be dead because the doctor had just signed the death certificate. But now he found himself waking up inside the underground tomb, surrounded by coffins. He felt something hammering inside his head and everything around him seemed blurry and messy.

He lifted his face; his eyes made out the profile of a beautiful lady with glossy skin, mercury-red hair, with sculpted figure. Her pencil-thin eyebrows eased down gently to her eyelashes with a pointed nose. Staring at her mercury-red hair that tumbled over her shoulder, Scott couldn’t resist staring at her honey-sweet lips that were lilac soft. She was putting on a mini gown that exposes her side thighs and her boobs were well packed in but exposing the top part of her boobs that feels thick inside of her mini gown.

“Who are you? What happened to me?” Scott asked with curiosity. His voice was still groggy and incoherent. After a fit of coughing, he stared at the lady as he resumed his inquiries. “Something or should I say someone attacked me in the alley. What am I doing here with all these coffins around me?”

The lady leaned back on one of the coffins and curled her arms together, crossing her legs. “Deputy Anderson, you seem confused. But it’s all simple and no complications.” She grinned. “You are inside an underground tomb because that’s where dead bodies end up.”

Unable to make any sense to what he just heard, Scott stared at the lady in wide-eyed surprise.

The beautiful lady continued in her refined voice. “Take your time, I can assure you, I am not in hurry. It always takes a while to accept things as they are, especially for a dead man.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Are you fucking saying that I am dead for real?” Scott asked impatiently as he stared down his body.

“You were…” Fixing her searing gaze on Scott, the lady sized him up in her mind. “A 28 year old Deputy working under the Sheriff’s Department with a surprisingly flexible and well maintained body. I must confess, I envy you because almost all the ladies in Bailey County desire you. You are such a very strong handsome young man but not when it comes to death. No one can defeat death but here you are standing because you tricked death.”

“You still are making no sense to me. What the hell is going on?”

“You still don’t understand, do you?”

“Fuck! You are driving me insane. Who the fuck are you and what the fuck am I doing in a graveyard?” Scott reached for his pistol only to realize that he had been stripped of everything and was only clothed in a loose sky-blue gown.

“I also must confess, you have a hot temper.” The mysterious lady suddenly disappeared from his view.

Scott became terrified as he looked around searching. “I must be dreaming. I don’t drink, I would have said I have taken much drink that is making me see things,” he muttered under his breath.

“You are not drinking neither have you gotten drunk.” The voice of the lady came from behind. Scott swiftly turned around to find the mysterious lady standing behind him. “Your department took you to the hospital but they came in late. You were declared dead on arrival. That’s a pity.”

“You are a nasty liar! As you can see, I am alive. I can feel myself, I can speak and I can blink!”

“You have me to thank for that. I do believe a bit of gratitude would go a long way.”

“Get off my head, you aren’t real. None of this is real!”

“Deputy Anderson, I am real as the one that attacked you in the alley. If it hadn’t been for me, you would be lying inside a coffin.”

Scott’s eyes widened with disbelief. “What are you trying to say? Did you save my life?”

“Apparently it appears you haven’t been paying a close attention.” The lady rushed towards Scott like a speeding train and lifted Scott off his feet. Hoisting him in the air by his collar, the lady tore open his sky-blue gown. “As you can see, all your wounds have healed and you can no longer feel any pain. I didn’t save your life. You were declared dead on arrival. However, I did bring you back from the dead.”

“That’s not possible. No one can trick death. Are you saying you are a goddesss?”

“I am not a goddess.” The lady released Scott from her grip and let him slump down on one of the coffins. She bent down and brought her face closer to Scott’s. “My name is Jasmine Dracula. I’m a descendant of Count Dracula. I am one of the original vampires that have walked the earth for many centuries.”

Scott swallowed a lump in his throat and spoke in a quivering voice, “What do you want from me?” A look of puzzlement crossed his face.

“We will eventually come to that. But first, do you know why I brought you back from the dead?”

Scott's trembling arms crossed his chest. “I am not sure.”

“There are far too many contradictions in you. You are indecisive and afraid, but you are also impulsive and selfless. When you called for backup, you waited for backup to arrive at the alley because you were afraid of what you might see. But nevertheless, you rushed to the lady’s aid after hearing the gunshots because you care too much about saving people.” She drew in a deep breath and backed away from Scott, who was still sitting on the coffin petrified. “I need your help, Scott Anderson.”

“My help in what way?” Scott asked feebly.

“For preserving the balance and making sure darkness did not fall on Texas. If we don’t act now, then it will be too late for the good people of Texas. Hell will break loose on Texas and all your souls shall be damned in hell for all eternity.”

“I am not sure I follow what you are saying, Miss Dracula.”

“Just call me Jasmine,” she sighed. Rolling her eyes on him, she continued. “There will be time to talk later. For now all you need to know is that terrible things are about to unfold and it will all be let loose in Texas. There are blood sucking vampires who do not go by the new rules all of Dracula’s descendants have set. They will prey on Texas and they will bring malevolent beings with them. There will be more if they aren’t stopped.”

Placing her right hand on Scott’s shoulder, she asked, “Deputy Anderson, do you believe in vampires?”

“I don’t. Vampires are not real,” he replied with hesitation in is voice.

Jasmine closed her eyes and sighed, “That’s too bad for you, they certainly believe in you and they are coming for this county and the whole of Texas.”