| House Of Luxor By Tanith |
| "Evy, you stay here with Rick" said Ardeth "I'm going to have a look in the basement" "No Ardeth" replied Evy "It's too dangerous" "Look it's not that I don't believe Rick but I have to see for myself what is down there" "I'm coming with you" said Tanith. They took the torches and went down to where Rick had found the trapdoor. After a while they found the two rooms with the coffins in them. "He wasn't kidding about these was he?" said Tanith. "No but what worries me more, is how this is affecting him in such a short time and how dangerous it looks like it is getting" "Have you noticed something that Rick never mentioned, all the skeletons we have seen so far, all their heads are not attached to the rest of them. It's as though they all had their heads chopped off first" said Tanith. "But they are children, why would someone kill them then chop off their heads, it doesn't make sense" replied Ardeth "And who were they?" "Murder never does make sense" replied Tanith. They went into the other little room where the family of the house were put. Ardeth looked at the woman and two children while Tanith looked at the empty coffin. "These are the same as the others" said Ardeth. "Ardeth I think you had better look at this" said Tanith. Ardeth came over and looked inside. Lying there was the man in the portrait, not a skeleton but a body that looked as if it had been put in there that day. He had blood on the corner of his mouth. "This is getting harder to piece together" said Ardeth "He is supposed to have been dead over 150 years. He looks like he has only just died." "Oh shit, there is only one answer to all this and I don't like it. Let's get out of here" She grabbed Ardeths hand and pulled him out of the door, He stopped. "Tanith, hang on a minute, what answer, I don't understand any of this. Ghostly voices, banging, kids bodies and a man who is a ghost one minute and a newly buried corpse the next" "You won't like the answer and probably, with all good sense not believe the answer but I believe we are dealing with a vampire" "A vampire, in the 2000, what is it, the return of Dracula" he mocked. "I am not joking Ardeth, look at what we've found so far, lots of skeletons of children, all murdered then their heads cut off, dried blood, a body with fresh blood on his mouth, Rick who's obsessed with the place, even though he hated it when we arrived. A real axe thrown by a supposed ghost" "Yes, but a vampire, they are part of a legend, a myth, it's like believing in Imhotep" As they continued to return to the upstairs room where Evy and Rick were, Tanith explained some of the myths of vampires, including Transylvania and even the Dracula myth. By the time they got to the lounge, he was even less convinced but he was worried. "Ardeth, I know you don't believe all this about vampires but lets assume I'm right" "Ok, I'm assuming" he said sarcastically. "Alright sarky, assuming I am right, we have till tonight to find out some more about this man before Rick gets dragged in any further. If he is a vampire, then Rick is in danger and so are we" "Why till tonight?" "The normal vampire can only appear at night, during the day he has to rest in a coffin in a dark place" "Like the tomb under the house?" asked Ardeth. "Yes vampires don't like sunlight or running water" "I suppose we'd better go in the kitchen and find some garlic to hang round our neck" "Try and take this seriously Ardeth, garlic won't stop a vampire, that only happens in films and they aren't scared by crosses either but we have to find a way to stop him" "I'm sorry Tanith, vampires, it's so hard to believe, look I'm a actor, I deal in fantasy, it goes with the job to pull in the fans, it can't happen in real life, can it?" "Ok, you're not sure, just go along with me for a while, if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it" "That's fair enough but do we tell Rick?" "No, not until we've found out some more about this family and the house. There has to be some more stuff in the library" They went into the lounge, it was nearly 9am, Rick and Evy were getting some breakfast that Mrs Duncan had made. Evy said she was quite a nice woman. Didn't say much but cooked a lovely breakfast. "Did you see what you wanted to?" asked Rick. "Yes everything that you said, we are going to have another look in the library this morning to see if we can find out any more" said Ardeth. "And I'm taking Rick outside for some fresh air, we both could do with some" said Evy. "That's a good idea Evy" replied Tanith "How's your ankle?" "It seems fine now" replied Rick "a bit sore but a lot better thanks" "By the way Jonathan came down, got something to eat and went back upstairs again" said Evy. "I'll go and see him in a minute" said Ardeth. Tanith followed Ardeth out of the room and she went to go into the kitchen. "What are you going to do?" asked Ardeth. "I'm going to have a word with Mrs Duncan, I'll meet you in the library in about 20 mins" She walked into the kitchen where Mrs Duncan was preparing their lunch. "Mrs Duncan, I'm Tanith, it's nice to meet the person who has been making all these lovely meals, thank you" "That's alright deary, how's the house?" It seemed a very strange question and Tanith answered it with another question. "It's fine, why do you ask?" "Strange things happen in this house, which is why we don't stay after dark" "Mrs Duncan, who was Mr O'Connellson and what was he?" "He built and owned the house, that's all, why have you seen him?" Tanith decided to tell her some of what had happened but not about Rick's connection or the vampire theory. "Mr O'Connellson murdered his family, then lured local children to the house, none older than 12, they were never seen again" "Didn't the police do anything?" "No-one would come near the place after he killed his family and he never went out plus they never had any real proof he had done anything. It was the 1860's, no-one did much about law and order in those days" "I still don't understand why he killed them" "That is something you will have to find out for yourself" As Tanith got up to leave, Mrs Duncan left her with a final thought. "Rick will never escape from this place, O'Connellson will make sure of that" She laughed as she picked up the rubbish to take it outside. Meanwhile, back in the lounge, Evy had gone up and got their jackets. The room had big French doors which opened out onto the large grounds. There were statue lined paths, a maze, and a big pool. Evy had hold of Ricks arm as his ankle had started to ache after walking a short distance. She suggested they walk to the pool, there were some large stones by it where they could sit down. "I'm supposed to be filming on Tuesday, I hope this is beter by then" said Rick. "Well it's only Sunday, it should be ok by then" replied Evy. They sat on one of the stones and Evy snuggled up against Rick, it was chilly out there and he shivered. A noise behind them made her turn round. "Rick, look, there's someone there" He looked but couldn't see anything, Evy decided to take a look. "Be careful, with what's been going on here" "I will, stay there, rest that ankle" She disappeared round the statues. Rick shivered again and waited for Evy to come back. After about 10 minutes, there was no sign of her so he got up and hobbled over to where Evy had gone. He couldn't see her and called her name but got no reply. Walking through the statues, he suddenly slipped(or was pushed) down a slope, it wasn't deep but was enough to shake him. He sat up and looked around, standing above him, at the top of the slope was O'Connellson. He walked towards Rick. Rick tried to call Evy but he suddenly felt light-headed, very calm and relaxed. He laid back in the sand that covered the bottom of the hill, closed his eyes and remembered nothing more. Evy had gone to look but saw no-one, turned back towards Rick and tripped over an old rock, hit her head on another and knocked herself out. When she came to, what she thought was a few minutes later but looking at her watch saw that it was 30 minutes. She got up, her head hurt and she had a lump on her forehead. It wasn't bleeding but it was quite big. Looking for Rick, she found him gone from the stones and realized he had probably come looking for her. Why hadn't he found her, she hadn't gone far. As she looked around, she noticed the slope , which ended in a small sand covered gully. Rick was lying at the bottom. She ran down to him, as she reached him she called his name. He opened his eyes and she helped him up. "What happened Rick?" "I slid down the slope, it was so peaceful down here, I decided to lie here and look at the trees, I only had my eyes shut" It seemed a strange thing to say but she didn't question it except that she wondered why he would rather lie there than look for hr. "What happened to you, your head" She explained what happened, she felt a bit dizzy so suggested they went back to the house. Taking his arm, she looked up at him and noticed two small red Ardeths on his neck, they looked like gnat bites. "You shouldn't have laid there Rick, you've been bit" She went to touch them but he pushed her hand away. "That's alright, I always get bit when I go out somewhere like this, leave it" He was quite annoyed at her touching them but she ignored it and they continued up to the house. When they got there, Rick said he wanted to have a bath and would see her later. He went upstairs leaving her standing there. Ardeth and Tanith came in later and she was still on her own. They asked where Rick was and she explained all that had happened in the grounds but said she hadn't minded him leaving her as her head was sore anyway. "I'm going up to see if he is alright" said Ardeth. "He is in a funny mood since he came back, I must have done something out there to upset him" said Evy. Tanith sat down with Evy and told her about Mrs Duncan and what she had said. "I wish we had never some here" replied Evy "I thought it was a good idea and would be a laugh" "You weren't to know but we should have left here before this" Ardeth went upstairs and knocked on Ricks door, there was no answer. He went in and the room was empty. After calling his name and getting no reply, he went back downstairs. "Evy, tell me again what happened out there. Rick isn't in his room" said Ardeth. Evy told him everything again, it seemed straight forward enough but Ardeth wasn't sure. "We'd better go and look for him" said Tanith "Evy, go and get Jonathan, he can help you search outside, we'll look around the house." "We'll meet back here in an hour" said Ardeth. Rick had left Evy in the lounge and gone upstairs. He felt a bit strange and wanted to be on his own for a while. As he got to the top of the stairs, instead of turning left to his room, he followed the corridor to the end, where there were some rooms they hadn't been in. He went straight for the end door, opened it and went in. The room was the most elaborate of any room in the house. A massive four-poster bed dominated one end with exquisite furnishings all over. There was candle light and faint music was being played. Rick looked around the room, then went over to the bed and laid down. Even a man his size was dwarfed by the size of the bed. Suddenly a breeze circled the room and the lights went out. A mist drifted under the door and moved over to where Rick was laying. Out of the mist a woman formed, tall, slim and beautiful. It was the lady of the house, O'Connellsons wife. She climbed onto the bed with Rick, who was relaxed and waiting for her. "Rick" she whispered "My name is Alice, I've come to keep you company" "I know who you are, I've been waiting for you" He wrapped his arms around her and she kissed him, first on his chest, then his lips. Then she moved her mouth to his neck and the two red marks already there. She smiled at him, revealing two long pointed teeth. Moving nearer, she bit into his neck. Rick groaned then lay back and enjoyed the experience. After a while Alice left him alone and he fell into a deep sleep, dominated by vivid dreams. Tanith and Ardeth had searched all the downstairs rooms, they now moved upstairs. So far they had found nothing. One by one they searched each room on the first floor. Coming to the end of the corridor, Tanith opened the door. The room was dark, so she reached her hand round to try and find a light switch. The room lit up and Tanith saw Rick lying on the bed. "Ardeth, in here, quick" she shouted. As Ardeth ran in, Tanith had hurried over to the bed. "So this is where he had gone for a sleep" said Ardeth. "Ardeth he is not asleep, he's unconscious" she said as she sat on the bed and took hold of his hand. "What do you mean, unconscious?" "Look at his face, he's as white as a sheet, there is barely a pulse and .....my God, look at his throat" Ardeth looked as she moved his head to one side, the two red marks were large, holes in the middle with white rims, blood trickled down his neck. "I'd say he had a visitor" "Oh shit, I've seen those marks on the films, so there is a vampire but surely the man didn't do this?" "No, from the smell of perfume, I'd say it was a woman, probably his wife." "Which means the skeleton in the coffin, isn't his wife, it's someone else in her dress" "Looks that way, come on Ardeth we have to get him out of here, I'd say the safest place would be in the lounge. Rick, Rick come on, wake up" Tanith tried to wake him but he just moaned softly, so Ardeth pulled him to the edge of the bed and lifting him over his shoulders, with Tanith's help carried him downstairs and into the lounge. Tanith hurried over to the large sofa and chucked the cushions on the floor. Ardeth laid Rick on the sofa and Tanith covered him up with the bedspread she brought down with her. She went over and got a bowl of water and wiped the blood off his neck just as Evy and Jonathan came in. Evy ran over to the sofa as soon as she saw Rick lying there. "Oh my God, what has happened to him?" Ardeth walked over to the window then turning to the others. "Tanith, what do we do now?" "I don't know, I really don't know" "Will someone please tell me what is going on" said Jonathan. "Vampires Jonathan, that's what we are dealing with, vampires" replied Tanith. "Vampires, Ardeth what the hell is she talking about, is she mad?" said Evy. "No, I'm afraid she is not. When we were in the library we found a ledger, a sort of concordance. In it, told the story of O'Connellson. Hang on, I'll read it, the book is in here where I put it earlier." "I've had enough of this rubbish" said jonathan "Ghosts, haunted houses and now vampires. What is this, a film set?" "I wish it were" replied Ardeth "When Tanith told me of her suspicions, I laughed at her. Then I read this book. Listen. He sat on the stool by the big piano and read what was in the book. 'In 1840, a man named Hugh O'Connellson went to Romania on business, he had to seal a deal with a man in a village, high on the mountain. This man wanted houses in Egypt, so they were purchased on his behalf and O'Connellson had to go over and get him to sign all the paperwork. While he was there something happened to him. He met up with a beautiful woman named Alice. She had been locked up for a few years because everyone said she was a vampire. Hugh didn't take any notice and released her and brought her back to Egypt. He loved her and built her this house, they adopted two boys. For ten years they seemed happy although Hugh was always anaemic. Then she lured a boy from the village to the house, she killed him and drained him of his blood. When Hugh found out, he tried to kill her but she killed him with a bite to the neck. She turned him into a creature of the night, a vampire, like herself. For ten years she had fed on him, keeping herself alive with his blood but then she wanted more. Once becoming a vampire, he killed the two boys and then lured other children to the house. At first it was easy but then the village stayed away from the gate and no-one, not even the village idiot dared go near the place. One day two men decided to deal with Hugh O'Connellson and his wife. They came into the house during the day, as stories of the vampire had circulated the area and drove a stake into the hearts of the couple. They were put in a coffin and sealed in the room under the house. When the men did this they found all the coffins with the bodies of the children missing from the village. Before they left, they cut off the heads of each child, to stop it from walking the earth as a vampire. Then they were locked in the room. But they forgot to do the same thing to O'Connellson and his wife. `The house was left to decay and rot. Over the years, the story faded into the past, then a young woman disappeared and was last seen coming up to the house. This was 5 years ago. Within a few weeks, Hugh and his wife Alice were seen at night trying to wander the village. The curse of the pharaohs hadn't helped either. Vampires always have a guardian, a man or woman who generation after generation, look after their graves until the time is right to release them again. The name of the guardians for the O'Connellson family were Duncan' "So as I see it" said Tanith "Mrs Duncan lured a girl here 5 years ago and her death brought these two back to life" "But how does Rick fit in?" "That's right" said Ardeth "According to the story here, Hugh O'Connellson took a second wife, a woman he could be seen with, this woman had Ricks great grandfather. So the story Rick was told wasn't all correct either. She must have found out about him and left with the child" "So that body in the dress must be the village girl that was brought here 5 years ago" said Tanith. "Yes" said Ardeth. "But why get Rick to come here?" asked Evy. "I have a theory about that" said Ardeth "How did you know about this house?" "I saw an article in the paper when I arrived, it was in the hotel" she replied. "Who knew you were waiting for Rick except Tanith" "Only a couple of people, Tanith, the man at the desk and a man I spoke to before I met Tanith" "Who was he?" asked Tanith. "I don't know, he asked about Rick first because he saw my mummy t-shirt, I didn't think anything of it, then I saw the paper on the table" "He obviously is something to do with Mrs Duncan, he knew you'd be interested in the house and that you were after Rick. You would do the work for him" "Which was?" asked Jonathan. "To get Rick to come here. When you met Tanith later, they fell into place easily. Especially when Tanith said she would be interested and that if she could, she get me to come. No-one had any cause to be worried at this stage" said Ardeth. "But I still don't understand why he wants Rick?" "Neither do I, I haven't worked that one out yet" replied Ardeth. "But what has happened to Rick" asked Evy. "Look at his neck, the two marks, that's where the vampire has drunk his blood" Evy went over and looked, she turned to the others and laughed. "That's where he got bit by gnats earlier, in the grounds, he told me that when I asked him" "No Evy, they are the marks of the vampire, have you ever seen gnat bites that big" said Ardeth. "You never mentioned that when you came back, so he must have been bitten first outside. That means...." Said Tanith. "That one of the vampires at least, can move about in daylight" replied Ardeth. "What do we do about Mrs Duncan, she must be dealt with too" said Evy. "Yes but she is not a vampire, she can be dealt with by ordinary methods" said Tanith. "The main thing is to keep Rick here, watch him and make sure he doesn't go out and no-one comes in. He won't feel like going far, he has lost a blood and will be weak, that could be to our advantage" Ardeth explained. "What happens if the vampire gets to him again?" asked Jonathan. "He will become like them, he will walk the earth feeding on human blood and destroying all he touches, then he will have to be destroyed. If we want to save Rick and ourselves, we have to find them before they have another chance to get to him" answered Tanith. Rick looked pale as he lay on the sofa. He moaned in the sleep, dreams still haunting him. They had to find Hugh and his wife as soon as they could. But first they would deal with Mrs Duncan. Tanith went to the kitchen to get her to bring some food for them, then went back to wait. When she came in and put the food down, Ardeth grabbed her from behind the door. She screamed and struggled but he was too strong for her. "You fools, you'll never destroy my master and mistress, they will destroy you first" "Find some rope and tie her up, the police can have her later" said Ardeth. "First I want to know why they want Rick here" said Tanith. "Ok, I'll tell you, it doesn't matter now, by the looks of him he is almost a vampire already. Rick is family, Hugh needs to regenerate, he was old when he became a vampire. The blood only keeps him alive, he needs to become young again, as his wife is. To do this, he needs the blood of a relative, even a distant one. Most vampires don't have family, once a vampire they can't have children like we can but Hugh had a son before he became one. Rick is descended from that son. He has waited years to find someone to fulfil his wish. I researched the history of Ricks family and found out that he was a actor and it was a case of waiting till we could lure him to the house. When a friend met Evy at the hotel, we knew it wouldn't be long before we could bring him here. That story in the paper was the only copy, you loved haunted houses, we hoped you would get on with Rick enough to persuade him to come here. Hugh will get him and he will become younger, you will never stop him" Jonathan came back in with some rope he found in the cupboard in the hall. Mrs Duncan struggled so they had a job tying her up. "I've had enough of this" said Tanith "Hold her Ardeth" Tanith gave her a right handed punch to the jaw and knocked her out. That gave them the opportunity to tie her up and to put her in the large closet in the hall. They taped her mouth up so that she couldn't scream or alert the vampires. "That was some punch, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you" said Ardeth. "She was annoying me, right now what do we do" replied Tanith. "We have to find Hugh and his wife and kill them" said Ardeth. Tanith laughed and Ardeth asked her what she was laughing at. "You, I can't see you killing anyone except in the ring. Anyway you can't kill what is already dead" "You've lost me" said Jonathan "What do you mean already dead?" "They are vampires" replied Tanith "You must know the Dracula story, once bitten by a vampire, you either die instantly or you become a vampire yourself, therefore in the strictest sense of the word, you are dead in as much as your heart stops beating, you become undead and cannot be killed again only destroyed. Some say that it eventually becomes a curse because you live for eternity, you watch others around you grow old and die and the centuries change and you stay the same as on the day you became a vampire" They decided to eat what Mrs Duncan had brought them in before they started. Jonathan and Evy were going to stay with Rick while Ardeth and Tanith went to find the husband and wife. They hoped it would be easy and that they would be in the room under the basement. "What do we need?" asked Ardeth "And what do we do when we find them?" "We need stakes and something to hit them with, we have to drive th em through their hearts, then cut off their heads. We better find a sharp knife of something for that purpose" "It sounds horrible" said Jonathan "Isn't there any other way?" "No, there is no other way, sunlight can't be trusted nor can running water, although it helps" Jonathan and Evy made sure the French doors were locked and the windows and they were to lock the doors to the hall after Ardeth and Tanith went out. They worked out a signal so jonathan would know when they were back. It sounded silly but Tanith got a load of garlic from the kitchen, it wouldn't stop the vampires but it might deter them for a while if they did try to get in. The main concern was Rick, he looked in a bad way, they had no way of knowing how much blood he had lost and if Hugh and Alice wanted him, they would be back. If the marks on his neck disappeared before the vampires were destroyed then he would be lost to them. They tried to keep him warm, Evy had got more blankets from the bedroom and covered him up, his pulse was weak and slow but he was very restless. They knew that there wasn't much time before Hugh or Alice were back. Ardeth and Tanith took the things they needed and went down to the basement. It would be getting dark in a couple of hours so time wasn't on their side, especially if one or both of them could move about in daylight. Down in the tomb, they went to where Hughs coffin was, but it was empty. He was either wandering around somewhere or his coffin and his wife's were somewhere else. "Let's try and see if the tomb goes on any further, there maybe somewhere else they could be" said Ardeth "Look you should really be will the others, I can find them on my own" "No way, apart from Evy I brought you here, it's my problem too, you are not going on your own" With the torches, they moved further into the tomb, it did go back even more, it must be carved right into the rocks. As they went on, it opened up into another massive tomb which had a sort of strange glow about it, it seemed to come from some phosperant plant life which clung to the walls in this part of the tomb. They could even turn off their torches. "My God, it's bea utiful, it's a pity we are here for more serious reasons" said Ardeth "I've never seen anything like it" "It's normally caused by algae or moss of a certain species, you can also get it in underground lakes. It is quite lovely but we need to find them first, unfortunately" This part of the tomb was huge, so they had to look carefully to make sure they didn't miss anything. Suddenly up on a rock formation, they saw Hugh O'Connellson. Alice was nowhere to be seen. "So you know the whole story" he retorted "That will not save you. I will kill you then claim Rick as my own. When I have regenerated the world is mine" "You have no chance" yelled Ardeth "There is no way you will get Rick. We'll destroy you first" Hugh leapt down about 10ft away from them, he smiled, showing his long pointed teeth. It was the first time either of them had ever seen a real vampire, even Tanith hoped she would never meet one even though she believed in them. "Oh shit" said Ardeth "I have a bad feeling about this" Before he could say anything else, Hugh lunged at him, knocking him flying. The bag containing the stakes flew across the floor, Tanith ran and grabbed it. She took out a stake ready to be used. Ardeth tried very hard to fight Hugh but as a vampire, he had the strength of 10 men. He threw Ardeth across the tomb like a rag doll then leapt on him, trying to bite his neck. Normally Ardeth would have had no trouble in throwing him off but this man was different. He had Ardeth pinned down but all of a sudden he managed to do it and tried to get to Tanith to get the stake so he could use it. "Ardeth catch" she shouted. He caught it and swung round to face Hugh but he tripped over a rock and lost it. Hugh took this opportunity to grab Ardeth and push him over the little ledge with a drop of about 10 ft, this knocked Ardeth out. That left Tanith to face the vampire. Hush used a large rock to throw at Tanith, she grabbed another stake from the bag and as he leapt at her, she held the stake out in front of her. Hugh fell straight onto it and fell to the floor. He thrashed about trying to get the stake out, meanwhile Tanith took another stake and thrust it into his heart. He screamed, a blood curdling scream that echoed round the tomb. Then he was still. She grabbed the large knife that Ardeth had put in the bag and with the biggest swing she had ever made, brought it down on his neck. His head was severed from his body in one go. As she watched, he shrivelled up and turned to dust. Tanith sat there, feeling sick and dizzy, the knife still in her hand. She thought she was strong but this, this was an experience she never wanted to repeat. Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder, she swung round with the knife and Ardeth had to jump out of the way. "Whoa, it's only me, are you alright?" "Oh Ardeth" she said "Thank God you're alright" He held her tight and they looked at what was left of Hugh O'Connellson. "Down at the bottom of the ledge is a pool, we'll throw his head into it, then no-body will ever be able to bring him back" He picked up the skull with the knife and threw it into the pool. It disappeared beneath the surface. As he turned round, Tanith noticed the blood running down his face, he had gashed his head as he fell. It didn't look bad though and they still had to find Alice. Back in the lounge, Jonathan was pacing up and down. He really didn't want to be there anymore especially with ghosts and vampires. This was worse than anything he had ever acted in.. "why have we been left here" he said "We should have left as soon as we saw the place. What did you have to bring us here for?" "Don't have a go at me" said Evy getting really annoyed. "I wasn't to know this was going to happen. All I thought it would be was a haunted house not something out of the hammer house of horror" "The what?" "Oh never mind, we are here now and have to help Rick, God knows what's happened to Tanith and Ardeth, we might be all Rick has left. They might be......well they might not be back" As they argued Rick woke up and looked around at them. "Will you stop arguing, it's nobodys fault" "Rick how do you fell?" asked Evy "We've been worried about you" "A bit dizzy, my neck hurts and I am so tired. What's been going on and where is Ardeth?" Evy explained everything to him, she had no choice. If he knew what was going on he may be able to help himself or think of something. "We think you must have been bitten in the grounds first" said Jonathan. "I remember vaguely a figure gliding down the hill but I wasn't scared or anything. I felt really calm then you called my name. I don't know what happened in between. Then when I went upstairs, I felt drawn to the room at the end of the hall. I felt so tired and lay on the bed then I remember this beautiful woman come in. I tired to resist her but I couldn't. Then I woke up down here" "Well the first one was obviously Hugh O'Connellson, the one in the bedroom must have been Alice. Ardeth thinks one or both will be back for you. This time you will either be killed or be turned into a vampire" "Oh great, lovely choice I've got" Rick looked tired and he was staring at the wall again, Evy moved her hand in front of him but he was oblivious to it. "Rick, Rick, wake up" Suddenly he blinked and looked at her. "Rick what's wrong" asked Jonathan who came over. "I don't know, I sense something nearby, it's coming for me, I can feel it" "No-one will get you while we are here, I wish Tanith and Ardeth would hurry up and get here" As she spoke, the green mist seen by them before, once again came under the door. This time it formed into a gorgeous woman, it must be Alice, she had long black hair, a flowing white lace dress and a smile that would melt any heart. Then her lips parted and they saw her teeth. She whispered to them. "Rick, I have come for you, Hugh will not have you, he means to kill you, I want you for myself. Together we will walk through eternity, side by side. Come to me, my love" "Leave here, no-way are you having Rick, he is not yours" said Evy standing in front of Rick. "You will not stop me, the only one who could stop me is Hugh and he is busy with your friends. Get out of my way" As she said this, she grabbed Evy and threw her across the room, she had enormous strength. Evy hit the piano and fell to the floor. Jonathan backed away from her, but he too got hit, this time with an ornament that she threw at him. Rick tried to get up and go to Evy but he couldn't. Alice went over to him and touched his hand. "Lay back Rick, I have come for you, I need you, you are mine" Rick couldn't resist her voice or her touch. He laid back on the sofa and she touched his face with her hand. It felt good, it sent a tingle right through him, a feeling he had only experienced once before, in the bedroom earlier. His breathing became faster and his eyes closed. She bent over him and turning his face to one side, bit into his neck. He moaned and felt himself blacking out but it was a nice blacking out. Just as he thought he would, she stopped and pulling him into aitting position, used her finger nail to cut herself across the top of her breast, she then pulled his head to her and he drank her blood. After about 5 minutes, he collapsed in her arms, she laid him back down and was just about to bite him again when there was a knock at the door. She looked up and then at Rick. When Ardeth got no answer, he kicked the door as hard as he could, it burst open. The sight that greeted them was of Rick on the sofa with Alice on top of him, Jonathan and Evy were lying elsewhere in the room. "Get away from him" shouted Ardeth "Hugh is destroyed, now we will destroy you" She hissed at them and leapt off Rick. Ardeth grabbed a stake from the top of the piano and held it out to her. Alice moved round the back of the sofa and aimed a vase at Ardeth. It missed him as he ducked, the second one caught him in the face. He went down, stunned for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Tanith had run over to Rick, she felt his pulse, it was barely there, he was as white as a sheet and had blood round his mouth. Alice saw Tanith near him and with a back -hander, sent her across the room, she hit the door, it didn't knock her out but she couldn't get up, her arm hurt. Alice grabbed Ricks neck and tried to finish what she had started but Ardeth had got up and he hit her across the head with a poker from the fire-place. She landed on the floor, Ardeth ran round, turned her over and without a second thought, grabbed the hammer and drove the stake through her heart. She opened her eyes wide and tried to grab the stake but Ardeth wouldn't let go. She dug her nails into his hands, making them bleed. It hurt like hell, but Ardeth held onto the stake. All at once she was quiet. Ardeth sat back on the floor, leaning against the sofa. Blood was running from a cut on his cheek and his hands looked like a cat had scratched them. Tanith crawled over to him, he put his arm round her, they sat there for a minute, while he got his breath back. "Look Ardeth, she's turning into a skeleton, just like Hugh. We have to cut off her head too. Then dispose of it" "I'll do that, see how the others are" "Shit" she said as she tried to get up. "What's wrong?" asked Ardeth looking at her. "I think I've broke my arm, when she threw me across the room" "Let's look, I'll try not to hurt" said Ardeth. He looked at her arm and established that she had only dislocated her elbow. She yelled as he put it back into place. "How did you do that?" "Just something we learn as a actor, I've never done it before, is that better?" "Yes, it still hurts nut I can move it now, thanks" Jonathan had already woke up and had witnessed what Ardeth had done to Alice. He felt sick and shocked at what he saw. He crouched in the corner, Tanith had to coax him out. "It's over Jonathan, you're alright, it's over" "No it's not, what about that" said Jonathan pointing to the dust on the floor "and what about Rick" "We'll sort it out, go and see to Evy, I'll take care of Rick" Jonathan went over to Evy, she had a lovely bump on top of the one she got earlier. He picked her up and put her in the armchair in the corner and went to get some water. Tanith knelt by Rick, he was very pale, he needed help and soon. She looked at his neck. The marks had gone. It seems that when they were both destroyed, he was released. Ardeth came back, he had thrown the head of the woman into the pool where the head of Hugh had gone. The dust had been carefully gathered up, making sure the stake stayed where it was. This had been put with the remains of Hugh. "How's Rick?" he asked. "Well apart from the blood loss, I think he'll be alright, he needs some food and a good brandy would help" "I'll find some, what about Evy?" "Jonathans with her, she'll be ok too." "I've just got to check something" he said. He went into the hall and opened the closet where Mrs Duncan was. She was dead. Two puncture marks to the neck showed how she died. One of the vampires had been there. "Ardeth, look after Rick and Evy, Jonathans coming with me into the kitchen to get some food" "Mrs Duncan is dead, she had the two marks in her neck, I'll put her downstairs" About an hour later, they were eating some sandwiches and cakes that were in the kitchen, it was too late to cook a big meal, they couldn't have eaten it anyway. Evy was better but with a terrible headache, Rick was still resting although he had woken up and remembered little of what had happened with Alice. Bringing a bowl in with some antiseptic, Tanith bathed Ardeths hands, once cleaned up they didn't look too bad. "How are you feeling babe?" "I don't know, this had been a nightmare, I'm glad it's over" said Ardeth. Rick tried to get off the sofa but felt very dizzy. "It's not quite over, I have to find out about the children that asked me to help them." "Rick, you're staying here or in your room, it is over, Hugh and Alice are gone" replied Ardeth. They made him lie down and Evy sat with him. Suddenly Evy let out a gasp. "Look the mist, it's back" They all looked towards the doors, as the mist came in under them and then the doors opened. They all thought the O'Connellson were back but as they watched, the mist formed into a child, it spoke. "Thank you Rick, you have set us free, all of us. We'll never forget you. It was us who stopped you from becoming like them" "We all helped" said Rick" Are you really free of them" "Yes look" said the boy. As they watched, the boy pointed to the door. From the floor, in the centre of the doorway, came the ghosts of all the children. They floated into the air and disappeared. They wore golden dresses and looked like they had wings, but no-one could be sure. Then the boy rose up and with a last wave, went the same way as the others. Tanith had tears running down her face and Ardeth who also had tears in his eyes, held her. Evy just held Ricks hand and Jonathan just looked shocked. "They are free" said Rick "At last they are free" He laid back on the sofa and for the first time looked peaceful. "I think we should all get some sleep" said Ardeth. "Then we can leave in the morning, we should be alright now" "That's a good idea" replied Tanith "Come on, let's get Rick upstairs. At least that brandy has brought some of his colour back" "I'm surprised he doesn't need a blood transfusion" said Evy. "Any normal sized person probably would" said Jonathan "But the blood will make itself up in no time" "I hope so" said Tanith. Jonathan helped them get him upstairs and put him in Evys room this time. She would stay with him tonight. When he came back down, Tanith was looking out of the window at the moonlight. "Come on" said Ardeth holding out his hand. She took it and they went to his room, both fell asleep almost as soon as they hit the pillows. Evy knocked on the door in the morning, Tanith answered it as Ardeth still slept. "Evy what's wrong" "Nothing, me and Rick have been downstairs and cooked breakfast for everyone" "Thanks, Rick you say, is he better?" "He is fine, he looks better anyway" She left them to it, Tanith took the breakfast and put it on the dressing table. Then she climbed onto the bed and kissed him gently. "Ardeth, wake up, babe" He stirred and opened his eyes. "That was nice" he said "Why did you call me babe, you called me that last night" "I like calling you babe, I don't know why, Evy and Rick have made breakfast, do you fancy any?" "I know what I fancy and it isn't breakfast" he said pulling her onto the bed and kissing her. A couple of hours later, they were all packed and ready to leave. Rick had disappeared to sort something out he said. When he came back, he asked them to wait further down the drive, he wouldn't tell them why. "What is he up to?" asked Ardeth "I thought he would have had enough of this place" Rick had found some large containers of gasoline in one of the rooms. After he sent the other back through the line of statues and told them under no circumstances come back to the house, he doused the place upstairs and down with the gasoline, leaving a trail to the front door. As he stood on the porch, he picked up a bottle with some gas in it and a cloth hanging out. He took a lighter and lit the cloth, then threw it into the hall. The whole place exploded into flames, the blast sending him across the porch, he jumped up and ran back to the others. "What the hell are you doing?" asked Ardeth. "Burning the place to the ground, it should have been done years ago, I want to watch it burn to make sure its gone" ]They all stood in front of the house and watched as the gas caught light all over the house. Within 15 minutes the whole place was ablaze. The flames leaping through the roof. Nothing was left untouched. `Evy took Ricks hand and started to lead him away. Suddenly something fluttered down and lay at his feet, he bent down and picked it up. It was a photo of the two boys. He had to sit down, tears streaming down his face, Evy held him, as his tears fell on the photo. The others saw the photo and walked back to the car, they would wait for Rick and Evy there. They walked back after a few minutes, Ardeth squeezed his shoulder and they all got into the car and drove through the gates, out and away from the place. As they looked back, the roof was falling into the house, nothing was left. No trace of anyone or anything would ever be found, unless someone went into the tomb one day. Driving off, a man stopped them and asked what had happened. "A cigarette started it" said Rick "That's all, it's all gone now, everything is burnt" The man looked at Rick, smiled and tapped the car. "Thank you for everything" He smiled as they drove away and then walked back to the village, to tell everyone it was over and that the O'Connellsons were destroyed. At last. The end. |