Dawn Will Be Under My Control, Part 1

"I can't believe we made it out."

"What are you talking about? We haven't left the forest yet."

Daniela laughed hysterically. Not good. If she wanted to escape this with her life, she had to conserve oxygen. Laughing would only make her burn oxygen faster, sealing her doom. It was not good, but she couldn't help it.

"Well, but we will. I don't know what happened, but..."

"The fire probably got too close to its core. It let us be because, in comparison, we're just a nuisance. But once it fixes the problem..."

"We'll get out of here before that happens. We will."

"We better."

"I know it's not the time now..."

"For God's sake, what now?"

She had no patience for this. If it wasn't the time, then shut up, right? You didn't get points for acknowledging that something would be a mistake if you went ahead and did it anyway, for whatever reason. Daniela tried to focus on running, dodging the trees, sometimes using the branches to turn and gain some momentum before they broke, when they did.

"That guy who called himself Dracula... He was strangely attractive."

What? She almost came to a halt. What the hell had she just said?

"I don't want to hear about your preferences in men now. Especially if that's what you're looking for in a man, I mean, one thing. I thought you were a relatively normal person, friend."

"Emphasis on 'strangely,' aunt. Seriously, think about it."

"His charm shouldn't affect us. Not of a normal vampire..."

"But he didn't say anything."

Silence.

"It can't be Dracula. That monster died many years ago."

"Maybe not. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe he was just sleeping, waiting for his moment. It may also be that, yes, he's not Dracula, but he's the next worst thing. A special vampire, stronger than normal. Ancient."

More silence.

"I miss the time when the giant cannibalistic forest we're stuck in was our biggest problem."

"It's only not if we manage to get out of here."

"Exactly, so move your ass."

They were warriors dedicated to the cause. They might be young, but they had been risking their lives practically every day for years. They couldn't be called young anymore. They hadn't been allowed and wouldn't be allowed to enjoy their youth.

The point is, they were prepared to die trying, regardless of what anyone might say.

But dying like this wouldn't accomplish anything. They had to get out of this forest to inform the authorities about the creature calling itself Dracula. Whether they did or not would be a problem, but if they succeeded, at least they would be prepared to face him. That should change things. Not that she thought the monster had any chance of winning, whether he was Dracula or not.

After all, the Prince of Darkness had been defeated every time. He had never prevailed even once. That was an evident truth; otherwise, human society would not still be standing. There might be scattered survivors, toys of the dark lord, but not a society.

However, a victory could cost too much to be called a victory. Daniela didn't want to see anyone die. If her warning could save even just a few hundred people, then that was reason enough for her not to fail here.

She would get out of this cannibalistic forest in flames, and maybe she would hunt down the self-proclaimed Dracula with her own hands.

***

Wheeled carriages were apparently outdated. He wasn't sure if he could handle one of those, so he had taken a relatively easy-to-handle vehicle from a large, fat guy with his entire body painted. Light and simple, with two things to grip with his hands and others to place his feet. He had been lucky to see him handle the vehicle before stealing it, of course.

The guy insisted on keeping his property, very persistently and loudly, so he gave him a good bite and sent him to the local tavern to infect his kind. That would distract the vampire hunters for a while. From what he had seen in the forest, vampire hunters these days had become weak. And why not? It made perfect sense.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Vampires like him had been forgotten. Monsters weren't a problem that kept human society on the brink of extinction, trapped in a constant struggle. They didn't have to defend themselves to the same extent. Therefore, defenders were naturally weaker than in their times.

So maybe he didn't need the distraction, even in his current state, okay. But it was always fun. Causing chaos, seeing how far it went, and being surprised by the unexpected consequences. Dracula lived for that. It was a remedy for the humiliation of his... strategic withdrawal from Bob, too.

Yeah.

Strategic withdrawal, undoubtedly.

In any case, the vehicle in question (apparently a motorcycle) turned out to be easy to handle, as he had suspected. What he didn't suspect was that it would be so satisfying. So fast, with the wind in his face. It was like flying through the roads.

"I almost forgot I had to run from Bob after boasting so much. Damn it!"

He put his foot in it again.

Dracula hummed the first song that came to mind as he flew through the roads, dodging the vehicles of the bad drivers who practically ran into him. Damn bastards, they were probably drunk. Luckily, he had much better control of his vehicle, so those idiots wouldn't cause more than one accident...

He heard a loud impact. Okay, now there was an accident, and there would probably be more before this was over, but at least no one could say it was his fault.

Not that he cared, of course! He wouldn't care what a bunch of stupid humans thought, but it was nice to be sure it wasn't his fault, that he was doing things right as always. Let's say professionally. Or let's say royally. After all, he was royalty twice over. Count and Prince of Darkness... One of these days, he should clarify.

Further ahead, more problems came his way. Not another accident, a guy of similar build, clothes, and body paint deliberately rammed him with his motorcycle, almost knocking him off the road. A vampire hunter who had recognized him? Highly doubtful, he didn't seem strong at all. If he had recognized him, he would have run in the opposite direction.

Besides, he was too fast.

Was he attacking him because he didn't look the same and didn't have those drawings? Only people like that could ride a motorcycle? Ha, as if he would stoop to dressing like a beggar and painting his body. Over his dead body.

Come on, no way.

"I make the rules, mangy dog!"

After regaining control of his vehicle, Dracula returned the ramming with twice the force. The motorcycle went flying, and the guy fell rolling on the ground. He was a normal human, so he probably broke something in the fall. The important thing was that he wouldn't bother him again because the motorcycle couldn't possibly be intact. He wouldn't be able to crawl to it, get on it (was that why it was called a motorcycle?), and chase him.

Of course, he wasn't the only one. His companions were still there, surrounding him slowly, and they didn't look at him favorablely either.

Dracula hadn't wanted trouble, especially so soon after his strategic withdrawal from Bob, but he had no other choice. They had asked for it. For once, he hadn't done anything wrong. Hell, he hadn't even killed the guy as punishment for getting in his way, although he could and should have!

The simple pleasure of riding the motorcycle had distracted him, but there was also the fact that he was in a hurry. New minions couldn't be left alone for too long. Not because he feared or could betray him, but because they were like newborns, knowing nothing about anything. They could accidentally reveal themselves to a vampire hunter, the idiots, and wouldn't survive the encounter.

Then he could turn others, no big deal, not a great loss, but Dracula didn't feel like starting from scratch again. Besides, he didn't want Joachim to die. He should be busy making her a nest, preparing for his return. Unlike the others, he couldn't let her die. She was almost, almost irreplaceable.

He guessed he could add Justin to the list, just for the nostalgia of being the first person he had transformed in a few hundred years. He would consider it.

You never forget the first time.

He lost sight of the guy he had knocked down; he was no longer important. Moreover, his companions drew his attention. They tore their shirts, exposing their stomachs, and there opened mouths with large teeth and bones. Each and every one of them grew a pair of wings too.

...Damn. Okay, he had bad luck. Well, now that he knew what it was, he could just get rid of them quickly.

He turned the motorcycle, stopped, skidding.

"Hello, Lord Dracula!"

A wild smile. Uncontrolled laughter. The demon was approaching him at full speed, holding something shiny like a precious stone in one raised arm. Another fragment of the medallion from his castle. He didn't understand how it ended up in his hands; he had intended to start looking for it in a completely different place, but it wasn't so strange that it had changed hands over time.

He would say it was unfortunate if it weren't for the fact that the carrier of the medallion fragment was approaching him fearlessly like a complete idiot.

Unlike the vampire hunters before, this demon instinctively recognized him. He was none other than the Prince of Darkness; what made him think he could survive this encounter?

"Fool," he mocked.

Around him, there was nothing but chaos, people screaming, crying, running like headless chickens, seeking to hide or escape. He saw one of the demons abandon the motorcycle, take flight, and thrust an arm through the front windows of one of those vehicles, grabbing the driver and then lifting him to the heights and dropping him amidst protests falling on deaf ears; the creature drank from his fear. He saw vehicles collide, and fire bloom like a meadow in spring. He saw someone's head being crushed under the wheel of one of the motorcycles like a ripe melon.

For a moment, he saw a flash.

The medallion had been activated, and everything changed.

Two fragments were present, technically, but not united. So only the one in the demon's hand counted. And, consequently, the space they were in now was nothing more than a small fragment of his castle. Transparent walls and floor. Outside, a void like space. What seemed to shine out there, amidst the darkness, what seemed like stars, was actually something completely different, however.

They couldn't know that, though. They knew very little about the depths of the darkness.

The demons dismounted and gathered behind the one who seemed to be the leader.

"You think you want to do this, but you're wrong."

"Even if that's the case, it's too late to back down now."

Dracula nodded.

"You're absolutely right about that. You have something I want. And I wouldn't let anyone who lays their paws on it live. I won't even ask for explanations on how you got it; I don't want to hear them."

He unsheathed his sword, which appeared as if it had just been forged from the shadows of the room and the cold outer space darkness.

"I just want, I need, all of you to die."

Dawn Will Be Under My Control, Part 1: FIN