Jessica's back slammed against the cold stone wall, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her body shifted back to her human form. Perhaps the wall knocked the wolf out of her system.

She barely had time to gasp before Dregan's icy fingers closed around her throat, lifting her off her feet. The vampire's eyes blazed with unholy glee as he leaned in close, his fetid breath washing over her face.

"Such spirit," Dregan purred, tightening his grip. "It will make your blood all the sweeter when I drain you dry."

Through the spots dancing in her vision, Jessica saw Kevin charge at Dregan with a desperate cry. The vampire swatted him aside like an annoying insect, sending him crashing into a suit of armor with a resounding clang.

Anger surged through Jessica, hot and primal. She needed to change back, but she couldn’t feel the beast returning.

Dregan smiled closely to her face. “I never tasted a werewolf before. This will be delicious.”

Just as Dregan opened his mouth to sink his fangs into her throat, a shout echoed down the corridor.

"Hey, Dracula! Catch!"

Something small and round arced through the air. Dregan caught it reflexively, then howled in pain as holy water sizzled against his pale skin. He dropped the water balloon and Jessica, stumbling back as angry red welts spread across his hand.

Salina and Tiffany burst into view, arms full of new improvised weapons. Tiffany wielded a mop like a staff, while Salina clutched a bulging backpack.

"Jessica, Kevin, run!" Salina yelled, hurling another water balloon at Dregan's feet.

The vampire hissed, leaping back to avoid the splash. Jessica didn't waste the opportunity. She darted forward, clamping her powerful jaws around Dregan's ankle and dragging him off balance.

Tiffany swung the mop, catching Dregan across the face with its soggy head. "Not so pretty now, are you, Count Jerkula?"

Dregan snarled, his composure finally cracking. He lashed out, narrowly missing Tiffany as she danced back. "Insolent brats! I will feast on your entrails!"

"Charming," Salina muttered, helping Kevin to his feet. "This way, quickly!"

They sprinted down the corridor, Jessica bringing up the rear to guard against Dregan's pursuit. The vampire's enraged howls echoed off the stone walls, spurring them to greater speed.

Salina led them to a massive oak door, ornately carved with grotesque figures. "In here!" she panted, shoving it open.

They tumbled inside what appeared to be an opulent bathroom, all marble and gilt. Tiffany and Kevin slammed the door shut, bracing themselves against it as Dregan's fists pounded from the other side.

"That won't hold him for long," Kevin gasped, wincing as he favored his bruised ribs.

“What happened to your shoes?” Tiffany asked.

Jessica stared at her feet and sighed. "I lost them during the struggle…”She turned toward Salina. “How did you make those holy water balloons?" she demanded.

"I blessed some salt, and put them into water balloons I found at the party,” Salina explained. “But that isn’t important.” Her eyes lit with excitement. “We found a secret room!”

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Jessica's head snapped up, a spark of hope igniting in her chest. "What? Where?"

"In the tomb," Salina explained hurriedly. "There's a hidden passage behind his coffin. It's like something out of a horror movie–all creepy occult stuff and weird magic items."

"Great," Jessica replied, wincing as another of Dregan's blows shook the door. "But how will that totally help us?’

Tiffany grinned, a fierce light in her eyes. "Because we also found his stash of blood magic juice. Salina said we could use it for a trap.”

Jessica's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? He kept his own blood inside a hidden chamber?”

"We should check it out ourselves," Kevin suggested. "If he has a jar of blood down there, that means we don’t have to get blood from Dregan."

"And how exactly do you propose we get past Tall, Dark, and Bloodthirsty out there?" Tiffany asked, gesturing towards the door that was splintering under Dregan's assault.

Jessica's eyes darted around the opulent bathroom, her mind racing.

Her gaze landed on the white shower curtains around a tub. "I’ll use that," she said, a grim smile spreading across her face. "When the door opens, I’ll throw that curtain on him as a distraction. Then we can run straight pass him.”

Salina nodded. “Okey-dokey.”

Jessica pulled the shower curtains off the bars above the tub. She faced the pounding doors with the curtains raised as her friends stood behind her. “Ready?”

Before her friends could reply, the door slammed open from Dregan’s kick. Jessica tossed the curtains over him as he struggled. Then she pushed him into the tub quickly. “Run, now!”

They scrambled out from the bathroom, Dregan's enraged roar following them throughout the corridor. Jessica led the way, down to the main hall and straight back into the basement.

*****

The entryway to the subterranean chamber lay concealed behind the tomb’s coffin, precisely as Salina had depicted. It took all four of them to push the heavy stone door open, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.

"Ladies first," Tiffany quipped, her bravado not quite masking the tremor in her voice.

Jessica took point, her werewolf senses on high alert as they crept down the stairs. The air grew colder and danker with each step, carrying the musty scent of age and decay.

As they reached the bottom, Jessica fumbled for a light switch, half-expecting to find torches instead of electricity. To her surprise, dim bulbs flickered to life, illuminating a scene straight out of a mad scientist's laboratory.

"Holy butter balls," Kevin breathed, his eyes wide as he took in their surroundings.

The chamber was a bizarre mix of ancient and modern. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with dusty tomes and jars filled with unidentifiable substances. An old-fashioned alchemy set shared space with what looked like state-of-the-art computer equipment. In one corner, a bubbling cauldron sat next to a mini-fridge.

"What is all this stuff?" Tiffany asked, wrinkling her nose at a jar containing what appeared to be pickled eyeballs.

"Dregan's witchcraft lab, I'd guess," Salina replied, already rifling through papers on a cluttered desk. "Looks like he's been trying to combine old-school magic with old-school science."

Jessica forced herself to focus, pushing down the part of her that wanted to gawk at the supernatural weirdness surrounding them. "We need to hurry," she said. "It won't take Dregan long to figure out where we've gone. Salina, you said something about magical blood?"

"Right here," Salina called, holding up an ornate glass jar filled with a viscous red liquid. "If this really is Dregan's magical blood, we can use it for our immobilizing trap.”

A spark of hope ignited in Jessica's chest. “Good! Anyone know what time it is?”

Kevin checked his watch. "It's past midnight now. We've got a few hours until dawn."

"The cops might show up before then," Tiffany added. "You know, if any of them bothered to take our friends seriously about the whole 'vampire attack' thing."

Jessica's mind raced, piecing together a plan. "Okay, so we need to lure Dregan somewhere outside now. Somewhere hidden, where he can't hurt anyone else if the police do show up."

"Great plan," Tiffany said, her voice tight with fear. “But how do we get Mr. Blood Thirsty outside without getting ourselves killed?”

Jessica grimed with her lips pursed. “I don’t know… We just have to find a way out.”

Tiffany’s eyes widened. “Seriously? While he is hunting us up there!?”

Jessica threw her arms up. “What else can we do? Hide until the sun rises, and allow Mr. Blood Thirsty to attack the cops when they find us?”

Tiffany remained quiet as her face turned pale.

“Come on, let’s not waste time on arguing,” Kevin inverted. “One of us can look while the rest of us stay here until Dregan comes. There has to be a way out where he didn’t lock with his magic.”

Jessica smiled with a determined look. “And we will find it.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’m not going. I’ll stick with nerdy boy here if I have to.”

Salina shrugged and stepped toward Jessica. “I’ll go with you. Two people are better than one.”

Jessica smiled at her. She only hoped they will find the way out without becoming the vampire’s breakfast.