A vampire's desire

A female vampire wants to be human again

1890, London.

Hélène looked out of the special window that was treated to let no UV-light trough. She envied the normal humans, basking in the sun in plain sight instead of skulking trough shadows. She detested drinking blood from her victims, but it was an irresistible urge. She vaguely remembered the vampire that after taking her blood gave him her blood. It was two centuries ago. After an opera. She was wealthy and had a lot of admirer’s. She pondered how it would it gave been if she had a husband escorting her then. Geoffrey the butler came in. ‘Your guest is arrived.’ my lady he said

‘Thank you, Geoffrey, I’ll be right there.’ she said looking at her white sleeveless dress in the mirror, her skin looked pale.

She descended the stairs and went in the living room a man with a beard looked at her and grabbed a crucifix and wooden crossbow with stakes out of his bag. ‘I beg you, Mister Von Helsing, hear me out first. There is no need for violence.

‘I am a vampire but I don’t kill people, I used to take little sips from many, so they and I could live. Now I get blood packages from the Blood Transfusion Centre. Al I want is to be human again. You are the far most expert on vampires. Please, I beg you sit.

The man looked at her and put his weapons back in the bag and sat down. He had a beard and mustache brown piercing eyes,  short combed over here and wore a brown suit with necktie

‘Would you like some tea?’

‘If it isn’t a bother.’

‘Hélène rang the bell.’

‘Geoffrey could you make us some green tea.’

‘Of course, my lady.’

‘Are you nobility?’ asked Van Helsing

‘The duchess of Kent.’ she said ‘but that was a long time ago, after 50 years people would notice I became a living dead so I passed the title to a baby my husband had with his new wife.’

‘That must have been hard.’

‘This life is hard, mister Von Helsing. Never to walk in the sun, having to drink blood. I’d like to see it different. Is there any way or reverting me to a human.’

‘There is one. But it’s dangerous.’

‘I can handle myself.’

‘You’ll need an expedition that takes you to Egypt. Come this night to my quarters, I live in Greystone Manor.’

‘I’ll be there. He drank his tea, Hélène took little sips of it.’

‘I’ll be going then, mi lady, until tonight?’ he said

‘I’ll shall be there.’

 

The full moon shined bright on the earth. She almost was at Greystone manor when two men tried to rob her. She moved with dazzling speed breaking ones neck and biting the other one to death. She wiped her mouth clean with a handkerchief and went on to see Von Helsing. He answered the door. ‘Ah, good, follow me to my study. He had a map laying ready with a cross on a certain landmark, ‘this is the desert of  King’s’ he said. It contains a lot of artifacts, the most go looking for the graves of farao’s but the real deal is stashed a way by his wealthy servants.

You seek this. He showed a drawing. The scepter of Horus. It can transform vampires into humans but also bring the dead to life and change the living into undead creatures.

‘A most powerful item and dreaded if it was to fall in the wrong hands.’ she said ‘I’ll arrange a expedition right away. I thank you sincerely mister Van Helzing.

She arranged to travel by boat as a single person, once in Egypt she would manage to find other people; on the docks a man with walking cane watched her entering the ship; he urged his two companions to go after her. In her cabin the two men jumped her. She planted her teeth in both of them and sucked them dry. She disposed of the bodies into the sea, with vampires’ speed.

The man grinded his teeth. He took another cabin.

After a journey from about a month she reached Egypt, she stayed inside till nightfall. She visited an inn  and asked the bartender if she knew a great adventurer to lead the way to the Valley of Kings. The fat man pointed his finger to a table in the back. A drunken man with tanned skin and to ladies on his lap was drinking like a horse. ‘Is this a joke?’ she asked fiercely

‘No, he is the best there is, Lance Bannion, if you sober him up first.’ the bartender said

She went over there gazed into the women’s eyes and hypnotized them. ‘Go away.’

‘Will the lady be my company than?’ he said joyfully

‘No, I shall be your employer. You have to take me to there’ She handed him the map.’

‘Tricky business, he said. ‘Lots of robbers and sandstorms.’ he said

‘I’ll pay you handsomely.’

‘Could you begin to pay my bill.’  he said

She sighed and went to pay the bartender. She slept in the inn that night. Somebody opened the door and put a knife into the bed several times, Hélène made light and hypnotized him:’ who is your master?’

‘Alistair Kenly, he wants the rod to revive his wife.’ the man said obedient with a gaze in his eyes.

‘Well, tell him to give up or wait until I used it on myself.’

‘I shall do, mam.’

Bannion was already awake, he knocked on her door. ‘I am ready to go, meet Hashid, he is my companion. A brown boy in weathered clothes,  filthy face and wild hair looked at her with bright eyes. Let him have a look at your map.’

‘She rolled it out on the table.’

‘You have it Hashid?’

‘Yes, mister Lance, I memorized it?’

‘He memorized it?’

‘Yes, photographic memory, handy when the map got stolen. I figured let this Alistair do all the hard work, we’ll just follow him and be done with it.’

‘You want me to hand over this precious map to that murderous thief.’

‘Yes, it will speed things up.’

‘Alright then, you know best, I suppose.’

She knocked on a door, enter. Could you please close the curtains first.’

The man did it. ‘I came to know you wanted this map, you may have it.’

He looked surprised. ‘Why are you giving it to me.’

‘I am starting to realize I am way over my head in it. So I’ll pass.’

‘That’s generous of you, thank you very much.’ he said

He wore a monocle, had a mustache and was clothed in a white suit.

‘There is a chariot with horses waiting in front with another four with supplies and other stuff. ‘Why should I need a chariot?’

‘Your kind of noble British girls get sunburned very quickly he said with a boyish grin.

Alistair departed after an hour

They followed slowly; there was a sandstorm coming. ‘seek shelter.’ said Lance

After the storm they lost Alistair, a group masked men on horses came to rob the expedition. Lance shot his two Colts at them, they feel from their horse. The servants also grabbed a rifle and shot. There were a lot of them, Hélène looked at the sky, a sun eclipse; she handled with vampire speed and bit all the robbers, she sucked them dry, with the same speed, she jumped back in the chariot.

‘You are a bloodsucker.’

‘Not for very long anymore If I have that scepter.’ she said

‘Ok, Hashid, which way. He pointed to a point in the endless sand plain. Two agonizing weeks later they arrived at a tomb. The Tomb of Tobifar, servant en merchant.’ said Lance

The men of Alistair draw their gun. Lance shot them both down. After a time Alistair appeared, ‘It’s impossible he said, this is a deadly maze I lost all my men. ‘Let’s us take a gander shall we?’ With a sheet over her Lance and Rashid went inside, in the darkened tomb he removed the sheet and took a torch, this hallway is booby-trapped for a grown man, Hashid pull that lever on the other side. Arrow flew above the boy’s head, he pulled the lever a door opened, they went further. They entered a main room. Lance read the hieroglyphics. He pushed a stone, immediately grab the box and go back outside he said.

‘An old box appeared out of the ground. She took it and raced back to the chariot. Hashid and Lance followed, everything started to collapse.

Outside Alistair had a gun drawn. ‘The scepter give it to me.’

‘Why you want it, to resurrect my dear wife.’ Bannion whispered to Hélène. ‘Make me human again, she said, the rod’s stone glowed a mesmerizing green light fluctuating out of the chariot. She felt it, she was back human.

She stepped out and have the scepter to Alistair, he said:’ let my Elizabeth come back to life. A living corpse appeared. ‘Husband.’ she groaned

‘No, it doesn’t work, you have tampered with it, he said angry and pointed his gun on Hélène. Lance shot him in the back. Hélène gave him a kiss. ‘Thanks so much.’ she said

She and Bannion went back to London, I never going to get used to this crowded town.

Well it’s better than that with heat and mosquitos and roaches infested place.’ smiled Hélène; they were lovers know, and were to get married. A vampire’s desire was fulfilled.

 

 

 

Author's Note

It's a short story