Dracula (A Modern Telling) Read online

  Van Helsing got out several instruments, some of which I didn’t actually recognize, and began a transfusion. While my blood was draining into Lucy, he went out and began the blood-typing test on Arthur. The surest way was with a laboratory, but in a pinch there is a way to test antigens and then compare them to an online chart with accuracy of about 86%, and it takes less than forty-minutes.

  After about half an hour, Van Helsing came storming over and said, “He’s compatible.”

  It couldn’t have happened sooner. I’d given blood before but this seemed like an extraordinary amount. I got up and felt dizzy. Van Helsing held me by my arm as Arthur ran over and helped me to a couch. Van Helsing then slapped his back and yelled, “Off with the shirt.”

  It was now Arthur’s turn, and the blood, black and purple, poured into Lucy’s veins.

  I could tell after some time that the blood loss was affecting Arthur but he wouldn’t let Van Helsing stop. His cheeks were growing pale and his lips blue. But Lucy’s color was returning to her like some miracle drug was being pumped into her veins.

  I took Arthur when he was through and helped him to the same couch I’d been sitting on. I dressed his puncture mark and heard Van Helsing behind me say, “The brave lover deserves a kiss before we leave Lucy.”

  I looked back to him and saw him adjusting her pillow. He lifted it, and as he did so the black velvet band that Lucy had been wearing around her neck—with a pendant that Arthur had given her—moved up just a bit. Van Helsing saw the two puncture wounds in the neck and made a deep hiss of indrawn breath, something I’d seen him do when he was filled with emotion.

  He didn’t say anything, but he touched the puncture marks, and as he did Lucy shied away as if in pain or pleasure. Van Helsing covered her throat again with the band and came over to us.

  “Arthur, go home now and eat and sleep. We’ll call a cab for you. I don’t want you staying here. When’s she’s better, we’ll call you to come up again.”

  I helped Arthur up and called a cab. We waited outside and I gave him some juice and a few cookies that Lucy’s mother had made. We sat on a bench overlooking the massive front lawn with the gates leading outside far below.

  “I love her,” Arthur said. “I was scared for a long time and I was going to call off the wedding, but I love her, man. I can’t stand to see her like this.”

  I nodded. “Van Helsing’s the best doctor I’ve ever seen when it comes to diseases of the blood. There’s not even a close second. If it’s there, he’ll find it.”

  The cab came and I helped him in and paid the driver. Arthur didn’t protest as he was nearly passed out already. I waited until the cab was out of sight and then went back up to Lucy’s room and saw Van Helsing sitting on the bed next to her, lost in thought. I sat in the chair next to him and watched Lucy.

  The color had returned to her cheeks and her breathing was somewhat normal. I reached out. The cold sensation in her hands had left and she was warm to the touch again.

  “What do you think those marks are?” I asked. “On her throat?”

  “What do you think they are?”

  “I haven’t really examined it yet.” I reached over and pulled down the velvet band. The wound was definitely two puncture marks just over the external jugular vein. It didn’t seem like there was any sign of disease but the edges of the wounds were torn and white, like someone had spilt a white powder along the brim. I thought that maybe the puncture wounds were responsible for the lost blood but the whole room would be covered in blood if that were the case.

  “Well?” Van Helsing said.

  “I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

  He stood up. “I have to go back tonight. There’s several items I need and I have a lab assistant I need to coordinate with. You stay with her tonight, and don’t let her out of your sight. Not for a second.” He paused. “This sounds like an odd request, but Jack you can’t sleep tonight. I’ll speak to her mother and have her relieve you in the morning so you can sleep, but you can’t sleep tonight.”

  As he was leaving, he poked his head back in. “Remember, no sleep.”

  September 7-Continued

  I was hardly alone with Lucy an hour when she woke up. Seemingly, all the life had returned to her. She stretched and smiled her incredible smile at me and held my hand which, again, made my heart do jumps. She said she was hungry and I had her mother fix something for her. Lucy ate and drank like a wild animal, devouring the entire meal, several cups of juice, and some dessert. When she was through, she went to the bathroom to take a shower and I sat by her window and stared out at the afternoon sun.

  She bounded out of the bathroom in nothing but a robe, her hair wet and curled.

  “We’re going out tonight,” she said.

  “We can’t go out. You need to rest.”

  “I feel great.” She ran into the bathroom for a minute and then back up to me, a smile across her beautiful face as she placed her hands on my thighs and leaned in close. “Please take me out, please Jack. Please please please please—”

  “All right, all right. We’ll go. But only for a little bit. You have to come back and sleep.”

  She squealed with delight and kissed me on my cheek before running back to the bathroom to finish getting ready. When she was through, we went downstairs and her mother was overjoyed to see her up and about.

  “Van Helsing’s a miracle worker, Lord bless him,” she kept saying.

  We walked to my car and Lucy skipped there like a child. Even though it was cold, she was wearing a black dress with the black velvet band around her neck and she looked like she could’ve been on any modeling runway in the world.

  “That’s your car?” she said, pointing to the Mercedes. “I love it!”

  She jumped in and I started the car. We sped away down the driveway and out of the gates.

  “I want to go to downtown,” she shouted, once we were on the road.

  “That’s like an hour drive.”

  “Jack,” she said pleadingly, placing her hand again on my thigh, “I’ve been in that bed for days. I couldn’t even move or watch TV. Please take me into the city, help me forget about all this.”

  At that point, I couldn’t have denied her even if I’d wanted to. If I’m being truthful with myself, I could think of nowhere else I’d want to be other than on a long drive with Lucy.

  September 7-Continued

  When we arrived in Boston, Lucy ran from restaurant to restaurant until she found one she liked. It was upscale with dim lighting and the snobbiness from the staff that comes with it. I couldn’t believe she was hungry again. I had lost my appetite and so just had some white wine, but she devoured a steak, fries, a salad and two rolls. When she was through, we went out and parked on the street while she made me flip through my CD’s and find something happy.

  The temperature had to be in the low fifties, and though I was freezing it didn’t seem to bother her at all. At one point she ran into the middle of a busy intersection and started spinning like a child in the middle of a rainstorm. I had to grab her and pull her off the road.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I said.

  Just then she planted a kiss on me. It was … electric. Her lips were soft and her kiss tender as she slid her tongue lightly into my mouth. I tried to resist but she held me by the back of my head. When she pulled away, she had a seductive grin on her face and took my hand as we ran into a bar.

  The music was loud. I had heard that saying that if the music’s too loud you’re too old and I agreed. Lucy ran to the bar and instantly struck up a friendship with three or four girls there, taking shots with them as I stood behind. Every few shots she would turn around and kiss me.

  “Is that your boyfriend?” one of the girls asked.

  “No,” she shouted over the music, “my doctor!”

  The girls were getting thoroughly sloshed and I tried to warn Lucy several times that she shouldn’t be consuming alcohol. She would just laugh a
nd kiss me and take another shot. As a physician, it’s hard to feel more helpless than when a patient disobeys your suggestions right in front of you.

  Two of the girls began kissing, to the hoots and hollers of the men around us, and Lucy jumped in, making it a three-way kiss. She held her hand up to me and motioned for me to join. I shook my head and looked at my watch, indicting it was time to go.

  “My doctor says we need to go,” she shouted.

  “No,” one of the girls said, “come with us. We’re going to the Blood Burn concert tonight. Bring your doctor. He’s cute.”

  Lucy leapt into my arms. “Please take me to the concert, Jack.”

  “No way. We need to leave now and get you in bed. You’re already drunk.”

  “Jack, take me to the concert.”

  She looked directly into my eyes and it melted my soul. Her beauty, any woman’s beauty, seems to have the power to overcome a man’s reason at any time. Men fight and die and cheat and destroy for that type of beauty.

  “I … no, Lucy. We have to go.”

  “I’ll just go without you and who knows what kind of trouble I’ll get myself into. At least if you were there you could look out for me.”

  She was right, of course. She was an adult in good health. I couldn’t restrain her. So I agreed to drive her and her new friends down to the concert.

  It was held at TD Garden and there must’ve been fifteen thousand people there. We came in during the opening act and the girls didn’t have extra tickets so I had to buy them from a scalper at almost a two hundred dollar markup. We got in and the arena was dark and filled with fog and flashing lights. The opening act was still playing, some electronic band, and we went out onto the floor and Lucy began dancing to the music.

  She would grind her body against me and it sent, again if I’m being honest, waves of pleasure through me. I’ve never known a girl as seductive as her. She moves in a way that rouses passions in me that I thought I could control.

  Her friends, probably after seeing I drove a Mercedes, jumped on me as well and began kissing and clawing at me. I stood and, to my shame, took in the attention.

  By the time the main act came out, the girls were sobering up and one of them pulled out a joint of marijuana. I absolutely refused to let Lucy smoke it in her condition, and she reminded me that she was an adult; and I reminded her that it was still a crime in Massachusetts to smoke it in public and that the police were all around. She agreed and I thought at least I was able to prevent that.

  When I turned away for a moment, she inhaled as much as she could until I physically took it away from her.

  When the lead singer of this band came out, the crowd went into a frenzy. The screaming was actually louder than the music and I had to cover my ears. The singer swaggered on stage and reminded me of a muscular Jim Morrison. He was wearing leather pants and no shirt and moved his hips in rhythm to music, something that made the women in the audience swoon.

  At one point, he looked out into the audience and said, “This is for a very special lady.” It seemed almost like he was looking directly at Lucy, but it had to have been a mistake because I asked her about it and she said she’s never met him before in her life.

  We lasted the entire concert and the encore, despite my begging Lucy for us to go. I was drenched in sweat from the sheer heat of that many people crammed into a single space and I reeked of marijuana and fog machine. As we were leaving, a black man in a sleeveless shirt came up to us.

  “The Count has asked that you come backstage, if you want to.”

  The girls squealed, and before I could protest Lucy was bounding behind the man, headed backstage. I figured it was better for me to go with her than leave her at the clutches of musicians after a concert.

  The backstage area was dark and lit only with a black light. The furniture glowed crimson under the glare and gave one a disoriented feeling. We went through several rooms, all filled with the most beautiful people I had ever seen: both men and women. We got to a back area where the band was throwing a party. No music was playing, thank goodness. My eardrums were aching and I figured everyone else’s were too. Unfortunately, we were there only a minute when loud metal started playing over the speakers.

  The girls jumped into the party but the man said that Lucy should come with him. I followed her to a back room. No music was playing here and there were only three figures: the lead singer of the band, and three women who sat at his feet like concubines to some ancient king.

  “The girl you asked for,” the man said before turning and leaving.

  “What’s your name, child?” the singer asked.

  “Lucy.”

  “Lucy, Lucy. Come here, Lucy.”

  She did as she was asked and the singer placed a hand gently on her breast. “I’ve been waiting for you, Lucy.”

  “Excuse me,” I said, “she’s with me.”

  The man kept his gaze on Lucy a long time before turning to me. “Of course. Where are my manners?” He walked over to me and held out his hand. “Vlad.”

  “Dr. Seward.”

  His hand was cold, far colder than it should have been considering he had been on a hot stage for two hours. And his grip was so strong I thought he might break my hand. Out of pride, I didn’t grimace but instead just wiggled out of the handshake, which caused him to grin.

  “Thank you for coming to my concert,” he said, walking back to Lucy. “I hope it was enjoyable.”

  “I loved it,” Lucy said. “I’ve loved your music since your first album. I listen to it when I’m alone and it feels like you’re speaking directly to me. Especially that song Love in the Ages. That’s my favorite song of all time. It feels like you’re singing that to me.”

  “Maybe I am?” he said with a smile.

  One of the girls rose and walked toward me. She had raven hair and large, fake breasts, her outfit revealing enough that I didn’t feel it proper for me to look down to her body. She smiled as she rubbed her hands over my chest.

  “And what’s your name?” she said.

  “Dr—Jack. Just Jack.”

  “I’ve always liked that name. It’s so simple. So many people try to be complex. I love simplicity when I find it.”

  She spoke with the hint of an accent and in a far more erudite manner than I thought she would. It threw me off so I wasn’t prepared when she pushed me down onto a velvet couch and lay on top of me, her long hair whispering on the skin of my face as she went down to my chest.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Count discussing something with Lucy and then Lucy following him to another room.

  “Wait,” I said, trying to get up. But the woman pushed me back down. Her lips came to within an inch of mine and I inhaled her breath. It was sweet, like sugar, but had an underlying staleness to it.

  “Let them go,” she said. “We can have our own fun.”

  She kissed me viciously, biting my lower lip and pulling so hard I thought she would tear the skin. My shirt was torn off my body and I heard the rip but didn’t care. I was gazing into her crystal eyes and there was nothing more in the world I wanted to do right then than make love to this woman.

  Sliding down my body like a snake, she undid my belt and pulled it off. Unbuttoning my pants and dragging them down, she ran her hands over my boxers. I lay back, staring absently at the ceiling, when I heard a scream from the other room.

  Suddenly, I was forced back to exactly where I was. It seemed like a glow had been emanating from everything in the room while the girl was kissing me, but the scream snapped me out of it. Then I saw the chipping walls and the dirty floors.

  I pushed the woman off of me.

  “No, make love to me,” she said. I again pushed her off of me and she growled at me like an animal. I leapt off the couch.

  “Stay the fuck away from me,” I said, pulling up my pants and running to the door I had seen Lucy and the Count go through.

  In a blink, the woman was in front of me. I hadn’t seen her run ther
e. She just appeared. It startled me, but the worry I had over the scream was more powerful and I stepped around her and grasped the doorknob.

  The woman’s hand was over mine and she bent down and kissed each of my fingers, removing them from the doorknob with the strength of a pro-wrestler.

  “Get … away,” I said.

  “You don’t want that. You want to be inside me. To feel how wet I am.” She slipped off her clothes and they fell softly to the floor. I took a step back. “Don’t you want to make love to me, Jack? Don’t you find me attractive?”

  She was sensual in a way I haven’t seen in any other woman. Every move was intended to bring out desire in a man, every gesture of her lips, the way she dragged the “s” in all her words. It was … intoxicating.

  But there was also something about her that was extremely unsettling. Like watching a sunset when it should be morning.

  “No, I want to see Lucy.”

  “She’s fine. The Count will take good care of her.”

  I tried to jerk away but she pulled me in with such force it almost knocked the wind out of me.

  “Lucy!” I shouted. “Let’s go. Now. Lucy!”

  The woman put her finger to my lips and said, “Shhh.” I nearly fell over. Her hand came up and her fingers slinked down my face like teardrops and I couldn’t move, felt that I didn’t want to move. She kissed me again and then her hands came up to my neck and I heard her yelp, like a cat in pain. She pulled away, holding her hand, and I thought that she had cut it on something. But nothing was on my neck but the crucifix my mother had given me.

  The door opened and the Count stood there. “What’s going on?”

  I brushed past him into the room. It was empty.

  “Where’s Lucy?”

  “She left.”

  “Left where?”

  “Home, I would assume. Would you like Charlene to drive you, Doctor? You don’t appear so well. As if you’ve seen a ghost.”