Introduction
Palomino Grove 1756
Halloween Night:
October 31st 1756
Palomino Grove 1756, Count Wilhelm Gory is staring out of his mansion window high atop the town hillside.
There are a number of lightning bolts making their presence felt overhead, as he gazes out of the third floor window at the town below him.
He has guests currently sitting down at his dining hall table, but he has been keeping them waiting for the past half an hour without any explanation whatsoever for his not bothering to show his face so far.
“Where is our host?” Richard Warner asks some of the other guests who aren’t sure them-selves of where he could be at this moment.
“I’m sure he’s just been delayed for the time being.” Stephanie Fryer responds with the most obvious explanation for his lateness.
“If you ask me he’s not all that he appears to be. They say that he’s a strange one.” Eric Van Bellagarde believes.
“I have also heard numerous reports about this man and now we finally get to meet him, he looks sure to stand us up instead on this evening of October 31st.” Richard informs the other guests of his feelings.
“What do you mean by that kind of a remark?” Stephanie wonders.
“The reports? They say that he is some kind of bloody monster! There have been numerous disappearances over the past five weeks in and around Palomino Grove and they are certain that Count Gory is responsible for every one of those happenings.” Richard informs her.
“That’s exactly right.” Eric Van Bellagarde joins in with the discussion at hand.
“If that’s the case, then why haven’t the authorities arrested him for it?” Another one of the guests Major Jonathan Hillyer wonders.
“They are too bloody scared stiff of him, they say that when there is a full moon in the sky he comes to be a very different form to the one that he represents during the daytime hours.” Richard informs him.
“A different form? How could he possibly achieve that kind of a result?” Stephanie asks him for some kind of an explanation for what he had just said.
“I’m not so sure about it myself, but the bodies have been piling up and someone around here is responsible for it and I know for a matter of fact it’s not damn well me.” Richard responds.
“This Count Gory, well he’s just not right in my opinion.” Eric Van Bellagarde once again joins in.
“Major Hillyer?” Stephanie calls out towards him, but he currently seems distracted by something else and continues looking away from them.
“Looks like his mind is currently elsewhere.” Eric Van Bellagarde realises although what the Major is looking at is puzzling to him.
“Major Hillyer?” Stephanie calls out again to get his attention after having failed to get an answer from him the first time round.
“I have just noticed that there’s a full moon out there tonight.” The Major finally responds with regards to what he had noticed about the night sky and it had in some way unnerved him.
“What difference does that make to our coming to dinner this evening?” Stephanie wonders failing to see the connection here.
“Maybe something, maybe nothing at all.” Richard Warner believes in uncommitted fashion.
“I suppose we will be the first to know if it’s something or nothing?” Eric Van Bellagarde responds, as he now begins pacing around the dining room himself finding the Count’s non-appearance so far to be both annoying and agitating.
Count Wilhelm Gory has also noticed the full moon in the night sky, but instead of staring at it for long he instead decides to straighten his collar shirt and tie in the mirror in front of him. He has decided to make a big effort dressing up in a suit, with a cloak and a top hat.
Even though he might not like everyone that he has invited for dinner, he wants to make an effort to impress them, so that they will go away and make the rest of the townsfolk realise that he’s not the scary individual that the rumours are claiming he is.
“Are you almost ready to greet your guests sir?” His butler Calendars asks him.
“How are they all getting on downstairs anyway?” Count Gory wonders.
“There seems to be plenty of conversation going on, people will talk sir.” Calendars advised him flatly.
“What are they discussing these people who are doing the talking?” Count Gory wonders.
“The usual things that are mostly rumour based.” Calendars decided to tell him feeling that there was no reason to hide away here.
“Are they talking about me by any chance?” Count Gory suggests to him.
“Popularity breeds contempt as they say.” Calendars responded in unflustered fashion.
“Go downstairs Calendars, I will be down in just a few moments to join you.” Count Gory informs him and the butler now leaves his room and wanders downstairs to let his guests find out when their host will be arriving to join them.
Count Wilhelm Gory now finally makes his first appearance of the evening to greet his somewhat impatient looking guests.
“Count Wilhelm Gory!” The butler Calendars introduces him to them, as he makes his way down the stairs towards them.
The Count is six feet two inches tall with a dapper black cloak tied around his neck that matches his top hat and tails.
“It’s about time as well.” Richard Warner believes after having had just enough of being kept waiting by their host for the evening.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that time seemed to escape me somehow.” The Count responds immediately moving to distance himself from the confrontation that could’ve enveloped the situation had he not done so.
He now takes off his top hat and hands it to his butler Calendars to take good care of, Calendars takes it back towards the hat-stand before placing it on there.
The gathered guests now begin looking in Count Gory’s direction, as he sits down at the head of the long rectangular table, which has twelve lit candles running along it.
“Eric Van Bellagarde!” Stephanie calls out towards him and he now turns to return to the dining table now their host has finally arrived.
“Please everyone, be seated and be comfortable.” Count Gory suggests to them and they do as he wishes a few moments later with Eric Van Bellagarde the last of his guests to sit down at the long rectangular table.
The butler now returns back to the dining hall.
“Calendars, could you please get our dinner from the kitchen ready for us? I don’t know how anyone else feels at the moment, but I’m feeling very hungry?” Count Gory suggests to his butler.
“Certainly sir, would there be anything else following this duty?” Calendars suggests to him while thinking a few steps ahead.
“Not just now, but perhaps later on there will be some small snacks on offer for us to consume?” Count Gory informs him before the butler wanders back to the kitchen to get their dinners ready for them.
Count Gory notices that there is unmistakeable air of silence appearing around the dining room table and feels that he has no other choice than to address the issue.
“I can see that you all have something on your minds, I’d like to think of myself as a well adjusted member of the human race and having said that I’d be pleased to hear what you have on your minds?” Count Gory informs them feeling he would like to be let in on the secret, that they are currently keeping to themselves around the long dining table.
“We have strong reason to believe that you are responsible for a number of deaths involving the population in and around the town of Palomino Grove.” Richard Warner responds going straight after him with his accusations of being both an abductor and a murderer.
“Here, here!” Eric Van Bellagarde joins in with a hearty shout that could be heard several rooms away by Calendars who is still preparing their meals for them in the kitchen.
Calendars half smiles at this before continuing on with the food preparation.
Meanwhile in the dining hall Count Gory is preparing to answer the accusations of his guests and a look of bemusement is clearly evident for all to see.
“Well I happen to believe that’s nothing less than absolutely preposterous and damn right outrageous.” Count Gory exclaims in defensive fashion feeling that here he is with them as his guests in his luxurious mansion and here they are trying to make him a scapegoat for the numerous unsolved murders and disappearances that have occurred in the last few months in and around the town of Palomino Grove.
“You know that we speak the truth here sir.” Richard Warner tells him with anger still rising in his voice.
“I know nothing of the sort and you wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you on your neck.” Count Gory believes.
“In that case, Major Hillyer could you back me up here?” Richard wonders while looking for some strong support in the form of the former military commander in chief.
“Count Wilhelm Gory, what the people of Palomino Grove are most concerned about is that the trail of death and destruction, that seems to lead directly to the front door of your mansion?” The sixty-four year old Major Hillyer suggests to him, but Count Gory doesn’t immediately answer his question instead he just sits there in silence contemplating the issue and how best to answer this latest bombshell.
“What’s wrong with you, has the cat got your tongue by any chance?” Stephanie Fryer suggests to the Count who smiles at her, because he will not be rushed.
“Not at all my dear. I would like to see some proof seeing as I’m the accused party here.” Count Gory responds and as he does so there is a loud bang on the front door of his mansion.
“What the devil was that?” Richard asks him to explain the noise away.
“Why that was simply Calendars my faithful butler and nobody else.” Count Gory informs them with a sensible solution as to who made the noise that worried his guests so.
“In that case, what’s he doing outside the mansion? Didn’t he go into the kitchen?” Major Hillyer reminds him of Calendars actions before he left the dining room, but once again Count Gory doesn’t answer straight away prompting several accusing looking stares to come his way from the resulting silence.
“Who else is out there?” Stephanie demands to know the identity of whom he could be holding hostage inside the mansion.
“There is someone else out there, but I’m not expecting anyone else this evening.” Count Gory now finally responds seemingly unperturbed by the strange activity, that’s going on around him at the moment.
“Aren’t you going to at least answer the front door then?” Eric Van Bellagarde suggests to him seeing as it is his mansion after all.
“No, I’m not going to answer the front door. That is Calendars job and seeing as he’s busy in the kitchen with our dinner it would look like we are never going to find out who was out there at the door.” Count Gory responds while remaining seated before taking a sip out of a glass of what appears to be fine red wine in front of his guests.
“In that case one of us has to answer it!” Stephanie Fryer believes while addressing the other guests and looking for someone to step forward and answer the door.
“You stay seated right where you are my dear, I’ll answer the damn front door myself.” Richard Warner responds and then gets up off his finely sculpted wooden chair with red coloured cushion before moving towards the front door.
“Be careful out there, Richard!” Stephanie calls out towards him in supportive fashion.
Richard Warner walks cautiously towards the front door before opening it up and peering outside.
Once he has opened the door he finds the Mayor of Palomino Grove stood there, with eight other men around him all carrying lit flamed torches in their hands along with several loaded shotguns to protect themselves from whatever evils they could be exposed to this evening while at the mansion of Count Gory.
“Good evening Mayor.” Richard tells him.
“Are you going to lead us to the Count?” Mayor Williams wonders.
“Yes I will do. Follow me.” Richard Warner responds before leading Mayor Williams into the dining room and his appearance certainly isn’t lost on Count Gory who does a double take after he appears in his dining hall.
“Mayor Williams, I wasn’t aware that you would be here tonight?” Count Gory suggests to him feeling that, as he hadn’t been invited to attend he shouldn’t really be there at his door this evening let alone bothering him and his guests in the dining hall.
“As the Mayor it is my civic duty and my right to take action against those I believe are breaking the laws laid down here in the town of Palomino Grove. You Count Wilhelm Gory are nothing more than a despicable, lying, conniving murderer.” Mayor Williams responds with some very strong words for the man seated at the end of the long rectangular dining table to take in and think over.
Count Gory takes another swig of the glass of what looks to be red wine.
“I was just saying to some of my…invited guests, that it doesn’t really matter what kind of words you use against me, because unless you have real proof I’m not going to listen to you or any words you might or might not say to me.” Count Gory informs him with a laid-back voice and attitude clearly evident on everyone else in the room.
“You still believe yourself above the law, don’t you Count Gory?” Mayor Williams suggests to him while feeling that his attitude is despicable.
“Perhaps I do? But as the lawman in this town you’d better show me some god damn evidence before I even attempt to defend myself against whatever acts you believe me to be guilty of this evening or any other evening for that matter.” Count Gory responds suddenly becoming quite agitated indeed, which is in stark contrast to his previous laid back attitude he had exhumed.
“My nephew Johnnie, he came here to your mansion on September third of this year. He never returned home afterwards, I’d like to know as would his mother and father for that matter what in actuality became of him after he had made his way into your mansion!” Mayor Williams tells him and a wry smile suddenly crosses Count Gory’s facial features as he pictures the Mayor’s nephew in his mind.
Count Gory breaks out into much laughter.
“I fail to see how this is any kind of a laughing matter?” Major Hillyer cannot believe the attitude of Count Gory.
“Here, here!” Eric Van Bellagarde joins in feeling that his actions are reprehensible to say the very least.
“Answer the question Count Gory.” Mayor Williams now demands of him while standing over him with a shotgun cocked at the Count.
“You wonder why I think it’s so funny? I don’t know why somebody finds something funny and others don’t?” Count Gory responds without elaborating on what had happened to the Mayor’s nephew Johnnie.
Mayor Williams is still no closer to finding out what happened to his nephew and his patience is wearing thin.
“My nephew where is he?” Mayor Williams demands to know with his hands trembling with anger, as a result the torch he is currently holding in his hands begins moving about almost uncontrollably.
“You are right, because your nephew Johnnie is indeed a member of the dead. I’m laughing, because he was such a tasty meal and not one you get to enjoy everyday of the week.” Count Gory responds with a sadistic look now etched on his facial features.
Mayor Williams, fires his shotgun at Count Gory, but the Count quickly moves out of the way.
“You not only killed my nephew, but you also ate him?” Mayor Williams realises, that he now has irrefutable evidence linking Count Gory to at least one killing.
“Like I said. I do not consider myself a monster, that of course doesn’t mean that everyone agrees with me!” Count Gory informs them.
Mayor Williams fires another couple of rounds at him, but once again he moves out of the way moving with un-human like speed.
Mayor Williams looks exasperated after failing to hit his target.
“How many others have you killed, you sadistic bastard!” Richard Warner demands to know the answer from Count Gory.
“I’d say not enough, because I have developed a bit of a taste for human blood recently.” Count Gory informs them before licking his lips in delight at the mere sound of his own voice announcing this to other people.
“He’s gone positively insane, we must either kill him or place him in some kind of an asylum for total and utter madmen.” Major Hillyer believes that they only have two choices to make here.
“I believe that the time for talking is all over with, we must act now and I’m all in favour of burning him alive.” Richard Warner suggests to them with deep-rooted anger building in his deep voice.
“Your reign of terror is now over Count Wilhelm Gory. You will come quietly with us right now.” Mayor Williams suggests to him, but Count Gory has no intention of going quietly or going anywhere with them in the foreseeable future.
“You are all useless fools. If you think that I’m going to just go along with your intentions to burn me at the stake! I’m afraid that you all have another thing coming.” Count Gory responds and as he does so all the flamed lit torches and the candles around the mansion go out causing a sudden blackout to ensue all around them. He now makes his escape from the scene leaving them all behind in the process.
The others are wandering about in the dark.
“What’s going on? My god I can’t see anything?” Stephanie feels completely in the dark and begins feeling her way around in worried fashion.
“Just take it easy there, Stephanie.” Richard Warner advises her as she continues to squeeze his hand for comfort during this worrying time.
“Major Hillyer? Where are you?” Mayor Williams demands to know, but there’s no answer from the Major, causing the others to become quite concerned for him.
“I haven’t seen him myself since the lights went off.” Eric Van Bellagarde informs them.
“Well it is dark around here.” Stephanie reminds him of the reason why he might not have seen him.
“Has anyone else seen the Major?” Mayor Williams asks them, but there’s no suggesting that anyone has from the silent response that greets his question.
“Where is Major Hillyer?” Richard Warner demands to know.
“He can’t be too far away!” Mayor Williams tries to calm some of the nervous people stood all around him.
“I agree I can sense that he’s somewhere close, but where I don’t know?” Eric Van Bellagarde responds.
All of a sudden the flame lit torches and candles come back on providing enough light to show exactly what has become of Major Hillyer.
“My god he’s been strung up!” Richard Warner points out as the lifeless body of Major Hillyer is now hanging above the dinner table from a chandelier connected to a rope tied around his neck.
“Oh my god.” Stephanie cries out in shock.
“How on earth did this happen?” Eric Van Bellagarde wonders.
“I think that’s pretty obvious!” Richard responds while thinking that Count Gory had struck again.
“You murdering lunatic, you will pay for this with your life.” Mayor Williams tells him as Count Gory is sighted on the second floor of the mansion looking down on them with a smile etched all over his face.
“Let’s get after him then!” Eric demands some urgent action from them all before he gets to someone else.
“He won’t be getting away from us this time round, come on!” Mayor Williams responds and with that they begin making their way over towards the staircase in order to hunt Count Gory down.
“Mayor Williams where is your gun?” Eric wonders.
“I don’t know? I was holding it when the lights went out and now it’s gone.” Mayor Williams responds looking flustered about it.
“We need a strategy here.” Richard Warner reminds him.
“You are quite right about that.” Mayor Williams responds.
“Well what strategy have you come up with?” Eric Van Bellagarde wonders.
“All those with shotguns step forward in front of us.” Mayor Williams, orders them and they do as they are asked taking their positions in front of the Mayor and those others who are currently without any weapons.
“But what should we do about Major Hillyer? I mean we can’t leave him there?” Stephanie asks them feeling that they should try and help him out or at least down from his hanging position.
“I’m afraid that it’s simply too late for him my dear. He’s not going anywhere until the chandelier lets go and he could well come crashing back down again. Either way it won’t do him any good.” Mayor Williams responds feeling that helping him out after his death would be a complete waste of time when they are hunting his killer.
They continue making their way up the staircase towards where Count Gory was last sighted with pistols and shotguns at the ready for the battle they believe they will encounter with the highly dangerous Count Wilhelm Gory.
“Where is he, because he seems to have disappeared completely?” Stephanie worries, that he could appear from out of nowhere and take another one of them out or perhaps even kill them the way that he had with the Major just a few minutes beforehand.
“He can’t have got too far, as this is the only way up the stairs and he certainly hasn’t come past us on the way down so far.” Richard responds.
The butler Calendars is now standing in front of them on the second floor landing wondering why they are looking so determined to kill his master.
“What’s going on here?” Calendars asked them.
“Move out of the way sir, we have come to arrest your master for murder.” Richard informs him with his voice sounding sincere and outraged.
“I will do no such thing. I’m sure whatever crime has been committed here we can all instead just sit down like gentlemen and discuss the issue?” Calendars suggests to them.
“Murder, torture the list goes on. Your master is nothing less than a monster and as such will be destroyed by everyone here. It’s no more than the man deserves for if he is a man?” Mayor Williams responds, as the lights from the candles and torches starts to flicker all around them once again.
“It’s the work of the Devil! That’s what’s going on here.” Stephanie believes in fretful fashion.
“Where is he?” Mayor Williams demands to know the exact whereabouts of Count Wilhelm Gory from his butler Calendars.
“I’m afraid that he’s not here. I believe that he took the secret staircase back downstairs again before leaving the mansion.” Calendars informed them without so much as blinking his eyes or showing any signs of emotion.
“The secret staircase? Where is it located sir?” Mayor Williams demands to know from the underling stood in front of him.
“If I told you that then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore would it?” Calendars responds, but is suddenly greeted by a pistol being held in his direction causing him to have second thoughts about keeping this a secret.
“I would strongly suggest that you think again about telling us where it is sir?” Richard Warner responds and this forces Calendars to re-evaluate his idea of not telling them where to find the secret staircase that Count Gory had used to get down the stairs and out of the mansion.
“It’s in the back passageway at the end of this landing.” He points to where he means and in the meantime Count Gory is running along the ground floor to escape from his mansion and the inevitable capture and subsequent killing he would face.
“A good decision to tell us sir. Maybe you can still be saved!” Eric Van Bellagarde tells the butler.
They all start down the secret stairway to give chase after Count Gory, but the stairway itself has some candles lit inside it, but as they are halfway down the stairway someone seems to flick a switch and the candles all go out in unison leaving them stranded in the dark once again.
“This is becoming rather irritating.” Mayor Williams exclaims.
“What just happened there?” Stephanie suggests to them with her voice showing more than a few signs of worry.
“I think that’s pretty obvious!” Mayor Williams believes as they continue making their way down the dark stairway.
“I bet it was the butler.” Eric Van Bellagarde believes and starts to walk back up the stairs to find him and what he knows about the candles going out.
“What do we do?” Richard Warner asks the Mayor.
“We will have to wait for him to return, well if he hasn’t in a few minutes we will have to leave him here.” Mayor Williams responds making the decision.
Eric Van Bellagarde reaches the second floor and looks around for any signs of the butler, Calendars.
“Butler where are you sir?” He shouts out, but there is no sign of the butler who it seems has either pulled a disappearing act on them or had else used the original set of stairs to move away from them.
Eric realises that there’s little point looking for the butler and decides to rejoin the others on the secret stairway.
“Well did you find him then?” Richard Warner wonders.
“No, I did not. In fact I don’t know where he is! What about Count Gory?” Eric responds.
“We were stood here waiting for you, but we haven’t heard any doors open or shut to indicate that he had left the mansion.” Mayor Williams informs them.
“We’d better get going.” Eric responds and they start down the stairs.
After they have made it out of the other end of the stairway they realise that Count Gory is no longer in view or anywhere to be found.
“Where the devil’s he gone to now?” Richard Warner wonders.
“I don’t know?” Thornton O’Leary responds, but this gives the Mayor a headache until Eric Van Bellagarde spots the butler in view again.
“Butler over there!” Eric tells them and they look in his direction.
“You butler! Where’s Count Gory sir?” Mayor Williams wonders.
“What makes you think that I’m going to tell you anything?” Calendars responded in mocking fashion showing that he held them with a deep contempt.
“How about we let you live?” Mayor Williams asks him as once again the butler finds himself looking at five guns aimed at him from the ground floor of the mansion.
“He’s just left the grounds, I can see him from here.” Calendars responded before turning to look over his shoulder.
“Thank you!” Mayor Williams tells him and with that they rush out of the mansion searching for Count Wilhelm Gory.
“Where is he?” Stephanie wonders.
“He can’t have got too far from here. We’ll have to remain vigilant I believe.” Richard responds, as they hear a loud scream coming from just over the hill to their right hand side.
“I’d say we have found our quarry.” Mayor Williams believes as they now continue their chase of the murdering Count Wilhelm Gory.
“Let’s hope he hasn’t killed anyone else in the meantime.” Thornton O’Leary responds.
They catch sight of Count Gory up ahead of them in the distance and continue chasing Count Wilhelm Gory to the graveyard where he is suddenly lost amongst the crumbling tombstones inside the worn out and weary looking graveyard.
“Where the hell is he?” Richard Warner demands to know his location and is flustered that it’s not obvious.
“He hasn’t passed us.” Eric Van Bellagarde responds feeling that they would surely have seen him if he had done so.
“In that case he’s got to be around here somewhere!” Mayor Williams believes before scouring the area for him.
“Don’t drop your guard.” Richard Warner advises Stephanie who looks around feeling very wary about the silence, knowing full well that a killer is on the loose in the close vicinity and she for one is feeling exhausted and terrified by what has come to pass this evening from what was only intended to be a dinner meeting.
“Where’s Thornton O’Leary gone?” Mayor Williams is worried, as another prominent member of their party appears to have gone and disappeared on them.
“I haven’t seen him since we entered the graveyard.” Eric Van Bellagarde informs him, but someone else has noticed him.
“He’s over there by the metal fencing.” Richard Warner points out, as they make their way over towards the man who is currently leaning on the metal fence and looking away from them.
“Thornton? What did you go and walk off like that for?” Mayor Williams wonders, but several moments later there’s still no answer from Thornton O’Leary who hasn’t even bothered to turn around and look to see who might be standing there behind him let alone spoken a word.
“What’s wrong with the man?” Mayor Williams wonders after his failure to acknowledge him or his comments.
“The Mayor is talking to you Thornton! The least you can do is have the common decency to respond to him.” Richard Warner believes and then grabs Thornton by the left arm where he forcibly turns him around to face them all.
The sight that greets their eyes is almost too hideous to describe, Thornton O’Leary has had his throat slashed almost completely through and there are multiple puncture marks in and around his neck region.
“Come over here Eric, we need you to help us sit him onto the gravestone.” Mayor Williams realises that Thornton’s life has now expired.
“Count Gory did this to him!” Eric responds, as they grab hold of his arms and sit Thornton O’Leary down onto the gravestone behind him.
“He was one of our best men I knew. Through the years he was my friend.” Mayor Williams explains to them feeling very emotional and drained.
“We have to get to Count Gory before he gets to us.” Richard Warner responds.
“It would be far easier if it were light out here.” Eric Van Bellagarde suggests to them feeling the lack of light favoured Count Gory.
The others are understandably worried by what they can see from a distance.
“Is he really dead?” Stephanie wonders, as she calls out towards them.
“It would certainly appear that way.” Mayor Williams informs her as Thornton O’Leary falls off the gravestone they had placed him on.
His lifeless body now lies on the ground in a bloody mess.
“Count Gory you come out here this instant! Or face the consequences!” Mayor Williams tells him sternly.
“But will it be I that will be facing the consequences or perhaps yourselves instead?” Count Gory wonders in intimidating fashion.
“I’ve got this feeling that we have to open fire on him now.” Richard Warner advises the Mayor of the action they should take.
“How can we do that if we can’t find him?” Mayor Williams reminds him of the slight problem they have with that idea.
“I’ve got another idea in that case.” Stephanie tells them before making her way towards the far side of the fence.
“It’s suicide Stephanie. I simply cannot allow you to do this.” Richard responds as he chases after her to stop her from drawing Count Gory out into the open.
“What other choice is there?” She wonders before pulling away from him and continuing over to the other side of the metal fence.
“She’s like a sitting duck over there.” Richard tells the Mayor of his concerns for his friend’s well being.
“I just hope she knows what she’s doing after what he’s already done to both Thornton O’Leary and Major Hillyer.” The Mayor responds.
“Stephanie is a responsible woman, she wouldn’t do this if she didn’t think it would work out for the best.” Eric Van Bellagarde believes.
“That remains to be seen.” Richard Warner responds.
Stephanie is now drawing in Count Wilhelm Gory and he wastes little time in making his presence felt on her.
“Hello my dear, do you not fear me is that it here?” He wonders somewhat surprised that she has separated herself from the others like this and seen fit to stand alone in this way.
“Why should I fear you? You are after all just a man aren’t you?” Stephanie responds with a series of questions for him to chew over in contemplation.
“I’m far more than just an ordinary man, as you will soon find out for yourself.” Count Gory warns her before grabbing hold of both of her arms in forceful fashion.
The people on the other side of the graveyard cannot believe what they are seeing.
“We have to do something…right now!” Richard Warner believes and Mayor Williams hesitates before giving the order to fire.
“Now!” Richard repeats and now Mayor Williams does give the order to fire at Count Gory, as over on the other side of the graveyard the men present have their weapons held out in front of them.
The bullets suddenly tear towards Count Gory, but just as they are about to pierce his body he bites Stephanie on the neck and she falls to the ground in a collapsed heap.
The bullets now splatter throughout Count Gory’s body and they pierce every aspect of him causing him to collapse onto the cold hard ground of the graveyard seemingly dead for all to see.
“My god, that monster! He’s gone and killed Stephanie!” Richard Warner exclaims in extreme disappointment and exasperation.
“She might not be dead, because we didn’t hit her with any of the bullets I don’t believe?” Eric Van Bellagarde responds, as they both look towards the Mayor to say something about this dire turn of events.
“I don’t really know what to say. I’m sorry about Stephanie, but she knew exactly what she was doing.” Mayor Williams reminds him that she pulled away from them knowing full well the consequences her actions would have for her.
“At least Count Wilhelm Gory is now dead.” Richard observes his lifeless corpse on the ground over on the other side of the graveyard.
“Now all we have to do is bury the bastard.” Mayor Williams believes before ordering the men around him to start digging a fresh grave in the graveyard to hold Count Gory’s body for all eternity.
“Burying him is too good if you ask me?” Richard Warner suggests to them.
“Then what do you suggest we do instead?” Eric Van Bellagarde wonders.
“How about taking a torch and lighting him up?” Richard responds with his suggestion.
“No, we are going to bury this man and make sure that none of the fumes from his poisoned mind can enter anybody else’s body.” Mayor Williams responds.
“Why bury him?” Richard demands to know.
“Because he’s not worth wasting the torches on.” Mayor Williams responds.
They work for the next half an hour and build a solid grave to hold the Count’s body in for the rest of eternity.
“Well that ought to do it then.” Eric Van Bellagarde believes after taking a look at the grave they have dug for him.
“It’s deep enough to hold at least five dead bodies.” Richard responds after taking a look at the depth of the grave.
“Grab hold of Count Gory’s body!” Mayor Williams tells a group of the men who had helped dig the grave, but as they grab hold of the body of Count Gory something unexpected happens.
His eyes suddenly open up and he kicks them while fighting them off.
“It’s not possible! He can’t possibly be alive, because we killed that man stone dead.” Richard Warner reminds them as they look at Count Gory in both astonishment and fear.
“Or did we? He is one that is not of this world.” Mayor Williams responds, but as he does so another man steps forward in front of them.
“Who on earth are you?” Richard Warner asks him while looking for some identification from this stranger.
“My name’s Jeffrey Van Meredith, I’m what they call a Vampire killer.” He informs them before taking a large wooden stake.
“I’m supposed to be afraid of that wooden stick?” Count Gory suggests to the man.
“I would be if I were you.” Jeffrey Van Meredith responds.
Count Gory kicks him away, as the other men in the graveyard watch on.
“You cannot defeat me!” Count Gory call out, but as he does so Jeffrey Van Meredith throws the wooden stake straight at his heart.
The stake goes straight through the heart of Count Wilhelm Gory.
The Vampire shouts out loudly in pain before falling backwards into the grave that had been dug for him where he dies for good moments later.
Jeffrey Van Meredith now reaches down and takes the bloodstained stake back away from his lifeless body.
Mayor Williams looks at the primitive looking weapon before saying something.
“Quickly cover the body up now!” He orders them and the gravediggers begin the task of covering up the dead body of Count Wilhelm Gory.
“Mr Van Meredith? You saved us all from almost certain death, how can we ever begin to repay you?” Mayor Williams suggests to him.
“I’m just doing what comes natural to me. Just make sure that you never throw any freshly dug earth onto this grave you are currently filling up or it could have dire consequences for each one of you.” Jeffrey Van Meredith responds with an air of caution in his voice.
“When you say dire consequences, what do you mean by that remark?” Richard Warner wonders looking for a bit more clarity from Van Meredith.
“I mean this monster, that we have just covered up with earth! He will come back to life and rise again from the grave to take retribution against anyone that he chooses.” Jeffrey Van Meredith informs them sternly.
“How is that possible, I don’t understand?” Richard asks him for some kind of an explanation here.
“Whatever is already dead, cannot be dead again. This man will rise up from the grave again if anyone is careless or foolish enough to throw fresh earth onto his grave.” Jeffrey Van Meredith now confirms for him exactly what he was trying to say.
“How long are we talking about here…six months, a year or perhaps even a two year time period?” Mayor Williams asks him for a possible time period involved.
“It could take anything up to three hundred years.” Jeffrey Van Meredith responds causing them to gasp at the news suggested by him.
“How can we possibly stop that if it were to happen again?” Mayor Williams asks him feeling that they aren’t likely to live for three hundred years themselves.
“With a generous amount of good luck you can stop almost anything from happening.” Jeffrey Van Meredith believes before riding off on the horse he arrived on feeling that his work here had been done.
“I can only thank god for that man.” Mayor Williams informs those gathered around him.
“We could’ve all been killed if he hadn’t have come to our aid when he did.” Richard Warner agrees before they leave the graveyard behind.
