Monster Problems 2: Down for the Count

by R. L. Ullman

  “Got to… stay calm,” I hear Rage mutter from inside his cage. “Need to… stay calm.”

  “My Dark Lord,” Dr. Moreau says, presenting him with Hexum’s walking stick, “here is the object you have long desired. Just as I have promised you.”

  “Thank you my loyal servant,” Count Dracula says, his voice much deeper than I expected. He takes the walking stick from Dr. Moreau and holds it out in front of him.

  But I still don’t get it. What does Count Dracula want with Hexum’s walking stick?

  “You still don’t see it, do you, young one?”

  Wait, what?

  That voice inside my head.

  That sounded like… Dracula!

  “You are seeing only what he wants you to see, but not what is truly here.”

  “What are you talking about?” I answer. “And get out of my head!”

  “Your blood gave me life,” he says. “We are now bonded in ways you cannot even imagine. Forever.”

  “No!”

  “It is true,” he says. “But I see that you have not yet learned to use your powers to their full potential. Allow me to assist you. For your power to see the truth is not limited to when you are in bat form. Try it now.”

  My power to see the truth is not limited to when I’m in bat form?

  What’s he talking about?

  But then I get what he’s saying. When I’m a bat, I can use radar to see things my human eyes can’t detect.

  But can I also do that when I’m not a bat?

  I’ve never tried it before.

  I focus in on Hexum’s walking stick and activate my radar, sending high frequency sounds at the object in Count Dracula’s hands.

  And when it bounces back I’m stunned!

  I mean, I had no clue I could use radar in human form. That’s incredible! But what’s pinging back is even more incredible. Because according to my radar, the walking stick is much bigger than it looks. And one side ends in a long, sharp… point?

  Suddenly, it hits me.

  I-I can’t believe it.

  Hexum tricked us!

  He never needed a walking stick.

  In fact, his walking stick was never really a walking stick at all!

  It’s the Spear of Darkness!

  EVERYTHING GOES CRAZY

  I’m literally speechless.

  I mean, Hexum’s walking stick wasn’t ever a walking stick at all. It was the Spear of Darkness!

  Hexum was fooling us all with his mind powers this entire time. Now I understand why he flipped out when I mentioned the Spear of Darkness in the first place. Dr. Renfield was right, the Spear of Darkness was at the Van Helsing Academy, but it was hidden in plain sight!

  And now that I’ve used my radar to expose the truth, I don’t even see the walking stick anymore. Instead, I see a long, black spear with a sharp, black blade shimmering with the twinkling of a hundred tiny stars.

  It’s amazing to look at, but there’s one problem.

  It’s in the hands of the one person everyone was trying to keep it away from.

  “You see it now, don’t you?” Count Dracula’s voice says inside my mind. “I can see it on your face.”

  “We’ve got to get that away from him,” I whisper to Kat. “And fast.”

  But the question is how? I take a quick scan of my options. I’ve got Kat, but Peter is still in his cage looking worse for wear. Moreau isn’t going to help us. Hexum is still knocked out. And Rage…

  “B-Butterflies and puppies…” Rage says, breathing heavily inside his cage. “Just think of butterflies and puppies.”

  That’s it!

  “I need you to create a distraction,” I whisper to Kat, “It’s our only chance.”

  “Um, okay,” she whispers back. “What kind of a distraction?”

  “A big one,” I whisper. “But be careful.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she whispers.

  “Are you pleased, my Dark Lord?” Dr. Moreau asks.

  “Yes, my loyal servant,” Count Dracula answers, turning the spear in admiration. “I have searched for the Spear of Darkness for centuries, and now it is finally in my possession, where it belongs. According to ancient legend, once I throw the spear at the first rays of the morning sun, it will blanket the sky in eternal darkness, blocking all sunlight. Then, I will be free to walk the—”

  “Yoohoo!”

  “Who dares?” Count Dracula says, turning his head.

  “Just furry little me,” Kat says, running at incredible speed straight towards them. “You see, me and the old guy have some unfinished business.”

  Well, I have to give her credit, she certainly knows how to create a distraction. But I can’t just stand here gawking, I’ve got my own job to do. Mustering up my own super-speed, I rush over to Rage’s cage before the beast men can react.

  “Butterflies,” Rage mutters, his face bright red. “Stay calm. Gotta… stay calm.”

  I feel guilty for what I’m about to do, but I know I have no choice. For everyone’s sake.

  “Dude,” I whisper. “This isn’t stay calm time. This is crush the butterflies and puppies time. I mean, you heard what Dr. Moreau said. He doesn’t even remember you. He has no recollection of what he did to you. But you can make him remember. You can show him what happens when you get angry. Just let yourself go.”

  “A-Angry?” Rage says, his breathing quickening. “Make him… remember me? Let myself… go?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Show him what you’ve become. Show him what he did to you.”

  “I-I’ll show him,” Rage says, the veins popping out of his neck. “C-Crush butterflies. C-Crush puppies.”

  “Back off!” Dr. Moreau yells.

  His scream grabs my attention, and that’s when I see Kat jumping on top of Moreau! Uh-oh. I told her to be careful. I mean, Moreau’s got a—

  BLAM!

  There’s a blinding flash of white light.

  “Aaahhh!” Kat yells.

  And when she hits the ground she rolls over in pain, holding her right arm! She’s been shot!

  “GRRRRRAAARRR!” Peter growls from his cage.

  I’ve got to stop the bleeding! But just as I start to move, the two beast men pull me back!

  “Get off of me!” I yell. “Let! Me! G—”

  RRRIIIPPP! CCCLLLAAANNNGGG!

  Suddenly, metal bars fly past my head and something slams into Ox-man with such force that he knocks us all to the ground. As we hit the deck I narrowly avoid being crushed by the bear-headed guy when everything darkens around us.

  And when I look up, my jaw drops.

  Because standing over us is a seven-foot, purple monster with blond hair, ginormous muscles and a really, really angry expression.

  Yes!

  It worked! Rage became a monster!

  But, oh no!

  If I can’t control him, he’ll destroy everyone in this chamber—including the good guys!

  “Rage?” I call out.

  Rage looks around the room and then spots me lying by his feet.

  Uh oh.

  “RRROOOAAARRRR!”

  My hair blows straight back, and I just manage to roll out of the way as Rage reaches down and picks up Ox-man who howls in protest. But Rage ignores his pleas and throws him hard against the wall. Ox-man flops onto the floor and doesn’t get back up.

  “Is that purple monster one of your creations, Moreau?” Count Dracula asks. “Stop it. Before it ruins everything.”

  “I-I can’t believe it,” Dr. Moreau stammers, staring at Rage. “It can’t be….”

  “Moreau?” Count Dracula says. “Do something!”

  Moreau! That’s right!

  “Rage, over there!” I yell, pointing at Dr. Moreau. “He’s the one you want! He’s the who did this to you! He’s the one who turned you into a monster!”

  Rage studies me for a moment, and then looks over at Dr. Moreau who raises his gun.

  BLAM!

  I turn away as the bullet whizzes past me an
d ricochets off of Rage’s chest, lodging into the rafters.

  “RRROOOAAARRR!!!” Rage yells.

  Then, with surprising speed, Rage picks up Bear-man and hurls him right at Dr. Moreau.

  BLAM!

  The gun goes off again as they tumble to the floor.

  “Aargh!” Count Dracula yells, dropping the Spear of Darkness to the ground. He’s shaking his left hand, which is smoking, but there’s no blood. “You careless fool!”

  He’s hit! This is my chance!

  I turn on my super-speed, scoop up the Spear of Darkness, and race over to Kat. When I reach her, she’s lying on her side, wincing in pain.

  “Kat, are you okay?”

  “I-I think so,” she says. “Just stings. And losing blood. Need… a doctor.”

  She’s right. Her arm is bleeding—a lot—and for a second I freeze. I mean, her blood could reenergize me.

  Wait, no! What am I thinking?

  That’s not me talking. I’ve got to snap out of it. I’ve got to help her. I pull off my hoodie and wrap it tightly around her forearm. That might help stop the bleeding for a while.

  Now, if I can just get her out of here before—

  STOMP!

  Rage’s footstep bounces us in the air like popcorn kernels, and when I look up I see him heading our way!

  His brow is furrowed and he’s focused on one target.

  Dr. Moreau.

  “No!” Dr. Moreau says, scrambling to find his gun. “Stop him! My Dark Lord, please, save me!”

  “I am afraid this is your affair,” Count Dracula says, wrapping himself in his cloak and disappearing into a black mist.

  “You!” Dr. Moreau says desperately, turning to Peter. “Help me!” Then, he reaches inside his jacket pocket, pulls out a key, and fumbles to unlock Peter’s cage. “Destroy that monster and I’ll give you the real antidote. I promise you.”

  “GRRRRRR,” Peter snarls, limping out of his cage. But he doesn’t look fit enough to fight anybody. His whole head is nearly bald and he’s leaning hard to his right, like he’s going to fall over.

  “RRRAAARRRGGGHHH!” Rage roars, towering over Peter.

  Oh, jeez. Rage is gonna pummel Peter!

  “N-No, Peter!” Kat yells from her position. “D-Don’t listen to Moreau! He lied to us! S-Save yourself!”

  “Ignore her, Tiger-child,” Dr. Moreau says, backing up behind Peter towards the open window. “You’re dying. Without me, you won’t last until morning. I have the real antidote. I can save you… and your sister too. Don’t you want to save her?”

  But then Dr. Moreau bends over.

  And that’s when I see it.

  “The gun!” I yell. “He’s going for his gun!”

  Suddenly, Peter wheels around and lunges at Moreau. They grapple for a second, before Peter lifts the evil scientist into the air and over his shoulder.

  “Release me!” Dr. Moreau yells.

  But Peter jumps onto the windowsill with Dr. Moreau in his arms. Then, he looks out the window.

  “Peter, no!” Kat yells.

  Peter turns and stares at his sister for a second, his eyes wide. And then he falls backwards out the window, taking a squirming Dr. Moreau down with him.

  “Nooooooo!” Dr. Moreau yells, his voice fading in the distance.

  “No!” Kat yells. “Peter!”

  I race over to the window and look down, but they’re gone. We must be a hundred feet in the air! I-I can’t believe it. Peter pulled Dr. Moreau down to his death. He sacrificed himself for us.

  “RRRROOOOAAARRRR!”

  Speaking of death…

  I turn around slowly to find Rage standing over me, looking out the window himself. What is he doing? And that’s when I realize what’s happening. Peter robbed Rage of his chance for revenge. Rage wanted a shot at Moreau, but now he’ll never get it.

  “GGGRRRRAAAARRRR!” Rage yells.

  Um, oh boy.

  “MMAAKKE! HHIIMM! RREMMEMMBBERR!”

  “Mr. Murray!” comes a familiar voice. “Move!”

  I dive out of the way just as Rage jumps out of the window, taking half of the wall down with him!

  “Rage!” I yell. “No!”

  “Don’t worry,” the voice says. “He’ll be fine. He’s nearly indestructible.”

  At first I’m confused as to who’s talking to me. But when I turn around I see Hexum moving inside of his cage. He’s awake!

  “Look out!” Hexum yells, pointing up high.

  Suddenly, a huge bat drops from the rafters and latches onto the Spear of Darkness! It’s Count Dracula! With everything going on, I forgot all about him! How could I be so dumb!

  I hold onto the spear with everything I’ve got, but I’m not strong enough, and Dracula flaps his mighty wings, ripping it clean from my grasp.

  No!

  But before I can stop him, he flies out the window!

  I can’t let him get away! The world is in danger!

  Out of the corner of my eye I spot the Bell of Virtue. In all of the commotion, it’s been forgotten. But I guess it was only a means to an end anyway. Count Dracula has what he wanted all along.

  “Kat,” I say quickly. “I know you’re hurting right now, but you’ve got to let Professor Hexum out of his cage. He can help you. And Professor, don’t forget to bring the Bell of Virtue back to the school! The other kids will be safe.”

  “Mr. Murray—Bram—wait!” Hexum yells. “It’s too dangerous!”

  Hearing Hexum use my first name stops me cold, and I look into his concerned eyes. He’s right, it is dangerous, but it’s my responsibility to make everything right again. It’s up to me to stop Count Dracula.

  So, I focus my mind on one thought—becoming a bat—and then I transform. My arms shrink and then expand into wings, my legs retract into my body, and my senses explode.

  And then I fly out the window.

  TWO BATS OF A FEATHER

  I spot Count Dracula flying away against the purple sky.

  Fortunately, given his sheer size, he’s pretty hard to miss. He’s flying away from the tower, still holding the Spear of Darkness in his feet. But there’s something strange about how he’s flying. He’s tilted a little to the left, like he’s wounded.

  At this point I’m absolutely exhausted, but I can’t stop now. Dracula may be faster and stronger, but I can’t let him get away with the Spear of Darkness. I need to give it my all to stop him, even if it costs me my life.

  I put everything I’ve got into flapping, but my wingspan is no match for his. I mean, his wings must be seven feet wide when fully extended! But if I can’t out-flap him, maybe I can outsmart him.

  Changing my trajectory, I go for height over distance, reaching an altitude higher than he’s flying at. Then, I tuck in my wings and use gravity to my advantage, dive bombing right at him.

  As the wind whips across my bat-face, I realize I don’t exactly have a plan when I reach him. Should I try knocking him out or should I go for the Spear of Darkness? And what happens if I miss? I mean, we’re hundreds of feet above the ground, so if I mess up it could be a long way down.

  Decisions, decisions.

  He’s five feet away!

  Since all I see is his back, the decision is pretty clear.

  Three feet!

  I aim for his spine.

  One foot!

  I brace for impact, but just when I expect to make contact, there’s nothing. What happened? But it’s not like I can figure that out now because I’ve got bigger problems. I’m still hurtling straight down.

  I’m gonna crash!

  I start flapping as hard as I can and pull myself up, my toes scraping the top of the rocks below. Whew! That was a close one. But as I pull back up, I find Count Dracula hovering above me.

  “Why are you fighting me?” Count Dracula asks, his voice echoing in my brain. “After all, we are the only two vampires on the planet. Why don’t you join me instead?”

  “Um, what?” I say in my mind.

&nb
sp; “Once the sun rises,” he says, “and I use the Spear of Darkness to put out its light forever, the Earth will be shrouded in eternal darkness. I will be unstoppable.”

  “No!” I yell back. “I won’t let that happen!”

  “How can you stop it from happening?” Count Dracula says. “After all, you do not even know the full extent of your own power. Your greatest weakness lies in your own naivete.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You may think you are safe under the house of Van Helsing,” he says, “but you are wrong. The Van Helsing bloodline carries one goal and one goal only—the complete and utter destruction of all vampires. Think into the future. Once he uses you to destroy me, what fate will befall you as the last remaining vampire?”

  As I stare into his red eyes, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I mean, what if he’s right? What if Van Helsing is only using me to destroy Count Dracula? If I’m the last vampire left, what will Van Helsing do with me after that?

  “Abraham Murray, you are what you are for a reason,” he says. “You may try to fight it, but your vampire tendencies are slowly taking over your body—taking over your soul. You can only fight it for so long before you will have to give in.”

  H-How does he know that?

  “Join me,” he continues, “and I will show you what it means to be a vampire. Join me and fulfill your true destiny. Join me and we will rule over mankind.”

  Strangely, I-I feel myself being pulled to him. But then the faces of my friends flash through my mind.

  Aura. Rage. Stanphibian. Hairball. Even InvisiBill—not that I can even see his face.

  “No!” I yell, snapping back to reality. “I-I’m not like you! I’ll never be like you.”

  “A pity,” he says. “Because that means I must destroy you.”

  Then, he rotates the Spear of Darkness with his feet, pointing the sharp blade right at me! And that’s when I notice his left wing. It’s smoking! That was the spot where Dr. Moreau accidentally shot him. He must have used a silver bullet. No wonder he was flying off kilter.

  But silver bullets will only wound a vampire’s mortal body They won’t destroy its spirit. According to Van Helsing, only a vampire can truly kill another vampire—spirit and all.