by R. L. Ullman
“Farewell,” Count Dracula says, coming towards me.
Holy cow! I start flapping backwards, but he’s coming too fast. I’m a goner!
SSSQQQUUUAAAKKK!
Suddenly, a giant winged creature swoops past my field of vision, taking Count Dracula with it!
The force of the wind gust propels me backwards, and I flap like crazy to stop my momentum before I hit the rocks below.
After righting myself, I look up into the sky to find the griffin soaring above, with Count Dracula in its mouth! But that doesn’t last for long, because one second later the beast is chomping on nothing but a dark cloud.
Count Dracula escaped!
But then I see something else.
The Spear of Darkness is falling to earth!
I’ve got to grab it! Then, a lightbulb goes off. Dracula said I didn’t know the full potential of my power. So, if I can use my radar power in human form, then maybe I can use my super speed in bat form?
I concentrate and then flap, turning on the jets, and the next thing I know, I’m off like a rocket! I grab the spear in mid-air and circle. Now I’ve got to get out of here before I get killed, or even worse, eaten! But as I try to use my speed again, I can’t. I’m plum out of gas!
Just then, I sense I large object flying over me. It’s the griffin! And out of the corner of my eye I see a large bat heading my way!
At this pace, we’re all gonna crash into each other!
Where’s an air-traffic controller when you need one?
I try flapping but it’s no use. I’ve got nothing left in the tank and I’m actually losing altitude. There’s no way I can outrun them. My only option is to turn into a mist, if I can even do that. But if I do, I may have to release the Spear of Darkness! I don’t know if I’ll be able to carry something so large in mist form.
I don’t know what to do?
They’re almost on me!
I feel like I’m gonna pass out.
I close my eyes.
THWIP!
SSSQQQUUUAAAKKK!!!
Huh? What was that ear-piercing scream?
But when I look up I see a silver arrow sticking out of the griffin’s chest, and then it plummets down, barreling into Count Dracula on its way!
Where’d that arrow come from?
“Bram!” a girl’s voice calls.
What? Who?
But as I scan the ground below, I find a transparent girl floating off the ground. And next to her are three men, one of whom has spider legs, and another is pointing a crossbow my way.
It’s Aura! And that’s Van Helsing, Crawler, and Professor Morris! They found us!
Just then, the griffin CRASHES to the ground, kicking up a giant pile of feathers.
But there’s no sign of Count Dracula.
Suddenly, the sky brightens and my body feels warm. It’s the sun! It’s coming up! And that’s when I realize that if I stay up here, I’ll get a really, really bad sunburn.
Not that I can maintain this height anyway. I’m wiped, and the Spear of Darkness is getting heavier by the second. Everything is getting dizzy.
And then I drop like an anchor.
“Bram!” I hear Aura yell. “Turn into a mist!”
Yeah.
Good idea.
Is that the ground?
Why is it spinning like that?
“Bram, drop the spear!”
Spear? Right. I open my toes.
“—mist!”
Mist.
Right.
***
“Bram?”
I hear a voice, but it’s so dark.
“Bram, wake up.”
I try opening my eyes, but they feel super sticky.
“Bram?”
“Trying,” I say.
And then, with what seems like Herculean effort, I manage to pry my eyes open. There’s a bright light overhead, and a smiling, blue-eyed girl hovering over me.
“Am I dead?” I ask, squinting in the light.
“Almost,” Aura says. “I’d say you tried really hard. But no, you’re not dead.”
“Oh,” I say. I try sitting up, but my whole body hurts. “Where am I?”
“In the infirmary,” Aura says. “You’re back home.”
Home? I look down at my arm and there’s an IV stuck in it running red fluids into my body. It feels amazing. But I can’t quite figure out how I got here in the first place. I remember something about a spear. And a bell. And—
“Rage!” I say, popping up, causing the monitors to go bonkers. “And Kat! Where are they? Count Dracula is on the loose and—”
“Relax, Bram,” Aura says. “Settle down. Rage is just fine. And Kat is too. They’re getting care also. Everything is okay. Well, mostly okay.”
“Glad to see he’s alert,” Dr. Hagella says, entering the room and quieting the monitors. “There are a few visitors here who are anxious to see you.”
That’s when I notice the infirmary has a bunch of holes in the wall. And then I remember the zombie attack. Dr. Hagella must have held them at bay after all.
Boy, she is one tough lady.
“W-What happened?” I ask. “The last thing I remember is stealing the Spear of Darkness from Count Dracula and freefalling. After that, it’s pretty much a blank.”
“Well,” she says, “it’s kind of a long story.”
“I can handle it from here,” comes a familiar voice from the doorway. “Can you give us some time alone?”
It’s Van Helsing! I remember him saving me with the Crossbow of Purity. I’m happy to see him, yet something inside of me is telling me to be wary. Like I can’t fully trust him.
“Of course, Headmaster,” Aura says. “Feel better, Bram.” And then she smiles at me and phases through the wall.
“You are lucky to have such a caring friend,” Van Helsing says, sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Yeah,” I say. “She’s pretty awesome.”
“Yes, in more ways than one,” Van Helsing says. “Once Rage and Professor Hexum were captured, she went in search of us and found us on the far end of the forest. Fortunately, we got to you in the nick of time.”
“No wonder she wasn’t around,” I say.
“Indeed,” Van Helsing says. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been runover by a truck,” I answer.
“You have had quite an adventure,” Van Helsing says. “Much of which seemed outside of your control.”
What’s he talking about? And then I realize he’s referring to the episode in the tunnel. We never did resolve my punishment for that. Is that why he’s here now?
“Tell me, Bram,” he says, “were there other moments you have felt out of control? Is there anything you are not telling me?”
His question catches me off guard. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I mean, I still haven’t told him about nearly sucking Rage’s blood at Moreau Labs. And then there was the situation with Kat’s wound. I want to tell him about it, but then my conversation with Count Dracula comes flooding back.
No wonder I feel on edge. What if Count Dracula was right? What if Van Helsing is only using me?
“Um, no,” I say, rather unconvincingly. “You know everything I know.”
“Are you sure?” Van Helsing asks, raising his eyebrows. “For example, I only recently learned from your peers that you were hypnotized by Dr. Renfield. Do you remember that?”
Dr. Renfield? That’s funny. With everything going on, I totally forgot about him. He was the one who brought up the Spear of Darkness in the first place.
“Yes,” I say. “But he was just making an example of me because I passed a note in his class.”
“It may have seemed that way at the time,” Van Helsing says, “but I believe he was doing much more than that. And now he is nowhere to be found.”
“What?” I say. “You mean, he’s gone?”
“Yes,” Van Helsing says. “He never met up with the others in the auditorium.”
“So,” I say, trying
to put the pieces together, “what exactly are you telling me?”
“What I am saying is that I made a mistake,” Van Helsing says. “I believe Dr. Renfield did more than just hypnotize you that day. I believe he put subtle instructions inside your mind to sneak into the forbidden basement and open that vault door. You see, I now believe Dr. Renfield is working for the Dark Ones. He was looking for the Spear of Darkness.”
“Excuse me?” I blurt out.
“I know it is shocking to hear,” Van Helsing says. “But I put it all together once Professor Hexum told me about Dr. Renfield’s comments regarding the Spear of Darkness. As a master of hypnosis, it was easy for him to execute once he had you in a trance. Although it appeared he was asking you simple questions, he was actually implanting detailed instructions deep in your mind. And none of the other students were any the wiser. That is why you have no memory of going into the tunnel and opening the door. You were in an unconscious state, almost like sleep walking. And you followed his instructions perfectly.”
Now I’m in total shock. I feel like such a fool. But it’s no wonder I did what I did. I was manipulated!
“After Crawler subdued Rage,” Van Helsing says, “I sent him after Dr. Renfield. But it is likely too late.”
“And what happened to the Spear of Darkness?” I ask. “Does Count Dracula have it?”
“No, it is safe,” Van Helsing says, “thanks to you. Professor Hexum did a good job disguising it for a long, long time. But now that his hiding place has been discovered, I have taken it back into my possession. I am the only person who knows where it is.”
“And the Bell of Virtue?” I ask.
“It has also been returned to its proper place,” Van Helsing says. “Professor Hexum and Katherine brought it back from the tower. The school is safe once again under the protection of the Artifacts of Virtue. And I have removed all known hidden entrances to the academy. The vault door and basement entry are gone.”
Well, that’s a relief.
But that’s not the only thing I’m worried about.
“But what about Count Dracula?” I ask. “He got away, didn’t he?”
“He did,” Van Helsing says. “He escaped before sunrise. If we had only kept him exposed to the sunlight for a while longer, we at least would have destroyed his mortal body. But alas, it was not meant to be.”
Well, that would have been great. I’d take destroying Count Dracula’s mortal body any day of the week. At least it would buy me some time before I had to deal with his spirit.
“Your friends are excited to see you,” Van Helsing says. “But I have one last question. When we arrived on the scene, I noticed that you and Count Dracula faced each other in bat form for a long while without fighting. What was happening?”
Suddenly, my mind starts spinning. I mean, what am I supposed to say? Should I tell him that Dracula wanted me on his side? Or that he told me not to trust Van Helsing? I mean, what if Count Dracula was right? What if Van Helsing doesn’t want any vampires alive at the end of all of this.
“Um, nothing much,” I say finally. “He was just crowing about how powerful he was and that he wanted me dead. You know, the usual stuff.”
Van Helsing squints and smiles at me.
He doesn’t believe me for a second.
“Very well,” he says, patting my arm. “You have done well, Bram. I am proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“Now let me bring in your friends,” Van Helsing says. “They have some news to share.”
“Okay,” I say, as Van Helsing stands up and exits.
Then, Aura returns, with Hairball, Stanphibian, and InvisiBill in tow—or at least I think InvisiBill is in tow.
“Hey, Brampire,” Hairball says. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, lying through my teeth. “I’m great.”
“Awesome,” InvisiBill says, his voice booming from the foot of my bed. “Because you’ll never guess what Professor Hexum just did.”
STARTING OVER
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Rage asks.
“I was born ready,” I answer with a smile, looking at all of the teams gathered in the gymnasium. It’s been a few weeks since the incident at Moreau’s tower, and I’m feeling much better.
“I never thought we’d get back in the Monster Cup,” Rage says. “I thought we were done for good.”
Honestly, so was I. But I was thrilled when the team told me that Professor Hexum reversed his own disqualification ruling. I mean, I know how much the team wanted to win the cup.
Heck, I kind of wanted to win it too.
And now we’ll actually have the chance.
With everything that happened after the Bell of Virtue was stolen, the competition never got off the ground, so Van Helsing decided to restart the entire tournament once the school was patched up. For the first time ever, as a signal of school solidarity, he’s having all of the teams compete in each event at the same time.
And the first race is about to begin!
“Listen, Bram,” Aura says. “We’re all sorry for the way we treated you when we got kicked out of the Monster Cup. And we’re not just saying that because we’re back in the competition. Can you ever forgive us?”
“Can I forgive you guys?” I say. “Of course I can. I mean, after everything I did, I’m wondering if you can forgive me?”
“You’re totally forgiven,” Aura says.
“Not so fast,” InvisiBill says. “Let’s see if he wins his heat first.”
“Shut it, InvisiBill,” Hairball says.
“Break a wing,” Stanphibian grunts.
“Thanks,” I say. “I will.”
We all put our hands in a circle and on the count of three yell, “Monstrosities!”
It feels great having the gang back together. And I’m so relieved that I’ll have the chance to make it up to them. But before my race begins, I need to check up on one more person.
“Is everything ready?” I whisper to Aura.
“Yep,” she whispers. “Would you like to do the honors?”
I nod, and then walk over to the bleachers where I find Kat sitting with her arm in a cast.
“How are you doing?” I ask.
“Okay,” she says. “Except for this, of course. Dr. Hagella said the bullet shattered my radius bone. I guess the good news is that I should heal pretty fast due to my cat anatomy.”
“Well, that’s great news,” I say. “Kat, I’m so sorry about your brother. You were right, he had a good heart.”
“Thanks, Bram,” she says, looking down and wiping away a tear. “I’ll miss him forever.”
“He did a brave thing,” I say. “And he did it to protect you.”
“Yeah, I know,” she says. “He was the best.”
“So,” I say, “Van Helsing told us that he invited you to stay here at the academy.”
“Yeah,” she says. “It was nice of him to offer. I mean, I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go, especially looking like this. So, I guess I’m stuck with you guys now.”
“Well, I’d be thrilled if you stayed,” I say. “We could use someone with your skills. You’re an animal out there. Literally.”
We both look at each other and laugh.
“Well, what about your friends?” she says. “I don’t know if they want me here. Especially your ghost friend.”
“Don’t worry,” Aura says, appearing behind her. “Of course I want you here. You’ve more than proven yourself to me, and we need all the help we can get.”
“Really?” Kat says.
“Really,” Aura says. “Fish-face, give her the gear.”
Just then, Stanphibian walks up and hands her a black sweater and a silver badge.
“Welcome to the Monstrosities,” Aura says.
“Are you serious?” Kat asks, breaking into a big smile. Then, she picks up the badge, turns it over, and reads the name engraved in its center. “WildKat?”
“That’s your new
code name,” I say. “And after seeing the way you fight, it’s well earned.”
“Thanks,” she says, holding the badge against her heart. “You know, you guys are really great.”
“Racers, please report to the starting line!” Hexum calls into a megaphone.
“Well, that’s me,” I say.
“Good luck, Bram,” Kat says.
“You’ve got this,” Rage says.
“If you lose, you’re a moron!” InvisiBill adds.
Yep, it’s good to see things are back to normal.
As I approach the starting line, I notice Professor Hexum is no longer pretending to use a walking stick. Now that Van Helsing has the Spear of Darkness, I guess there’s no reason to keep up the charade.
“Mr. Murray,” Hexum says, casually acknowledging my presence like the whole crazy tower episode never even happened.
“Professor,” I say, acknowledging him back. “Before we start, I want to thank you for allowing us to compete.”
“Kindness will not earn you any extra advantages,” Hexum says. “You will win or lose based on your own merits.”
Yep, things are definitely back to normal.
“Get ready to eat my dust, loser,” Harpoon says, lining up next to me.
“The only thing I’ll be eating is victory cake,” I answer back with a wink.
“We’ll see about that,” she grumbles.
Well, I know one thing. This isn’t going to be easy. I mean, all of the best flyers are in this race. But if I use what Count Dracula taught me about combining my abilities, I should give them all a run for their money.
“Racers, on your mark!” Hexum calls out.
Aura and Kat give me a thumbs up.
“Get set!”
Then, I catch Van Helsing staring at me from the stands. He nods and I wonder if he still trusts me.
But what’s even worse is that I’m starting to wonder if I trust myself.
“Go!”
For a split second I hesitate as everyone else takes off. And then I transform into a bat and take flight.
DON’T MISS EPIC ZERO!
Growing up in a superhero family is cool, unless you’re powerless…
**Gold Medal Winner - Readers’ Favorite Book Awards**
Epic Zero: Tales of a Not-So-Super 6th Grader is the first book in a hilarious, action-packed series that will entertain kids, middle school students, and adults!