by Logan Keys
“Things like this get people riled up. Makes them frightened and then they overreact. I don’t want to be here when all those men decide to act on their aggression.”
“The men make you afraid?”
“Aren’t you?” Anna turned around to face Hope, letting her black hair fall across her shoulder. “Men have always been brutes. Taking what they want and doing what they will. Our lives are subject to their whims.”
“That’s a bleak opinion of men. What about your husband?”
“He’s the one who taught me that a man will not hesitate to take what he wants.”
“You hate him.”
“I need him. Hating him would be pointless.”
Hope understood that it was a woman’s role to marry and to obey her husband, but she knew it didn’t have to be a cold arrangement. Her parents had been very much in love. Her memories of her mother were faded, but every time Papa spoke of her it was clear they were in love. Hope wanted to find that kind of man for her own one day and go away with him.
“Didn’t you love him once?” She asked Anna.
“No, but I was hypnotized by him. He had a way of fascinating those around him. I fell under his spell and lost myself before I knew it.” Anna paused, biting her lip and thinking about what she would say next. “That is not to say that a woman can’t have power too. We just have to be more secretive about it.”
Something shimmered across Anna’s expression that made Hope tremble. Suddenly she wanted to leave very badly but couldn’t without the lady’s permission. Once she got the nod, she made it to the door quickly and back to the safety of the main room. Her father was watching her with a strange expression. When she took the dirty dishes into the kitchen, he followed her.
“What were you doing up there?”
“She wanted to speak to me.” Hope felt her cheeks blushing. “I didn’t want to be rude to one of the guests. Especially one with so much money to spend.”
“You don’t need to be making friends with her. She’s just passing through.” Her father sounded gruff, but his eyes were wrinkled with worry. “You were gone for a long time.”
“I’m sorry, I must not have been paying attention. I won’t let it happen again.”
Hope turned away from her father but felt his hand on her shoulder. “You look pale tonight. Perhaps you should go to bed early.”
She nodded. Truth was, she hadn’t felt right since that morning, and she was feeling a bit weak. Her appetite was gone, and the few bites of dinner she had managed sat unsteady in her stomach. A bit of rest might make her feel better. Sleep came more easily than she expected and was so deep that she didn’t remember getting ready for bed. She only remembered the chills she felt as she woke with a start early the next morning.
Chores had to be done every morning, but her father insisted on fetching the eggs. He wanted people outside as little as possible. Walking past the window, Hope spotted one of the giant gray wolves standing at the edge of the woods. In the darkness of the winter sky he barely cast a shadow across the storm. It appeared he was alone at first, but then she saw the glowing eyes of his pack behind him. They were getting closer, without fear of being seen.
“Have you seen my brothers?” One of the guests said, coming downstairs only half dressed.
Hope shook her head and watched as he asked the others in the room the same question. Finally he decided he should go out into the cold night and look for them. Nervous for his safety, Hope watched him from the window. He stopped at the edge of the house, only a few feet from the barn. It was too dark for her to see clearly, but it looked like he was talking to someone. Then he lurched forward, disappearing around the corner. She waited but when he didn’t return, Hope decided to rally some of the other men to go help.
Papa told her to stay behind, but Hope needed to know what happened. She felt like her skin was crawling waiting in the house, so when he wasn’t looking she crept out and went around the other side. There in the snow, piled one on top of the other, were all three of the brothers. Each had their throats slashed open and blood had soaked through the snow to the dirt below. Revolted, Hope turned her eyes away from the sight and when she looked up she saw Anna’s window. Anna was watching the scene, and when she noticed Hope, the woman smiled at her.
After the men had taken the bodies to the edge of the woods, there was a lot of talk about what needed to be done next. It was late, and although none would admit it, they didn’t want to face the wild animals in dark. They all agreed to form a hunting party and leave early in the morning. Hope felt sick to her stomach as she thought about what was about to happen to those poor animals. Mrs. Dracula caught her in the hallway with tears in her eyes.
“Are they going to kill the wolves?” Anna asked, lifting Hope’s chin so she couldn’t hide that she was crying.
“Yes.”
“Men.” Anna spat the word out.
“They have to do something, before the wolves kill again.”
“Those animals are simply doing what they must to survive. They shouldn’t be killed for wanting to live.”
Hope felt sympathy for them, but she couldn’t agree they had the right to kill people over it. “Maybe they will have moved on before Papa finds them.’
“They are trapped by same snow that we are. They don’t deserve this.” Anna tilted Hope’s face in her hand and drew her eyebrows together. “You haven’t been sleeping well. Here take this.”
Looking down, Hope saw a small pendant placed in the palm of her hand. It held a tiny mirror that reflected Hope’s own face back at her. That seemed like a strange gift to give a stranger, but Hope felt she had no choice but to take it. Mrs. Dracula smiled again, but a warm feeling wasn’t reflected in her voice.
“Sleep and maybe things will be different in the morning.”
That night Hope dreamed that she was lost in the snow. It swirled in flurries around her as she struggled to find her way back to the house. Her body couldn’t feel the cold air, but her heart was racing with fear. She called out but there was no reply. Then she saw the glowing green eyes emerging from the darkness around her. The wolf leapt at her but just before it could sink it’s teeth into her she sat up in bed. There was sweat dripping from her face, but Hope was grateful to be in her own bed still.
“You had a troubling night.” Said Anna, who was the only one in the main room at such an early hour. “You look worse than before and your hands are trembling. Did something happen to upset you?”
“I had a nightmare.” Hope said, keeping her voice low so that Papa in the kitchen wouldn’t hear. “I dreamed that one of the wolves got me.”
“That does sound horrible.”
“I will be glad when the hunters have caught them.”
Anna reached out and grabbed Hope by the arm. “You shouldn’t say that.”
“I just meant, I would feel safer when they are gone.”
“You have nothing to fear from them. They should be afraid of you.”
The two of them locked eyes and Hope struggled to move away but couldn’t. In the darkness of Anna’s gaze she began to feel helpless and afraid. Crying out, Hope finally managed to break away from her grip and ran to the kitchen.
“Are you alright?” Papa asked. He was getting some food ready for the hunting party to take with them.
“Mrs. Dracula startled me.” Hope didn’t want Papa worrying about her when he had other things he needed to think about.
“There is something I don’t like about that woman. Perhaps you should avoid her until the pass clears and she can be on her way. I can take care of her until that time.”
Hope shook her head. It was her responsibility to see to the guests inside the house. Papa had too much work to do already, and she wasn’t going to admit to being afraid.
“Fine, but don’t spend more time in her company than needed. I don’t like the way she looks at you.”
Her father took three of the other men with him as he entered the woods. Hope could
feel her heart pounding as she stood at the window to watch them. It was still dark out under the thick winter clouds, but at least the snow had stopped. Her stomach was still rolling, and now her head ached, but Hope continued to work all day. Mrs. Dracula kept to corner farthest from the fire, not speaking to any of the other guests. The rest of them, the two men who hadn’t gone into the woods, kept huddled together with their heads down whispering. Hope didn’t know those two very well, so she tried not to bother them. She noticed that they kept looking in Mrs. Dracula’s direction, but the married woman paid no attention to them. She just sat quietly looking out the window and sipping the dark tea she brought with her.
By midday Hope was beginning to worry about Papa and the other men, they were supposed to come back for lunch but they hadn’t returned yet. The ones left behind were getting restless and rowdy, drinking more than they should so early in the day. Hope worried they might try to do something that she wasn’t going to be able to stop. Especially when she saw how they were watching Mrs. Dracula and whispering to each other. There was a gleam in their eyes that she had seen before, but never when it was just her to watch out for the guests. Papa kept a shotgun in the kitchen but she had never had to shoot it before.
“If you are feeling scared, we would be happy to keep an eye on you, sweetheart.” One of the two men finally said. “My buddy Jack here is a really good shot and I’m pretty handy with a knife.”
“We’re both pretty good with our hands.” Said Jack, with a laugh.
Anna slid her eyes over to them but didn’t say anything. After a few minutes of silence, Jack tried again. “How about we go upstairs and pass the time together. It might be a long time before the others get back.”
This time it was Mrs. Dracula who laughed. “I would find more enjoyment in my own company…as well as my own hands.”
Hope wasn’t sure what Anna meant, but the two men did, and they were not happy about it. Jack pounded his beer onto the table and both men got to their feet.
“Sam, I think she meant to insult us. We might need to teach her how to mind her manners a bit.” Jack started to remove his belt. “Maybe more than a bit.”
Anna didn’t look frightened as she watch the two men approaching her. Hope wanted to yell out for her to run but fear had her frozen in place. All she could do was stand in the doorway of the kitchen and watch in horror as both men circled the lady. Mrs. Dracula stood, as if she had decided to run but they were too fast. Sam grabbed her around the waist, while Jack roped the belt around her neck and pulled her back onto the table. Hope realized what they were going to do, and it was enough to snap her into action. Quickly she ducked into the kitchen, for the gun from its hiding lace and came out pointing it at Sam’s back. He stood between Anna’s legs, but twisted around when he heard the sound of her cocking the gun.
“Think you’re big enough to shoot a man, little girl?” Sam dropped his head back and laughed. “If you are big enough for that, then you are big enough to play with. Jack, why don’t you have the little shooter there, and I will handle this one.”
Hope held her breathe as the man started walking in her direction. When he was only a few inches from the barrel, she squeezed both eyes shut and pulled the trigger. The force kicked her back and she stumbled, landing on her back. She saw the man go down, clutching his chest where the bullet went in. At first Sam stared at his fallen friend with his mouth open, but then rage took over and he charged at Hope. Grabbing her by the neck, pressing her against the wall and lifting her up until her feet left the floor. Desperate to get free and struggling for air, Hope did the only thing she could think of, sinking her teeth into the salty skin of the man’s hand.
At first, the coppery taste of it made her gag, but she only bit in harder until the blood slipped down her throat. His hand was still holding tight to her neck and the lack of air was making her dizzy. It was getting harder to fight as her body grew limp against the wall. She tried one more time to pull at his arm, scraping her teeth across the wound and making it deeper. Her palms were sticky with his blood but he still wouldn’t release her. Then her eyes fluttered and she gave in to the darkness.
Hope thought giving up would bring her peace, but instead she was pulled back into the nightmare. She was in the woods again, with the wolves and they were hunting. Only they were no longer hunting her. She was with them, watching them as they stalked their prey. Watching as they caught the man and tore him to shreds. Part of her was relived and strangely excited by it. It was sheer force that made her leave that behind and open her eyes to the world again, but when she did it was night and she was laid out in her bed, with wrappings around her neck. Each swallow told her how badly she had been hurt, yet she was still alive and surprised by it.
“Finally. I was beginning to grow so bored sitting here.” Anna’s voice came from the window, where she was sitting and watching the woods. “Your father insisted I tend to you. I suppose he thought I was qualified because I’m a woman. I know nothing about children, since I have never had any of my own, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Hope started to speak but it felt like fire when she breathed, so words were out of the question. Instead she tried to look sympathetic and nod her head in agreement. Lifting her hand slowly, Hope indicated that she wanted Anna to get Papa. She wanted him to know she was fine.
“I can’t. He and the other men are keeping watch. They didn’t find the wolves and now that coward Sam is out there too.”
Anna crossed the room and poked at the linen wrapped around Hope’s throat, hardly handling her gently. She winced but let Mrs. Dracula do what she wanted.
“That brute certainly damaged you, but not without getting his own wounds. He was bleeding all over the floor by the time you were done with him.” Anna’s lips curled upward. “I think he was surprised to see what a vicious little thing you are.”
Anna ran her finger across Hope’s lips, tugging a bit to reveal her teeth. Hope pulled away and wiped the woman’s touch from her skin. Hope was beginning to feel a strange attachment to the woman. She only had distant memories of her mother, but it didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t love, at least it didn’t feel romantic. It was a strong sense of obedience. She was hanging on to every word Mrs. Dracula said. Without hesitation she knew she would follow any command. The loss of her free will frightened her.
“Don’t worry about that brute. He disappeared when your father and the men returned. He won’t bother any of us again.” Anna said, thinking that was the reason Hope trembled in fear. Hope nodded like a good little girl and Anna patted her cheek. “Sleep and things will seem better in the morning.”
Anna brushed her hand across her cheek and Hope felt a chill go through her. She remained quiet until she was alone, and then she wept until sleep came. She was overwhelmed by the death and fear over the last few days.
The next day Hope’s throat was feeling better but her spirits were still low. Her father noticed and tried to make her stay in bed. Laying there would only give her mind time to wander and she dreaded that. Instead, she hoped returning to her normal chores would make her feel at ease. By midday she was almost herself. When her father asked her to help bring up supplies from the cellar, she didn’t hesitate.
The cellar was underneath the house, accessible by a trap door in the kitchen and a tiny set of steps. There was no light outside the candle in her father’s hand, but her eyes adjusted quickly to the dark. She knew every inch by heart. It was easy for her to move from shelf to shelf, pulling what they would need for dinner. At least, it was, until her foot caught on something that shouldn’t be there. She knew what it would be from the feeling of it underneath her, but when her father came closer with the light she screamed.
The man’s cold, dead body lay propped up against one of the shelves half covered in an old piece of cloth. His head fell to the side to reveal a large gash on his neck and a massive amount of dried blood stained his clothes. It was hard to recognize him at first, but it was Sam laying ther
e dead. His eyes were still open in an expression of stark fear. Hope scrambled back across the floor until she was caught in Papa’s arms. The only thing she could do was bury her face in his shirt and hold on tightly.
“Isn’t that…?” Papa stuttered, his voice catching. “The man Mrs. Dracula said ran away after attacking you. He looks like one of the wolves got him but…”
“He never left the house.” Hope finished his thought.
“He’s clutching something in his hand.” Her father reached for it, but Hope kept her eyes hidden. “It’s hair. Long black hair…”
“Mrs. Dracula.” Again she said what he was too frightened to.
The horrid truth was becoming clearer but hard to believe. That strange woman and the unusual deaths were connected. She was the animal tearing out throats, not the wolves. The danger was inside the house, not out there.
Quickly her father rounded up the few men left, but when they went to look for her, Mrs. Dracula was gone. They spread out into the woods to hunt for her. Hope stayed inside at first, afraid that she might still be under her spell. The silence surrounded her, but something soft was calling to her from outside the window. The wind was calling her name and without a word to Papa, she followed it. Out into the cold night, past where the woods swallowed her up, and far from where anyone would hear her cry out. She walked until she felt the will to stop and that’s where she found Anna waiting for her. She saw one of their horses tied to a tree nearby which had the woman’s bags hanging from the saddle.
“You found out about my secret. I knew I had stayed too long.” Mrs. Dracula wore a hood to hide her face and kept her head tilted down. “The pass took too long to clear. I was forced to feed in order to keep my appearance hidden. When I get hungry, I’m a monster.”
Laughter echoed around them as she threw back the hood to reveal her true face. Her eyes were all black, glittering against her white skin. Those red lips were pulled back to show the long pointed fangs she had used to rip those men’s throats. Hope gasped at the sight, her heart pounding with fear.