The Elixir

by George Willson

  “You see, officer, it’s just as I told you,” a man said followed closely by a woman. They were accompanied by a policeman who has drawn his gun, though he held it at his side. “I heard all manner of shouting and such.”

  David looked to the road that passed close to the ponds and found several people were standing along it, and he wondered how long they had been there.

  “How about you two come along with me then?” the policeman said, but the young Fempiror was not going anywhere with anyone, and he observed the old Mutation felt the same way.

  Karian bolted away from them eliciting shocked reactions from the people and the policeman. As they were looking after him, David took off in the opposite direction, not bothering to see what they did next. David ran through the trees toward Hampstead Heath to the east. He maintained a straight line along the trees from the Highgate Ponds to the three bodies of water near the South Hill Mansions. He followed the path between two of these ponds and paused on the opposite side to see if Karian was following him. Hearing footfalls somewhere in the dark, he cut to the south, staying within the trees until he came across some roads again.

  Back on the roadways, he moved quickly, weaving between houses until he crossed the railway. He finally decided to stop in an alleyway and listen for any sounds of pursuit. The night was quiet once again, but now, he was miles away from the Highgate Cemetery. At this point, he had little hope of finding Lucy again before she fed from the child she had picked up. She said she never killed them, which was some level of comfort, but that did not make the action right. She had to be dealt with.

  As he passed out of the alley and into the streets again to make the journey back to the cemetery, he shook his head in despair. Once again, he had come to a place and brought trouble with him, and once again, the world was suffering as a result. He wondered if this would ever end.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  In Van Helsing’s hotel room around 10pm the evening after Van Helsing had heard Lucy crying behind the door of the mausoleum, John Seward, Arthur Holmwood, and Bram Stoker all met with him to listen to what he had to say about their current situation. Seward had been with him on this since the beginning and trusted him the most, while Holmwood was the unfortunate fiancée of their target. Mr. Stoker was a friend of the family and had become acquainted with the situation by way of proximity more than anything else. All three had become irrevocably involved and were interested in learning what it was they needed to do next.

  Van Helsing looked at their faces individually as they waited for him to begin. He was considering his words carefully as he needed to tell them what was going on, but he was not ready to reveal everything just yet. People tended to handle this sort of information better in doses.

  “Gentlemen,” Van Helsing said, “I have asked the three of you to join me in this matter because not only is it a grave situation, but it is also quite dangerous. I normally would not implore the help of another in something like this, but what we’re dealing with has the potential to kill us all if we’re not careful. I must ask you to trust me implicitly in this. Questions you’ll have, and I’ll answer what I can, but above all, you will need to do what I tell you to.”

  “I am not sure what is going on here,” Stoker said, “but from what John has told me of this, you appear to be the authority in your field. I will do what I can.”

  “I’ve also heard good things of you, Dr. Van Helsing,” Arthur said, “but I cannot give my unconditional trust so easily.”

  “Tell me your limitations, so I may accept them,” Van Helsing said.

  “I know we are speaking of Lucy,” Arthur said. “You have indicated that something unnatural has happened to her, and you would not presume to act without my permission. To that end, sir, I thank you. You must unequivocally convince me, however, of the truth of these things, and know that I will not, under any circumstances, violate my honor as a gentleman, nor my faith as a Christian.”

  “I understand your conditions, my friend,” Van Helsing nodded, “and of course, I accept them without hesitation. I also ask that throughout this night, you consider everything I say and do carefully before condemning me. I do not act rashly, nor do I wish any harm to come to any of you.”

  “What are we to do then?” Stoker asked.

  “We have to go to Lucy’s tomb,” Van Helsing said, and prepared for the backlash as he stated, “and open her coffin.”

  Arthur immediately rose to his feet. “I will not defile her memory in such a manner,” he protested.

  “And I would never ask you to do so,” Van Helsing assured him. “You must be patient and trust me as I’ve asked. When you see her, she will appear to be alive as you remembered her, but I assure you she will have been changed into something quite different. Do not be deceived by appearances.”

  “If she appears alive, then surely she must be so,” Stoker said.

  “We went to check on her last evening,” Seward confessed. “We saw her outside of her tomb, and she was certainly not herself.”

  “You saw her?” Stoker asked.

  “That is quite impossible,” Arthur said.

  “In order to lay Lucy’s soul to rest, we must kill the creature she has become,” Van Helsing said.

  “You cannot kill what is dead,” Arthur said.

  “We can stab her through the heart to be assured of this.”

  “I forbid it,” Arthur spat. “I will not allow this gratuitous desecration of her body or memory. I would declare you insane at this moment if my friend were not a physician who specializes in such illnesses.”

  “Had I not seen what I have seen, Arthur,” Seward said gently, “I would most heartily agree. But the facts are out there, confusing though they may be.”

  “I must entreat you to go with me on this,” Van Helsing said to Arthur. “Be certain of my assertions by my witness and the words of a friend. I like this no more than you, I promise, and I wish more than anything that we did not have to do it, but it is our responsibility as witnesses and men to protect this land and those we love who still live. I do not go into this lightly, and I appreciate that you will not as well. I am certain, however, that once you have seen what we have seen, you will understand.”

  Arthur still appeared quite angry, but his face softened just enough for him to say, “I do not understand, but I will go along.”

  “I would ask no more of you at this time,” Van Helsing said with a smile.

  The four of them left the hotel and mounted a cab which Van Helsing had hired at that hour to travel to Highgate Cemetery. The night was quiet and the majority of London had already retired to bed by that hour, so the soft clip-clop of the horse’s hooves echoed loudly off the walls of the buildings around them along with the low rumble of the cab’s wheels.

  Before long, the driver pulled the cab to a stop near the cemetery, and Van Helsing dismissed him. The cab trotted away into the darkness as the four men approached the gate of the darkened graveyard. Both Van Helsing and Seward lit the lanterns that they had brought.

  “Gentlemen,” Van Helsing said as he approached the gate, “please stay close to me, and should you see anything, do not cry out, but point it out to the rest of us.”

  Van Helsing led the short line across the grass between the tombstones of varying ages. The Westenra mausoleum rested near the center of the grounds, and as they approached, he could see the door was slightly ajar, and the garlic was gone. They walked up the short steps to the door, and Van Helsing pushed it open. Always in a fine state of repair, the door opened smoothly without a sound.

  Van Helsing led the small band to Lucy’s coffin. Once there, they found that its lid was already open, and it was empty.

  “John, confirm for me that when we were here yesterday, her body rested within,” Van Helsing whispered.

  “I can confirm it,” Seward said.

  “Is this your doing then?” Stoker asked angrily.

  “I swear to you all that I neither moved nor touched her,” V
an Helsing assured them. “Yesterday, we found her here, and I placed garlic on the door to trap her in this place. I can confirm that she was in here last night.”

  “Yet tonight, we come in here together, and she is gone,” Arthur said suspiciously.

  “That is the case,” Van Helsing nodded. “Hold on to your disbelief, Mr. Holmwood, for it will be dispelled this night. We will wait outside.”

  Van Helsing led them all back outside and closed the door behind them. They walked a short distance from the tomb and knelt behind some tombstones and watched for movement. Arthur remained skeptical, while Stoker just looked curious. Seward was the only one worried for he knew as well as Van Helsing that Lucy was out there somewhere, possibly finding another child to bring back with her. It was only a matter of time until she returned, and while Van Helsing wanted to know who it was that changed her, he hoped she would be alone tonight.

  It was not long before she appeared as a figure dressed in white walking gracefully across the cemetery. Van Helsing was amazed at her beauty and poise, and he wondered if she were truly a Mutation. He gestured to the others to look, and it was all they could do to prevent Arthur from running to her.

  Van Helsing gestured for them to follow him to approach her slowly. As they drew close, they could see she was carrying a child, which meant they had to be deliberate in this. They could also hear her singing softly to it something like a nursery rhyme. Had Van Helsing not been familiar with her kind, he would have thought her an angel.

  Arthur could hold himself back no longer, and he called out, “Lucy!”

  She stopped walking and singing as her eyes shot over to look at them. In an instant, she placed the child on the ground and hunched over it, protectively, like an animal – like a Mutation. It was her prey, and she was showing that she was not interested in sharing it. The men stopped in a line a short distance from her, and she looked over each one.

  Her eyes locked onto Arthur, and her expression softened. She cocked her head like a curious retriever and stood erect like a regular person. Her voice spoke his name like velvet, “Arthur.”

  Arthur could not resist his lover, and he instinctively took a step toward her. She smiled and spoke again, “Arthur, my love. Come to me.”

  “Arthur, don’t do it,” Van Helsing warned, but such words could not reach a man who had found his late love was alive and calling to him.

  However, once he got closer to her, Van Helsing saw her stance change as she prepared to jump on him. As she lunged for him, Van Helsing stepped between them and knocked Lucy back onto the ground, narrowly missing the frightened child. She immediately jumped back to her feet and leapt toward the sudden interloper, but as she reached him, she stopped with a confused look on her face. She sniffed of him and having done so, stepped away from him.

  In what felt like the blink of an eye, she turned from the group and ran into the tomb, slamming the door behind her.

  “What happened?” Seward asked. “What was that?”

  “That was Lucy!” Arthur said.

  “It looks like Lucy,” Van Helsing said, “but did you see how she acted.”

  “It certainly wasn’t normal,” Stoker agreed.

  “But she knew me,” Arthur insisted.

  “Her memories are in there,” Van Helsing explained, “but that doesn’t mean she is the woman you wanted to marry.”

  “She tried to attack you,” Seward said to Arthur before turning to Van Helsing, “but you intervened. It was actually quite amazing.”

  “There is no time for congratulations now,” Van Helsing said. “We must deal with her.”

  “How can I?” Arthur asked. “It was her.”

  “You must,” Van Helsing said. “If ever there were a time that you must stand up and make the hard decisions, this is it. Don’t look at her appearance. Focus on her actions, and you will not see your fiancée there.”

  While Van Helsing spoke with Arthur, Stoker checked on the child who was cowering on the ground near them. He confirmed that the boy was unharmed and untouched. He urged the lad to remain where he was, and that they would return momentarily to take him home.

  With everyone ready, they approached the closed door to the tomb.

  “Mr. Stoker,” Van Helsing said, “when we are all inside, close the door behind us, and do your best to make sure she doesn’t escape.”

  “I will,” Stoker replied.

  With that, they ran into the tomb, and Stoker closed the door behind them. Van Helsing shone the light around the room and it landed on Lucy huddled in a corner. She hissed at them like an animal and shrank further into her corner. Van Helsing, Seward, and Holmwood approached her slowly, but once they were close enough, she sprang out of her corner and pounced on Arthur.

  He struggled against her, but she was too strong for him. He cried out for help as she bit into his neck. Seward tried to pull her off, but with a single swing of her arm, she threw him across the room. He struggled back to his feet, gasping.

  Van Helsing ran up behind her and lifted her off of Arthur. She struggled as he tossed her against another mausoleum wall. She landed against the wall and scrambled up the sheer face and across the ceiling. The men stood in awe, powerless to stop her as she closed in on Stoker.

  Van Helsing sprang across the room as she approached the door and no sooner had she landed on Stoker than Van Helsing grabbed her once again and threw her across the floor. He ran after her and quickly pinned her shoulders to the floor as she struggled.

  “Hold her ankles!” Van Helsing called out, and Stoker and Seward ran in to keep her pinned. Arthur pinned another of her arms, and it took all four of them to keep her on the ground. Van Helsing pulled a dagger from his belt.

  “Let me do it,” Arthur said upon seeing the dagger.

  “Are you sure?” Van Helsing asked, taken aback by the sudden request.

  “I feel to keep my honor, I must be the one to take the life of whatever this is that has taken my love from me,” Arthur explained. “I don’t want to, but if it is not me, I fear I will hold this against any of you who do it, no matter the reason. For myself, and for my friendship with all of you, give me the knife.”

  “Of course,” Van Helsing said, and he gave the dagger to Arthur. He pinned both of Lucy’s arms to the floor as she continued to struggle, and Arthur centered himself over her heart.

  Suddenly, she relaxed as her gaze focused on Arthur and the knife.

  “My love,” Lucy said softly, “what are you doing?”

  “Please don’t speak to me,” Arthur said, his resolve wavering.

  “Are you going to kill me?” she asked.

  “I am releasing you from your prison,” Arthur said, his voice shaking as he tried to keep his mind on the task at hand. “I am freeing you from the hell in which you found yourself.”

  “If I am to die, would you kiss me one more time?” Lucy asked. “Kiss me as you did the night you proposed to me. Kiss me as you did the night you thought I died. Kiss me as you have always wanted to. Just once more. Please.”

  Arthur’s grip dropped slightly, and she smiled at him. A tear formed in the corner of her eye.

  “Mr. Holmwood, don’t do it,” Van Helsing warned.

  Lucy pulled at Van Helsing’s grip and bared her teeth as she leaned toward Arthur. At seeing this feral face, Arthur found his resolve and drove the dagger through her heart. Lucy collapsed, finally dead. Everyone relaxed, and Arthur rose immediately to his feet. He stared forlornly at the woman who should have been his wife for a moment before he turned and staggered out of the tomb.

  “Mr. Stoker, stay with him,” Van Helsing said. “John, help me with Lucy. Be careful around her blood.”

  Together, they placed her body back in her coffin for the last time and closed the lid. Seward stood for a moment with his hand on the lid. Finally, he looked at Van Helsing.

  “Doctor, is this the best place for her?” Seward asked.

  “She is finally at peace,” Van Helsing said. “T
he best place for her is with her family.”

  They left the mausoleum and closed the door behind them. Arthur sat on the steps with Stoker standing next to him. Arthur’s hands were holding his head, and he was no longer fighting back tears.

  “Tell me what it is we just did,” Arthur demanded in a voice drowned in sorrow. “What was she? That thing looked like Lucy. It sounded like Lucy. It had her memories, but what was it? It wasn’t her.”

  “There are things in this world whose existence is hard to accept and harder to believe,” Van Helsing explained. “They are all wrapped up in lore and legend, and yet, there is always a grain of truth behind every one. Sometimes, legends are entirely true, sometimes they’re not, and other times, they are simply distorted. What we faced felt something like the legend of the vampire, but it was not so hard to kill. No wooden stakes. No beheading. Yet, we could still use garlic, and it was still fast and strong.”

  “Was it alive?” Arthur asked, and Van Helsing hesitated. He was not sure how to answer this distraught man. “Well? Was she alive?”

  “She had life, yes,” Van Helsing explained. “She moved. She breathed. Her heart pumped blood, but it was not the life she had. This change damages the mind and gives the victim an insatiable bloodlust. The thing was no longer your Lucy. Not the one you loved.

  “Listen, I’ve been where you are. I know what it’s like to watch someone you love become one of those things, and I know as you know now what it is like to have to kill them.”

  “You’ve fought them before, then?” Seward asked. “Directly?”

  Van Helsing nodded sadly. “Our work here is done,” he said. “Lucy has taken her place among the angels, but what we must remember here is that although this task is done, there is another who is greater than our Lucy that started this. It is our duty to deal with him as well. We will meet again in two days time, during which I will learn what I can in an attempt to track him down.”

  They looked around for the child that Lucy had brought into the graveyard, but he had run off while they were in the mausoleum. They could only hope he found his way home safely. They found a cab and after they had parted company with Arthur and Stoker, Van Helsing pulled a telegram out of his pocket and handed it to Seward.