He grabbed the edge of the wagon to steady himself and heaved with all he had left in him. The creature flew backward and slammed the wagon driver with such leverage that he fell off his seat through the horse saddle and was smashed beneath the iron wheels of the cart.
Unfortunately, the driver did not let go of the reins until he was under the wheels. The horses were thrown by the bizarre twisting of the reins, and they jerked back and forth at odds with each other. This caused the carriage to rock back and forth. Cornelius held on.
The dark creature was tangled up in the driver's boot, trying to hold on.
"Vampire!" he croaked through his dry mouth, "I will take your soul soon!"
But the rocking increased, and Cornelius knew the carriage was going to flip over at any moment. Nonetheless, he lay immobile when he saw the dark shadow, which smiled at him with a thrill as he shivered from what he saw in its hollow eyes.