CHAPTER LIII

Rachael's mind is blown away by the change in the environment.

She checks her wristwatch to see the time is 10: 53 A.M.

It's still morning but it is dark as the night.

Did Manhattan's Central Park always have something like this?

She knows the answer is a no.

There is no way the weather changed without Dracula being involved.

Especially today.

What is that smell?

Rachael frowns with disgust as a terrible smell invades her nostrils.

Nausea claws at her throat and she feels her belly close up.

"What the fuck is that smell?" Warren asks but Byron ignores him.

They leave the shelter of the trees and find themselves in a wide space.

It stretches to an endless route from left to right and another set of trees at the north of the place.

There is someone up ahead.

Rachael sees someone in a maroon red cloak.

The smell gets worse as they get closer to the cloaked person.

Rachael turns and vomits as she sees dead bodies piled on each other.

She closes her eyes and spits on the floor as the sight shocks her.

The corpses form a wall three feet high, around two large stones.

There is a corpse beside the stones.

The twins and Marcel see the woman in cloak and realize where they are.

"This is it," Gabriel mutters.

Samuel clenches his fist and watches the scene.

Another woman dressed in cloak appears from the other side of the wall of corpses.

Byron stops and the rest of the group spread out.

Dracula's men toss John and Elma at Gabriel's feet.

"You guys couldn't have brought fragrance with you?

This is disgusting," Samuel says.

"Isn't it?" he appears from the dark, dwelling in it like darkness itself.

The Prince of blood appears with a nonchalant face and his captives watch it slowly grow into a devious smile.

"Hello boys. It's good to see you again.

Our paths have crossed more times than we did in the last fifty years," he says.

"Rotten bad luck," Samuel mumbles with anger sparking a light in his dark eyes.

Rachael's heart beats heavily as she sets her eyes on the devil that killed her parents.

His brown eyes turn dark in the cover of the night and his silky hair manage to reflect light from the moon.

How much gel does he need?

Her body shivers and she clenches her fist.

She bites her lower lip as fear stalks her.

No, this isn't why I am here. I can't be scared anymore.

She raises her head and looks at the monster in human image.

Evil and death masqueraded in the flesh of a human mask.

Gabriel's heart pounds with fury and rage as he sets his eyes on his father.

The man who has hunted him for all his life.

Even heaven did not persecute him like this man, Count Dracula.

"Rejoice, your bad luck ends today," Dracula says with a smile.

"What? Are you going to die today?

Because that would be the best news I have heard in the last 400 years,".

Samuel says as he struggles to put on a smile and repress his anger and hate.

Dracula turns his attention to Rachael.

The offspring of the thief that stole his dagger.

It doesn't really matter to him but he can feel the weakness she puts in his sons.

The same weakness he is fighting for; love.

He rolls his eyes as he empties the thought of the feelings his children have.

The only thought on his mind is the face of his golden haired queen, Justina Szilagyi Tepesh.

"Today, you will fulfill your destiny and pay me in blood" his tone changes into a deep and dark one.

"Your girlfriend will die last so she can bathe in fear and despair before I devour her," Dracula says.

His eyes catch the immortal that used to live in his dungeon.

"Marcel Guillaume, you should have remained in that dungeon" he chuckles.

"I will put a call through to the Lantern, let them know we have the boys.

But man, this is sick. I didn't know anything about a bloody ritual,".

Warren says and in a blink of an eye the Count appears before him.

He jerks him and drops him hard against the ground.

The detective groans as the immortal stares down at him with glowing blue eyes.

"Your phone, now" Dracula commands and the detective struggles to be as fast as possible in obeying the immortal.

Dracula crushes his cell phone, "If you want to live, shut up and observe.

I will decide what to do with you later,".

John and Elma stand up with shaky legs, "Is that your father? He is handsome," Elma mutters in her dizzy wake.

"You cannot perform the ritual, there is no eclipse," Marcel says,

"That is why we are here," one of the women in cloak says.

"And who are you supposed to be?" John asks.

"They are satanic witches," Gabriel answers.

"They practice the darkest of magic, they embrace the powers of hell that eats their own soul," the sphinx adds.

"They are crazy witches," Samuel comments.

"You killed this people, why? You are a monster," Rachael gradually regains her confidence.

Dracula laughs; "So what if I killed them?

They should be happy to have died for my course," he says.

"Witches, begin the eclipse spell. Let it begin," Dracula commands and the witches begin to chant incantations.

They start to walk around the wall of corpses as they chant their spell.

"We are coming behind you," Lucas says over the earpiece, "Alright, but we are going in?" Elena responds.

Elena and Mary enter the little paradise of tall trees.

She uses binoculars and sees an armed group of men attack Elma and John.

She watches as they snap Elma's neck and electrify John with a taser.

"We've got hostiles up ahead," she says.

"How many?" Kate asks, pressing one finger to her ear.

"A lot. They are armed, I think they are vampires."

"Where is Rachael?" Marcus asks.

"I can't see her, but I will keep tracking them," she says.

Elena and Mary notices as the environment gets darker the deeper they go in and the few surrounding tall trees begin look like a forest.

"There is magic here, very strong magic," Mary says.

She senses the energy of a powerful spell here.

Little twigs break under their feet as they walk cautiously.

"The weather changes the deeper we go," Elena says into the earpiece and she hears a scrambled sound over the earpiece.

"Hello, anybody?" she struggles with the connection but receives no response.

"This spell is like a portal to another realm.

It feels very strange and carries dark energies," Mary says with admiration for the magic work done.

"I hope you are ready, shit is about to get serious," Elena removes a gun from the holster in her brown jacket.

She removes a silver dagger and offers it to Mary but she refuses.

"I prefer to test myself against the odds," she says, "Suit yourself," Elena responds with a shrug.

"Elena, Elena," Marcus shouts over a microphone in the bus.

There is no response from her and he rolls his rosary around his hand.

"Marcus, I'm going in," Kate says.

"Everyone move before we lose them," Marcus orders.

Their forces in the park begin to move towards the tall trees, concealing their weapons the best they can.

Warren Peace stands a few feet away from Byron and far from the twins.

The night brightens as a full moon comes to display.

It's light shines against the altar and brings the dead bodies into full view.

It is horrifying.

Byron howls loudly and the detective jumps in fear from this sudden action.

"What is wrong with you?" he complains.

They begin to hear wolf howls from the other end of the forest, "The Trackers," the twins chorus.

"You have a full moon.

You need an eclipse numbskull and I'm sure that won't be happening anytime soon," Gabriel says.

Dracula scoffs at his son's comment and points to the sky.

Gabriel is in shock as he sees another moon.

A red moon appears and begins to creep over the moon.

"The energies that passes through them is the same energy that flows from the sun to the moon.

A substitute at least," Samuel explains.

Warren receives a brief call.

"Hey, hunters are coming. I knew they had a plan," the detective warns the Count.

"I expected them to, but no worries.

They won't reach us," Dracula says and claps his hands together.

They hear strange sounds from the sky. The sounds gradually grow louder as crows appear from the dark sky.

Three minivans drive towards the tall trees.

The minivan park and men in combat apparatus begin to come out of the cars.

Kate and Lucas enter the little forest and Kate uses binoculars to locate Elena ahead of her.

"Stop," Mary says to the hunter.

"Can you feel that?" "What?" Elena asks.

They begin to hear sounds of flapping wings, "Get down!" Mary shouts and the two women dive to the ground as a hoard of crows fly out of the dark.

The crows tear through leaves and branches as they take aggressive flight through the air.

Kate and Lucas lie down as the crows come towards them.

"What the fuck is going on?" Elena screams under the sounds of their wings.

"I think someone is trying to stop us from going forward," Mary shouts back.

Elena grits her teeth and begins to crawl towards her destination.

"Where are you going?" Mary asks, "To finish it," Elena says.

Because of her mistake she is seen as the weak one in the family.

They no longer take her seriously but if she performs well on this mission and save Rachael, she will redeem herself.

The world of the supernatural keeps shocking Rachael in different ways.

She stares at the sky and marvel at the accursed beauty of the two moons becoming one and enveloping them in darkness.

Gold eyes begin to shine at the other end of the land.

And the eyes begin to come closer towards the altar.

The sphinxes can immediately tell that more werewolves are joining them.

Fire appears around the wall of corpses and illuminates the scene.

They see a dozen werewolves around the altar and two men covered in medieval armor and metal mask.

The men carry a mirror with them.

Dracula turns to his children with a smile, "Children, it is time".