Ethan (through gritted teeth): "I watched you die. You should be in the graveyard... feeding the termites."
A stunned hush fell over the room. Lisa gasped. Even the fire in the hearth seemed to flicker with unease.
Renfield (chuckling): "Children of Dracula... still dramatic as ever."
Alek remained still, hands behind his back, eyes locked on Renfield like he was studying a painting—cold, analytical.
Alek (flatly): "How are you still alive?"
Renfield: "You killed me, remember? But your euthanasia failed. I didn't die."
Ethan (snapping): "You were dead! We disposed of you!"
Renfield (sitting, casual): "Technically true. But your dear Alek did me a favor. His blade awakened something... ancient. My druidic blood."
Ethan: "You're a druid?"
The room tensed. Even the shadows felt heavier.
Renfield: "Surprised? Druids live as long as vampires. Sometimes longer, depending on which gods they whisper to."
Alek (calm as stone): "Why are you here, Renfield?"
Renfield (grinning): "My, my... Alek. Still ice in your veins. Still killing like it's your only language."
Alek (deadpan): "Speak or leave. A walking corpse in 1999 better have something worthwhile to say."
Renfield (smiling wider): "I just came to say hi... to my favorite dysfunctional family. Miss me?"
Alek: "I would advise you to spend your newly found life better than returning to the place you died."
Renfield (smirking): "I've always found myself enslaved by your cruel charm, Aleksander. You were always the center of interest."
From the telephone hanging at the edge of the living room, a sudden ring broke the tension. Lisa picked up the call and turned to Ethan.
Lisa: "The police station."
---
Year 3111 BC
A flickering torch cast light along the walls of a massive hut, its thatched ceiling groaning under the weight of time. Huddled in corners like frightened beasts, young vampire kin sat in silence. They hadn't yet accepted the thirst—not truly.
The heavy creak of the door announced Renfield. He entered, hunched under the weight of a massive, blood-soaked basket. He dropped it with a thud—fresh crimson leaked between the woven wood. An antelope, still warm.
The children flinched.
Renfield narrowed his eyes at their cowardice.
Renfield: "Zir iadpil lonsa buresaji, zir conis ta vaoan."
("Feed on this animal's blood, or you'll die.")
Silence.
Then one figure stepped forward—Alek, the youngest. His eyes glowed faintly with inherited hunger. He crawled toward the carcass, fangs exposed not with pride, but instinct. As he sank his teeth into the animal's throat, the others followed, lured by the scent and sound of blood.
Renfield didn't move. He just stared, his face twisted with loathing. The children fed like beasts. He, their unwilling shepherd, stood among them in silence.
In his thoughts, ancient rage echoed:
"Zir od drilpi, ol sonf vires, olpianr pa velucah."
("You are all demons, like your father.")
Renfield exited the hut and approached a massive palace. Upon entering, he immediately knelt.
Renfield: "Raass." (Master)
A man in a black robe sat upon a golden throne, rings adorning elegant fingers. Dracula—Count of the Primordial Vampires. Without a sound, he moved—gliding through the air faster than human eyes could track. In an instant, he gripped Renfield's head. Fingers long as claws. Eyes glowing blood-red. A dark smile curled his lips.
Dracula: "Zirdrux elonchi?" ("Did the spawns feed?")
Renfield (trembling): "Zir, Raass." (Yes, Master)
---
Back to Present Day
The Counts entered the New Orleans Police Department. Captain Nolan greeted them with a forced smile. The other officers exchanged uneasy glances. Some silently questioned, "What are aristocrats doing here?"
Nolan (frustrated): "Eleven murders. I'm starting to think this is some kind of ritual."
Alek: "Get me a map."
Nolan (raising an eyebrow): "What are you looking for?"
Alek: "Mark all the murder scenes."
As Nolan marked the spots, Alek's gaze intensified.
Alek: "This forms a right-angled triangle. But it's incomplete."
Ethan (wide-eyed): "You think the killer's sending a message?"
Alek (thoughtful): "Annabelle said there was a pattern. I think she's right."
Nolan (fuming): "This killer's toying with us."
Alek: "It's more than that, Captain. This isn't a typical serial killer."
Ethan: "We've got all we need. We can catch him."
They left the station, choosing to walk. A few blocks down, Alek stopped. Across the street, a little girl was climbing into a waste bin. Dirt clung to her skin. She pulled out a stale piece of bread.
Alek crossed the street.
Alek: "Don't eat that, little girl."
She looked at him, offering the bread.
Alek knelt, eyes glowing faintly.
Alek: "You shouldn't eat from trash bins. It's dangerous."
Girl (scared): "I'm just really hungry... And why were your eyes glowing, mister?"
Alek, shocked, thought: "The compulsion didn't work. She remembered. What is this human girl?"
Alek: "You don't need to eat this."
He took her to a nearby shop.
Alek (to the shopkeeper): "Two loaves of bread."
The woman packed them. Alek paid instantly.
Alek: "Here. Eat this."
Alek: "Where are your parents?"
Girl: "I don't have any."
Alek's expression softened. His siblings watched from the distance.
Alek: "What's your name?"
Girl: "Lila."
Alek: "That's a lovely name. Don't eat from the bin again."
As he turned to leave, Lila called after him.
Lila: "Mister, you didn't tell me your name!"
Alek: "Aleksander."
She bowed.
Lila: "Thank you, Aleksander."
Back with his siblings, Lisa smiled.
Lisa: "What made the great Aleksander help a little human?"
Alek: "I just felt like it."
They returned to the mansion.
---
Elsewhere...
A hooded figure entered a dim room, closing the curtains. Renfield. He picked up a blood-filled bowl, marked his forehead with it, and chanted. His body twisted—eyes turned golden, claws sprouted, and darkness shrouded him.
Renfield (whispering): "Not yet perfect."
He picked up a small diary.
Renfield (reading): "The former City Library."
---
Later, at the Sanctuary
Ethan stood over a map provided by the NOPD. Murder locations circled in red. But something felt... wrong. Each circle bled, as if resisting confinement.
Alek entered silently.
Then Annabelle. Her heels clicked on the stone floor. She pulled an ancient roll of cloth from a shelf and unrolled it beside the map—a faded, stained version of New Orleans.
Ethan noticed a hum. His stomach twisted.
Golden threads formed a web across the cloth.
Annabelle: "Ley lines."
Ethan: "What are ley lines?"
Alek: "Electromagnetic energy currents in the earth."
Annabelle: "Not just energy—ancient current. It feeds the old ones. The ones locked away long ago."
Alek (tracing the maps): "The victims… each was killed at an intersection. Convergence points."
Ethan: "What's at the center?"
Annabelle: "The former City Library. Once a cathedral. Before that, a temple. Built over again and again—to contain it."
Alek (whispering): "The killer isn't just following a pattern. He's feeding the lines. Awakening something ancient."
Annabelle (trembling): "This isn't murder. It's a summoning. And he's almost finished."
Alek: "I know who the killer is."
He walked out and stood before the sanctuary.
Alek: "Alpha of the werewolves... if revenge is truly what you seek, come to me."
Jake, in a distant church, heard the call in his mind.
Jake: "Aleksander."
Alek: "Be my ally, and I will give you the killer."
Jake: "Deal."