CHAPTER 5

Edvard Munch "VAMPIRE"


Back at the apartment in Philadelphia, Sean opened a bottle of Martell cognac and poured two measures, handing one to van Helsing. Sean lit a cigarette and shook his head. “Bram, this is really confusing. According to your debriefing of Alucard, he was quite sure that Mondrian had transformed only the one person to vampire while in Scotland. Do you think he could have been wrong?”

“I don`t believe so, Sean. Any vampire transformed by Mondrian would have had some of Alucard`s essence. It would have been impossible for such a vampire to hide from him. And yet, the evidence strongly suggests that an active vampire has made its way from the moors of Scotland to Paris over the past four years.”

Sean sipped his cognac and questioned, “That`s the other confusing thing, Bram. If this vampire wanted to go to Paris, why did it take him four years to get there? There was no need to cover his tracks! No one, including Alucard, had any idea of its existence. Why go to all that trouble?”

The Doctor smiled, “You have asked the critical question Sean. But suppose there was a vampire, almost as powerful as Alucard, one who had spent hundreds of years with him. And suppose that vampire was aware of how Alucard had escaped from my grandfather a hundred years ago. If you remember Bram Stoker`s account of that adventure, my grandfather was sure that he had vanquished Dracula, yet he escaped as mist, leaving that broken body behind.”

Van Helsing leaned over to pour each of them a second cognac and paused to light a cigarette. “Further, suppose that this vampire had lured Alucard to Scotland with the intent of killing him, never realizing that Alucard would not be thrown off guard; that there was never a real chance to defeat him. And yet, if this vampire had the strength, the will to confront its maker, perhaps it also had the knowledge and ability to escape as mist, leaving its wolfen body as evidencs of its demise.”

Sean stood, pacing the floor. “Are you suggesting…?”

“Yes, Sean, I believe the evidence suggests that the vampire we are searching for is Mondrian Bluczek, Alucard`s companion and lover for hundreds of years."