Part I:
09 August 1974
It's been a long night. Early morning. My chief said I got the call because of my ancestry in the Old Country. I'm also the best damn cop on staff. I don't see what the issue is really, I have some nearby relative in the area, I haven't been through in ten years. I was basically called in because that's the closest any of us had ever gotten.
You can't get to this place by plane. I flew into Bucharest then hopped on a train through the countryside. Plenty of time to read over my mission briefs. Apparently someone over here was scaring the villagers. I can't believe there's still villagers any place in the world. A dozen or so would disappear, then be seen again, all stitched up and green. There was something strange going on here. They called me because I was the best and didn't say no. I should have, if only so I didn't have to spend an indefinite vacation in this shithole land.
Had to take a cab out of Bran after the train and even that wouldn't take me the whole way. I went on foot for about a mile to the Castle. If something went down there wouldn't be back-up and I wouldn't get out of there. Cop's dream.
It didn't take long till I saw the first one. Loping around, green skin, straggly black hair, started staggering towards me but one pop in the head took care of him. I looked closer and sure enough, I knew what I was in for.
Frankensteins.
It wouldn't take them long after they heard the gunshot. Clearly they were behind the recent rash of stranglings in Bran. I had thought their creator had died out a century and a half ago, but these corpses were recently animated. Victor Frankenstein's technology had survived and these things were multiplying themselves.
I ran through the woods. The trees were black and twisted, the grass and ground gnarled and fused under my feet. The moaning grew louder. I burst into a clearing and the groans echoed from all directions. Seas of green hands burst from the trees about to strangle someone. Someone...named Otto Schnelppvort. I readied my .44, prepared to save a single bullet for my own journey.
"Enough!" a voice boomed louder than the constant moans. From the shadows a tall man emerged, the moonlight revealed a face drawn long and covered in scars, his black hair dripping past his brow and soaking the bronzed bolts coming from his neck. Was this the Leader Frankenstein?
"I am the Leader Frankenstein," he boasted. "My name is Henry." He commanded a presence among the other Frankensteins. As he strut around the clearing they bowed their heads and retreated from him. He came close to me. "You intrude on this land where you are not welcome. We however do not wish to lose our army prematurely."
"That's too fucking bad," I said while aiming between his eyes.
"We have more brains, you know. If I'm lucky I might end up with yours at night's end. Is that what you wish?" This Frankenstein was more cultured that most I had met before. I guess that's why the department chose me. They knew what was lurking here. Maybe.
"Come in for a drink, it's cold out here," with that he turned away and his army retreated. The Moon was full and I wouldn't be able to sequester another cab until daylight. As the wolves howled I had no choice but to follow him. The trick tonight I guess is to last until dawn with a brain still in my head.
The Castle was a swarming, living entity. Frankensteins hurried everywhere, as if they were preparing and packing for something big. Henry ushered me through the grand stairway chamber to a smaller dining room. He poured me a glass of very brown water and set some grapes on the table.
"Eat," he said, staring into my eyes. "We are not poisoners. We do not have the fine knowledge of chemistry to do so." This was definitely true, these grapes were safe. I hadn't had anything since the cream cheese on the train so I dug in.
"What do you want with me? My brain?" I asked him.
"Eventually," he said. "But I'm also curious about what an American so armed is doing way out here."
"You're not used to this kind of firepower? The villagers of Bran have no guns to defend against Frankensteins?"
"Guns we can deal with. We are in the body part replacement business. Guns we do not fear. You see, you are armed insufficiently. What are you doing out here with only that revolver to defend yourself? Are the bullets even silver?"
"I dunno. What should I have brung?"
"We have only one irrational fear, but I would not be a good bargainer if I told you, would I?" Just then a lightbulb fell on to the stone floor causing a small spark and fire. A nearby Frankenstein jumped and screamed, running out of the room.
"Oh great, Jerry, really subtle!" Henry groaned. "It's fire. We're fucking scared of fire, alright. Damn."
"What are you preparing for?" I asked.
"There's a war coming." Henry paused. "We needed numbers fast. I hated to sacrifice the Bran Villagers but it became necessary as the crypts around here proved insufficient."
"War with who?"
"Our oldest enemy. A Rivalry that has gone on for centuries. Our most feared opponent. The Mummies." I stared at him with mouth agape. "After all, this is the Lowcountry."
End of Part I
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