The Unholy Night

Chapter XI

"You have to understand that the one I kill is me, changing what I was for what you wanted me to be, I followed your direction, did everything you asked, I hope that makes you happy, cuz there's just no turning back"

- If I Killed Someone For You by Alec Benjamin  

I woke up this time to a stinging wet towel being whipped across my face, and that certainly put me on the attack. Being drugged and then being slapped with a wet towel doesn't put you in a good mood, that's for sure. "Ce dracu!" I shouted. That would be Romanian for "what the hell," or "what the fuck."

I saw the face of Dr. Seward standing over me, and was suddenly very pleased that I'd sworn in Romanian instead of English. "Get up, you useless girls!" he squawked.

"Ei bine, dracu 'și tu," I muttered. Addy was coming around across the room and she smirked. 

The maids were all crying, and I doubt Seward was making it any better. "One life lost is enough, and if you don't do exactly what I say, we'll have lost Miss Lucy too."

They went off to go procure hot water for Lucy's bath. Bess, Addy, and I ended up being responsible for carrying her to her bath. 

I noticed the fang marks on her neck were ripped and torn. They didn't look healthy. Dracula had definitely gotten in last night. 

Lucy was still unconcious, and we were all half-crying. On my part, it was mostly from stress. 

Three maids and the three of us were all crammed into a bathroom, scrubbing at Lucy's limbs. 

Later, there came a knock at the door and one of the maids ran out to get it. She came back with the information that there was a man there with a message from Arthur. Seward told her that it could wait. 

Van Helsing helped too, in an anxious, feverish way. I had a sort of fractured view of how he might be a good doctor, and perhaps a good person, although the latter seemed a bit out of reach (and I now realize was certainly out of reach). He did what he could, what he thought was best for everyone. His perception was usually off, and he was insufferable and rude and misogynistic, but there was a very small part of him that cared. 

All of the people in my home at the moment are currently very mad at me for saying this but it's my book and it's my damn opinion. 

It was a war against vampirism we were waging over Lucy, or perhaps on Lucy - I couldn't tell the difference at that point. It was a fight to the death, I knew that much. 

Or perhaps I've misinterpreted and it was simply that we were trying to keep her from dying. Both options seem likely. 

The heat did have some effect. When examined with a stethoscope, Lucy's heartbeat was a little stronger, and her chest heaved. She was still fighting for breath. 

Once again, we were responsible for carrying Lucy from one room to another. We laid her in a bed that had been prepared in another room. There, Van Helsing tied a silk handkerchief around her throat, likely as a bandage for the bite on her neck. He then forced a few drops of brandy down her throat.

Addy, remarkably, didn't protest either of these practices, which led us to believe they couldn't make anything worse. She'd managed to locate a great many medical journals in the past few days, and she was attempting to read through all of them as fast as possible. 

"You three must stay here while we consult what is to be done," Van Helsing instructed as he and Seward stepped out into the hallway.

Naturally, as soon as the door clicked shut, all three of us were at the door. I was the quickest and managed to snag the keyhole. The other two had to listen and watch from the crack in the door.