Reborn

Chapter 5 - My Zing Part II

Ericka feels as though her feet are made of stone as she drags herself to trail along behind her great-grandfather up the staircase of the DJ clamshell to kick the DJ out and take his place. Her great-grandfather doesn't seem to mind, however. He is as excited as she has ever really seen him in her entire life. The man is humming, toting the instrument of destruction as though it were a trophy or prized possession. The party in the background is loud and distracting, though she doesn't dare peek out to see it as they climb up the stairs.

Finally, her great-grandfather cuts the music and announces himself to everyone in the grandiose manner that he had always said he would.

"I know you recognize me, your greatest rival!" he called down to Dracula.

When the count still didn't recognize him, he made it known. "It is I, Abraham Van Helsing!"

"Van Helsing?" Drac questioned as the elderly monster-hunter nodded vigorously.

"This here will shut you up... and all monsters!" He held up the instrument of destruction for the monsters to see.

Dracula was still confused. "That's just Ericka's family heirloom thingy," he claimed.

But Van Helsing chuckled and looked toward her, and she knew it was the time to take her place by his side. It was shameful to see the look of hurt, shock, and betrayal on Drac's face as she explained her connection to the monster hunter, and even more shameful when her great-grandfather began playing the evil musical tone that was wrapped up in an old paper from inside the instrument of destruction. Like clockwork, the hypnotized Kraken arose from the depths of the Atlantian sea, imposing and rather scary, and began releasing mayhem among the monsters. It confined them to the dance arena they were in, by using his great tentacles to cut off the bridge as a means of escape. It next swiped at the creatures, sending them screaming, fleeing from the chaos that had transpired. Ericka could only watch in shock at how little remorse her great-grandfather showed. His expression was one of delight, and did nothing to hide the fact that he was thoroughly enjoying what was happening.

As the Count witnessed the destruction around him, he flew toward the Kraken with determination. But Van Helsing saw this, and commandeered the tentacled beast to capture the vampire in its grip. He laughed as he saw Drac struggle.

"And now, it's time for the immortal Count Dracula to die!"

Die?

Ericka knew it was part of the plan. She knew her whole life that in some way or another it would come down to this - that Count Dracula would be helpless under the Van Helsings and finally be rid of once and for all. But now, she could only watch in horror as the Kraken's tentacles wrapped themselves further and further around him, hiding him from her view, squeezing the life out of him. Never to see him again, to hear his voice, to tell him what she wanted him to hear before he met his doom. Unable to take it anymore, Ericka took action.

"NO!" she cried, and, leaping out of the DJ clamshell ran forth to try and stop this madness.

Her great-grandfather stared after her in surprise. "Ericka!"

She did not listen. She pressed forth, launching herself toward the Kraken and giving it a good kick to the eye. The monster flinched in agony and dropped the unconscious vampire from its grip, and he fell downward. Ericka quickly caught up and grabbed him by the arm before he fell into the ocean below, barely clinging onto a broken portion of the dance arena.

"You can't do this! You're wrong about monsters!"

Van Helsing couldn't believe his ears. "What?!"

Ericka's eyes welled with tears as she addressed Drac, if he could even hear her. "I'm so sorry. I was trying to kill you, but then I realized how wrong this is. How wrong all of this is..." She paused, swallowing hard as she admitted the next thing.

"And then... I zinged."

Dracula's eyes immediately flew open.

"Zing?" Van Helsing asked confused. "What's a zing?"

"It's a monster thing," Ericka responded. "You wouldn't understand."

"It's like true love..." Dracula added with a dreamy sigh.

Van Helsing retaliated strongly against this. Using the Kraken he sent it flying in their direction, though Dracula was able to sweep Ericka into his arms and levitate back upwards.

"It's time to start a new legacy," she announced.

"A monster-human legacy," Drac breathed as he leaned against her.

***

It was an incredible night to remember when all was said and done. Ericka found the story nearly impossible herself when she thought it over. Dracula and his son-in-law, Johnny, had teamed together in an attempt to defeat the Kraken's hypnotic music with some of his own positive music. The songs used continued to keep getting defeated, but finally they had landed on a jam that not even the Kraken could resist - The Macarena. Ericka remembered the song from her youth, and happily danced along to it with all of the other monsters. Her great-grandfather had nearly fallen to his death after falling off of the DJ clamshell, but Dracula - her Dracula - swooped down and saved him.

He seemed to be very regretful, and looked to be very sorry for what he'd done. She could recall the conversation perfectly after that.

"Why would you, after everything, save me?"

"Because," Drac replied, "basically we are all the same. Claws or hands, two eyes or three eyes - "

"Green skin!" a witch added.

"No skin!" said a skeleton.

A fish man shouted, "Gills!"

Another said, "Prickly."

Van Helsing seemed to shrink on the spot. "I'm sorry..." he said meekly. "I feel kind of silly that for decades I've hunted your kind and persecuted you. The best I can do is..." He paused for a moment thinking. "Give you all a thirty percent refund."

Van Helsing thought this was the right thing at first, but the monsters disagreed.

"All right, full refunds for everyone!" he declared.

The monsters cheered, and Ericka turned to Drac with a smitten smile. "You are amazing."

Dracula smiled back and then shyly asked, "Do you mind if we, eh, try that kiss again?"

Ericka blushed and nodded, closing her eyes and leaning in to gently press her lips against his.

Ericka sighed as she remembered that kiss. It was right and perfect, her arms wrapping around his neck and his around her waist. It was the power of the zing in full effect, and she was eager to see what the remainder of the trip back had in store for her and Drac.