[It was a few days to Christmas and everyone including MARIA and ELIZABETH were preparing for the festive season.]
MARIA: [smiling] I still can't believe that Christmas is approaching at breakneck speed.
ELIZABETH: Yes it's sort of weird, right.
MARIA: Hope this year's gonna be better than last year's.
ELIZABETH: [confused] What happened last year?
MARIA: Wow you've forgotten so soon. Nevertheless what happened last year was that you lost your kid brother on Christmas.
ELIZABETH: I totally forgot all 'bout my brother which could be 'cos of all these college work constantly being piled up.
MARIA: It's quite a spectacle that you were able to forget about the death of your brother and moved on.
ELIZABETH: [smiling] I owe that to the fact that I met you, MARIA.
MARIA: That's interesting to hear and I have some good news.
ELIZABETH: [stares at her hard] What good news?
MARIA: Well since this is gonna be our first Christmas while in college, my parents are booking us a reservation at a five star hotel upstate.
ELIZABETH: I guess it's good news after all.
MARIA: ELIZABETH what's wrong, you seem off today?
ELIZABETH: I dunno but I guess it's 'cos today seems bright.
MARIA: Seems to me too.
ELIZABETH: Do you believe in vampires?
MARIA: Certainly not since according to science they don't exist but are just a mere figment of a fictitious believer's brain.
ELIZABETH: What if I told you they exist?
MARIA: All what I would need is evidence to back your claim to believe.
ELIZABETH: Before I show you evidence, let me tell you a story first.
MARIA: Sure.
ELIZABETH: During the black era .i.e. the era in which no history was recorded, a demon from hell had come to earth to dwell among humans. This demon happened to have the lowest rank in the demonic realm and he decided to come to earth to wreak havoc in order for his rank to increase. It's this demon who created the father of vampires, Dracula…
MARIA: [interrupts] Wait a sec; didn't you mention no history was taken back then so why are you telling me this tall tale?
ELIZABETH: That's quite simple since the information was passed on from generation to generation. Permit me to finish without interrupting me 'cos this information would be of interest to you.
MARIA: [raise hands in defeat] I give up.
ELIZABETH: Dracula was a black not white as others would say and that's 'cos according to the demon blacks are considered powerhouses. This said Dracula was ordered by the demon to turn people into blood sucking beings in exchange for power, immortality and beauty. After some generations have passed, Dracula was able to create two types of vampires. One is the white ones he got from his white wife and the other from his black wife. The black vampires were the strongest of all while the white vampires were the wisest. These black vampires were having the ability to shape shift into anyone by creating an illusion while the white vampires had the ability of fast regenerative process. Chaos broke out in the vampire kingdom which was 'cos the black vampires became jealous of the white since they felt Dracula was taken a liken to the white than his own colour.
MARIA: So what happened after the chaos broke loose?
ELIZABETH: The fight resulted in the deaths of many vampires and Dracula had to banish his elder black son, Cornelius with the entire black vampires since he began the fight with Augusta the second born who's a white vampire. After the black race was banished they came to be known in the vampires' history as 'escrocs' .i.e. shape shifting vampires.
MARIA: [puzzled] But I don't get why you're telling me this story?
ELIZABETH: Do you remember what happened on the 14th of May, 2012 when you were twelve?
MARIA: Of course that was the day you got shot in the chest by a runaway inmate and everyone thought you wouldn't make it.
ELIZABETH: Well actually I didn't make it or rather she didn't. [saying this, her face changes to an unfamiliar black beauty's face.]
MARIA: [horrified] For Pete's sake who the f**k are you and what have you done to my friend?
ROSE: [laughs] The name's ROSE and as of your friend she died in the hospital on the day she was shot.
MARIA: So that means, someone please help me!![screams]
ROSE: [moves in a flash and covers her mouth with her hand] Don't even try or else will rip your throat into two.
MARIA: [makes pleading signs] I promise I won't but why did you choose me?
ROSE: Let's just say you're a key to a plan which would help to obliterate an entire race.
MARIA: [sobs] It can't be, ELIZABETH is not dead you're just trying to manipulate me to do your bidding.
ROSE: [frustrated] Why are non-vampires such a d**k heads? No one can survive a bullet in the heart. Anyway quit your bickering and let phase two commence.
MARIA: What's phase two? [clueless]
ROSE: You will soon find out. now follow me quietly any whiff of foul play your throat gets slit.[ROSE leads the way as MARIA follows like a lamb following its master as they exit from the room.]
***
[Meanwhile ANDRE is in the woods drinking the blood of a dead rabbit and fails to notice the presence of two men who had been following him for quite a long time.]
POLICE CONSTABLE 2: [points his gun at the back of ANDRE'S head] Lift your hands in the air so I can see it well.
ANDRE: Officer you're making quite a mistake here, I'm not your murderer.
POLICE CONSTABLE 2: Rubbish then how will you explain this? [motions to JASON to inject the syringe containing the vervain into ANDRE.]
ANDRE: [screams in agony] please make it stop. What the hell is that?
JASON: That's an extracted fluid from vervain.
ANDRE: [exclaims] Vervain!!
POLICE CONSTABLE 2: Yes vervain, now let's go to the station I've got questions for you.
ANDRE: As I mentioned earlier, you've got the wrong person. [His phone rings, he picks the call and puts it on speaker as instructed by PC2.] Ump, hello MARIA.
CALLER: Listen carefully if you want to have your girlfriend back, come to the Catholic Church downtown at midnight.
ANDRE: I want to speak to MARIA, put her on.
CALLER: [faint sobs are heard] ANDRE please don't come.
ANDRE: MARIA hang in there, I'm coming for you.
CALLER: Now listen carefully, you have to come alone or she dies. [hangs up]
ANDRE: Hello. Officer since you heard everything can you permit me to go and if I don't come back you have every right kill me.
POLICE CONSTABLE 2: You can go but reinforcements will be there for protection.
[They both went separate ways but with the same objective, to prepare for midnight.]