Chapter 4: The Missionary

The old man gave Scott the creeps, He locked the door securely and made up his mind to stay awake and keep watch for the night, if not the rest of his nights in Jasmine's mansion. However, his tired body soon gave in and he quickly fell asleep.

It was already midday when he was woken up by a soft rapping on the door. Jasmine had come to fetch him. Scott was allowed to freshen up before being called for his meal in the upper hall of the mansion. Scott's attention was caught by the paintings on the walls. The paintings include images of deformed and loathsome monsters with fangs and claws and on the other side of the wall, the paintings were that of a handsome young man with a flowing red royal mantle.

Jasmine noticed his curiosity and frightened gaze.

"There are just paintings and you do not need to be afraid of it."

"I still don't know why you brought me back to life and I don't know what attacked me in that alley. But I know there has to be a logical explanation behind it."

"And does your logic only dwell in the realm of the natural? I think natural laws operate in the world. You can keep turning a blind eye to the truth, but it will remain unaltered."

"If you know so much about supernatural creatures, why don't you tell me what attacked me and that lady in the alley?"

"Then it will be best if you learn the truth from someone from your side."

Immediately a young girl in her 20s entered the room. She was pretty with Viking-gold hair resting on her shoulder. She had a black leather jacket zipped to the neck and she didn't seem to be dressed for the meal.

"Good timing. I would like to introduce you to Susan Smith. She has had quite a few encounters with the creature which attacked you in the alley." Jasmine shifted her gaze from Susan to Scott and asked sternly, "Could you please describe what you saw in the alley?"

"I can't describe it properly. It was already dark that night."

"And yet you were having a touch light with you that night."

"How did you know that?"

"It doesn't matter. Please, be kind to describe what you saw."

Scott stared at Jasmine in awe. He was certain that Jasmine wasn't lying about bringing him back from the dead. She knew too much about him and what happened on the night he was attacked. Without holding back his words, he started describing what he saw.

"It happened too fast but I am certain I saw a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes. Suddenly the shadowy figure transformed into a muscular man with fangs and claws.

Jasmine motioned towards Susan, "So, tell me, Miss Smith, what do you say? Was it an animal that attacked Deputy Anderson?"

Susan Smith replied promptly and with conviction. "No, it wasn't an animal but a shape-shifter."

"I am certain our new friend here isn't familiar with that term. Would you care to explain it to him?"

Susan looked at Scott and began explaining. "Shape-shifters are supernatural creatures that can easily transform into anyone or anything they want."

"I think that will be all for now. Thank you, Miss Smith." Jasmine instructed her servants to serve the meal and requested Scott and Susan to take their seats at the table.

Scott was spellbound because he had only seen shape-shifters in the movies. It is now clear to him and very possible he will never doubt the existence of supernatural creatures.

As they began to eat, Jasmine turned to face Scott, "Deputy Anderson, I believe I have satiated your curiosity. I brought you back to life because I need your help. I am not just an ordinary lady. I am a vampire and a descendant of Dracula. However, I am not the bad guy here and you have nothing to fear or worry about me. I just want to preserve the balance in these troubled times. And I can't do this alone, that's why I need a helping hand."

Jasmine draws her chair back and gets up to her feet. She slowly paced around the table and continued. "In the past, during the vampire age, my kind and other supernatural creatures plagued the lands and inflicted terrible miseries on the helpless villagers, cities, and countries. And to deal with such blood-sucking creatures like us, vampire hunters were trained. These hunters also learn how to hunt other supernatural creatures. The hunters did a good job and drove my kind away but some desperate creatures never gave up. During that time, we the descendants of Dracula made a law to govern all the vampires. The law states that 'Vampires will no longer hurt people ever again.' When the law was passed, many vampires opposed it and kicked against it. They started siding with the other supernatural creatures to bring Dracula's descendants down and to erase us from history."

Narrowing her gaze on Scott, she whispered in her almost prophetic voice, "And that's where you come in, Deputy Anderson. You will be a weapon that will protect your kind from whatever will come on the other side."

"You want me to become a vampire hunter?"

"Oh yeah, I want you to be a vampire hunter. You must cleanse the weeds of the evil vampires and other supernatural creatures so that you will save your people just as I have saved you. A vampire hunter will get rid of the rogue vampires and bury them in the vampires' coffins. Miss Smith has been on the path for over a year, but I know she could do with some help from a talented young officer from the Sheriff's Department."

Jasmine boldly continued with a gaze at Scott.

"Only the vampire hunter can get this job done, you will cleanse the whole of Texas and other parts of the world from the rogue vampires that are festering on the humans. But first, you must learn the ways of a vampire hunter and train not just your body, but your mind as well!"

After supper, Scott walked back to his room and slammed shut the door. None of these make sense to him. 'This can't be happening to me. Perhaps I'm in a deep sleep and need to wake up from my nightmare.' He paces up and down in the room letting his thoughts have the best of him.

Suddenly there was a sharp creaking sound that came from the wardrobe; his thoughts were disrupted as he swiftly turned. With his eyes fixed on the wardrobe, he asked in a tiny quivering tone. "Is anyone there?"