Monday, September 26, 2016

Series 5/Chapter 9: BIRTH OF A LEGEND


The night sky burned with the fluid cool of calm. The milky white moon shined and beamed from it's perch in the center of the stars radiating a glow that covered the entire town of Collinsport, Maine. The serenity of this celestial dance was the complete opposite of what was happening down on earth on the Collinwood land. A woman was giving birth, a man goes missing, and the Collins family adds a branch to it's every growing family tree.


Up in her room Kat was writhing in labor pains. She grasped at her swollen stomach hoping for relief but it was no where in sight. She lay on her bed awaiting Alexandra who rushed down stairs to search for Sebastian who was supposed to be bringing the car around to take Kat to the hospital.

"Oh god please, please, please let this be false labor." Kat said to herself, her face buried in the soft folds of her duvet cover.

Alexandra bounded down the main staircase and saw that the front door was  left wide open. She stepped onto the front step and looked out onto the circular front drive, a shiver ran up her spine.  Sitting there, abandoned in the mist, was Sebastian's car still running with the passenger side door open awaiting Kat.  The headlights blaring into the bushes off the side of the house.

But Sebastian was no where to be found.

"Alex? What is it?" Carolyn asked from the top of the stairs on her crutches.

"It's Kat. She's gone into labor. Sebastian was supposed to take her to the hospital but ...I can't find him. His car is just sitting out there." Alexandra said rushing back up the stairs to her mother.

As Alex reached her mother at the top step a terrible scream came from Kat's room like a wild wind circling them. They both turned their heads down the hall and ran to Kat as fast as they could.

They opened the bedroom door to see the baby was not going to wait any longer. It was time.

"Help me please!" Kat cried.

"Alexandra, go and get some clean towels and get Kimberly. We'll need her up here." Carolyn ordered as she grabbed on to Kat's trembling hand. "You're going to be fine. It's going to be ok. Just breath slowly and calmly and everything will be ok."  Carolyn added as she comforted the mother to be.

Within minutes Alexandra had returned with Kimberly for what seemed like hours to Kat who was in the throws of labor.

Kimberly's medical instincts were in full effect and she quickly washed her hands and carefully knelt down to examine Kat.

"Oh my...ready or not Kat, you're about to be a mother." the doctor said with a smile.

"Is everything ok?" Carolyn asked as she sat bedside with Kat's hand tightly wound in hers.

"Everything looks fine, but even if we drove now to town and got her to the hospital we wouldn't make it. She'd likely give birth on the way. Alex I'll need you to help." Kim said organizing the birth.

"Is everything ok?" David asked too peeking in the door way.

"She's ok. We're about to be grandparents." Kim said as she walked over and flashed a smile at her ex-husband David.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked again, careful not to look into the room.

"There is one thing," Kim said after a brief moment to think. She stepped out side of the bedroom for a quick private moment with David before the baby came. "Alex found my notes for the serum to cure Chris. I have some of the vials already created and placed in darts downstairs but Alex said he's already transitioned. We need to get that serum in him David, it's his last chance." Kim said.

"What do you need me to do?" David questioned.

"Find Chris and shoot him with one of those darts." Kim said nonchalantly.

"Will this serum work?" David questioned.

"It has to. It's his only chance a living a normal life." Kim added as she backed into the room where Kat was about to become a new mother, leaving David standing in a dark hallway stunned at his new task.

As Kim went back to help Kat give birth she passed a mirror and quickly glanced in, and standing in the corner of the room in the mirror's reflection was the ghost of Joanna still stalking Kim, still making sure that Kim never told anyone that David too carried the werewolf DNA they secretly transplanted in him while he was hidden away at Windcliff sanitarium.

The bigger question was, when would David's DNA finally mutate and change from it's current dormant state. It was all up to how strong a hold Joanna's evil spirit had over Kimberly.

****

The commotion in the house made for perfect timing for the man in the mask who had been hiding in all the darkest corners and secret passages within the Collinwood mansion to make his get-away and find Victoria. His news that she was actually the daughter of Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard would surely be most important to her and could cause her to shift her views on what she wanted done with the current family members.

The man in the mask quietly stepped out the secret passages he had been hiding in as he spied on the Collins family. The rooms he lurked in were completely dark; only the moon light guided his way out. He slowly slithered within the shadows that a pair of over-sized widows had cast from the moon light on to the floor. He tip-toed and quietly attempted to make his exit but something blocked him.

As the man in the mask reached for the door knob the shadow of the door slowly morphed into a human figure that slowly begin to walk towards him. The man in the mask stopped dead in his tracks then began to walk backwards into the glowing moon light creeping in from the large windows.

The man in the mask pulled out his weapon and pointed it towards the black mass slowly creeping closer and closer toward him.

"Stop!" the man in the mask yelled.

The shadowy creature continued to walk forward but remained in the shadows, never allowing the face to be revealed.

"Who are you?" The shadow spoke in a deep frightful tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Stop talking! I have a gun and I'll shoot you." The nervous man in the mask said still pointing the gun at the shadowy creature.

The shadow stepped forward into the moon light, its face finally revealed to the man in the mask. A face he feared most of encountering as he hid away in Collindoow's walls: The face of Barnabas Collins.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know...what... I am?" Barnabas growled.

The man in the mask gasped at Barnabas' grey face, black eyes and sharp thirsty teeth. Barnabas opened his mouth larger and hissed at the man in the mask.

"I said stop or I'll shoot!" he said again to Barnabas, continuing to back up into the moon light.

Barnabas lunged and flew onto the man in the mask. The gun went off piercing a hole in a painting of Quentin Collins that hung on the wall causing it to tilt and sit sideways. The two men continued to struggle on the floor, Barnabas twice attempting to bite the neck of the intruder in their scuffle.

On the third attempt at a bite, the man in the mask was able to reach over and punch Barnabas in the face before he sunk his teeth in. Barnabas flew backwards covering his face allowing some leeway for the man in the mask at an attempt to escape and warn Victoria.

Barnabas was too fast, as the man in the mask jumped to his feet and ran for the door he reached over again for the door knob but only found Barnabas who was standing there instead, tall, powerful and in all black.

The man in the mask looked up in fear as he saw what seemed like Barnabas growing taller and taller. The man slowly removed his knit mask and looked up in terror at what he saw standing before him. It was real. It was the man in all the videos and photos Vickie had shown him. The vampire. The legend.

Barnabas looked down at the terrified face of Vickie's spy, a man who had infiltrated Collinwood and saw someone he could not believe looking back at him.

The face of Caleb Collins.

****

In another part of the house, Carolyn, Alex and Kim were all bedside as Kat began to give birth to Caleb's child; the new Collins family member. 

The women all consoled and cared for Kat. Carolyn holding her hand, Alex dabbing her forehead and wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Just a few more pushes Kat. Just a few more pushes!" Kimberly yelled to an excited room.

"You're going to be ok. The baby is coming!" Carolyn said tightening her grip on Kat's hand.

"Ok, last one, hun! Last push, here you go...ok, PUSH!" Kimberly said to Kat's rousing scream.
"It's coming! I see the baby. Push Kat! Push!" Kimberly said again.

And with her final push, Kat screamed one last scream and the baby was born. Kimberly grabbed the baby and cut the umbilical cord. Kat began to laugh with excitement at hearing her baby cry for he first time.  

"Is it ok? Is my baby ok?" Kat said reaching for Kim to hand her the baby. 

Kimberly cleaned the baby with the towels and turned back around to Kat, Carolyn and Alex who were all sitting with great anticipation, even in tears. 

"The baby is fine. It's a healthy baby boy!" Kim said of her new grandson, handing him to the new, loving mother. 


****


"Impossible!" Barnabas said to who's face he was seeing.

Caleb, who had been saved by Vickie's henchman in the ocean after the plane crash had been brained washed and had been used by Vickie to spy on the family, his own family, was now dashing through the room turning over all the furniture he could to block Barnabas who was hot on his trail to find away out of the room and away from the horrifying monster he saw before him.

"Caleb! Wait!" Barnabas called.

Caleb, who's memory was scattered and in pieces due to Vickie's brain-washing had no intention of turning back, all he wanted to do was get back into the secret passages he was hiding in and find his way away from Barnabas and out of Collinwood. But again, Barnabas was too fast. Barnabas disappeared in a puff of black smoke and reappeared at the end of the room blocking Caleb from getting into the secret passage doorway.

"Stop, Caleb!" Barnabas said reaching for his memory-less cousin.

Caleb didn't listen and took another swipe at Barnabas' face. Barnabas grabbed Caleb's fist mid thrust and pushed it back down and looked at Caleb dead in the eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" Barnabas said, speaking slowly. "What has Victoria done done to you?"

Suddenly Caleb did remember something, he remembered that he had more than just a gun at his arsenal. He pulled his fist out of Barnabas' grasped and quickly stepped backwards to give him time to reach into  his black back-pack and pull out the other weapon he was given. He pulled out a crucifix and pointed it--face first--at Barnabas.

"Don't come near me. Don't take another step!" Caleb screamed.

Barnabas hissed and turned his face,  but did not stop his slow walk towards Caleb.

"I said don't move! I said stop!" Caleb screamed as he walked backwards to the door of the room.

Once he got to the door and he turned the knob and ran leaving Barnabas to quickly make his own exit out of the room and away from the crucifix.

Running through Collinwood to make his escape, Caleb began to have flashes of memory of his time at the mansion. His memory was slowly breaking free from whatever vice Vickie had created while she had him captive at Seaside Cottage. He continued to run faster and faster and finally came to the open front door and stepped out on the front step but again, he was stopped in his tracks by something much deadlier then Barnabas.

Snarling and shooting steam and snot from his nose at the foot of the front steps of Collinwood, staring at Caleb with his hellish yellow eyes was Christopher in wolf form.

The wolf had Sebastian's blood stained all over his mouth and face, his hungry grin was dripping with thick saliva, just waiting for this next kill; standing there was Caleb, a man everyone believed to have died staring at his own half brother the werewolf in utter shock.

Christopher the werewolf snarled and circled Caleb like a plotting shark just before a sudden lunge that pulled Caleb down by his black hooded sweater. Caleb was powerless over the strength of the beast and instantly fell to the floor hitting his head that knocked him unconscious. The wolf, seeing his prey ready to be killed and consumed began to drag Caleb into the dirt and slowly over to the bushes off to the side of the mansion like he did earlier with Sebastian.

Then suddenly from the door way a gunshot rang, stinging the wolf in the back. Chris roared in pain as a sharp dart pierced his back.

 It was perfect timing. As the fog from the sea cleared around Collinwood's stoic and centuries old doorway, there stood David with a gun that was loaded with darts filled with the serum Kimberly had created to turn Christopher back to his human form--permanently. .

David rushed over to the wolf who was still breathing and growling but unable to move. David petted  the wolf on his side trying to calm him even though in just a few short moments Chris would be back to normal.

David saw then saw the legs of the man under the wolf. He thought perhaps it was Sebastian, who had gone missing early in the evening.  David carefully pulled the wolf off and saw, to his shock, Caleb, bloody and unconscious, but alive. 

Really, truly alive.