Chronicles of Darkness: Shadows and Dust Read Free

Joséphine, seventeen and fourteen
years old, and the youngest member of the family, Philippe, only five years
old." Thinking about the children, he swallowed hard. "I have my
quarters under the roof and sleep there, as do the other servants. For hours it
had been quiet in the house. The children were already sleeping and I was in
bed. The big windows of the second floor were wide open because of the sultry
heat that night." Lost in thought, his eyes stared unseeingly ahead.
"I still remember how the light curtains were drifting around the window
frames. Everything seemed so calm... peaceful..."
             Bernard
trailed off and his tear-filled gaze turned to the blazing flames. He used the
sleeve of his jacket to wipe his eyes. "This night will forever be etched
into my memories. It keeps haunting me in my dreams as well."
             After a small
pause, he continued, "In the middle of the night, I awoke to a
blood-curling scream, which made my skin crawl." He shivered. "It
sounded like it had been Luise, who had screamed. I leapt up from my bed,
jumped into my clothes and grabbed my pistol, which I keep in the drawer of my
nightstand." Bernard's voice trembled. He obviously relived the horrors of
said night in his mind. "I raced downstairs, as fast as I could."
Looking at Helena, he explained, "At this point I believed that some
robbers had forced their way into the house, searching for money and other
valuables." Still feeling guilty for the terrible mistake, he stopped
again.
             After a
while, Helena carefully inquired, "What happened then?"
             Bernard
looked at her, as if he had forgotten all about her presence. "Nothing.
Only deadly silence ruled. My heartbeat was racing, and I feared that something
had happened to the children. I didn't know what to expect, so I tiptoed along
the corridor, as quietly as possible. With my pistol in hand, I slowly went to
the nearest door. It was Luise's bedroom. Carefully, I opened the door. I
relaxed, because there she was in bed, fast asleep. I thought, I had only
imagined the scream, since nobody else was awake, but me. To reassure myself
that everything was as it should be, I drew closer. The bed's curtains were
blocking my view. I brushed the curtain aside, and Luise lay there, wearing her
lily-white nightgown." He could barely say the next words. "She was
dead."
             Bernard
dabbed at his forehead, before he continued in a broken voice. "Her light
brown hair was completely disheveled and one arm hung over the side of the
bed." The corpulent man shook himself, intending to banish the horrible
image from his mind's eye. "Her skin was unnaturally pale, and then I
discovered the marks on her throat. I was shocked, because clearly, it was a
bite mark. The imprint of teeth was recognizable." Again, he shivered.
"In that moment, I felt panic rise inside of me. Without thinking, I tore
open the connecting door, which leads to her sister's room. There I saw him in
front of me, the personified nightmare. This cursed..." Bernard hesitated
and looked at Helena, who nodded encouragingly. " Vampire ," he
spat, terrified. "He stood in the middle of the room, directly in front of
me, holding Joséphine in his arms. Her petite body didn't move, her head was
bent back, so I could see the fear she must have felt in her eyes. I froze at
the horrible sight, but the scenario didn't end."
             " 'Who
are you, monster?!' I demanded. He looked up from his bloody deed, right at
me. The piercing gaze of his black eyes burnt its way into my heart,"
Bernard said and placed one hand on his chest, while clenching the other to a
fist.
             "Can you
describe him to me?" Helena asked carefully.
             "Yes, of
course," Bernard answered erratically. "He was tall, well-muscled.
His skin was pale, his face angular. Hair and beard were of raven color. And
his eyes... they strongly reflected the danger he