For a moment, I could hardly control myself. It felt as though he had insulted Lucy even after her death.
I slammed my hand down on the table and stood up.
“Dr. Van Helsing, have you lost your mind?”
He slowly raised his head and looked at me.
There was such sadness and kindness in his face that my anger began to fade almost immediately.
“I wish I had,” he said quietly. “Being mad would be far easier than having to face the truth.”
He sighed.
“My dear friend, why do you think I took so long to tell you something so simple?”
“Was it because I hate you? Because I wanted to hurt you?”
“Or perhaps I wanted revenge for the time you saved my life and kept me from a terrible death?”
He shook his head.
“No. I delayed because I wanted to break the news to you as gently as possible. I know how deeply you loved that sweet young woman.”
“Even now, I don’t expect you to believe me.”
“It is difficult to accept something completely opposite to everything you have always believed.”
“And this is not some abstract idea. This is Lucy.”
“Forgive me,” I said.
He continued.
“Tonight, I intend to prove it.”
He looked directly at me.
“Will you come with me?”
The question stunned me.
No sane man wants to prove that the woman he loved has become something horrible after death.
Van Helsing saw my hesitation.
“The reasoning is simple this time,” he said. “There is no wild leap of logic.”
“If I am wrong, then the proof will bring us relief. At worst, we will have learned nothing.”
“But if I am right…”
He paused.
“That is where the real horror lies.”
“Yet perhaps that fear will help you believe me.”
He stood up.
“Come with me now. First, we will visit the child in the hospital.”
“Dr. Vincent at the North Hospital is an old friend of mine. You also know him from your time studying in Amsterdam.”
“He will allow two doctors to examine the child, even if he would not allow two strangers.”
“We will tell him nothing about our suspicions. We will simply say that we want to examine the case.”
“And then?”
Van Helsing reached into his pocket and held up a key.
“Then you and I will spend the night in the churchyard where Lucy is buried.”
“This is the key to her tomb. I got it from the undertaker. I was supposed to give it to Arthur.”
My heart sank.
I knew then that we were about to face something terrible.
There was nothing else I could do, so I forced myself to remain calm.
“We should hurry,” I said. “The afternoon is already passing.”
At the hospital, we found the child awake.
It had slept well, eaten some food, and seemed to be recovering.
Dr. Vincent removed the bandage from the child’s throat.
The wounds were immediately visible.
There was no doubt about it.
They looked almost exactly like the wounds Lucy had suffered.
The child’s wounds were smaller and appeared fresher, but otherwise they were remarkably similar.
“What do you think caused these?” Van Helsing asked.
Dr. Vincent considered the question.
“Probably an animal bite. Perhaps a rat.”
He paused.
“But if you ask me, I suspect a bat.”
“A bat?”
“There are many bats around the northern heights of London.”
“Most of them are harmless, of course. But there could be an unusual one among them.”
“Perhaps some sailor brought a more dangerous species back from abroad and it escaped.”
“Or perhaps one escaped from the Zoological Gardens.”
“These things do happen.”
He gave a small laugh.
“Only ten days ago, a wolf escaped and was reportedly seen somewhere around here.”
“The children spent days pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood.”
“But lately they have become obsessed with another story.”
“The ‘Bloofer Lady.’”
I looked at Van Helsing.
“The children are actually talking about her?”
“Yes.”
Dr. Vincent smiled.
“Even this little boy asked the nurse this morning if he could leave.”
“She asked him why.”
“He said he wanted to go outside and play with the ‘Bloofer Lady.’”
Van Helsing’s expression immediately became serious.
“When the child is sent home, please warn the parents to watch him very carefully.”
“What do you mean?”
“Children wandering outside alone at night can be extremely dangerous.”
“If this child stayed out another night, it might cost him his life.”
Dr. Vincent nodded.
“I agree. He will not be allowed to leave for several days.”
“Probably at least a week.”
“And longer if the wounds have not completely healed.”
Our visit took much longer than expected.
By the time we left the hospital, the sun was already going down.
Van Helsing looked toward the darkening sky.
“We have plenty of time,” he said.
“It is later than I expected. Let us find somewhere to eat first, then continue.”
We had dinner at Jack Straw’s Castle among a lively crowd of cyclists and other customers.
They were cheerful and noisy, which seemed strangely out of place considering what we were about to do.
Around ten o’clock, we finally left.
It was completely dark outside.
The scattered street lamps seemed to make the darkness beyond them even deeper.
Van Helsing knew exactly where he was going.
He walked ahead without hesitation.
I, however, had almost no idea where we were.
The farther we went, the fewer people we saw.
Eventually, even the sound of the city disappeared.
We were surprised when we encountered a patrol of mounted police making their usual rounds through the suburbs.
Finally, we reached the wall surrounding the churchyard.
We climbed over it.
The darkness made everything difficult to see, and the place felt strange and unfamiliar.
After some searching, we found the Westenra tomb.
Van Helsing took out the key and unlocked the door.
Then, with his usual old-fashioned politeness, he stepped aside and gestured for me to enter first.
There was something almost absurdly courteous about the gesture.
We were about to enter a grave, yet he was still behaving like a gentleman opening a door for a lady.
I stepped inside.
He followed quickly and carefully closed the door behind us.
He checked the lock to make sure it was the kind that could be opened from inside.
Then he took a matchbox and candle from his bag.
The weak flame illuminated the tomb.
During the funeral, the place had already looked horrible.
Now it was much worse.
The flowers that had once looked fresh were now hanging limp and dead.
Their white petals had turned brown.
Spiders and insects had returned.
The stone was stained with age.
Dust covered the mortar.
The iron was rusty and damp.
The brass and silver fittings had lost their shine.
The tiny candle flame made everything look even more miserable.
Standing there, I felt that death had not only taken Lucy.
It had somehow taken the beauty from everything around her.
Van Helsing ignored the atmosphere and went straight to work.
He held the candle over the coffin and carefully checked the name on the plate.
After making certain that it was Lucy’s coffin, he reached into his bag again.
This time he took out a screwdriver.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Opening the coffin.”
He looked at me.
“You must see for yourself.”
He began removing the screws.
When the lid finally came loose, I saw the lead lining underneath.
The sight was almost unbearable.
It felt like we were violating Lucy’s body.
I grabbed his hand.
“Stop.”
He calmly shook his head.
“You must see.”
Then he took out a small saw.
He drove the screwdriver through the lead and made a small opening.
I instinctively stepped backward.
As a doctor, I had dealt with death before. I knew what to expect from a week-old body.
But Van Helsing continued without hesitation.
He cut along the lead lining, then across the end and down the other side.
Finally, he bent the loosened section backward.
He lifted the candle and motioned for me to look inside.
I stepped forward.
Then I stared.
The coffin was empty.
For a moment, I could not speak.
I was shocked, but Van Helsing looked completely calm.
If anything, he seemed even more certain of his theory.
“Are you satisfied now, John?” he asked.
I forced myself to think logically.
“I am satisfied that Lucy’s body is not in the coffin.”
“But that proves only one thing.”
“What is that?”
“That her body is not there.”
Van Helsing nodded.
“That is perfectly logical.”
“But now you must explain why it is not there.”
I searched desperately for another explanation.
“Perhaps someone stole the body.”
“A grave robber?”
“Maybe one of the undertaker’s men took it.”
Even as I said it, I knew how weak the explanation sounded.
Van Helsing sighed.
“Very well.”
“We need more proof.”
“Come with me.”
He replaced the coffin lid and packed his tools away.
Then he blew out the candle and put it into his bag.
We opened the tomb door and stepped outside.
Van Helsing locked it again and handed me the key.
“Keep this.”
I laughed, although there was nothing funny about the situation.
“A key proves nothing. There could be another one.”
“And a lock like that would not be difficult to pick.”
Van Helsing said nothing.
He simply put the key back into his pocket.
Then he pointed toward opposite sides of the churchyard.
“You watch from that side.”
“I will watch from the other.”
I moved behind a yew tree.
Van Helsing disappeared among the graves and trees.
The night seemed endless.
Soon after I took my position, I heard a distant clock strike twelve.
Then one.
Then two.
I was cold, tired, and increasingly nervous.
I was angry with Van Helsing for bringing me into this nightmare.
I was also angry with myself for agreeing to come.
I was too tired to remain fully alert, yet too uneasy to fall asleep.
It was a miserable night.
Then suddenly I turned.
Something white seemed to move between two dark yew trees on the far side of the churchyard.
At almost the same moment, I saw a dark figure moving from Van Helsing’s side.
He was heading toward the white shape.
I started after him.
But the graves and iron railings slowed me down.
I stumbled more than once.
The sky was covered with clouds.
Somewhere far away, a rooster crowed.
Then I saw it again.
A pale figure was moving through the darkness toward Lucy’s tomb.
Trees blocked my view of the tomb itself.
The figure disappeared behind them.
I hurried toward the place where I had first seen it.
There was movement in the darkness.
When I reached the spot, I found Van Helsing holding a small child in his arms.
He turned toward me.
“Are you convinced now?”
“No,” I said firmly.
He held the child out.
“Look at him.”
“I see that he is a child.”
“But who brought him here?”
“And is he injured?”
“We shall see.”
We quickly left the churchyard.
Van Helsing carried the sleeping child.
After we had gone some distance, we entered a small group of trees.
Van Helsing struck a match.
We examined the child’s throat.
There was not a single wound.
Not even a scratch.
I looked at Van Helsing.
“Was I right?”
“We arrived just in time,” he said.
We now had to decide what to do with the child.
If we took him directly to the police, we would have to explain why we had been wandering around a churchyard in the middle of the night.
So we decided to leave him somewhere the police would find him.
Near Hampstead Heath, we heard a policeman approaching.
We carefully placed the child beside the path.
Then we hid and waited.
The policeman’s lantern moved across the darkness.
He saw the child.
We heard his shocked cry.
Only then did we leave.
Fortunately, we found a cab near the Spaniards and returned to London.
I could not sleep that night.
I kept thinking about everything I had seen.
Van Helsing had already told me that he wanted me to join him on another expedition.
September 27
It was almost two o’clock before we found the right opportunity.
The funeral had taken place at noon, and the last mourners had finally left.
We watched from behind some alder trees until we saw the sexton lock the churchyard gate.
We knew we would be undisturbed until morning if necessary.
Van Helsing said we would need no more than an hour.
Once again, I felt the horrible reality of what we were doing.
We were about to violate the law and open a dead woman’s coffin.
And now it seemed completely pointless.
We already knew the coffin had been empty.
Why open it again?
Still, I knew Van Helsing would not change his mind.
He took the key and opened the tomb.
Once again, he politely motioned for me to enter first.
The tomb looked less frightening in daylight.
But the sunlight made it look even more ordinary and unpleasant.
Van Helsing walked directly to Lucy’s coffin.
I followed.
He bent down and pulled back the lead lining.
Then I froze.
Lucy was inside.
She looked exactly as she had before her funeral.
If anything, she looked more beautiful than she ever had in life.
Her lips were red.
Her cheeks had a soft, healthy color.
She looked so alive that I could hardly believe she was dead.
“What kind of trick is this?” I whispered.
Van Helsing looked at me.
“Do you believe me now?”
He reached down and gently pulled back Lucy’s lips.
I shuddered.
Her teeth were clearly visible.
“Look,” he said.
“They are sharper than before.”
He touched her canine teeth.
“With these, she could bite a child.”
“Do you believe me now, John?”
I still fought against the idea.
“She could have been placed here after we left last night.”
Van Helsing stared at me.
“Really?”
“Then who placed her here?”
“I don’t know.”
“But someone must have.”
He shook his head.
“She has been dead for a week.”
“Most bodies would not look like this after seven days.”
I had no answer.
Van Helsing did not celebrate my silence.
He simply continued examining Lucy.
He lifted her eyelids and looked at her eyes.
Then he opened her mouth again and studied her teeth.
Finally, he turned toward me.
“There is something different about Lucy.”
“She is living two kinds of existence.”
“She was bitten by a vampire while she was sleepwalking.”
“You did not know that before, but you will learn everything soon.”
“She died while she was in that trance.”
“And because of that, she has become one of the Un-Dead.”
“That is why she is different.”
Van Helsing gestured toward the coffin.
“When the Un-Dead sleep in their own resting places, their faces usually reveal what they have become.”
“But Lucy is different.”
“When she is not acting as the Un-Dead, she looks exactly as she did when she was alive.”
“There is no sign of evil in her face.”
“That is what makes this so difficult.”
“I know that I may have to destroy her while she sleeps.”
His words sent a chill through me.
And yet something inside me had changed.
I was beginning to believe him.
If Lucy really was dead, why should the idea of destroying her frighten me?
Van Helsing looked at my face.
He saw the change in my expression.
“You believe me now?”
I swallowed.
“Don’t push me too quickly.”
“I am willing to believe you.”
“But how are you going to do it?”
“How will you destroy her?”
“I will cut off her head.”
“Then I will fill her mouth with garlic.”
“And finally, I will drive a wooden stake through her body.”
The thought of mutilating Lucy’s beautiful body made me shudder.
But my horror was no longer what it had been.
Something else was beginning to replace my love.
I was starting to fear the thing lying before me.
And worse, I was beginning to hate it.
Van Helsing remained silent for a long time.
I expected him to begin immediately.
Instead, he stood there thinking.
Finally, he closed his bag.
“I have changed my mind.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I followed only my own instincts, I would destroy her now.”
“But there are other things we must consider.”
“Things much more difficult because we do not yet know how they will unfold.”
“She has not killed anyone yet.”
“That may only be a matter of time.”
“But what about Arthur?”
“How can we expect him to accept what we are seeing?”
“You saw the wounds on Lucy’s throat.”
“You saw the same kind of wounds on the child in the hospital.”
“You saw that Lucy’s coffin was empty last night.”
“Today you saw it occupied by a woman who has been dead for a week but somehow looks even more beautiful.”
“You saw the white figure carrying the child into the churchyard.”
“And even after seeing all of that, you still struggled to believe it.”
He looked at me sadly.
“How can I expect Arthur to believe any of it?”
“He saw none of these things.”
“He will think Lucy was buried alive.”
“He may even believe that we killed her.”
“He could spend the rest of his life believing that we murdered the woman he loved.”
“Or he may believe that we were right and that Lucy had become one of the Un-Dead.”
“Either way, he would suffer forever.”
Van Helsing’s voice became heavy with emotion.
“That uncertainty would destroy him.”
“No.”
“I have already told him part of the truth.”
“But I have learned much since then.”
“Now I know that he must face the whole truth.”
“He must endure one terrible moment before he can find peace.”
“He must pass through the darkness before he can reach the light.”
Van Helsing looked at me firmly.
“My decision is made.”
“Let us leave.”
“You should go home tonight.”
“Make sure everything is safe there.”
“As for me, I will remain here in the churchyard and keep watch in my own way.”
“Tomorrow night, come to the Berkeley Hotel at ten.”
“I will send for Arthur.”
“And I want that brave young American, Quincey Morris, to come as well.”
“Later, all of you will have work to do.”
He picked up his bag.
“I will walk with you as far as Piccadilly and have dinner there.”
“Then I must return here before sunset.”
We locked the tomb and left the churchyard.
We climbed back over the wall and made our way to Piccadilly.
Van Helsing had decided that the next step would involve all of us.
But before leaving, he wrote a note and placed it in his luggage in case anything happened to him.
The note was addressed to me.
John,
I am writing this in case something happens to me tonight.
I will remain alone in the churchyard and keep watch over Lucy.
I do not want the Un-Dead Lucy to leave the tomb tonight.
I want her to become more desperate tomorrow night.
So I will place things inside and around the tomb that she cannot tolerate—garlic and a crucifix—and seal the entrance.
She is still new to this existence, so I believe these things will keep her inside.
They may not prevent her from trying to return to the tomb.
When the Un-Dead are desperate, they will search for the easiest way in.
I will remain here from sunset until after sunrise.
If there is anything to learn, I will learn it.
I am not afraid of Lucy herself.
But there is another creature I fear.
The vampire who turned her.
He now has the power to seek out her tomb and use it as a shelter.
He is clever.
Jonathan’s experience has already shown us that.
He has deceived us repeatedly.
He played with Lucy’s life while we struggled to save her.
And the Un-Dead possess terrible strength.
A single one of them can be as strong as twenty ordinary men.
The four of us who gave Lucy our blood were strong men, yet that same strength could now belong to her.
The vampire can also summon wolves and perhaps other creatures we know nothing about.
If he comes here tonight, he will find me waiting.
But no one else will be here.
At least, not until it is too late for him to escape.
He may not come.
There is no reason for him to visit a lonely churchyard when London offers him so many other victims.
Still, I will be here.
Take the papers I have left with this note.
Read Jonathan Harker’s journal and the others.
Then find this great Un-Dead creature.
Cut off his head.
Destroy his heart.
Drive a stake through it if necessary.
Only then will the world be safe from him.
If I do not return, farewell.
Van Helsing
September 28
A good night’s sleep can change everything.
Yesterday, I was almost ready to believe Van Helsing’s terrible theory.
Today, after sleeping properly, it seems completely insane.
His ideas now appear to me as an attack on common sense.
I have no doubt that Van Helsing himself believes everything he says.
But that raises another disturbing possibility.
Could he have lost his mind?
Perhaps he is so intelligent that even madness would not stop him from carrying out some elaborate plan.
I hate the thought of it.
The idea of Van Helsing becoming insane would almost be as extraordinary as everything else.
Still, I must watch him carefully.
Perhaps I will eventually discover the truth.
September 29
Last night, shortly before ten, Arthur and Quincey arrived at Van Helsing’s room.
Van Helsing explained what he wanted us to do.
But he spoke mainly to Arthur, as though everything depended on him.
“I hope you will both come with me,” he said.
“There is a serious duty that must be carried out tonight.”
Arthur looked uncertain.
“You surprised me with your letter.”
“It has already been a difficult time for my family.”
“I don’t think I need another problem.”
He sighed.
“Quincey and I discussed your message, but the more we talked about it, the less we understood.”
“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Neither do I,” Quincey said simply.
Van Helsing smiled.
“Then both of you are still at the beginning.”
“John has already come much farther.”
Arthur frowned.
Van Helsing became very serious.
“I want your permission to do something tonight that I believe is necessary.”
“I know that is a great deal to ask.”
“And when you discover what I intend to do, you will understand exactly how much I am asking.”
“So I want you to promise me something before I explain.”
“Promise me that even if you become angry with me later, you will not blame yourselves for what happens.”
Quincey spoke first.
“Well, at least you’re being honest.”
“I don’t understand what you’re planning, but I know you’re an honest man.”
“That’s enough for me.”
Van Helsing took his hand.
“Thank you.”
“I have always counted you among my trusted friends.”
Arthur then spoke.
“I don’t like agreeing to something without knowing what it is.”
“If this involves my honor as a gentleman or my faith as a Christian, I cannot promise anything blindly.”
“But if you can assure me that neither will be violated, I will agree.”
Van Helsing nodded.
“I accept that condition.”
“All I ask is that if you later believe I have done something wrong, you first think carefully before condemning me.”
“Agreed,” Arthur said.
“Now, enough of this.”
“What exactly do you want us to do?”
“I want you to come with me secretly to the churchyard at Kingstead.”
Arthur’s expression changed immediately.
“You mean the churchyard where Lucy is buried?”
Van Helsing nodded.
“And what are we supposed to do there?”
“Enter the tomb.”
Arthur stood up.
“Professor, are you serious?”
Van Helsing remained silent.
Arthur stared at him.
“This cannot be a joke.”
Then he saw the seriousness in Van Helsing’s face.
“You really mean it.”
He slowly sat down again.
“And what happens when we enter the tomb?”
“We open Lucy’s coffin.”
Arthur jumped back to his feet.
“This is too much!”
“I have been patient because I respect you.”
“But this is the desecration of Lucy’s grave.”
“You cannot seriously expect me to agree to that.”
His voice shook with anger.
Van Helsing looked at him with deep sympathy.
“If I could spare you this pain, my poor friend, I would.”
“But tonight we must walk through a terrible darkness.”
“If we do not, then later the woman you love may walk forever in a far worse darkness.”
Arthur’s face became pale.
“Be careful, Professor.”
“I am warning you.”
Van Helsing remained calm.
“Please hear me out first.”
“Then you will know exactly what I intend to do.”
Quincey interrupted.
“That seems fair.”
Van Helsing took a breath.
“Lucy is dead.”
“Is that not true?”
Arthur nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then opening her coffin cannot hurt her.”
“But if she is not truly dead…”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Good God!”
“What are you saying?”
“Was there some mistake?”
“Was Lucy buried alive?”
His voice broke with anguish.
Van Helsing shook his head.
“I am not saying she is alive.”
“I am saying she may be Un-Dead.”
Arthur stared at him.
“Un-Dead?”
“If she is not alive, what does that mean?”
“Is this some kind of nightmare?”
Van Helsing shook his head.
“There are mysteries that mankind can only partly understand.”
“I believe we are standing at the edge of one of them.”
“But I have not finished.”
He looked directly at Arthur.
“Would you allow me to cut off the head of dead Lucy?”
Arthur exploded.
“Absolutely not!”
“Never!”
“I will never allow anyone to mutilate Lucy’s body.”
“What have I ever done to you that you would torture me like this?”
“And what did Lucy ever do to deserve such dishonor?”
“Are you insane?”
“Or am I insane for listening to you?”
“Forget this terrible idea.”
“I will not give you permission to desecrate her grave.”
“It is my duty to protect her.”
“And by God, I will do it!”
Van Helsing slowly stood.
His voice became firm.
“My Lord Godalming, I also have a duty.”
“I have a duty to the living.”
“I have a duty to you.”
“And I have a duty to the dead.”
“By God, I will fulfill that duty.”
He looked Arthur directly in the eyes.
“All I ask now is that you come with us.”
“Look.”
“Listen.”
“And if, after you have seen everything for yourself, you still believe I am wrong, then I will respect your decision.”
“If you still refuse, I will accept the consequences.”
“I will answer to you for everything I have done.”
His voice softened.
“But please, do not leave here angry with me.”
“In my long life, I have had to do many unpleasant things.”
“Some of them broke my heart.”
“But I have never faced anything as painful as this.”
“If you eventually understand why I am doing this, even one look from you would make this terrible night worthwhile.”
He took a breath.
“Why would I put myself through all this suffering if I did not believe it was necessary?”
“I came here from my homeland because I wanted to help.”
“First, I came because John was my friend.”
“Then I came to help Lucy.”
“And despite everything, I came to love her too.”
He looked down.
“I am almost ashamed to say this, but I say it because you deserve to know.”
“I gave Lucy my blood.”
“Just as you did.”
“I gave her my blood even though I was not her lover.”
“I was only her doctor and her friend.”
“I gave her my nights.”
“I gave her my days.”
“I stayed with her before she died.”
“And I continued working for her after her death.”
He looked at Arthur with quiet determination.
“And if giving my own life could somehow save her now, even as one of the Un-Dead, I would give it freely.”
Arthur’s anger finally broke.
He reached for Van Helsing’s hand.
His voice was barely more than a whisper.
“This is almost impossible to understand.”
“I still don’t know what to believe.”
“But I will go with you.”
“I will see what you have to show me.”
“And then I will decide.”