"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be switching the seat belt light on, we are descending from thirty thousand feet to begin our approach in France airspace," the captains voice came over the intercoms.

"What?" Will yawned looking up.

"We're almost there," the stewardess smiled as she walked up.

"You mean it's already been ten hours?" Will asked in shock.

"Well nine we've still got an hour or so," she smiled.

"Whoa," Tay said lifting his head from Wills lap.

"I slept like a rock," Tay yawned.

"No kidding, me too," Will smiled.

Taylor returned to typing. Will sat there for a while eyes closed when the plane jolted slightly.

*          *          *          *          *

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm, we're experiencing some bad weather right now, there might be a few more bumps," the captains voice called out again.

"Oh God," Tay said looking a little pale.

"Honey you're gonna be fine," the stewardess smiled as she handed him a vomit bag.

"Oh that's reassuring," Will commented as she handed him a vomit bag as well.

The plane continued to jerk and jolt.

"Ladies and gentlemen I've been informed by French Air Traffic Control that we are going to be diverted, a storm is currently moving through this area, making a safe landing difficult, please remain seated with your seat belts on."

About half an hour later the stewardess came up.

"We've been diverted three times already, but everything will be ok," she smiled.

"Where are we landing," Tay asked.

"Bucharest," she said shaking her head.

"Romania," Taylor nearly yelled in shock.

"Don't ask me why, I'm not in charge," she shrugged.

"Romania, whoa dude," Will said in shock.

"I can't stand that area of Europe, it's all backwards and still in the horse and buggy era," Taylor said flopping back into his seat.

"Romania, isn't that like, didn't it used to be," Will wondered out loud.

"Romania, Bucharest, it's all in that region of old Transylvania," Tay said shaking his head.

"Transylvania," Will coughed.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that where Dracula lived," Will asked wide eyed.

"Actually, his name was Vlad Tepesh III," Tay said glancing out the window.

"Huh, then who was Dracula," Will asked.

"Dracula, ok, this is tough to explain but here goes," Tay started.

"Dracula, is actually Dracul, his son Vlad, better known Vlad the Impaler, was the one everyone called Dracula," Tay said.

"Then, if his name wasn't Dracula, how," Will asked confused.

"In Romania, the suffix 'a' after a sir name like Dracul, stands for 'son of,' so if you put the 'a' after Dracul you get Dracula," Tay smirked.

"How in the hell do you know all this shit," Will laughed.

"Hello, I did have world history," Tay grinned.

"So was Vlad a real vampire," Will asked.

"No, he was just a real sicko, who killed on a whim, the vampire myth has always been around, but Bram Stoker in 1895 wrote the first real book that is still widely read, to this day, it's common belief that he modeled 'Dracula' after Vlad the Impaler," Tay finished.

"So vampires aren't real," Will asked.

"Not as far as I know, I mean the Romanians have myths and folklore and superstitions, there are vampire bats, that have been known to attack cows and horses, but those are found in South America," Tay replied.

"You're a damn encyclopedia of information," Will smiled.

"Well, some things I remember better than others, besides I love the whole genre of vampires and stuff like that," Tay grinned.

About an hour later Will and Taylor stood on a rusted old staircase, the air was cold and damp, the small landing strip in contrast with the bowing 757 plane that sat on it looked like a time paradox.

"Whoa, this place is," Will started.

"Pretty damn similar to how it was two hundred years ago," Taylor said with a frown.

"Welcome to Romania," a heavily accented man with a very deep voice greeted them as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah thanks," Tay said wrapping his arm around Will and walking quickly across the rain splattered runway to the small office in front of them.

"I was kinda expecting him to put garlic necklaces around our necks," Will smirked. Taylor giggled but kept walking.

The sky flashed in the distance, illuminating a mountain range off to their left. Will trembled slightly.

"Hi, yeah I need to use a phone," Tay said noticing his cell phone had no service.

"See what I mean, there aren't any towers over here," he said showing Will that the phone wouldn't work.

"Yes, I need the United States," Tay said into the old black receiver.

A few moments later and numerous transfers Tay was on the phone with his mother.

"Hey, you will not believe where the hell we ended up," Tay growled into the phone.

"Where, honey?" Diana asked with concern.

"Romania, fucking Romania," Tay snapped.

"Taylor, oh dear, where's Will?" she asked.

"He's here, we're fine, but mom we are gonna be stuck here till sometime tomorrow," he whined.

"Honey, just get a hotel and stick it out, it could be a lot worse," Diana said.

"OK, I'll call you when we are heading to France," Tay said hanging up the phone.

"We're going to need a hotel," Taylor said to the short dark haired over weight woman behind the desk.

"You'll have to take a transport up toward the pass, all the hotels here are full," she replied with a heavy Romanian accent.

"The pass," Tay asked.

"Yah, the Borga Pass, ten miles that way up the side of the valley," she said pointing to the mountain range behind her out the window.

"When's the next transport," Tay asked.

"Should be arriving any moment now," she said turning away.

"Ever feel like you're stuck in a black and white movie," Will asked as he hugged Taylor close as they stepped back out side.

"Only here," he said with a worried look.

"All the hotels are full, shit where ARE the hotels?" Will asked glancing around noticing that they were surrounded by old homes and shops that looked like they had been built hundreds of years before.

"Well there aren't any real hotels, they're all Inns and stuff, they don't get a lot of people coming here," Tay said.

"Yeah, well unless you're a horror fanatic I wouldn't come here either," Will said glancing around at how very black and white everything looked.

"Yeah it is kinda creepy around here," Tay whispered as the old bus rolled up in front of them.

They boarded the bus among a group of native Romanians. The bus must have been from the nine teen forties. The seats were cracked and old, the smell of wool, damp fabric, and exhaust filled their noses.

"Far cry from a tour bus eh," Will smiled trying to lighten their spirits.

"Yeah, no kidding," Tay said glancing out the now rain streaked windows as the bus pulled away.

The bus lumbered along with a low roar up the side of the mountain range. Taylor looked out the window, the landscape illuminating in flashes of lightening. The cracked and broken landscape dropped off into a deep gorge a few feet off to the right. Old rotten trees scattered the landscape ahead as the bus moved away from the edge and closer into the terrain.

Taylor shivered and glanced at Will.

"You ok babe?" Will asked.

"Yeah, this place just gives me the creeps," Tay sighed quietly.

"Thinkin' about vampires," Will asked.

"No, it's just, so many battles were fought on these mountains, it creeps me," Tay said quietly.

"Battles?" Will asked.

"Yeah, the Turks, after Constantinople fell tried to take over Walachia and this area, but Vlad fought them off for so many years," Tay muttered looking out the window.

"Walachia," Will asked.

"Yeah, this area is still marked on the maps as a connecting point of three different areas, Walachia, Moldavia, and another I can't remember right now, I think the Borga Pass goes right through the middle," Tay said glancing out the window.

A bolt of lightening crashed through the sky, illuminating the landscape.

"Speak of the devil," Tay muttered.

"What the fuck is that?" Will gasped as he saw, distantly a ruin of a castle against the stormy night sky.

"That's the ruins of his old castle," Tay muttered.

"Who's?"

"Dracula," Tay said quietly.

"Holy shit," Will muttered pulling Tay close and burying his nose behind his soft warm ear.

The bus moved further away from the gorge. The castle Dracul slowly becoming smaller and smaller. Lightening crashed again. Taylor shuddered slightly.

"It's gonna be fine," Will whispered.

"I know," Tay sighed.

But somewhere deep inside Taylor felt something close. Something dark and sinister.

*          *          *          *          *

"I swear, I have been worried sick, you just vanished the other day, and then I find my credit card was used to book a flight to Hawaii," Anthea's mother yelled at her as she entered her house.

"Mom just leave me alone ok, I've been through enough hell as it is," Anthea snapped as she threw her luggage into the closet.

"If you ever do some shit like this again," her mother continued as Anthea slammed the bedroom door in her face.

She picked up her cordless and sat down.

"Crystal," Anthea said as she flopped back on her bed.

"Oh my God, were you down there in all that shit," Crystal replied in the phone.

"Yeah, and the lil assholes didn't even go," Anthea yelled back.

"What, I thought," she muttered.

"Yeah, well, I was wrong, actually it was that old fuck mail man that was wrong," Anthea gritted her teeth.

"So where are they now?" she said rubbing her forehead.

"Beats the hell out of me, I haven't been stalking them, remember," Crystal replied into her phone as she flipped through a magazine.

"Why don't you call them or something?" Anthea snapped glaring at the phone.

"Why the hell don't you? I'm sick of being your little hinch woman, if you wanna find out information then you call them," Crystal replied.

"What the hell," Anthea barked in shock.

"You heard me I'm tired of calling them up just because you want me to, I'm sure they HATE me now," Crystal said as she slammed the phone down.

"Fucking bitch," Anthea growled as she threw the phone on the floor.

She put her head back on her pillow and tried to think. The sound of roller blades on pavement shattered her concentration as she bolted up from the bed to look out the window. Ike and Zac shot by in a flash and down the hill.

"Shit, shit," Anthea yelled as she stumbled to her closet grabbing her blades and flying out of her bedroom.

*          *          *          *          *

"Mom wants us to head on back in," Ike said to Zac as they came to rest on the curb at the corner.

"What time is it?" Zac asked.

"A little before four," Ike said glancing at his watch.

"I am kind of hungry," Zac said standing up.

"Where do you think," Ike started as they heard approaching blades behind them.

"Hi guys," Anthea said smiling as she came to a stop beside Zac.

"Hey Anthea," Zac said looking annoyed.

"What's up?" she asked with a big smile on her face.

"Uh, nothing much really, we were about to," Ike started when she cut him off.

"So where's Tay at?" she said glancing around.

"Tay's out of town," Zac said plainly.

"Oh, where did he go?" she picked.

"Just off, he needed a breather," Zac replied.

"Off, alone," she picked some more.

"Anthea, how've you been?" Ike said suddenly shifting the questions on her.

"I've been fine," she smiled.

"Looks like you got into a cat fight," Zac said snickering as he noticed the small bandage above her eyebrow, and the brace on one of her fingers.

"No, I just, uh, I was in Hawaii," she smiled.

"You what," both Ike and Zac replied in unison.

"Yeah, I was in that hurricane, man it was horrible."

"No shit," Zac replied in shock.

"Yeah, no shit," she tried to smile convincingly.

"Well, we've," Ike started again.

"So who's Tay with?" she asked again.

"Ok, you know what, you know the answer to that so why don't you just like, stop asking," Zac snapped at her.

"Geeze, you guys don't like him either," she said.

"I didn't say that," Zac said turning toward Ike with a look that read 'please let me shove her down the street.'

"Listen, I know you and Tay had something a long time ago," Ike started.

"But it's over, get a grip, get a life and move on, damn," Zac finished for him.

"You know, I've totally gotten past that," she tried to defend herself.

"Oh that is such shit, if you were you wouldn't be picking us for information on him, you're so damn transparent," Zac replied.

"You don't have to be mean," she replied.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to be an annoying teenie bitch, but guess what, you are," Zac yelled at her as he spun off down the street.

"Hey, listen, you know it's over, between you and him, and all of us, just like move on," Ike said slowly rolling away.

"I just wanted to," Anthea said forcing fake tears.

"Anthea, no one's watching drop the act," Ike said as he shoved off down the street.

She watched them roll into their driveway and up to the front door. She heard Diana saying something as they went inside.

"Fuck them," she muttered as she rolled back to her house.

*          *          *          *          *

Tay stretched out on the bed. The room was small, the furnishings very period reflective. No television set, a very old telephone. A window over looking the street one floor below. The blankets on the bed were soft and comfortable however.

"This feels like the set of an old movie," Will chuckled as he looked around.

"Holy shit," Will exclaimed from the bathroom.

"What?" Tay jumped slightly.

"The toilette, you have to pull a chain for it to flush," he laughed as the toilette flushed.

"Doesn't take a lot to keep you occupied eh," Tay laughed quietly.

Will walked into the room and sat down on the bed. He looked over at Taylor. He smiled sweetly.

"You know, we've only got one night here, we can manage," Will said lying down next to Tay. Snuggling him close, Tay wrapped his arms around Will.

"Yeah, I know," Tay sighed. His eyes roaming toward the window. A slight flash of lightening filtered through the heavy wool curtains.

"What's on your mind babe, you've been extremely quiet," Will asked kissing Tay on the cheek.

"I've got a lot on my mind right now," Tay sighed as he looked over at Will.

"Yeah I noticed," Will smiled squeezing him gently.

"So I mean, I'm not going to have to pull Barbara Walters out of my ass to get you to talk am I," Will smiled.

"I hope you don't have Barbara Walters in your ass to begin with," Tay giggled.

"She's small," Will snickered.

"How appetizing, you carry around reports in your butt," Tay laughed kissing him on the mouth.

"See, you're in a better mood already," Will grinned.

"I wasn't in a bad one to begin with," Tay said quietly.

"Well you just talk when you feel like it, I'll be ready to listen," Will smiled pressing his face into Tay's neck as he closed his eyes.

Taylor's lids felt heavy. Even though he had slept on the flight he was tired again. International flights always did that to him. It was one thing he hated about them. The fans would be waiting to see them as they got off the plane and he'd have to force himself into a good mood so he wouldn't hurt their feelings.

Tay opened his eyes. The room was dark, a dim orange glow cast across the floor from the small bedside lamp. Will was asleep, pressed against him under the covers.

"When did we go to bed," Tay asked himself as he noticed they both were naked.

He glanced at his watch it read five fifteen. Tay shifted slightly trying to figure out why that didn't make sense. Then he realized it was five fifteen Tulsa time. Which meant it must be sometime after three in the morning. He sat up slowly, Will shifted in his sleep and turned over.

Wind moaned quietly outside the windows. The curtains shifted. Taylors body drew tense as he saw the heavy wool curtains move. He slowly stood up. His nakedness no longer a concern. He quietly picked up an old brass candlestick that was sitting on the small desk across from the bed. He quietly moved toward the curtain. Another pulse of lightening flashed through. He slowly reached out and snatched the curtain open.

Empty.

The window was open. Tay sighed a sigh of relief as he set the candle stick down and walked back over to close the window. He stopped short though as he thought he caught sight of someone standing on the street below the window. He leaned closer to the window sill and squinted. The dim lamp light from the street was no where near bright enough. Still fueled by gas, the small flame only served enough light to illuminate the old stone walk beneath it. Pooling into darkness beyond.

Tay shrugged and began to draw the window closed again as a flash of lightening pulsed across the landscape. This time Taylor saw the figure. His flesh prickled. It looked like Will. He spun around to see that the bed was empty. He closed his eyes, squinted and opened them again. The bed was still empty.

He turned back to the window, the figure was still standing at the corner below. Only now it was looking up at him.

"Will," Tay whispered quietly.

The wind blew momentarily. The gust rushed over Taylor's naked body and moaned slightly as it curled through the street.

"Taylor," he thought he caught a voice whisper in the gust of wind.

"Will," he asked again quietly.

The figure turned and began walking down the street. Tay's heart jumped in his chest. He rushed to the bed and threw on his leather pants and grabbed his shoes. He grabbed his black leather coat as he rushed out the door.

Taylor stumbled down the steep stair case in the small inn. Catching himself on the railing as he reached the bottom. He blasted past the elderly woman behind the small front desk and bolted out the door in a flash.

He glanced to his right, toward the street corner. It was empty. He darted out into the street. It was calm and quiet. The lightening from a distant storm pulsed momentarily across the street. The dark outline of the mountains rose high above the roofs of the shops and small buildings around him.

He rounded the street corner. At first he thought he saw no one. Then he caught movement in the distance. Up ahead on the walk.

"Will," Tay called out in a half hearted shout.

The figure kept walking.

Tay took up a faster pace and ran. Suddenly he found himself right behind the figure now.

Will's height, long dark brown hair, slender.

"Will, what in hell are you," Tay started as he put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"May I help you," a voice Taylor did not recognize replied before the person turned around.

"Oh God, shit, you're not, I'm sorry, I," Tay stuttered.

"That is quite alright," the man said turning around.

Taylor shuddered. A part of him wanted to scream, a part of him wanted to run. But another part of him wanted to throw himself on this man.

"I am sorry, I have not introduced myself," he said.

"I, I," Tay stuttered.

"My name is Ivan," he said lightly tipping his head.

"Taylor," Tay managed to reply.

"You, mistook me for someone else, a friend perhaps," Ivan asked.

"Yes, I thought you were my, uh, a friend," Tay exclaimed still gazing wide eyed at Ivan.

"He is not far from here," Ivan said stepping closer.

Taylor stiffened as his eyes sunk deeper into Ivan's. Ice gray in color, his skin pale as ivory, his hair black as night. A strong jaw line, high cheekbones. Very Romania. But something else. Ivan couldn't have been more than twenty five years old or a little more. But he felt older.

Taylor gasped as he realized Ivan had come closer. They were nose to nose. Ivans eyes seemed to calm him. Taylor could easily see that his mouth wasn't moving but he heard Ivan crystal clear.

"Come with me, let me show you," the voice said as his lips brushed over Taylors.

Suddenly Taylor felt himself walking along side this man. The walk slowly felt more like gliding. Everything was moving so fluidly. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Taylors mind felt drunk. His eyes registered everything they saw but his brain did not react. He didn't scream when he saw the glowing green eyes of wolves in the far distance edge of the road. A road which no longer was surrounded by buildings. Old gnarled trees loomed up. The roadway twisting and turning.

Taylor's heart jumped slightly as he saw the pass in the distance to his right. But he continued to grasp Ivan's hand tightly. Almost as if he had no choice but to continue. His mind spiraled. He saw old stone walls, a broken down iron gate. He glimpsed downward to see through split and broken wooden planks. A deep gorge beneath. He heard the creak of an old heavy wooden door.

None of these things seemed to stir him from the trance he felt he had fallen into. He felt cold earth beneath him now. He felt himself lying back. his coat pulled from him. His bare torso exposed to the elements. Ivan's face illuminated by the flashes of lightening. Taylor gasped inside when he felt Ivan's mouth press to his. His mind screamed.

"Oh God no," Taylor heard his brain screaming.

He kissed back. His body craving this feeling. This pulsing. The trance deepened. He felt himself become naked. The cold wind rushing over him. He glanced upward. In the flashes of lightening Ivan knelt above him. Naked. Lightening crashed through the sky. Taylor's heart raced. He tried to shake his mind clear. Old stone walls rose up around them. Towering turrets of old stone. Old arch ways. Fallen walls, mountains in the distance.

Ivan dropped, to his mouth and kissed him again. Taylor moaned out loud. His mind spinning. His heart racing. He grabbed at Ivan's body and pulled him closer. He tossed his head to the side and gasped as Ivan pressed his mouth to his neck and screamed as he felt the the kiss sting through him.

His mind screamed. His heart raced, he cried, he came and went limp.

"NO," Wills voice echoed through his mind.

Taylor struggled to open his eyes, his mind slowly surfacing. A drop of rain hit him in the face. Then another. Lightening crashed, in the distance he heard strange noises. Ivan wasn't near him. He felt alone. He sat up, he heard a growl in the distance. He jumped slightly and turned to his right, then his left. His heart pounded, his mind raced.

"Oh God, where the fuck am I," Taylor cried out loud as he looked around him. The frightening realization hit him as he saw himself sitting in the center of the ruins of Castle Dracul....


On to Chapter Five

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Eternal Night is Copyright © 2000 by Taylor W. Quest.
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