Page 76 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“Your hearing is phenomenal, Mrs. Montgomery. My office is between the two wards, and I still have trouble hearing from there.”

“Yes, yes, I’m quite impressive, but we can talk about that anytime. What’s going on here?”

“Just a different variation of the same fight we’ve been having for the past few days,” Murnau said.

Mrs. Montgomery rolled her eyes before facing Caroline. “It’s been like this for days. Obviously, I’m on Dr. Gardner’s side and don’t believe in vampires, but I would almost accept it if it meant an end to the bickering and woodworking.”

“Woodworking?” She asked, furrowing her brow.

Mrs. Montgomery snorted. “Have you not been to his office yet? It’s a real treat.”

Caroline’s footsteps echoed a staccato beat as she rushed to the doctor’s office, the dread already growing in her. She thought she would have at least a few more days to fake her foolhardy mission. All she needed was a little more time.

She stopped just inside the doorway as she took in the scene before her. “Oh.”

The room was filled with dozens of wooden stakes, all with varying degrees of pointed tips. Some were a foot long while others were just a few inches. There was such variety that no two even slightly resembled one another.

“I’m not the best craftsman, but I’m sure at least one of these will get the job done?”

Caroline turned to face Dr. Murnau. “What are these for?”

“Killing the vampire. You told me in your story that Abhartach was vanquished with a yew sword, and my mythology also said the monster is killed with wood, but didn’t specify the kind, so I picked yew since that was the easiest to source on such short notice.”

“You want me to find the vampire so you can kill it.”

“Of course.”

His confusion told her he had expected she knew his plan from the beginning. It was logical, after all. Killing the vampire would stop it from feeding, but that still didn’t mean she liked the idea of Valeria with a wooden spike through her chest.

“He’s been in here carving almost every other waking moment,” Dr. Gardner said. “He’s only stopped to sleep and eat. He hasn’t even visited his other patients the past few days.”

“But the vampire attacks have stopped, so there’s no reason to hunt it.”

“We can only be certain the attacks won’t start up again after we kill the vampire.”

“I thought my responsibility was more information gathering.”

“It is; you mustn’t worry, Miss Blythe. You will only be providing me information on where to find the vampire. You can leave the actual hunting to me.”

“Murnau, this is too far,” Dr. Gardner said, stiffening. “I humored your vampire delusion for long enough, but I draw the line at hunting. Carve your sticks, test your patients with sunlight, but I will not allow you the opportunity to hurt anyone.”

“I wasn’t aware you were allowing me to do anything,” he said, lifting an eyebrow. “When I last checked, this was still my practice. My community.”

“And you’ve made a promise to protect them.”

“This is protecting them. It is because of my love for the people of this village that I will not allow them to become food for a monster, and neither will Miss Blythe.”

“Of course not,” she said, looking between the two men. “The killing must stop. My only hope is that the vampire has already moved on. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger, Dr. Murnau.”

“I’ll make sure to protect myself, and I won’t make any moves until we are certain we have identified the vampire.”

“You better be damn sure before you plunge a wooden stake into the heart of one of your townspeople because once you kill an innocent, there’s no going back. I won’t let anyone get hurt because of your delusions,” Dr. Gardner said before storming off.

“I’m sorry, he’s not always himself these days, but he does mean well,” Mrs. Montgomery said before running after him.

“He is right about one thing,” Dr. Murnau sighed, “We will have to be certain of the vampire’s identity before we make a move against it. I fear we may only have one chance.”

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