Valley of the Shadow of Death - Part 1

By Marnie McFarland

"What if there was not a 'zombie apocalypse', but a vampire/strigoi one? And Lord Dracula has awakened from his 700-year sleep? Will Lord Dracula finally find his partner in Mina?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marnie McFarland
• Release date: Apr 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393405610

Marnie McFarland

Acknowledgements: These are the people whom I gratefully acknowledge their support and to thank for helping me with the production of this novel: (Beta Readers) Bev Wilkin Lori Kalwa Eva Bell Sandy Hracs Jean Martin Caitlin Walker Lindsey Lafferty Cover Art is credited to: Rupam Grimoeuvre His artwork can be found at: https://grimoeuvre.com/ His e-mail address is: [e-mail] And, of course, lastly, but not least, I want to thank my Mom, Mary Sumsion, for all her support. And thanks to my muse, Cristina Sava. Apologies for anyone I have missed. About the Author: Marnie grew up on a general farm in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. She helped care for pigs, cattle, cats, dogs and other assorted crops, along with two sisters, Julie, and Lauree, and one brother, Paul. She is the oldest in the family. Amongst others, she is related to William Wallace, (who is a distant cousin), and Sir Adam Beck, who managed to harness hydro-electricity at Niagara Falls. She played hockey on a boys’ team, as ringette was the only option for females at the time. She has returned to Ontario after spending almost 20 years in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She started writing after having a terrible experience when her wisdom teeth were removed. It was her way of therapy, and others pushed her to publish her work, which she did. Marnie wishes to thank all those who are willing to read her work.

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Table of Contents

Valley of the Shadow of Death

About the Author

Valley of the Shadow of Death

We've seen the monster, and it is us. - Josh Gates, Expedition Unknown.[1]

I'd always felt that I was born at the wrong time. I've never felt comfortable during the entire period of my natural life-time. Now I know why.

Chapter One/Une/Unu

Not sure how this will go, but I guess we'll find out when we get to the end of the story.  I never thought that any of this was possible, but even so, it does seem possible, since I've had dreams or, really, nightmares, of this happening ever since I was a young girl.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning.  Mankind was in its last days, although none of us knew it at the time.  Well, actually I did know that.  However, we never know exactly how the end comes, until we've passed through it.  There was a new strain of virus going around that was changing people.  Some had said that it was changing people into vampires, or strigoi, as the Romanians call them in their language.  The medical establishment was scrambling to find an answer and a cure.  They had no idea that it would have been stopped had they kept people's wisdom teeth from being removed, as those teeth kept the virus from being swallowed, which in turn, kept it from reproducing.  Perhaps it was the 'Almighty's Justice' for inflicting such pain on people – often unnecessarily – when other, less painful methods could have been sought out.  So, now I was at risk from this virus but had no clue about it, since the world governments had covered up this virus and told no one, as they didn't want to alarm the populace.  Of course, this is not about me, or only about me, since there are millions of people who have had their wisdom teeth removed.  I might just be about the only one who hated – and hated is too light a word - having it done.  Or so I thought – there are so many who have dreaded having such a surgery done, and there have been many who have actually died.  My apologies, for my strong feelings – even years later, I regret my decision. Perhaps someday, dentists and oral surgeons will find another, better way to treat people than by simply removing teeth, especially, for those who don't like suffering so much. To this very day, I would definitely not have them removed.

On to the more important part of the story...

Chapter Two/Deux/Doi

Some wanted to know how it was that Dracula had reawakened. Nobody was really sure how it happened. Perhaps some poor soul had ventured into the wrong castle, stumbled upon his crypt, and accidentally cut him or herself, and their blood dripped into the sleeping vampire's tomb, and provided him with a free drink. In any case, Lord Dracula was back – and he wasn't going anywhere.

Scientists were desperately trying to find a cure for the virus, which seemed to be relatively concentrated in its traditional 'homeland' of Eastern Europe – yes, the Transylvania Region of Romania.  And they take their vampires seriously.  More so, actually, they take their vampire-hunting and killing seriously. 

While the skeptical Western, so-called, 'advanced' nations dismissed the 'superstitious' Eastern Europeans, they were assembling a team to travel to Transylvania to try to discover whether in fact, Mr. Tepes had arisen and was re-establishing control over the region from what used to be his castle. Of course, there would be a couple of local guides – those two who were brave enough to enter Dracula's castle, and the rest who were either too brave or too foolish enough to dare enter the castle. Sometimes, overconfidence, arrogance and skepticism are a dangerous combination. Even with their modern technology, they would be no match for the inhabitants of that castle. Their arrogance would be their undoing.  But the team went in to that castle just as night was falling. (Like I said, 'arrogance!') The team's communications were lost with the base camp just outside of Bucharest, and the scientists quickly became perplexed.  The scientists tried to communicate with the team for hours, then days.  Nothing.  No response.  Then, one of the local guides showed up at the base camp with news that, indeed, Vlad Dracula was alive and had captured the team.  His demands were simple – leave immediately and the team will be released, or stay and either become 'food' or one of his 'children'. 

The scientists had one hour to radio him with their answer.  He would allow the radio to work in order to hear their response.  Dracula had plans to regain his former lands, and nobody would take them from him.

Those scientists were determined not to leave anyone behind.  So, they tried to find one of their best Romanian scouts - someone who could try to infiltrate the castle undetected.  Nobody would volunteer.  They had to leave – so, they radioed their decision back to the castle, and told Vlad Tepes that they were leaving, and that they would be gone within the hour. There was no choice in the matter. However, Mr. Tepes had other plans for the scientists.  He would bend them to his will.  He needed to know what they had discovered, so he planted suggestions in their minds to bring them to the castle.  They would come to him, all the while thinking that they were escaping him. Sure enough, the scientists came to the gate of the castle at nightfall, while he was awakening from his slumber. They had no idea where they were, nor what fate awaited them.  They would soon become his slaves, or even one of his children. They knew little of his plan, but were attempting to find a 'cure' for the 'disease' that had spread worldwide. The 'disease' actually had been a byproduct of his awakening.  His awakening itself was a result of mankind's sins – punishment for its arrogance and its lack of care in stewarding the planet. The 'disease' was also part of mankind's punishment – it was for inflicting suffering on millions of Earth's inhabitants by the so-called, 'medical establishment.'  He (Dracula) would heal those who had suffered the most. He had already turned doctors, dentists and others who had ventured inadvertently into his realm.  He had also made trips to every continent – air travel had made those trips so much easier to handle, and while he could journey under cover of darkness, he could also fly (by airplane) in the daytime, and cause less suspicion.  He was at his most powerful after dark, but could still cover up and travel in daytime. Much had changed during his seven-hundred-year rest; however, he noticed that both the Roman Church and the Orthodox Churches had survived, although their power had been greatly diminished.  They could no longer threaten people but still had power over people's minds. And so, he did, although those who were strong-willed could still resist him. But those were the most satisfying to turn, and they became the most loyal to him once they were his. His sexual attraction was also very powerful – at least that had not been lost.  And that was most useful to attract and to turn women.

Chapter Three/Trois/Trei

Meanwhile, society had degraded so badly that stealing and looting were becoming commonplace, along with the fear of becoming one of the vampires' victims. It didn't take long for this to happen – only about three days – and for things to become so desperate for the grocery stores to run out of food and supplies.

Fear drives men to do desperate things.  The President of the United States had to declare martial law within days of the virus's spread.  Hospitals searched desperately for a cure, and in its absence, to find a way to limit its spread.  Their blood banks ran low, as people looted them to quench their thirst. 

People also began to wear very high necklines, so as to avoid any temptation to others who might be infected. In North America, it seemed as if people had gone back to the Victorian Era – power was rationed, and only used in an emergency. Otherwise, people brought out their gas-powered lamps that would be used during short-term power outages normally.

Even so, only a tiny fraction of the population had become infected, but the power of what could happen if most of the population did become infected became very strong.  People started hoarding food and supplies.  Of course, in the United States, people became even more heavily-armed then they were before – if that were even possible!  Fear began to take over. Those who lived on farms and had vegetable gardens fared better than those in the cities. People had to guard their gardens in the overnight hours as people started taking vegetables from other people's gardens.  (In Canada, this only needed to happen during the summer months, as winter comes, and nothing grows then.  It is also very dark – some areas only get 2-3 hours of daylight, if that, in the winter.  Perfect conditions for vampires. That is, if they can handle the cold and snow.)  I know I can handle the cold and snow, as it is a matter of national pride – and that is something we 'Canucks' are known for. Canning and freezing vegetables had also made a huge comeback – everyone was relearning how to do those basic things again.

Chapter Four/Quatre/Patru

Inside Dracula's castle, it looked like what most castles do – stone walls, hardwood floors, very cool (if not cold) interiors, and crude lighting.  (Or so we were led to believe. He had installed electric lighting recently with high efficiency light bulbs.) Of course, there was no indoor plumbing, which made me not want to stay there, either.  I've spent enough time using outhouses at my Grandparents' cottage. Using an outhouse during a Canadian winter is a new, special type of experience