That Dark Night Years Ago
Fifteen years before, Ludwig looked at the deceased body of Mary in Buck’s Row in Whitechapel. He was just an eight-year-old boy who lived with his mother and younger sister in London. Ludwig was just a shy young boy and never wanted to leave the manor. After his father disappeared for four years, he was never seen again.
It was night, and Ludwig was almost at bedtime as he played with wooden figures that his father had once carved, wooden knights. The only thing he had left was his father. He was playing near his mother’s room when he heard glass shatter nearby. He was afraid and headed for his mother’s room, where she was getting ready for bed.
Ludwig enters her room, where she hears the glass shatter. She is wearing pink sleepwear, and she grabs him. Ludwig’s memory of his mother’s face is hazy, as it was pretty dramatic. She looks at him.
“Come here, Ludwig,” She panics.
Lilith would open the door to the closet in her room and hide him inside. She would close the closet door, and it was all dark. Ludwig could barely see, and he feared the dark during this time. He stayed quiet and would hear a struggle outside the closet.
But Ludwig would make a fatal mistake as he touched the door, which opened slowly, and he would be horrified as he looked at a man who was wearing a sack over his head and using a knife to butcher his mother’s corpse. He looked on in fear as he saw this scene, which an eight-year-old boy should not see in his life. But then the man noticed him staring at him. He gets up and walks over to the closet, opens it slowly, and glares down at Ludwig’s tear-covered face.
“What we have heard is a little mouse hiding. Wait, oh, you must be the young head of this house. This makes looking for you easier,” The man gets ready to end Ludwig by raising his knife.
Ludwig was speechless as he looked at his doom before him, but the man heard the footsteps of people running.
The man laughed, “I guess tonight was your lucky night, my little mouse.”
The man would run toward a room in the window and break through it to escape from whoever was coming into the room. Ludwig gets up as tears run down his face, looking at the corpse of his now-dead mother.
At present, Ludwig was still staring at the body of Mary Ann Nichols as it was that day fifteen years ago, and it reminded him of that event. Ludwig felt someone grab his right shoulder, which snapped him out of his trance, and he looked and saw Jonathan standing beside him.
“We have been trying to reach you for a minute. Is there something wrong here?” Jonathan asked in concern for him.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Jonathan. I just spaced it out. It may be the lack of sleep I’m experiencing at the moment. But I believe this was more of a murder than a monster attack. The monster would not leave. Whoever did this is trying to show off, by the look of it, inspector,” Ludwig explained.
“I see. I was upset by that. Thank you, Lord Frye. I am sorry to disturb you at this early hour, as you wish to rest,” Abberline bows to him.
“Yes, thank you. I shall head home now—good day,” Ludwig says as he leaves.
Jonathan comes with him to his Automobile.
Ludwig gets in the driver’s seat as Jonathan sits in the passenger seat.
“What the hell was that back there?” asked Jonathan. “You looked as if you saw a ghost when you saw that woman’s corpse.”
“I think I just need to go to bed, Jonathan. It has been a long night, and seeing a dead woman’s body was not what I expected to see this morning,” Ludwig said as he started the automobile.
“I see, sorry then. I did not mean to pry,” Jonathan apologizes to him.
Ludwig thinks a bit before he speaks, “Let’s talk about it later when I am less tired. It’s like I remember something when I saw her body.”
“Very well, it has been a long night for both of us. It has been peaceful, as we had not heard about Orlok’s group in a while.”
“We managed to get out of that jam for now. But I feel that sneaky bastard will make his return at some point. He only likes his wounds.”
Meanwhile, in the sewers under the city of London, the remaining Orlok Trope stayed hidden under the streets, waiting for their master to return to them. They have not seen him since that night Ludwig awakened to his demon lineage. One of the star performers, who had been acting as the leader, was hidden in the dark, leaning against the wall.
“Master Orlok, where are you?” He wondered in concern.
They would suddenly hear footsteps from one of the tunnels to their chamber. They figured it might be a human lost in the underground, a meal waiting for them, but they smelled blood on this man, as he was the man who killed Mary Ann Nichols. He stood in the dark where the light from their campfire was. But they see his body faintly.
“You stumbled into the wrong sewer, human?” The vampire leader.
“My, you must be with the rat of a man I stumbled upon a while ago. I have been wondering when I will find his merry men,” the strange man smiled in the dark.
“What? Do you know of Master Orlok? Have you seen him?”
I have met him, but sadly, he is no longer with us. His last fight was with the Lord of the house of Frye. I only have this for you.”
The strange man tosses Orlok’s rat mask on the ground near the fire, where they see and look horrified and saddened to learn their master is dead.
“Master Orlok, no. I thought I would never see this day,” The death of his master saddened the vampire. “That bastard will pay for this.”
The strange man laughs a bit, “I like that you said. Maybe we can work together from here on out. You see, I have business with Ludwig Frye, which I need to complete, and if his death comes from it, it would be perfect.”
“Why should we trust you? You are a human, and we are vampires...”
The strange man steps forward, revealing himself to them. He wore a ragged black leather coat with a tattered black top hat. His face is covered with old bandages, and his skin under it looks pale and scared, as if he is hiding his true face. But his one trait was his smile, as it seemed stuck, as if his face could not stop smiling. They look into his black eyes, which seem to lack emotion. He was covered in blood from his victim.
The vampire in the dark looked at him in shock, “Oh my? What are you? You smell human, but what’s the look of you?”
With a smile, the strange man said, “Well, I am human, or whatever remains of me. You can say I am a phantom of London, only seeking true chaos. Years ago, I was rejected by humans and became the monster you see before you. I may be even more bloodthirsty than you, gentlemen and women. However, I have no name, as the one I was given has been lost. But I should go by something...I have a good one. You can call me, Jack.”
Well, since you told us about our master’s passing, I suppose we can be allies only until Ludwig Frye is dead. He will pay for what he did to my master.”
“Excellent, I think this will be a beautiful alliance. First, we must devise a plan to deal with his friends, and, of course, Dracula must also be dealt with. But shall we fill this city with chaos and fear among its people?” Jack would laugh after saying this.
Jack had lied to them, as he was the one who killed Orlok, but he needed them to help him continue his plan, as he wanted to finish the job he had started years ago.
Later that day, Ludwig was in his study, wearing his regular clothes, while Jonathan entered in his regular clothing. Ludwig was looking at an old photo of his family before everything went wrong. On his desk was the file of his mother’s death. Not even Abberline knows he had it given to him once he had become head of the Frye House.
“What seems to be the matter?” Jonathan asked as he took a seat in a chair.
“I was just rereading my mother’s death. Seeing Mary’s body like that reminded me of the night of her death and how they both were butchered,” Ludwig explained.
“What? You’re saying the same person who killed this woman is the same person who killed your mother?”
“No, it is impossible. It has been fifteen years since my mother’s death. The man who killed her has never been caught, but he has never come back. When I returned to London years ago, I put it all to rest. My mother and father are gone, and I remain here. It’s just seeing that this morning freaked me out a bit.”
“I see, Jester. You told me once never to blame myself for my mother’s death, and I should live on to find peace with that. It may be time for you to find peace, truly. This business with Orlok and finding out you’re a half-demon may be getting to you. You should take time off from the hunt. You are in a position where you can relax a bit.”
Ludwig chuckled, “I never thought you would be the one to say to me.”
“Give some thought; try not to think of the past. It’s the same advice you gave me.”
Jonathan leaves his studies, leaving Ludwig alone to think. He takes his mother’s file, puts it away, looks out the window, and looks at the city of London.
“He could be right, and maybe I need some time away. I suppose I could check out Paris since my sister invited me to her place. Damn, I just don’t know,” Ludwig said to himself.
Ludwig walks through the city at night in his demon-hunting uniform. He was still thinking about what had happened that morning. He heard something coming from behind him, and he turned around to see a large spider creature approaching him.
Ludwig sighs, “I am not feeling this right now.”
He sticks his right hand out as he casts a spell, which creates a floating, large saw blade over him and launches it at the spider, splitting it in two.
“I am a Weak one, but I have become different since that night I saved my sister,” Ludwig looks at his right hand.
He turns around and continues his stroll down the streets of London. Unknown to him, one of Orlok’s vampire servants was spying on him. He was tasked with watching him and not attacking him.
Ludwig was in his family library, looking at a row of books on the shelf. He was wearing casual clothing. Jay walked into the room and saw Ludwig looking puzzled at what he was looking at.
“Ah, good day, sir. I have been looking everywhere for you. You seemed to have skipped breakfast, which worried me that maybe you got sick?” Jay spoke to him, who told Ludwig that he did not notice Jay there.
“Oh, sorry, my friend. I wasn’t hungry earlier. I have just been thinking of late,” Ludwig apologizes.
“No problem, my lord. A lot has happened to you in the past few months. But I only wish for you not to worry, Miss Victoria. She was curious about where you and Sir Jonathan were this morning. He thinks it’s from that scene you saw yesterday, and maybe it brings back that dark memory of the night of your mother’s murder.”
“She was killed in the same gruesome way, the same as my mother did.”
“Sir, it has been fifteen years since then, my Lord. The probability of that person being the same person is highly unlikely. I don’t want to offend you by saying this, but I feel your mother would not want you to ponder over her death like this. Maybe you should take some time away from Demon Hunting? You could take a vacation and let Jonathan and the others take care of the Order. If he is your grandmaster, it would be his job to take care of it while you are away from it.
“I guess. He said the same thing to me yesterday. I don’t know yet. I could use it sometime; that would also help.
“Very well, my lord. But remember, my friends and I are here if you need to talk.”
“Thank you, Jay. I appreciate your kindness.”
“Well, I must go prepare lunch. Please join us this time.
“I will. I still get hungry, even if my work somehow gets in the way of that.”
