Category: The Van Helsing Impetus

  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 122

    “Don’t forget your headdress,” Evelyn said.

    “Thanks,” Clara said after picking it up. Fortunately the band was intact.

    She placed it on her head and winced. The band disturbed some of the hair stuck in the scab. She realised there it would be a pain to wash her hair later. Assuming I make it to that point.

    “Ow,” Clara said.

    “Poor dear,” Evelyn said. “Women must always suffer for their beauty.”

    “Still better than a corset,” Clara said.

    Picture of a woman wearing a corset sitting on a stool. While facing away from the camera, a blurred reflection is visible in a mirror. Image by Watercolor Artist from Pixabay.Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 121

    “Any idea what happened,” Clara said.

    She tried to lean back against the wall but realised that her wings were in the way. It was odd, she had no memory of reverting from her plain Jane form. She focused on taking on that form, for nothing more than comfort, but nothing happened. Huh. That’s odd.

    “I have an idea,” Evelyn said. “You won’t like it.”

    “I’m in no shape for games,” Clara said.

    “…Well. I saw three versions of Hecate leave the scene,” Evelyn said.

    “You’re right,” Clara said. “Not what I needed to hear.”

    As though on cue the main lighting flickered for a moment before fading out entirely.

    “Horsefeathers,” Clara said just as the emergency lighting came to life.

    Picture of a naked lightbulb with the filament showing. Image by Arunodhai V from Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 120

    “Hello?” Clara asked after accepting the call.

    “You look like shit,” Evelyn said.

    “I feel like shit,” Clara said.

    “I saw,” Evelyn replied. “I’ve been trying to wake you for hours.”

    The word hours was the most confusing part of that statement. While getting knocked out could result in losing consciousness for that long, waking up safe and sound in hostile territory did not. In her mind, such a scenario only worked if she had been unconscious for minutes.

    “Are you sure?” Clara asked.

    “Very. I’d tell you to check your messages,” Evelyn answered. “However, I’m not sure you can read in your state.”

    Woman unconcious in a messy room. She is half on the bed and floor with a drink at her side. Image by Darya Sannikova from Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 119

    Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

    Her purse moved, and she looked at its blurry outline. The strap must have snapped off when she collapsed, and lay an arms length away from her. Despite her normal demeanour, she was in no mood to reach out for it. Not until the world stops swirling.

    Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

    “Okay!” Clara shouted before reaching for her forehead. “Okay…”

    Picture of a woman at a desk covered in paperwork, rubbing her temples as though having a headache. Image by Leeloo Thefirst from Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 118

    After several measured breaths to get her heart rate under control, Clara forced herself up into a sitting position. That’s when she noticed the blood stain in the carpet. It had enough time to dry, which meant that Clara had been there a while. —So, why am I still here?

    That was a good question, considering she was alone. Since Ada had the upper hand, she expected to wake up chained in a dungeon, or perhaps being chased by the hotel’s guests though the forest hunting grounds. The last thing she expected was to wake up here intact.

    She reached back to the side of her head and winced when she applied pressure. The scab was dry, and there was no trace of golden liquid. That meant she had plenty of time to recover. —How long?

    Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

    Picture of a woman in the dorest, hair is matted with blood, face is covered in splatter. Image by Евгений Горман from Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 117

    Zzzzt. Zzzzt.

    From the depths of Clara’s purse there came a sound. At first she did not realise what was going on, her mind was still muddled from getting brained. However after the third such notification, she opened her eyes slowly.

    Her eyes felt as though they had been sewn shut. She fought to pry them open, only to reveal a world bathed in white. In turn, her head throbbed as though she were waking up after a hard night of drinking giggle water at the local speakeasy.

    Of course, she had not gotten drunk in nearly a century, so that could not be the case. So what brought this one? Right… I met up with Ada.

    Picture of an outdoor themed bar. Bartender and client both dressed with a look appropriate to the Roaring Twenties. Image by grantdmills from Pixabay.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 115

    “Maudite merde,” Evelyn swore while trying to warn Clara of what was going on.

    Instead of a live streamed video that showed the hotel’s interior in stunning detail, it was more like watching a blocky video with significant lag. The image would freeze as sound went on, only to fast forward through the vital bits a minute later.

    It was infuriating considering how effective the Ghoul Hunter’s videos had been. However, they never made it to the South wing, the one carved into the cliff. All that rock made a connection with the wireless carrier impossible.

    Multicoloured image of something, likely a series of confusing reflections. Image by Giovanni Calia on Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 114

    There was a crooked smile on that face, as though everything had gone to plan. Clara twirled, the walls became a blur until she slammed head first into the nearest one. For several heartbeats, her face slid down the hardwood panelling.

    When her mind checked out, her knees gave out and she crumpled onto the floor with her chest facing the ceiling. Those steel-grey eyes may have been open to the world, but there was no one home.

    Picture of a woman with black hair and a black dress on her back, head tilted to the side staring out into nothing. Image by Ilya Batorshin on Pexels.Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 113

    When she turned right, she noticed a set of steel-grey eyes staring back at her. Her first thought was that she was looking at a reflection. Although that would only have been true if she were about a decade younger.

    All the traits were there, the elfin ears, sharp features, dark brown hair and those eyes. It forced Clara to wonder if she would have appeared like that had the Tower not been so invested in perfecting her beauty. Ada was not ugly by any means, there was a natural beauty, what many would have considered to be the girl next door look.

    “Nice dress, Sis,” Ada said. “Were you expecting to show up at an orgy?”

    “Well, now I know where I got my rapier like wit from,” Clara said.

    Image of a steel grey eye with a hint of gold around the centre. Image by Angela Roma Angela Roma on Pexels.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.


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  • The Van Helsing Impetus – Excerpt No. 112

    Pistol drawn Clara looked down one end, and then the other. For the moment she was in the clear, no one was running towards the gate, no alarms were going off. Clara, like any experienced hunter, began to wonder what was amiss. You still have a threat!

    She liked up her weapon with the assailant. Her first guess about it being the clerk proved to be wrong, however the lack of breathing and heartbeat clearly implied it was one of them. Although an official diagnosis became impossible once the gate destination changed.

    The man had been straddling the doorways during the transition. One second he was whole, his head, neck, and half his chest were missing entirely. To make sure they were not reunited in the future, Clara grabbed onto a foot and pulled the body away from the doorway.

    Picture of a woman in a sleek black dress leaning against a wall with a pistol in hand.
    Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.


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