Since trouble was not about to walk up to her, it was time to find it herself. Whatever the threat, I would rather catch it unawares…

She reached down and picked up her pistol. No shots had been fired and a quick feel confirmed everything else was in place. However, it was time to arm up.

“Where can a gal like me get a blade,” Clara asked.

There was mumbling in the background of the call. She was expected that her sire had plenty to say on the matter.

“The South wing smoking room is our best guess,” Evelyn said. “You’re almost there.”

“Perfect,“ Clara said.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.”

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.

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…”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.