Die drei Geistergeschichten von Jinzhong Zwei Tai Sui zerstören die Stadt

Kapitel 8

Chapter Nine

The day after Lucy's sleepwalking incident, Mina ordered a four-wheeled carriage—the train was convenient, but her wealthy friend insisted on spending lavishly on such things—to go into town. In the smoky, bustling city, Mina was able to temporarily forget her worries about Jonathan and her deeper concern for Lucy. She also took the opportunity to buy a few necessary items.

On Picardy and Strathsard Streets, newsboys shouted the extra edition of the newspaper: "The most violent and sudden storm in history has hit England—wolves that escaped from the zoo are still roaming freely outside their cages—" but their shouts did not interest Mina.

The fog was quite thin for London that day, but even if the weather were clear, Mina wouldn't necessarily pay attention to her surroundings.

Therefore, she had no idea that someone was following her, and that it had been going on for several hours.

The abundant provisions during the voyage and upon landing restored his youthful appearance—just as he had anticipated. Today, he had a strong desire to look young; for after more than four hundred years of separation, if fate were kind, he would finally stand face to face with Elizabeth once more…

The London visitor was following Mina unnoticed. He was dressed in his most fashionable attire, including an elegant top hat; however, he soon wished he had chosen a wider, greener hat to match his trendy sunglasses. For despite the northerly and foggy climate, he still needed considerable protection in the sunlight.

He frowned at the occasional bursts of direct sunlight as he wandered the unfamiliar streets of this metropolis—a new experience for him, but one he paid little attention to today's adventure. His most pressing desire was to openly approach the young woman in broad daylight and display impeccable charm—even if it wasn't entirely in accordance with local social customs.

He harbored a thousand wild fantasies and hopes. His hopes stemmed from the woman's face he had seen once in a photograph, and then recently, from seeing her in person again—though it was briefly at night, by a miraculous stroke of luck—but then again, does such a thing as luck really exist when it comes to marriage between men and women?

She walked on, across Strand Street... while the hunter, with centuries of experience, approached his prey with ease.

Finally, he nimbly found a spot in the crowd where he could be clearly seen, and whispered in an almost inaudible voice, "My love... now, look at me."

So, although Mina Murray was distracted, focusing her attention on her worries and shopping, she somehow clearly received this message.

Her gaze met the unfamiliar stare of her pursuer—who had just removed his sunglasses. Like any well-mannered woman of that time and place, she immediately looked away.

But Mina seemed forced to look again at the well-dressed young man with a head of shiny brown hair that reached his shoulders.

Feeling deeply uneasy, she turned her head away, thinking she would never look at that person again, and went into a pharmacy.

Dracula eagerly crossed the road, dodging other pedestrians and obstacles with speed and agility unmatched by ordinary people, and peered into the store through the window.

The pedestrians on the sidewalk were all focused on their own things, hurrying back and forth. No one noticed Dracula's quick movements, and no one saw that the shop window did not reflect the young man's image, but only vaguely showed the newspaper he was holding with the front page headline "Storm and Wolves."

In the pharmacy, Mina was intently selecting a bottle of tincture of opium—a painkiller made of opium and alcohol that might help Lucy fight her sleepwalking, while Mina herself often suffered from insomnia because she was worried about Jonathan.

As Mina walked out of the pharmacy, the stalker who had been staring at her greedily, whose voice she could even hear through the thick shop window, blocked her way. His sudden reappearance startled her, causing her to drop her medicine bottle.

He nimbly and gracefully caught the fragile medicine in mid-air and politely handed it over.

“With my sincerest apologies,” he said softly in his now more natural English, “I have just arrived from abroad and am unfamiliar with your city. Could a beautiful lady guide a lost soul?”

Mina reached out, but hesitated just as she was about to take the medicine bottle. Her gaze searched the figure before her, puzzled by a vague sense of familiarity… but his first command to her, “Don’t look at me!” was so forceful that she could hardly disobey.

Her first reaction to the stranger was rather indifferent. "For lost souls, I suggest going to any of our churches. I also believe that a street map can be bought at the Six Benefactors—goodbye."

Mina turned to leave after speaking, but then realized her medicine bottle was still in the stranger's white-gloved hand. She turned back.

He handed over the black liquid again. "It's tincture of opium, isn't it?" Though he hadn't seen the packaging. "A medicine to help with forgetfulness. Undoubtedly for a sick friend, isn't it?"

"None of your business."

The stranger appeared both confident and regretful. "I apologize for offending you. But I was simply looking for a place to show a movie. I've heard it's a wonder of the civilized world."

"If you're looking for civilization, go to a museum. London has a lot of museums. Please forgive me?"

He bowed politely, touched the green hat with his hand, and gracefully let her pass.

But Mina had only taken a few steps when she walked into a thick fog and ran into him again. How could he possibly overtake her so quickly on the crowded sidewalk?

He touched his hat again. "Such a lovely lady shouldn't be walking alone on the streets of London. I'm afraid it's not very safe."

Mina ignored him and continued walking. She was astonished by how difficult it was for her to walk.

He reached out his arm for her to take his, but was firmly refused. Undeterred, he walked beside her.

Mina stopped angrily.

“I don’t allow myself to…” However, when she met the stranger’s gaze, her anger inexplicably subsided, and she helplessly concluded, “…to be accompanied by any man who has not been formally introduced.”

Is he really a stranger? This person exudes an immense attraction.

He smiled at her. "So feisty. I'm not used to it. Interesting! In my hometown, this trait could get you killed."

"Then I hope I never have to go there."

Dracula laughed heartily, admiring her smugness.

“Sir, do I know you?” Mina’s attitude grew increasingly urgent. “Do you know my husband? Should I call the police?”

The series of questions only deepened the stranger's smile, which then vanished, leaving him looking both serious and resolute.

He said, “Please forgive my rudeness. I am just a stranger in a foreign land—please don’t be afraid of me.” The last six words were gentle yet emphasized.

"Sir...I...perhaps I was the one who was too rude."

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am confident that I can present myself in a manner that will satisfy you. I am Prince Fraudel of Skarri."

“A truly…unusual name.”

“What a meaningless title. I’m sure there are princes, dukes, priests, and earls everywhere in your London. In fact, I am just your humble servant.” Dracula took off his hat and bowed exaggeratedly.

Mina almost blankly curtsied in return, “I am Mina Murray…” The stranger gently but firmly grasped her elbow, refusing to return the curtsy.

He shook his head and said, "It's my pleasure, Mrs. Mina."

"lady……?"

"You just mentioned that you have a husband."

"Did I say that...?"

Her hand—Elizabeth's hand—rested on his arm as they walked slowly away from the London fog.

The great clock on the Capitol Tower rang out, piercing his eardrums. He was surrounded by the glitz and clamor of the metropolis, the grand world. On this joyous day, anything seemed possible, even perhaps, a final compromise with life itself…

Lucy is sick; whatever it is, Jack Schwartz diagnosed it. It seems quite serious, especially since it came on so suddenly.

Anxious and worried, Arthur Honow hastily wrote a note and summoned Dr. Seaworth from the madman's room. The only thing Dr. Seaworth was certain of was that the woman he was visiting had recently rejected his marriage proposal and was about to marry someone else.

Although Lucy was undeniably ill, she seemed quite happy at that moment—with a kind of unreal excitement and even boundless energy. She turned around in front of a large mirror, showing off her clothes.

“Jack—the amazing Dr. Jack—do you like him?”

"Very elegant."

In fact, Lucy's visitor wasn't looking at the dress at all; instead, he noticed the seamstress's worried expression. In just a few days, Lucy had lost a lot of weight. Her skin was deathly pale, with only a few patches of red on her lips and sunken cheeks. When she smiled, Jack noticed that her gums were also slightly red.

She turned around again. "Dr. Jack, tell me—did Arthur send you to see me? Or did you want to see me alone in bed before my wedding?"

Jack cleared his throat. “Lucy, Arthur is very worried about you. He asked me to come see you—as your doctor. I know this might be awkward for both of us because of our past private matters. But that's not permissible… Now that I'm your doctor, I need your complete trust.”

Lucy was shaking her head in denial—not necessarily what the doctor had just said. Suddenly feeling dizzy and weak, she waved for the seamstress to leave and sat down on a nearby sofa, her fingers tracing the black velvet high collar around her neck.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

“Jack—please help me, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t sleep well at night. I have nightmares…I hear things I shouldn’t hear—”

This piqued Jack's professional interest. "What did you say?"

"It's incredibly stupid," the patient forced a smile.

"Tell me anyway."

“I could hear the servants whispering at the other end of the house. I could hear the mice in the attic—my mother’s poor heartbeat in another room. I could also see things in the dark, Jack, as clearly as in the daytime.”

“Lucy…”

"And—I'm so hungry—but I can't stand the sight of food—please, help me."

She appeared, panting, and bent forward, reaching out her hand to Jack. He hurriedly moved to her side.

An hour later, the patient was put to bed to rest, and Jack, feigning a slight illness, deceived and comforted Lucy's ailing and worried mother. Now, having completed his initial examination of Lucy, Jack went to the hall to speak with Arthur Honwow.

Lucy's fiancé had arrived a few minutes earlier with Quincy Morley, both dressed in hunting attire and full of energy. Their good mood didn't last long. Arthur, naturally, was even more frustrated with recent developments.

When he emerged from Lucy's room after his brief visit, his anxiety had only intensified. "Jack, what illness do you think it is? I think it's very serious."

Jack sighed, “There’s nothing wrong with her or I can see any symptoms. Yet, something just doesn’t seem right about her.”

"I also feel like something's not quite right!"

"Therefore, I took the initiative and sent a telegram to Abraham van Hausing."

Arthur was slightly moved by his words, yet hesitated. "Jaco, are you talking about the teacher you often mention? That Dutch metaphysician?"

"Yes. And he's also a doctor; he knows more about all sorts of difficult and obscure diseases than anyone else in the world."

“Then go, my friend, find him. It doesn’t matter how much it costs.”

Mina returned to Xiling Manor from the city quite late. She unusually agreed—her ability to refuse seemed to have dulled—to go find a movie theater with the man who had struck up a conversation with her on the street. It was as if their encounter was the most natural thing in the world.

The London sunset, as usual, was filled with a hazy, magical beauty: clear light, colorful shadows, and wondrous hues adorning the clouds and their reflections in the water. After the sun dipped below the horizon, the previously vibrant beauty faded into the twilight of spring. Mina, arm in arm with her new protector, almost blindly and helplessly followed him into an old, primitive cinema.

The silent, black-and-white images appearing on the screen were blurry and jerky, depicting a large gray wolf leaping incessantly in its cage. It was clearly encouraged or tormented by someone standing outside the camera; occasionally, this person's hand or arm would appear on the screen, just as it was about to end its cruel atrocities. A small number of viewers, including the wealthy and the lower classes, watched with rapt attention, sitting or standing in chairs, much like they would on the street.

Dracula and Mina stood on one side of the theater for a while, intently watching the images on the screen, as if the big bad wolf would be run over by a car if he blinked.

Mina's companion remarked with emotion, "That's amazing. Science truly has no limits."

“Is this science? I don’t think it can compare to Marie Curie’s work.” The images on the screen only held Mina’s attention for a few seconds. She grew increasingly uneasy. “I shouldn’t have come here. I have to go…”

"It's not the right time yet."

"But I—"

He placed his index finger on her lips, signaling her to be quiet. Then, he firmly took her arm and led her to the back of the small theater, through thick curtains, down a simple corridor, to a dark area almost directly behind the screen. Along the way, Mina protested incessantly, backing away.

“No, I can’t—” She was shocked to find that she couldn’t raise her voice, and could only protest in a low voice, “Please, stop—who are you?”

Just as Mina was about to cry out, the Count's gloved hand gently covered her mouth.

His voice was irresistible, almost hypnotic. "You couldn't be safer with me."

The black-and-white images projected onto the other side of the screen fell upon them. Queen Victoria appeared, growing larger as she sat in the royal carriage, part of a silent procession celebrating her sixtieth year on the throne.

The audience sitting in front of the screen applauded the Queen.

Dracula cautiously released his companion. She closed her eyes, her lips moved slightly, almost silently. He realized she was praying.

He whispered, "You are her, the love of my life. I lost you, but I have found you again."

Even as he spoke these words, a bloodlust, a hunger, rose within him, and his fanged jaws snapped forward—but he couldn't lay a hand on Elizabeth! He couldn't!

This sudden rebellion against his own instincts made him turn his head away in fear and astonishment. He desperately rallied his will. When he turned back to face his beloved, his face and mouth were once again human.

Although he was certain she hadn't witnessed the brief transformation, Mina was trembling with fear. "Oh my god—who are you?"