| Case Information | |
|---|---|
|
Case File |
WH13-572650-2018385 |
|
Case Date |
July 3, 2018 |
|
Agent(s) Involved |
Myka Bering, Pete Lattimer |
|
Artifact(s) Collected |
Vampiric Candle |
Chapter 1[]
"I don't get it," Pete said to Myka as they walked into the Warehouse's entrance during the night, placing his hand in front of the bright light. "It's two in the morning! I mean, I get that the world is in danger a lot, but surely it's nothing that can't wait until morning?"
"I have a feeling this must be pretty high on the danger scale if Artie couldn't even wait until morning to have us go out," she answered with a yawn. "I mean, he always has at least waited until seven before to send us out."
As they entered the office, Artie was already moving around, jumping from his board to the computer, with a stack of papers on a nearby table that looked as if they were just tossed on top of each other.
"Excellent, you're here," he said, not giving them a look as he continued his movement. "You're catching a private flight to Paris, and I've already got a driver to take you to Dinan from there."
"Dinan?" Pete asked. "What, are you sending us to a fancy dinner there? Since when do we fly private?"
"No, I'm sending you for a very dangerous artifact. The Regents approved the flight, so don't worry about it. I'm still sorting through the options, but if I'm right, you are going to need a lot of help. Thankfully for you, I'm sending you with my bag, so you should be able to have whatever you need."
"And what exactly are we going for?" Myka asked. "I mean, surely it's not so dangerous to send us there so quickly?"
"We've got a case where four people died, and the report hit about eight hours ago now. According to the reports, all four victims died of blood loss from no visible wounds, and those who came to investigate got lightheaded, as if they were losing blood as well."
"Blood loss at night?" Pete asked. "That sounds like vampires to me!"
"Pete, vampires don't exist, Pete. They're made up creatures," Artie answered.
"Exactly. Think of vampires like Bigfoot; he's not real."
"He is. Well, technically not as most people think of him; poor guy got affected by a couple of nasty artifacts. We tried to help him, but he's very good at hiding. I'm pretty sure he's been scared for life, presuming he has enough humanity left in him to comprehend what happened at this point. That "History" special didn't help his fear of people, I'm sure."
"Wait, you mean they actually found Bigfoot?!" Pete exclaimed in shock as Artie explained.
"Yeah, that was him. They really should have done a better job, though. Then maybe we could have helped him...but that's in the past. We're talking about now. Now, go quickly! I'll keep doing research and inform you when you get there."
Chapter 2[]
"Pete, you really don't need to eat so much garlic," Myka sighed. They were finally approaching the small village of Dinan, and Pete had been eating garlic for hours.
"You never know, Mykes! Artie could be wrong before. Remember the whole "Excalibur" incident? Aden wouldn't let Artie hear the end of it for a month straight!"
"I'm pretty sure there's a significant difference between ancient objects of myth and actual creatures," Myka answered. "Although then again, we do have that Scale..."
"Exactly, Myka! We can't be too safe! This could be an artifact that turns people into vampires! And if it is, then garlic may repel them."
"They're not the only ones being repelled by it."
"We're approaching the village," the young driver spoke in French. "Will you need anything else?"
"Thank you very much, Frances," Myka spoke back in French. "We won't need anything else."
"You should follow your friend's method. This town is cursed by the vampires."
"Thank you for your concern, but I don't believe in that."
"Perhaps you should. This is not the first time this town has been haunted by the vampires."
"What do you mean?" Myka asked.
"Back during World War Two, several people died from blood loss in the town. And even before that, it happened. It is because the house where it happened is the home of a vampire, and he attacks those who disrespect his house."
Myka paused before answering. "Then perhaps I will take some garlic. Thank you for the information."
After dropping them off, Myka informed Pete of what the driver had told her.
"So, the town is cursed by a vampire! I knew it!"
"More than likely, it's an artifact in the house. The question is, why does it not activate all the time?"
As they went around town, they interviewed the townsfolk - well, really just Myka, as she was the only one of the two who spoke French. They all mentioned the curse, and they all talked about how the family who lived there - an Canadian family with French ancestry who had recently moved back - did not believe the curse. And sure enough, they died four months after moving in, with the only survivor being a small girl who was in staying with a friend overnight the night of the incident.
Upon receiving the autopsy report, they learned the four victims - the mother and father along with an older brother and sister - all died the same way: unexplained blood loss. They had minimal blood left in their system, though there were no signs of external injury or any indication that they were unhealthy leading up to the incident. And the little girl only knew that they were planning to clean the attic, which had apparently been left untouched since the War. With nothing else to go on, they contacted Artie.
"Unfortunately, there aren't very many records of artifacts in Europe during World War Two that aren't related to military use," Artie explained. "And there haven't been any rumors recorded in the Warehouse of blood-removing artifacts in that region, though that could be because it doesn't activate frequently or didn't originate there. It's very hard to say."
"So then, I suppose that means we'll have to go into the house?" Pete asked nervously.
"Yes, but you must be extremely cautious. Whatever happened, you don't know how or why it activated. Be prepared for anything. I'm guessing whatever the artifact is, it's likely older than the World Wars."
"We will," Myka answered confidently.
Chapter 3[]
As they slowly entered the house, it looked remarkably modern. There was no indication of the tragedy that had unfolded in the house just two days prior.
"Make sure you don't touch anything, Pete," Myka said as she put on neutralizer gloves. "We have no idea what it could be."
"Don't worry, I know," Pete answered, putting on gloves of his own. "But it feels weird to have to take more precautions than normal."
As they carefully moved around the house, Myka pulled out a neutralizer spray, testing anything that looked old. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the house that seemed to fall into that category.
"It's all so new," Pete commented. "I can't imagine what it could have possibly been."
"Perhaps it is in the attic after all?" Myka said, turning her gaze towards the ceiling. Suddenly, a faint sound could be heard.
"Is that...a hissing sound?"
"I think it's coming from the attic."
As they climbed the stairs, Pete stopped. "I've got a really bad vibe. Myka, be careful."
She nodded, passing Pete the bag and slowly opened the door. White tape lay on the ground, marking where the bodies were found. And nearby, a candlestick with a red candle was sitting atop some boxes.
"Well, that's not ominous at all..." Myka commented, as she slowly approached. Then, when she reached eight feet from the candle, it lit itself. "Pete, I think I found the artifact..." Myka said, though she suddenly felt very nauseous.
"Myka, are you okay?" Pete asked. As he watched her wobble, he reached into Artie's Bag, he pulled out a lasso.
"I sure hope this works!" He tossed the lasso, which wrapped itself around Myka, allowing him to pull her towards him. Upon passing the invisible boundary, the candle went out, though a hissing sound came from it.
"Myka, are you okay?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, aside from feeling sick..." she said, speaking slowly. Her breathing had intensified, and her limbs felt chilled.
Pete pulled out the Farnsworth, and Artie answered quickly.
"How's it going?"
"Well, Myka is feeling sick, Artie," Pete explained, recounting what happened.
"So, it is a straight proximity artifact that drains the blood?" Artie said. "I knew this was dangerous, but this is much worse than I expected. That's quite different from my guesses..."
"You mean, like the Dark Vault?" Pete asked. "We've dealt with those before."
"No, you dealt with the Aztec Bloodstone, which is child's play for the Vault. That proximity is limited to the handler. You've seen the boundaries around those artifacts."
"Like...Plath's Typewriter..." Myka said with labored breath.
"Yeah, well, that is close to what you're dealing with. You've seen it within its neutralizer field; outside of that field, it has a range of six feet."
"If Myka got affected this quickly, then how are we supposed to collect this?" Pete questioned. "I mean, will it even help if we dump it in the container of neutralizer?"
"It's hard to say... Proximity artifacts are extremely difficult to deal with when they're coupled with this dangerous an effect. You must find a way to either prevent it from activating or counter the effects. If the fire only lights when you approach it, then you may be able to collect it if you can keep the fire from being lit. Once it's in the neutralizer, that should help keep the fire from lighting until we take it out."
"And how are we supposed to do that?"
"That's why you have the bag, Pete. Just reach in, and it will give you what you need that will help. All you must do is think about the problem you have, and it will offer you a solution."
"Okay..."