October 13, 1970

If you are reading this, then it means that my time has finally come. I am Sir Fredrik Noctis and I am writing this to tell of a day that haunts me to this day. Even as I write this on my old typewriter, recounting this tale sends shivers down my spine. What I am about to tell you is of my time in Europe and my encounter with the man responsible for my current condition. It was a cold winter evening in 1830. I was just hired for the printing press not that long before. At the time, the pay was good and I was able to go to place the average man wouldn’t. In this case, I was tasked with interviewing the people of Europe, in particular Transylvania. I was able to document my sightings while there. From its culture to its people, I made sure to document everything. But despite that, I couldn’t land an interview with anyone. That was until I ran into a strange man. He was taller than average, around 6 foot 8 from my guess with skin as pale as bone and eyes a crimson red. Despite this, he was polite enough to allow me to interview him. He led me to his castle and willing to accept any question I asked. From there, I was taken to his main chambers and we sat down on very regal looking chairs. Upon sitting down, we began the interview.

He started telling me about his time travelling all of Europe. He told me how during his travels, he conquered plenty of lands and drove nations to ruins. During one of these conquests, he found a corpse holding mysterious gem. This gem was as red as blood and was encased in a gold amulet. The corpse by contrast appeared ancient. As in several thousands of years ancient. But that wasn’t the only oddity. When he looked into its mouth, the corpse did not possess the teeth of a human. The teeth were razor sharp almost like the teeth of a large predator. He then told me that he began to pry the gem away from the corpse. In the process, he accidentally pricked his hand on the teeth of the corpse. Upon taking the gem, he thought nothing of the small drops of blood dripping from his hand. He then showed me the gem in question and says that he remembered it like it was yesterday. He then told me that that whole story happened three hundred years ago. At first, I had a hard time believing that but before I left, I ask for his name. He told me his name right into my ear. His name was Dracula.

As soon as he told me his name, I felt a sharp pain from my neck. I took one look and saw that he had sunk his teeth into me. Without thinking, I pushed him away and ran as fast as I could out of the castle. I was lucky to run into someone who would treat my wound but I can’t help but wonder what exactly he was. Deep down a part of me could tell he was no longer human but rather a corpse still clinging to life. Everything went dark from there as the loss of blood finally caught up to me. The next day, I woke up to a rather light headed feeling. My stomach felt hollow and I could see my bones under my skin. Said skin also looked pale and began to burn when in contact with sunlight. That night, I was so starved that I couldn’t sleep what so ever. To make matters worse, every time I ate something, my body would reject it and force me vomit it out. I stepped outside that night in hopes that all I needed was fresh air.

 As soon as I did, a man who was clearly drunk stumbled in my direction. He must’ve thought I was someone else since he began to use every profanity at me. I couldn’t hear a thing though as I began to feel a primal urge. An urge that told me to not see him as a fellow man but as food. I felt my body lunge towards him followed by the taste of iron. Due to my malnourished condition, I could not help but continue to feed on the man. With every drop of blood, I could feel my body become healthier, stronger even. By the time I was done, I was horrified by what I saw. The man lying motionless on the ground with his throat ripped out and blood staining the pavement. I knew right there that I was no longer human and that I needed to leave. Under the cover of night, I left Transylvania and began to return home to Massachusetts as soon as I could. From there I spent the next century studying my condition and coming to terms with my newfound immortality.

So now you know of my tale. You might be wondering why I am telling you this. At first, I considered this my atonement to make amends to all the lives I’ve taken. But also, as a warning to those perusing eternal life. While it might seem tempting to conquer death, know that such roads are stained in blood and suffering. Instead of perusing such nightmares, value your life while you’re still here. You’ll be doing more good being around for others instead following the same path I took.