Alucard paced back and forth in his office. The discarded white coat lay in a heap on the floor. He buttoned the silver cuffs of his black tuxedo – was this, perhaps, too much for a home call? He did want to look good for the descendant of Lucy, and wouldn’t have given it a second thought a few centuries ago, but with each generation, the values and expectations seemed to change – humans were strange when it came to social norms and dress codes.

He shook his head and stepped into the elevator outside. A short surgeon in bright green scrubs leaned into the corner, staring at her phone. As the doors slid shut and his shadow fell over her, he couldn’t help but think how easy it would be. People were so absorbed by their little gadgets these days that they even failed to realize that the deadliest predator on the planet was only an arm’s length away.

A sharp smell of hand sanitizer filled the elevator, and Alucard crinkled his nose. The hospital was a great place to keep your urges in check, not only because of the blood bags. He would never even consider sinking his teeth into someone who smelled like this.

The elevator pinged and the doors slid open again.

“Have a good night, Dr. Acula,” Nurse Beatrice called out as he swept by the reception desk on his way out.

“You too, my dear,” the doctor said in a soft tone that still somehow managed to pierce the noise of the hospital. “You too...”

The night was crisp and thin clouds framed the silvery moon above the naked treetops. A smell of fresh rain and soil hung in the air.

Alucard’s polished dress shoes crunched against the gravel in the parking lot. He halted, and his dark eyes scanned the wet windows of the cars and the shady treeline of the nearby forest. His nostrils flared. Someone was watching him, he could feel it. Was there something out, hiding in the undergrowth?

Suddenly, he heard the thudding beat of a heart behind him, and the flow of blood through excited veins. Then the sound of rapid footfalls. The doctor turned around, and an intern with a flushed face ran up to him.

“You forgot your bag, Dr. Acula,” the boy said and offered him the case of medical supplies.

“My gratitude,” Alucard said slowly and eyed the intern.

He was thin and shied away from the doctor’s gaze. He seemed almost too young and was probably fresh out of med-school. Alucard hadn’t seen him around before.

“You’re welcome!” the boy said, a bit too enthusiastically.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Jonathan.”

A shadow fell across the face of the old vampire. Naturally, a lot of people were called Jonathan, but the odds of Van Helsing showing up the same day he ran into someone with that name seemed unlikely.

“Well… I’ll just… I’ll be going then,” the boy continued when the doctor remained silent.

The tiny hairs on the boy’s arms and neck stood up, and he slowly backed away before turning and running into the hospital. Alucard licked his lips and walked over to his car. He gave the dark trees of the forest a final glance before getting in.

The road took him to a mansion in the hills just outside the city. It was built in a Gothic design with tall spires and winding arches. Gargoyles with cruel and twisted faces kept close watch over the gate and the alley of naked poplars that led up to the property.

While the mansion was tiny compared to his castle back home, Alucard knew that the Westenra’s were well-off. Almost a century had passed since the family left England and moved overseas. He had decided to make their new home part of his territory for sentimental reasons. His deal with Van Helsing had been to take a break – and that he had. For over a hundred years he had abstained from drinking straight from of the vein. He had kept his word and, in return, the old professor had stayed out of his way.

The massive lion door knocker thundered against the darkened wood. When the echoes faded out, the silence of the countryside took over. A lonely crow cawed from a nearby tree, desperately trying to fill the void. Several minutes went by before Professor Van Helsing opened the door.

“Please, come on in,” he said without a hint of hesitation.

A smirk touched the thin lips of the doctor. Few people possessed the knowledge about vampires and those who did usually refrained from inviting them in. The old professor had always been an exception to the rule, and it seemed like he hadn’t changed one bit.