Chapter 1 Dracula Vampire Legend
1191 Words
Norway, England.
On a cliff near the sea, green grass was everywhere, and a gravel path led from the town to the castle on the high ground of the cliff.
A group of tourists, led by a local guide, were heading towards the ancient castle.
"Everyone, follow the group closely. Another five hundred meters and we'll arrive at the famous Thorn Castle."
"Thorn Castle is the most famous and well-preserved medieval castle in the area. Rumor has it that it was the property of Vlad III."
The guide, with curly flaxen hair, emerald eyes, and dressed in sportswear, eagerly introduced the place to a group of young people.
The tourists in this group came from all over the world.
There were people from the United States across the ocean, from the rising power of China, and from the emerging India.
Based on their hair color, eye color, appearance, and accent, the guide, with years of experience, could roughly identify where they came from.
One of them, a handsome teenager with black hair, fair and slightly yellow skin, and obviously oriental features, caught his attention.
The guide remembered his name was Su Xiaoye.
Among the tour group, he was the only tourist from China.
Su Xiaoye had his hands in the pockets of his faded blue jeans, looking absent-minded.
Seeing this, the guide waved his flag and continued, "You may not be familiar with the name Vlad III, but surely many of you have heard of Count Dracula?"
Peter, a tourist from the United States, laughed and said, "We've all heard of Count Dracula, the vampire."
A girl with a timid personality and freckles on her cheeks asked carefully, "Guide, are there really vampires in the castle?"
The guide shook his head and said, "There should be no vampires, but according to the older generation in the town, many people died in the castle during their grandfather's time.
Later, the police also investigated several times but didn't find anything suspicious."
The guide seemed unwilling to talk about it any more and changed the subject, saying, "Look at the rocky walls of the castle, covered with thorns and moss, which is why it's called Thorn Castle..."
Su Xiaoye looked up at Thorn Castle standing on the high ground of the cliff, his gaze wandering, and his palm tightly gripping the dragon-shaped jade pendant hanging around his neck.
"Dad, is this Thorn Castle where you disappeared last?"
A complicated expression flashed through the bottom of Su Xiaoye's calm eyes.
He was different from the other tourists in the group.
Others were here for fun.
Su Xiaoye was here to search for the traces of his missing father.
According to Su Xiaoye's investigation and various clues left by his father, his father had once been to Thorn Castle in the westernmost part of England.
"Soon, soon. Once I reach Thorn Castle, I'll know why myDad came here."
Su Xiaoye was looking forward to it, getting closer and closer to Thorn Castle.
Thorn Castle was built quite majestically.
The overall style of the castle was typical of the medieval period, with every brick dark to the point of blackness, showing traces of age and historical significance.
The ancient castle walls, which were steep and vertical, were covered with thorns, adding a touch of green to the castle.
"Here we are, Thorn Castle," said the guide, leading the way.
Many people in the tour group stopped to take photos with the Thorn Castle as a backdrop.
Unlike the others, Su Xiaoye had his hands in his pockets.
His eyes, sharp like an eagle's, scanned every corner of the castle, looking for clues left by his father.
"Rustle..."
The sea breeze blew, making the thorns that covered the walls seem to move a few times.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the freckled girl let out a scream.
"There's a figure upstairs!"
"Where? Where is the figure?"
The tour guide and the members of the tour group all turned to look.
Above the castle, there was nothing but emptiness, not even a ghostly figure.
Peter scolded, "You're a scaredy-cat, Branny. Don't make a fuss over nothing."
Branny, the freckled girl, looked aggrieved and said, "I really saw it… Just now, there was someone standing on the terrace of the castle, looking at us."
Su Xiaoye looked over and was on high alert.
However, Su Xiaoye didn't engage in much conversation with the others in the tour group.
To Peter and Branny, Su Xiaoye was a silent type, with a strange personality and few words.
The tour guide came to Branny's side, handed her a bottle of water, and comforted her, "It could be other tourists. Don't worry."
Branny took the water, nodded, and drank some to calm herself down.
"Alright, everyone, follow me."
"Now let's take a stroll inside the castle."
The somewhat scattered group gathered again in front of the tour guide and followed him to the hall, corridors, dining room, and other places in the castle.
As they walked, the tour guide also introduced how many rooms Thorn Castle had and how many people it could accommodate.
When Vlad Tepes was alive, how many servants Thorn Castle had and how many cattle, sheep, and other livestock were slaughtered each day.
Su Xiaoye, Peter, and the others followed the tour guide, admiring the extravagance of medieval European nobility.
Along the way, the group visited and made a racket, constantly taking photos.
After seeing the general construction of Thorn Castle, Su Xiaoye noticed something strange.
"There are so many thorns outside the castle, but it seems like there are none inside…"
Su Xiaoye fell behind the tour group and pondered.
"Alright, the last part of the Thorn Castle tour is the dungeon!"
The tour guide walked to the end of the corridor, opened a rusty iron door, and smiled back.
"It's rumored that Vlad Tepes suffered from a bloodlust, so his father built a deep dungeon here to imprison him when he was ill."
Perhaps to create an ancient atmosphere, the tour guide brought a kerosene lamp.
He lit the kerosene lamp hanging on his backpack and shined it into the dark hole behind the iron door.
The dim light dispelled some of the darkness and revealed a spiral staircase leading underground behind the iron door.
Peter crowded forward, peeked, and said, "It's quite dark here."
Branny said nervously, "It's too dark, and it's also dark and damp. Let's not go down, okay?"
Peter pulled Branny downstairs and laughed, "Since we're already here, why be afraid? Are there vampires downstairs?"
The tour guide held the kerosene lamp and walked down the spiral staircase.
The men and women in the tour group, two or three together, held each other and went down.
Su Xiaoye remained calm, took out his phone, turned on the flashlight function, walked at the back of the group, and illuminated the staircase.
Soon, Su Xiaoye noticed that his phone showed no signal.
It seemed that no one had noticed that there were many handprints on the rusty iron door…
After Su Xiaoye and his group completely walked into the spiral staircase leading to the dungeon, the iron door closed.
- Writer
