Vampire's Breath

15.

I leaned forward, horrified - but eagerly

watches. The two vampires floated off the floor. They hissed at each other again, like two snakes about to attack.

"Freddy-yo!" Whispering way. He grabbed my arm and pulled it. "This is our chance" The right way. While the two vampires were hissing at each other, we had to try to escape.

My heart was pounding, I grabbed Gwendolyn's torch from the floor and darted after Cara. We ran blindly through the dark basement.

There must be a way out! I repeat to myself. There must be a way to escape! Finally, I saw the door open.

Cara and I broke through the door. I looked back. I saw Count Nightwing hovering high from the floor. His robe swirled behind him. Gwendolyn hissed towards him weakly from the basement floor.

There was no time to watch their fight. I followed Cara to the room. "Where are we?" i'm whispering. I lifted the torch in front of us.

"Wow," muttered Cara as the shelves on the wall lit up. "I can't believe it!"

We have found a room filled with empty bottles of Vampire Breath that Gwendolyn has told us. Shelves cover every wall from floor to ceiling. And every shelf is crammed with blue bottles. Piles and piles of blue glass bottles. There are a million empty bottles here! i'm appalled. We looked around the room. The bottles glittered like blue gems, exposed to the light from the torch.

How to shake his head violently, as if trying to remove an amazing sight from his eyes. He looked at me, his expression serious. "It doesn't help us escape" he whispered. "Running away?" hoarse voice sounded from

the entrance.

Count Nightwing moved quickly into the room, "There's no need to talk about escaping," he said, squinting his strange silver eyes at Cara, then at me. "Because there's no escape from Count Nightwing's castle." He lifted his robe and floated off the floor.

"What are you going to do?" i stammered.

He threw back his bald head and uttered a

a terrifying hiss, I felt myself being pushed back, backwards, deeper into the room. He used some kind of power, some kind of ancient power.

He floated higher. The robe was billowing around him. He looked like a weak insect inside the purple cocoon. But I can feel his power. Pushed me back.... Hold me.... Pushing

l am.... And then, all of a sudden, I felt she was let go. He fell hard to the floor. Eyes shiny. He snapped his skinny finger. A faint smile fell on his face. "Yes!" he hisses.

Cara and I retreated to the shelf on the opposite wall. My feet are shaking now. He has gripped me in some sort of ancient power. And now I feel really shaky. I fought to catch me

breath. "Yes!" he sizzled again. "I remember now!" Cara and I stared at the old vampire in silence. He turned to the shelves of blue bottles, "This is where I hid the bottle full of my Vampire Breath" he told us. "I hid it here, in an empty room. I knew the others would never look here." As she smiled, I could see her gums, soft and smooth inside her dry-lipped mouth. Smile fades. And his silvery eyes narrowed.

refresh "I'm so thirsty" he whispered, staring at Cara and I. "I have to find the bottle that fell—memory—and get back my fangs."

He plunged into a nearby shelf and began scavenging for blue bottles. "Which one? Which one?" he muttered to himself. "Thousands of bottles, and only one full."

His small and thin hands moved quickly on the shelves. He put away the emptiness, muttering to himself. The bottles fell to the floor, broke

in pieces. Ways

hurry up!" I pointed to the most distant shelf.

Let's move!"

He immediately understood me. We have to find

full bottle first. We have to find him before the Count

Nightwing did it

I knelt down and started to filter

through the bottle on the bottom shelf.

empty empty.

blank

I pushed them aside one by one. My fingers

moving quickly over the glass tops, I squinted my eyes

hard in dim light, looking, looking

just a full bottle.

Glass breaks on hard floors. Bottle rolled

and revolve around me.

Next to me, How to do a

low shelf. "No, no, no, no." He muttered

himself as he moved his hand over the empty one

24

Cara and I stared at the old vampire in silence. He turned to the shelves of blue bottles, "This is where I hid the bottle full of my Vampire Breath" he told us. "I hid it here, in an empty room. I knew the others would never look here." As she smiled, I could see her gums, soft and smooth inside her dry-lipped mouth. Smile fades. And his silvery eyes narrowed.

refresh "I'm so thirsty" he whispered, staring at Cara and I. "I have to find the bottle that fell—memory—and get back my fangs."

He plunged into a nearby shelf and began scavenging for blue bottles. "Which one? Which one?" he muttered to himself. "Thousands of bottles, and only one full."

His small and thin hands moved quickly on the shelves. He put away the emptiness, muttering to himself. The bottles fell to the floor, broke

in pieces.

bottle You two-Count Nightwing called from across the room. "Go from there!"

We ignored. We kept scavenging the bottles, working faster, faster. Desperate to find

the full first.

And then my hands landed on it.

I took a deep breath when I realized it felt windier than the others. My hands are shaking like 1 Yes! It must have been heavy. Yep! That's still

carefully lift it from the others.

hermetically sealed. Yep! "I found it!" I shouted, jumping to my feet

"How

Lookie! I've got her!"

I raised a full bottle to show her

and Count Nightwing took it from my hand.

"Thank you" he said.