5/8/20 Benjamin Zhu PD1

5/08/20

Benjamin Zhu period 1

Experience with working at home-

• Working at home is both convenient and tedious. It’s convenient in the sense that I don’t have to wake up early everyday to do an assignment, I could submit it any time of the day. However, it’s also tedious because finding the motivation to do work at home by yourself could feel boring and stressful. And as far as my experience goes, for the most part it’s alright, but at times I would forget a few assignments here or there cause staying at home for two months makes it feel like school isn’t in session anymore. Yet this vibe also relieves a lot of stress as well since I’m not consistently worrying about the work. 

Updates about the virus-

• As of now, the US is still the country to have the most incidents and it doesn’t seem like it’ll change anytime soon. In fact we are still increasing by the day. China on the other hand, relieved lockdown six weeks ago and for the most part it seems to be doing fine with a few minor cases popping up here and there. As of US, NY has the most cases in all of the United States with around 350,000 cases and nyc alone makes up half of it. The number is still increasing by the day but it seems that we are past the peak since we are gaining less and less cases everyday. 

Personal feeling about current incident-

• Personally, I just wish the virus will end soon because being stuck home for two months gets extremely boring. I’m also annoyed that the rest of the senior year is ruined for everyone. I had so many plans for future events but they were all canceled. Also, there’s been rumors that this virus might even last till end of the year and it’ll suck if college’s first semester starts as online classes because most students won’t have the motivation to study at home. It’s hard to focus without someone teaching directly in front of you. 

5/6/20 Dominick Villamor (LATE) PD 7

2020-03-06/15

Dominick Villamor Period 7

It’s just as they say: nothing curbs pandemic-related uneasiness like a markedly more harrowing zombie film. Train to Busan has sat on my plan-to-watch list since shortly after its release but trauma over cheap jumpscares meant I’ve never actually watched it until now. It’s definitely well made and devoid of the jumpscares I so despise. In fact, it seemed Train to Busan’s director Yeon Sang-ho fooled me into cringing into my chair and peeking through my fingers in preparation for a jumpscare that was never to be. Like a good/bad pun, I could only narrow my eyes and acknowledge I’d been had. Fool me once, shame on you---or something like that. Spoiler warning if that wasn’t obvious.

On the subject of subverted expectations, many moons ago I wrote a blog on ancient Greek theater and catharsis. There is perhaps no greater denial of that release than with this movie… or so I thought. Stallion Express COO Yon-suk set himself up to be the movie’s human antagonist very early on, generating a class conflict subtext as he disparages the homeless man in the bathroom. It reminded me of another Korean-directed film Snowpiercer which combines a similarly apocalyptic and locomotive setting with a pronounced caste system.  As the threat of zombie apocalypse solidifies, Yon-suk further settles into his villain role as he barks orders to the train staff. As a seasoned veteran of the NYC public transportation system, this all just seemed like a regular day though I understand being a little frantic in those circumstances. My sentiments changed as he turned the denizens of Car 15 against Seok-woo and co. leading to Sang-hwa’s death. When Jong-gil loosed the undead hordes unto Car 15, my frustration with Yon-suk washed away and I thought everything would be happily ever after. In a last ditch effort to garner some sympathy for our villain, the movie reveals Yon-suk’s more vulnerable side: more a lost child than a ruthless businessman. Needless to say, I wasn’t moved but individually reconciling my anger towards some pixels on a screen may have been the real catharsis all along.

While Yon-suk’s zombified dialogue did little to change my view, it was another data point in an interesting trend I observed throughout the movie: “zombies” held some lucidity well after their physical transformation. It led to some touching scenes like Sang-hwa holding back the zombies like a Spartan at Thermopylae and the two elderly sisters touching hands through a soon-to-be-opened glass door, but its real value was piquing my curiosity as to this movie’s handling of zombie behavior. Train to Busan dare I say masterfully established what made zombies so dangerous. Heavy emphasis was placed on the zombies’ cloudy eyes leading to our protagonist utilizing the numerous tunnels to move through the cars in relative safety. They also used sound to lure zombies to more advantageous positions and I’m wondering if the sound produced by zombies as they investigated an actual sound would lead to a snowball effect which would help gather a greater crowd of zombies. I also can’t help but feel like the luxury sound isolation on the KTX was detrimental and I can rest easy knowing the deafening rumble on the SI Railway will keep me safe in a zombie apocalypse. Overall, the zombies and their mannerisms were thoughtfully constructed to give more substance to the threat they posed and showcase the characters’ ingenuity.

Another interesting aspect of Train to Busan was reconciling the cultural differences and some confusion I had as a non-Korean audience. Su-an singing Aloha ‘Oe with her father absent for another time may have been a very emotional moment, but it’s also a Spongebob song and I couldn’t get past that association. The emphasis on Busan and its association with safety was also particularly intriguing. Some reading into the history of Busan reveals its status as something of a historical bulwark for South Korea. Busan was actually one of the few cities to remain under South Korean control during the Korean War and the site of the United Nations last stand at the Battle of the Pusan Perimeter (the contradictory spelling is due to change in Romanization). Another thing to note is Seok-woo being a workaholic which reminded me of reading about an intense work culture in South Korea with regards to esports. Long story short, a couple years ago there was drama over an allegedly disruptive Korean player on a mainly Western team because he wanted to practice more, though “difference in culture” was officially cited by the general manager as to the reason for his trading away. I’m not well read enough to comment further but there’s definitely something to be said about a culture’s underlying influence on the media it produces.

COVID-19 seems to be on everyone’s mind nowadays and for good reason. I’ll admit I even cringed a little when the guard at the beginning of the movie pulled his mask down to talk to the truck driver. I’m not big on movies but watching them is certainly a good distractor and perhaps there is some value in watching movie characters handle tangentially related situations from an outside, objective perspective. 

5/13/20 Yaying Zhao PD 7

May 13, 2020

Yaying Zhao

Period 7

Modern Mythology 2020, Blog #3

What is it like working from home?

I’ve found that I enjoyed working from home more because I am able to work at my own pace. I like that I can still get work done and not miss out on much even with my sleeping schedule. I also like that I can do work in my bed, wearing pajamas, and eating breakfast. One thing about working from home is that I spent a majority of my time in bed. I haven’t been outside of my room – and to a greater extent, my house – much since the quarantine began but with the nice weather that we’ve been getting I might start sitting outside to do my work. 

Comparing the time my 2nd blog was written back in March 27th to the present, a lot has happened yet nothing has happened. 2 months have passed and a lot has happened but somehow everything feels the same, I didn’t realize it was already May until the AP workloads started hitting. Back when the quarantine had just started, everyone was just happy to stay at home all day. Now that the school year has officially been cancelled, a lot of the seniors lost the motivation to do school work. 

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

Globally, the COVID-19 cases have reached 4.39 million and 298k deaths. Nationally, we’re at 1.43M and 85k deaths. And New York state has 346k cases with 27k deaths, 193k cases and 19k deaths coming from NYC. While 3 regions in the upstate are set to reopen May 15th, the city might remain under lockdown until June. Some even speculate that the next school year could start online, as the second wave of the COVID-19 should happen around then. Around the U.S., more people are starting to leave their houses again. More than half the states are planning to or have already started up their economy and relaxed their bans. This could be dangerous as our numbers are still high.

Personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

While people are missing out on milestones, celebrations, and facing unemployment, I believe this quarantine should be maintained. There are nonprofits providing food, rent has been frozen, and milestones can always wait. All of our problems should be secondary to the wellbeings of the 382.2 million people living in the US. Personally I haven’t left my house since the quarantine began and my parents only go out for groceries but I live by the beach and I see a lot of people outside without their masks. On my social media, I see friends posting about people in their neighborhood hanging out in large groups even as the cases continue to increase. I see pictures of crowds having picnics in the parks and protestors claiming the first amendment when they’re protesting about being able to get their haircuts. The people that complain about this quarantine and still refusing to the restrictions are the reason why this quarantine currently has no end date. 

Although this situation is bad, it gives us a chance to spend more time with our families – especially since we’re seniors and most of us would be going away for college. However, with the way things are looking, our first fall semester might also start at home. So far, this year has felt like the shortest year possible yet so much has happened. The view outside my window remains the same but the weather is changing rapidly. This experience has taught me to appreciate what we have, a little more. 

Alexis Ofshtein 4/30/20 (LATE) Period 2 - Blog #3

Modern Mythology 2020

4/30/20

Alexis Ofshtein

Lesson: A Brief History on Ghosts

In this lesson I learned a lot of new information about the different beliefs of ghosts. Even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I still like to learn about them, and after reading this lesson, I realized I never put too much thought into why ghosts appear. Their existence comes from several different reasons. For example, the ghost needs to complete a task, the ghost is obsessed with a person or place, or the spirit can’t accept its death and move on. Another thing I never thought about is where do people believe ghosts appear. Some think they appear in small places, when a person is alone, or encounters can go unnoticed and can cause chills or nausea.

Learning about ghosts made me think about if I hypothetically could’ve had any encounters with ghosts (if I believed they were real.) All the times I felt unexplainable nausea, a sudden hair raising moment, or chills, maybe could’ve been an interaction with a ghost. Learning about ghosts can even be applied to my history and science classes. In history class, I wonder now how many unexplainable events in the past, that point to ghosts, could we have learned about. In the lesson, it pointed out that since energy cannot be created or destroyed, the souls of living things remain. Since I am more of a scientific and evidence based person, the law of physics being applied to ghosts is pretty justifiable. These laws can be applied to the research of ghosts and expand the concepts of science.

Working from home is a lot easier than going to school. You can make your own schedule, you are more comfortable, and the kitchen is always nearby. However, I think I learn a lot more when I can easily interact with my teacher and students. Having class led discussions, especially in this class, helps me learn a lot more than just going through the powerpoints. Even having discussions with my group and helping each other and working together on the material helps me learn more. Also just being able to interact with friends before and after classes keeps me motivated. At home, I am not as motivated and being too comfortable can make me procrastinate more. 

5/12/20 Jeffrey Zeng PD 7

Jeffrey Zeng

5/12/2020

Period 7

Modern Mythology 2020

What's it like working from home?

This is less about how I work at home, but what I experienced while being home, and how it affected me and my work.  Working from home has been a much more difficult transition for me than it was for other people. In my life I’ve always lacked a goal, something that I wanted to obtain. School work wasn’t difficult, but it was because I had my friends to help. I always looked forward to tomorrow, not because of the work, but because of my friends and the things we’d do together. It’s our last year at this school, so of course my friends were thinking of the future. Some had meticulous plans that stretched all the way to college graduation, others had more of a vague idea of what to do. They were like potters, easily shaping these rough plans and ideas and working each one until they were content with its form, while I haven’t even put a thing on my potter's wheel. I had hobbies, but nothing came to mind when asked about my future. I was excited when I first heard that schools were being closed, who wouldn't be? I thought that this would be a great time to expand on my hobbies and work out a plan for the future. The first few weeks were fine, I kept up with most of my work and enjoyed my time at home. Every day, I woke up with less excitement though. After a couple weeks, I was frantically trying to figure out what I felt happy doing. It was always the most fun when I was with friends, so this was the first time I thought about what I wanted to do. I couldn’t stay with my friends forever, they all had places they wanted to be, and I couldn’t keep up. I frantically tried to put together a plan for myself, and yet, was not motivated to even take the first step forward. My head was filled with crumpled up ideas, and nothing to show for all that effort. I was no closer to a future I wanted to see myself in than when the quarantine started. Of course I wasn’t alone at home, my parents were constantly pestering me about my future. They were just worried, but it felt intoxicating. At some point I had just given up, I locked myself in my room and gave up on the hobbies that gave me little to no gratification. My grades took a hit, but I didn’t care, the days blended with the nights and I just ran on auto pilot. I finally snapped out of my haze when my cousin decided to talk to me. He asked me why I was so worried about my future to begin with and I couldn’t give him an answer. Honestly, if he hadn’t talked to me that day, I don’t know if I would have gotten out of that hole. I still don't have any kind of plan, but I’ll just enjoy the time I can spend with all my friends before I can’t catch up with them anymore.

What are you learning about your community based on the reactions?

Within my neighborhood, there isn’t much that changed, but I feel that this has gotten some of my neighbors to open up while others to stay more at home. I went for a walk around the neighborhood today and noticed just how close the asian community has gotten during this time, including my own family. We often exchange food and other supplies with one another, and some people across the street struck up a conversation with me. Other than that, very few people go past their front yard, even in this tight knit community. I’ve seen my next door neighbor less and less, but I think it’s just due to our schedules because I’ve talked to the man a couple times and he’s quite nice. There are people who aren’t as nice though, on my walk today I saw some people who were also actively avoiding everyone, I don’t know if it was because of my ethnicity, but it’s understandable that people are just trying to keep themselves safe.

5/11/20 Victoria Zhu Period 8

5/11/20 

Victoria Zhu PD 8

What is it like working from home?

I think working at home has been pretty difficult in terms of being a student. I personally learn better within a classroom environment where there’s more structure and I can feed off of my classmates’ responses. I also tend to procrastinate so I feel like remote learning is slightly detrimental to my education. Although my class host video meetings, I find that I’m less motivated as there are so many distractions. Yes, working from home creates more free time, but I realized that this extra time isn’t benefitting me as I am unproductive within that duration. I would much rather prefer classroom learning than working from home. 

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

In the news, there’s a lot of reactions to the pandemic. Some hate the stay at home order and petition to lift them. Others blame China for the virus and discriminate against Asian Americans. Still, others respect the orders as statures to public safety. The protests for lifting the stay at home order continues to increase. I think it’s shocking that people would put their’s and their loved one’s safety at risk just because the lockdown is inconvenient. The extent of the pandemic in America can be attributed to the government downplaying the effects of the virus and not taking the required precautions early on. I think it’s ignorant to be point fingers at anyone for the pandemic especially if we’re still in it. This scapegoating causes unnecessary discrimination and violence towards Asian Americans. We should be working together internationally to successfully formulate a vaccine to benefit all people as a whole. Through this pandemic, I learn that ignorance and/or full disregard for safety can cause a lot of deaths. 

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

It feels as though a life with school and no social distancing was so long ago. Maybe years. In fact, it’s only been 2 months. So many things changed within these short months. I really wished that America took extra precautions when the pandemic started. We never expected the virus to hit this hard until its too late. Although social distancing and the stay home orders may be terrible, I believe they are effective to combat the pandemic. I find it very shocking that there has been protests to lift the orders. These policies are put into place to help curb positive cases and protect the safety of the people. Yet people petition and protest to lift these policies because they’re inconvenient? I hope that with the continuation of social distancing the number will decrease and soon we can go about our lives. 

Vampire Narrative Winners - 2020

CLICK HERE to read about the competition

FIRST PLACE - KEVIN CHEN

Kevin Chen

Ms. Fusaro

Modern Mythology PD 02

The Chinese Vampire

This is a pitch for a television series. What you’re about to read is the pitch for season one of the show “Tale of  Vampires” where our main protagonist, Eric Chen, is about to tackle the struggles of racism as the result of an unexpected pandemic. Please note that this is only season one. Everybody has their backstory, this is Eric’s.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode I – The Chinese Virus

Eric Chen, a Chinese-American Vlad High student, enjoys the sunset with his friends. Laughter and joy fill the air. Eric abruptly awakens from his daydream. Mr. Johnson discusses emerging cases of sickness in China. Connor, your stereotypical football jock, asks Eric if he has the “Chinese virus.” The class laughs, but Eric shrugs it off; Connor is a moron. From the hallways at school to public transportation, Eric notices more people glaring at him. One evening, he receives a mysterious notification from WeChat that reads, “PHASE ONE”.

I  

The Chinese Vampire: Episode II – Troubling Times

In the following months, the cases spread all across Eurasia. Small businesses owned by Chinese-Americans start to close down from vandalism and threats. Eric's father, a pediatrician, is clearly distressed; his usual patients have canceled future appointments. Eric’s exhausted from school, where his friends seem to be avoiding him. The days go on. There are twenty million worldwide cases with a 33% mortality rate. Paranoia’s rampant. Everyone is required to quarantine themselves. Eric reads archived articles online that state that 0.01% of the infected are invulnerable to the disease. These isolated cases have one thing in common: the craving of blood.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode III - Welcome to New Asiatopia

Asian-Americans are assaulted and threatened daily. WeChat, an app upon which the Chinese community heavily relies, provides communication and updates. Connor shatters Eric’s window with a brick and shouts “Go back to China!!” Eric’s terrified. Suddenly a notification from WeChat appears, reading “COMMENCING”. Eric’s father enters the room and urges Eric to quickly pack their belongings. WeChat has ensured their safety. They enter an underground facility. There are several other Chinese families. Heavily armed guards are everywhere. An older gentleman introduces himself as Ming of “The Council,” which owns and operates the underground base. Eric finds the base suspicious. Ming welcomes them to New Asiatopia.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode IV – A Familiar Face Appears

The rules are simple. Number One - no questioning The Council’s authority. Number Two - everybody needs to contribute. The adults handle intensive labor. The children attend daily lectures on engineering before engaging in hours of cleaning. Eric sighs as exhaustion gets to him. ScallionStem, a schoolmate from Vlad High, offers assistance. Eric smiles with some relief. The two become good friends.

The Chinese Vampires: Episode V – Must Uphold Routine

Nearly two months have passed. Eric and the other members of New Asiatopia have adjusted to the underground lifestyle. The Council has been brainwashing everyone that they should follow routine via WeChat. Those that disobey the rules receive harsh punishments. One day, ScallionStem rushes to Eric. He catches his breath and says that Chairman Xi Jinping was in the highly restricted “Council” room. Why is the leader of China at this underground base? How did he get here?

The Chinese Vampire: Episode VI –  Sleepless Evening 

Eric’s unable to sleep. Having heard what ScallionStem said, his own curiosity grows. The lights are currently offline in New Asiatopia. Citizens are mandated to stay within their dorms. Eric hears a voice outside his dorm. ScallionStem and some new faces are awaiting him. The boys are planning to investigate further. They silently travel to the ominous Council room. Two soldiers stand outside. Some scientists enter the room with an authorization card. The boys receive a brief glimpse of incubators.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode VII –  Commence Infiltration

In the next few days, ScallionStem organizes a plan to infiltrate the Council room. They sneak into a scientist’s dorm to retrieve an authorization card. Eric determines the perfect timing to strike would be 2:00 a.m. because the troops would go on their hour break. ScallionStem wants to avoid garnered suspicion. They wait a week. Their plan goes accordingly. They enter the illuminated Council room. Fear travels through Eric’s body. There are endless rows of incubators containing human-like creatures. A countless number of scientists are analyzing the creatures. Ming appears to stand next to China’s Xi Jinping.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode VIII - Grave Danger Revealed

The focus is on Xi Jinping. The boys are puzzled about his presence in New Asiatopia. Finding some conveniently located files, ScallionStem takes a look at what appears to be statistics and diagrams. Eric, having aced the AP Statistics exam, offers assistance interpreting the data. He can’t believe it. There are apparently 15,000 humans remaining on earth. Eric doesn’t understand “Project CoronaVampirus,” which appears to have failed. Footsteps approach. “Freeze!” says a thundering voice. The boys are in trouble.

The Chinese Vampire: Episode IX - Project CoronaVampirus

Eric can’t move. The troops have tied their limbs with rope. Worried for their lives, ScallionStem says that they won’t disclose any information to the others within New Asiatopia. Chairman Jinping laughs as he steps forward. Eric demands to know what the files mean. Ming remorsefully admits that Project CoronaVampirus was never intended to eradicate 99.99% of the world’s population. China was on the verge of creating the world’s most powerful army. Their “Feng Shui” serum was projected to enhance the human body to be capable of running faster, lifting objects triple their weight, and more. The scientists apply anesthetic gases to the boys. Eric falls unconscious. 

The Chinese Vampire: Episode X - The Vampire Awakens

  Eric regains his consciousness. What happened? Several corpses lie in front of him. ScallionStem and his friends are dead. There are gunshot wounds. Lifeless soldiers are everywhere. There are two holes in each of their necks. Eric looks down at his blood-soaked hands. Is he responsible? Eric’s head is spinning. He feels sick in his stomach. Ming enters. He explains that Chairman Jinping authorized the serum to be injected in Eric and the others. Eric is furious. His eyes blaze a crimson red. Eric storms out of the room and all Chinese personnel fly multiple feet away. Soldiers approach with machine guns. Eric knows he can’t deal with them all. Knocking down the main entrance, Eric looks back at New Asiatopia and swears vengeance. The moonlight illuminates the lifeless Earth. Eric looks at the overhead clouds, a nostalgic sight. 

SECOND PLACE - DEJON KURTI

Dear Netflix and Affiliates,

I would like to first thank the board of directors for taking the time to review what I believe will be the rebirth of vampirical stories in our time. The movie I’ve created, Bloodborne, is a film dedicated to putting the complex nature of these beings—humans turned killers—on the big screen in an attempt to not only display their frightening nature, but to highlight self-questioning and purpose in a universe as vast as our own. It is without a doubt that this will be a thriller packed with terrifying moments, but what will distinguish this movie from the rest is the emotional connection and understanding audiences will share with creatures who were designed from the start to take over humanity. The narrative I’ve created for you is only a small glimpse into the movie and will hopefully clarify some key questions you have. We will be following the story of John Bray (as told from his perspective), a vampire-turned-protagonist who realizes what he must do. John, along with his friend Alison, are on a mission to stop the Dark Covenant—a following of vampires dedicated to restoring dark forces upon our physical world—from unleashing death across the globe. While this is only a general gist of the plot, I hope each of you will creatively think about the many different possibilities this brings to the table.

Yours Truly,
Dejon Kurti
----

Bloodborne

By Dejon Kurti




As expected, the monastery was empty. Every fiber in my being hoped that France was where we’d learn the truth about what those cultists had planned. I still remember Father William’s last words:

“God creates no two creatures alike, John. Your only mission is the one you choose.”

The image of his mutilated body, his face almost unrecognizable then, still haunted me.

In many ways, I still didn’t know what I was. The countless times I had fed on innocent people to supplement my neverending existence, the joy I took in slowly watching the life leave a person’s body as quickly as their blood drew into mine—these were experiences that seemingly confirmed the evilness I embodied. Alison and I weren’t like the others though, fanatically obsessed with Satan and reclaiming the underworld’s glory in our time… Whatever that meant.

“Ah, Sénanque Nabbey is as beautiful as the pictures make it out to be.”

“We don’t have time to take pictures, Al. Sun’s going down and they know what we’re searching for.”
She rolled her eyes and followed me past the lavender field. When we had reached the entrance, the doors were already open.

Alison looked at me and gave me that nod of hers. The sun was still up, though setting quickly—if they were here, they were here as humans. We pulled out our pistols and quickly scanned the main hall, moving with intensity and focus down the room.

“I’ve got nothing.”

“John, come here,” Alison had said shakily.
Three monks rested at the base of a cross, dead. Their necks had been slit and they were left to bleed out, but there was a path of blood behind them. Judging by the darkened color and strong odor, the blood wasn’t fresh—this had occurred two, maybe three days ago. The way their necks had been cut too… That wasn’t a vampire’s mark. The sheer size of the impact wound alone indicated some kind of claw or talon.

“They died to something else, Alison.”
“Do you want to wait for the sun to set before we follow the blood stains?”

I saw the concern in her eyes almost immediately.

“The Dark Covenant is on our trail. We don’t have time to waste—trust me, the devil isn’t here.”
I was good at even deceiving myself of my own confidence.

We followed the path down a spiral staircase dimly lit by torches until we reached a locked door in the depths below.

“Flashlights out.”

I shot the lock and kicked the door open. Alison took the lead and we quickly cleared the corners. It was yet another hallway, but I had an eerie feeling. As I shined my light across the stone walls, I saw marks and engravings. After what felt like an hour of us walking, we saw a large, open room filled with bookshelves and dimly lit by candles.

It was a library.

Alison and I steadily walked across the oakwood floors. I slowly moved my hands across the books that lined the shelves, feeling their dust against the tip of my fingers. As we neared the center of the library, I felt my fangs coming in.

“Sun’s down,” whispered Alison.

When we turned the corner, the first thing that caught my eye was the pentagram drawn with blood. A dark, scorching fire blazed in the center, but near it was a large black book.

I bent down and wiped the ash off its cover to reveal what we had been searching for:

The Metaphysical Connection to the Underworld.

This was the key to opening up our world to the one hidden beneath it, but more importantly, it was ours at that point.

“Mr. Bray and Ms. Loft, what a pleasure to have you join us today!” Vlad shouted from one of the balconies above.

“Did you hear them?”

“I guess not.”
As we looked up, vampires slowly appeared in each of the balconies that surrounded us.

“You two are smart, I’ll give you that. You somehow figured out that the book of uprising laid here. It’s a shame you’ll be handing that over.”

I grasped the book firmly now.

“Are you sure about that?”
We were easily surrounded with the likelihood of the entire monastery above being surrounded.

Vlad’s smile quickly faded as he stared me down.

“So be it.”

A vampire immediately jumped at us from the balcony to my right. With speeds I didn’t know I was capable of, I shifted the weight of my body to thrust the book into his rapidly-approaching neck.

It was safe to say he was dead.

The rest of his henchmen started dropping down from the balconies into the depths of the library. Our guns were worthless—a vampire’s speed and reaction time forced you to engage in some kind of melee if you wanted to kill one. There were only three guarantees I knew of: a snap of the neck, a blade through the heart, and fire.

Two lunged at Alison. She quickly dodged one and roundhouse-kicked the other into a shelf. I turned to see another two coming from behind us. I quickly strafed left, tripping one, and threw the book at the other. Before he could even get up, I snapped his neck with outstanding force and flew into his ally. He threw me off him and landed two blows to the body only to have me catch his arm on the third and tear into it with my teeth.

His screech lasted only a second before Alison took off his head.

“Alison, I’m gonna use the book.”
“Are you crazy? The only rift you’d create is one down there.”

“Better than staying here. I’ll close it as soon—”

Before I knew it, I was hurled all the way to the pentagram. I looked up only to see a blur of black come at me before Vlad had me in a chokehold.

“You’re a VAMPIRE, John. Why are you so insistent on protecting these mortals?”
“Be-because man is still good.”
He hissed and before he could plunge his dagger into me, was shot by Alison in the back. It barely hurt him—I could see that—but it got his attention.

I kicked out his right knee and threw him into the eternal flame behind us.

It was then we saw a dark-blue, winged beast with an upper-body as strong and wide as the legends we’d seen in New York City.
“Oh my God.”

“I hope your Romanian is good John.”

I grabbed the book, screamed “deschide limitele iadului,” and everything changed.

We had gone to a much darker place.