 to Nosferatu the Vampire by M. Sloth Levine featuring original music by Lissa Voth. My name is Hannah Preifogel. She, her, hers, based in Boston. I'm the producing artistic director of Sparkeven Theater and the director of this play. And my name is Blair Noliman. She, her, hers, based in Boston also. And I am one of the co-founders of Homestead Play Project where we produce virtual pop-up readings of performances of new work at all stages of development, specifically during the COVID-19 crisis. This play has had a long journey from a workshop production on Halloween, 2018 to a full production scheduled to open on March 19th, 2020. While we had to postpone that iteration, this virtual experience has been incredibly rewarding for all of us and we can't wait to share it with you. Sparkeven is proud to partner with Homestead to bring this story to life and we're thankful to have you on the ride. This is Homestead's debut production and we're delighted to present this for you to the vampire. We have two more plays coming up, Kind Thing, Nice Thing by Megan Rivkin on May 9th and the world is ending and that's kind of hot by Catherine Weingarden on May 18th. And you can sign up for an email list or join as a collaborator by following the links at our Instagram bio and you can follow us at Homestead Play Project. The show runs about two hours, including a 10 minute intermission. So dim the lights, turn on do not disturb mode and let's get spooky. In the 1920s, F.W. Murnau could not get the rights to make a movie based on Dracula from Brahms Stoker's estate. He changed the names of characters and simplified the plot but he was sued anyway and they tried to destroy the film but vampires don't stay dead for long and we remember the film called No Sforatu. Now in 2020, Dracula is freed from copyright. That's how we got Hotel Transylvania one, two and three. Across the internet, Drag Queen's lip sync on Instagram Live every night and we would love to lip sync but we don't want to be sued and have our play destroyed. So, you'll have to use your imagination and wait to see us live. Spotlight. Count Orlock sits at a table with a typewriter. They lip sync Vampire Again by Marlon Williams or something like it. Orlock begins to type. It is a letter of inquiry to knock and associates about buying a home in Bremen. The letter makes its way across the ocean and onto the desk of Nicholas Nock who opens it. A swarm of insects escape. Nock reads the letter, a big old coin falls out. Nock and Orlock dance in parallel. No Sforatu, that name alone can shield the blood. No Sforatu. Was it he who brought the plague here to the city of Bremen in 1838? I have long sought to refine the causes of that terrible epidemic and I have found at its origin and its climax the innocent figures of J. Harker and W. Murray only recently wed. Bremen, Germany, 1838. In their apartment, Will is in pajamas and pours a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table. Harker comes in dressed for work. Good morning. Morning, Hark. Why are you up so early? I have the day off today and I didn't set an alarm for once but the sun rises right into my eye from my side of the bed. Sorry you didn't get to sleep in. It was nice. Did I leave my dossier over there last night? I don't know, where do you usually put it? Found it. Never mind, don't worry. I never have to. Helsing says that you always forget until you ask for help. She's very smart. She likes aphorisms. Hey, Will. Yes? I'm going to work. I know, I love you. Love you too. Harker hangs around smiling at Will. What are you waiting for? I'm just soaking in your sunshine. Oh, gross. Gross? You're so melodramatic. Maybe. Maybe. You like melodrama. Do you have any plans? Right now I'm going to finish this box and then I'm going to wash the sheets. Thank you. I wish you had the day off. We could go to the dunes. I haven't been in forever. You could call in sick. Nock, if I take the day off, I won't get the raise. Wait, Nock still hasn't given you that raise? You're being unfair. I told him I needed it. I think he's just testing me. Bill, you've been with them for two years. He wants to make sure he's investing in the right person. All this waiting. We can get an actual apartment with real space. Someday we'll live someplace like the Carfax Estates. It's so pretty. It's the only building in the neighborhood that wasn't torn down and replaced. It's just across the street. We don't need to move across the street to be happy. What's over there that we can't have here? A debt-free existence. Now, the raise, I agree, is necessary. And a nicer apartment wouldn't be terrible, would it? It would be nice for you to not have to work so hard. Have some time to actually enjoy your life. Life's shit, then you die. Why don't you go to the lab? Call on Lucy to go to the dunes with you. Say hello to Van Helsing while you're there. Probably will. Ask knock about that raise. You deserve it. Yep. I love you. Love, love. Parker goes to work. Parker always listens to music on the train to work. Sometimes we realize we've listened to the same song or the same album at the same time when we talk at night about the day. Music changes your mood. It can fortify you for the day. And every commute is a march towards a battle. It's dangerous to go out there unprepared. You never know who's going to yell at you. Will gets dressed. And water some plants. Parker gets to work. The drudgery. The boss, knock, stops at Parker's desk. Here is an important letter from Transylvania. It took some time to translate from this old script. How Orlock wishes to buy a house in our city. It's a good opportunity for you, Parker. The count is rich and free with the money. You will have a marvelous journey and young as you are, what matters if it costs you some pain or a little blood. The house facing yours, the car fax estates. That should suit him. Leave it once, my young friend. And don't be frightened if people speak of Transylvania as the land of the phantoms. I'm going to Transylvania? Yes. Or we could send Travis. No, don't send him. He just started. Can't we handle the project remotely? I'm disappointed in your lack of commitment to the company. No, that's not it. I can go. I'll go. Good. You will leave very soon. This is a very important account. He's buying the car fax estates. Yes. He'll be converting it into his own private residence. The whole building? These old nobles from the continent have ancestral gold. This will be nothing to him. At the dunes, Will and Lucy look out over the sea. So I've met someone. That's awesome. Who has at the opera last week? You went to the opera. Yes, it was good. They're doing easy. Good at that. Twin peaks. I've never heard of it. After the first act, I was in line for the bathroom and I was just gushing about Audrey's aria and this American guy turns around and was like, yes, it was incredible. And he was so cute. What's his name? Quincy Morris. He goes by ticks. Is that the cutest? He used to be a cowboy. Right? I can't wait to meet him. How was Harker? How was being married? Great, as always. I've never been loved by someone the way Harker loves me. I wasn't sure being married was going to be for me. Like, it felt so normal. Like, not what I expected of myself. And like, nothing has really changed. I just wake up every day with someone I love. I want that for everyone. I wish everyone had that. You'd like it. I'm happy waking up to different people. I know, I know. I'm not trying to compare the two things. This is being an adult. It must be. We have big kid jobs. For scientists. That's so weird, right? At Will and Harker's apartment, Harker has an untidy bouquet of flowers. I saw these in the park and they made me think of you. You picked them? I thought you liked them. I do. They just weren't yours. And now they're going to die when they were growing just fine. I'm sorry. No, don't be sorry. Just don't pick flowers. You have enough plants already. Could you water them actually? Did you have a nice day off? I ended up going to the dunes with Lucy, like you suggested. We brought little sandwiches with us and it was one of those lovely days out where it was bright and sunny, but you still need a wesquit or a hoodie. Did it smell like salt? The salty is. And I brought you some rocks and a little sand, too. So you can take rocks, but I can't take flowers. Rocks are dead, sweetie. That's so sad. I'll put them with the rest of the collection. Will pour some sand into a big glass bottle on the mantle, already half full with sand and rocks and shells. Uh, don't put it all away. I'll take one with me. Parker is packing. Why are you packing your things? I may be away for several months. Will not send me to some lost corner of the Carpathians. I'm going to Transylvania. By yourself? Yeah. It's honestly a great sign for my future. I think he's really starting to trust me and see me as an asset to the company and a person who's willing to... Are you getting a raise for this? Well, he's paying for the boat. That's for Parker. Also dangerous. It's not dangerous. It's real estate. I mean, like going from Germany to Transylvania for some O-Counts castle, all alone? What if he's like a murderer? Why would a murderer use real estate solicitation as a victim pipeline? I just think the whole thing is weird. I suppose it means not trusts me more than the others. Well, what am I supposed to do here by myself? I could see if you could come with me. A doctor Helsing needs me at the university. If she gets the grant for the coniferous botanical study, she'll need me and Lucy in the greenhouse every weekend. And this Count Orlock needs me. I'm going to miss you. Aw, you like me. Aw, we're married. I'll only be gone for a month, maybe six weeks. It shouldn't be difficult. I think he just needs like someone to explain all of the legal he's Sam. He's just old and. Okay. But I'm staying at Lucy's while you're gone. Why? I don't want to be here alone without you. You're going to be fine. I just don't. Don't laugh at me. I don't like living alone. I never did it before we moved in together. It's okay. Is Lucy going to be cool with it? I could be gone for a long time. You'll be happy to have me there. The university pays for her to live there and I'll be closer to work. Well, you at least come by to water the plant. Yes, of course. I'm going to miss you. I'm going to miss you too. But I'll write to you. Every day. And I promise we'll still go on our honeymoon. Next year. When we've saved up. Aren't you worried? I'm going to be just fine. Parker has already been pulled away. Our girl will be fine. Will. Thanks, Lucy. We'll be back soon. We've got plenty to do in the meantime. Let's go out. I want you to meet texts. As Parker travels to Transylvania, Lucy introduces texts and will. Hey there. Nice to meet you. Will is sad because their spouse is on a work trip. We have to distract them. It's hard being away from the ones you love. My family is back in El Paso. Oh, well. Here's where I live. You make the best of it. From relay to relay through the dust raised by the stages. Parker hurried on. A coach speeds along rugged countryside. Parker disembarks from the coach and enters a rustic end. Good evening, traveler. Hello. Is your kitchen open? Of course. What can we get you? Something different. I'm trying to get out on the road again as quickly as possible. I've been delayed considerably. I should already be a castle or lock. Pardon me. The evil spirits become hope. Is your kitchen open? Of course. What can we get you? Some dinner, please. I can exchange some money for goods and services. Oh, that is customary. Thank you. I'm trying to get out on the road again as quickly as possible. I'm trying to get out on the road again as quickly as possible. I'm trying to get out on the road again as quickly as possible. I'm trying to get out on the road again as quickly as possible. The evil spirits become all powerful after dark. What the fuck? It seems to be out there. The wolf has no fear of the human. I think I will be all right. Stay the night. We have an open room. Make up the extra room for this. Yes. We would or lock. Right away, sir. Zero a bar made. Ready's the room. Zero leaves a book. It is getting late already. How far is the castle? From here. You should stay here until morning. I wasn't planning on stopping. Or lock is a degenerate place. If you do not heed me. I must question the purity of your intentions. Or else. Your intelligence. I am going to be fine. Oh, you fall away past. Of moral corruption. You will end in hell. I did not ask for your advice. Thank you. Right this way, friend. Does everyone hear a foray to the dark? It's not the dark, but what lurks behind it. It seems a bit drastic. We do not go towards castle or lock. I would recommend leaving back the way you came in the morning. I do not know your business, but you have been misled. I'm just selling in my house. He has a castle. Yes. He would like to move to Bremen in Germany. You would not want him there. He is strange. He follows the orders of the devil. Who says this? It is well known that Orlock is a sick man. He dresses in odd robes like a woman. His tastes are indecent. He follows ancient ways. He is only a man. I must say my prayers. If you need anything, you must wait for sunrise. Harker is left in the bedroom. They begin to write a letter to Will. These people are strange. I can tell they really believe something unsavory happens here in the nighttime. And Orlock's name seems to make them uneasy. I miss you already. I didn't expect to be so homesick. So quickly. I've forgotten what it's like to be so alone. Our home has become the platonic ideal of home to me. I feel untethered from the life we've built. And now I realize how remarkable that life is. It is something we've done together. I miss our windowsill full of leaves. The way the sunlight warms the wood in the morning and how it feels on our bare feet. Sharing dinner at our old table. Harker undresses for bed. Harker reads from the book Zero Left Behind. The Book of Vampires. And it was in 1443 that the first No Sforatu was born. That name rings like the cry of a bird of prey. Never speak it aloud. Men do not always recognize the dangers that beasts can sense at times. Outside the window, a wolf prowls. A shroud of terror fills the residence of the inn. Harker puts the book in the solicitation folders. Harker lies in bed. Appears in a dream. The beast stalks outside. I'm home, Harker. We will be together forever. Won't that be nice? You'll sit at one end of the table and I at the other. In the morning you will go to work. How proud I'll be you making money for us. To sit together at our table together. To pile the table with many things. Bows of grain maybe. Knapp kins. We will be so tired, of course. When I get home, I will wash my hands of the students I teach. We will light a lantern when the sun sets. We will have dutiful sex. You will buy me things. I will also buy things. We will look down the table towards each other. Not at each other, but towards. In the direction of each other. You will stretch your neck muscles until it is time to hunch over your desk again. It will be exquisite. Morning breaks. Good morning, my friend. Time to change the bed sheets. Sweat right through them, didn't ya? Carriage over the mountain leaves after breakfast. If you must go, go. Zero rushes Harker to get dressed and onto the carriage. Through the mountains we zoom across the forest we go. Harker speeds through the mountains. It halts. We will go no further, dear, not for fortune. We will go no further. Here begins the land of the phantoms. The driver throws down Harker's luggage. Harker picks up the suitcase astounded. The earth turns away from the sun. Harker is met by a dark coachman. Harker gets into the coach. It speeds through the woods. The ride is quiet for a moment. The sound of the wind and the creaking of the carriage becomes a song. The dark driver begins to sing almost to themselves. And the fly went a walk into town. The fly to his friend. What's it like on the ground? Dead the wolf in reply. What's it like in the air? I don't know the difference. And I don't really care. The wolf and the fly went along an old path. When the ladder broke silent. Hey! I just gotta ask. Is it strange having all of that fur on? Is it strange that the earth carries grud? Now the wolf was annoyed and he strut with. Said the wolf and then maybe the wolf swallowed. The coach stops and leaves Harker in front of Castle Orlock. For a moment, Harker is totally alone. Itchy eyes bore into the back of the skull. From under an archway, Orlock waits for Harker. Orlock wears a long, dark gown. It is buttoned all the way up to the throat. You are late, Jay Harker. It is almost midnight and my servants have all but retired. I'm sorry. It is almost time to eat. You must be so hungry. Traveling all day, no food, weary. Yes, thank you for saving me something. I will, of course, weave a welcoming net to catch my guest, following asleep as I speak. I'm not that tired. They wind into the castle. Ah, what curious architecture this is. I can't seem to make sense of it. An old way of building. It relied on intuition, lost to history, a craft that cannot be written down. They lead Harker to stop at a dining table. They sit. You may eat. I'm not hungry at this hour. Of course, I will not feed. Orlock sits across from Harker and watches. A pause. Harker has performance anxiety. Please eat. Harker cuts a finger. Oh, my finger. You eat so freely. Sorry, the knife slipped out of my hands. Orlock grabs Harker by the hand. And sucks the finger. Deep. Long. Orlock locks eyes with Harker. Harker pulls away. Orlock holds fast. Harker backs away. Orlock breathes. Wipes their mouth. Let us chat together a moment, my friend. There are still several hours until dawn. I have the whole day to sleep. They lead her to a chair by a fireplace. Fade to black. A dream. A gigantic mouth swallows Harker whole. The sun rises. Harker awakens in an armchair. And finds two holes born into the flesh of their own neck. Harker walks in the countryside around the castle. And writes a letter to Will. Will, my beloved. Don't be unhappy. Though I am far away. I love you. This is a strange country. After my first night in the castle, I found two large bites on my neck. From mosquitoes, from spiders, I don't know. I've had some frightful dreams. But they were only dreams. You mustn't worry about me. I am leaving as soon as possible to return to Bremen. And to you. As twilight came on, the empty castle became alive with menacing shadows. Harker and the Nosferatu review legal papers. Have you found me a home? There is a building. Cross from where I live. Actually, it's a beautiful property. And it is... That's all of it. I'll never bear the weight of a new house. As much as I try, I'm set in my ways. I mean, this seat has stood since 1443. And my people have occupied this land before we wrote down what people did. Well, the Carfax estate is the oldest in the neighborhood by far. It was once an abbey. But not as old as this, I know. But I suppose I am pushing myself towards something new. A desire to stay current, you could say. That's commendable. I have felt a desire of late for that. I want more out of this experience. Life? Do you feel it? I mean, it cannot be a hunger reserved only for the old. I'm not sure I know what you mean, Count Orlog. There's so much to taste in the world. So many things. And we spend our days in one place toiling away, treading water. We spend so much energy to stay still when we can do just as well to ride the ripples we create. I try not to think of it as treading water. Eventually we all drown. Well, maybe not all of us. We don't have to drown. I think I'm enjoying it. Work. What is the pleasure in life if you've not worked for it? Are you enjoying yourself here? Is this an adventure that thrills you? I did not expect a business trip like this. A surprise can be nice, no? A sudden shock. I suppose it can. Or would you prefer prolepsis? A build? A crawl towards some inevitable release? Somehow that can be more satisfying to know where you are headed and then be made to wait. Well, I hope everything here has met your expectations for your new home. If so, we can sign here and we can be done. So simple. Well, there are a few other papers to sort out. No need. I beg. No need to beg me. I feel a rushing like I haven't felt in many years. Don't you feel it too? I think you will like it, Bremen. You may find yourself a new person with new opportunities not afforded to you by the closed-mindedness of peasants. Well, I have never had what one would call a fruitful relationship to the people of this region. They seem a fearful people. Yes, and I have tastes that they don't approve of. Times change, Orlock. I once couldn't imagine a life where I did as I pleased, but it is my right. But the things we do in the nighttime are the business of no one but ourselves. But don't you feel it? We're closer to something. Some sense of history between us. Harker turns through some papers, drops the journal and the book of vampires. A photo of Will falls out. Harker jumps for the books. Orlock finds the photo of Will. Is this yours? My spouse. Tell me who this is. Milamina Murray. No, Will Murray. I don't know why I said that. It's Will. What a lovely throat. Yeah? Well, that old mansion seems quite satisfactory. It does? We shall be neighbors. You can invite me in to meet your lover. To my house? I hope I would not be intruding in on anything. Counts signs the documents. Harker takes the journal and picks up the photograph. When it is lifted. Blood drips from Will's eyes. Harker stuffs the photo into a drawer. Harker climbs into bed holding the journal and the book of vampires. Nosferatu. Bring her off plagues. Drinks the blood of the young. The blood necessary to sustain one's existence. One can recognize the vampire by. The trace of fangs. On the victims throughout. That same night in Bremen in a dream. At Lucy's, Will tosses in a nightmare. Will sees the doorway into Harker's bedroom somewhere. Harker opens the door to the bedroom. Orlock stands motionlessly at the end of the hallway. Harker closes the door. Harker quietly turns the lock. Harker looks out the window for some escape. None. Harker faces the doorway. The lock turns. The door opens. Harker nowhere to go is on the bed up against the wall. The Nosferatu stands in the doorway. Will in Lucy's apartment walks onto the balcony. Somehow. Orlock feels Will with them. They are confused by this. Lucy follows Will. Will? Where are you going? Why are you up? Listen to their music. The children of the night. I can't hear anything. The wolves. The wolves. The wolves. The dogs. They're how is contagious louder they say. Louder. Will collapses in Lucy's arms. Dr. Van Helsing quickly. Harker. Harker, hear me. The count advances on Harker who lies asleep. In Harker's bedroom. In Castle Orlock. Orlok is mortified, embarrassed, jealous, horny, scared, furious, confused, shocked, heartbroken, and must turn away. They escape back into the depths of the castle. Lucy and Helsing pull Will back into Bremen. Wake up, Will! Harker! Hark! Harker! Where's Harker? In Transylvania, you were dreaming, sleepwalking. I feel like I've taken a journey on horseback, on the gallop of a nightmare. Come back inside, won't you? You'll catch a cold. Will walks back inside. What was that? A sudden fever? A hysteria of some kind. Should we worry? Should I send word for help? No need to raise a fury just yet. We'll see. I should probably have done something at that point. But how was I to know what was to come? In Bremen, in the Greenhouse Laboratory. Another letter has come from you, or for you, from Harker. Well, let me read it, Lucy. That count's still creepy, is anything? I want to see. Hello, Doctor. Harker is standing with one Orlock, whose title is actually Voivode. Count is sort of a old, it's sort of a mistranslation. It's an old military ranking. Will, Lucy and Van Helsing read it. My dreams and my waking hours have crossed over. And I am no longer sure where lies what. Orlock keeps me up. Passing late. Passing odd. Passing queer. With talk of Bremen and the Carfax estate. Bedtime stories of futures on canny and out of grasping as I fall asleep. I have such horrific dreams of being this only be called terrors. These are more than visions. They are dry taste of evil in my mouth. Mold growing up through my throat and carving my teeth into shards. So immediate as if they were happening to me in flesh and bone and blood, instead of the Mary Marzipan a dream should be drawn from. And now in the daylight, heavy as if I had not slept at all, I wander through a fog of sunshine. Will puts the letter down, pausing. Lucy picks it up. The doors in the castle are almost all locked. But before me, I see a crypt that hangs open. I push through. Downwards the stairs go deeper than I thought could be dug. And I feel the sun fall upwards and away from me. A coffin, a tomb. Again, left open. Harker finds the nose for Ahtu, lying in a coffin. They look as dead as mother once did. Lying in the parlor. The count silent as sleep and stone. Or the countess perhaps could move any moment. And yet there is no hint of breath, not at all. From this subterranean sea, the county ruled is death. Harker seems quit the dramatist. Is this supposed to be a prank? I don't know. This doesn't sound like the letters I used to get. And written in so shaky a script. Harker is prone to anxiety and it is such a big job. Their entire career could be writing on this deal. I'm sure it is simply nerves. All will be right. Come, let's pour in those samples of Ali and Sativam. We're both botanists, you can call it garlic. Palsing leaves. Lucy, wait. Yeah? What is this? Why would Harker write this? I think it's just a joke. Harker's bored out there in the land of the phantoms and writing some fiction for you. It's like I'm being avoided. The first letters were about missing home. And now I don't get it. Arthur and I are going to the ballet tonight. You should come with us. Who? Arthur, the girl I'm seeing. What happened to Tex? We broke up weeks ago, I told you this. I'm so sorry, Lucy. I'm so embarrassed. I know you've been distracted. That's why you should join us. The ballet Houston is in town and they're doing less than us. I don't think I'm up for it tonight. Harker looks out the bedroom window. Harker sees the voivode loading coffins on a horse-drawn cart. Hey, diddle, diddle, the ratty, the riddle before I jumped over the moon. The little duck whimpers with anticipation when the world will start singing of tune. Oralock climbs into a coffin and closes the lid. Exit horses, cart, coffins, and Nosferatu. Harker makes a rope from a bed sheet and climbs out the window. Fear makes you believe you can do many, many things. True, sometimes it is a paralytic starting you stopped dead in your tracks but sometimes it gives you the inspiration to do, to do anything, anything. You can to escape, you can concoct clever plans you never before thought possible make things happen. Fear makes you believe you can do it. Harker falls to the river below and is knocked unconscious. The sheet rope unravels into the winding river. In a hospital room somewhere in Transylvania, a nurse and doctor tend to harker. Some peasants brought him here last evening, found him with a few bumps, flowed down the river, still has a high fever. Don't be afraid, you must have bite a story to tell. The coffins, the coffins filled with earth. You must have heard the concoction slap if they can't close the ropes. True, keep them in bed until he can tell us what has happened. I can tell you, the old count, a monster and human, it looks to feast upon me. See, he have no sense. Not here, not here. And these clothes, a little click, obviously. We're having clothes to be fit a woman, some very good and lost soul. We will watch him close. I ignore his ravings as best you can until he speaks sense. I am not raving, I am telling you the truth. The count is heading to Bremen and bringing disaster within my home is unsafe and I must save the world. Settled with is necessary. Nock sits at his desk. He opens a drawer and swarm of insects fly up. Mr. Nock. Count Orlock. Do you have counts in Bremen? Not any more. Then Orlock will do. Have I fallen asleep? Why do you ask that, Mr. Nock? I have only heard you in my dreams, Orlock. Don't you remember when you showed me beautiful things? Thousands of rats, millions of them. I speak to you when necessary. How can I help you? I have bought the car fax estates. I'm coming. Congratulations, I'm thrilled to hear that you'll be making home here. You have been very satisfactory. I want to meet you more than anything. I would do anything for you. I know. Ready my property. I will. The swarm clears. Nock is back in his office. Fluorescent light stings in its mundane way. The fluorescent is replaced with gas light on some docks where sailors load crates onto the demeanor. A little suspected, what terrible cargo they shot below. Heads! Oh! Heads! Oh! Oh boy. Why these cargo be so heavy? And wreaking of mildew, fetid earth and maggots. Maggot? Aye. How many crates have we swung above the demeanor? Ignorant about what we have done. Stolen treasures, diseased meats. What are you on about? We ask no questions. We know nothing of the stuff we move. We are but arms, passing on responsibility onto new locales. What if all this time we've just been earning our bread, transporting unspeakable horrors? There's nothing to fear in one shipment of ugly scented boxes. Maybe so. I'm sure inside you'd find some upholstery, some chaste lounge weighed down by the river waters, seeping through the raft on which the delivery was made. We'll look inside, won't you? We're not supposed to open them. But it might be demable to abet unknowingly the evils of other men. I will show you. You are wracked with paranoia. Tipping over one crate, they find only dirt and rats. What? What? Rats! Ow! Like one thing! One beast of Legion! I am revolted! Name I a-doin'! I am manifold! Meet Catten. The coffin is full of not-but-dirt and plague-bearers. I don't know if there's any plague. We've been paid for in this shipment more than we've been paid in some minutes. Don't ask questions, be happy. You can afford a pint. But... But what about Bremen? When we reach the city, are we not to blame for the city being several rats richer? No! Not if we replace the lid! Now, tight the lid! And beat down our heads. I don't feel right about this. Oh, you are paid to feel! Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! We are building... suspense... making... it tense... ten... tense... Excuse me, Mr. Nock? Huh? Oh, welcome inside. We haven't met, but I'm Will Murray, Harker's spouse. Oh, are you? Yes. I was wondering if you knew when you expected Harker's arrival back in Bremen. Expectations run high, many ships are due to return. Have you received any notice? I've stopped finding letters in the mailbox. We're all abandoned eventually, better to accept it. I don't think Harker has abandoned me. That's not what I meant. Do you know where they are? You shouldn't worry about Harker. There's so much more to life than romance. Don't you have your own goals? Things you want that Harker was taking from you? No, we're partners. And I don't think it's very appropriate for us to be discussing. The rules of discourse are changing and arbitrary. That's not what I... Sorry for taking up your time, Mr. Nock. You must be very busy. An anxiety ruffles us here in Bremen. We anticipate. We stockpile. We do. Prepare for the winter or the party or for whatever storm comes. All we want is more life. Isn't that right? You don't want to share that with another person, always sapping it away. We compile it ourselves. We find it all around us. Lying around us. Did you just eat a fly? For life. Just send me word when you hear about Harker will be returning. Travis, go home early. We're closing. Dr. Van Helsing in the laboratory, studying a carnivorous plant, a fly trap from somewhere. Right. What is it? Oh, a living specimen from the distant west. I asked an adventurer, I know, to bring it back from her journey into a green hell. Oh, I wonder what secrets it can tell us about life, death. Also, Dr. Van Helsing. Well, look, I feed it life and it grows stronger. Is that unlike any other process of earthly digestion? Processes start with us. We eat what? Foods, meats. And the meat comes from? Butchered beasts who eat other similar beasts. And the small beasts eat plants. Yes. The plants cover the earth and they must also eat. Some light. They drink the rays of the sun and turn it into food. So ultimately, we eat the sun. Sunlight powers every system that brings us our strength. It is through the sun that we are given life. Philosophically, I suppose it's a little more complicated than that, but yes, the sunlight is the basis for all life. But what of this plant? Watch through the magnifying glass. The doctor produces a dragonfly for materialium. The plant closes, vice-like, over the dragonfly. It melts. It's astonishing, isn't it, Lucy? That plant is the vampire of the vegetable kingdom. It takes life not from the sun only, but from something higher than itself. It reverses the familiar chain of sun, earth, beast. Is it so wrong? What do you mean wrong? You speak as if there's some moral failing of this plant. No failing. It doesn't abide by the usual rules. No, but it has found survival in its own way. And if it can eat animal flesh, how do we say that animal is the greater life? I never said that. But isn't that the idea of the chain? That the further up you go, the more powerful you are. Success is how much you can eat, how many you can outlive. I don't think that's what I meant. This morbid curiosity for a plant that eats must come from somewhere. It is unusual. But is it wrong? It's not unnatural. This exists alongside the rest of us. And what if the sun for this plant? Too much sun and it withers. I mean, me too. Will sits on a bench looking out to sea. Will was often seen among the dunes, watching and waiting for Harker's return. I'm sure Harker will be home soon. It has been weeks since the rain. I understand. In some remote rave yard, misnamed and misidentified. There's no way for us to find out where they buried Harker. Will, you've got to keep living. Harker will be back. No. You've got to. Water your garden. Take care. Sunlight does much, but it doesn't replace water. I'm just too heavy. Harker burdens my thoughts. Come walk with me to visit Arthur at the cafe, won't you? Don't be alone. All right. They visit Arthur's cafe near the docks. Arthur sings along to the sailors. It's the old shanty Damon's green. To the last time that she said goodbye. He said, Jose, go around. She told me that she left for sea. He said, Jose, go around. But they found her by and by Damon's green. Arthur has a letter. Will, a letter has arrived. A letter? Will takes the letter and goes into another room. Arthur, we should see other people. I just don't like sea shanties. Can't say I'm surprised. Is there someone else? I think I'm in love with my psychiatrist. Dr. John? Harker dresses in the hospital. Will, I have been unable to write you. I've been bound to my bed in this hospital. All is not well, but I am returning home. Yes, you must believe. I am leaving quickly and so cannot linger on this correspondence. If I'm lucky, you'll receive this correspondence and hear it in my voice. Dr. John? Hi, Lucy. I've come to tell you I'm switching psychiatrists. Oh, you could have just left a message. I'm also asking you out. On a date? Yes. We get along very well. We spend more time talking about the symphony than my Adderall. They're premiering a new piece by Sarah DeVoche on Friday. Would you like to go with me? Very much. I'm sorry for being so forward. I'm getting so a little sleep. Is your friend still staying with you? For how much longer? I don't know, doctor. They could walk out of the house if someone isn't there to catch them. If they need sleeping pills, I could get them an appointment. I'll mention it, but I don't know if that's the solution. A nurse knocks and enters the office. Yesterday is a hanging episode. I have to go, Lucy. I'm sorry to cut this short. The symphony? Yes, on Friday. It knocks sell. More. I must have more. 10 flies is one spider. 20 spiders is one nightingale. Four nightingales is one cat. I am 14 cats deep. He's dealing with psychosis, probably a deficiency in vitamins. We will start him on a cocktail and watch closely. Knock unfolds a newspaper clipping and reads it. For resource, for historical research. New plague, baffle science. A mysterious epidemic of the plague has broken out in the port cities of the Black Sea, attacking principally the young and vigorous. The cause of the two bloody marks in the neck of each victim baffles the medical profession. My mistress is here. I must be ready. The price must be paid. More life for the mistress. All for her. Abort the demeanor. First one man was stricken, then all. In the hold of the demeanor, captain tends to a sick sailor. One evening at sundown, the captain and his first mate buried the last man of the crew. On the deck of the demeanor, Captain Bellow and Demi toss a body overboard. I am going below. I want to have a look in the hold. Demi sees the Nosferatu rise from their coffin. The sailor escaped into the sea, flinging herself overboard and into the thrashing jaws of Poseidon. In the storm, Captain Cassius Bellow tied himself to the steering wheel of the demeanor. The Nosferatu approached him. In the dark of the storm, barraged by the jagged rain, lightning gave the poor captain flashes of a tall figure approaching steadily. A great dread engorged him until he burst. The silhouette of the ship continues onward, writhing in remen. At Lucy's house, Will's sleep walks to the terrace. You, you have found me a home? This is three times this week. You must return to the doctor in the morning. This inconsistency is fatiguing. He's coming. I must go meet him. Your nightmares are even spreading into my own sleep. I did not expect a business trip like this. Nick Nock attempts to climb out his cell window. The mistress is coming. The mistress is here. Nock flails. This is a good place for a break. Here, we will try to collect ourselves. Use the bathroom if you need to. Stretch your legs. Try to eat if you can. Don't check the moves right now. Remember to wash your hands for 20 seconds or until your hands fall off. Whichever comes first is. It's ironic, isn't it? Whichever comes, whichever comes first. What is? It's ironic, isn't it? For us to be gathered here to watch a story and to see the characters here news of Plague when our own newspapers say the same thing. Nick, he's back home. He is. He's back home. We've always had Plague, haven't we? Are people having a disease? He's back home. Is that melodramatic? It's ironic, isn't it? It's ironic, isn't it? Plague, when our own newspapers say the same thing. Remember to wash your hands for 20 seconds or until your hands fall off. Should our fear of pandemic push us into solitude? Why don't you? He is loneliness. A good relief. A good fear. Does the hand sanitizer actually do anything? Did anyone else wash their hands before this? Or was it just me? He's back home. What? Nick, he's back home. He is. He's back home. He's back home. He's back home. He's back home. He's back home. He's back home. Why do we allow ourselves to be so dirty in the morning? Why don't we have universal health care when we have universal death? No. He is loneliness. What? He is loneliness. What? He is loneliness. A storm knocks about the Demeter. It clears, and the ship has docked. Orlock drags a coffin off the ship. In the quarter moonlight, they sit in the middle of the street on top of the coffin. They look at the moon. They stand under a gas lamp. They feel light. Halzen comes down the street with a lantern, looking for Will. Oh, excuse me. You haven't happened to see a sleepwalker? Oh, no, no. I just arrived. It's very late. Do you need directions? You should be inside if you can. I've been inside for what feels like ages. Do you smell the air? Fresh, like the storm has cleared all obstacles. I can only smell your luggage. I'm afraid seawater may have soaked through and set in a mold to your belongings. I had not noticed. I've been carrying this for so long. Perhaps I've been unaware of some changes. Try to enjoy the air. Halzen takes a few steps away and breathes in the night air. Oh, yes. This kind of calm is rare in Bremen. Enjoy it. When the sun comes out, the streets will already be full. I passed a baker on his way to begin today's bread. I shall be firmly indoors by morning. My journey has been long, and I do need my sleep. That reminds me, I must find my friend. Are the somambulist? Oh, that means sleepwalker. It is a fearful condition. I will cherish my ability to walk fully awake and open to all this new city has to offer me. Welcome to Bremen, traveler. I must be off. Halzen continues down the street. I have long tried to understand why the Nosferatu traveled with the earth-filled coffins. Recently, I discovered that to preserve their diabolic power, vampires must sleep during the day in the same unhallowed ground in which they had been buried. Orlock travels from the harbor to the newly purchased house in Bremen and sets the coffin beneath the car fax of the states. A horde of rats swarm out of the basement. In the Bremen harbor, officials search the demeanor. In a room in the center of the city, a council is in discussion. The demeanor appeared in the harbor last night during the storm. This morning, upon investigation, it was found completely empty. Empty. We couldn't find a single living soul on board, and only one corpse. Only one? That's more than enough. Captain Cassius Bellow, his skin bloated and chapped by the wind, tied to the wheel of the ship, arms broken, one shoulder dislocated, four cracked vertebrae, his eyes appear to have been pecked out by a seabird, a gull or an albatross. The teeth are in an advanced state of decay. A black mold can be found in the sinus and throat. Severe coagulation of the blood within the vein. A second official discovers the ship's log. What could possibly have done this? The ship's log was discovered below deck. Perhaps a record of these said travails. The official opens the log and some flies swarm about. They shoo them away. Lies. Lies. Don't overreact. Perhaps this is the most measured reaction one can have to finding a fly-infested tone upon an empty go ship. Ship's log. Varnita Bremen. 24 April, 1838. Past Byron. East wind carrying five passengers, crew of seven, and myself, the captain. Next mate. Rounded cake, dear Dottie. One of my men, the strongest, is sick. A crew is rustless, uneasy. Seven May. Mate reported, still away below decks. Will investigate. 18 May. Past Polidori. Panic on board. Three men dead already. Mate out of his mind, rats in the hold, I fear. The plague. The plague. We must not react in horror. We must remain calm. When the people of Bremen hear this, they will not remain calm. We are not prepared for such a plague. We need. Someone coughs up black, green blood. We must deal with this quickly if we can. Whispers echo through the city. It is a time of panic. We do not know what has truly happened aboard the Demeter, but a plague has been brought into the city. The ship will be sunk. I am held here in the hospital, the first man of the city to be affected. But I have seen scores of people brought in to rot with me. On the third day, I was joined by seven people. On the seventh day, I lost count. I have lost much now. The daylight is too strong for my eyes. I sleep most of the day and am kept up in the night by the decay of my organs. I can feel most acutely that I am being hollowed out by some invisible malady. I sit on the precise edge of humanity. This, which must be my last entry, is too much to ask of my body. I have lost the dexterity for penmanship. Oh, my nurse acts most, most friendly as a stenographer. It is a norneat kindness. Once, this is where the first recorded patient's testimony has ended. Will rises out of bed, sleepwalking. Outside, Will stands on the street. Parker arrives then. Will? Hey, Kevin, you're safe. I'm home. I'm home. At least I am home. I missed you so much. I thought you'd never come back. Tell me, has the void vote arrived yet? Have you seen anyone move in? Car facts? Not since the old residents were evicted. They've already been evicted. Sometimes I think I've seen someone, but when I ring in the morning, there's nobody there to answer. Then perhaps she hasn't come at all. Well then, I'll have to give that knock and earful, sending you away for so long for nothing. I am back. I am grateful for that. They kiss in the dark. We should go inside. All the stretch of this age is taunt and slick with fever. Parker has come back. Will has stopped sleepwalking, as they tell me. Our work continues uninterrupted. And this plague, it spreads. Everyone knows somebody who has gotten pretty sick. Everyone knows somebody who has lost someone. I cling to the hope that our friends are happy in their reunion. So we will have a party, a fat. We will sing and dance and drink tonight. And tomorrow we will lock our doors again and hope that a cure for this plague is found soon. Like the old carnivals we used to host, a master ready, a welcome back, Parker. They're in a ballroom at the university. A red masked figure lip syncs a song like, I don't care if the sun don't shine, my patty page. People begin to dance, now dressed in Renaissance garb and wearing masks. Lucy starts coughing up a lung. The music pauses. The red masked figure glares at her. Dr. John gives her a glass of water. The song continues. The dancers applaud the red masked figure. They do a Regency-style line dance. We shouldn't be here. This whole masquerade is a mistake. This is your party, Parker. We all missed you. Your friends didn't even get to say goodbye. You left so quickly. It's stupid to be having a celebration in these times. We can't stop living because of the plague. What's the point if we act like we're dead already? It isn't plague. You don't know what you're talking about. I'm sure we will hear some good news soon. Perhaps. When we get home, I can help you unpack. You'll feel at home again. What if we have to leave quickly? Why would we leave? Never mind. I don't want to talk about it. Ignore it. Put it out of your mind. You can't talk about it. You can't talk about where you were, what happened. You can't tell me anything. I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened to you. I thought we were here to have fun. Parker. So good to see you again. Thank you, Lucy. It feels quite surreal. This is Lucy's partner, Arthur. This is Doctor. Oh my goodness. Did I say Arthur? It's all right. I'm Doctor John. Nice to meet you, Parker. And you will. We haven't officially met yet. I'm so sorry. I'm apologizing. Really, don't worry about it. We should get ready for the next song. Doctor is playing. Oh, you're a musician. An amateur musician. It's a lovely relief from the screams of the asylum. He's very good. Lucy leads Doctor John away. I'm going to get a drink. Doctor John takes his position with the band. The music morphs into something like walking on broken glass by Annie Lennox. Another song. The red masked figure holds their hand out for well. They dance. I think we've met before. You have a wonderful mask. How do you know the guest of honor? I'm Will, Parker's spouse. How do you know, Parker? Do you work with knock? No, no. We met through knock. I thought your performance earlier was great. Thank you. You must be the happiest of all for Parker to be back. Yes, I miss them very much. Gone for so long, a business trip, wasn't it? Yes, some foreign real estate transaction. But they were delayed considerably. Unfortunately. So inconsiderate of them to have left you for so long. Well, it couldn't be helped. Of course. But don't you think that when someone really wants something, they make it happen? They're here. They came back. I suppose that's true. They did. They did come back. That's reassuring. What was your name? Vlard Dracula. No, I think I've heard of you, but I can't think of when. Well, perhaps in another life we knew each other. You look so familiar. Well, if you work with my spouse, there's a clear explanation for that. What do you do for work? I work at the university. I teach evolutionary biology in botany and work in the research lab with Dr. Van Helsing. So you know all about how the world works. Nobody knows all about how the world works. Nobody knows everything. But isn't that the purpose of science? To understand and control the world? Understanding something and controlling it are different things, first of all. And I only really understand what I specialize in. I don't know much about geology, for example. And I don't need to. Well, you're right in that. I mean, you could live, I don't know, a thousand years and not know everything. Of course. Simply living gives you some knowledge, but unless you're actively pursuing growth, you won't learn anything. If you study cinematography for six years, you're going to know how to make a film. But if you spend 60 years without making a film, you're going to be 60 years older and know nothing about cinematography. I agree. Don't we stagnate ourselves for no reason? We find ourselves comfortable in what was once a revolution and then soon we ourselves become fossils. When you've worked hard for something, you deserve to enjoy it. You don't have to be a master of several things or even one thing to have a wonderful life. You can be good at something that makes you happy and work hard for the food on your table. And if you found the people you like, that should be enough for you. But there's more to be had. But one doesn't need everything. Who are you to tell me what I need? I didn't say anything about you. I told you what I want for myself. That's not about you. You can see. Falls into a coughing fit. The party ends. In Will and Harker's place the next morning, Will reads the paper. To halt the spread of the plague, the burglary master of Bremen is closing the hospital's tomorrow. Effective at midnight. We are to stay home indefinitely. Quarantine is imminent. We will be trapped. I'm sure it won't be long. They'll sort it all out soon. Lucy was coughing badly last night. I think she has it now. Okay, Dr. John thinks she has a cold. He's a psychiatrist. Will finds the book of vampires. What's this? The book of vampires. I don't know. Why are you lying? And why are you treating me like someone who doesn't know when you're lying? Don't look at it. I was given it by a woman in Transylvania. It's nonsense. It's meant to make you afraid of things. Don't read it. Fine. I'm going to bed. In the middle of the day. It's a nap. Well, don't take an angry nap. You always just wake up more tired. Why are you always telling me what to do? Harker shuts the door too hard. Well, reads from the book of vampires. One can recognize the mark of the vampire in the trace of fangs on the victim's throat. Only light can break the frightful spell. A person pure and heart will offer up their blood freely to Nosferatu and will keep the unclean spirit by their side until after the cock has crowed. The Nosferatu cannot bear the light and so destroys the body. The innocent will facilitate their transaction. Enter Harker with a newspaper. Lunatic evades holding. Prominent real estate agent and alleged pet murderer, Nicholas Nock recently escaped through the window of his cell at Price Memorial Hospital for the Unwell. Suspect dangerous. If seen do not approach. I was going to tell you once you were feeling better. Nock has gone mad? While you were gone, I went to go see him. At the hospital, why? Before that, I went to your office. I was worried about you. What did he say? Did he know where I was? Did he tell you about the voivode? He was inarticulate. He was eating flies, talking about wanting more. More from what, life? That's what he said, why? He's fallen in love. In love, Hark, what are you talking about? Nock must have known, all along. I think he's had a mental break. The whole city is under stress. The plague, more people fall ill every day. Even I believe I may be seeing things. What things? The dreams I had while you were gone have come back. Like once you said in your letters, I can't always tell when I'm awake or when I'm asleep, a figure haunts me. What figure? Look, every night in front of me, just inside the curtains from the shadows. That's the man you went to see? That's a mere man, nothing but evil engenders it. Why didn't you tell me? But what did he do to you? I have to see Nock. Harker, where are you going? Harker leaves. Will grabs a coat to follow. The doorbell buzzes. Will opens the door. Nobody. The phone rings. Will goes to pick it up. They don't have a landline. Their cell phone beeps. Will sees it and knows how to answer it, but it seems to be a surprise. Hi, Will. Oh, it's you, Lucy. Doesn't my name come up? I'm not. I'm not used to a phone anymore. Aren't letters so much more company? What are you talking about? It feels like it's all coming apart. Everything I thought I knew feels old. Are you okay? I think so. I'm not sleepwalking as much. And for a moment, it was as if things had gone back to normal, but it's not. It's not normal. I thought I was better than this. Harker leaves her one business trip and I completely crumbled. I fell apart and I'm not back together. Harker can't do it. Babe, do you want me to come over? You sound really upset. I have to go follow them. Maybe you should stay home. I could come over. You can let me in. Perhaps later. I appreciate it, really. You've done so much for me and I don't want to keep putting this on you. Just tell me I can come into your house. Not right now, Lucy. You have to get them to let you in. I've been having dreams too, like the ones you used to have who wanted to talk to you about them. The same dreams? Why didn't you tell me? Right, Mary's about your house caving in. The basement rotted into mold. My house? My house. I met my house. I said your, but I met my. Lucy, I don't think you have a cold. I didn't want to worry you. Can I come over? I have to meet Harker. He's out. They're out. It's the middle of the time. Lucy, I have to go. Is Dr. John busy? Dr. John got the plague. He's dead now. Is in his office. He's dressed in a Batman costume. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, Harker. Knock. Knock, knock. How did you find me? We used to work here. Oh, we did. It's right. I'm your boss. I quit. Okay, then Travis will do your job. Do you know what is happening? Why it feels as though we are a sweater unraveling and being quilted up in one tug of thread. Oh, so stupid. Where it just had been me who went like before. Sometimes it is Renfield and sometimes Renfield is Harker and sometimes it's not. Poor Dwight, so sad. Who are these people? You look terrible. You look worse. That's not a very nice thing to say. I won't give a promotion to an employee who insults me. I already quit. You can't quit, you're fired. You knew the danger you were putting me in? It's not dangerous, it's real estate. Why did you send me? I gave you the most precious assignment. Nick, knock, knock, knock, Nick. You should be happy. You got chosen first this time. Kickball almost. Did you know the truth then? When I left, did you know what would happen? The truth is subjective and time is not going forward though it was then. Can't be sure these days. No, no, I know what happened to me. I know what happened. Do you know how many times this has happened before? How many times this will happen again? There must be a way to stop it. If you've done it before, you can see that there's some way. It doesn't matter, here we are and nearer and nearer comes nose for off too. You obey him with no hesitation. Master is undeniable. Aren't you pleased? Don't you see what power looks like? No. I only saw horror, hunger, disease. You have damned the entire scene. I have blessed us. Nose for off too, immortality. Orlock will give it to me. I will be nose for off too. This blessed touch. I've been stuck piling. I have so many lives within me. I will be ready when nose for off too comes to free me. They aren't coming for you. Don't be stupid. He promised. I have been beautiful. I kneel before him. I send him young meat on which to suck. Surely you pleased him. Surely he pleased you. I don't think so. Don't lie to me. I see it in you. Your eyes, they love him. We are the same. How can you resist? Orlock is love. No, he's death, they are death. No life, commander of death. They are a God and will raise me above the rapture. They won't. They want me. Parker jumps on knock with their hands around his throat. But they want to be someone like you. Parker strangles him. This takes as long as it would. After he dies, blood spills from his wrists, his feet, his mouth. Immense amounts of blood pour out of the Batman costume. It does not stop pouring. Parker is left in a pool of blood more than could be contained in a human body. Will seize this. I didn't mean to. What the fuck is going on, Parker? What the fuck? Tell me, right now, I want to believe you. I want to be the person. I want you to be the person. I love more than anything. Tell me something I will believe. It's in me like the plague. I wish I could stop it. I'm reposed by myself. If I could cure, if I could cure it, I would. What are you talking about? Orlock, their monster, they do something. Raise something and you look at them and you want to run. But you want to be alone with it. You want to know what would happen if you stayed. You know it won't go well. But your orlock is, you've been enchanted. An infection, a lot of enemas, infatuation, the living dead. Everything you wrote about was true. Yes, it was a terrible place. Look around, Bremen is becoming the same. This disease, the Nosferatu bearer, a plague's bringer of death. We have to leave. We have to get out of here. No. We have to stop this. I have no hope of stopping it. Orlock knows where we live. They own the Carthax estate. They will always be watching. Then we'll go back to Lucy's. She and then Helsing will take us in and we will find a way to leave. We must be able to find a way out. Helsing is sitting outside as the two approach. Is everyone and Bremen rattling out of their skins? Lucy is dead. Was it or? No, the plague. Well, I would wish something so peaceful on her. Doctor, what happened? I couldn't sleep, so I was in the greenhouse and Lucy came in, it was someone I didn't know. That was Orlock. Anything of it, I should have. I should have seen something in it. I should have noticed. What happened? I went back to my plants. I was right there just looking at flowers. And then I didn't hear anything. I don't think I did. I didn't look up until the doors went closed. And I could see through the glass, the person standing at the other end of the hall covered in it, everywhere. What? Yes. And they left and I was just stuck behind those plants. I was so scared. I couldn't move for so long. And then I did and I couldn't open the door. I was up there for hours. I was locked inside, I couldn't get out. I couldn't even see her door and I couldn't get to her. I got it unjammed at sunrise and it was too late. It was revenge. I took the servant and we paid with a friend. I realized I've seen them before. The night that the meter came to porn. An odd person. Yet somehow I was meeting them again in a more horrid circumstance. How do you recognize someone covered in blood? How is one prepared for that? It appears we are being hunted. Why were you spared? Left locked in the greenhouse. I don't know. I just, I wish I'd done something. I wish I'd known what would happen. You can't do that. There's no use in hoping for it. I should have never gone to Transylvania. I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have gone into the crypts. We are staged now. There is no hope. There is always hope in something. But there is no hope in regret. There's a lot that you shouldn't have done. There's a lot to regret. Now Lucy is gone. Will you also crumble under the fear of the vampire? I would like to go back to how it was with breakfast cereal and- We are unsafe here. The plague is spreading. We must go inside. We will go home again. Orlock lives there. And Orlock can find us here. We will, we will be safe. The garlic. The garlic? Yes. You were surrounded by garlic and you survived. Yes. We will hang garlic. We will be protected. I saw no garlic clove growing at Castle Orlock. I brought several garlic plants into their apartment. We left them by the door in the window sill. Another night came. Halzing puts garlic flowers around the apartment. Will helps. Parker, still drenched in blood, cannot get it all off. There isn't time. Will sits across from Parker at the table. We can be safe, can't we? Here, it's enough. We will sit and look towards each other. I left once, but I came back. And now we are surrounded by garlic. Ha ha ha ha. We have fixed it. This is enough, isn't it? Isn't it? I barely remember the life we once had. It now always seems to be night time. But I have come back. We are here together. And we have the flowers. Will be enough. It is getting late. Shouldn't we try to sleep? Yes. There is no garlic in the bedroom. No. We should sleep here. In the kitchen? On the table? Where else is safe? Nowhere. In the morning, we can go walking. We can see the dunes by the sea, but at night we will have to come back here, sleep here. That should be enough. I don't know if it will be. We will bring more sand with us. We will keep it by our side, and it will remind us of life by the ocean. Is it enough to be sustained by a memory of a life that we cannot live anymore? Are you frightened? I am. I'm frightened. Do you need more garlic? We will have more. That's not what I'm frightened of. Oh, don't be frightened. I will get the doctor. You're leaving? Again? All right. I'll stay. Thank you. But perhaps we don't have enough garlic. Is there anything I can say to convince you of our safety? It won't be enough. Two of us in some flowers? That was enough once. I will go. But I will come back. You've said something like that before, and it was untrue then. Will reads from the book of vampires. One can recognize the mark of the vampire by the trace of fangs on the victim's throat. Only light can break her frightful spell. A person pure in heart who will offer their blood freely to Nosferatu and will keep the vampire by their side until after the cock has grown. Will gets ready for bed. Or lock in their room in the car fax of states. Lip syncs the Abba song. Gimme, gimme, gimme. A man after midnight was covered by Cher or something like it. Will opens the front door and goes to bed. Or lock's shadow crosses the street, comes into the house, through the front door. The garlic does nothing. The shadow of Nosferatu climbs the stairs into Will and Harker's apartment. Nosferatu, Count Orlock, good evening. Thank you for having me. You're welcome. I've waited so long to be here. How long? You know, it's just a room, isn't it? You finally get inside and it's just a room. But it's a simple bafflement how indescribable a room can be. Yes, it's just our room. Yes! You and Harker. Where is Harker? Don't you know? No. I'm here. Harker isn't. That's enough, isn't it? Why has it taken you so long? Why now? Now! Now it's the end! I mean, must end. You can't go on forever. You must be hungry. You didn't drink from Lucy. Yes! The least you could have done was make use of her. She was a person. She was already gone. And I didn't know what to do with her. I never do. I just wanted to be here. Why? Do you know me? I have seen you in my dreams and I don't know you. I've heard your voice but I don't recognize you. I've never had a room to share before. And how foolish is Harker to have left? They're frightened because of you. You did that. I didn't make them leave. They'll come back. It would be so nice to have a faith such as yours. Well, as you said, this is the ending phase. Will opens their shirt making their neck available. Orlock climbs onto the table. Orlock drinks from Will's neck. The Nosferatu looks up. I have enough for you to stay. Stay as long as you can. Will pulls Orlock back. Outside the house, Harker and Van Helsing arrive with some more garlic. Nosferatu must have hidden away by now. In the bedroom, sunlight sweeps across the buildings, across the street from Will's window. Nosferatu attempts to escape but is touched by the sunlight. Orlock is struck blind by the lights. Their skin begins to burn from the inside out. They claw at their own permanence until it begins to brightness. Everyone in the theater can see everything. It's just acting. They continue to hack and cough. They pour a glass of water. And take a sip. They leave the stage. Inside the world, Will awakens. Harker. Harker holds Will. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, Will, no, Will, Will, Will, Will, Will, Will, No, no, no, Will, Will, Will, Will, Will, Will. That can't be it. That can't be right. Stop it. Come back. Will, please, please. In the sun, it withers. There is nothing to fear in the light. That day, the plague ended. No one else got sick. No one else got better. All who were ill already died in the weeks following. But nothing spread. The left behind spared the gone-aheads. And so Bremen moved on. Bremen and I tried to make sense of what had happened. What was the nose ferratu? Where did it come from? Could it have really died? Was the sun enough to burn it? A puff of smoke and all as well. The voivode orlock died, but nose ferratu did not. Only light can break the frightful spell. I offered the nose ferratu my body. When the sun rose, orlock burned. And when it set again, nose ferratu took root in my veins. We buried Will in the pits with the rest. Thousands of corpses piled 30 feet deep. Will continues to haunt me. I imagine they stare at me through the windows across the street. Mocking me as Orlock once did. I do not dare step inside. We are fascinated with the story. It does not seem to have a real end. I look for every piece of evidence I can find. Every book of vampires. Every newspaper that reports some unexplained sickness. Every photograph of some deceased relative who remains in the background of photos taken years after. But it grows beneath us. Carving into our foundations. The earth below. We're just under our feet. Lay the masses of those who did not make it. It feels so familiar. This death. As if Will has died before. And will die again. And yet it still feels like the finale. How can this be? That I will never see Will again. That Will is going to die. I can. That Orlock will be there always. And yet that Orlock will never come back. It is impermanent and it is final. I don't know what I'm saying. Nobody knows what it means. Knows for aught to. That name alone can chill the blood. The end. Playing Orlock. Dark Driver. Red Masked Figure. Joe Michael Rezes. Katie, you can stay on. We'll tell you next. Katie. Playing Holzing. Inkeeper. Optimbello. Island Nurse. Someone. Katie Grindelwald. Playing Harker and Demi. Playing Grace Palmer. Playing Bob Lucy. Transylvanian Nurse. Victoria Broncazio. And playing Zero. Official. Tex. Arthur. Dr. John. And the Vile Fran. Rebecca Eber. And our composer and music director. And all the bots. And then to turn her camera on. But I think she has to give me consent. And share her video. Which is fine. And we love consent. My name is Tana Preifogl. This has been Knows for Aught to the Vampire. Thanks for watching. And have a good night.