The Backstreet Boys all woke up to the sudden jerk of their tour bus. They had finished a concert at the 02 Arena in London. The bus came to a stop and had pulled off to the side of the road. Each of the Boys got out of their bunk beds and looked out the window to see what was going on. Brian and Howie were the first ones outside with the bus driver and were immediately followed by AJ. Finally, Nick was the last one out, stepping down the steps of the bus. He joined his band mates in the cold, night London air. He rubbed an eye sleepily with his hand and hugged himself with his other arm to keep warm.

“What’s going on, man?” he asked the bus driver.

“I must’ve run over something and the tire just blew out,” the bus driver replied. He shined a flash light at the damaged tire to show them. He sighed in disappointment and with a bit of exasperation.

“Don’t you have a spare tire or something?” asked AJ, impatiently, who just wanted to go back to his warm and cozy bunk bed.

The bus driver looked up at AJ apologetically. “Spare tire's flat too. Sorry, but I guess we’re gonna stuck here for a while.”

“Are you kidding me?” cried AJ and Nick in unison. Brian and Howie exchanged wary looks.

“This is the second time the bus broke down!” Nick exclaimed.

“That ain’t my fault,” the bus driver replied defensively.

“We’re never going to make it to the next show,” Brian added gloomily.

“Isn’t there any other way to get to a hotel at least?” asked Howie hopefully.

“Well, the next town should only be a few miles from here. So if we start walking, we should be able to make it in a few hours. We could try and cut through these trees here and it should lead us to it,” said the bus driver pointing at the wooded area in front of them.

The Boys went back in the bus to get their stuff to haul to the next town. Dressed in warmer clothing the Boys and their bus driver started their journey through the woods.

“Damn, I’m hungry,” Nick said, hearing his stomach growl.

“I doubt there are any Chick-fil-A’s out here, dude,” said AJ, waving his arm at the vast trees around them.

Nick shrugged and dug in his backpack to look for a snack but had no luck.

Brian led the guys and their bus driver through the woods. The sound of owls hooting and coyotes howling made them a little nervous.

They reached the crest of the hill and they saw an abandoned mansion’s silhouette against the moonlight. They got to the front steps of the mansion and stood near the front door.

“Alright, the bus broke down and I’ll get it fixed. Y’all just chill here for a minute, while I go look for a gas station or somewhere to get a spare tire. I’ll be back, Backstreet.” Before any of the guys had a chance to protest, the bus driver disappeared into the woods.

“Great, now what?” said AJ, when the guys were left alone. He nodded his head at the mansion.

“You think anyone’s home?” he asked, reaching up to open the door when Nick yanked his arm back.

“Are you serious? There could be an ax murderer or some psycho living in there!” Nick said, gaping at the decrepit state of the mansion.

“You’ve been watching too many horror movies, Nick,” Brian said, shaking his head.

“I really have a bad feeling about this,” Nick continued.

AJ snickered. “You're just scared."

“Shut up! I am not scared!” Nick retorted. “I just have this bad feeling!”

“Yeah right,” AJ continued. Nick was about to hit him when Brian got in between him and AJ.

“Will you guys knock it off?” Brian said, “It’s too late for this. We have no choice. We have to stay here.”

“Let me see if I could get a hold of management,” Howie suggested, opening his cell phone. He noticed he had no bars. “Hello? Damn, no signal.”

“I’m tired and freezing and I just want to lie down!” AJ said, crossing his arms across his chest to keep warm.

“Let’s just go inside, it doesn’t look like someone’s living here anyway,” Brian said.

“And I’m sure we won’t be able to find any other places to stay at…unless you guys prefer to go back to the bus. But then again, the bus driver probably took the keys with him, so we’d be freezing our cojones off,” AJ said, reaching up to push the door open. He opened the door wider to let the other guys in.

They entered a large atrium that led to a spiral marble staircase. The Boys took out their flashlights and inspected the foyer of the mansion.

“Alright, me and Jizzle are going to look down here for rooms, you guys can go upstairs,” Brian said to Howie and Nick, pointing his flashlight up toward the stairs.

“Why do me and Howie gotta go upstairs?” asked Nick shining his flashlight up the staircase that led to darkness.

“Don’t worry, Nicky, Howie will protect you from the boogie man,” AJ snickered, knowing Nick was afraid of the dark. Nick flipped him off before he stomped toward the staircase.

“Fine! Howie and I will go upstairs and you guys can stay here,” Nick said, waiting for Howie to lead the way. AJ and Brian watched as Nick and Howie made their way upstairs.


AJ and Brian continued into the lower half of the mansion and walked a little ways and went through a door. They entered a large ballroom where an old black baby grand piano sat in the corner. The floor had a swirl painted in purple paint.

“Whoa, check it out,” AJ said, pointing his flashlight up toward the ornate, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“Hello!” Brian yelled hearing his voice echo in the large ballroom.

“Sh!” AJ hushed him, “We don’t know if anyone’s here.”

“Nick’s been rubbing off on you!” Brian said with a laugh. “Come on, there's a door over there.”

They crossed the ballroom to open a door at the other side and entered a large dining room. A smaller chandelier hung above a long rectangular dining table that seated 12 people.

“Damn, whoever lived here was probably really rich,” AJ said.

“Probably?” Brian repeated laughing, “I’m sure he or she was filthy rich.” He looked around and saw a painting of a beautiful woman in a red dress hanging at the opposite corner.

“She’s hot,” AJ commented under his breath. “Wonder who she was.” Brian shrugged.

“Come on, let’s keep going. We gotta go back out through the ballroom, cuz it looks like there’s no other way out.” Brian and AJ went to the door when they suddenly hear the piano playing in the ballroom. He and AJ exchanged nervous glances but Brian quickly shrugged it off.

“It’s probably Nick trying to scare us,” Brian said rolling his eyes. He opened the door. “Alright, Nick, you got us, you—” he continued, but as soon as he stepped out into the ballroom, the piano immediately stopped playing. No one was in the room except for him and AJ.

“Do you really think that was Nick?” asked AJ, getting a little nervous.

“I…don’t know…but if it is, I am so going to get him back!” Brian said. He and AJ left the ballroom.

Upstairs, Nick and Howie were walking along a long narrow hallway that was filled with painted portraits and two tall figures in a metal suit armor stood at the end of the hallway guarding a door.

“Don’t touch anything, Nicky,” Howie warned.

Nick rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, “Yes, Mom.”

Nick shined his flashlight along the walls as he looked at each portrait; he stopped to look at a portrait of a man who looked oddly familiar. The man in the picture resembled a suave and intellectual-looking scientific man, who wore a dark brown suit and had dark brown hair and round-rimmed glasses that encircled his piercing green eyes. The right side of the man’s face in the portrait seemed to have been slashed, revealing only half of his face.

“Come on Nick, this way,” Howie called from the end of the hallway. He stood in the doorway between the guards in armor.

Nick followed Howie into a small study. The room had shelves full of books and a cozy armchair sat next to the fireplace that was in the back wall of the room. The room smelled of old tobacco and burnt wood.
“Son of a bitch!” Nick cried out.
Howie jumped a little and gave Nick a scowl. Nick had stubbed his foot against the leg of the desk that stood near the chair and the fireplace. He leaned his hand on the desk as he grabbed his throbbing foot with his other hand. He unknowingly pushed a button on the desk. The fireplace blazed to life startling him and Howie.

“Nick, you need to be more careful. That could have been some kind of booby trap!” Howie scolded.

“Well, it was so dark in here I couldn’t see a damned thing!” Nick shot back irritably. The fireplace brought enough light so Nick and Howie put their flashlights away.

Nick looked around at the tattered books. As he was scanning the book shelf, one particular book that was slightly thinner than the rest of the books, caught his attention and his curiosity got the better of him.
He reached over and pulled out the book The Kama Sutra: Secrets in the Art of Lovemaking from the East and started flipping through the books looking for any pictures.

Suddenly, the book case in front of him opened revealing a secret passage way. Nick stared at the staircase in bewilderment. Howie looked up from a map he was looking at on the desk.

“What did you do? I told you not to touch anything,” Howie grumbled.

“You would think they would use a less obvious book to open that,” Nick commented, holding up the book to show Howie.

Howie shook his head as he started down the stairs through the secret passageway. Nick still held the book as he continued to read—that is look at the pictures—as he followed Howie down the passageway with his flashlight in the other hand.

“Nick, put the book back,” Howie said, without looking up at Nick.

“What? It’s not like anyone’s gonna be looking for it. Besides…it could come in handy some day,” Nick smirked as he began reading while following Howie down the stairs.

They entered a room that had some sort of weapons and other devices hanging on the walls. Howie felt on the walls for a light switch of some sort and found a lever and decided to pull on it. A small light bulb lit up the room.

“This looks like an old laboratory,” Howie said.

Nick came across a particularly intriguing diagram depicting a complicated sexual position in his book that he didn’t notice Howie had stopped in front of him.

“Oh sorry D,” he apologized after bumping into Howie.

“Man, Nick, will you give me that book?” Howie grumbled, trying to take the book from Nick.

“No, it’s mine!” Nick cried out childishly as he held the book away from Howie's reach, “Go get your own!”

“Nick, I’m not in the mood!”

“Oh geez, I hope not! Cuz, I don’t see no females out here for that,” Nick retorted, still holding the book out of Howie’s reach.

Howie smacked Nick’s head with his flashlight. Nick grabbed his head and yelped in pain.

“Ow! That hurt!” Nick complained, rubbing his head.

“Good,” Howie remarked. He finally got the book from Nick. “Now let’s get moving. I want to find a room so we can sleep." He let out a tired sigh.

"I wonder if the other guys found anything cool, like this secret laboratory,” said Nick, following Howie back out into the small library.

A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder erupted in the night. AJ looked out the window and saw it had begun to pour.

“Damn, where did this storm come from? I hope the bus driver isn’t lost out there in that. Even if the bus driver finds help or a way to fix our bus, there is no way we’re getting out of here in that,” he said under his breath, pointing at the storm brewing outside.

AJ and Brian walked along a narrow hallway and saw a small foyer to the side. A black coffin stood at the corner next to a bust of a man. Brian was curious to see the bust and walked over to it with his flashlight. Behind the bust was a painted portrait of the man on the bust; he had a top hat and long curly hair, a menacing look was frozen on his pasty complexion and his lips were blood red. The man’s eyes were dark brown and seemed to hypnotize Brian as he stared at the portrait.

AJ noticed Brian awkwardly gawking at the portrait and reached over and nudged him.

“Rok, you alright?”

After a minute, Brian shook out of the trance he was in.

He looked at AJ, who stared back at him in concern.

“Let’s keep moving,” he murmured. AJ looked at the coffin to the bust and to the portrait briefly and wondered what made Brian act weird. He didn’t stay long to find out.

They continued down the hall and found a door. They opened it and stood at the top of a spiral staircase that led to a dark dungeon.

“I wonder what’s down there,” Brian said.

“Do you really want to know, Rok?” said AJ, turning to him.

“Come on, let’s just look at what’s down there,” Brian urged, as he started his way down the spiral stairwell.

“Why? Even if we find rooms down there, do you really want to sleep there? It’s dark and it’s freezing! Who knows what we might see down there,” AJ said, shivering from the sudden chill that ran up his spine. Maybe it was fear or it was the cold air, either way, he was starting to think like Nick. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea and he had a bad feeling about it. He finally started down the stairs after Brian.

The thunder outside began to sound louder, the lightning flashes became frequent, and the rain rapidly drummed against the roof.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and shined their flashlights around the dungeon. A sarcophagus stood up against the wall with jars covered with hieroglyphics surrounded it. Whoever lived in the mansion probably had an interest in ancient Egypt and ancient artifacts.

They walked further into the dungeon and looked around. Brian hit his leg against something made of metal. He cried out in pain and shined his flashlight on an iron maiden lying on the floor. There were other torture devices scattered on the floor and a bed of nails lay on the dirty dungeon floor.

“You alright?” AJ asked in concern.

“Yeah. I wonder what these were used for,” Brian said, clutching his leg and checking if it was bruised or gashed.

“Frankly, I don’t really want to know,” AJ said. “Let’s get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

“I agree. And it’s freezing down here.”

Brian and AJ went back upstairs and shut the door behind them.

AJ and Brian made their way passed the ballroom and turned around a corridor where two doors were on either side of them.

“You take that one and I’ll take this one,” Brian delegated. AJ nodded and went through the door to his left as Brian took the one on his right.

Brian pushed his door open and walked into a small bedroom. Yes, finally a bed! I am so tired! he thought relieved.
He looked around at the animal figures around the room; the bed was covered in a fur comforter. Mounted on the walls were an array of various animal heads, and Brian was beginning to wonder if it was too late to switch rooms with AJ.
Brian sighed. He set his bag down on the floor near the foot of the bed and examined the bed with his flashlight. There was a small layer of dust that covered the bed so he did his best to shake it all off before climbing in it.

Meanwhile, AJ entered the room across from Brian’s. He felt his way around and found a lamp which he turned on. The room had an elegant, Victorian look to it. The windows were covered with large red curtains and the bed was covered in a violet, silk bedspread. The bed looked queen-sized or even king-sized.
I have the best room in the house! AJ thought to himself. He set his bag down next to the bed as he sat down. He looked around and saw masks hanging on the wall and a little doll figurine placed on the bedside table. AJ finally got in the sheets and went to sleep.

Unbeknownst to the Boys, the lid of the black coffin in the foyer slightly opened.

Nick and Howie walked down a hallway and stopped at a few doors. They were relieved to find that they led to bedrooms.

Howie entered a room. The room had a gothic look to it and the bedspread was draped with black silk sheets and the windows were draped with blood-red curtains. Howie peeked out the window and saw that the storm was still going on outside as a flash of lightning sliced through the black and blue sky. He sighed.
I hope this storm goes away soon. I don’t want to be stuck here any longer, he thought.

He made his way to the bed and took off his shoes as he climbed in the sheets. He looked around as he lay in the bed before dozing off to sleep.

In the other room next to Howie’s, Nick set his backpack down on the bed as he looked around the room. The walls were painted with hieroglyphics and there were ancient Egyptian pottery lined across the floor. The bedspread was made out of emu feathers and the headboard was elaborate gold plating.

There was a golden book on a stand against the far wall. Nick walked over to it and examined it with curiosity. There was a layer of dust covering it and he blew on it to clear it off. He coughed as the dust entered his lungs. He ran his hand against the front of the book over the hieroglyphics carvings, tracing each symbol with his finger. The book suddenly opened and revealed pages made of papyrus and the hieroglyphics were written in black ink on the pages. There was an English translation next to the hieroglyphics inscription on the first page. Nick read it out loud:

“The Book of the Dead belongs to the high priest and only he shall read from this book. All others who do shall face his wrath.”

This is better than the Kama Sutra book I stole back from Howie Nick thought gleefully. He had snuck the Kama Sutra book into his backpack when he and Howie left the laboratory.

Nick started to feel sleepy but couldn’t detach himself from the book. There was something eerily haunting about it but then again he was always into paranormal stuff. Nick ignored the inscription on the front page and began reading from the book.

Nick was beginning to get into the book, when he suddenly heard a low groan coming from downstairs. He looked up from his book as he listened carefully. Maybe I should learn to follow instructions, he thought to himself, now regretting he ever opened the book. He heard another groan but this time it was getting louder.

“It’s probably AJ or Howie trying to scare me,” he muttered, but felt the fear slowly creep back. "I hope..."

Usually he’s the one doing the scare, but now someone—or something—was seriously scaring him.

He finally pulled away from the Book of the Dead and made his way to the bed. He probably just needs to rest and this was all in his head. He climbed into the emu-feathered sheets and closed his eyes trying to drift to sleep. He managed to drift into sleep after a few minutes, ignoring the groans he heard and hoping it just one of the guys trying to scare him.

Howie woke up to the sound of a strange tapping at his window. He lifted his head from the pillow and looked toward the window. He saw a bat fluttering against the glass. He turned away from the window and tried to drift back to sleep. He heard the tapping again and this time it became rapid. He sat up in frustration and threw off his covers and walked toward his window and opened it to let the bat inside. The bat fluttered into his bedroom and settled on the ceiling above Howie’s bed. He closed the window and climbed back into bed and drifted back to sleep.

He quickly fell into a dream-like state and dreamt of a beautiful woman in a red dress standing by his bed. She looked down at his sleeping form a smile slowly spread across her face. His gaze seemed to be fixated on her dark brown eyes unable to look away from them. She brushed a hand gently against his cheek and leaned over him. He closed his eyes waiting for a kiss. That’s when he felt a sudden sharp pain on the side of his neck.


Brian awoke abruptly to a loud crack of thunder and a bright flash of lightning from his window. He looked around and was disorientated for a minute. He sat up in his bed and looked around and then remembered where he was. He looked out the window and noticed that the storm was still going on.
Geez, when will this storm ever stop?

Suddenly, a distant howl came from outside his window. He heard another howl but this time it sounded closer. He listened carefully. After a while, the only sound he heard was the thunder and the rain. He turned away from the window as he lay back in his bed to try to go to sleep.

Another howl jolted him and his eyes flew open. The howl sounded much louder, as if whatever was howling was standing right outside his window. He turned around to face the window and saw the silhouette of a wolf on the balcony.

Brian stared at the wolf and wondered how it got up on the balcony, but then he noticed the wolf began to morph into something bigger—almost human, but it wasn’t. Thinking he must be dreaming, he rubbed his eyes. The strange creature was still there. It busted open the window and towered over Brian growling and bearing its long fangs.

Brian couldn’t believe his eyes. Is that a…werewolf?!

AJ woke up to a loud crash and bolted off his pillow. He sat up and looked around disoriented. He sat silently listening to hear where the crash had come from. Instead, he heard the sound of organ music, which seemed to emanate through the walls. He wondered where it came from. The organ was playing some type of ominous music and sounded faint.

Who the hell would be playing the organ this late at night? I hope it’s not Nick. Did he even know how to play an organ? What I would do to that kid if I find out he was behind this! he thought.

He threw off his covers and opened his door. The organ music sounded louder. He grabbed his flashlight on the bedside table and shined it down the hallway. He looked from side to side checking to see if Nick was there. He made his way down the hallway and peered around the corner at where the organ sat in a small vestibule.

He swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw that there was no one playing the organ. The phantom organ continued playing even as AJ walked closer to it and examined the organ carefully.

It might be one of those automatic organs that plays by itself, he thought to himself. Or it could be rats. AJ cringed at the thought of rats and backed away from the organ.

Suddenly, he heard Brian scream from his room. AJ whirled around and ran to Brian’s door.

“Hey Rok, are you alright in there?” he asked, banging rapidly against Brian’s door.

There was no answer from Brian except another scream, but that scream immediately turned into a howl.

“Brian?!” AJ screamed as he broke down the door. He dashed in as he saw the silhouette of Brian hunched over near the window. AJ must have been imagining it but to him it looked as if Brian’s body was changing, like it was getting bigger and…hairier.

“Brian?” AJ moved closer to Brian to get a better look at him. He dropped his flashlight in shock and stared in horror when he saw what Brian had become.

“Oh my God!”


Nick suddenly woke up to a scream. His eyes flew open and his heart began to race. Not again, he thought. He sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Just when he was finally going to sleep, he hears something else to keep him up. He was about to lay back down when he hears Howie scream in his room.

Nick grabbed his flashlight and ran to his door. He peered out his door and looked up and down the hallway. Nick walked over and knocked on his friend’s door. When he didn’t get a response, he pushed the door open.

“Howie?” he called, shining his flashlight on Howie’s bed. The bed was empty and he didn’t see Howie standing anywhere in the room.

“D?” he called again, “Howie? Where you at man?” Nick was beginning to get frustrated.

“This isn’t funny anymore, man. You and AJ can stop now,” he said, still looking around for Howie.

He walked closer to Howie’s bed and checked it again. It was still empty.

Then he heard a strange noise coming from above his head. Nick looked up to see Howie with his hands and feet on the ceiling hissing like a cat at Nick.

“What the Hell? Hey, how are you doing that?” Nick asked. Howie continued hissing at Nick then flipped off the ceiling and stood in front of Nick.

Up close Nick could see Howie’s face had become pale and he had a set of fangs, his eyes were now an eerie glow of violet. Howie continued to hiss at Nick as he grabbed Nick’s arm. Nick yanked his arm away from Howie when Howie tried to bite into it.

“What the Hell is wrong with you?” Nick cried out. “Howie? Dude, this isn’t funny!”

“I vant to suck your blad,” came Howie’s reply in a Transylvanian accent.

Nick backed away slowly from Howie. He shined his flashlight in Howie’s face, causing Howie to hiss angrily and covered his face.

Nick ran out the door before Vampire Howie had time to catch up.

I have to find the other guys, Nick thought desperately. What the hell is wrong with Howie? Was he a vampire? But they’re not real, were they?

Nick ran from Howie’s bedroom, down the stairs and ran into a narrow hallway looking for AJ or Brian. He turned back to see if Vampire Howie was still chasing him when he collided with AJ, causing both of them to fall in a heap on the floor.

“Dammit, watch where you’re going!” Nick yelled, getting up off the floor.

“You were the one who ran into me!” AJ shot back rubbing his head where Nick had elbowed him.

They stood up and dusted themselves off.

“Something happened to Brian!” AJ shrieked at the same time as Nick yelled, “Something’s wrong with Howie!”

“What did you do?” AJ immediately asked, staring accusingly at Nick.

“I didn’t do anything!” Nick objected but remembered the Book of the Dead and the inscription:

The Book of the Dead belongs to the high priest and only he can read from this book. All others shall face his wrath.

“I think,” Nick added, sheepishly. AJ was about to grab Nick to give him a piece of his mind when an ear-piercing howl echoed from behind them. They both turned around and stared in horror.

There stood a werewolf who resembled Brian in a torn Kentucky Wildcats T-shirt and navy blue sweatpants. Werewolf Brian growled ferociously at AJ and Nick, baring his sharp teeth.

AJ looked as if he was about to cry, and Nick looked like he was about to piss in his pants.

Suddenly, they hear a hissing sound coming from above them. AJ and Nick shined their flashlights on Vampire Howie who was crawling hastily toward them on the ceiling and down the wall. Howie was no longer in his sleepwear but was wearing an elegant black suit and a blood-red cape and a black top hat; Howie looked exactly like the man in the painting AJ and Brian looked at earlier in the foyer.

Vampire Howie landed on his feet in front of them baring his fangs, as he and Brian slowly started toward AJ and Nick. They closed in snarling and salivating as if they were starving—starving for a taste of their blood.

Nick and AJ ran as fast as they could away from their cursed friends, only glancing backward to see if they were after them. AJ and Nick ran up the spiral staircase and down the narrow hallway and finally into Nick’s room closing the door behind them and locking the door. Nick rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath while AJ leaned against the wall to do the same.

“I think we’re safe in here for now,” Nick said in between breaths.

“What happened to them?” AJ said. “How did they end up like that?”

“I’m not sure,” Nick answered honestly. “But I think it had something to do with that.” He pointed at the Book of the Dead on the wooden stand against the wall.

“What is it?” AJ asked afraid to touch it.

“It’s the Book of the Dead. It’s a book of spells and incantations dating back probably to the ancient Egyptian times,” Nick explained as if AJ was a complete moron. “It belonged to some high priest or something.”

“You put a spell on Brian and Howie?!” AJ asked incredulously.

“No! I just read from the book that’s all!” Nick shot back defensively.

“What did you think would happen if you read from a book entitled Book of the Dead?” AJ screamed at the top of his lungs. “Look, there’s even a warning label! Geez, Nick, when are you going to learn to follow directions?”

“We’ll find a way out of this,” Nick insisted and reached for the book when AJ stopped him. “Maybe if I could find a spell…”

“No, you are not reading from that book again. Who knows what you might end up doing! You could turn us into monsters too!” AJ said, as he stood in between Nick and the book.

“Then how are we going to cure them?” Nick said, beginning to get irritated with AJ.

AJ couldn’t give Nick an answer. There has to be a way to get Brian and Howie back to normal, but something about the Book of the Dead didn’t feel…safe…to AJ.

“There has to be another way!” AJ said frustrated. “I’m not touching that book. Look at where it’s gotten us since you touched it!”

“Maybe we can find a book that can reverse the spells and incantations in this book, like, the counterpart to this one,” Nick said.

“And where are we going to find this other book in this ginormous mansion?” AJ asked dully.

Nick flashed his famous grin. “In the study room where I got this.” He held up the Kama Sutra book for AJ to see. Though AJ was slightly intrigued in such a book, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Oh for the love of God,” he muttered under his breath. “Nick, how many times do we have to tell you not to take things that don’t belong to you?”

“There’s a library of books in the study room and behind a bookcase we found a secret passageway that led to a laboratory.” Nick ignored AJ’s last rhetorical question. The glow in Nick’s eyes was unmistakable; it was apparent that Nick was enjoying this moment, despite the fact that his bandmates were cursed into monsters.

“So you think we should go down there and see if we could find this book?”

Nick only nodded his head.

AJ gestured toward the door. “After you.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Nick and AJ entered the study room as Nick felt around the desk for the button to turn on the fireplace. He found it and pushed it. The fireplace blazed to life startling AJ.

AJ looked around the study room and stared in wonderment at all the tattered books.

“So let’s start looking, we don’t have much time,” Nick said.

AJ looked at Nick in confusion. “How do you know that?”

“Don’t these curses have a time limit? Like, we have to cure them before midnight or something?”

AJ looked at his wristwatch. “Well, Genius, it’s already an hour and a half passed midnight so I guess we’re screwed.”

Nick ignored AJ’s sarcasm and continued to browse the shelves for anything that can help with Brian and Howie.

While Nick was looking at the books, AJ browsed along the desk that was filled with old newspaper clippings. Underneath the newspaper clippings, he found an old black leather journal. The cover was engraved in gold: Dr. Jack L. Hyde. AJ blew off the dust on the front of it before opening the book. He opened the journal where it had been marked at an entry:

May 17, 1808
My besotted fascination with the Book of the Dead drove me to discover its wonderful powers. Within it, I discovered I could bring back the dead. I was able to revive my beloved Isabella for a consequence I had not foreseen. I had awakened an ancient evil that now resides in my Isabella. Her thirst for human blood has left her monstrous that I no longer know her true self. I have no time to spare; I must purge this evil by the third hour before dawn, for if I fail, my Isabella shall be cursed for eternity. The Libri Vitae is the only thing that can save her now.

“Nick, I think I found something,” AJ called out.

Nick walked over to AJ and looked over at the journal and read the entry for himself.

“What’s the Libri Vitae?” asked Nick, scratching his head.

“I don’t know,” AJ said, shrugging his shoulders, “it could be the book we’re looking for. It says here ‘I must purge this evil by the third hour before dawn...’. So we have until 3 o’clock to break this curse.”

Nick looked at his wristwatch, which read a quarter before two. “Well, I hope we can find this book in, like, an hour,” he said.

“It’s now or never,” AJ said. “We have to find the Libri Vitae, it might be the only thing that could save Rok and D.”

Nick and AJ hastily searched the study room looking for the Libri Vitae.

“It’s gotta be here somewhere!” Nick cried out in frustration when he didn’t find anything.

He and AJ checked all the books in the study room but didn’t find the Libre Vitae anywhere.

“We've checked all the books! It’s not here. We’re not gonna make it. It’s…it’s too late,” AJ said, getting frustrated and worried that their friends will remain as they are forever.

Nick grabbed Dr. Jack L. Hyde’s journal off the desk and began to flip through the pages to see if the scientist had left any clues as to where the Libri Vitae was kept.

“I found it!” Nick said, in relief.

“The Libri Vitae?” AJ asked, as he looked up from the bookshelf.

Nick shook his head. “I found a clue to where the scientist kept it. It’s in the dungeon.”

AJ grabbed his flashlight and headed out the door.

“I know where that is. Me and Brian went down there earlier. We gotta hurry, we don’t have much time left!”

Nick didn’t argue with AJ as he grabbed his flashlight and followed AJ out of the study room and down the stairs to the dungeon.

They got to the hallway leading up to the door of the dungeon and crept slowly toward it, making sure that no one was guarding the door. To the right of them was the small foyer that kept a black coffin propped up next to the wall.

“Someone sure is obsessed with the dead,” Nick commented as they walked past the foyer. AJ shushed him as they continued toward the door.

AJ reached out to pull on the handle of the door when they hear a creak behind them. Instinctively, they turned around to see where it came from and found that the source came from the black coffin. The coffin opened and Vampire Howie who was in a resting state, came out of it and saw them. His violet eyes went dark red and he leaped out of his coffin and hissed at them baring his long fangs.

AJ and Nick stood frozen and couldn’t do anything except scream. AJ and Nick struggled to open the door to the dungeon as they watched Vampire Howie run toward them.

Still screaming, they finally were able to open the door and jumped through it closing the door behind them. They held the door shut as they felt Vampire Howie’s body collide with the door as Howie tried to break the door down. Nick finally placed the bar to lock the door as he and AJ stood by to catch their breath.

“That was close,” AJ said.

“Hurry, let’s find that book before it’s too late,” Nick urged, as he started down the spiral staircase that led to the dungeon.

They finally reached the bottom of the staircase. AJ led the way first as he made his way into the dungeon and Nick followed closely behind him. The torture devices and other artifacts were still scattered on the floor. Nick shined his flashlight onto the floor looking for the Libri Vitae as he also examined the torture devices.

AJ looked up and noticed the sarcophagus that was propped up against the wall was slightly open. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, as he reached up to pull the lid off the sarcophagus. Taking a deep breath, he opened the sarcophagus wider, half expecting something to jump out. He took a step back but found that the sarcophagus was empty, except for a silver book that lay inside it. His pulse increased as he picked it up and was surprised by how heavy it was.

“Hey Nick I found it!” he called out.

Startled, Nick nearly jumped a foot in the air as he was examining the iron maiden and the bed of nails on the floor. He scowled at AJ but felt relieved to have finally found the Libri Vitae.

“Wait, there’s problem,” AJ said as he examined the book.

“Now what?” Nick asked impatiently.

“We need a key to open this thing,” said AJ, showing Nick an engraved star on the front of the book where a key should fit.

“This is just great!” Nick said, throwing his hands up dramatically. “So where do we find this key now?”

AJ looked inside the sarcophagus but it was empty. He let out an exasperated sigh.

“Wait, I have the scientist’s journal here in my backpack,” Nick said, taking it out. He frantically flipped through the pages of the journal.

“Here, it says that the key is buried with Isabella outside in her grave,” Nick informed.

“We have to go outside and dig up someone’s grave?” AJ said, dreading what was to come. “This night just keeps getting better and better!”

“I’ll say. If it wasn’t for this whole curse thing and our friends doomed to evil for eternity and all, I might actually enjoy this.”

AJ rolled his eyes at the younger man’s comment.

“Well, at least the storm has stopped,” AJ said, checking his watch. “Come on, we are running out of time.”

Nick and AJ made their way outside to the graveyard via the dungeon. AJ clutched onto the Libri Vitae as he and Nick sloshed through the mud in the backyard.

Nick hugged himself as he followed AJ through the muddy graveyard in the coldness of the night. It felt particularly colder in the graveyard as they made their way through. There were tombstones lined along the crest of a small hill against the eerie violet sky. The two of them reached the row of tombstones and found one made out of a marble statue of a beautiful woman.

Isabella K. Hyde
May 13, 1780–May 14, 1808
Here lies my beloved Isabella who died a tragic death; she will be forever loved.

“She died the day after her 28th birthday,” AJ said, after reading her headstone engraving.

They stared down at the grave for a minute.

“We only have a few minutes left. We can’t waste anymore time,” Nick urged, looking at his watch and saw that it was twenty minutes until 3 o’clock.

He and AJ searched the grounds for a shovel or anything they could use to dig up the grave. They saw a small shack and found some shovels inside and they started digging up the grave.

They finally dug out a wooden coffin and opened it. They both stood back as the odorous stench of Isabella’s rotting body hit their nostrils.

“Do you see the key anywhere?” AJ asked, plugging his nose.

“I’m not sure. Do you have an idea what it might look like?” Nick asked, when a blood-hurtling howl tore through the silent night air.

They looked up to see Werewolf Brian standing at a close distance to them snarling and howling at them.

“Oh great, the wolf-man is back,” AJ said. “Keep looking, Nick. I’ll try to…fight him off for a while.”

AJ noticed the look Nick was giving him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll try not to hurt him. You open the book and find a cure for this curse. I’ll go keep Wolf-man busy for a while.” AJ handed Nick the Libri Vitae as he faced off with Brian. Nick watched for a minute at his two brothers facing off. He’s gotta break this curse.

Nick covered his face with his sleeve to block the stench as he looked inside the coffin for the key. A silver amulet lay on Isabella’s chest; it was in the shape of a star. He reached down and grabbed it and matched it up to the book. Relief ran through him as the amulet fit perfectly in the engraving on the book.

“I found the key, AJ!” Nick called out in excitement.

“Good, now open the book and find a spell to reverse this curse!” AJ yelled as he struggled with Werewolf Brian, who had him pinned down to the ground snarling. Nick could hear AJ trying to reason with him to see if he could get through to Brian.

Nick quickly twisted the amulet in the keyhole and opened the book. He flipped madly through the pages until he found a spell or incantation to break the curse; like the Book of the Dead, there was an English translation included with the Latin inscriptions.

As Nick began to read an incantation that he thought might break the curse, he heard AJ call out, “Nick, watch out!”

He felt someone pounce on top of him from behind, knocking the book and the key out of his hands. The book lay shut a few feet away from him and the key lay buried in the mud.

Vampire Howie had pinned Nick down on the ground and hissing maddeningly at him, as Nick kept Howie from biting into his neck. He continued struggling with Howie when he finally was able to fight him off.

Nick scrambled to grab the book lying on the ground next to the key. He reached for the book but Howie kicked the book out of Nick’s reach. Howie grabbed Nick by the collar and pulled him up.

“Nick, you have to get that book!” AJ yelled who was still struggling with Brian.

“I’m kind of busy here!” Nick shot back as he kicked Howie who was trying to bite into his neck again.

Vampire Howie hissed in pain as he let go of Nick and fell to the ground. Nick finally grabbed the book and the key. He stood up and started flipping through the pages while running from Howie who chased him around the graveyard.

With the clock ticking and a minute to spare, Nick finally found the page and started reading aloud.

“Now at this hour, I call upon the ancient magic of the high priest. Reverse the curse brought upon us and instill the light of goodness into the darkness of evil.”

Nick’s watch beeped indicating that it was 3 o’ clock. He sighed with relief; he just about made it…or so he thought.

A chilling Transylvanian voice whispered in his ear, “Time’s up.”

Darkness began to envelope him as he heard the menacing, almost maniacal laughter of Howie, who clearly was still a vampire. Nick couldn’t see anything as if the moon itself had stopped illuminating; he felt as though his eyes were closed but he knew they were wide open. Confused and now frustrated he called out to AJ, hoping he was there to help him.

“AJ, the spell didn’t work!”

Nick’s blood ran cold when he heard two different howls in response.

Brian had turned AJ into a werewolf and now Nick was all alone.

“We must turn him,” Howie hissed to AJ and Brian.

Nick still couldn’t see anything but could hear they were closing in on him.

“No! I read the spell! It should have broken the curse!” Nick cried out in frustration.

“I must feed from him now,” Nick heard Howie hiss.

Nick felt Brian and AJ grab his arms as they dragged him to Howie.

“NO!” Nick screamed as he struggled against their grip but they were too strong despite how tall Nick was still compared to them. Nick was thrown on the ground in front of Howie’s feet.

He was able to break free from them until he stumbled and fell to the ground. He felt them grab him once again but this time they began to shake him furiously and chanting his name.

“Nick… Nick… Nick.”

He fought them off with his arms as he shut his eyes preparing for the worst. They continued shaking him and chanting his name.

“Nick…Nick…Nick…”

“No! You can’t turn me!” Nick shouted still fighting them off.


Nick suddenly felt something hit him on the head, but it wasn’t hard. It strangely felt soft.

It felt like a pillow.

“Damn, that kid is a heavy sleeper!” he heard AJ say. He sounded normal.

Someone shook him. “You’ll never turn me!” Nick declared bravely.
“Nick, wake up!” he heard Brian say. He also sounded normal.

“Nick, sleepy time is over,” he heard Howie say, his Transylvanian accent had disappeared.

Sleepy time? Was he dreaming?
Nick finally opened his eyes and saw the guys staring down at him. Brian and AJ no longer had a snout and long fangs with hairy faces, and Howie no longer looked pale and had no fangs.

Nick sat up from where he was and looked around. He was in the back of their tour bus on the couch. He looked back at the guys with a bewildered look on his face.

“You alright, man?” AJ asked concerned, though it seemed he was trying to hold in laughter at the look on Nick’s face.

“Yeah, you were yelling and it woke us all up,” Howie said.

“I was?” Nick finally spoke. Was it all a dream? That was one hell of a dream; it seemed way too real.

“Yeah, you were screaming and panting like you were going to die or something,” Brian said in concern.

“What were you dreaming about anyway?” AJ asked. “Or do I even want to know?”

Nick told them the whole story about how their tour bus broke down and they stayed at this mansion in the middle of nowhere because they were stormed in, and Howie turned into a vampire and Brian a werewolf, which he found out was his fault when he accidentally cursed them by reading from the Book of the Dead that belonged to an ancient priest that had his wife buried in the backyard. He told them how he and AJ found a way to break the curse in the study room that led to a secret laboratory, but the spell didn’t work and AJ was turned into a werewolf too and they were all about to feed on him when he was “supposedly” woken up.

The other guys exchanged amused glances despite Nick’s disorientated state.

“That sounds just like our video, Nick. Did you watch it before you went to bed?” Howie asked.

“No, I’m telling you guys. It was so real,” Nick insisted.

“You’ve been watching too many horror movies, Nick,” Brian said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, you do have a very active imagination, man,” AJ said.

Nick studied all three of them. There was something peculiar about them but he just couldn’t figure it out. He sighed. They were probably right; this was all in his head.

“I guess it was all a dream,” Nick said, defeated.

“Well, now that we’re all up we should get our stuff together. We’re almost at the hotel,” Brian announced.

The guys began to gather their belongings to get it ready for when they reach their hotel.

Nick finished dressing and was putting his belongings together. He opened his backpack and began to shove things inside it. He felt something brush against his hand as he reached inside his backpack. It felt like a book.

He didn’t remember bringing a book with him on this leg of the tour. He reached in and pulled out a ratty thin, hard-covered book and read the title: The Kama Sutra: Secrets in the Art of Lovemaking from the East.