Field of Screams Part 1

During a dark and dimly lit night, a crescent moon hung over a lake. Fog lay over top the water, draping it in an eerie blanket as a long boat glided across, accompanied by a horde of flying bats. A coffin lying inside the boat creaked as its lid slid open and a woman with long hair and blood red lips sat up. She looked at her surroundings and smiled wickedly, at the same time as an evil laugh escaped her lips.

Jaden sat upright as he awoke from his nightmare, clutching his sides. "Jaden!" Syrus exclaimed from his seat right next to his friend's hospital bed. "Are you okay?"

"Oh man." The hero duelist mumbled. "Weird dream. I saw a girl."

"A girl?" Syrus wondered.

"You must be feeling better if you're dreaming about girls," Miss Fontaine said as she came into view.

"How is Nightshroud- I mean, Alexis' brother?"

The Obelisk girls' headmistress looked to the right, where Alexis was sitting next to her brother who was still immobile in his bed. "I'm afraid he hasn't woken up yet. But still, he's in stable condition."

On the lake, the boat from Jaden's dream was going along silently. The woman in the coffin raised her arm as she commanded the bats to do her bidding. "Go, my minions. Find me my prey. So that we can succeed where Blank and Nightshroud have failed." She held up a rose in her hands and smiled as she watched her bats fly away.

During the following day, news of a strange vampire had already begun to blossom all over the island. "Hey, did you hear about the vampire?"

"Vampire?"

"Dude! I saw her with my own eyes! Or at least, my roommate did. She's got these gigantic fangs."

"Wait! Are you saying it's a she?"

"I am so not kidding, it's a girl vampire!"

"But she better stay away from my boyfriend!"

Word of this eventually reached Chancellor Sheppard's ears, who called Chazz, Zane, Davis, Bastion, Crowler, Banner and Ryan to his office because of it.

"Vampire!" Chazz said in surprise after hearing Sheppard's suspicions.

"I'm afraid the rumors may not be rumors after all."

"Oh my." Banner muttered.

"Puh-lease." Crowler said. "It's a practical joke."

"A joke?" Bastion asked doubtfully. "It wasn't a joke that put Jaden in the hospital."

"Do you think this vampire lady's a Shadow Rider?" Zane inquired.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Ryan muttered.

"Be on the lookout for anything suspicious." Crowler and Banner looked to each other nervously, while the others simply nodded at this.

Later on, Chazz was sitting in his room at the Slifer dorm, with his cards laid out on the floor while deciding how to arrange his deck. "Let's see this vampire girl try to get the drop on the Chazz." He was too focused on his cards, that he was unaware of the bat hanging from the rafters, looking down at him with glowing red eyes.

At the same time, Bastion was in his own room, sitting at his desk, choosing which cards to use and which to set aside. He was also being spied on by another bat, this one looking at him through his window.

Davis was in his room looking out the window, having felt something strange.

Next door Ryan pulled his sleeve up to reveal a dragon birthmark on his arm.

Elsewhere in the Obelisk boys' dorm, Zane was sitting down while going over his own cards. But like all the others, he was unknowingly being watched.

"A vampire?" Crowler said to himself as he sat in his office. "What's next? The boogeyman? Who would believe something so ridiculous?" As he was mumbling, a fifth bat was hanging upside down, surveying him through the window.

As for Banner, he was sitting in front of a mirror in his own room. Strings of garlic bulbs were hanging from the ceiling, candles were lit on the floor and he was dressed in an odd manner, while waving an equally strange stick in the air. "Stay away," he spoke up. "I know you're out there. I have a huge horror movie collection, I know all your weak spots, I am ready for you." The bat watching almost sweatdropped upon seeing this, but then lost interest and flew away to its mistress.

Back in the infirmary, Alexis stood up from her seat and walked over to Syrus, who was still sitting next to Jaden. "How's he doing?" she asked the small Slifer boy.

"He hasn't said anything since last night," he answered sadly.

"Oh…"

"How's your brother, Alexis?"

The Obelisk girl in question shook her head. "Pretty much the same. But he'll get better. I know it, he's a fighter, you know?"

Syrus nodded at this. "I know."

As for the vampire mistress in question, she was in an empty bathroom, lying in a bathtub. She held out her hand as one of the bats came flying in and landed on it. "My precious. What did you bring for me?" Its eyes glowed red, at the same time as its owner's. Images of the key-keepers appeared in her mind. "So this is our opposition. Hmm… who shall it be?" She then settled on the image of a dark haired Obelisk boy with a stern expression. "You… you will be my first."

Later on, the spirit key holders, apart from Alexis, Christine, Jaden and Jeremy were standing before Chancellor Sheppard in his office. "Good news Chancellor," Chazz announced. "I've searched the whole campus, and there's no-"

"VAMPIRE!" Chumley shouted as he came running in the office, stopping in front of the key-keepers. "I saw her! She's at the lake!"

Along with Chumley, the same key-keepers walked through the forest and stopped at the edge of the lake, shrouded in fog while a crescent moon hung in the sky. A sleek red carpet rolled out from within the fog up to them. "I think she's expecting us," Bastion commented.

"At least it's the red carpet treatment." Crowler said.

"Crimson red." Zane noted.

"What now?" Bastion wondered.

"Now we face her." Zane stated.

"Yeah, but who?" Chazz asked.

"She's mine." Davis declared.

He stepped forward, ready to duel.

A wind suddenly came up, blowing away some of the fog, opening up a corridor that led up to a boat sitting at the other end of the carpet. A beautiful woman with long green hair stood on the boat, wearing a crimson red dress split at the lower part, a duel disk and a collar around her neck.

"Gentlemen." She spoke in a Transylvanian accent. "Why don't I just come to you?" She stepped out of the boat and onto the carpet, water rippling outward with each step. She had a look of disgust when she stopped a short distance from Davis.

"And who might you be?"

"I'm the one you will be facing."

*'I don't think so.'* She thought to herself. 'I crave another.'

"You are not worthy."

"You want to get to my friends, you'll have to go through me." Davis held his Duel Disk.

"Fine." She said in a bored tone. "If you're that anxious to lose your key, then you may duel me, Camula, vampire mistress of the Shadow Riders." Her eyes briefly glowed red as a horde of bats appeared out from the fog.

"So she's the vampire." Banner noted. "I need to get new horror movies."

"Well then, perhaps this will. If you lose, I get your soul. Actually, this little doll does." She held up a small faceless doll.

"You want to take his soul and the key?" Bastion asked in disbelief.

"Forget it!" Chazz said.

"I don't plan on losing." Davis responded.

Camula grinned wickedly at this. "Be careful what you wish for, it may just come true. Now then, key-keeper, let's duel!" She then walked off the carpet and stood opposite Crowler, at a distance that the others wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. Camula's disk, seemingly a bracelet at first glance, suddenly sprouted bat like wings with spaces for playing cards. Davis then activated his Duel Disk.

Camula: 4000

Davis: 4000

"Rise, Zombie Werewolf." A gray furred werewolf with red eyes, shackles dangling from its wrists and wearing tattered green pants stood up on its hind legs.

Zombie Werewolf: 1200/1200

"And I'll end my turn with a face-down card."

"My move." Davis drew. "I get rid of two machines in my hand to summon Machina Fortress."

Machina Fortress: 2500/1600

"Attack Zombie Werewolf."

Camula: 2700

"You should study up. Then you'd know, my werewolf is coming back." The Zombie Werewolf let out a howl as it returned, but even stronger than before.

"That must self-revive." Davis said.

"I normal summon Machina Soldier."

Machina Soldier: 1600/1500

"I place a card face down and end my turn."

"Why thank you. And I summon Vampire Bat in attack mode." A large dark gray bat appeared next to Camula's other creature.

Vampire Bat: 800/1200

"And with my winged friend on the field, every zombie monster I control gains 200 attack points." The bat and werewolf were then surrounded by a dark aura that powered them up.

"Don't the three of you look so cute. You know, if you had bags, you could go trick or treating."

"The only treat will be your demise. Zombie Werewolf, go sic that Machina Soldier Midnight Pounce." The lycanthrope leapt forward and bit into the metal man's lance arm, causing it to explode and send back the attacking creature.

Davis: 3700

"My life points are still higher than yours." Davis commented.

Now done with attacking, the swarm of bats flew back to their side of the field and fused into the large one. Camula laughed at her opponent's predicament. "They pack quite a wallop, don't they? Listen, dear, you don't have to endure this. Step down and I'll duel that one in white."

"You hear that, Zane?" Chazz asked. "Sounds like you're her type."

"Yes, or her blood type." Banner added.

"So how about it? Give me your friend and I'll let you go free."

"I already told you. If you want my friends, you have get through me."

"But, you can hardly stand." Chazz noted.

"I still have Machina Fortress." Davis replied.

"Very well, I end my turn."

"My move." Davis drew.

"Machina Fortress attack Vampire Bat."

Camula: 1000

"You leave me no choice." She drew. "I activate Infernalvania."

"But don't you forget, by using Infernalvania, you're not going to be allowed to normal summon your monsters anymore." Chazz pointed out.

"She won't need to. Vampire Bat can make itself indestructible in battle by banishing one from the deck."

The onlookers gasped at this revelation. "Oh dear!" Bastion exclaimed.

"But first, I'll discard one of my zombie monsters for Infernalvania." A man in with blue hair and wearing a dark suit and cape appeared briefly, before disappearing as Infernalvania began to glow. Both monsters then exploded, although Vampire Bat left behind a bunch of flower petals. "And I'll just get rid of another Vampire Bat in my deck to keep this one on the field." The flower petals came together to reform the winged creature. "Now attack him."

Davis: 2900

"He needs our help!" Zane spoke up.

"Do not interfere!"

"We can't just stand here and do nothing!"

"I'm handling this!"

"Yes, I completely agree with you, darling." Camula said, looking at Zane. "Please step in. Save your friend, because obviously he can't save himself."

"That's where you're wrong." Jaden's voice could be heard.

He and Kaoru had arrived to watch the duel.

"You underestimate my brother." Kaoru told Camula.

Davis then struggled to his feet.

"Oh, are you still here?"

"Yeah, we're not done."

"Yes, perhaps." Bastion admitted. "But you know what is? His life points."

"Let's resume our duel." Davis said. "I banish Machina Air Raider and Soldier from my grave to summon Machina Ruinforce from my grave."

Machina Ruinforce: 4600/4100

"Attack her Vampire Bat."

"Did you forget that Vampire Bat can't be destroyed?" Camula asked as her persistent monster returned in all its glory. "But as Infernalvania will demonstrate, your golem can."

"I beg to differ."

"What's he gonna do?" Chazz wondered.

"I target the Machina Fortress in my graveyard and special summon Therion King Regulus."

Therion King Regulus: 2800/1600

"I'll send Regulus to the grave and negate Infernalvania's effect."

"See don't count my brother out just yet." Kaoru said.

"You're leaving me with no other option." Camula's facial appearance changed. "I'm forced to activate the spell Illusion Gate."

"Has anyone heard of Illusion Gate?" Kaoru asked the others.

Machina Ruinforce was destroyed.

"That was a big mistake because I bring back Air Raider and Soldier from my banished zone."

Machina Air Raider: 1500/2600

Machina Soldier: 1600/1500

"It's over. I activate Book of Life. It resurrects my Vampire Lord." The blue haired vampire returned amidst the flying bats.

Vampire Lord: 2000/1500

"However, you cannot give life without taking it away. So I'll be taking your Ruinforce from your graveyard. And now I'll remove Vampire Lord to summon Vampire Genesis." The more human looking vampire made way for a powerful purple giant with a large blue wing on its back.

Vampire Genesis: 3000/2100

"Now I'll use it's special ability to bring back Vampire Lord by getting rid of Despair from the Dark."

Vampire Lord: 2000/1500

"Not good. If all three attacks connect he'll lose the duel."

"The rest is up to you guys."

"No, brother." Kaoru cried out.

"Vampire Genesis destroy Machina Air Raider."

Davis: 1000

"Is that all?"

"You want more? Very well, try this. Vampire Lord attack Machina Soldier."

Davis: 100

"Vampire Bats attack." The two flying bats then split into a flock of smaller ones who swarmed Davis.

Kaoru could barely watch as her brother was attacked by the bats.

Davis: 0

"His key is mine." Camula said as the remaining holograms faded away.

"No way!" Chazz spoke up.

"We can't stop her. She won the duel." Jaden pointed out.

The female vampire then walked over to her fallen opponent and took the spirit key from his neck. It disappeared in a flash of light as she held it up. "One down, six to go. And now, darling children… to take my second prize." She pulled out the small doll, which began to glow with an eerie purple aura, along with Davis' body. When it was done, the doll had been transformed into a likeliness of him. "Dolls are pretty, but this is decidedly not." The vampire lady tossed it to the ground like a piece of trash. "It's garbage now."

"That's it!" Jaden exclaimed, and went to take a step forward, but found Zane's arm in the way. "But…"

"Now, I bid farewell." A dark castle then appeared in the fog behind Camula.

"Give my brother back right now!" Kaoru shouted.

"We're going to find you!" Chazz declared.

"And duel!" Bastion added.

"Children, that's precisely what I'm hoping for." She disappeared in thin air, her evil laughter lingering behind.

"Well this is just great." Kaoru said. "We should've asked Arisa or Zane for help."