Whispers in the Dark: A collection of short horror stories

Elizabeth Bathory

Title: Elizabeth Bathory

In the town of Racine, Wisconsin, Rickon was the epitome of kindness. His warm smile and gentle demeanor endeared him to all who crossed his path. He was the kind of man who would go out of his way to help a neighbor, offer a listening ear, or simply brighten someone's day with his presence. His wife, Sheryl, shared in his charm, her radiant beauty the envy of many both in public and on social media.
To the outside world, Rickon and Sheryl's marriage appeared idyllic, a picture-perfect union admired by friends and neighbors alike. Sheryl's companions often marveled at her timeless elegance, attributing her youthful appearance to good genes and diligent skincare routines.

Yet, beneath the facade of suburban bliss, Wisconsin harbored a dark secret—a haunting legacy of missing girls. It was a chilling reality that lurked in the shadows, casting a sinister pall over the entire state. Out of the entire country, Wisconsin had the highest percentage of missing girls.

Rickon, the affable husband and pillar of the community, harbored a secret of his own—a dark and desperate devotion to his beloved wife, Sheryl. Little did the people of Racine know, she held a far more sinister title than that of a suburban housewife. Sheryl, in truth, was the ancient vampire countess Elizabeth Bathory, her beauty a timeless facade sustained by the blood of the innocent. For centuries, she had roamed the world, her thirst for eternal youth driving her to unspeakable depths of depravity.

Rickon, a hapless pawn in Sheryl's sinister game, was bound to her by an unbreakable bond of love and servitude. He would do anything and everything to please her, blinded by his devotion and obliviousness to the darkness that consumed her soul. As the whispers of missing girls grew louder, Rickon's role in Sheryl's macabre ritual became clear. Each disappearance, each young life taken, served as a sacrificial offering to satisfy Sheryl's insatiable thirst for beauty. In the dead of night, hidden from prying eyes, Rickon would venture into the shadows, luring unsuspecting victims into Sheryl's grasp. Their blood, a grotesque elixir of youth, would bathe her timeless form, preserving her beauty for another fleeting moment in the endless expanse of eternity.
One day, Rickon, the beloved husband, would succumb to the ravages of old age, leaving behind a void in the vampire countess's body count. Yet, the need for a new stooge to serve her nefarious needs mattered little. There was always someone willing to do the bidding of evil in the name of love.