Season 2, Episode 8

Reverse Psychology

Content Warnings:

-Talk of police
-Grave robbing
-Past animal attack

[Walton's office, day. There are several seconds of silence]

WALTON

...How have you been doing?

VICTOR

[Not fine]

Fine.

WALTON

Do you think you're ready to talk about the night you called me?

VICTOR

No.

WALTON

You don't need to feel ashamed or anything.

VICTOR

I'm not, I-- I just don't wanna talk about it. I told you everything, there's nothing else to say.

WALTON

...Did you tell Christine and Henry?

VICTOR

...No. They don't need to know.

WALTON

Victor--

VICTOR

What? I'm just supposed to tell them everything? Guilt them into never wanting to leave me alone? It's not their problem to worry about me. They already do that way more than they should, I don't need to add anything else on top of that.

WALTON

Still, it's good to talk to someone about that sort of thing.

VICTOR

Isn't that what I'm paying you for?

WALTON

[Audibly smirking]

And here I was, thinking this was court-ordered.

[Victor groans]

I'd like to talk about the incident in Christine's car.

VICTOR

Cool. I wouldn't.

WALTON

Okay.

[There is a long, uncomfortable beat]

VICTOR

...What're we doing right now?

WALTON

Well, if you don't want to talk about anything, I figured we'd just sit here in silence for forty-five minutes.

VICTOR

...I mean, there's not really much to say about it, is there? Some creepy stuff happened, my dead friend's voice started playing on the radio, I freaked out in full view of people I work with, I had a breakdown over it. It happens.

WALTON

Victor, you tried to--

VICTOR

It. Happens.

WALTON

But it shouldn’t happen. You don’t deserve to feel that way. 

[Victor is silent]

You said you didn’t tell your friends. How did you explain where you were for four days?

VICTOR

I told them I just needed to get away from everything for a while. Clear my head. So not technically a lie.

WALTON

Victor….

VICTOR

Look. Someday. But not right now. We’ve got enough going on. With mom’s journal, and Justine, and Laura. Everything.

WALTON

And what about your… other little problem?

VICTOR

Erik? I know you haven’t seen him, but believe me when I say that he’s not a little problem in any sense of the word. ...He’s been MIA. No sign of him. Not that that means much. He’s good at that, staying just out of sight. I’m starting to accept that he could be watching me at any moment and I’d have no idea. Which, okay, before you say anything, you don’t know him like I do, it’s not paranoia. I mean, he had people convinced he was a ghost for years. When I say that he could be anywhere, I mean he could be anywhere.

WALTON

How’s Christine doing knowing that he’s in town?

VICTOR

Fine. 

WALTON

Really?

VICTOR

Yeah. Hasn’t said anything to really suggest otherwise. 

WALTON

Okay, but you have to remember, not everyone is as vocal about their problems as you are.

VICTOR

Still, I think she’d tell us if something was wrong. And I like to think I know her well enough to be able to tell.

WALTON

...If you say so. Still though, it couldn’t hurt to check up on her every so often. I'm sure there have been plenty of times where you wish someone had checked up on you.

VICTOR

I guess, yeah.

WALTON

How's your research going?

VICTOR

Bad. We've made no progress. I mean none. And I can only try and talk through everything to Christine and Henry so many times. I'm just repeating myself. And like I said, they've got their own lives. 

[There is a knock at the door]

WALTON

What on earth…?

VICTOR

Do you need to get that, or…?

WALTON

No, we’re in a session, whoever it is, they can wait.

ENLIGHTENED

[Muffled, from outside the door]

I’d prefer not to, doctor.

WALTON

[After a beat, fear creeping into his voice]

I-- I’m sorry, but--

VICTOR

I mean, if you need to, I don’t mind, like….

[The door opens]

ENLIGHTENED

I think he’d like to hear about this as well, wouldn’t you say?

VICTOR

...Okay, starting to regret this decision.

WALTON

I’m sorry, this is completely against confidentiality, I need you to--

ENLIGHTENED

We need to talk about Mr. Morgan, doctor.

WALTON

Not now we don’t.

VICTOR

Dr. Walton. Please. This is obviously important.

ENLIGHTENED

More than you know.

VICTOR

Ominous. Who’re you again?

ENLIGHTENED

[Ignoring him]

We talked to the coroner this morning. They called it a mountain lion attack, feckin’ bastards. 

WALTON

Well if that’s what they’re saying, then--

ENLIGHTENED

Then we know that someone there doesn’t want to admit the truth.

VICTOR

...I’m so lost.

ENLIGHTENED

Do you want to tell him? Or should I?

WALTON

That’s not really the format here.

VICTOR

Dr. Walton. Please.

WALTON

...I had plans to meet up with some old friends from high school last week. Hugh Morgan and William Harker. The three of us were together back then, but over the years, we’d sort of drifted. Nothing out of the ordinary, just had our own lives to live. So when they told me that they were going to be in the area, of course we planned to spend some time together. Get dinner, maybe a few drinks. Only problem was, it was my sister’s birthday, so I’d promised to visit her and her husband. They said it was no problem, that we could meet up later. I would spend the day with my sister while they went hunting, and we would meet up at the cottage they were renting up in Creekview. That was fine by me, I never did like guns. 

WALTON (Cont.)

My sister and I wrapped it up around 5:00, and I headed over to Creekview right away. I’m not sure if you’ve ever been up there, Victor, but it’s more or less isolated. Twenty minutes away from the nearest grocery store, nothing but farmland and forests. I pulled up to the cabin and knew that something was wrong immediately. William always hated to be late, so I’d assumed they’d be back long before I got there. But all the lights were off, no sign they were around. I called them, but service out there is spotty at best and nonexistent at worst. I waited for an hour before I finally bit the bullet and went out searching.

WALTON (Cont.)

I’m not a brave man, I won’t deny that. So needless to say, I was getting startled pretty much every minute. The entire time, I felt like something was watching me, just out of sight. Every so often, I could swear that a nearby tree or bush moved, but I never saw another person or animal that would have caused it. 

WALTON (Cont.)

I searched for hours. Half because I was terrified for them, half because I was hopelessly lost. By this point, I was long past wishing I’d just gone back into town to call the police. It was the middle of the night by the time I finally found them, completely by chance. They were standing just outside a small clearing, and Hugh had his arm out as if he’d just blocked William from continuing forward. I called out to them, but they both frantically gestured for me to stay quiet. That was what did it, I think. Even in the dark, I was able to see the grass in the clearing start to move as if something was running through it. Hugh started shooting, shouting about how, “The damned thing followed him”. Then he fell, and at first I thought he was having a seizure. But then I saw the wounds opening up, saw the blood. And nothing else. He was dead in seconds. That’s when this guy,

ENLIGHTENED

Hi.

WALTON

And some woman… your mother?

ENLIGHTENED

Not exactly.

WALTON

He and some woman popped out of nowhere and started shooting at what looked like empty air. But the sound it made, it was like nothing I’ve ever heard. Nothing I ever want to hear again.

ENLIGHTENED

William Harker is a friend of ours. We’ve worked with him quite a few times in the past. When he told us that Mr. Morgan had been talking about something following him, we knew that it was more than likely in our line of work.

VICTOR

And… what’s your line of work?

ENLIGHTENED

Same as yours. The bizarre, the unexplained. He got lucky, we just happened to be in the area for another job.

VICTOR

So… you’re a monster hunter.

ENLIGHTENED

Suppose that’s one word for it, yes.

VICTOR

...The name Vordenburg mean anything to you?

ENLIGHTENED

To me, no. But I might know someone who may be familiar with it.

VICTOR

Who?

ENLIGHTENED

We’ll get there. I just came to give an update. Mr. Frankenstein, good to finally meet you.

VICTOR

Wait, what do you--

ENLIGHTENED

William’s back up in New York for a while on a job, asked me to give you his love, Dr. Walton.

WALTON

I--

ENLIGHTENED

Now, sorry to just pop in and pop out, but we’ve got a guest at the moment, don’t want to be rude being away for too long. We’ll keep in touch.

[The office door opens]

WALTON

Can-- Can I at least have your name?

ENLIGHTENED

[He give a small, almost sad laugh]

Afraid someone’s already beat you to it, doctor.

[The door closes, and there is a beat of silence]

VICTOR

...Okay, that was weird even for me.

WALTON

...It certainly was.

[He takes a breath, clearly trying to redirect the conversation]

Who’s Vordenburg?

VICTOR

I honestly have no idea. We’ve been looking for them for a while now. It’s tough, we don’t know much about them. Christine can find information on anyone, but even she’s coming up empty when it comes to them. All we know is what was on the videotape. Just that they knew my mom. They worked together, I think? Not for long, it didn’t sound like. Given the context, I’m thinking they were some sort of vampire hunter--

[He cuts himself off as he Realizes]

WALTON

Victor? You okay?

VICTOR
Oh, shit!

[Without another word, he runs out of the office, door slamming behind him as the recording ends]

--

[An undisclosed location, night]

RUTHVEN

Is it ready?

LAURA

Yes. I hope. 

RUTHVEN

She’ll be pleased to see you again.

LAURA

You think so?

RUTHVEN

I know it. All the years I’ve known her, and I’ve never seen her care so deeply about anyone.

LAURA

...But it’s been so long, I--

RUTHVEN

For you, perhaps. For us, it’s been hardly a moment.

LAURA

...She’ll remember me, then.

RUTHVEN

[A slight laugh]

You’re not easily forgotten.

LAURA

[After a beat]

Now?

RUTHVEN

Now.

[There is the sound of loud, sinister magic, and after several seconds, we hear a new voice take a sharp inhale. As the noise dies down, there is another moment of tense silence]

HUNTRESS

Thank you, Ruthven. That was getting awfully boring.

RUTHVEN

I can imagine, ma’am. Though I can’t take all the credit.

HUNTRESS

Oh?

RUTHVEN

And I've brought you a gift, of sorts.

HUNTRESS

Is that so? And what might that--

[She cuts herself off as she notices]

...Laura…?

LAURA

[Audibly smiling]

Hello, Carmilla.