Chapter 1

An excerpt from The Blackheath Gazette:

Sheriff Douglas Dover (b. 1806 - d. 1844) was found dead in Thistle Woods. Sheriff Dover was unmarried and is survived by his aunt, Dorothy Abbott of London. Douglas Dover was born on July 8th, 1884 in the county of Blackheath to farmer Jonathan Dover and his wife Wilma. At the age of 16, Douglas left his parents' farm to join the Constables. He was assigned as a Deputy Sheriff in his home county of Blackheath. At the age of 23 he was promoted to Sheriff of Blackheath, a position he held until his death. The mauled remains of Sheriff Dover were found on March 23, 1844. The remains were unidentifiable but enough of Sheriff Dover's possessions were found on the body (including his badge, wallet and billy club) to confirm that the remains were his. His Colt pistol and Weatherby shotgun could not be located at the crime scene nor at his home. Constable Penington suspects that Sheriff Dover was waylaid and killed and later set upon by wild animals. Sheriff Dover was laid to rest next to his parents at Herrington Cemetery on March 24, 1844.

End excerpt.

On September 17, 1843, Sheriff Dover was investigating some reports of farm animals being attacked. He was in Thistle Woods following some tracks when he was surprised and attacked. Sheriff Dover managed to fire his Colt once before he was overcome. He was semi-conscious as he realized that this stranger was sucking the blood right out of his body. Just as his life was slipping away, the stranger placed some of his own blood upon Dover's lips and disappeared into the darkness.

When Dover awoke from what was surely a nightmare, he went home and fell into bed exhausted. He awoke the next evening confused and disoriented. He tried to eat something but could not keep anything down. When he went on his nightly rounds everyone seemed different. And when he came upon a beggar sleeping in front of the local feed store, the urge to grab and bite this beggar overcame Douglas and he went into a frenzy. After his self-control returned he realized what he had done, and his new existence became obvious to him. He knew a little of the supernatural and had heard many a wive's tale. Douglas Dover knew he had become the Beast which is called Vampire.

After a month of continuing his life as a sheriff on night patrol, he decided that he must fake his death and move on as the villagers were starting to whisper about strange events and the deaths of travellers. One night while on patrol, he was attacked by a bandit. The bandit shot him and Sheriff Dover lost control. He attacked the bandit in a frenzy and shred the bandit's body with his claws. When he regained control of himself he realized that the bandit was about the same size as himself. He made sure that the body was unrecognizable and placed his boots, club, wallet and badge upon the body and placed the body close to the road where it would be found. He returned home to gather his few possessions and move on.