Dracula's Bride

As Selena crept back to her house, she began to feel that something was very wrong. She frowned, trying to pinpoint what could be causing her feeling of unease, when she heard a faint roaring from somewhere behind her. She spun around, recognizing the noise for what it was before she saw it. Fire.
George's house was blazing with fire. Selena could see George running towards it, shouting for his family to wake up. Without stopping to think about it, she turned and ran towards George. People were now emerging, calling for buckets of water to be drawn, shouting for everyone to stay a safe distance from the flames unless they were trying to put them out.
She stopped in front of the house, a safe enough distance back that the flames weren't too hot, and stared in shock. What had started the fire? George disappeared inside, braving the danger to save his family. Her eyes widened in terror when she realized the fire was spreading. The houses on either side of it were now starting to burn. By the time people realized it, it was too late. Three houses were now engulfed in flames, and still the fire roared on.
"We need more water!" a man shouted. "Put out those flames before the whole town is lost!" But no matter how much water they threw on the fire, it raged on, stronger than before.
"Selena!" She heard her mother calling her name and turned around.
"I'm here, Mother!" She ran to meet her mother, hugging her tightly.
"What's happened? How did this start?"
"I don't know! I... I woke up because I could hear George yelling, so I came running outside to see what was wrong." She didn't like lying to her mother, but she couldn't possibly tell her the truth. "Where's Catherine? Is she all right?"
"Yes, she's fine. Quickly, get back to the house. See if you can salvage anything before the fire spreads to it."
"Do you think it'll get that bad?" she asked, her voice rising in fear. Her mother's look was the only answer she needed. She raced back to the house, throwing clothes and food into bags as quickly as she could. She was just about to run outside again when she heard screams coming from out there. Not the desperate screams of those trying to put out the fires, but the fearful screams of those witnessing something terrifying.
"What else could have happened?" she whispered to herself.
Mustering up her courage, she stepped outside to see the town in an even worse panic. At first, she wasn't sure why. But then she saw it. A shadow, darker than the night itself, was descending upon the townspeople. It moved swiftly, and everyone it touched fell down dead after a few moments of agonizing terror. Selena's heart slammed against her chest with fear as she wondered what it was.
"Selena!" she heard. She turned to see Catherine rushing towards her, looking terrified. "What is that thing?" she asked, nearly hysterical. "It took Johnny!" She sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "We were running to fetch more water for the fire, and it swooped down and snatched him from my hand. Johnny's dead." She sobbed harder, her whole body shaking with her cries.
"Catherine, we have to get out of here!" Selena said. "We have to get everyone that's still alive and flee. Maybe we'll stand a chance if we group together and stay alert, but while everyone is distracted by the flames, we won't survive! I'll go and get George and--" She cut off, suddenly remembering that George had gone into his blazing house, and she had not seen him come back out. "George," she gasped, running once again towards his house. Catherin ran behind her, putting aside her woes to try and help.
The scene at the fire was even worse. Dead bodies littered the ground here and there, and the fire had spread even further. Among the dead was George's family, covered in ash, their hair and clothes singed. George was on his knees beside them, tear stains making a path through the soot on his face.
"George," Selena said softly, dropping down beside him.
"Please leave me," he said, not looking up from his family. "I'm irrational right now, and I don't want to say something harsh to you that I'll regret later. Let me be alone with my grief."
Selena nodded and stood up, walking the few feet back to Catherine. She looked at all of the scared, confused faces, and froze when she realized one was missing. Her mother was gone.
"Mother?" she called, desperately listening for an answer.
The answer she received was not what she had been hoping for. Near the woods, she heard her mother scream. She ran towards the sound, praying that her mother would be fine, but dread filled her body as she ran. When she reached the woods, she looked around, still calling for her mother. Finally, she heard a soft moan of pain nearby. She found her mother lying on the ground, covered in dirt and blood. Her eyes opened weakly and she uttered one feeble word before she died: "Run."
Selena was taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself, when she heard more screams. The townspeople. She got up and started to run again, but she tripped over her long skirts and fell down. For a moment, she didn't have the energy to get back up. Her mother was dead. Her town was on fire. A monster was attacking and murdering everyone. And they had no one to turn to for help.
"Selena!" she heard Catherine scream. That got her up, got her moving. Catherine needed her. Catherine was still alive. She sprinted towards Catherine, her heart racing, hoping she wouldn't be too late to help Catherine.
"Catherine!" she called back. She lifted her skirts a bit so she could run faster without tripping over them. When she finally made it about five feet from Catherine, she stopped in her tracks, panting. "No," she whispered. Catherine was breathing shakily, obviously terrified, because the shadow thing was wrapped around her shoulders and neck. As Selena watched, she could see the shadow moving, tightening around Catherine's neck. She lurched forward to try and do something, but she was too late. The thing snapped Catherine's neck, and she fell dead to the ground. Selena started screaming, unable to silence herself, and fell to her knees.
"Selena," she heard from behind her. She whipped around to see George standing there, blessedly alive. "Selena, we have to move. Now. Before he--" But George cut off, staring at something behind her.
Slowly, fearfully, Selena stood up and turned around. When she saw only Vlad, she relaxed a bit. "Vlad," she said softly. Something about him made her stumble backwards a few steps. It was like all the shadows around him were drawing into him, giving him a dark, eerie glow.
"George," Vlad said, his voice a low growl. "Your services are finished. You are of no more use to me."
"What's going on?" Selena asked, retreating back to George's side. George looked at her sadly before opening his mouth. In the light cast from the fires, Selena saw two sharp, elongated incisors. She gasped and flinched away from him. "Monster!" she screamed. "Did you do this?"
"No," he answered. "He did." He pointed to Vlad, who had silently moved closer while Selena wasn't paying attention to him.
"I am Count Dracula, lord over all the vampires. And you, Selena, are to be my new queen." He smiled, his teeth glinting like fangs, and then he placed his hand on her forehead, causing her to black-out. The last thing she heard was Dracula speaking to George. "Come, boy. Serve me in Transylvania and you will not be destroyed."
"I serve you, my lord," George answered.