A rush of unpleasant memories from their relationship had resurfaced.

The expression on Van Helsing's face said it all as he stared disappointingly at his flat mate Dracula.

It was only a few months ago that the two had decided to stop the fighting, turn over a new leaf to show the people of the village that the human instinct for violence could be overcome. They then also agreed in good will, to live together and put aside their differences.

Dracula was tired of being hated and Van Helsing was quite tired of hating him. The endless battles, the bloodshed, the amount of times that Van Helsing killed his mortal enemy finally took their toll. Both of them weren't getting any younger and that vampire immortal thing wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Imagine being left out of village parties for eternity.

So one day a truce was drawn and peace reigned throughout the land.

But was that peace about to be tested?

‘What do you think you are doing?’ asked Van Helsing, as he stood at the doorway of the bathroom with hands on hips, demanding an explanation.

Dracula looked up to see the upset expression on his flat mate’s face. He knew he was in trouble. The body lying next to him dripping with blood from the neck did not help his cause either.

‘Well, I’m waiting,’ asked Van Helsing tapping his foot.

Dracula quickly wiped the blood from his mouth.

‘It’s not what you think.’

‘Oh really,’ answered Van Helsing. ‘I supposed that body just happened to accidentally fall onto those salivating fangs of yours?'

‘You know Drac, this reminds me of that first time I found you hunched over a body all those years ago.’

‘Our relationship would have been much better if you were a vegetarian.’

‘No I mean this is only a little sip er... I mean slip up,’ Dracula said apologetically.

‘I’ve gone months now without a sip of human blood, you’ve got to be proud of me,’ he said. ‘I’ve been drinking human blood for centuries, it’s not easy giving up just like that,’ he continued.

‘A little slip up?’ exclaimed Van Helsing. ‘Do you realize who’s blood you have just sucked?’

‘That’s the village Mayor lying there.’

‘Oops,’ answered Dracula looking shocked.

‘He’s not dead if that helps,’ he answered innocently.

‘That’s even worse,’ scolded Van Helsing getting angry at his flat mate’s attitude of this whole situation.

‘So we are going to have the Mayor of this town walk around for years to come not realizing that he is going to live forever.’

‘Not to mention a growing thirst for blood and who do you think he’s going to blame, hmmm?’

‘Hey we can blame that Wolfman guy,’ replied Dracula. ‘I’m sure we can make up some story to take any heat off us.’

Van Helsing walked up to his one-time arch enemy and looked him straight in his bloodshot eyes.

By this stage, Dracula was wondering what Van Helsing was going to do.

In days gone by, the two foes would have been at each-others’ throats by now. The countless battles flashed through his mind as he readied himself for what could possibly be the start of a new war.

He knew he had broken a truce, albeit a little bit as he didn’t completely drain the body of blood and he had towels ready to clean up any mess. Even that in itself was a huge step forward.

Dracula stared back into Van Helsing’s furious eyes.

‘Here we go,’ he thought to himself.

Van Helsing slowly reached his hand out. His fingers poised in a one-handed strangling-like fashion.

In an instant, he gave his blood-sucking fiend a hefty old painful pinch on the fleshy part of his arm.

‘Owww’, screamed Dracula. ‘Why did you do that for?’

Van Helsing pinched him once again for good measure.

‘Stop that,’ cried Dracula. ‘Ok, ok I will try and restrain myself’, he promised while rubbing his throbbing arm.

‘You better keep to that promise,’ Van Helsing warned. ‘The last thing we want is for the village to find out about your little lapse in judgment.

‘You saw what they did with that Frankenstein thing.’

‘They burned him, remember?’

‘Don’t be a fool or they will come after us both.’

‘I don’t want them coming after me because of you.’

‘Who are you calling a fool, professor?’ asked Dracula, feeling slightly hurt.

He then pushed his way passed him and walked towards the wardrobe in the next room.

Van Helsing looked on in puzzlement.

‘And what do you call these?’ asked Dracula, pulling a bag from the wardrobe and tossing it at his flat mate’s feet. The bag splayed open revealing a number of wooden stakes and a mallet.

‘Explain yourself professor.’

‘Oh these?’ said Van Helsing with a nervous chuckle. ‘They‘re family heirlooms.’

Dracula stood with his arms folded, waiting for a better explanation.

He then started picking his fang with a long-nailed finger tip.

‘I see,’ he said sarcastically.

‘Alright, alright,’ said Van Helsing, owning up to the fact that he still didn’t fully trust his new companion.

‘You have to understand that you aren’t the most trustworthy guy in this place.’

‘Being the once Prince of Darkness is not a tag you can quickly shake off overnight you know?

‘Oh how dare you?’ cried Dracula sarcastically. ‘The town will come after us, we had better run,’ he wailed and proceeded to skip around the room flapping his cape. ‘Run, run run,’ he cried.

‘Stop this nonsense,’ yelled Van Helsing. ‘Ok I will throw away these tools if you promise to get rid of this body before anyone realizes that he is missing.’

The dancing around the room finally stopped. The two flat mates then agreed that to keep the peace, both had to take this truce much more seriously. Grabbing the body, they began dragging it through the house when they heard a knock at the back door.

They glanced at each-other with slightly concerned looks in their eyes.

‘Now we’re in trouble,’ said Van Helsing. ‘You stay here while I answer the door, and don’t make a sound,’ he whispered.

There was a further knock at the door but this time much louder.

‘I’m coming,’ sang the professor.

As he opened the door, the light of the full moon hit him in the face, blinding him for an instant.

Into the light stood a figure, half man, half wolf.

‘Excuse me professor but can I join your little truce?’

‘These people are after me and I’m tired of running away and being hated.’

Van Helsing smiled and called out to his flat mate.

‘Oh Drac, I have someone here to see you.’ he sang out.