Nightmare #18

In a chilling twist on the classic vampire tale, Count Orlock flees toward his castle as dawn approaches, pursued by the young man David and his betrothed, Anne—though Anne has been transformed into a vampire against her will. As David and Anne confront Orlock in his crypt, they are forced to choose among four grim, alternate endings, each offering a different way to end the vampire’s reign, with Anne’s fate and loyalty hanging in the balance.

Dr. Westcott arrives at a secluded asylum recommended by the State Department, only to be greeted by the enigmatic Dr. Mann. As a full moon rises, a patient escapes into the forest, prompting a search that reveals the asylum houses more than just the criminally insane—each inmate is a supernatural misfit, and Dr. Mann’s tour exposes a chilling truth about the institution’s true purpose.

The Creep, a man haunted by years of isolation and resentment, lures a visiting couple to his graveyard under the pretense of burying a relative. As he reveals his twisted motives, it becomes clear that his actions are driven by a lifetime of perceived slights and a desperate need for vengeance—though the true nature of his torment remains chillingly ambiguous.

Walter Connally mourns his wife Anne at her grave, haunted by the insurance company’s suspicion after her death at a cliffside. As he stands alone, unseen forces stir beneath the earth—hands reaching from the ground, dragging him down even as another dead thing begins to choke his girlfriend nearby. The story ends with a search plane arriving, but the fate of those still below remains uncertain.

Simon Walker, a man saved from death in the African desert, returns to England with a vulture he claims as his pet—though the bird’s true nature and its role in his life grow increasingly unsettling. As the vulture becomes a part of his household, it begins to act on violent impulses, culminating in the death of Walker’s partner, Harry, leading to a moment of shocking betrayal. The vulture, rejected and hunted, flees across Europe, finding brief refuge with a young boy in France before being captured and displayed in a German zoo—where it is ultimately freed by a mysterious man who claims to be its kindred spirit.

In a small town, elderly newspaper reporter Jack Daniels is celebrated for his 150th birthday, admired for his enduring youth and vitality—though few understand the truth behind his longevity. When FBI agents visit, probing into a series of mysterious attacks, Jack recalls his past as a man who once hunted a vampire, a secret tied to a woman he once protected and loved. As old wounds resurface, the line between hunter and hunted blurs, and the town’s long-held myths begin to unravel.

Alice wakes from a terrifying dream convinced she’s safe—only to realize her mind may not have returned with her. The line between nightmare and reality blurs as the story hints at a deeper horror that takes root in the space left behind when sanity slips away.