As the doors of the collection cabinet slowly swing open on squeeking hinges, the thunder of the spring storm echoes through the sighing trees. With trembling fingers I take out the ancient publication of "The Tomb Of Dracula" #4 from its resting place, blow off the cobwebs and dust, and remove it from the protective plastic bag. The scrawled text is briefly visible as the lightning flashes through the wind-blown drapes, revealing the date it was written: the fourth month of the Year of Our Lord nineteen-hundred and eighty. The stories in it were created at a time when the memory of vampires was still terrifyingly fresh in the minds of men, and not relegated to the bedtime stories told to frighten children. Cast your gaze, if you dare, on the painting of the cover below, and feel the terror anew...
(Click on images to enlarge.)
From this issue I present the entire story titled "Death Vow." In its pages we learn that the price of evil's promises are far too costly; yet the grace of God can still triumph in the end.
It is sad, but true, that there will always be others who fall for the temporary and deceptive "solutions" offered in times of weakness by the powers of darkness... let us hope that none of my readers are among that number.
