Harrisburg, The Carpathian Mountains, Romania

[The view out the window is of a small, but growing mountain town, sheltered by the shadow of the huge castle that sits on the cliff. It is, I am assured by the small purple skinned butler, the Count's favorite room simply for this view. The count himself has altered his appearance since the war. Where once he kept himself looking young, with long black hair flowing past his shoulders, dressed in an elegant Victorian suit, he now has allowed his age to show. He keeps his silver hair tied back in a ponytail, and his close cropped beard gives him a wise, dignified appearance.]

When you get to be my age, it is difficult to be taken by surprise. Indeed, it is difficult to reach my age if you are easily taken by surprise. Even before I became a Vampire. But no one, no matter who, or what they are, saw this coming. There were no prophecies, no visions, nothing. This is nearly unheard of in a world where you can hardly sneeze without some psychic or seer knowing it would happen a century before you were born.

When the general population of the world starting talking about Zombies, those of us “in the know” scoffed and laughed. Anyone with any sense knows what a Zombie is. A freshly dead person is preserved and given life to carry out the tasks assigned by the mage. They do not attack people unless specifically ordered to. And I've yet to hear of any magician or Witch, no matter how depraved, order their Zombies to eat the living. Perhaps the most horrific thing about all this is, that not only was it unforeseen, but that no one has yet discovered how it happened.

It is amusing to think, that the population with no knowledge, and little belief in the supernatural was better prepared, and able to accept the plague as a reality, than the rest of us. They had no preconceived notions about the matter save that it shouldn't be possible.

When word of what was really happening got out, how did the Supernatural Community respond?

It depended on the species, but mostly there was rejoicing. Finally the stain of humanity would be wiped off the face of the Earth, and the Demons could reclaim their homeland. Make no mistake before the War, for untold millenia Vampires and Demons, most of them despised humans. I was not one of them you understand. But all this was before we realized that the walking dead were not only eating humans. Not only mortal creatures were at risk. But any living thing, save plants were being devoured by these creatures. Human, animal, and Demon alike faced extinction.

It is a blessing that Demons and Slayers and other super powered beings who were infected did not retain their abilities upon reanimation. Once they became a Living Dead they were as slow, and as stupid and as weak as any walking corpse. Save that some had weight and reach advantages.

Suddenly, the entire population of the world, Mortal and Supernatural alike were in the same boat. We all faced extinction. Except for Vampires. We alone were safe from the Ghouls. Since we were not among the living, they ignored us.

How did that go over?

Almost immediately there was a spike in the Vampire population. When humans learned that they would be safe from the Zombies by becoming a Vampire, they were begging to be turned. But then almost as quickly there was a sudden drop in our population. Vampires became hunted by those who believed that as the only things not being attacked, that we were somehow to blame. Others were killed in the crossfire. When you're fighting a swarm of shambling corpses, a Vampire can be hard to pick out of the crowd. This was the Supernatural “Great Panic”.

And much to my occasional regret, it was our traditional enemies who put a stop to it.

The Slayers.

The Slayers. Or in point of fact, the Slayer. Buffy Summers. I hated her. Hell hath no fury like a Vampire scorned. [He smiles wryly.] Her and her allies, those that managed to survive the panic began their own version of the Reddeker Plan. It is they who made Scotland a refuge. They who gathered Demons and Witches together to create safe zones around the world. And it was her who convinced most, that Vampires needed to be their allies in the struggle.

I imagine the fact that she had had two Vampire lovers in the past, played no small part in her crusade. Vampires had already begun gathering humans to them in an attempt at mutual survival. We quickly realized that our food source was being wiped out. But not all were ready to adopt an attitude of cooperation. Many Vampires simply captured humans and imprisoned them. Some ruled over their refugee camps like feudal lords. They and their Demonic minions treated the humans like so much cattle. They did not last long.

Why was that?

Because it was the cooperation between those like myself and the Demons, and the Humans that kept our safe zones from being overrun. Without it, Vampires would run through their food source too quickly. A starving Vampire became little more than a Zombie himself and had to be put down accordingly. Or the humans would revolt, and that never ended well. Anyone who was unable to get past their prejudices more often than not would find themselves on the wrong end of a stake or blade. Or ravenous moaning jaws.

No the only way we were going to survive, any of us, was to develop a symbiotic relationship. There were no shortage of Humans willing to donate a bit of their blood to the cause in exchange for protection. Vampires acted as scouts, shock troops. We worked together with Demons who a year before would have as soon ripped out our hearts as look at us.

It was not easy for any of us. Not even the Slayer. Least of all for her. She was still disgusted with humans who willingly gave their blood. Despite her past relationships, she still found us repellent. And as a leader she took the loss of so many of her friends and allies hard. She would never admit it, but it showed in her actions and decisions.

It was my...friend, for whom this town is named who had to put her down when she was finally a single step too slow.