@storiesbreathed
In the time following Ellen's death, Thomas has devoted himself to the destruction of those awful creatures that took her from him. It's only natural, isn't it? To want to avenge the death of his wife? When he closes his eyes, he can still see her, motionless, bloody underneath that monstrous thing. She gave the ultimate sacrifice to save them all, yet how he selfishly wishes it wasn't so.
He did manage to get his locket back, wrenching it off of Orlok before he crumbed into dust. Thomas keeps it close now as a reminder of what he lost and to keep others from the same fate. It's what brings him to a sleepy, little town in the countryside now. They wrote to him, pleading for him to come help. Livestock has mysteriously gone missing, those found being bloodied and nearly torn to bits. He's seen this before, the undead creatures feasting on animals, but it always eventually escalates. It's his job to stop it before it gets to that point.
He arrived that morning, one of the residents generously letting him stay with them. When the sun sets, he heads out, ready to face whatever he might find head on.
Some of them, he's found, are still in their infancy, so to speak, more human than those who sold their soul ages ago like Orlok. Some were turned against their will, some do it because they fear death. In the end, they die all the same.
As he steps out into the fields, he looks around, thinking he sees movement in the distance followed by the terrified bleating of sheep. Thomas takes a deep breath, preparing himself as he slowly makes his way over to the noise. What he finds there is not what he's expecting.
He would recognize her anywhere, even bloodied and monstrous. "...Ellen?" he chokes out, his heart stuttering in his chest. But how? He helped bury her himself, watch her coffin lower into the earth. If this is her, then that means she's been like this for years... "...Ellen, oh, my love, what happened?"
