Phantom Blood - Chapter 21
Summary
The chapter opens with a brief summary of the town of Windknight's Lot, revealing that Dio has taken refuge in a mansion there; he has managed to recover from most of his burn wounds at this time by feeding on the life force of the unfortunate women of the town. As he gives a woman's corpse to Jack the Ripper, now a loyal servant, Dio explains his position at the top of the food chain and his plans to eventually rule all of humanity. As Wang Chan walks in with the scar Jonathan made on his face, Dio's attention turns to the scar and its cause.
Elsewhere, Jonathan, Zeppeli, and Speedwagon are taking a horse drawn-carriage to Windknight's Lot. Based on street knowledge from Speedwagon, the trio had concluded that Dio is currently residing in the town. Zeppeli laments that even though he let Wang Chan escape so they could learn Dio's whereabouts, Dio now most likely knows of Ripple and its use. Zeppeli then asks Speedwagon for a corkscrew to open his bottle of wine.
The carriage enters the tunnel entrance to Windknight's Lot. Jonathan wonders about Erina, whom he had left behind so as not to get her involved, without even saying goodbye; he vows to return to her. The carriage is suddenly stopped partway through the tunnel. Speedwagon, puzzled by this, goes out to ask the driver why they had stopped. Despite Jonathan's warnings about the lack of protective sunlight in the tunnel, Speedwagon steps out of the carriage to check on the driver. He quickly discovers that the horses have been decapitated and the driver killed, his corpse topped with one of the horses' heads. The man has several knives sticking out of his back.
Something moves inside the neck of one of the horses, and Zeppeli warns Speedwagon and Jonathan to step back. Jack the Ripper uses a knife to cut himself out of the horse's body, through its neck. Jonathan and Speedwagon stare in horror, as it seems that Jack had somehow managed to do this while the wagon was moving. Zeppeli, unfazed, pokes a clean hole in the bottom of his wine bottle with his finger. As he reminds the other two to stand back, deciding to fight the zombie by himself, Jack the Ripper jumps out of the horse's corpse.
