History prefers legends to men.
It prefers nobility to brutality.
Soaring speeches to quiet deeds.
History remembers the battle and forgets the blood.
Whatever history remembers of me, if it remembers anything at all...
it shall only be a fraction of the truth.
For whatever else I am, a husband, a lawyer...
a president...
I shall always think of myself as a man who struggled against darkness.
I leave in your trusted hands, my dear friend Henry...
this record that begins when I was just a boy.
Get on down there. Hurry it up!
Please, sir, no. There's been some kind of mistake.
I ain't no slave.
Let them go! Aaron!
Go back inside!
Let them go!
Will!
- Quiet! - He's my friend!
Look away, Abraham.
It's not our place.
Look away.
Abraham!
Thomas, help them!
Leave him alone!
Are you all right?
Did you strike my friend here?
He was beating my son!
Did you strike him, Lincoln?
They're not slaves, and you know it.
I suggest you get back to your work
before you find yourself led away in chains.
Until every man is free, we are all slaves.
Very well, then.
Since you're all so concerned with freedom...
you may consider yourself free from the burden of my employ.
And the debt you've been working off...
I'd like it paid in full with interest.
Now, please.
If you get one more penny from me, Mr. Barts...
it will come with a fist wrapped around it.
All right, Mr. Lincoln.
There are other ways to collect a debt.
No!
What's happening to her, Father?
Please help her! Please, I beg of you.
You've got to do something, Father.
Easy, child.
Look away, Abraham.
I've never seen anything like this.
Strange.
You promise me.
Let's step outside.
I'm sorry, I don't know what ails her.
Abraham.
Come and lie next to me.
I've been writing, Mama.
"Days are swift as an Indian arrow...
"flying like a shooting star.
"The present day is here...
"and then slides away in haste...
"that we can never say is ours...
"but only say...
"is passed."
Mother?
Mama once told me that I hadn't cried when I was born.
That I'd simply opened my eyes...
Iooked at her smiling face... and smiled back.
My light was gone.
- I don't know how he did it... - Abraham...
you promise me...
You promise me you won't go and do anything foolish.
Nine years later, my father joined her in death.
No longer bound by my promise...
I tried to fortify the nerve to pursue my vengeance.
Haven't you had enough?
A boy only gets this drunk when he wants to kiss a girl...
or kill a man.
Adam, let me explain.
Last one, Barts.
I'm not coming up here to clean up your messes anymore.
Yes, sir. I promise.
Every so often, I think about what it would be like to be in the South.
So, where's Henry?
Yes, sir. We've been looking all over, sir.
Searching high and low.
Low is more likely.
Just find him, Barts.
Oh, and send a fresh crop south.
We have a lot of mouths to feed.
Yes, sir.
"Yes, sir, no, sir. High, sir, low, sir."
For my mother.
That was unlucky.
Might have put me out of my misery.
Where the hell are you running to?
Don't much like chasing chickens.
Little boy, all grown up.
Come to avenge his dear momma.
There are two kinds of men, Mr. Lincoln.
Those that have the guts to pull the trigger...
and those who do not.
Powder, patch, ball.
Don't mess it up.
You weren't asleep that night.
Were you?
Oh! You dropped the ball, Mr. Lincoln.
Your mama's blood was sickening sweet.
I hope yours tastes better!
Might I suggest that we begin by...
closing the door?
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I didn't see anything!
Should we dive right in?
Or are you finding Gabrielle's egress too distracting?
I'm sorry, sir, but who are you?
Who I am is Henry Sturges.
And where you are is my home.
And what happened...
I saved your life...
during your rather pathetic attempt at taking another's.
What were you doing there, and...
how did you know I would try to kill Barts?
How?
I watched this boy carry out his first long-awaited mission.
Drunk, might I add.
And I think, "You have wasted your time watching this one, Henry.
"He's not a promising recruit.
"He is just a selfish boy with his heart set on vengeance."
And I realized, "This boy is a goddamned idiot!"
"I doubt he even knew his target was a vampire."
A vampire?
Yes. Immortal, blood-sucking demons.
Fortunately for you, Mr. Lincoln...
hunting them is something of a hobby.
But vampires are just myths.
Myths don't beat you senseless
after you've put a bullet in their brain.
Thank you.
No, Mr. Lincoln, vampires are real.
They exist in every city and every state...
in the Union.
If what you say is true, you could help me kill him.
I could pay you to kill him!
My services are not for sale.
And the word you are looking for is "destroy."
It is quite a feat to kill that which is already dead.
But you don't understand.
My mother was murdered.
And if I teach you how to murder her murderer...
so what?
How will that honor her memory?
How will that benefit the next boy whose mother is taken?
If vengeance is all you seek...
seek it elsewhere.
Teach me to fight as you do. Please, I'll do anything you say.
You promise to cast aside all notions of vengeance...
and commit to the life of a hunter?
You will have no friends...
no family.
I told him what he wanted to hear...
but all I cared about was killing the monster that took my mother.
I'm in.
Scottish Highland pistol.
And if one barrel isn't enough...
seven should do you.
The blunderbuss.
And if you lose your ball...
you can always stuff your pocket watch down the end of it.
So, Abe...
which one takes your fancy?
Actually, I haven't had the best of luck with shooting irons.
But...
I was a rail splitter.
I would like you to chop this tree down with a single swing.
That tree?
It's got to be more than a foot across. That's impossible.
But it isn't a tree.
It's what you hate most in the world.
So, tell me, Mr. Lincoln...
what do you hate?
I hate Jack Barts.
Then strike him down.
Well, clearly you don't hate him that much.
Tell me what you hate.
I hate that my mother was taken away.
Inadequate.
I hate that we were afraid.
And?
That my mother and father, everyone that we knew...
lived in fear.
Pathetic.
I hate that I was too small.
- Too weak. - Yes.
- And that you failed... - Yes!
...to protect her. - Yes!
And that you let her die.
Power, Lincoln...
real power...
comes not from hate, but from truth.
Before you protect others from darkness...
you must first be able to protect yourself.
Your enemies have the power to render themselves invisible.
You must have the ability to fight blind.
To see, without seeing.
Again.
In the weeks that followed...
Henry endeavored to impart a lifetime of vampire-hunting secrets.
Their ability to adapt to sunlight.
Their power to render themselves invisible.
But most of all, he taught me how to destroy them.
When Judas betrayed Jesus...
his reward was 30 pieces of silver.
At that moment, those pieces became a symbol of betraying God.
Of evil.
And silver became a curse...
upon the cursed.
You will never see a vampire with silver on his person.
Nor see them reflected in mirrors.
The one thing God placed beyond the reach of a vampire.
The one thing he can never possess.
Barts...
And the only thing that renders him powerless.
Henry, Jack Barts!
I give you the targets. That was our deal.
This is not only about Jack Barts.
Vadoma, a ruthless enforcer.
And her brother.
I've seen him before.
I saw him with Jack Barts.
They call him Adam.
He, from whom all others are made.
Vampires have been in the New World for centuries.
Slaughtering native tribes and early settlers.
But when the Europeans arrived with their slaves...
the dead saw a sinister opportunity.
They built an empire in the South.
But, in recent years, they pressed north...
leaving death in their wake.
It falls to us, Abraham...
the hunters, to keep the balance.
To ensure that this remains a nation of men...
and not monsters.
What we do, we do not for one man...
but for the good of all mankind.
Henry sent me off into the world with a reminder.
No attachments. No distractions.
No friends or family.
Besides, who could I trust?
Anyone in this well-mannered city might very well be one of them.
Son of a bitch!
I ever see you here again, I will have your balls as a coin purse!
Good afternoon, sir. Joshua Speed at your service.
Abraham... Uh, Lincoln.
I need a bit of help.
All right.
Well, a friend in need, is a friend of Speed.
What can I get for you?
I don't suppose you know of any rooms for rent, Mr. Speed?
What sort of room are you looking for, Mr. Lincoln?
Well, a cheap one...
as I have spent all of my money on law books
and have none to spare at the moment.
Now, as you say you have none, am I to take your meaning as "cheap"...
or "free of charge"?
Well, on credit.
I don't think you'll find such a room in Springfield.
People here are strangely accustomed to being compensated.
Good day.
There is one room, Mr. Lincoln.
I was recently forced to part ways with a thieving prick of an associate...
and am, therefore, in need of a replacement.
There's a room upstairs.
It isn't much, but I suppose it could be had on credit...
if the tenant were willing to work here in return.
Dear Henry...
life in Springfield is less than desirous.
Fear not.
My pittance of a salary doesn't allow me to deviate from your rules...
No friends, no family.
And certainly, no woman would find me, and my existence, enticing.
Excuse me.
Excuse me, I'll be needing these.
Just one second, ma'am.
Well, you needn't call me ma'am, as if I'm some haggard spinster...
I'm sorry, ma'am.
Madam... I mean, miss.
I'm Abraham... Uh, Lincoln.
Mary Todd.
Darling.
There you are.
You mustn't flit from store to store so quickly.
Well, perhaps if you didn't stop to jaw with every gentleman in Springfield...
I could say the same for you.
Stephen Douglas. How do you do?
Abraham... Lincoln.
Are you a voting man, Mr. Lincoln?
I...
How do you feel about keeping slavery out of Illinois?
I'm running for the legislature.
I'm sure he'd love to hear your campaign speech...
but Mr. Lincoln was just about to attend to my list.
We were talking, dear.
Slavery, it's a complicated issue.
I couldn't disagree with you more, Mr. Douglas.
Mr. Douglas, Miss Todd.
You have met my new associate, Abraham.
A letter came for you.
Dear Abe.
Your prescription awaits you at the local pharmacy.
Ask for Aaron Stibel, Junior.
Mr. Lincoln?
I'm so sorry.
Good day of work, Abraham.
Thank you.
But don't forget...
always have a contingency plan.
Aaron Stibel Junior?
Yes?
That's it. Oh, that's tight.
Don't worry. It will only hurt for a second or two.
Did you eat today?
I had killed a monster.
And I would kill again.
But no amount of death could make me forget.
Merciful Christ, Lincoln, what happened to your face?
Don't worry, I'll still be able to work.
Work?
To hell with work.
We got invited to a ball.
It could be your chance to save Mary Todd from a life of boredom.
This suit makes me look ridiculous.
Nonsense.
But that hat makes you look ridiculous. Come on.
Come on, come on. Look, there she is.
Mr. Douglas, Joshua Speed.
Pleasure to see you. Mary, you look lovely.
He's still missing.
Who's that?
Aaron Stibel.
Junior or Senior?
Junior.
- Who is that man? - I don't know.
Mr. Douglas, you know Senator Nolan, of course.
Oh, yes, Stephen. Good to see you.
Have you heard this news?
Oh, yes, we're looking into it.
Rest assured, this kind of lawlessness...
won't stand in the noble state of Illinois.
It's called a dance.
If we were meant to sit alone, they would've called it something else.
Yes, I suppose they would have.
Come, Mr. Lincoln.
You'll ruin the upholstery if you sit there any longer.
I'm sure you're a very nice man, Mr. Lincoln...
but you're a...
A shopkeeper, in a borrowed suit.
No, it's not a matter of means. Really, no.
I came to Springfield looking for someone different.
Someone whose life was a bit more adventurous, and well...
My apologies, I'm never this...
Honest?
Rude.
Miss Todd, may I speak candidly?
I, too, came here to better myself.
That's why I've taken an interest in the law...
and why, if I may be so bold, I have taken an interest in you.
And as for the adventure that you seek...
I suspect that few men could ever hope to provide that for you.
Least of all your fianc�, Stephen Douglas.
Mr. Lincoln, you are full of surprises.
Miss Todd, you have no idea.
Dear Abraham.
I've made a deposit at the local bank.
Be careful, it can quickly disappear.
Henry, there are more than I ever thought possible.
Pharmacists, innkeepers, pastors.
It's more than a man can bear.
Well, I see I'm such interesting company.
I'm sorry.
I've been working nights.
Really? Is that true?
Do you really want to know the truth, Mary?
Each and every night...
I go out...
hunting vampires.
Well, how do you hunt these vampires?
With an axe.
A special silver axe, of course.
Of course.
And how many would you reckon you've killed?
Five. No... six.
I have killed six vampires.
My goodness!
Abe!
Here I thought you were an honest man. Really!
Well, I had a wonderful day, Abe.
As did I, Mary.
Miss Todd, you are a woman of ravishing resourcefulness.
Mr. Lincoln, you have no idea.
You will have no friends, no family.
I, uh... should be going. It's late.
How could I bring her into this world?
A world of demons, of danger.
Good night, then, Lincoln.
Good night, Mary.
Happy hunting.
If I truly cared for her...
the kindest thing I could do...
was walk away.
This hunter is another of Henry's disciples?
They say he's a madman.
I can't wait to meet him.
A stock boy, reading a law book.
What? You studying to be a lawyer?
As a matter of fact, I am.
All right, what about a little test?
What's the law for free slaves in the North?
According to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793...
enforcing Article four, section two, of the United States Constitution...
"All runaway slaves must be returned to their owners."
However, personal liberty laws state that...
"Anyone who is born free...
"cannot be taken under this act."
I heard a good woman once say...
"Until all men are free...
"we're all slaves."
Will?
Will Johnson!
How did you...?
I was back home...
and heard you moved here.
Studying to be a lawyer.
That's good. I'm in need of a good lawyer.
What, are you in some kind of trouble?
I was freeing slaves down South on the railroad...
hoping to find my brother down there.
Some bounty hunters got after me.
Said I was a runaway.
I need a writ, Abe...
saying I was born free.
You know, Will...
Come on.
Hey.
Speed, this is Will Johnson.
Will Johnson, my oldest friend in the world.
The store isn't going to run itself, Abe.
I'll have him back as soon as possible, Mr. Speed.
I promise.
You're getting tall, Abe.
Look like you still don't eat much, either.
You still afraid of the dark, too?
Not so much anymore.
That's him, Abe.
That's the guy that's been chasing me.
Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen...
I'm sure we can work this out.
Now I suggest you walk away, son.
No, sir, I suggest you do.
I've sent word to Senator Nolan.
He'll have you out soon.
You're far too kind, Miss Todd.
And he's far too ugly to have a woman like you.
I think common-Iooking people are the best in the world.
That's why the Lord makes so many of them.
I just thank God he was there.
But I won't always be there.
Mary...
what if something was going on, something terrible...
and you knew that there was no way on earth that one man could stop it?
What would you do?
Well...
I wouldn't back away from what's right just because it's hard.
My father used to say, "Plant your feet and stand firm.
"The only question is where to put your feet."
We may fail in this fight.
We may only shatter the tranquil veil of oppression...
but we must not be deterred!
For ours is a just and noble cause.
The cause of freedom.
The very cause upon which our founding fathers built...
this great nation!
A voice like that is too strong to be stuck keeping shop.
I'm actually studying to be a lawyer.
Ah! Well, Mr. Lincoln, maybe it's time you thought about politics.
I can connect you with the right people.
Thank you, Senator Nolan.
- A pleasure young man. - The same.
You're on your way, Mr. Lincoln.
I sent you to Springfield to hunt vampires...
not to chase votes.
Lesson one, always have a contingency plan.
If vampire hunting doesn't pan out...
I need a career to fall back on.
I'm being serious.
So am I, Henry.
I have done everything you've asked of me.
Every letter, every name...
but never the letter I wait for, and never the name I want most.
When do I get to kill Jack Barts?
Barts knows about Mary.
It's time.
Abraham...
Be careful.
Abraham-fucking-Linc...
Oh! Missed again!
I hope you're better with an axe than you were with a gun.
Come on, Lincoln!
Catch me before I get to Mary.
Catch me if you can, boy!
There's thousands of us here.
He won't stop until this whole country is ours.
And they be coming for you now.
Ask your friend, Henry.
You shut your mouth, you stupid whore.
Give me what I need, or I'll knock your teeth out.
You lying son of a bitch.
God damn it!
No, Abe, stop!
You weren't ready to know.
What, that you are a vampire?
You are not the only one...
who has lost everything to vampires.
Just because the carriage stops...
doesn't mean we have to.
Get in the carriage.
Take this.
Run. Just run.
Henry!
Her soul was pure.
But yours, Henry...
It's one of God's little tricks.
Vampires cannot kill their own kind.
Only the living can kill the dead.
Welcome to the family.
You can't save the world, and the ones you love, Lincoln.
You need to make a choice.
I'm sorry...
but goodbye.
Abe!
Mary!
What on earth are you doing?
Come on in.
- What are you hiding? - Nothing.
Abe?
It's nothing.
Abe, I know when you're lying.
What are you hiding from me?
All right.
I didn't want to tell you this way. This is not the way that I planned it.
But if you really must know...
Mary Todd...
will you make me the happiest of men?
And do you, Abraham...
promise to love her, comfort her...
be honorable and honest with her in all things...
in sickness and health...
till death do you part?
I do.
Then by the power vested in me by almighty God...
in the great state of Illinois...
I now pronounce you...
man and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
Your mother would be so proud.
Thank you, Will.
I'm happy you could be here.
You're the only family I have.
Except for this one.
Congratulations.
May I introduce Mr. Henry Sturges.
My wife, Mary.
And my dear friend, Will Johnson.
Heavens, Mr. Sturges, you're as chilly as the winter wind.
Henry, please.
I'm afraid that's a hazard of carrying one's own bottle.
Well, you know what they say, "Cold hands, warm heart."
Yes, but I highly doubt that.
Mr. Sturges is a business associate.
Yes, I thought we could talk a little business.
Oh, of course.
If you'll excuse me.
What the hell are you doing here?
Be cautious, Abraham.
One forgets how easily we can lose the most precious things.
They don't even know who I am.
Go upriver.
Invite this Mr. Lincoln to join us at the plantation.
We're going to throw a ball in his honor.
What makes you think he'll accept?
I think we can find a way to tempt him.
It's a good book. It's good.
Get him!
Abe.
We've got a problem.
They took Will.
What are you going to do?
I'm going to accept his invitation.