Even before Athos reaches the top of the stair, other vampires are emerging, surely warmed by the commotion in the basement. Athos fires his pistol at the first one, felling it – he may not be the shot Aramis is, but the distance isn’t far, and he has been learning to use these modern guns – and then throws his knife into a second. “Porthos!” he shouts, for there are more vampires still. He prays that Aramis is doing well enough on his own.