▁the ▁v amp ires ▁are ▁in active , ▁Ne ville ▁drives ▁around ▁to ▁search ▁them ▁out ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁kill ▁them ▁with ▁wooden ▁st akes ▁( since ▁they ▁seem ▁imper vious ▁to ▁his ▁guns ' ▁bul lets ) ▁and ▁to ▁sc aven ge ▁for ▁supplies . ▁Ne ville ' s ▁past ▁is ▁occasionally ▁revealed ▁through ▁flash back s ; ▁the ▁disease ▁claimed ▁his ▁daughter , ▁whose ▁body ▁the ▁government ▁forced ▁him ▁to ▁burn , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁his ▁wife , ▁whose ▁body ▁he ▁secret ly ▁buried ▁but ▁then ▁had ▁to ▁kill ▁after ▁she ▁rose ▁from ▁the ▁dead ▁as ▁a ▁v amp ire . ▁▁ ▁After ▁b outs ▁of ▁de pression ▁and ▁alco hol ism , ▁Ne ville ▁finally ▁determ ines ▁there ▁must ▁be ▁some ▁scientific ▁reasons ▁behind ▁the ▁v amp ires ' ▁orig ins , ▁behav iors , ▁and ▁a versions , ▁so ▁he ▁sets ▁out ▁to ▁investigate . ▁He ▁obtain s ▁books ▁and ▁other ▁research ▁materials ▁from ▁a ▁library ▁and ▁through ▁grad ual ▁research ▁disco vers ▁the ▁root ▁of ▁the ▁disease ▁is ▁probably ▁a ▁Bac ill us ▁stra in ▁of ▁b acter ia ▁capable ▁of ▁inf ect ing ▁both ▁dece ased ▁and ▁living ▁hosts . ▁His ▁experiments ▁with ▁micro scop es ▁also ▁reve al ▁that ▁the ▁b acter ia ▁are ▁dead ly ▁sensitive ▁to ▁gar lic ▁and ▁sun light . ▁One ▁day , ▁a ▁st ray , ▁injured ▁dog ▁finds ▁its ▁way ▁to ▁his ▁street , ▁filling ▁Ne ville ▁with ▁amaz ed ▁joy . ▁Des perate ▁for ▁company , ▁Ne ville ▁pain