The Plague of the Zombies

Sir James Forbes arrives with his daughter Sylvia to aid the ailing village. They are welcomed by locals, and Sylvia immediately proves useful by stopping a group of fox hunters from killing a fox. This marks the official start of their investigation into the plague.

During a town funeral, the pallbearers lose control of the casket and drop it over the side of a bridge. The lid slides off, revealing the corpse of John Martinus and shocking the crowd. The incident intensifies fear and hints at a malevolent force behind the deaths.

Sir James and Peter attempt to learn more by disinterring recently buried corpses, only to discover the coffins are empty. The empty graves suggest desecration or something supernatural is removing bodies. The mystery deepens as suspicion and panic spread through the village.

Sylvia is harassed by fox hunters as she moves through the woods and is forced to seek refuge in Squire Clive Hamilton's manor. The squire steps in to chastise the hunters, shielding her from further abuse. As she departs, she encounters a grey-skinned man near an abandoned tin mine headframe and watches as he hurls Alice's lifeless body to the ground.

The next morning, Sylvia leads Sir James and Peter to the location and they locate Alice's corpse. The autopsy reveals no signs of rigor mortis and blood on her face is of animal origin. A bandaged slash on her wrist is noted, adding to the puzzling details surrounding her death.

Police arrest Tom Martinus, brother of the deceased, suspecting him of killing Alice. Tom denies involvement and claims he saw his brother walking near the mine. The autopsy confirms the absence of rigor mortis and animal-origin blood, forcing investigators to consider supernatural or occult explanations.

That evening, Hamilton visits Sylvia and shatters a wine glass, causing her to cut her finger. He secretly pockets a vial of Sylvia's blood, setting up a hidden capability to influence or control her through occult means.

The day after Alice's funeral, Sylvia's fainting prompts further scrutiny, and Sir James and Peter learn that Hamilton lived in Haiti and practiced Haitian voodoo and black magic. They realize he intends to use the occult to manipulate and harm the villagers, linking the plague to supernatural forces.

Using the blood he has collected, Hamilton begins to lure Sylvia into the dark woods with an army of walking zombies. She is led to the abandoned tin mine for a sinister ceremony that would transform her into one of the undead. The revelation shows how the squire plans to imprison the living as tin mine labor.

Peter follows Sylvia to the mine while Sir James searches Hamilton's house and finds small figures in coffins used for voodoo rituals. A struggle with a henchman ignites a fire in the room, forcing the servant to reveal information. Sir James barely escapes the inferno and seizes the chance to move against Hamilton.

Using the distraction caused by the burning zombies, James and Peter rescue Sylvia from the mine and flee as the flames engulf the building. The chaos provides a window for their escape, while Hamilton and his zombies meet a grisly demise. The plague appears to end as the immediate threat is neutralized.

With Hamilton's schemes thwarted and the undead threat defeated, the village begins to recover from the mysterious illness. The alliance between Sir James, Peter, and Sylvia endures as they reflect on the supernatural forces behind the tragedies. The mine is abandoned and the town steels itself for whatever may come next.