Van Helsing and the Ring of Solomon
By Epic Awaken
Universe: Van Helsing Universe, (Original AU).
Time: One year after the events of "Van Helsing," and the final vanquishing of Dracula.
Location: Late-1800's Europe
"I never had a chance to choose this life, dear friend...It chose me."
Van Helsing and the Ring of Solomon
Chapter 1: Shadows of Storms
It was a fearsome night that had descended upon the small town, pounding sheets of rain exploding on the earth in bubbles of black and brown mud. Trenches and puddles carved their way through the thick sludge of the main roads, turning and pulling dying bits of tan-colored vegetation with them. The buildings stood, two stories, some tall and some long, made of wood. Their black sillhouettes could be seen against the faint blue-black of the sky, through the cracks in the clouds. Illuminations of lightning cast the structures in bright gray and white, and the air and earth shook with great thunder.
The streets were desolate, no horses, no cats, no birds, no people. There were not even any flames in the lanterns near the front porches of shops, nor that could be seen in the windows. All light came from the heavenly electricity, produced in great volts during the horrific midnight rain.
Running the length of the village, the main road went out to meet a parting in a dark-brown, wooden fence, then rolled out beyond. Into a small patch of green and yellow grass, the road went, then forward into darkness. There was a thick, clustered tree line at the edge of the field, with branches that twisted up at the sky and stabbed at the heavens like sharp-fanged snakes. The grouping of trees in these woods was dense and black, swallowing up the old trail. It was beyond this blocker, a natural barrier for many ages, that the cemetery stood as a final resting place for the dead. On this night, the rotting bodies would be swelling with water, thus speeding their decay, all except one, of course, who had refused to stay.
A hunchbacked figure, dragging a limp leg behind, appeared from the woods within a sporadic flash of lightning. With each step, the whole body lurched forward, the head reeling back as the foot was thrown ahead once more. It was a rushed, sprinting pace, at least for this creature, and it moved down the road with a singular direction.
Thunder. It crackled again, high-pitched, then low, as bolts of electricity spider-webbed through the air for miles.
It approached the fence. A wheezing of sorts could now be heard, gasping in and gasping out, as the being came nearer. The limp foot drew streaks through the thick mud as the creature passed the first cluster of buildings. With pale green skin and glazed-over eyes of dark blue and white, the being was quite the hideous sight. Its clothing was a white shirt, torn and tattered, as well as brown pants and black shoes that hung in the same fashion. The nose was missing, teeth gone from the upper jaw, its face was wrinkled and worn, a mouth with no lips and tongue that was black. A sudden gasp came through its lungs as the being stopped, and it lifted its head, covered in thin, random spots of straight brown hair.
A hand stood outstretched, attached to a man. He had mid-length blonde hair and a matching goatee. The hand was clothed in black, fingerless, leather gloves. The man himself wore a white, long-sleeved shirt under a black leather vest, black pants, and matching leather boots. A golden cross was held upon his chest along a rawhide string. He also had a belt, which held several things that included wooden steaks, two cloves of garlic, three blue vials, and a silver revolver along the right. Rain pounded his scalp and ran down the sides of his face as he spit out the water from his lower lip, peering at the creature.
"That's far enough," the man spoke, keeping his hand in front, "There be no room in this town for occupants who've already," he swallowed, "...umm...deceased and passed through."
The creature tilted its head, snarling. As it stepped forward, the man took one step back.
"Uh-uh!" he said, reaching for the cross around his neck. He held it up towards the being. "The Lord decrees that you are not allowed to return to the Earth after you've been to the land of the dead." Blinking, he looked to the left side. "W-with a few...minor...exceptions."
A throaty, bellowing growl came from within the beast.
The man held the cross closer.
Snarling, the creature swiped at the man with its crippled right arm.
"R-right, that isn't working," the man said, letting the cross fall back against himself. "Uhh," he began, searching his belt. He removed one of the small, blue vials and held it up. "Ah, here we go. Holy water!" Thunder crackled in the sky above, and the man looked up, twisting his lips. "Wonderful night for this stuff to work," he mumbled, frowning as the heavy rain pounded the sides of the object in his grip.
"NNeeeaaaahhh!" the beast roared, rushing at him.
"Sheesh!" the man said, jumping back. He quickly uncorked the vial and tossed the liquid into the creature's face. It only made the thing come faster. The man's eyes widened. "Oh, hell!" He said, stepping back. His right heel caught a thick patch of mud, and he slipped and fell, landing on his back. "Dammit, the pistol!" he thought, but his hands were not free. As he lay there, the beast swung and bit at him. He caught the being's wrists in his own hands, holding the biting face back with all his might.
As the creature's teeth opened up, he could see the hanging, broken, sharp shards of teeth that remained, he could smell the death and decay in its breath.
A shiny, blue and black object suddenly popped into the beast's open mouth, thrusting it backward. The creature was lifted up as another crack rang out, accompanied by a bright flash of yellow, orange, and white. Its skull exploded, tossing a curved bit of bone to the right, the left side thrusting away a dark-green organ, the brain. Falling back, the body snapped along the ground, twisted limbs curling upward, hands held up, fingers curving in. The limbs reeled back slowly, drifting in to settle on the body. Though it was a cool night, there was no steam from the corpse, no outpouring of mist from the decapitated neck.
"Odd," a voice said, standing in the dark. The figure had a full-rimmed, black hat, matching vest, and dark brown pants and boots, all held beneath a brown, leather trench coat. His hair was brown as well, wavy, and shoulder-length, and he had a matching bit on his face that shown as another bolt of lightning shot by. His expression was hard and stern as he looked down at the creature. A black and blue metal, side-by-side shotgun, with a walnut stock, was held in his grip. The figure's gaze drifted back over to the man on the ground. "Quit fooling around, Carl," he said, tossing the weapon along his back through a leather strap. The figure leaned over and stretched forth his right hand.
"H-... 'Fooling around'? Do you think I do this kind of stuff for fun?" Carl laughed, taking the figure's hand.
With a smile, the figure lifted him from the mud and replied, "Anymore, I'd say so."
Carl stood and attempted to brush himself off. "Yes, well, if I'd have known becoming your full-time field partner would mean spending my nights in the sloppy, cold dirt instead of taking welcome from maidens in their warm and cozy apartments, I might have reconsidered," he smirked.
"Oh come on, Carl," the figure spoke, putting his hands on his hips and turning back to the creature, "Did you really think my life was so 'pleasant'?"
Carl chuckled, "No...though it's not like I have much of a choice. Now that I've seen too much 'evil' firsthand due to my role in your battle with Dracula, the Order feels it is 'God's will' that I remain at your side..." He crossed both arms with a frown. "Guess I know now what it's like to be you, cast out, and 'blessed with a curse.'"
Closing his eyes briefly, the figure smiled. "Oh, it's not all that bad. At least we're fulfilling some good," he whispered, pausing. A vision danced through his mind, of a dark-haired woman, with red lips and a warm smile. Her face was alive in the clouds. "...bringing some light into the world."
Carl approached the right-side of the figure, dipping his head low so that the drops of rain could spill off. "So, is that...another...one of the un-dead?"
"'Un-dead,' 'never-dead,' 'somewhat-dead' ...Whatever you prefer I guess," the figure whispered.
With a nod, Carl went on, "So I guess the reports were right then," he said, motioning to the creature.
The figure nodded as well, "Yes, I'd say that thing there is definitely not human..." He squinted, tilting his head, "...at least not anymore."
"These things have been sighted in reports all throughout the land, even on the outskirts of Rome," Carl uttered.
Gritting his teeth, the figure added, "Yes, and I'm betting now that those accounts are all true too." A smirk spread out across his face. "Which means you and I have quite a crisis on our hands!"
Carl nodded rapidly. "Yes, well," he swallowed, "We know that crosses and holy water won't work."
The figure smiled and nodded as well. "That's right." He motioned to the shotgun. "But we know this thing does."
Carl smiled, then looked to the creature, raising an eyebrow. "Just doesn't make sense that something could be killed by mortal-means, yet...exist in such a... non-mortal way."
Looking back to the beast, the figure agreed. "Well, I'm betting that whatever created this thing...though the end may be mortal...wasn't mortal at all."
"So then, what is it?" Carl asked, looking at the figure.
Staring back, the figure grinned and shook his head. "I don't know...but I know who would. Come along, Carl. We're heading back to the Vatican."
The two men walked past the creature, a few feet down the street, where they rounded the back of a nearby building. From there, they burst forth, back into the night on black and brown horses. They galloped out of the town and disappeared into the storm, their forms fading into the mist as they went over a hill in the nearby field and traveled out of view.
Hope you've enjoyed reading!
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STAY TUNED for Chapter 2: A Grim Prophecy ...COMING SOON!