A/N: A late release for this almost-finished story, as several chapters have already been placed on my site.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing, just it's characters.

Sender Unknown

Seras sat upon her couch drinking a cup of steaming coffee, the rain drizzling down upon the tired window panes of her small apartment. She sighed deeply as she looked to the police uniform hanging upon the door to her bedroom, the cloth wrinkled from the latest practical joke.

Seras had gone to the police station and had quickly been called to the chief's office, which she thought had been strange since her shift had started after his time. However, she had shrugged off her doubts and entered the office, only to be doused with a bucket of water from overhead. To make matters worse, the bucket had landed squarely upon her head, causing a large bump to develop.

Tentatively she touched the top of her head, wincing at the pain as she came into contact with the egg. She did not look forward to washing her hair tomorrow morning.

Sighing again, Seras noticed her cup was empty and stood from the couch, her long t-shirt sliding up almost past her hips. She scowled and roughly pulled the cloth down, wondering why she wore such a skimpy outfit.

"It's not like I have anyone to show it off to" she mumbled to herself as she wandered over to her small kitchen.

Other than the rain, the night was eerily quiet as she walked to the coffee maker, the lights of her apartment her only comfort. She blinked sleepily at the late hour, but was determined to get some practice in for her new shift. She had recently been assigned to the night shift, a position she hadn't wanted but one she couldn't argue against. As the new recruit on the force, she was stuck with whatever meager post she could grab.

And now, because of her reputation from the academy somewhat as a kitten, Seras had spent her first night drenched by the local practical jokers. The member in charge had at least taken pity upon her and allowed her early leave, but she still was forced to go through five miserable hours in her wet suit.

Fortunately her duties had been easy as very little activity had taken place on such a dreary night. She had taken a few calls from annoyed citizens and had typed out paperwork which no one else was willing to fill out.

However, Seras' night had taken a turn toward a more interesting path with a phone call at the end of her shift. She had answered with the usual greeting and question, but instead of receiving a complaint she herself had been given a query.

"When will you be off?"

Seras shivered at the remembrance of the phone call as she poured herself more coffee. The voice had been ice cold and the words had chilled her through the bone. She had held the phone at arms length in surprise, her mind trying to find a way to cope with the person on the line. Unfortunately, her superior had picked a poor time to come up to her and announce she could leave early.

With a horrified expression Seras had quickly placed her ear against the received and had heard only the sound of a dead line. The person on the other end had hung up.

Now here Seras was, alone in her apartment on such a poor night with the mysterious call still lingering in her thoughts. Telling her superior about the call had produced a limited reaction from him, as he probably thought she was playing her own joke. However, he had been kind enough to attempt to trace the call, but caller had not been on the line long enough to specify the number. He had shrugged her worries off and had shoved her out the door of the police station, telling her he hardly believed anyone would wish to stalk the new kitten.

"Who indeed" Seras sighed as she stopped before the full length mirror which hung upon the far living room wall.

Seras shook her head at her disheveled hair and worn shirt, the picture not pleasing at all to her eyes. She hardly doubted anyone would find such a sight attractive, regardless of her well-endowed chest. The caller was merely teasing her with their stupid prank.

The young woman shuffled her way back to the couch and the storm seemed to grow more intense with each passing minute, causing her to become more nervous. Even with her officer's advice, she still could not shake the unsettling feeling something was coming. Suddenly lightning lit up the sky, casting light into the apartment as a loud knock was heard upon her door.

Seras jumped back in surprise and dropped her mug upon the carpet, but managed to muffle the shriek which threatened to break loose from her lips. She cursed herself and she stepped over the growing stain upon the floor and walked to the door, wondering who could be out at this hour of the night.

She had one idea, but she brushed the earlier phone call aside as paranoia. However, she was taking no chances.

"Who is it?" she called, waiting for a reply.

"Delivery, ma'am" a cheerful voice called back, breaking the mood of the night.

"Okay, one moment" she answered as she unlocked the latch of her door.

Cautiously Seras cracked open the portal, wondering if at any moment some psychotic man would come barreling into her apartment. To her utter relief she found an innocent-looking boy on the other side, his tired smiling face looking back at her own. He worse a simple uniform of black material while his hair was long and cut straight at about the neck. She would have sworn he was a girl but for the voice she had heard and the strange piercing eyes he held.

"A package for you, miss" he said, holding out a small box in his hands.

"At this time of night?" she asked as she opened the door wide, her arms reaching out to take the package.

"Special delivery" the boy answered, holding out a clipboard with a pen attached. "Please sign here."

"Oh, right" Seras said as she held the box in one hand and took the pen in the other. Hurriedly she scribbled her name upon the paper and returned the pen. "Thanks" she spoke as she handed the board back, but her hand slipped upon the sharp edge of the metal at the top. "Ouch" she muttered as a drop of blood fell from her finger onto the paper.

"Thank you" the mailman spoke with a smile as he tipped the plain hat he wore and began to walk down the hall, apparently ignoring the small accident.

Seras watched him walk and then turned her eyes down upon the package, her orbs looking about for a return name. Unfortunately she searched in vain as no name and address but her own was upon the package. She looked up to ask the boy who could have sent the box, but he had strangely disappeared from the long hallway. With a confused expression she stepped out and looked further down the passage, but there was no sign of the delivery boy.

Shrugging her shoulders, Seras stepped back into her room and quickly closed the door, locking the deadbolt once more. With curiosity, and ignoring the stain upon her carpet, she walked over to the couch and sat down upon the furniture. With a few quick tears the packaging was gone and she had the box open.

Tipping the container, Seras was surprised when a simple black book slid out and dropped into her lap. With a quizzical look upon her face, she set the empty box down and placed a hand upon the hardcover of the book. The binding was made from some sort of yellow while there appeared to be no title on the front. Tipping the cover open, she was disappointed to find empty page after empty page.

Seras shook her head in puzzlement and placed the book upon her coffee table while her eyes wandered over to the stain. She sighed and stood, wondering when the night would end so she could get some sleep. When she looked to the clock fixed upon her kitchen wall as she was grabbing some towels and found the time to be a little past midnight.

"Close enough" she muttered to herself as she returned to the living room and cleaned up the mess.

Seras finished her chore and dumped the dirty towels into her hamper, telling herself she needed to do laundry tomorrow as she was out of clean underwear. Stretching and yawning, she began to turn off all the lights in the apartment for bedtime. She gave the strange gift a passing glance as she shut off the table lamp beside the couch, the blank cover staring unimpressively back. Perhaps tomorrow she would be able to find the sender, maybe an apology from one of her coworkers for the prank.

Seras slid eagerly into her bed and gently laid her head upon the plush pillow, her eyes closing to await slumber. To her relief sleep quickly took her into the land of dreams and she drifted off into her own worlds.

However, tonight would be a new world altogether.

As she felt herself enter sleep, Seras suddenly found herself standing within a meadow surrounded by a dark forest. She blinked and looked around, wondering how she could have dreamed of such a place. The trees around her were foreboding as a strange wind blew around where she stood, rustling her thin night shirt. She hugged her arms around herself as an owl screeched in the distance while a pale full moon shone high above.

Seras was even aware she was dreaming, but try as she might she could not awaken from the strange apparition. With a shrug of her shoulders she decided to enjoy what her imagination had created for her delight. She took a step forward, but before she could move further she suddenly heard the crying of a small child. With a confused and worried expression she looked about for the source, finally pinpointing the sound not far into the trees.

Sprinting over to the tree line, Seras peered desperately into the thick foliage. Finally she spotted a dark spot huddled beneath a bush, the form quivering and giving off several whimpers of fear.

"Hello?" she called, slowing moving into the dense undergrowth. "Are you all right?" she asked, getting a response as the person's head shot up at the sound of her voice.

"Who's there?" the child asked as they stood to their feet, their voice revealing their gender as a small boy. "Mama?"

"Um, no" Seras replied as she stopped within a few short feet of the young one. She could barely discern the child's dark hair within the shadows of the night, and all other prominent features were blurry in her sight. "I'm a friend" she revealed, kneeling down to be face to face with the small child. "My name is Seras. What's yours?"

For a moment the boy hesitated, but the fear of the woods obviously overcame his fear of the young woman. He quickly jumped into Seras' arms, bursting into tears of relief as he buried his head into her shoulder.

"Please help me!" he pleaded, clutching tightly as she wrapped her arms around his quivering form. "I got lost from my dad, and I can't find my way home."

"Sure, I'll help you" she softly answered as she stood to her feet with the boy in her arms. He seemed so small and fragile. "Where do you live?"

"My father's castle should be somewhere around here, but I can't find it" he vaguely explained, giving little help to their search.

"Well, we'll just have to find it then, won't we?" Seras replied, brushing away the foliage with one hand as they emerged into the meadow. "This is as good a spot as any to start." She looked to the child in her arm. "Can you tell me which way your dad's castle might be?"

"North" the boy hesitantly replied, pointing in the said direction.

"All right, we'll try that way then" she announced in a cheerful voice, setting her steps into the dark forest.

Seras couldn't believe how real her dream had become as she trudged along with the child in her arms. Even his weight grew heavy and the dankness of the forest bothered her nose as they made their journey past the old trees. She could smell the boy, his sweet scent of aged smoke burnt onto his clothing, and feel his hair brush against her skin.

Suddenly the boy made a cry of glee as he pushed out of her arms and began running into the woods.

"Wait!" Seras cried, rushing after him as he quickly disappeared into the darkness.

As his footsteps faded into the distance she slowed down her eyes peering about in nervous fear as the dream took on more the appearance of a nightmare. She hugged her arms around herself against the cold night air and nervously glanced at the dark, foreboding trees and shook at the strange sounds coming from the shadows.

Suddenly Seras heard a strange chuckle, one which froze her blood cold. She turned her head this way and that but could not discern the direction of the owner. Then a cold hand was placed upon her shoulder, one with a vice-like grip which forced her to turn around and confront the person. The young woman gasped as she met ruby red eyes staring into her own through the darkness. Long white fangs gleamed within a pale face as a strange expression, one mixed with both fondness and cruelty, passed over their lips.

Before she could struggle the person moved forward as if to strike, their sharp teeth aiming toward her neck.

Seras awoke in a cold sweat as she clutched at her neck, her other hand shaking upon the bed sheets. She looked wildly around but could find no evidence of the terrifying forest nor of the strange person within the shadows. Then did the young woman breath a sigh of relief and fall back upon her pillow, wondering what the dream had been.

Hopefully she would not have another as she felt drowsiness sneak up on her calmed mind, allowing her some uninterrupted sleep before day held sway.

She certainly had never had one so vivid, nor one so terrifying, in her entire life.