"Der Krieg geht zu Ende heute Nacht. I feel breath coming from the shadows...walls of stone almost alive."
Silently those words slipped from Major's lips curled up in delight.
The leader of the damned forces sat alone in his leather chair. Surrounded by flames - the flames of war he longed to watch for such a long time. Awful heat made the air humid while the cracking noises from the fire filled the room with smoke and sizzling debris. Still he noticed it - or at least he knew what was coming.
Ready and waiting for his own death the small stubby man sat patiently.
Within an instant the executioner appeared. So close, yet so silent, one would think he wasn't there at all.
Alucard sat on the chair's arm-rest, facing away from the leader, glaring into the darkness of the room. The German did not move - no, not even one of his muscles twitched in reaction to the sudden appearance.
His hearing sharpened as the vampire started to speak. "My Master has left the battlefield. She wanted me to finish you. It's sad that vengeance does not appeal to her as much as it does to me." A few seconds passed. "Crushing you like a sluggish insect is so easy...too easy," he said. Not much emotion shown on the Nosferatu's face. In actual fact his expression looked as if he was having to organize thoughts.
"You've got your orders, soldier." Major smirked. Those spoken words sounded like he would have wanted to put them into a song. Another charming death threnody about the ways of war.
"Indeed I have," the vampire replied. Bursting into laughter, the undead woke up from his thoughts. "Even in your precious war destiny goes its way, but you go mine. Your game is over, my pathetic lunatic. But mine has just begun."
Again the blond mortal closed his eyes, filled with ultimate pleasure. "What makes you think that my plan has ended yet," he opened his eyes, "Everything..." He stopped when he noticed the demon was gone. Slender fingers reached around his chubby face from behind his back. Little dents formed in his skin around the cold fingertips as they carefully analyzed the pretty, artificial surface of their opponent.
"I can feel your bitter heart pumping oil into your veins. So hot and pulsing, yet calm. You must have fed yourself from my coldness all those years. As it grew you must have simultaneously gotten fatter." Rubbing his head cheek to cheek, the devil chanted those words in a very serious way. It reminded both of a situation happening 55 years ago. Their first meeting in the depth of Warsaw's hell.
A calculated laughing was the reaction Alucard got.
"Hmmm, ja, all your doings had influenced my actions and thoughts. In the same way mine had yours. But now you have all the power in your hands. Do you have your own heart, assuming there is one, on a leash? Or will you burst out into a nostalgic flash that may hold you back?" Not a single clear emotion besides joy was given to Alucard in this moment. "Do you fulfill your order?"
Chuckling, the monster moved his head; catlike, rubbing his pale skin on the artificial cells once more. "Oh yes! I will let you know what it's like in hell, so you know what it's like to scream for salvation, my dear mortal."
As a midian, Alucard had killed many people, taken so many mortal and immortal lives. Yet he found somebody worth his time, yes worthy of his attention. No sign of fear shown on this man's face. Oh what a riddle, what a lovely chance to have a real challenge - once in a century! His mind was clouded with joy as he opened up his spirit to those sources of mental pleasure once more.
Slowly standing upright from his looming position, the immortal removed his skinny fingers from Major's face. Yet they slid along the flesh for some seconds as they disappeared.
Inhuman speed made the grotesque figure appear in front of the chair now; a gun pointing directly into the face of its enemy.
Without hesitation it placed two warning shots right beside the commandant's head. Huge holes appeared in the leather and made the chairs stuffing seep out like pop corn, spilling tiny bits of puffy Styrofoam all over the white suit. But still no reaction on the madman's face. Carefree in his usual devil-may-care attitude, he just sat there legs crossed, as if he was waiting for a soon served meal.
The Nazi shook his head. "Do you think a man that waited for his own death for 55 years can be scared away that easily? Bitte..." One could hear the satisfied whistling within the phrase.
"Don't you worry," he lowered his gun in a gesture of resignation, "I have a few tricks left to draw you out of your shell." As the phantom he was, Alucard let his shadows appear; shaped like spears, sharpened on the edges, ready to impale their target. "It's difficult not to surrender to me. You shouldn't put up a fight."
The spears raced towards Major so fast no human could react or flee. Considering the fact that the monster just wanted to enforce a reaction this bluff was a very dull one.
"I am not even putting up a fight." The razor-sharp points stopped an inch before they reached their aim. The gluttonous yellow eyes did not even try to look at the pointing needles. Their only point of attention was far behind. "Nein mein Lieber, my fate is put into your hands, and all you do is try to harm my flesh, my physical appearance, just to sate your lust for a reaction from me. It seems like you are not succeeding. Or maybe you are..."
Damage done to the flesh, no use.
Damage done to the heart, impossible.
Damage done to the mind, out of reach.
Damage done to one's life - as his final act.
The little warmonger's words implied what the undead slave tried to hide. He loved a person that was able to fight him. Even if it was not physical. Still, the black beast was the one to surrender; or at least he was the one who needed time to figure out how to break through the defenses of this monstrous human mind and its kilometers of iron walls protecting it.
A challenge of centuries. Rewarding endlessly.
Understood - yes, Alucard understood that he was an open book now. The shades disappeared completely. Looking perfectly human he walked closer to the chair again.
Red eyes met golden. For the rest of this night they should not loose each other, resting in this glare forever.
The monster had one last attempt to provoke the reactions he longed to see. The worst was yet to come.
"Your grin shows superiority, presumption, and a spark of arrogance that only success gives you. Irresistible." The demon leaned down, grabbing the round head again, pressing its plump cheeks together while Major was still grinning, so sure of himself. "I should enslave you like the maggot you are."
Walking infection. From under those gloved hands little bugs crawled out as the seal began to glow bright red. Thousands of tiny feet walked along the human's cheeks. He felt them move, like tiny pinches of soft needles. They scuttled around with no clear direction, moving quickly down to Major's collar, to the back of his neck and some of them even climbed onto his glasses, letting the commandant watch their black bodies in such detail that he could count all their little chitinous legs.
Their number increased, it was multiplied by hundred. Fast they moved down the white fabric. The bugs reached Major's legs and lap.
They started to eat the bits of Styrofoam first, then nibbling on the suit's outside. Tiny holes were shown first. Munching through the twine they finally reached the skin underneath. Their tongs equipped with tiny teeth ripped the skin open, consuming the coating made of silicone. Little bumps formed under the skin as they started moving in, searching their way back up to the heart and head of their victim. Feeding themselves faster on the mechanical flesh they dug tunnels, cut many wires on their way and their movements looked like a happy dance.
Expectations let the monster's eyes widen. This technique was his favorite along with the dogs. But metal trash was no good dog food. This little marionette of wires should get treated differently.
The golden eyes looked tired, cramped - but still focused. No disgust entered this face. No sign of revulsion. Any other living being would have drawn back in fear and pain. But even this horror was wasted on this stubborn maniac.
The midian smiled as he realized that even his last and best psychological weapon was ineffective here. There only remained one thing to do. But this was even better. He should take this life now; it was too late to save it. Or just in time?
"I will turn your silver into gold now. Making you silent, but screaming." Alucard really made the blatherer be silent, making him ask himself if this game would continue till the dessert was served on his own funeral feast.
Grabbing Major's head now in a crushing grip Alucard whispered:
"Welcome home - embrace your hell."
Placing his thumbs on the Major's forehead, the Nosferatu tightened his grip. Elated Major closed his tired eyes. Slowly the skin started to curl up until it parted beneath the vampires thumbs and ripped open. Reflexively Major's fingers gripped the leather of his chair, forcing it to curl as his flesh did. Like a doctor, silent, patient, and practiced, the vampire parted the artificial layers of skin.
A glass skull was under the skin. It still looked human. It just had lost it's pink tone and turned into a pale grey color. Breaking the glass was easy, but the immortal didn't want to harm the precious brain underneath - the only thing worthy of consuming. Like a huge grey walnut in thick, slimy water, the brain lay in front of the cannibal. Slowly his fingers slid into the space between the glass shell and the soft delectable prize within.
His hands were covered in fluid as he removed the brain and cut the wires under it. They were formed like a human's spinal marrow. This part was the connection between humanity and artificiality. Thick and blue they looked. Just the vampire was not interested in technique enough to care about it. Blood ran from the wires which Alucard had cut. In this very moment, all life sustaining process appeared to shut down. Major's cramped fingers loosened their grip.
The machine's body looked rusted from the blood; still, sitting there silently with closed eyes. Without a moment of thought he devoured the brain. Stretching his jawbones twice the size of any human, the devil consumed it with one bite. Nothing was harmed - nothing was broken. A complete meal.
The man smiled. "And I ate it all without potatoes and Sauerkraut." His manical laughter filled the air as the fires continued to burn.
Now Alucard kept one more soul inside of himself. One more being to play with. But this one was special. The only one he would go search for from time to time, just to play. To figure out how else he could have ended this; which other way could have been to be more satisfying - his hideaway for his own warmongering dreams.
"And once again, our goal will be one and the same."