~Bite of Blindness~ Minyadagniriel
Chapter 1: Boarding
"About three more feet, hun…there you go," Robyn encouraged her friend as she carefully stepped across the docks. "Just need to board the liner now."
"Are the tickets in your pocket?" Cele asked.
Robyn dug through her coat, searching each pocket and quickly yanked out two paper boarding passes. "Got em, this cruise is just what we need, especially you."
"Robyn…" Cele let her head hang.
"What's wrong?"
"How am I going to enjoy a cruise when I can't see anything?"
Robyn touched her friend's shoulder, "You don't have to see to enjoy everything. When we port off the coast of the Florida Keys, the first thing we'll do is go swimming with the dolphins. You won't need to see them as they'll be coming up to you."
"I've always wanted to try that," Cele smiled.
Robyn peeked over the crowd of people and the cruise liner staff was accepting passports and tickets to board. She grabbed hold of Cele's arm and helped guide her to the front as she qualified for disability, so the two of them would receive an escort to their cabin.
"Tickets and passports please," a young man asked.
Robyn promptly provided the gentleman with both of their identification and tickets. "We will also be needing an escort to our room, I believe we already have arrangements made."
He looked over their ids, "Ah yes…" and briefly looked at his clipboard searching for their names, "Here we are, Miss Robyn Starkwood and Miss Cele Johnston. I'll see to it you are both escorted safely to your room."
"We appreciate it," Cele responded politely.
As the two girls were boarded, they were each given a summer bag filled with small cruise liner gifts.
Back on the docks, several rows back in the waiting crowds stood a tall figure wearing a charming ensemble made up of a black tuxedo with a champagne colored vest underneath and matching tie over a white dress shirt. His black hair fell smoothly across his upper back and eyes were hidden behind a stylish pair of black sunglasses.
He waited patiently for his turn to board the ship, silently glancing at the chattering group of tourists. They all looked so innocent but…he was here for a purpose, not including the usual cruise activities. Two women ahead of him had finished presenting their documents to the staff and he followed up with his.
The staff member welcomed him and allowed him to board.
As he wandered through the decks, he nodded occasionally to other passengers before finding his stateroom. Everything was clean and neat, a first class room indeed and his one piece of checked luggage was already waiting for him in the second part of his room. A large black trunk tagged with his false name, 'James R. Calhoun lay at the foot of the queen sized bed. He popped open the latches and flipped the lid up. He picked up several pieces of clothing, followed by an extra pair of shoes. As he removed a few more items, multiple packets of medical blood, the bottom of the trunk was reached and he tapped at the false bottom. It rose slightly and he tugged it out. Underneath were several cases of bullets and his pride and joy, two handguns that resembled revolvers; only they were specifically designed for killing the undead. Casull and Jackal were their names.
"Remember your orders, Alucard…seek and destroy."
Those words sprang into his head as he removed both weapons and loaded each one. His reason for being on the ship to begin with was the number of cruise liners being attacked by the same enemy. However, the reports of the attacks have been kept confidential as to avoid a public panic, save for the victim's families and they were compensated for their losses to keep quiet. All documents and reports were sent to the Hellsing organization for review.
Integra Hellsing had received a tip as to what ship would be hit next and decided to send in her best offense, Alucard. The mission would be tricky, but he was the only one who could accomplish the task without causing a ruckus.
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"Come on, please?"
"No…Robyn, I really don't think it's a good idea."
"It's just a small drink. I promise I won't shove another one down your throat for the rest of the cruise."
"Well, alright. Just one."
Cele's hand wandered to the glass resting in front of her, careful not to knock it over. She lifted it to her lips and sipped from it, "Taste's like apples."
"I know, isn't it good?" Robyn gleefully responded and laughed, "Sure you don't want another?"
"Um…maybe another one will be okay."
Six shots later…
"Um…. Robyn, 'hic'…."
"Yeah…what ish it, Cele?"
"I thi-nk, I thi…I'ma throw up…"
"Les go back…to ours room now…hmm?"
Robyn stumbled out of the booth and helped Cele get to her feet. They wandered and bumped throughout the ship, every now and again one or the other would take a bit of a fall. What was worse, the ship had been away from port for almost three hours and the waves were getting stronger. Oceanic ones were some of the worst and poor Cele couldn't keep the contents of her stomach in check and she practically dragged Robyn to the side where she could expel them.
"Uh…Cele, you okay?" Robyn rubbed along her friend's back.
Cele pushed her hair out of her face and looked at Robyn, "Maybe getting drunk the fir…first…night wasn't such a good idea."
"I'm beginning to a…agree…" Robyn felt the oncoming of a headache and she repositioned Cele's arm over her shoulders and they both walked slowly back to the cabin.
Nine pm…
Alucard wandered throughout the ship, keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior. These vampires whom he was seeking were keeping a low profile. Sometimes, even for the great Alucard, vampires were difficult to pick out among several hundred humans.
He passed by a few young women who in turn smiled at him and quietly giggled amongst themselves. He produced a debonair smile and the ladies swooned. He always had that affect on women…it was how he received fresh blood on occasion. Of course the women would never remember what happened to them after he finished his 'withdrawal'.
On the other end of the ship, after a very long nap for each, seven hours to be exact, Robyn and Cele were relaxing in the small living area of their cabin.
"Don't ever let me drink like that again…" Cele said. She was running a comb through her hair, along with her fingers to smooth out her long brown locks. Her hair was so curly that she just couldn't get a regular brush through it. She was still proud of her hair though, for what she's been told, it matched her mocha colored skin well. Her blind eyes were very normal looking, a simple dark brown and gave no indication of her disability. In fact she was very pretty nonetheless.
Robyn on the other hand, had red hair, blue eyes and pale skin, her Irish traits stood out so well.
"This tangle just won't…argh…" Cele fussed with a knot in her hair.
"Here, let me try." Robyn took the comb from Cele and worked on the snarl. "Your hair is so damn thick girl!"
"Ah…yeah…you've known that since we were young, remember? You tried to put micro mini braids in my hair and it turned out to be a huge frizz fest?"
Robyn chuckled, "I'd almost forgotten." She managed to get the tangle out and handed the comb back. "I was trying to make you look pretty."
"It was a disaster, took days to get all those braids out." Cele shook a fist at her friend jokingly.
"Well I promise I won't try that again. Anyways, it's almost nine thirty and tomorrow we should reach the Keys. I'm still buzzed…maybe we should try to catch some winks."
"I'm not tired…after that long ass nap, I'm completely awake."
"Well then you stay up, I'm going to try and get some more rest."
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Midnight…
Majority of the passengers and crew had gone to sleep; Alucard seemed to be the only person awake. He leaned over the rail on the back of the ship, glancing up at the perfect night sky. Stars littered the darkness, a celestial wonder.
"It's only a matter of time now," he said aloud.
As if someone heard him and granted his wish, he heard a loud scuffle nearby. Quickly he rushed around to the side of the ship and found a woman being attacked by what looked like…a ghoul. Finally! A sign of the enemy!
It was already too late for the girl and she had been inflicted with multiple wounds. Alucard removed his trusted revolver from his inner jacket and shot. The ghoul, once a gentleman fell to the ground in pieces. The woman was suffering, gasping for air…her hands clutched at her throat in attempt to stop the bleeding. Alucard closed the distance between them, "I can grant you peace woman."
Tears drizzled down her face as she peered up at this stranger and she let her eyes droop closed. Alucard pointed Casull at her and fired a round into her skull. She was silenced and free from pain.
The sound of the gunshots attracted more ghouls and they began growing in numbers. These vampires worked quickly. Alucard was almost completely surrounded. It was amazing he thought, the chance to do battle once again. He pulled Jackal from underneath his tuxedo and pointed both guns into the crowd of undead and shot many rounds, each landing within a brain or heart. The ghouls fell one by one. Alucard grinned, another game he'd just won.
Eventually a large amount of screaming could be heard from within the cabins, people were pushing and pulling, trying to get away from the incoming undead. Several were caught and killed in their beds; ghouls tore at the living, eating their flesh and bone.
Alucard raced throughout the deck, shooting any unsuspecting ghoul and occasionally coming across a suffering human, which he quickly dispersed to allow them passage to the great gates. The ship was enormous; he would have to work fast to get through every cabin and stateroom.
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Robyn was awakened abruptly by Cele's scream. She tumbled off of the couch, tangled in a blanket. "What is it Cele?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"I heard several gunshots, I think the ship's been hijacked!" Cele cried.
"What?"
"I'm not kidding!"
Robyn yanked the blanket off her legs and got up to go open the cabin door.
"What are you doing Robyn? Don't go out there!" Cele begged, she could hear her friend turning the doorknob to their room.
Robyn peeked out into the hall, at first she saw nothing, but then she noticed a person down at the other end of the hallway. He was slouched over and limping towards her. The person then lifted his head and Robyn saw the most grotesque looking face she'd ever seen. Half of his jaw was missing and his eyes were hanging out of their sockets. It was too gruesome to look at. The man noticed her and started running towards her. Robyn screamed and slammed the door closed, locking it.
"What is it? What was out there?" Cele dug for as much information as she could.
Robyn couldn't even describe it, "I think it was…a dead person…it was hideous."
"A dead person? Oh come on Robyn…"
"I'm not jesting! It was all mutilated and gross!"
"It has to be someone playing a prank or something."
As Cele continued to talk, a loud pound could be heard from the other side of the door and both girls jumped and squeaked. The person on the other side was clawing and scratching, trying to get in.
"You see! It's that thing again!" Robyn shouted and she reached for Cele's arm and yanked her to her feet. She dragged her to the back bedroom and locked the door behind them. Whatever it was, it broke through the front door of the cabin and was scouring around the living area. Robyn pulled Cele to the back of the bedroom and they curled up behind the bed, trying to conceal themselves.
The creature pried at the bedroom door, he was able to smell the girls. Cele began to cry, it was much worse for her because she could not see their attacker. Robyn separated herself from Cele only for a moment to pry a piece of wood from the bedpost; it would have to do if the thing managed to get through the door.
Pieces of wood splintered and separated from the door, it was only moments until it would find them. Suddenly the door collapsed and in came the monster, it spotted them! It's mangled face scared Robyn and her fear was sinking into Cele. Robyn held the wooden stick out in front of her, attempting to protect her friend. She needed to push her fear aside, for Cele's sake. The beast's disgusting tongue slithered around its top jaw and had nowhere to rest so it hung down in the sir. Robyn wanted to puke, but she held fast and jammed the stick into its eye. The creature screeched in agony and yanked the stick out, along with its eyeball, which hung from the wood now.
"Oh fuck…" Robyn said, her stomach flipping. She had no other weapons…there was nothing she could do, but she grabbed hold of Cele and tried her best to protect her by shielding her body from the monster.
Just when they thought all hope was lost, the girls heard a gunshot and then a nasty splattering noise. Robyn turned towards the doorway, a tall man dressed in black stood where the monster once did. She looked at the corpse on the ground as it dissipated.
"W…who are you?" Robyn asked. The gentleman in the doorway only glanced at her.
"Is the monster dead Robyn?" Cele asked, not knowing the outcome.
Robyn ignored her friend, "Please, tell me who you are…" she demanded the man.
She waited for a response. He was just standing there, staring.
"Robyn, I'm frightened…who is it!"
"My name is Alucard, ladies. If you want to survive this cruise, I highly recommend that you follow me." As he spoke, the lights in the room immediately shut off and Robyn gasped.
"Looks like they got to the power," Alucard said and chuckled.
"Who are 'they'?" she asked.
"'They' are known as vampires," he stated.
"Vampires don't exist…" Cele butted in.
Alucard let out a loud chuckle, "Then you're in for quite a surprise my dear. Now come…" He turned his back towards them and returned to the living area. He peered out into the halls, nothing but darkness. He gazed behind once again to see if the girls were coming, they were huddled together, but still just behind him, "Follow me."
They did as they were told and followed him.
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Two am…
He led them all the way to the other end of the ship, to his stateroom. They would be safe in there until he could find the vampires responsible for halting the cruise.
Robyn guided Cele over to a couch and she settled down, shaking horribly.
"Robyn, what's going on," she sniffed.
Trying to stay calm, though failing miserably, "I'm not sure…"
"Who is this guy with us?"
"I couldn't tell you…"
"What does he look like?"
Robyn couldn't really see their savior, "Um, well he has black hair and is dressed in a black tuxedo." She knew Cele wouldn't know what black looked like, but she tried her best. "His face is pale and he wears sunglasses."
Cele sighed.
"I'm sorry Cele…"
As they spoke in almost whispers, Alucard returned from the back bedroom of his stateroom carrying what looked like a small pouch and he settled on the couch next to Cele. "I'm afraid I don't have any food available that will suit your tastes ladies." He tore the top of the bag and took a sip of its contents.
Robyn looked at Alucard, having to squint slightly at the pouch he held, "Then what is that? Looks like a juice bag…"
"Ah, curious?" he offered her the tiny bag, "Try it…you may like it…" He laughed inside, what would she think?
Robyn took the bag from him and turned it over revealing the words 'Medical Blood' and she froze.
His laughter could be heard from a mile away.
"What is it? What's so funny?" Cele's hands were running up and down her arms as she tried to calm herself.
"It…it's…blood…oh that's gross…" Robyn thrust the bag back into his hand and squeamishly slithered away from him.
Alucard grinned and pour the remaining blood down his throat before pulling another from inside his coat. He quickly finished it. "You girls are lucky…"
"Hm?" Cele looked towards him, eager to figure him out. "Why?"
"You're the remaining humans on the ship, smart not to leave your cabins when gunshots are heard. Most people are curious when something happens and they wander out to see what the commotion is. That is why the saying 'Curiosity killed the cat' exists."
"What happened to the other passengers? The crew?" Robyn asked, a worried expression appeared on her face.
"They're either ghouls or just plain dead. The ship has come to a stop. I discovered the captain's corpse about a half hour before I found you two. Looks like our vampire friends want to make it impossible for anyone to escape alive. The power is out and any communication equipment has already been destroyed, so…looks like we are stuck here until a plane flies over and discovers us or we locate a satellite phone on board. I can't even contact my master."
"Wait… wait…. wait…back up please, vampires are doing this? Why?"
"Because, dear Robyn, they have nothing better to do…"
"What! They're doing this for sport?"
"Yup, and I've been sent here to put them out of their 'heh' misery…" Alucard stood up and removed his coat, letting it drape over the back of the couch. "If my calculations are correct, I've already killed about eighty percent of the ghouls on board, the others are scattered about, but I'll find them and pump them full of silver."
"You take too much pride in all this mister…" Cele interrupted, "I almost feel sorry for you…"
"Is that any way to talk to your rescuer blind girl? I could be nice and toss you out there with the remaining undead."
He leaned in towards Cele and taunted her.
Robyn watched her friend slink away towards the end of the couch, she wanted to smack Alucard, "Leave her alone…"
"Think you can stop me girl?" he said to Robyn. He let his tongue slide across his lips and he continued to crawl across the couch towards Cele.
Just as he came upon Cele, Robyn instantly pulled her best friend off the couch and they both tumbled to the floor. Cele scrambled to get her bearings and tried to feel her way along the floor to find the nearest chair or other place to hide behind.
Alucard was highly amused, wanting to see how far he could push these girls; he got down onto his knees and grabbed Robyn's hand. He tugged her beneath him and forced both of her wrists up over her head.
"What're you doing? Are you insane!" she shouted.
"What's going on? Robyn is he hurting you!" Cele screamed.
Alucard grinned; she was right where he wanted her. Robyn struggled against him but he had a very tight grip on her wrists. Her cheeks were heating up from the contact; one of his knees was between her legs pushing against her most sensitive skin. He could feel the large amount of heat she emanated from her core and he laughed, "Even during times of war, I still got it…" he joked.
"Get off!" she shouted trying to force him away.
"Why? I'm enjoying this…and I believe you are too, judging from the massive heat you're producing."
Robyn managed to wrench free one of her hands and she slapped him across the face. For a moment he felt a small stinging sensation but shook it off and caught her hand again, placing it with her other. He lowered his face to hers, letting the sunglasses slide off his face. They fell over the bridge of his nose, revealing bright red eyes to her. Robyn gasped, he wasn't lying…first the blood packet…the strength…and now the red eyes. He truly was one who walked the night and she managed to piss him off.
Alucard loved this game and wanted to show her that she needed to learn her place as a temporary donor…yes donor. He finished off his blood packets a moment ago and there was no master around to stop him from doing as he pleased.
His eyes wandered to the top of her blouse, it would be a cinch to remove. He materialized a third and fourth arm from his chest, one to cover her mouth and keep her from screaming while the other…
His fourth arm wandered to the top of her blouse and he tore it all the way down to her breasts. Robyn screamed against his palm, trying to beg him to stop. She truly believed he was going to rape her.
Cele heard Robyn's cry and she tried feeling around the floor, hoping she could find something to hit this guy with. The moment she found something, Alucard managed to materialize another arm and he pushed Cele back, holding her by the throat against a wall. Now that she was taken car of, he resumed his work on the other girl. He let his tongue slide out of his mouth and focused all of his attention on her heaving chest. She was completely exposed and her skin flushed a dull red. He began by letting his tongue drag along her throat and eventually let it wander down to her shoulders, tasting every inch of her.
Robyn let tears flow freely down her cheeks; she knew she couldn't win this.
Alucard traced down her collar and into the dip between her breasts, leaving a saliva trail in its wake. She was so fresh and feisty…he could barely stand it.
Cele struggled against the extra appendage and tried calling out to Robyn; she received no response. Then she decided to yell at Alucard, "How can you do something like this while dead people are roaming freely on the ship!"
He ignored the blind girl and continued teasing his victim. He sunk his face lower on Robyn until he was face to face with her bare breasts, "You have nice assets girl, very…very…nice."
Robyn squeezed her eyes shut as she felt that wet muscle of his run over her left nipple and swirl around it, sending tiny signals to her pelvis. He spent an ample amount of time on her and suddenly came to a stop and released her hands. Alucard got up, "Next time, I won't be so generous." He disappeared into the back bedroom once again.
Robyn lay on the floor still; shirt spread apart, extreme confusion upon her features. Cele had also been released and she crawled over to her friend, "Oh my god, are you alright, what did that monster do to you?"
The redhead sat up and grasped hold of Cele in a gentle embrace, "I don't want to say…it's not something any woman should ever feel." Tears spilled heavily onto Cele's shoulder.
"We should try to escape, find another place to hide away from him."
"No, we have better chances of survival if we stay with him," Robyn admitted, "We can't defend ourselves against those things out there."
To be continued…
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Constructive criticism and comments are welcome. Please enjoy the story and happy reading!