ON THE HORIZON-THE BLOODLUST CHAPTERS: #1
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This is a part of the OTH fanfic that takes place quite a ways after my last chapter… I wanted to write this part in advance because I'm In the midst of a Hellsing fandom and if I didn't my head would have asploded O-o
Rated M for strong language and sexual content
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Anna awoke in a daze. She was lying in a cot in what looked to be a small room in a cabin. It was quite dark. She could smell rotten sea water on her clothes. She attempted to get up but every muscle in her body was aching. She lay back with a painful hiss and shut her eyes. She remembered swimming, a lot, it was exhausting. She remembered seeing a dark shore in the distance then everything had gone black. Her hand suddenly flew to her chest. She breathed a sigh of relief, her necklace was still there. She attempted to get up again and this time she managed to sit up before her muscles stopped her from making any more movements. She rested again, and then swung her legs over the side of her cot. After which she gently stood on her feet. She looked out the window and saw a road leading away from the cabin through a long field.
She saw Nema in its holster on a nearby end table. She picked up the sword and examined it. Both the pieces were there on the hilt, the Spartan crest, and the biohazard symbol from the anti T-virus container. She wasn't sure what the biohazard symbol would summon, but she decided not to test it at the moment. There was one more space on the hilt directly below the blade. This world must have been where she would find her last piece to complete the blade. It didn't matter though; she had more pressing matters at hand. She was now without her ship. She was stuck on this world until someone would come to find her or she found a way to communicate back to traverse town. Sephiroth had tricked her, she followed his trail of darkness to his world and then she was surprise attacked by the heartless as if they knew he was there. She shouldered Nema and limped out of the room with a huff.
There was a small kitchen and a dining table outside her room as well as a staircase that led up to a closed door. Anna didn't want to wake anyone up, especially if they took the time to save her life. She did want to show her gratitude somehow. She suddenly noticed an open bread box on the counter, with large roles in it. They looked quite delicious making Anna realize how hungry she was. She saw an empty leather bag on the coat hook. She reached in her coat and withdrew her munny pouch. This time it had turned into a fabric wallet similar to the one it took the form of in Raccoon City, the currency the munny took the shape of was also in similar paper bill form except they were different colors. She took out two bills with 100 labeled on them and left them on the table in plain sight. Then she grabbed the bag, wrapped up a few rolls, stuffed them in the bag and headed to the fridge. She grabbed some cheese and two bottles of water and placed them in the bag as well. She figured she was stuck here for a while so she might as well make her way to the nearest town and look for a place to stay while she looked for something to do to make money.
She silently opened the back door and crept out. The cabin was perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. That made sense. She must have washed up on the shore down there and whoever lived in this cabin must've found her. Anna shut her eyes and let the cool ocean breeze blow through her hair. She breathed the fresh air deeply. It had been a while since she had taken a moment like this to stop and look around she slipped the gemstone on her necklace between her fingers, playing with it absentmindedly. Suddenly she felt a blinding pain in her leg. She gave a small yelp and fell to the ground. The T virus may not have killed her but it certainly liked to torture her. She grasped her leg where the scar of the dog bite still was plainly visible. Her grip was stronger than she realized and before she knew it the pain had ceased and her fingertips were coated in blood. She cursed quietly to herself.
She may have been imagining it but she could have sworn she saw a wolf near her moments earlier. Whatever it was, it wasn't there anymore. The bleeding on her leg had stopped. Her blood clotted much faster now. In fact, her wounds healed faster too. By all rights the scar on her leg should have still been a bloody scab. It had only been a few days since she received the bite. Alice had mentioned the T-virus mutating her body, making it stronger. Was that happening to Anna too? She didn't even need the antivirus, she wasn't contagious and she had just ripped her own leg open; something she had never done before. Even her aching muscles were aching no more.
Anna decided to test herself. She dug her hand into the solid ground beneath her and retrieved a massive clump of dirt. Okay so maybe the soil was soft… she tried to tell herself. She stood up trying not to panic. She felt somewhat dizzy and a low growl erupted from the bottom of her throat. The hell was that? She asked herself shaking off the daze. Anna suddenly heard Alice's voice in her head.
"They did something to me… I barely feel human anymore."
What the hell was happening to her? Was it because an infected dog bit her? Was she becoming some kind of weird werewolf? No. werewolves were undead… she checked her pulse, she was still alive. She could still feel the cool ocean breeze on her skin, which was enough.
She sprinted to the road. It was just her imagination; she wasn't turning into anything, not like Alice, or…
She stopped. She suddenly realized she had sprinted quite a ways down the road and she wasn't even breathing heavily. That's weird… She thought. No, she was just getting more in shape, it didn't mean anything. She shook her head and looked around. She could see a glow of light past a few of the rolling hills before her. It was a ways but that had to be a town. She began her long walk down the road. She kept her pace at a steady fast-walk. She crowned the first hill and felt a little change in her breathing but not too much.
There was a sudden flash in her mind's eye and she saw a wolf with bared teeth in front of her for a moment. She cried out and fell back. She shook her head; she was alone atop a dark hill on a small road. The stars in the sky were veiled in places she couldn't even see the moon. There was nothing here. She was imagining it. She stood up. Just to be safe she decided to jog a bit. She noticed a sign on the side of the road that read:
Route 17 South.
After that she had no more strange occurrences. She eventually ran out of breath and had to start walking, but it sure as hell took a while. She reached the town a little while after daybreak. It was a nice place, café's cobblestone streets, neat little shops, and restaurants. Nothing was open, there was a dim morning mist enveloping the town. The streets were abandoned. Anna decided to find a hotel or inn that was open. She had plenty of Munny but she didn't want to run out fast so she decided to look for a rather cheap one. She may be without a source of cash for a while.
As she made her way down the street a door opened in front of her. She stopped in her tracks. A tall, tan woman with long platinum blonde stepped in front of her. She wore large round glasses and a green business suit. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties. She was smoking a small cigar and was being tailed by three other people. The first was an old dark haired man in a ponytail who was dressed in a black and white tuxedo. He was most likely the woman's butler because he was helping her put her coat on. Another was a voluptuous girl in her early twenties with light skin, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. She was dressed a yellow police uniform that consisted of a police coat, a mini skirt, long white stalkings and boots. She was followed by an incredibly tall man in a bright red trench coat covering a solid black tuxedo. He also wore a matching red hat with a large brim. Under the hat Anna could see long black locks of hair and round sunglasses perched on a long, thin face. Despite his thin face the man was grinning widely, it was a sinister smile and seemed almost physically impossible. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties; only a few years older than Anna. A police officer followed them.
"Make sure to keep an eye on the hotels. I heard they tend to attack civilians in hotels if they can't find residential districts." Said the officer to the leading woman.
Wonderful… Anna thought to herself. A serial killer who attacks hotels… what a time to arrive here looking for a hotel…
Anna suddenly became aware of the fact that all five of them had turned to look at her. The tall man's smile had faded a little. Anna couldn't see his eyes from behind his sunglasses but she could feel his gaze like an icy blade piercing her between her eyes. The younger woman seemed curious and kept looking from her comrades to Anna and back again. The older woman surveyed Anna, measuring her up it seemed. The butler was smiling at Anna but she wasn't sure if it was a sincere one or not. Anna realized why they were looking at her. Her clothes were quite different from anything they had probably seen before. They were ratty and dirty as well. She was also sporting a large sword over her back; she must have looked quite suspicious, and or ridiculous. Anna's face flushed crimson in an instant.
"S-s'cuse me." she murmured weakly, looking down at her feet.
The butler graciously stepped out of Anna's way with a flourish of his arm. At the same time the tall man grabbed the younger woman by the collar of her jacket and yanked her out of the way as well.
"Hey!" she yelped.
"Learn your manners Police Girl…" The tall man said.
His voice was, strong, deep and malicious. Despite this Anna couldn't help but feel a small flutter in her chest at the sound. It was as if she had just heard her favorite instrument play a creepy song. Was her face getting redder? Before she could look any more foolish she dashed past them and rounded the corner. She slowed to a gentile walk and listened to the conversation of the people as they walked away.
"Curious woman wasn't she?" Said one man. Anna figured it was the butler.
The tall man grunted.
"You think she was one of the murderers?" Asked the Police Girl.
"No." Said the older woman. "You heard her voice. She wasn't British; our witness claimed they were a young British couple. If they didn't have our accent the witness would have told us that."
"Is she American?" Asked the Police Girl.
The rest of the conversation Anna couldn't hear, she was too far away. What was American? She wondered.
She decided to keep looking for a hotel anyways. She could defend herself if anyone tried to kill her. It wasn't until after an hour of walking she found a good place with a reasonable price per night. She checked in (after a small debate about her weapon, which ended in her plea to let her defend herself from the serial killers.) and made her way to her room. She took a long nap before leaving her sword under her bed and heading back out to town. She found a clothes shop. It had a decent assortment of clothes, and two hours later Anna walked out with a few new outfits in hand. She returned to her hotel room, took a shower, and dressed herself properly. She decided to find a place to eat because by then it was late afternoon and she had only eaten a single roll with cheese today on the road, so she was quite hungry.
She walked to a popular looking restaurant. The food there seemed strange but she decided that it wouldn't hurt to try. She was seated at a table outside the restaurant under an umbrella. It was a nice, warm evening so Anna was happy to sit there. While she ate she surveyed the crowds. She wasn't sure what she was looking for though. Sephiroth maybe? Or perhaps that tall man again. She wondered why he was still on her mind. He was quite intimidating and even creepy. Still, there was something about him she couldn't put her finger on.
Anna suddenly felt the hair on her neck stand up. As if her thoughts of him had called him, he was looking at her, she could tell. But from where? She looked around and her eyes landed on him. He was across the street with his comrades she had seen before. They were walking down the sidewalk but he had stopped. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses this time, no they were in his hand. He had taken them off… to look at her? Anna put her fork down returning his gaze. Their eyes met. His eyes were red, they made Anna freeze in her seat, she had never seen eyes like that before; but this gaze seemed familiar somehow… Sephiroth had looked at her like that before… he no longer had that wide grin on his face. No, it was stern. Anna's heart was pounding hard in her chest. Neither of them blinked. Anna could feel her face going red again. As soon as she realized this she broke their eye contact and tried to hide her face. She could feel his eyes still upon her.
Then, without warning, Anna suddenly saw the wolf in her mind's eye again. This time it was leaping at her, its teeth glistening with blood. Anna cried out and fell out of her chair. She hit her head on the cobblestones beneath her and as she lifted herself up she felt a warm liquid running down her face. She touched it and looked at her hand. It was blood.
"Goodness miss!" a woman from a nearby table said while helping her up. "Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine…" mumbled Anna.
"Oh god you're bleedin'!" Said the woman grabbing some tissues out of her pocket.
She handed them to Anna who took them graciously.
"Thank you…" Said Anna dabbing her face and head with the tissue.
Anna glanced across the street. The man was gone. She breathed a sigh; the waitresses and waiters we all gathering around her now asking if her chair had broken or something was wrong with the table. They didn't believe that she didn't know what happened, and the manager of the restaurant came out to personally apologize to her. They wanted to call the hospital about her head but it had stopped bleeding not long before the manager came out. She got them to stop fussing by asking them to wrap up her meal and let her head back to her hotel. They refused to accept any of her money and said it was on them. She didn't argue and before long she was finishing her meal in her hotel room. Not before she washed her face and hair though. It was weird, she barely felt the cut on her head and even after such a bang she felt no pain. Normally something like that would cause at least a headache…
Anna spent some time cleaning, polishing, and sharpening her sword before she changed into her brand new nightgown, it was pure white silk with spaghetti straps and it ended mid thigh. She slipped into her bed and after a while of tossing and turning with the images of those red eyes flashing through her mind she drifted off to sleep. His face… so stern, intent… then there was the wolf. Anna was standing in the middle of frozen tundra. The wind whipped her face but she felt only a bit cold. The wolf sat before her, one eye was green, the other: red. It growled bearing its fangs… a chunk of its snout was missing; there was blood all around it. Anna tried to back away but she wasn't able to move. Sheer terror was beginning to creep up her spine. The wolf snarled and got to its feet. Anna was shaking, her eyes widening. The hair on the wolf's back was standing on end. It began to approach her. Anna gave a weak, helpless cry. Then a woman's voice in her ear whispered:
"You're not afraid are you?"
Anna's eyes shot open. She was wrapped up in her covers to the point in which she could barely move. The window was wide open and a heavy wind was blowing in. she was alone in her room. Whoever was the source of the voice must have just been in her dream… the woman's voice sounded so familiar. Almost as if… it was her… mother? Of course, her mother would say something like that! But the remark wasn't cynical, it was encouraging, something her mother never was. She untangled herself and went to the window just before she shut it she heard a woman scream downstairs. She leaned out the window trying to see what was going on. Suddenly a series of gunshots shattered the window directly below her. Anna cried out and leapt backwards.
She grabbed her sword and her necklace off the nightstand. She was about to head downstairs but she suddenly noticed the gem on her necklace was glowing brightly; it made her freeze momentarily. Yes. She smelled it now. It meant only one thing… She ran back to the window and her stomach sank. He was there, Sephiroth was there. He stood ominously in the middle of the street; his eyes were fixed on the hotel. He didn't even seem to notice her. She had to get to him. She dashed out of her room into the hallway. As she did, the elevator opened and a young man and a young woman walked out holding a couple of high powered guns and kissing each other in an almost repulsive way.
"Oy!" Said the young man gesturing towards Anna. "Where you going bitch?!"
He opened fire at her. He was clumsy and an amateur with guns at best. Anna had no problem dodging the bullets. She didn't have time to deal with them. She dashed to the stairwell and ran down as fast as she could. Occasionally a gunshot would tail her. The couple was trying to kill her before she made it out.
"FUCK!" the young man shouted down the stairs. "Get the fuck back up 'ere bitch!"
Anna ignored him. She made it down to the bottom floor. She went out the emergency exit so the alarm would sound. She ended up in the back alley. She ran as fast as she could out to the street but she found it empty. She heard sirens in the distance. She saw the moonlight glint off of Sephiroth's hair. He was heading out of town. In fact, he was already far away. Anna dashed after him. She didn't care that she was running through the town with a sword in her nightgown, she had to get to him… She ran as fast as she could. She was straining herself so much she started to breathe harder sooner. No matter how fast she ran, though, she couldn't catch up to him. Before she knew it she was a mile out of town and he was still far ahead of her. He didn't even appear to be running… how the hell was he keeping ahead of her? Eventually, after much more running, she was close enough to call out his name.
"Sephiroth!" She cried "Sephiroth! Stop! STOP!"
Of course, he ignored her. She continues to call out his name, ignoring the motorcycle engine catching up to her. There were echoes of laughter over the engine sound as well. Anna heard a gunshot and a bullet missed her foot by inches. She didn't care she kept screaming out his name.
"SEPHIROTH!"
"OY BITCH!" the young man screamed taking a shot at her again while slowing the motorcycle down. This time it hit her in her leg. She fell for a moment but immediately got back up and began limping towards Sephiroth. She continued to cry out to him. Her blood was soaking her bare foot and the pain in her leg was excruciating. Then, the strangest thing happened. The field around them all suddenly vanished and they were inside a red stone tunnel with no end in sight. Sephiroth finally stopped and looked around. He seemed barely swayed by it though. Anna was about to call out to him when the young man behind her yelled again.
"Hey!" He snarled. "The fuck did you do you skank?"
Anna sighed and looked down at the bloody mess that was her leg. The pain was making her head start to swim. She looked back up at Sephiroth. He had finally turned to look at her.
"Se-!" Anna began but she couldn't finish her sentence.
A shot fired and Anna felt an agonizing explosion just above her stomach. Blood drenched the ground in front of her she looked down and gasped in pain. There was a massive hole in her body, blood was pouring out, staining her pure white nightgown. The road and the tunnel began to spin. She looked up at Sephiroth and saw that he was walking away again. She could see the glow from her necklace fading.
"SEPHIROTH…" she screamed but blood filled her lungs and her mouth and she coughed and spat it onto the pavement. She clutched her wound and fell to the ground having lost all control over her legs. She saw a pair of boots approach her.
"Looks like we got a snack for the road baby!" Said the young woman's voice
"Ugh what the fuck?" Growled the young man. Anna saw his finger swipe sample of her blood off the pavement. "This shit stinks!"
"Yeah!" Said the young woman. "This blood is awful!"
Anna felt a hard kick in her stomach. She spat up more blood.
"The fuck is wrong with ya?!" The young man spat at her. "You got an STD or something? You old whore!"
Something stirred inside Anna. Her head began to clear up she could feel her legs again. The blood stopped pouring from her wounds. She opened her eyes and glared up at the young man.
"Eh?" he grunted, looking puzzled. "'ow the fuck are you still alive?"
Anna felt a fire erupt inside her. Without thinking she lunged for the young man with an angry roar. It wasn't a human roar… it was like… a wolf… He backed up. Anna took the opportunity to stumble to her feet, sword in hand. Nema's wings fired up and glowed over her bloody hand. She leapt forward swiping at the couple. She sliced open the young man's chest. His blood spattered the ground. The young woman cried out and backed away.
"Fuck you!" The young man said, he lifted his gun and shot Anna in the shoulder.
This time Anna fell to the ground and she couldn't get back up. Her body was growing cold and blood filled her lungs and mouth again. She shut her eyes to keep from getting dizzy. She could feel blood pulsing out of her wound again and she curled up trying to suppress the pain. Sephiroth had left her… he left her to die… she was going to die on this unfamiliar world with no one at her side but some sick kids. There was silence around her broken only by the young man's soft cursing over his chest wound.
Then she heard them. Footsteps echoing from down the tunnel. Anna's heart skipped a beat. He HAD come back for her! She opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the footsteps. Her heart sank when she saw neither silver hair nor a long shining sword. Instead she saw a red trench coat, a red hat and a shining silver gun. It was the tall red-eyed man form earlier. Anna closed her eyes again in pain, both physical and mental. She heard the Man's voice echo from down the tunnel as he approached.
"Children without faith…" He said coolly. "If you had any control you would travel as fog or a bat."
"Who the fuck are you?" Snarled the young man.
"You've gone and taken all those lives…" Said the man ignoring the other's question. "And not even because you were thirsty…"
What the hell were they talking about? Anna thought to herself. The whole situation was getting weirder and weirder.
"Is it fun? HUH?!" the red-eyed man continued, each word from his mouth possessing more and more malice. "Is that what it takes for filth like you to get off?! cheap little two bit terrors… you can't even heal your own wounds…"
"What's it to you?!" growled the young man.
There was a ringing noise then Anna could sense the man standing in front of her. She opened her eyes and saw the back of his boots. He was standing between her and the serial killers.
"Eternity is wasted on the likes of you…" the man continued, still ignoring the questions. "Try as you might, mortality slips away… and you remain with only your shame!"
There was a gunshot and Anna opened her eyes to see the man fall to the pavement before her.
"No…" she wheezed through suffocating on her own blood. "No…!"
She reached out and touched the man's shoulder. She suddenly felt a warmth travel through her hand to her chest and her brain as if he was sending her a message. The message said: don't worry…
The young man laughed but stopped suddenly when the red-eyed man got back up completely unharmed, laughing coolly to himself.
"Christ!" Said the young man. "Who is this fucking cocker?!"
"No… I don't like this!" Cried the young woman and she began to run away; back towards town.
"That's enough of this shit!" Said the young man and gun shots rang out again.
This time though, the red-eyed man held up his gun. A long barreled silver pistol-looking gun. Its shots were louder and more intense than the young man's guns.
"You dare to call yourself Nosferatu?" Growled the red-eyed man. "YOU DISGUST ME!"
The bullets ripped though the young man leaving enormous holes in his body. The red-eyed man then lunged forward and buried his hand in the young man's chest. When he withdrew it there was an explosion and shower of blood, and the young man was gone.
Anna moaned. She was getting colder and colder.
"Your turn, police girl…" murmured the red eyed man.
"That's an amazing feat…" he said turning to Anna. "You been shot through the chest and you've managed to stay alive all this time."
Anna shot him a dirty look.
"What happened to the blushing?" asked the man, that sinister, wide smile on his face."
Anna coughed up some blood onto his boots.
"Are you a virgin, miss?" he asked her kneeling down.
Anna tried to respond with a "What the hell does that have to do with anything?!" but she could only manage another volley of blood from her mouth onto the man's boot again. He swiped a sample of her blood off the ground on his finger and placed it on his tongue. His grin vanished. He remained silent for a moment then placed his hand on her cheek.
"Doesn't matter…" he said. "I wouldn't drink your blood anyway… it's the foulest blood I have ever seen… what made your blood like this?"
"Anna shut her eyes. The tunnel had vanished around them. The air was soft and cool but she couldn't keep her eyes open any more, everything was spinning. She groaned and reached her hand out towards him. She grabbed the sleeve of his red trench coat weakly. She could feel tears running down her blood spattered face. The man gently removed her hand from his sleeve and clasped it in his.
"I suppose I could try another tactic… Although I haven't used it in a long time…"
Anna heard the tinkling of bullets falling on the pavement; she opened her eyes and looked at the man. He was holding a single bullet from his gun in his white-gloved hand. He pulled his sleeve back, exposing his arm.
"Do you want to walk among the living again?" he asked her. "It's your choice…"
Anna nodded weakly.
"If this turns you into a ghoul… I'll kill you myself." Said the man. "Don't worry; you won't be suffering for much longer…"
Anna's eye widened as the man somehow used the bullet to puncture a hole in his skin; all he did was press it to his arm, it hissed then broke the skin. Blood poured out. He rolled Anna onto her back and took her hands off her wound. He held is arm over the hole in her body and Anna felt the warm liquid fall into the cold gap. He applied his blood to each of her bullet wounds.
Anna was just wondering how the hell this was going to save her, when she felt the warmth of the blood spread through her entire body. Then the warmth grew warmer and warmer… soon it was hot… hotter! Anna cried out in pain, her insides were on fire! She reached towards her wound but the man grabbed her arms and held them down. She moaned, thrashing in pain. She looked up though his sunglasses and into his red eyes. At the sight of them she felt the pain release from her body and she grew limp. The man grinned and placed the back of his cool hand on her cheek. The last thing Anna saw was a look of shock on his face and she heard him whisper:
"What the…?"
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"You're not afraid are you?" Said the wolf.
"NO!" Anna yelled "I'm not! WHO ARE YOU?"
The wolf lunged again, teeth bared, dripping with blood.
Anna cried out and sat up abruptly in bed. She looked around. She was in a room that appeared to be in a dungeon of some sort. There were no windows, it was cool damp and the walls and floor were all stone. She was lying on a four poster bed. The only other things in the room were a table and chairs upon the table and chairs there was a set of clothes, Anna recognized e outfit as the one of the sets she had bought earlier. It consisted of a long, sleek dark red dress with a slit on the side for optimal movement, black sheer stockings, knee length black combat boots, a pair of protective black gloves and a short black, high-collared, jacket. There was a door ajar across the room that led to what looked like a bathroom. Anna looked at herself. She was still in her blood drenched night gown, accept nor it was all dry. She needed a shower, and bad. There was blood all over her face and skin.
Anna suddenly realized that the gunshot wounds were gone. She looked at the spots where they were; not even a scar… the necklace was still around her neck too…she shook her head. She didn't want to dwell on the strangeness of the situation too much considering how gross she felt. She went to the bathroom and threw away her damaged night gown. She showered for a good long time, trying to wash away all the blood and filth on her .When she finished she walked back into her room wearing just a towel to find it occupied. The blonde, tan skinned woman and her butler she saw with the red eyed man earlier were waiting for her. She jumped and nearly lost her towel at the sight of them. The woman pointed to Anna's clothes on the table.
"Dress yourself swordswoman." She said "We can wait."
Anna nodded, her face turning bright red again. She grabbed her clothes, ran back into the bathroom, dressed herself then walked back out.
"Sorry… "She said." I didn't realize…
"Don't worry about that now." Said the woman sharply. "I am Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. I am the leader of this organization here called the Hellsing Organization. And this is my butler Walter."
"Oh! Said Anna bowing her head to Integra and Walter. "Sorry I didn't mean any disrespect! My name is Annaleah…"
"I have been informed that your case is most unusual…" Said Integra as if Anna had said nothing. "Not only did you stay alive a good fifteen minutes or so after you suffered a fatal gunshot wound but you managed to get up and injure your attacker after losing a substantial amount of blood."
Anna looked away from them and stared at the floor. She knew what had caused it but telling them exactly what it was would make her sound crazy.
"Alucard told me your blood was heavily tainted." Integra continued. "I'm getting a little irritated that he wants to make more of his kind all of the sudden but with you it's different."
"Alucard?" Anna asked, bewildered.
"The man, or vampire rather, that saved your life." Said Integra. "He is the Hellsing Organizations best weapon. He was planning to save you by making you into a vampire but since he couldn't drink your blood he gave you some of his. It works essentially the same way."
Anna looked up at them in shock.
"Wait!" Said Anna. "What do you mean vampires? What the hell is going on exactly?!"
"Don't Interrupt me." Said Integra, more in exasperation than frustration. "Like I said he wanted to turn you into a vampire to save you but when that happens you become the living dead… and if you check yourself right now you'll see that you're still alive…"
Anna checked her pulse. She was warm and yes her heart was still beating.
"Also." Integra went on. "You only would have become a vampire if you were a virgin. After we had a doctor examine you we found that not only are you not a virgin but you have also given birth. This means that you should have been turned into a ghoul but you weren't. What I want to know is where you are from and what is it in your blood that caused this phenomenon to occur?"
Anna had the sudden feeling that she had been hit by a train. She sat down in the chair across from Integra at the table, keeping their eyes from meeting.
"Let's just say…" Said Anna. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"
"We also noticed a fairly fresh scar from a canine bite on your leg." Said Integra. "Does that have anything to do with it?"
"I guess you could say that…" Said Anna, staring at her hands.
"I should warn you now…" Said Integra. "If you don't tell us what we need to know we cannot trust you and if we cannot trust you, we will kill you. Tell us now… what are you?!"
Anna clenched her fists.
"I can't tell you where I'm from or how I got this…" Said Anna "Because you wouldn't believe me… but I can tell you the reason I am so strange is because I wasn't exactly human in the first place when I was given that blood…"
Integra seemed interested. So Anna continued.
"It's called the T-Virus… 98 times out of 100 when a person comes in contact with it they are killed and re-animated as a living corpse with the need only to feed. I, however, fused with the virus, it mutated me, making me stronger I guess… The term evolved was thrown around. Anyway, I don't know much about vampires but I've seen stranger things… I'm guessing since the T-Virus strengthens and rebuilds living tissue than it protected me from becoming a ghoul when I came in contact with Alucard's blood. I guess the mixture of Alucard's blood and the T-virus may have caused a boost in the virus's ability to rebuild my tissue."
Integra gestured to Walter. He nodded and picked up a large pipe off the floor and placed it on the table before Anna.
"See if you can bend that…" Said Integra.
Anna gave her an odd look but did as she was told. The pipe felt weightless in her arms. She bent it the greatest of ease. She was so surprised by this she dropped the pipe to the floor.
"I see…" Said Integra. "You have the physical strength of the vampire…Let's see your teeth…"
"My teeth?" Said Anna.
Walter walked over to her.
"Would you be so kind as to open up miss?" he asked politely.
Anna opened her mouth.
"No fangs…" Said Walter.
Anna suddenly realized what they were doing. They were seeing how many traits of a vampire she had inherited from Alucard's blood and how many she didn't.
Walter drew what looked to be a bag of blood from his tux.
He took a cup from the table and poured the blood into it.
"Drink this, please." He said.
Anna sighed and took the glass. She took a sip and grimaced at the awful taste. Her gag reflex was starting to react to it as well. If she drank any more she would surely vomit.
"Sorry…" She said handing the cup back to Walter. "I can't drink that…"
"Very well…" said Walter. He took out a silver bullet from his pocket. "Hold this."
Anna took it and held it in her hand. Nothing happened.
"I see…" Said Walter taking the bullet back. "Give me your arm."
Anna held out her arm. Walter took it, rolled back her sleeve and with one swift motion he sliced her arm with a knife he pulled from another pocket. Anna cried out as her blood spattered on the floor.
"What the hell?!" she shouted angrily at them. Pulling her arm away and clasping the cut to keep it from bleeding. .
"Get her a bandage…" Said Integra.
Walter quickly cleaned up Anna's bloody arm and bandaged it tightly.
"Last test." Said Integra, standing up.
They headed out of the dungeon. Anna noted that they were in a massive castle. It was dark and foreboding even during the middle of the day. They walked outside into the sunlight. They stood there for a good five minutes before Anna turned to them and asked.
"Okay can I get an explanation yet?"
"Here's a summary…" Said Integra. "You have the physical strength of a vampire, you do not have the weaknesses of a vampire or the needs of one but you are still vulnerable to any sort of weapon, like a human…"
"Walter undid Anna's bandaging on her arm and she noticed that her cut had completely healed itself.
"You can heal yourself but it takes too long…" Integra continued. "It will probably take longer with each progressive wound you have inflicted upon you as you use up Alucard's blood."
"What does this all mean?" Said Anna impatiently. "You are an abnormality Swordswoman…" Said Integra curtly. "I can't allow you to leave the Hellsing Organization unless you agree to work for us."
"Work?" asked Anna.
"Yes…" said Integra. "Work. We are an organization dedicated to eradicating the world of monsters and unholy creatures. If I were to let you go you would be a threat to us… you will help us kill these monsters from now on, since you refused to tell us where you hail from or where you got that special virus of yours we will be forced to kill you if you leave. Are we clear?"
"I don't want to be your damn slave!" Anna snapped whirling about.
"You won't be I assure you!" Said Walter trying to calm Anna down. "You will be provided with food shelter and the finest medical treatment available! The room you awoke in shall be your assigned room; your meals will be brought there every day for breakfast lunch and dinner and if you need anything at all please do not hesitate to ask me!"
"I'm sorry Anna." Said Integra, her tone softening a little. "I know you did not want this to happen but it did and we need your help…"
Anna looked at the grass. Maybe this was destiny… after all… she crashed on this word and had no idea what she was going to do… now she had a place to stay, eat and fight for a living… that didn't sound so bad…
"Alright…" said Anna looking back up at them. Then she suddenly panicked, realizing her sword was not over her shoulder.
"Where's Nema?!" she cried looking around wildly. "Where's my sword?!"
"Oh quite a masterful piece of work if I do say so myself… nothing I have really ever seen before…" Said Walter grinning. "Don't worry; I'm working on it right now to make it ready for monster fighting."
"While you wait please feel free to explore the grounds…" said Integra. "Just be aware that if you try to leave…you have a bond with Alucard now since you share his blood, he will hunt you down and dispose of you… you will not be able to escape!"
"lovely…" said Anna sarcastically. "I know giving you my word that you can trust me won't be enough… so I guess I'll just have to prove it…"
Integra gave her a stiff nod and walked back into the castle.
"My apologies Miss Annaleah…" Said Walter. "Sir Integra has been on edge lately… we have been hunting some peculiar vampires and we're not sure who to trust. I think we were meant to bump into you the other day… I'm sure a warrior such as yourself will enjoy working for us…"
With that he bowed to her and followed Integra back into the castle.
Anna sighed and began wandering around. Eventually she found herself atop a grassy hill near the castle. She collapsed onto her back and looked up into the clouds. She thought about how Sephiroth had abandoned her, left her for dead… now she knew he wasn't himself… the old Sephiroth would never have done that in a million years… she had to stop him… but he was probably far away by now… she felt a small ache in her heart. She sat up and wiped a tear out of her eye. She hated what he had become… she hated it…
Anna suddenly became very aware of the fact that someone was standing behind her. She leapt up and instinctively reached for her sword to find nothing there. It was Alucard, the red-eyed man that had dragged her into this. Anna relaxed a bit, but she still felt intimidated by him, a lot. She gave him a hard look to show that she meant business. He was grinning his wide sinister grin.
"Shame you didn't become a full vampire… your still a little weakling…"
Anna was in no mood for such talk.
"Piss off!" she snarled and turned her back to him.
"Humph! You're an insolent one aren't you?" Alucard hissed. "After I saved your worthless little life…"
Anna turned back to him.
"You got some nerve…" She growled angrily. "If you came up here just to insult me then I think there's a better way to waste both our time than that!"
Alucard began to laugh. His laugh was loud and cold and it sent shivers down Anna's spine.
"I was merely testing you." He said. "I wanted to see if the transfer of my blood made you my servant… obviously if you have such an easy time telling me off I you must not be…"
"I wouldn't want to serve you even if I had become a vampire!" Anna snapped.
"Oh but you would have!" Said Alucard laughing again. "And you would have actually become strong! Unfortunately, though, you're still just a worthless defiant human…"
"I don't even know who you are!" Shouted Anna "I don't care what the hell you think about me!"
Alucard's grin vanished and he grabbed her by the wrist. He pulled her in close to him.
"Apparently you do or you wouldn't be so upset right now…" he said softly.
His tone was so icy it made the hair on the back of Anna's neck stand up again. But why was her heart beating so fast? She felt her cheeks beginning to flush. She shook her head and pulled herself away from him.
"Don't try any of that charm crap on me!" Said Anna glaring at him. "You can't come up here, tell me how insignificant I am then expect me to forget about it just because you pull something like that."
Alucard smiled again but this time it was a weak and tired smile.
"My apologies." He said. "I suppose I was just disappointed that you couldn't join me as a true vampire… you have made an excellent one…I also have a bad habit of getting upset when I don't get what I want."
Anna groaned in exasperation.
"I'm going to be working with you anyway" She said. "You're just disappointed that I'm not your slave…"
Alucard chuckled to himself.
"Maybe your right." He said. "You still have plenty of chances to prove me wrong… not all humans are worthless you know…"
"You haven't seen anything yet." Said Anna folding her arms and turning her back to him again. "I'm not afraid of any monsters… even ones like you!"
Alucard erupted into a fit of psychotic laughter.
"I think you're the one who hasn't seen anything yet!" he cackled and vanished before her very eyes.
Anna sighed and headed back to the castle.
After a brief meal in her room Anna decided to do some more exploring. When she walked out of her room, however, she saw the Police Girl emerge from a room nearby. When she saw Anna she waved and ran up to her.
"Hey are you Annaleah?!" She asked, excitedly.
"Yeah." Said Anna taken somewhat aback.
"My name is Ceres." Said the girl. "I'm kind of new here too…"
"Heh… a bit overwhelming isn't it?" Said Anna. "I mean this is all happening so fast…"
Ceres giggled.
"Yeah I know!" She said. "What do you think of being a vampire?"
"Pardon?" Asked Anna
"Master said he gave you his blood…" Said Ceres. "Doesn't that mean you're a vampire now, like me?"
"You'd think so but apparently I'm some sort of freak of nature." Said Anna massaging her forehead. "Wait… did you say master?"
"Yes…" said Ceres. "My master… he saved my life too but only by turning me into a vampire… now I'm his servant I guess…"
Anna frowned.
"Do you want to be his servant?" She asked.
"I… Don't really have a choice." Said Ceres, her perky attitude was fading fast.
"Why?" Asked Anna.
"I…" Ceres mumbled. "I… Don't know…"
Anna saw that Ceres seemed disturbed. She put her hand on the young woman's shoulder.
"Do you like music?" she asked Ceres, trying to change the subject.
Ceres looked up at her.
"Umm yeah…" She said. "Why?"
"Well I happen to have a hobby of singing…" Said Anna. "Want to hear? I'd like some feedback since I haven't done it in a while…"
Ceres smiled.
"Okay!" she said. "Let's go to my room!"
Anna followed Ceres back into the room she had emerged form earlier.
"Your master is a bit of a prick isn't he?" Anna said walking to the table in the middle of the room and turning to Ceres who had sat on the nearby bed.
"He's been a vampire for a long time…" Said Ceres, biting her lip. "He doesn't like humans very much. I think he likes you though!"
Anna laughed.
"Are you kidding?" she asked smacking her hand to her forehead. "He treats me like crap! Every word out of his mouth is an insult to me!"
"Well he did just go out in broad daylight to see you didn't he?" Asked Ceres looking at her curiously. "He hates even leaving his room during the day… and back when we saw you in that town he couldn't keep his eyes off you!"
Anna suddenly recalled how Alucard had so tightly held her hand while she was dying. She felt her face go red once again.
"Well…" Anna said awkwardly, looking away. "He's going about it all the wrong way…"
Ceres giggled.
"I'm sure it's been a while since he's fancied a woman!" She said.
Her face suddenly went pale; she looked at the floor and her smile, once again, vanished. "Sorry…" She mumbled.
"Hmm? What about?" Anna asked.
"Not to you." Ceres said softly, biting her lip again.
Anna suddenly felt quite creeped out considering there was no one else in the room.
"Hang on…" she said thinking back on Ceres's words. "If your master doesn't like going out in broad daylight… why was he out and about with you guys in that town during the day?"
"We were investigating something…" mumbled Ceres while she stared at the floor. "If sir Integra wants us to go out in broad daylight we have to do it…"
"Are you okay?" Anna asked Ceres. The girl was looking disturbed again.
"Let's just stop talking about master…" Said Ceres she looked up at Anna and forced a smile. "Why don't you sing? I wanna hear it!"
Anna closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She didn't want to sing her usual song; she decided to sing something different. It was a song she learned on her own after hearing someone sing it on the streets of Radiant Garden. It was a dark song but she felt a great connection to it; mainly because she could relate to it so well. She prepared her vocal chords, opened her eyes and began to sing.
You lie silent there before me
your tears they mean nothing to me
the wind howling at the window
the love you never gave
I give to you
Really don't deserve it
but now there's nothing you can do
so sleep in your only memory of me
my dearest mother
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
it was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry oh well
here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
goodbye
goodbye
So insignificant
sleeping dormant deep inside of me
are you hiding away lost
under the sewers
maybe flying high in the clouds
perhaps you're happy without me
so many seeds have been sown in the field
and who could sprout up so blessedly
if I had died
I would have never felt sad at all
you will not hear me say I'm sorry
where is the light
wonder if it's weeping somewhere
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
it was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry oh well
here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
it was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry oh well
here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
good-bye
good-bye
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
it was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry oh well
here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
it was always you that I despised
I don't feel enough for you to cry oh well
here's a lullaby to close your eyes good-bye
good-bye
good-bye
She finished and looked at Ceres. The girl appeared to be in some sort of trance. In fact, the very air around them seemed more still than usual. Anna could have sworn she saw a flash of red in one of the shadowy corners of the room. The sound of clapping hands made Anna jump. Walter was standing in the doorway.
"Beautiful Miss Anna." He said smiling. "If I didn't know any better I would have thought you were a professional musical artist."
"No…" said Anna turning to him. "It's just a hobby… what brings you here?"
"Sir Integra has requested a demonstration of your swordsmanship abilities." Said Walter bowing courteously to her. "She instructed me to take you to the practice range."
"Of course." Said Anna. She turned to Ceres and waved. "It was nice meeting you Ceres!"
"You too!" Said Ceres, snapping out of her daze. She waved to Anna.
Anna followed Walter through a few corridors in the basement until they reached a large dark room. There was very little light from the candles on the walls. All Anna could see was a dark figure in the back of the room. Walter approached her from behind.
"You'll need this…" said Walter handing her a sword.
"Swordswoman…" Integra's voice rang out from the back of the room. "Whoever draws blood first wins. Prove your worth to the Hellsing organization."
Integra stepped out of the shadows pointing a sword in Anna's direction. The candle light flashed off of the steel. Anna felt a fire begin to burn in her chest. It was a fire that she so dearly relished. Its warm flames breathed energy into her limbs. It flared her adrenaline into high gear. As much as she enjoyed singing there was nothing she thirsted for more than combat itself. She took the sword from Walter and brandished it at Integra.
"I'm ready when you are!" Said Anna.
They approached each other. When they were but two feet away from each other they stopped. Integra raised her sword to her face. Anna followed suit. There was a brief moment in which they merely stared at each other. Then Anna thrust her weapon forward. Integra parried the attack and thrust her weapon back at Anna. Anna easily moved out of the way and slashed at Integra from the side. Integra turned and blocked the slash. Anna retaliated with a flurry of attacks, each of which Integra blocked. Anna saw an opening and attempted to cut Integra's arm. She managed to cut her suit but didn't break the skin before Integra knocked her blade away. This time Integra attacked, but Anna was too quick for her. She was behind Integra in an instant. Integra managed to barely whirl around and knock away her blade in time. The two blades clashed again and again; Anna's wild, bright orange hair whirling about, dancing through the dark room like a waving torch; Integra's long sleek blonde hair sweeping through the darkness like a waltzing ghost. The fire of combat was burning brighter and brighter inside Anna. She could see that Integra was getting tired but Anna was not even out of breath yet. Still, Integra had a lot of skill and was giving Anna a run for her money. Anna finally got sick of fighting with just her sword though, and with a swift upper kick of her leg, Integra's sword was flying through the air. Anna brought her sword down on Integra's shoulder a few drops of blood spattered onto Anna's coat. Integra cried out and grabbed her new wound.
"Sorry… that was cheap…" Said Anna rubbing the back of her neck. "I shouldn't have done that."
Integra chuckled as Walter brought her some bandages.
"You had me thinking it was a regular duel with just swords." Said Integra. "Then you trick me by turning it around and using martial arts. Not only did you take me by surprise you also proved your versatility as a fighter. You also showed that you are ready to face real-life combat… in that sort of combat there are no rules. I couldn't be happier with the result."
"Th-Thank you sir!" Anna stuttered in surprise.
"You expressed no sign of exhaustion throughout the fight as well. It was intimidating to say the least." Said Integra. "I was right to recruit you into the Hellsing organization."
Anna bowed respectfully to Integra. Walter approached her and took her sword.
"Your own sword will be returned to you soon." He said. "The blade is being blessed for undead extermination."
Anna nodded to him.
"Is there anything else you would like from me?" She asked Integra, turning to her.
"No that is all." Said Integra walking out of the room, followed closely by Walter. "You're dismissed."
Anna gave a sigh and looked at her feet. She shut her eyes and allowed her mind to settle. After a few moments she began heading out of the room. She stopped at the sound of a familiar voice from the shadows.
"That was quite impressive… for a human"
"Bite me." Anna growled.
There was a soft laugh.
"You have no idea… how much I wish to take the pleasure of doing so…"
Anna looked back into the shadows. She could see nothing. She sighed, shook her head and left.