A Beautiful Night
Blood is an unfortunate necessity for a vampire. It's a substance that vampires cannot live without. It calls to them like many taunting disembodied voices, slowly driving them mad. It happens to all who are turning into the Children of the Night. It's a slow and painful process to go through. However, I love to watch them go from sane to paranoid as their humanity is stripped from them.
At first, they ignore The Call as they try to reason with themselves. How can they be hearing voices they think? The first stage of the turning begins and they start to hear louder voices ordering them to feed. Their behaviour becomes more agitated. They slip through their daily routines as if they were still human but somewhere deep inside they know what they are becoming.
The second stage of the change is more physical then mental. Their bodies reject everything. Food, drink and the simple vices they once loved no longer satisfy them. Their skin becomes a sickly grey as they begin to feel their bodies die. Their insides churn loudly as their bodies harden from rigor mortis. Yet they still move about. Slow and stiff, almost zombie like. It is at this point that the barrier they set in their mind break down an all that remains is The Call.
The final stage is quite messy as they finally give into The Call. I watch from the shadows as they feed on the one substance that brings them the feeling of being alive once again. They feed once or twice before they realise for the first time what they have become. The look of dread, disgust and horror that they express on their faces as they look down at the drained corpses lying at their feet is almost human. That is if it were not for the eyes. Those deep crimson eyes that house a hollow animalistic thirst.
It's at this point that I reveal myself to the prey I stalk. I give a garbled and cryptic explanation about what they've become but at this point, it's more for my amusement than their understanding. They're too far gone to comprehend anything let alone figure out who the tall dark stranger holding a gun in their face is.
When this situation arises, two things can happen. I turn them to dust where they stand while they are confused or they feebly attack me before I turn them to dust. Either way the result is the same. I leave the scene feeling somehow unsatisfied. It's become too easy. The hunt used to be fun and filled with thrills to be had but this is simply not my idea of stimulating.
"Is it done Alucard?"
A voice sounded and echoed about my thoughts. However, the message was more than a physic message. There aren't any words to explain it. It was like having someone interrupt you in mid thought. While they aren't exactly standing right next to you, you can feel their presence bearing upon you demanding that you respond. There is only one connection in existence that is this unavoidable. It's the connection between master and servant.
A servant always feels like his master's eyes are upon him. Watching, scrutinizing anything and everything you do. An inconvenience to be sure. The feeling is no different when you're a vampire and your master is a human.
"It is done,"
"Good. Make your way to the abbey by the cemetery near Dillsburg Lane. There is someone running amuck causing hell for the police there. Be prepared to encounter at least three units,"
A smile graced my lips. Three units? More play time I thought merrily. It was going to be easy work but at least I could draw it out before bedtime. It was such a beautiful night and I didn't want to waste it.
"Sir! Colonel Walsh reports that the clean up here is almost done,"
The recruit looked new. He snapped a salute and I grinned at the enthusiasm. It was refreshing to be called 'sir' by the new staff. Perhaps it was time he knew who he was talking to.
"Then by all means head to cemetery on Dillsburg Lane." I said grinning widely to show my sharp teeth "There will be much more cleaning to do. Much…Much…More…"
I faded away into the shadows right before his eyes and the look on his astonished face was priceless. I chuckled loudly unable to contain myself. I must have scared the poor boy off. He scampered back to the safety of the unit all pale. I could hear his rapidly beating heart playing a merry tune as I fazed myself towards Dillsburg Cemetery. It was a shameless joke but if he was to work for the Hellsing Organisation then he had to know what he was dealing with.
The air stank of corpses and dried blood. The dead had risen from their graves giving off a pungent odour that made my nose wrinkle in disgust. Whoever was running amuck was certainly the dramatic type. The creatures saw me and they slowly hobbled towards me. Their ancient dried out corpse were hardly a threat to me. I sighed in disappointment and slowly eradicated the vermin infestation as I walked towards the abbey where I could smell something that made me smile for the second time that night.
A live human. This was getting interesting. Having made my way past several police cars and two armoured assault tanks, I noticed many missing bodies where the blood spatter showed signs of vicious mauling. I scoffed and wondered how my job had become so easy over the long years of my confinement. My master had been correct when she said three units had turned. However, she was misinformed about the girl who was now trapped inside the abbey.
"I know what you're thinking Alucard. Don't do anything foolish. I'm coming to inspect the scene," rang my master's voice interrupting my thoughts.
"Foolish? Me? Don't compare me with these vermin," I said indignantly.
"I'm warning you," she said before she left my thoughts.
That was all she need say to make me understand her wishes. The funny thing about orders, however, is the fact that they aren't orders unless they are said word for word. I made my way to the abbey and met little resistance. All the while, I thought of the delicious loophole that I found in my master's warning.
I waltzed in the little abbey hoping to find a score of undead to dust but all I found was the girl I had smelt and something hideous in the guise of a priest. Seeing such an abomination irked me slightly. The paradox of the beast in the priest robes was an old trick but it was simply tasteless. Especially since he was standing under the golden crucifix.
"Do you want to meet God?" it said seductively to the girl hanging loosely in his arms.
"No…It's not possible," she stammered as she fought the hypnotic suggestions.
I found it quite admirable that the girl was fighting the cheap trick.
"Oh yes, it's quite possible child. You see I'm a man of god. I can let you meet your maker with a simple offering from you my dear," it said as it fondled her neckline.
"I find this quite nauseating and insipid. You are not even worth my time," I said aiming my firearm at the creature.
"Who are you? You're interfering with my counselling session," it snarled.
"Counselling? My, my. You are quite the performer. Has the priests robes turned you into one? I must say that is an act of God," I laughed as I closed the distance. "But then again a true man of god would not need to litter a cemetery with vermin to prove himself a man of the divine. You are nothing by a pest that needs to be eradicated,"
"Me? A pest? Watch your tongue my son. You don't know who you're dealing with,"
"Neither do you," I said staring gleefully back at the creature.
I let a bit of my true power escape me and I chuckled through my grin when I noticed him flinch slightly.
"You bore me. Get rid of him," the creature said waving a hand to summon his minions.
Walking corpses in balaclavas holding sub machine guns stood and blocked my view of the pretty girl. I pulled the hammer of my gun down with a satisfying click.
"Coward. You hide behind vermin and litter these scared ground with your filth I should eradicate you and be gone. Your stench is nauseating," I said as I fired a round.
"Fire!"
Bullets tore into me and ripped me to shreds. I quite enjoyed the sensation of my limbs being severed. It reminded me of a better time. When the firing stopped. I fell to the floor in pieces. It was for dramatic purposes. The creature snickered at my supposedly lifeless remains.
"Looks like someone was all talk," he said "Now where was I?"
I laughed. Slow and mirthless at first before breaking out into hysterics. I couldn't help it. This pest thought it had killed me? The Great Alucard? The Old One himself? It was too much.
"You are a riot," I said pulling myself back together. "Is it so very heard to understand that maybe you were facing someone who was much more than a mere human?"
"What?" the creature exclaimed.
"He's not human," the girl whispered.
He was panicking now. I could see it. I smelt his fear.
"Kill the bastard!" he yelled.
The bullets came at me once more but I was in no mood to play games any more. My master was close and I wanted to get her gift ready before she arrived. I fired several quick rounds as I leapt up into the air. The balaclava-clad puppets exploded into dust as each one of my bullets hit their mark perfectly.
I landed lightly and aimed the gun at the creature. Seeing his minions ashed in front of his eyes must have jittered him into desperation. His hypnotic charm was gone and all that was left was a snarling beast holding a young girl hostage.
"Wait please! I misjudged you," the creature pleaded.
"It's too late now," I said growing tired of his pathetic charades.
"I have the girl!" he said shaking her roughly around her neck.
I fell silent and concentrated on the girl. I made her look at me. She glanced at me and was held within my alluring gaze.
"Do you want to live?" I asked.
"What? Of course I do now back away," yelled the creature.
The girl hesitated for a moment as she tried to comprehend her situation but when all solutions failed her she simple went with the flow. She nodded and I smiled. The deal was done. I fired a round straight through her chest and it went straight through her. The creature screeched before it ashed into a pile on the floor. I twitched and caught the girl easily before she even hit the floor.
"Brave girl. Defiant to the end like someone I know,"
"You're…You're not human," she whispered as blood coughed up from her mouth.
"And observant," I said grinning "Do you want to live?" I repeated giving her one last chance to decline.
She nodded and put her arms around me as if she were embracing a lover. I let my fangs do their work. I drained her and took into me her complexities. I took in her memories and a name. From what I could glean in that initial rush of memories, her name was Seras. An uncommon but wonderfully grand name. As she laid dying in my arms, I smiled as I looked over her beauty. She had a fine body. One that could steal any man's attention. She was perfect. A young brave girl. I let my blood flow into her and her wound healed instantly. Brave girl…
Her eyes fluttered open to reveal the youthful shade of red all newly turned Vampires showed. She looked up at me with expectant eyes as if to ask for more. I smiled down at her and lifted her into my arms as if I would a child. If I could know, I'd imagine this is how a father feels when his first child is looking up at him. I felt proud of her. Such bravery for one so young.
"Patience my dear. You'll get it tomorrow night. Save your strength now and rest. Lets just enjoy the beautiful night,"
She nodded and rested her head into my chest. I threw my cloak over her and carried her out to the bustling clean up scene. Colonel Walsh and his men were doing their work concealing evidence. A chopper had landed not long ago, as the wind from the propellers blew dust about. The new recruit I met earlier was directing my master towards me. I walked slowly up to her and met her hard glare.
"I hope you knew what you were doing," she said simply as she realised her mistake earlier on.
She looked at the young girl in his arms and scoffed before turning on her heel and heading back to her helicopter.
"Welcome to the family, my daughter," I said looking down at a pair of curious eyes.
"Who is she?" Seras asked.
"Your master," I replied before I hushed her to sleep before boarding the helicopter bound for home.