Chapter One, Knock, Knock. Who's There? Pain.
"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown"-H.P. Lovecraft
It was hot. Far hotter than it had been in previous years—and so early in the season too. Once the storms had died down from the last hurricane that slammed Louisiana, the temperatures soared to new record highs. The sun shone brightly, only adding to the insufferable heat. Resident birds hid in the cool, sanctuary of the canopy. They didn't bother wasting their energy in singing.
The only noises were the buzzing drone of cicadas and locusts, and the rumbling air conditioning units as they struggled to pump cool air into houses and businesses. Their attempts were in vain. The sun burned down hotly and the cold air rushing through the vents did little to counter the scorching assault.
The big story in Bon Temps the following morning was the discovery of the fifteenth murder victim. All of Merlotte's was buzzing with the grotesquely detailed newspaper article. What really got them in a tizzy was the fact that a stranger was spotted leaving the crime scene—for the second time. She had been spotted at the last two murder sites. Ironically, all of the photographs of her were obscured by…something. None of them were able to focus in on her—if it even was a her.
There was a collective sigh of relief as all of Merlotte's Bar and Grill watched the television screen as reporters began covering the story in full and that the killer was found.
Enrique Vasquez. A rogue vampire.
Seeing that justice had been severed to a dangerous vampire, the mood brightened. All except for one. Sookie Stackhouse. Something didn't bode well for her. She could sense it deep within her bones.
"C'mon, Sook," Tara said and nudged her friend. Sookie tried to smile in return, but Tara's efforts did little to comfort her.
"I can't help it. Something just doesn't feel right."
Tara gave a roll of her deep, brown eyes. "Another one of your ooky-spooky feelings I take it?"
Sookie glanced flatly to Tara. She opened her mouth to retort before her attention was immediately drawn away from her friend as the lights flickered and went out. The numerous fans that dotted Merlotte's scenery all slowed to a collective stop.
The power had gone out. Again.
Only this time, it was undoubtedly because of the heat. A brownout, most likely.
Or so they assumed.
"Damn it, Sam! The fuse blew again!" Tara snapped and left her position behind the bar to find the owner of Merlotte's. She grumbled unpleasantries under her breath before she stopped dead in her tracks as the front door swung open with a bang. The entire restaurant nearly jumped out of their skins. She was forced to squint against the blaring sunshine as she searched for a figure—a shape of someone, anyone that could have kicked open the door.
None came.
"Ch…man…. Sam! Fix the damned door!"
All of Merlotte's went silent as a figure stepped in, just as Tara finished yelling out to Sam. Sookie blinked against the light and was barely able to figure out what the figure was carrying.
A lace parasol.
"What the hell is this?" snapped Tara. Already the heat from the outside was infiltrating the restaurant.
A woman strode through Merlotte's as if she were a phantasm, closing her parasol with dainty, black gloved hands. Her skin was whiter than the finest of porcelain, lips the richest crimson Sookie had ever seen. Not even Pam owned a shade quite like this woman's. She was captivated by the woman and her cold, blue-green eyes that seemed to glare at the world from behind a veil of silken, ebony hair.
Normally a few snickers would arise from the crowd at the peculiar dress of the woman. No one around those parts would even dream to wear a black corset, tulle skirt that was cut quite short in front and layered longer in back. The only ones Sookie could think of were those who went to Fangtasia, the nightclub owned by the notorious Eric Northman, vampire Sheriff of Area Five.
But…there was something about this woman in black that struck Sookie as odd. Though her clothing screamed Fangtasia, she knew the woman was not one to go there. For one thing, the blackness of her clothing seemed to be alive. It seethed and writhed against her ivory skin and the blonde knew that it must just be a trick of the light. She couldn't deny that it was mesmerizing. Another reason? She seemed above it all, like she was too good for a cheap gothic thrill.
The black haired woman gracefully glided through the restaurant as if she weren't wearing the meanest platform-ballerina slippers imaginable. The heel alone was a good five inches, but she moved as languidly as if she were barefoot. She took a seat, effortlessly, in a booth near the back to the restaurant. She casually brushed her bangs from her face with gloved fingers and arranged her parasol to be leaning against the windowsill next to her.
It took Sookie a few moments to collect herself before she hurried over to the woman's booth. "Hey there! Hot isn't it? Well, welcome to Merlotte's! Sorry, the power just went out. Can you really blame it? In all this heat?" She laughed nervously. "So what kind of True Blood can I get you?"
The question was out of her mouth before she even realized she asked it. She felt dread seep into her bones as the woman, who had blatantly ignored her every word, finally turned her viciously cold eyes her way.
"It is the middle of the day. If I were a vampire, I would not be out at this time," she replied in a chillingly cool and exotically accented voice. Her accent sounded familiar to Sookie. It was a cross between British and one that she couldn't put a finger on. She knew she had heard it before—or something similar at least. Her thoughts shifted immediately to Eric and Pam.
"Besides," the woman continued, interrupting Sookie's musing, "would a vampire venture out on a day like today? I do not think so."
"Erm…right. So…what else could I get you?"
"A glass of carmenere. The finest you have. That will be all."
"I'm sorry, but we don't have that. Closest we've got is a cabernet sauvignon."
"Very well then." She gave a wave of her hand to dismiss the waitress. She didn't have the patience to even begin to describe the differences between the two red wines. Instead, she opened her small clutch and pulled out a silver cigarette case. She opened it and pulled out a cigarette and matching lighter. She lit the tobacco with a fluid motion and inhaled deeply. "Don't forget the ashtray, sweetie."
Sookie bristled and bit back an insult. She turned sharply and stormed off to get the woman a glass of wine. She didn't comment about her smoking. She would let Sam handle that. Better yet, she would let Tara handle it. She had been itching to pick a fight with someone—and even if the woman had five-inch platforms on, Tara still had a few inches on her.
"What was that all about?" Tara asked as Sookie placed the order for a glass of wine.
"I honestly don't know," replied the waitress. "I mean, she's just…weird."
"Uh-huh…. Tell me about it." She rummaged around under the bar before finding the bottle of cabernet and snatched the cork screw. "Who in their right mind would go out in this kinda weather dressed like that? I mean, seriously, Sook. She looks like she just walked out of some fetish photo shoot."
"Well…maybe she has? Or maybe they're making a movie?"
"Right, Sook. If they were, don't you think this whole damned place would be buzzing about it? Besides, who the hell wants to shoot a movie here?"
"A creepy fetish movie director?" offered Sookie. Both the women laughed softly at the absurd idea, that truly didn't seem so absurd with all of the strange things that happened in their not-so-sleepy town.
"Say…Tara…. Want to clue her in on there's no smoking in here?"
Tara gave Sookie a meaningful glance. "And mess around with psycho-bondage girl? I don't think so. It's not like it's bothering anyone. They've already up and moved to a farther table. She owns the entire back of the restaurant!"
Sookie frowned slightly as she glanced over her shoulder towards the bitter woman in black. Without the blessing of the fans, the smoke just hung in the air around her.
"I suppose you're right."
"You can mess around with her however much you'd like, Sook. I've got your back, you know I do. I'm just not ready to jump into my casket yet."
Sookie reluctantly nodded and picked up the glass of wine Tara had poured. "Thanks a lot, Tara," she grumbled before making her way over to the table.
"Here's your wine, ma'am. I hope you don't mind that it's—" she cut off as the woman flicked up a twenty dollar bill between her first two fingers of her right hand.
"Keep the change, dearie."
Sookie was at a loss for words. She hesitantly took the money as she set the glass down before her. "Okay…. Thank you."
She took a step back, but didn't leave altogether. Her brows creased slightly as she watched the woman take a small sip and cringed.
"Is there something else you need to say?" asked the woman as she set the glass down.
"What? No—Sorry."
"Then you may go."
Sookie huffed slightly before she turned and walked back to the bar.
Sam dried his hands on an old threadbare, but freshly laundered, dish rag as he entered his bar. It had only taken him about ten or fifteen minutes to get the generator going, but it was long enough to miss the woman's grand and dramatic entrance. Still, the instant he entered the bar, the tense atmosphere put him on alert. The strange foreign yet familiar scent of the newcomer did nothing to calm his nerves. None of those thoughts seemed to affect his expression and thankfully, did not alert Sookie to warrant her scrying of his thoughts. He was able to freely slip behind the bar without anyone seeming to notice him, all except for Tara. He kept an eye on the stranger, but made no move to interfere.
"Where the hell were you, Sam?" asked Tara as she snapped her fierce gaze to the shifter. "Anyway, you missed it."
Sam narrowed his eyes slightly as Tara didn't even give him time to interject before she continued speaking. "Yeah, I guess I did miss it." He gestured towards the woman.
"Gives me the fucking spooks."
"Can't say that I blame you. She's certainly…different."
Tara barked a laugh. "Yeah…. Different…."
Their conversation dwindled as they couldn't find anything more to talk about. The afternoon turned to night, far more slowly than any of them had wanted it to. A few more people came, ate and left during that time, and not one of them were willing to sit anywhere near the woman. She remained rooted to her seat the entire day. She occasionally ordered another glass of wine and she did minimal talking.
It set everyone's nerves on alert.
No one liked her.
Tara's eyes narrowed as she leaned against the bar, arms folded over her chest. A scowl marred her strong, but pretty face. "Sam, why don't you get a damned sign saying, 'No freak shows allowed' or something? I'm sick of having all these weirdos popping in!" she snarled.
"A customer is a customer. She isn't doing any harm," Sam decided. "Besides, no one in Bon Temps would be allowed in if I did that," he then added in a teasing tone.
Tara snorted as she glared at the newcomer in her little gothic dress.
"No one's forcing you to work here, Tara. And anyway, she can't be a vampire—she walked in at noon!" Sookie glanced over to her easily annoyed friend.
"That may be, but there are all sorts of other psychos around!" Tara snapped in retort.
Sookie gave a sigh and bit the inside of her cheek as she joined Tara and Sam in watching the stranger. She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes for a moment, reaching out and scrying to find a trail of the woman's thoughts. Her skin prickled in an all too familiar sensation as she found nothing but blissful silence, up until a chilling voice echoed through her mind.
This is a complete and utter waste of my time. There isn't anything here but a group of redneck hillbillies. Damn Hellsing for sending me here.
Her eyes snapped open. "What's Hellsing?" Sookie blurted out. She jumped as the woman from the book was suddenly mere inches away from her. Her eyes went wide—there was no way a human would have been able to move that quickly. She had appeared in a blink of an eye—far faster than anyone she had ever encountered—all except….
No…. She had ruled out vampire. The woman had strolled into the restaurant in broad daylight!
"What have you heard, little human girl?" the woman hissed as she grabbed Sookie by the front of her shirt. Even with the aid of her shoes, the woman was still considerably shorter than the waitress.
Sam was on his feet the instant when the woman raised her voice. It hadn't registered that she had crossed the relatively large space in a matter of a split second. Despite what he had told Tara, the woman felt dangerous.
"What's Hellsing," Sookie demanded again. Her hands gripped the black gloved ones that had clamped down on her shirt like a vise. She tried to read the woman's thoughts, but she found nothing but the calming, if not cold, silence.
"It is far beyond a mere mortal's capability to understand!"
"Sookie, I don't think you should be eavesdropping when you can avoid it," Sam muttered to the waitress as he tried to break Sookie away from the short woman.
"Stay out of this, mongrel!" the woman snarled and shoved Sam out of the way as effortlessly as if he were a ragdoll. Her vivid teal eyes narrowed dangerously as she cornered the waitress against the stone wall.
"Answer my question!" Sookie nearly shouted. Her senses had been kicked into overdrive. The woman was far more than she appeared.
"As I said before, you wouldn't understand," seethed the smaller woman. A slim hand reached behind her and withdrew a nasty looking handgun from God only knew where. She grinned, a wide, cruel expression. Her teeth were stark white against her carmine lips. She aimed directly between Sookie's eyes. "You should learn to keep that sharp tongue of yours under control. You can do that in your next life."
Sam recovered from being tossed against the bar. He had barely managed to catch himself before he destroyed the bar stools. He was back at Sookie's side within an instant as the woman drew a gun. He snatched at her wrist and pointed the barrel towards the ceiling. "Get out of my bar!" he demanded. His free hand reached out and shoved Sookie towards safety.
The woman rolled her teal eyes. "Do you honestly think you can simply order me around?" she hissed and turned to face the man. Even though he towered over her, the little woman was far from ready to back down. –It made Sam tense even more.
"This. Is none. Of Your. Business," she whispered as she locked eyes with the owner.
It never hurt to use a little bit of glamour to get what she wanted, especially in the presence of mere mortals. For all the woman knew, or cared, she was still within the bounds the Lady Hellsing ordered her to remain in.
Sookie took a brief moment to let relief flood her senses. She allowed herself a fraction of a second to breathe a sigh of relief as the gun was no longer aimed at her. However, that relief only lasted a minimal split second before her friend was held captivated by the woman's stare.
Sam's muscles tensed as he fought the woman's command, but his eyes were glassy and compliant within seconds. Slowly the knots in his muscles relaxed. "It's…none of my business," he repeated dumbly.
"Sam! Sam snap out of it! She's a vampire!" Sookie cried as she realized what the woman was doing. She didn't regret her sudden outcry, even if it had caught the vampire's attention. She cursed and tried to flee.
The vampire rounded on the waitress, but not without shoving Sam Merlotte far away from her and her new prey, Sookie.
He snarled as blinding pain seared across his back as he landed upon the bar. The bottles of beer and mixed cocktails shattered and cut deep into his spine, the spilled alcohol burning into the cuts and gashes.
"Oh, you spoiled my fun!" She snatched Sookie's shirt once again and thrust her painfully hard into the wall. "Now you all must die," she chided and pulled back the hammer of her weapon.
Panic rose in Sookie's chest. She didn't know where she could run. She couldn't escape because surely this woman would be there to stop her. Before her mind ran out of options, she immediately screamed out for the vampire Bill.
"What? That's it?" she asked before chuckling. "What a waste." She fired once, narrowly missing the waitress. The bullet lodged itself into the stone wall, the shock waves causing the light fixtures on the ceiling to tremble and rattle.
Bill was out of his home the instant he heard Sookie's voice. He raced through the night. The sound of the gunshot set him running even faster. He slammed through the door of Merlotte's, his fangs bared. He was besides the woman in a heartbeat and grabbed her wrist in a vise-like grip. "Drop the gun. Now."
Irritation flickered across the woman's porcelain pale face as her sharp eyes snapped to the newly arrived vampire. "Do not meddle in the affairs of one such as me!" she snarled lowly, easily ignoring the painful grasp on her wrist. Her muscles strained as it took just about all her strength to keep the gun somewhat steady. It wavered in front of Sookie's nose.
Heat flared within her arm as her muscles screamed in protest. She allowed her arm to give way in order to properly deal with the newest annoyance. Her body twisted just slightly before she exhaled a shallow breath, her body disintegrating into a blood red mist and effortlessly slid between his fingers. Her body quickly materialized a few feet away from him, body poised and pissed.
Bill's eyes widened with shock. "Wh—What?" Not once had he ever seen anything like it.
Sookie collapsed to the floor as soon as she was released by the vampire. She scrambled to her feet, relieved that Bill had finally arrived. "Bill! Be careful! She's unlike any vampire I've ever seen! She walked in during daylight!" she shouted and quickly sprinted to make sure Sam was all right. The rest of the guests had fled as soon as the beginnings of a fight began. She knelt by his side, ignoring the abuse her knees took as the broken glass punctured her perfect flesh.
"My God…. Sam!"
The woman laughed. It was low like thunder and as smooth as silk. "Releasing Control Art Restriction to level two," the vampire breathed, her voice a dark, sweet whisper. Being Hellsing's pet had its perks, and with a father like hers….
The lights of Merlotte's flickered and went dim as the woman's allotted power began to rise until the small dining hall seemed to have disappeared.
"You really shouldn't have interfered."
Bill tensed, though he knew there was little to nothing he could do against this. Certainly there were stories about vampires with powers straight from the legends, but he had never believed it until now.
"I will not let you harm her," he said in an icy tone. Though he didn't know what exactly he was up against, he wasn't about to run away. He didn't wait around to see what was going to happen next. He charged her and grasped her shoulder. He hauled her up and flung her through the window she was near to. The glass would only slow down a vampire, but at least she would be outside and away from the others.
The woman's expression changed instantly to one of shock as she felt herself lifted and hurled towards the window. She braced for impact before suddenly realizing it didn't have to end that way. She shifted yet again before she burst through the glass.
"Sookie—you need to get out of here," Sam mumbled, his brain still numbed from the abuse his body had just taken. His gaze sharpened instantly and was on his feet within seconds. He pushed Sookie towards the back door, wanting to take advantage of the new vampire's confusion. "Go!"
They didn't have time to wait for the roiling cloud of mist to rematerialize and raise Hell.
Sookie fought against him. "No, Sam! I'm not going anywhere!"
Their time was up. The vampire had rematerialized. She looked ruffled and pissed as she crouched down upon the table. Her eyes were like daggers of ice as she glared at the vampire Bill.
"You dare throw a lady? I thought you Southerners had manners!" she hissed, her muddled accent now clear that it was a mix of British and what sounded like Slavic. She rose to her full height—a measly four foot and eleven inches, and glowered at the vampire.
"Sookie, damn it! Get out of here, now!" Sam shouted.
"You are all very, very annoying," the vampire spat bitterly as she pulled a second gun from the black tulle of her skirt. She aimed directly at Bill. She didn't hesitate as she squeezed the trigger, the energy from the gun's recoil traveling up her arm and giving her a good, solid jolt.
"No, Sam! You go! I'm staying here—" Sookie began but jerked at the sound of the gun. Bill's name was caught in her throat as she couldn't react fast enough to shout out to him.
The bullet sped from the barrel of the gun before instantly bursting into flames halfway between the two vampires. The bullet melted and dripped into a puddle of glowing silver.
Sookie blinked back the blinding light as the bullet was stopped midflight and reduced to nothing but molten silver. "Go, get out of here!" she urged Sam. Finally, reluctantly, Sam agreed.
"Morissa!"
The woman snapped her attention towards the newest guest. She snarled. "This is none of your concern, Kalandryn! Stay back!"
"It is my concern. Your orders were not to attack civilians—even if one is a vampire. He is not our target."
The man addressed as Kalandryn strode into the diner, his warm, wine colored eyes never leaving the short woman until he was standing between her and the other vampire. He fixed the woman with a stern glare.
"My sincere apologies. Words will never amount to how sorry I am for this incident," began Kalandryn in a faux, apologetic tone. "I pray no one was injured?" A silent much hung in the air.
"Someone was injured, but I really don't think you owe him the apology," Bill replied to the newcomer. Though this new man was nonchalant in dismissing the previous tensions, Bill didn't relax in the slightest. He didn't trust either of these people.
Kalandryn looked to Bill with an arched eyebrow. He remained silent, however.
"Target," Bill pressed. "Who are you after?"
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Sincerely,
Unearthed