Author's notes: **** IMPORTANT!***** Hello friends and welcome to chapter four! Now, I know I said in my notes at the end of the last chapter that "shit was gonna go down" in this chapter, but things have changed. In order to make the story flow better, what was originally planned as the second half of chapter four will now be chapter five. Enjoy, and I'll rejoin you for more important info down at the bottom of the screen!
Chapter 4:
Sentiment
Walter Dornez's P.O.V
London 1942
I kicked the guy into the wall behind him. He slid down onto the ground, coughing and gasping in an effort to get some air back in his lungs.
"Had enough yet, mate?" I stood over him. He didn't answer, just put his hand to his throat. I sighed, pulling out my box of cigarettes and lighting one. "You're boring me. Just hand over the cash and we're done here!"
"I already told ya', I don't have it yet! Just give me a few more days and I'll get the money, I promise!" he pleaded.
"Not happening. No questions, no negotiations, that's how it works. We lent you the money and now it's time to pay up." I blew out smoke.
"C'mon kid, be reasonable! This war has taken everything! " He started to get back up on his feet. I kicked him in the gut, knocking him back down.
"Cry me a fucking river, why don't ya'? This war has taken everything from everyone!" I kicked him again. "I'm just the debt collector, mate. I don't make the rules. You want more time? It's gonna cost you!" My hand went for the knife on my belt.
He started to panic, waving his hands in front of his face. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Please! Tonight, I'll have the money by tonight!"
I took out my knife and squatted down to eye level. I held the blade at his throat. "For your sake, you'd best be telling the truth. You try anything funny and I swear I'll hunt you down." He looked like was going to piss himself, he was so scared. I smiled and laughed. I pressed the tip of my knife into his cheek and slowly dragged it across. Blood came spilling out of the cut, but he didn't make a sound. I wiped the knife off on his shirt and got up to walk away. "Tonight at midnight, same place you found us. Bring anyone with you and I'll kill you. Cheerio."
Present Day (July 2006)
"Master?" A voice suddenly jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see Miss Love standing in front of me. "Master, you fell asleep again." She smiled sweetly.
I sat up and looked around, quickly remembering that we were in the basement training area. "Yes, my apologies, Miss. How long was I asleep, exactly?" I asked as I stood up.
"Around an hour, I think. You should really just go to bed, Master. The human body can't take so many nights with such little sleep." She put her left hand on her hip.
"You're the one lecturing me about sleep when you haven't so much as closed your eyes in the last forty-eight hours?" I chuckled softly.
Miss Love placed her arms behind her back. "Master, you seem to forget that I am no longer human. My body does not require nearly as much rest as you," she reminded me.
I did sometimes forget that she was a vampire, but it wasn't nearly as often as she thought. Miss Love could be very human in certain situations. She was incredibly empathetic and compassionate, but glowing, red eyes, love for human blood, and slightly psychotic tendencies were hard things to ignore.
"Besides…" she continued "I have far too much work to do." She sighed, looking at her left hand.
"It's only been one month, Miss," I reminded her.
"Yes, but how much farther along were you at this point?" she asked, looking fairly unconvinced by my attempt to reassure her.
"Well, I was much more experienced when it came to fighting in general, Miss, so it's hardly a fair comparison," I explained. I could tell by the look on her face that she found something I said to be of interest.
"Is that right?" A mischievous grin spread across her face.
'Oh dear, here it comes.' I could already see where this was going.
"Who taught you how to fight? When was it? How old were you? Were you already working here or was it somewhere else?" She bombarded me with questions, looking up at me with me with an almost child-like look of anticipation in her eyes. I sighed. I still had no idea why she found my past so fascinating. It was all rather dull in my eyes.
It was late, and I was in no mood to tell stories. Then again, I never was. "I'm afraid we'll have to save that tale for another day, Miss." That was a lie. If I could help it, no one would ever know that story. It wasn't painful, not anymore, but no one needed to know it. Arthur had known my past and that was more than enough.
Miss Love looked visibly disappointed, but I quickly redirected her attention. "Now then, Miss, shall we run through it one more time?" I suggested. She nodded, turning back to the wooden cutouts that represented enemies. She held her right hand to her mouth and pulled the wires from her fingertips. With a swift flick of her arm, she flung the wires forward and they wrapped around the wooden figure. Her hands were clenched into tight fists as she tried to keep the hold secure.
"Relax your shoulders," I instructed. She immediately lowered them. "Now, gently pull forward." We obviously had different ideas of what the word "gently" meant. Miss Love yanked her hand in with quite a bit of force. The figure was obliterated and the wires were retracting far too quickly.
"Oh shit!"
I hit the floor just before they passed overhead. Only when the wires had finally returned to her hand did I finally get back on my feet.
"Master, are you alright?!" Miss Love rushed to my side. I was fine, completely untouched, while she had a rather large cut running along her right cheek. Blood came to the surface and started dripping down her face. She didn't seem to notice.
"Well now, I'll take that as a sign that we should stop for today." I brushed myself off. Despite her statement only a few moments ago about not needing rest, it was clear that the lack of sleep was taking a toll on her ability to focus. Continuing would most likely lead to one of us losing our heads.
"I'm terribly sorry, Master, but I can still-" she started to protest.
"That's an order, Miss." I knew that was the only way I would get her stop. She looked down at her feet and bowed her head.
"Yes, sir."
We made our way upstairs and then to the second floor, walking in silence. Miss Love kept her eyes on the floor. The cut on her face was still bleeding. Despite the fact that she was drinking blood at least twice a day, her healing ability was only slightly better. We stopped in front of her room. She opened her door and I followed her in.
"Let's take a look at that cut." I motioned towards the bathroom. At first, Miss Love didn't seem to know what I was referring to. She placed her right hand to her cheek, getting her glove bloody. She looked at her hand.
"Oh…" she said rather absentmindedly. Miss Love followed me and I pulled the med kit out of the cabinet. Ever since she first came to Hellsing, I had to keep one in her bathroom at all times since she was basically a walking accident. Although it wasn't a constant occurrence anymore, she was familiar with the routine. She sat on the counter and waited. I handed her a damp cloth to wipe away the blood.
"You need to be more careful, Miss." The words sounded patronizing once they left my mouth, but she didn't argue. She pressed the cloth to the cut and stared down at the floor. I could tell she was disappointed in herself for losing control. Learning to read her expressions wasn't as hard as I had first thought. She was practically an open book once you spent enough time around her.
Miss Love stayed quiet, and after a few minutes, she removed the cloth so I could see how bad the cut actually was. It wasn't as deep as I had thought. With what little regeneration ability she had, it would be fine by sometime tomorrow. I handed her a bandage and she hopped to her feet, facing the mirror so she could put it on.
"Thank you."
"Not a problem." With that matter sorted, we left the bathroom and I started to leave.
"Goodnight, Master." She bowed again. I disliked it when she got this formal, but that was the nature of our relationship at this point. She no longer called me by my first name and had become far more reserved in my presence. Even after a month, I wasn't used to it. After having been exposed to her more casual side for four months, it still felt strange when she called me "Master" and bowed her head in front of me.
"Goodnight, Miss." I shut the door behind me and went into my own room. Normally, I read for a while before bed, but I didn't think I could keep my eyes open long enough for that tonight. The adrenaline rush from almost losing my head was long gone and I was exhausted. These late nights were getting to me. When I finally turned out the light, I was asleep within minutes.
December 1942
"What? You gotta' be kidding me!" One of men in front of me slammed his fist on the table.
"Do I look like I'm joking, sir?" I flicked open my lighter and lit a cigarette. "Eight hundred quid or the deal's off." This meeting had only just started and I could already tell it was going to be annoying. I leaned back in my chair. He just continued to glare at me. "Look, you commissioned me to make you these revolvers, so I made them. I'd say eight hundred quid a piece is a fair price, wouldn't you? This shit ain't cheap, but if you lot don't think you can afford it, then that's fine. I know plenty of other monsters in this city that would be interested in these, and they'll pay double!" I blew out smoke. The man sitting across from me had a look on his face that resembled someone asking, "how the fuck does this kid know about us?". This is why I hated taking on new clients. They see a twelve year old kid and think it's a joke. "It's my business to know everything about this city, sir. Of course I know what you are. What kind of information broker would I be if I didn't?"
He was caught completely off guard, which is what I wanted. He glanced back at two blokes he brought with him.
"Just what are you, kid?" one of them asked.
"Whatever I need to be," I said simply. That was the truth. Debt collector, information broker, gun smith. You name it, I've probably done it.
This was starting to bore me. I had more important things to do than sit and argue with a bunch of fourth-rate vampires. "Enough chit-chat, do we have a deal or not?"
The man's red eyes focused on me again. I could tell he was trying to decide whether or not to just kill me and take the guns. I rested my head on my left hand and glared right back at him, ready to pull out my knife if he even so much as flinched. He scowled, baring his fangs, but sat back in his chair and folded his arms.
"It's a deal," he hissed.
"Fantastic!" I grinned. Once the exchange was complete, I rose from my seat. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen!" I left quickly and went to go meet with my boss.
The next day
It was late. The job my boss had given me had taken much longer than I had anticipated. I glanced down at my watch. It was already 11:00. "Bloody hell…" I cursed. If I didn't get home soon, I'd be in for another lecture and I wasn't in the mood for that. It'd been a long day and there wasn't anything to show for it.
My parents knew what I did for work, or at least my Father did. I tried to keep my Mum in the dark as much as possible. Having her worry about me wouldn't do us any good. It didn't matter to me what I had to do. It was a job.
When I finally made it home, it was nearly midnight. If my Father was still up, I'd be in for it for sure. I tossed my cigarette to the ground. My Mum didn't like it when I smoked, so I tried not to do it around her. I didn't like upsetting her with my work or my bad habits. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and went to unlock the door, but it was already unlocked.
'God damn it!' I thought to myself. If the door wasn't locked, then my Father was awake after all. I walked in and closed the door behind me. The house was dark and showed no signs of anyone still being awake. Had he just forgotten to lock the door? I walked down the hall and turned to my left, checking to see if he was waiting for me. I felt my blood turn to ice. My Father, or what I assumed was my Father, was on the floor in a spreading pool of blood. His head had been blown open. My Mother sat in a chair in front of me. The vampire from yesterday stood behind her, holding the revolver I had made for him to her head, but she was alive.
"Sure did take your sweet time, didn't ya', lad?" He grinned sadistically.
"Walter, run!" My Mother shouted.
"Shut it!" The vampire whacked her on the back of the head with the butt of the gun.
Adrenaline pulsed and coursed through my body. "Don't you fucking touch her!" I went for the knife on my belt, but heard the click of a loaded gun at the back of my head.
"Don't move, lad, my boys won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head." He laughed. "Now then, shall we get down to business?" He pressed the tip of the revolver into my Mother's head.
"Let her go! You wanna talk? Then we can talk, but she doesn't need to be a part of this!" I snarled.
"Right you are!" With that, he pulled the trigger and a loud bang echoed through the room. My Mother's body hit the floor with a thud.
Everything was a sudden blur. My body moved faster than my mind could fully process. With silver knife in hand, the vampire behind me hit the floor, blood spurting from the fresh, gaping hole in his throat. More of his guys came at me. I cut through them all. They were easy. Gun shots rang out and one bullet tore through my shoulder, but I didn't even feel it. It was over in seconds. The last one, the monster that had just killed my Mother, was underneath me. I plunged the knife into his heart again and again and again until the rush faded and I could no longer lift my arms above my head. He was dead at least thirty stab wounds ago. All at once, I could feel pain shooting through my shoulder, but I didn't care.
Next thing I knew, the front door was kicked in. 'More of them!?' A single figured glided down the hall and stopped when he came to the first body. He was dressed in a red coat and hat. He held a tommy gun in his right hand. I pulled my knife out of the vampire's body and got to my feet. 'Fine, keep 'em coming! I'll kill every last one of you blood suckers!'
He turned his head to look at me and I froze. His red eyes looked right through me. I couldn't move. I started to shake all over. My knife slipped through my fingers, hitting the floor with a loud clattering sound.
"You there, boy, did you do this?" he demanded. All I could manage was a nod. "How interesting…" A twisted smile spread across his face. Was he the leader of these monsters? It didn't matter. I snapped out of my trance and grabbed my knife off the floor, lunging at the tall vampire, ready to drive the blade into his chest. With lightning-fast reflexes, he caught me by my wrist and took the knife from my hand, before throwing me into the wall. A loud cracking sound echoed through my body. I had the wind knocked out of me. "You're quite the feisty kid, aren't you?" He laughed. He held my knife in his hand. "You managed to kill five vampires with nothing but a knife?" The vampire looked it over. "Wait, it's silver?" He sounded genuinely surprised. "What a fascinating boy you are indeed!" He began to approach me.
"Stay back!" I grabbed one of the revolvers on the floor and fired a round into his chest. It didn't even seem to faze him.
"Yes, I do believe my Master would love to meet you." He knelt down and looked me directly in the eyes. "Everything is fine, boy. Go to sleep," he whispered softly. His voice was almost comforting.
"Everything… is… fine…" I heard myself repeat in a hazy voice. My eyelids were growing heavy.
"Yes, everything is fine." Everything fell out of focus and I slipped out of consciousness.
I woke up in a panic, flinging myself upright and reaching out in front of me. I had no idea where I was. I didn't recognize the room and I was in a bed that certainly wasn't my own. I tried to get up, but pain shot through my left shoulder and across my chest. I clutched my shoulder and fell back on the bed.
"Take it easy there, lad. You're safe now." A man who was sitting by the window laughed softly. Light was shining in. Why was I here? I couldn't remember anything. I tried to take a deep breath, but pain shot through my chest again and I curled up into a ball, waiting for the pain to stop. "Don't move around so much. You've got a gunshot wound in your shoulder and two broken ribs."
I raised my head a bit so I could try and see this mysterious man better. He was older, probably in his fifties. He wore glasses, had short brown hair, and wore a black suit.
"Who are you?" I managed to ask, but only just above a whisper. He stood up, a book in his hand.
"We'll have time for introductions in a moment. First, I need to inform Sir Hellsing that you're awake. I'll be back shortly." He smiled. He didn't seem threatening. He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
'I've got to get out of here!' I tried to sit up. "AGH!" I cringed. It was impossible. It felt like a lot more was broken than just two ribs. 'Bloody bastards, what did they do to me?!'
Finally, I was sitting up, but already out of breath. How on earth was I supposed to escape this place in this condition?
The door opened and in walked a man I didn't recognize, followed by the man from before.
"The boy lives after all!" The newcomer laughed. He had a deep voice. His blond hair was swept back with a few strands sticking out of place. His irises matched his hair color almost perfectly. He held a folder in his hand. This was my captor, I was sure of it. The way he carried himself was strong and commanding. "You are quite the fascinating young lad now, aren't you Walter?" He grinned.
"How do you…"
"How do I know your name?" he finished for me. The man chuckled softly, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside me. He held up the folder and then opened it, pulling out the first page. "Walter Christopher Dornez, born November twenty-first, 1930. Your Father, John, owned a small shop before the war, and your Mother, Helen, worked with him. You were their only child and have been involved in all sorts of trouble for just about four years now. For instance…" He flipped through the pages. "Ah, here we are!" he exclaimed. "You have been linked to the disappearances of a total of thirteen individuals over the last two years. Due to lack of evidence, you've never been brought in, although I think that's utter nonsense. You're hardly subtle with your work." He continued to rifle through the papers.
"Who are you?" I glared at him. This guy knew way too much. I didn't know how well I could fight right now, but I would if I had to. I put my hand to my waist, feeling for my knife. It wasn't there. Not much of a surprise. Of course they took it from me.
He glanced up at me. "Right, of course, introductions. My name is Sir Arthur Hellsing, I am the head of the Hellsing organization." Was I supposed to be impressed? I had never heard of Hellsing. He looked back at the man who was standing by the window. "This is Simon, my butler. He's the one who patched you up." He turned back to me.
"What do you want with me?" My eyes continued to dart back and forth between the two men.
Sir Hellsing closed the folder and motioned for Simon to come over. He handed the folder over to him, but didn't take his eyes off of me for a single second.
"I couldn't care less that you're part of the mob, and I quite frankly don't give a damn that you're a murderer either. I care about two things. The first being that, for a twelve year old child, you make some very impressive weapons. And the second being this:" He pulled my silver knife out of his pocket, gripping it by the hilt. "At first glance, this is just a knife, but you and I both know that is not the case." His eyes flashed with a dangerous excitement. "It's silver," he stated. "Now, why would someone carry around a silver blade? Quite the peculiar choice of metal, don't you think?"
I couldn't speak. This whole thing was impossible. Who the hell was this man?!
"There's only one explanation, Walter." He didn't say it. He didn't need to.
I remained silent. Nothing I said would make him believe that I didn't know. He was too smart for that.
"My point is, Walter, that I think your talents are wasted on the mob. You clearly aren't appreciated for your true gift, and that is killing monsters. Come work for me. There's a lot you don't know and we are more than happy to show it to you." He looked back at Simon who nodded with a smile. "We are the Royal Protestant Knights. We protect England from the monsters. We could use someone like you. You killed five vampires with just this knife. Imagine what you could do if you joined us." He smiled.
'I did what?' Everything was coming back now. Last night. "Oh, God…" I whispered. No, that had to be some sort of nightmare. That couldn't have been real. "Where… are my parents?" I asked him. My voice sounded so small, weak, and childish.
Sir Hellsing frowned. "They're dead, Walter," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry." He at least sounded sincere. Dead. They were dead. My Father and my Mum, they were both dead. I thought I was going to be sick. I could remember it all now. The scene repeated over and over in my mind's eye. That monster pulling the trigger and my Mum hitting the floor. It all echoed in my head.
'No, this is no time to get emotional. I can't…' I held it in and tried to keep it together. "Oh…yeah…" I paused. "Forgive me, Sir Hellsing, but I'm afraid I have to decline your offer. I already have a job, as you know." I glanced up at him for a moment and then back down. I just wanted to get out of here.
"Actually you don't." He folded his hands. My eyes widened. I stared at him.
'What!?'
"Everyone in your little gang is dead as well. You're the only survivor." He pulled out a tin of cigars and lit one. "You made too many enemies, lad. They went after everyone you have ever associated with and killed them all. If they haven't already figured it out, it won't be long 'till they realize you're not dead." He took a moment to blow out smoke. "Now, I know what you're thinking, Walter. I could be lying to you about this. You'd be stupid not to think that, but are you willing to take the risk? Think about all of the enemies you've ever made and how all of them are now hunting you down. How long do you think you can last? A week? A month? Maybe even a year?" He raised an eyebrow.
He was right. I had a lot of enemies. If all of them really were after me, I wouldn't survive more than a few days if I stayed in London or anywhere else in the country! I had no family, no job, and nothing to return to. I was completely alone. I leaned forward, my head in my hands.
"Alright," I finally spoke after a long period of silence. This man was offering me a job and the opportunity to keep living. His motives were easy enough to understand. I would be a weapon. That was fine by me. "I'll work for you," I said quietly.
"Fantastic! I knew you'd agree in the end!" He patted me on the back. It hurt, but I didn't let him see that. Simon walked over to us and smiled at me. "Simon will be your mentor in fighting and your teacher of the occult." He motioned towards him.
'This guy?' I thought to myself. He didn't really seem like the fighting type, but that was the least of my concerns right now. "Sir Hellsing…" I started.
"Yes?"
"By any chance… could I see my parents' bodies?" I asked, looking down.
Sir Hellsing sighed as he took another puff of his cigar. "No, I'm afraid not. We couldn't know for sure if they were bitten. We had no choice but to burn their bodies."
Those words made my heart sink again. That was it, then. I would never get to say goodbye. I clenched my jaw tightly.
"However," Sir Hellsing added. "That does remind me." He reached into his jacket pocket. "Give me your hand," he instructed. I held out my hand. He placed the object in my hand and then stood up. I looked at what he had given me. It was a silver chain with two rings on it. "Your parents' wedding rings," he said softly.
All I could do was just stare down at them. "Thank you, Sir…" It was barely even a whisper, but he still heard me. Sir Hellsing nodded and began to walk away.
"You're injured, so physical training is out of the question for the time being, but you'll start working with Simon tomorrow. Rest for today." He turned to look back at me one last time. "Welcome to Hellsing, Walter Dornez" He walked out the door, his footsteps growing faint as he strode down the hallway.
There was a pause and then Simon spoke up. "I know it's a lot to process in such a short amount of time, but try to get some rest while you can. I'll be back in a few hours." He smiled and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Slowly, I laid down. I turned on to my right side and brought my knees to my chest despite the burning pain. I clutched the rings in my hand and held them close, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.
Present day
My eyes opened slowly. 'A dream…' I quickly realized. I glanced over at the clock on my desk. It was already almost 5:00AM. 'Damn…' I thought. I hardly felt as though I had slept at all. I should have just gotten up, but I decided I would lay there for a few minutes. I let my thoughts wander a bit and found myself absentmindedly pulling the silver chain out from underneath my shirt. It was a rather stupidly sentimental thing to wear after all these years. After all, my parents were practically just a hazy memory at this point, but for some reason I still held on to it.
There was a knock at my door. I pushed myself to my feet and opened it up to see Miss Love standing before me in a T-shirt and shorts, her long hair was still a mess.
"You're up early, Miss. What is it?" I asked. This wasn't like her at all.
"Master, we have a problem…"
TBC
Author's notes: Tah-dah! Here you have it: my take on Walter joining Hellsing! There was going to be so much more to this chapter, but I assure you that your patience will be rewarded in the next one! I have Spring break all next week so, with the exception of Thursday, I will be devoting absurd amounts of time to getting that chapter out as quickly as possible. After that I truthfully don't know how quickly things will progress. It's getting close to final exams ALREADY! So the period of time between chapters five and six may be rather large. I apologize in advance and look forward to seeing you next time.
Ja ne
Ryo Wei
