Hangman, Hangman chapter 3
The cold air whipped viciously at Allen's body, clawing at his numb face and frozen hands, cutting at the tears in his clothing with an icy knife. His eyes watered constantly as he ushered his horse faster, faster, needing to reach the place Kanda was at. The mustang obliged, sensing his urgency, stretching out his legs and increasing his speed, putting his Thoroughbred blood to use. His body hurt, the smaller scratches and cuts long since closing up, but the cloth he'd pressed to his shoulder and hand still dripped, the constant jarring movement doing nothing to help stop the steady flow of blood. He had to hurry. Even if he'd be fine with losing more blood than a normal person, a hybrid like himself still had limits. Already he could feel a faint dizziness creeping from the back of his mind.
Even at the speed Tim moved at, it still took them almost an hour to reach the next town where Kanda had headed off to. As the barely visible glow of lights grew brighter in the distance, he led the mustang in the direction he could feel the vampire was in, the golden tattoo burning against his neck, whispering for him to hurry. Tim's hooves clattered loudly on the streets, the sound echoing off the houses. As he reached the heart of the town, he pulled the reins, bringing his horse to a stop. He reared at the sight in from of them, whinnying loudly. All around them were obvious signs of a fight, from the piles of ash to the torn bodies. He steadied his horse, turning his in a tight circle as he looked around. He could feel the pull from the Master vampire straight ahead and he spurred his around the large center fountain and toward that street. But as they rounded it, Allen had no time to react as something jumped at him, teeth just barely missing his face as it knocked him off the other side of his horse.
He landed with a yell of pain, his torn shoulder lancing with sharp pain. Spots danced across his vision and he tried to get up, but his injured arms could no longer support him and he dropped back down, sending another wave of agony through his body as his bloody shoulder protested. Looking around, his eyes landed on the large shape and his body went cold.
The werewolf sniffed at the air, its black eyes void of any reason. Its grotesque body hunched over, the bones of its spine pressing up against the ashen, hairless leather of its hide as it focused on him. The long snout split as it opened its mouth, thick globs of saliva dripping down glistening rows of fangs. As the Lycan dropped down on all fours and prowled toward him, Allen very slowly inched his way back toward his horse, who was pawing fearfully at the ground. He tried not to make any sudden movements, but the werewolf snarled at him anyway, leaning back as it prepared to launch itself at him.
"Shit!" He yelled, jumping to his feet as he tried to get to his sword. A wave of vertigo swept over him and he dropped back down, knocking his head against the stone below him. The Lycan leapt at him, but all Allen could see was its fangs and claws nearing him. He clenched his eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable pain as he finally reached the end of his life. Something loud clattered at the ground beside him and his eyes snapped open, watching the Lycan stop short and snarl as Timcanpy reared back and stomped down in front of it, forcing it to back off. The horse snorted loudly, making sounds he'd never heard his make before as he drove it away from him.
Allen grit his teeth at the pain. Now wasn't the time to be laying around and throwing in the towel. Despite how dizzy he was, the Hunter pushed himself to his feet, using the pain to clear the fog from his mind. Raising his head, panic flared threw him as he watched the scene before him in horror, the feeling threatening to knock him back off his feet.
"Tim!" He screamed, watching as the Lycan jumped into the saddle, refusing to be bucked off. But before he could take step in the direction of his horse, he stared as he dropped to the ground and rolled onto his back, flattening the beast under him with a sickening crunch as several of its bones snapped beneath his weight. After he righted himself and got back onto his feet, Allen ran over to him. The Lycan was snarling, convulsing as its body healed. Grabbing his sword from its saddle holster, he drew the silver blade and drove it into the beast on the ground, hacking mercilessly at it until there was nothing left but a bloody mess. He stood, swaying on the spot as he stared down at it coldly. Soft puffs of air ruffled his hair as he turned around, smiling in relief at his horse.
"You're crazier than I am…" He told him, pressing his forehead to his snout. He nickered softly at him, "kissing" his cheek. Raising his head, he stared determinedly at him and sheathed his blade. "Alright, let's go find a vampire."
Allen pulled himself back into the saddle, letting him canter down the street toward Kanda once more. It wasn't long until they came across an overturned carriage, one he recognized easily. The door was missing and one of the horses wasn't moving, the other standing further down the road, holding up her back leg. All around him were bodies ripped to pieces, dusty with scattered ash. Two of the mangled corpses looked suspiciously beast-like. He dropped down from the saddle as he looked around wildly for the vampire, silver blade eerily bright in the predawn glow. He glanced at the building they were beside, a shiver running through him as he stared at the abandoned church, one side of the building caved in and the stained glass window broken until only half of it remained.
He doubted it was hallowed ground anymore.
"Kanda?" He called, wincing as his voice broke the heavy silence. He kept following the pull of the vampire, slowly making his way toward the carriage and looking around inside. The seats and cloth were all ripped up, his mind immediately conjuring up the image of the Lycan he'd just killed. Swallowing his panic, he made his way around the other side of the overturned carriage, throwing a quick glances at the sky. The east was steadily getting bright. There was no way they'd make it back to the manor at this rate, even if Timcanpy was rested enough to run at full speed, which he wasn't.
Coming around the side of the carriage, his heart leapt into his throat as his eyes fell onto the crumpled form of his benefactor. The vampire was sitting back against the destroyed carriage, his chest and stomach torn to ribbons. The skin under his closed eyes was a bruised color, his hair hanging loose around his face. Allen swallowed thickly and rushed to him, calling out his name as he inspected the wound. It looked like most of It had closed, but he'd probably lost too much blood before the rest of the skin could knit itself back together. He looked up at the sky again, biting his lip. The carriage was designed for times like this, when they were caught outside the manor after the sun rose. Allen would normally keep guard on the roof, but in the state it was in, that wasn't an option right now. He looked back at the church, wondering if it was safe to walk in there, and if it was, if there was a closet or something, preferably a basement, he could hide the vampire in. Glancing back up, Allen decided he'd have no choice but to find out. The first rays were beginning to shine over the horizon, shining light on the top of the church.
Allen stripped off his coat and threw it over the vampire before he began to half- drag, half-carry him inside. The place was just a shell of a church, he soon found out. The pews had been removed, and the dais was decorated with nothing but rotted wood, the paint long since peeled off. He looked around, breathing hard from both hauling the vampire with him, as well as his own injuries. His breath curled in a white mist as he panted, looking around for a place he could safely put his benefactor. Finally, his eyes caught sight of a door, and he hurried over to it, sweat dripping down his face from the effort. He clenched his teeth as he put him down, then yanked on the door. After a few forceful tugs, it finally gave, making him stumble back. He tripped on Kanda's arm and landed painfully on the dusty floor. Groaning, he stared up at the domed ceiling, body begging him to just stay there. But he couldn't, so with more willpower than Allen knew he had, he forced himself to his feet and dragged Kanda through the door and into a large room. Allen wondered if it used to be the priest's room, eyes landing on a dilapidated bed in the corner. He left the vampire in the middle of the room, rushing over to the bed and turning it over onto its side, wrinkling his nose at the foul smell of rotted material as he pushed it over to the window, using it to block out the broken panels, filling the room with shadows. He dropped Kanda against one of the walls, then leaned on it as he wheezed, wiping the sweat on the back of his hand. God, it was so cold.
Pulling back his jacket, Allen inspected the Master vampire, biting his lip and praying he hadn't gone into hibernation from all the blood loss. Covering him back up, Allen went back outside, hunting down Kanda's sword before hurrying over to the injured horse. He carefully led it into the church, whistling for Tim to follow them. When he'd done what he could for them, Allen looked for anything useful in the carriage, but found nothing. The sun had risen further as he closed the doors of the church, staggering back toward the room he'd left Kanda. He'd really hoped there was at least something to snack on in the compartments, but there was nothing, and even his own saddlebags only had a candy bar, which he quickly devoured. Once the bedroom door was closed securely, Allen knelt by the vampire, moving more by his sense of touch than sight. He might have good night vision, but the Hunter was too tired, and it's not like it was about to make a difference.
"Kanda… Kanda, open your eyes. I know it's dawn, but you need to wake up," he said, holding the vampires face between his hands. Carefully pulling him against his injured shoulder with a hiss, Allen pressed his wrist to the sharp edge of his katana, breath hitching at the pain. The blood flowed quickly and he held the wound over Kanda's mouth, letting the droplets fall into it. He could feel the vampire stir and pressed his wrist to his lips, waiting, his heart quickening as his body remembered the euphoria that came with the bite. It didn't take long for Kanda to respond, fangs digging in with a sharp pain that soon made way for the high he'd come to associate with him feeding on him.
Allen sighed out a moan, eyes closing as the aching of his injuries was drowned out. He tilted his head back, teeth pressed to his lip, more moans rolling off his tongue. Kanda didn't feed long, something the Hunter knew he should be grateful for, but all he could think about was, well, nothing, too lost in his high as he stared at the vampire, body numb and heartbeat slow. He knew that should concern him, but he couldn't focus, didn't care at the moment either. He could feel the vampire watching him, could sense his gaze, but all he could do was sigh blissfully as the vampire lay him on his side before settling down next to him, tongue lapping at the ragged bite on his shoulder.
As Allen drifted off into a hazy, heavy sleep, he couldn't seem to understand why he did that…
There was a creak in the floorboards and Allen bolted upright, hand already gripping his sword as he held his breath, swaying as he listened. He heard a horse snort, and sighed, remembering that he'd brought the horses inside. Laying back down, he willed his heart to steady its chaotic beating. He felt dizzy and sick, his limbs shaking from how much blood head lost, and there was a ringing in his ears accompanied by a throbbing headache. Carefully moving his body, he assessed his injuries. He was pretty sure that the crack in his arm had become an actual break after his fight with the werewolf, that at least he could tell. He flexed his hand that had gotten pierced with the wood, shock making him dizzier as the only pain he felt was dull ache. The same with his shoulder. He carefully felt the spot where the rover had torn into, hissing at the sensitive skin, but the bleeding had stopped and the wound closed. It was still bruised down to the bone, but that was it.
He blinked, slowly looking toward the outline he could see of the vampire next to him, understanding making his face heat up and his heart skip before starting to sprint. Allen remembered that while he'd been high on the euphoria of the bite, Kanda had started licking his wounds. Something about vampire saliva closed wounds, the Hunter knew that, but for him to close more than just the one on his wrist where he fed...
Allen bit his lip, pushing up onto his elbow. With his face hot enough to cook his breakfast, the Hunter pressed a kiss to the vampire's lips as a small thank you, finding, not for the first time, he didn't mind the chill of his skin. He quickly covered him with his jacket like he had before, then stood, steadying himself before making his way over to the door, opening it just enough to slip out of the room. Closing it behind him, Allen blinked as his stinging eyes adjusted to the light and he walked over to his horse, stroking his snout and placing a kiss on the cross-like marking on his forehead. Then he turned toward the mare, stroking her neck and whispering reassuringly to her. He knelt at her back leg, the one she'd been holding up before. From what he could tell, it was only bruised, not broken. He sighed in relief, running a hand through his messy hair, then looked around the church. It looked different in the afternoon light and he couldn't help but wonder what it had been like before being abandoned and left to rot.
The Hunter sighed as he turned his attention back to the problem at hand. No doubt the remains of the fight from the night before had been discovered by anyone who hadn't been caught up in it. He wondered how many people had been killed.
Well, even if he loathed to admit it, the more concerning question was how many rovers had there been? Kanda had been injured badly, something that was no easy task. Plus, he'd also had to fight a Lycan, and he knew for a fact that it hadn't been the only one. Wolves may travel in packs, but werewolves rarely did, so to find more than one at a time was a terrifying thought. He shuddered and ran a hand down his face, then rubbed his eyes. Allen guessed he could add this to the growing list of mysteries. Even if Kanda hadn't already agreed to take him to the Black Order, Allen could have easily just thrown this incident at him. Rovers were one thing, but now they had to deal with grouping werewolves.
Allen sighed and sat down on the dais, his elbows on his knees, hands crossed over his head. He still felt tired, and he was cold and sore. He was pretty sure he was going to come down with the flu as well. No surprise after his swim the night before. The temperature began a steady decline as the sun went down, and soon enough he was bathed in darkness, the daylight being replaced with moonlight as the pale coin replaced it in the sky.
It didn't take Kanda long to exit the bedroom, his jacket closed up around his ruined shirt. Allen raised his head, smiling at him. The vampire glanced at him before looking around, tossing his own coat to him. The Hunter quickly put it on, shivering as he burrowed into it.
"Any sign of trouble?"
The Hunter shook his head. "It's been quiet. There hasn't even been anybody by to investigate the carriage." He pushed himself to his feet, closing his eyes as dizziness washed over him, then looked back at the vampire, who was watching him carefully. "This wasn't just a random attack, was it?"
"It wasn't," Kanda said, walking over to the black mare. "It was an assassination. I doubt I'm the only one who'd been attacked."
Allen frowned, a dangerous look in his eyes at the thought of someone targeting the one before him. "I see…" He sighed. "You should take Tim and head back to the manor. He's rested now, so you should be there in a few hours. I'll follow with her…- what?"
As he spoke, the vampire turned around to stare at him, an eyebrow raised. "So the one who can barely stay standing is the one giving orders now, huh?"
Heat flared in his face and he glared at the other. "You couldn't even heal yourself last night, so I don't think you have the right to be so high and mighty, you bastard. I can't stand because I donated blood to you last night."
The vampire just stared calmly at him, which only pissed him off more. "What?!" He snapped, hands balling into fists. He felt like Kanda was treating him like a child throwing a tantrum. After what he went through the night before, he deserved more than this.
Kanda walked up to him, and Allen just glared harder, not flinching as the vampire raised his hand. He readied himself for the pain of the strike, but instead of hitting him, the other just touched his hair. The Hunter stared at him, eyes widening in surprise at the pat on his head. "I'm telling you to take it easy. We'll make it there just fine if we start walking now. Take a hint, stupid."
"Huh?" Allen gave him a deadpanned look, there was a hint in there? Bullshit. He puffed his cheeks, pouting a bit and trying to ignore the fact that, despite the cold air, Kanda's hand, still on his head, felt nice. He wondered how it was that the vampire in front of him was so oblivious to his feelings, with the way his face reddened at the touch, the way his heard raced and fluttered in his chest.
He could surely see and hear that, with his sharpened senses.
Kanda seemed to realize what he was doing, his hand stilling and drawing away, flexing it like he couldn't understand why it had been on the Hunter's head to begin with. He turned without a word, using the mare's harness as a lead as he began walking out of the church, Allen unable to more than stare, rooted to the spot and trying not to miss the contact. For a moment so short he might have missed it if he'd blinked, he watched the vampire pass through the light of what remained of the stained glass window, the colors painting him the red of blood before the shadow engulfed him. Allen shuddered, a strange, heavy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Shaking his head, he followed after his benefactor, Timcanpy following close behind.
He didn't understand the premonition, he just hoped that, whatever it was, was wrong.
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