Chapter 10

Now We Are Free

Seras had an uneasy feeling in her stomach where the barrel of her cannon was pressed. She hung onto the oversized weapon in her lap, and was curled over it as the helicopter took her north.

Integra had received a call about vampire infestation in Edinburgh, and it was a bad one. Three rouge vampires, and who knows how many ghouls. They were on a rampage in the city, tearing apart the Asian tourists, in particular, and throwing their large, plastic case luggage bags into the streets. They were, last their intel reported, hiding in Edinburgh castle.

"When a vampire keeps it targets specific to a certain group of people, racial or otherwise, they are usually much older vampires, and we call them 'purists', and they are very, very dangerous," Walter had told Seras once, early on in her training with Alucard. "We normally rely on Alucard for those particular cases."

But Alucard was not here.

Seras was the next best thing, but she didn't feel like it, not now.

How am I supposed to do this alone? I'm barely a vampire.

By your own choice, too, a small voice in her head reminded her. It was her voice, sadly, and not her master's.

Seras was silently praying that Anderson would make an appearance.

Dark, glistening blood lay smeared across the ground of Maria's cell, the sheets torn, the bed empty.

Two tiny red handprints were stamped onto the inside of the door. Anderson touched the metal underneath them, and pressed a fist against his mouth. He choked.

He did this. Anderson slammed his fit into the door, a dull thud reverberating through the metal. It was that bastard vampire! He ki-… he… he took my sister. Anderson screamed and he swept out of the room and down the stairs. I'll find ye, and I'll make ye pay.

"Just follow the sound of my voice," Alucard's baritone said softly.

Maria's fingers were outstretched before her and she took a cautious step with her bare feet. There was blood on her hands and up her arms, and blood stained the white nightgown billowing around her frame. The scarf tied around her eyes was red. Her toes cautiously groped the stone beneath her.

"That's it," Alucard said.

"Why am I doing this?" Maria gasped as a strong wind came and stole the breath out of her chest.

"You'll see."

Maria took her strides with more confidence. Alucard stood back, waiting for her to come to him. His red necktie was gone, and his red coat set aside. He had his gloved hands held out for her to grab onto. The wind tore at his hair and clothes, and the clouds above were beginning to look dark and angry. There was a break in the clouds as Maria found her way to him and grasped onto his large fingers. Her teeth were chattering.

Alucard grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward the south and removed the necktie from around her head. She blinked, throwing her arms up over her eyes. Alucard stepped back and watched her come to and then drink it all in.

He'd taken her to a ledge that overlooked the highland territory below. Rays of pure sunlight pierced through the broken grey cloud cover, and shone down onto the grassy fields below. Maria's arms waved, for a moment as if she were about to fall over. Her eyes were wide, and the wind tore the hair from her face.

"My God," she gasped.

She could see where the trees rolled over the hills, and where they they thinned out over the plains; the ripple of the grass in the volatile breezes and winds. The mountains that rolled off into the distance stood out crisply against the pale grey horizon, black and blue mounts that rolled away and gently grew paler and paler with the distance. A small loch could be seen to the west. It was flat and the water looked black, and shone like obsidian where the light struck it. Below her the boulders were decorated with mosses and lichens, and vines rolled between and around the crags.

"How does it feel?"

Maria turned sharply, as if she'd forgot he was there. She was still swaying unsteadily on her feet.

"What?"

"How does it feel? To be free?"

"I…" The crusted blood on her fingers broke as she clutched her fists. "I feel…that with one jump…I would fly." The strong winds battered her in the chest again.

The blood on her arms and her gown were Alucard's. After Maria gave him the permission to pass the barrier, after Alucard had grabbed onto the safe door and turned the wheel, after he had opened it, Maria had flown at his face. Her fingers had dug themselves into his eyes and mouth, and she had viciously clawed away as much of his flesh as her hands could grasp in those first few seconds. She'd grabbed his weapon and she'd pulled the trigger, and blew part of Alucard's shoulder off. It was after that he had grabbed her, with his good arm, tackled her into submission, and dragged her from the fortress tower, screaming and kicking.

It'd had taken another age to bind her up. He'd used his coat to swaddle her, and his necktie to cover her eyes. Alucard had tucked the end of one of his sleeves into her mouth so she wouldn't chomp at his fingers. From there he had carried her.

Now she stood at the ledge of a cliff, staring at the Scottish landscape beneath her, and he saw in her eyes the will to fly.

Maria turned to him, holding his gaze, wildness in her eyes, and he saw that in her mind she had already done it. She stepped back into the air and fell.

Alucard's body exploded into a swarm of screaming bats.

Thank you to those of you who have read this story thus far. If you are enjoying it, and have a moment, feel free to say in a review or even in a PM what are some of the things you liked, and why you liked these things if you can. It helps me understand what's working, what catches peoples attention, and what you enjoy, so that I can keep the techniques I used in my head for future reference, and ultimately make myself a better writer. I love writing for you guys. Thank you, and stay awesome. ;)