Infestation!
Integra had a big bad vamp, big bad vamp, big bad vamp.
Integra had a big bad vamp with powers dark as night.
He followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day.
He followed her to school one day, the children all to fright.
Integra, she scolded him, scolded him scolded him.
Integra scolded him, the students aren't to bite.
It was Saturday afternoon when Integra found the man. He was lying on a grassy hill, not far from the school's old gym building. The man was dressed in an torn exterminator's suit and was rather jumpy. At first all he did was babble nonsense at Integra, but she still managed to catch the phrase "zombie" repeated multiple times. So, the young knight decided to stick around and see if she could figure out what was going on.
After a couple of minutes, the exterminator calmed down and began to make more sense. "We got a call from the school. They said they had a rodent infestation in the old gym. So, we came to take care of the problem, but when we got there... the rats they... they were dead... but not dead, living dead. Zombies, I tell you. Zombies! Zombie rats everywhere! They came at us from all directions. We... we did our best to fight them off, but our poisons were next to useless! They got two of us, swarmed all over them and began feasting on their flesh. It... It was horrible. The rest of us ran. Thank God the rats were so slow. We thought we'd be safe once we made it out the door, but... But then the birds came. Horrible disgusting, half eaten birds! There weren't nearly as many of them, six maybe ten in all. But they were much faster. I'm... I'm the only one who made it."
'Zombie' rats and half eaten birds? It sounds like an infestation all right, but an infestation of the undead. Integra just knew her own 'pet' was somehow involved in this. She'd have to have a talk with Alucard, but first there was a wounded survivor to tend to. If the mini-Hellsing remembered her 'extracurricular studies' correctly, the undead would not come out in the daylight; and that gave her time.
The young knight extended her hand to the soul survivor. "Come on. Lets get you to the nurse."
The man took the offered hand and let Integra help him up, but then he stared at her with his 'shell shocked' eyes. "What... what about the zombies?"
"Don't worry about them. They'll be taken care of."
"Taken care of? Taken care of! No, you don't understand."
"No, you don't understand. We've got to get you to the nurse immediately and make sure there are no bite marks."
The man turned and grabbed the young knight by her shoulders. "Bite marks! Bite marks! Look in my eyes child. I'm forty-five years old. I spent twenty years in her Majesty's armed forces. I've fought in battles across four continents, and... and I'm trebling. I've never seen anything like that before. No, not like that. Those... Those things, they are from Hell itself, I tell you. Hell itself! And you're worried about bite marks?"
Integra took a deep breath and did her best to stifle her temper. Through grit teeth, the young knight replied, "If they bit you, you'll be turning into one of them soon. We need to get you to the nurse. Now!"
The man wasn't sure what, but something in the teenage woman's eyes said that she knew exactly what she was talking about; and there was a commanding tone in her voice. The man found himself subconsciously saluting. "Yes, Sir!" He replied and then went with her to see the nurse.
Integra was both mildly surprised and pleased to discover that the man, who's name she'd been told was Ferguson, was free from any bite marks. It seemed the old veteran would indeed live to fight another day... even if it was just against the evil forces of rodents.
After leaving Ferguson, Integra set off to break a promise that she'd made to herself. Even though his punishment was not yet over, the Hellsing heir was going to return to her room and talk to her 'pet' vampire.
Five minutes later a very upset Integra burst into her dorm room. Immediately, her 'pet', in Alison form, jumped and exclaimed, "It's not what it looks like!"
Integra arched one eyebrow at the thirteen inch tall Lego castle in the center of the room and overcome by surprise couldn't help but comment, "You... you're playing... with Legos!"
A rare look of embarrassment passed over 'Alison's' face and she, almost sheepishly replied. "I... I got bored." The monster looked back over at the colorful replica of what had once been Poenari Castle. "Really bored." Alison offered up, sounding somewhat apologetic.
"Where did you even get-" Alison opened her mouth, getting ready to reply, but Integra cut her off. "No, on second thought, I don't want to know."
The young knight briefly wondered if perhaps a week of solitary confinement had been just a bit too much for her vampire's rather fragile sanity. But then the knight shook her head and refocused on the issue at hand. "The old gym." Integra stated and just barely caught a flash of concern upon her servant's face before the vampire managed to cover it up.
"What about it?"
"Something you want to tell me?" The knight asked, glaring down at her servant.
"I." The vampire paused for a brief moment. "I do not believe so, Master."
"You've been slipping out, haven't you!" The knight accused.
Her servant seemed to take offense at the accusation. "Why, most certainly not, Master. I have born my punishment like a 'good pet' and done exactly as you instructed."
Integra eyed the vampire suspiciously. "Then why are there ghoulish rats and birds infesting the old gym. Honestly, you've got plenty of blood packets. Must you hunt live prey? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused? The school hired a team of exterminators to clear out the rodents. Only man one made it out alive!"
"Then the vampire has expanded it's undead army to include humans. Master, you must lift my punishment and allow me to deal with this situation before it gets any worse. Your life could be in danger!" Alison replied with a sense of urgency that caught her master off guard.
"You... you really aren't responsible for the infestation, are you?"
"No, Master. At least, not directly."
"And what, exactly, is that suppose to mean!"
Although it was completely unnecessary from a biological standpoint, Alison took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You remember the chicken I ate my first day here? It was overcooked, and I threw it up then went out for some fresh air, hoping it would calm my stomach. Well, while I was outside, I happened upon a stray cat and well..."
Integra pinched the brim of her nose, causing her glasses to raise slightly. "Oh, Alucard, no. Please tell me you didn't... 'feed' off the cat."
"Well, Master, my blood packets hadn't arrived yet... and I needed something to wash the taste of overcooked meat from my mouth."
I can't be hearing this. I just can't. It's too ridiculous... even for him. Integra thought to herself.
Her servant continued, "Everything would've been fine, Master... if I hadn't been interrupted before I was finished. I was going to consume the cat completely, and there would've been no evidence left behind. But I was forced to cut my feeding short and quickly get rid of the animal."
Integra shook her head again. "Why didn't you come back for it later?"
"Well, I didn't exactly... Um, know that my vampiric nature could be passed on to animals. Hehe."
"Unbelievable." Integra groaned, brought her hand up and massaged her now aching head. "Un-freaken-believable. So, there's been a vampire cat loose on campus for the better part of a fortnight?"
Alison didn't answer. Instead the vampire made a grin, akin to a small child who'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Oh, that's just great. That's just bloody fantastic! And when, exactly, were you planning on telling me this?"
"I wasn't." Alison stated and Integra's eyes narrowed at the vampire. She continued, "I was going to deal with the problem the moment my punishment was up, and then..."
"And then I'd never know you accidentally sired a kitten." Alison offered up another roguish smile, and Integra nearly lost it. "Oh, I swear you are the most... there, there just aren't any words to..." The young knight sighed and paused before continuing in a quieter tone. "Just stay here and try not to cause anymore problems." The young knight turned and began to head for the door.
"Wait, Master! Where are you going?!" The vampire almost yelled.
"To clean up your mess." The knight replied, without turning back to her pet.
"No, Master you can't!" The vampire nearly pleaded.
Now the young knight turned, her eyes practically aflame. "I can't?" The knight advanced on her pet. "Do not presume to tell me what I can and can not do, vampire!"
Alison's eyes sparkled and her lips curled as she stared up at her glaring, fuming master. But realizing it was neither the time nor the place to indulge in her own perverted enjoyment, the vampire calmly replied. "You misunderstand me, Master. I simply meant that you are not yet ready to face the undead. Allow me to..."
"You are to remain in this room. Your punishment isn't over yet."
"But... but, Master, what if... what if something happens to you?"
Recognizing genuine concern in her servant's face, the young knight softened slightly. "Relax. I have no desire to get myself killed... or turned. If I require your assistance... I will call for you. But otherwise, you are to remain here." The young knight stated firmly but somewhat kindly. Then she mused more to herself than her servant. "After all, with three years of training, you'd think I'd be able to handle a vampire cat." Integra half laughed, half scoffed at the absurdity of what she was about to fight.
Then the young knight turned back around and headed for the door. Upon reaching it, the mini-Hellsing cast one last look at her pet. "Oh, and if you are looking for something to keep your mind occupied, try thinking about just how I'm going to punish you for this one." The knight looked away from her pet and smirked as she exited the door. Gotta come up with something, especially nasty for him siring a vampire and then keeping it a secret from me.
Not having any of her specialized vampire hunting weapons with her at the school, Integra's first stop was the gardener's shed. The young knight figured it would be the best place to find raw materials she could make use of. Integra reached the shed and cast a look up at the sun. Satisfied that she still had a few hours to jerry rig some 'tools' together, the mini-Hellsing removed a bobby pin from her hair and was about to set to work on the shed's padlock when she discovered that it had already been opened. The knight raised one eyebrow then slowly opened the door and looked inside.
"Okay, now I attach the motorcycle hand break to the pilot light and weld the lawnmower blade into place." Steve commented to himself as he sat, hunched over a bizarre looking contraption.
"What do you think you're doing?" Integra asked while tapping her foot.
The geek jumped at the sound of another's voice and turned to the young knight. "I'm going to save the school." He proudly stated.
"Ahuh, and how, exactly, are you planning on doing that?" The young knight asked in a bemused tone.
"While I was in the nurse's office, I overheard someone talking about zombies in the old gym."
"Surely, you don't believe in zombies?" The leader of an undead slaying organization asked the geek before her.
(Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought. Thanks.
Next chapter: Integra vs the undead and the vampire kitty's fate is revealed. Stay tuned for EXTERMINATION!
PS. I'm just curious if anyone reading this knows what Steve's building yet. I'll give you a hint. It involves a Bethesda video game. LoL.
Have a good day, and God bless.
Metropolis Kid.)