Chapter Eleven.

Watching Integra's curtain of blond hair swish back and forth, Zoey realized she had nearly blown her head off trying to save her from the smoker. She felt bad, but reminded herself that she wasn't exactly a gun expert.

"Sounds like this won't be that hard after all," Integra said, stopping to listen. It sounded like someone was coughing up a lung farther down along the wall, near a small stand of trees.

"I don't see it," Zoey said, as they neared the trees. The smoker had stopped wheezing.

"Lookout," Integra said, stepping to the side as a tongue came snapping out of the bushes. It looped over Zoey's head and coiled beneath her left armpit, pulling her forward off her feet. Her gun went off and she heard Integra scream.

Oh, no I didn't, she thought, looking to see Integra on the ground, holding her leg.

"God damn it, you shot me!" Integra shouted, aiming her own rifle into the bushes and setting off two three-round bursts. The tongue wrapped around Zoey slacked and the smoker made one last high pitched wheeze before falling over.

"I'm sorry," Zoey said, getting up and going to over to Integra. "So sorry."

"Damn it, just get me up and back to the motor pool," Integra said, gripping Zoey's shoulder hard. Integra used her rifle as a crutch while Zoey left hers. She led Integra, who was none too gentle in gripping Zoey, back to the motor pool where she got her seated in a wooden chair that had been brought in earlier.

Integra pulled up her pant leg and kicked off her boot. "Go to the medical wing and retrieve one of those red backpacks by the cabinet," she said. "Quickly."

Zoey ran, trying to recall where the medical bay was. She found it and grabbed what Integra had described. When she returned, Integra was looking pale. "Open it," Integra said. "Hand me that plastic box."

"Is there anything I can do?" Zoey asked.

"Not just yet," Integra said, using the materials she retrieved to clean the area around her wound. "The bullet is still in there, but it missed the bone. I think." She winced as she said this. "It's been a while since I've been shot."

Integra wasn't prone to idle banter, Zoey had noticed, and wondering if talking was how she dealt with pain.

"Seras took an EMT course," Integra continued, "so I'll have to hope she comes back in one piece so she can get the bullet out. I'm not going to try it."

"Sorry," Zoey said again. "The thing pulled me over and the gun went off."

"Friendly fire is surprisingly common," Integra said. "It's my fault. I should have had you beside me rather than behind."

Only once she'd staunched the bleeding did Zoey realize how much blood Integra had lost and how lucky they were the wound wasn't more serious. "I still feel like an idiot," she said.

"You're a civilian," Integra said. "And you're still alive, so that's something." The pain seemed to be taking it's toll on her, as her words became more strained. "Slide that table over here, I need to elevate this."

Zoey dragged over the gun table and, wincing, Integra propped her injured leg onto it. "I hope Seras isn't hungry when she gets back, this will drive her insane," Integra said with a slight smile that Zoey didn't like.

Hours later, Integra sat where Zoey had left her looking at the bloody ruin that was her calf. She felt it throbbing, unsure if that was a good sign or not. She had taken more antibiotics than was probably safe in the hope of preventing an infection, and had considered enlisting Zoey to help remove the bullet.

She had decided against that, knowing what would happen if an artery was cut in the process. The wound on its own had cost her a lot of blood, and whatever was taking Seras so long, she prayed it wasn't some injury or enemy that had forced her to use her vampiric abilities.

Blood to a vampire was similar to food with a human, only there were key differences. Integra had read up on it years ago, but was seeing it first hand from the beginning with Seras. She could go for a long time without drinking blood provided she didn't exert herself. Normal activities were fine, but shape shifting and healing wounds made her hungrier, faster. The more spectacular the power or grievous the injury, the more Seras would need to drink.

Normally it wasn't a problem, but when blood was in short supply, Seras became a liability. Her body wouldn't let her starve, and if she was hungry enough it would take over and she would feed as much as she needed to in order to recover.

Integra had let Seras taste her blood before, once in an effort to get her to accept her condition. More recently, with blood supplied low, she had considered the potential necessity of Seras taking sustenance from her.

Having her blood go towards keeping a vampire alive wasn't something a good Christian did, but it beat risking the alternative, which was being devoured completely. Blood was the currency of the soul, and when a vampire drained a person completely without putting blood back into the body, their soul melded with the vampire, making the creature more powerful. Alucard had been invincible because of the sheer amount of souls he had consumed in his unholy life time, while Seras only possessed one extra soul that Integra knew of.

How much of this should she tell Zoey, she wondered. The knowledge were make her less trustful, perhaps far less trustful than they could afford. On the other hand, not knowing might get her killed.

No good would come of her knowing, Integra finally concluded. She wasn't in the business of making friends or trusted companions, merely getting as many people as she could out of the city alive.

She heard Zoey's footsteps pattering rapidly from the hall. The door burst open, making Integra twist her body around to look. Zoey's eyes were wide. "You'd better come see this," she said.

Integra didn't move and instead fixed Zoey with a stare. The idea of walking up to the security room where there was a monitor station made Integra's leg throb even harder. "Just tell me what it is," she said.

"Seras is at the front gate."

"Go let her in, then," Integra said.

"She's got two people with her."

"Let her in before the gate gets swarmed," Integra said.

Zoey seemed like she was about to say something else, but left. Integra wished she had pressed her further.

After several minutes, Zoey returned followed by a black man and someone who looked like they'd been in prison for illegal gambling.

"This is Nick," Zoey said, gesturing to the criminal. "And this is...Coach?"

"That's right," Coach said. "Damn, what happened to you?"

"I got shot in the leg," Integra said. "Where's Seras?"

No one said anything, then Seras entered the room. Integra's stomach became a cold knot when she saw the look on the vampire's face and her red irises. "Seras," Integra said. "Report."

How the two men hadn't noticed her demeanor she couldn't guess. Maybe they didn't know what she was or simply thought it was normal for her to be slouched and feral. "Your leg," Seras said. "What happened to it?"

She was clearly focused on the blood. Integra's eyes flickered over the humans in the room. She remembered when she had first met Alucard and how he had shredded her uncle's men like ragged pinatas. Visions of that scene repeating itself flashed before her eyes. "Zoey, could you take our newest arrivals to the medical bay. I'm sure there will be time for debriefing and introductions once they've been attended to."

"But shouldn't we get you to..."

"Go now," Integra said in a tone that didn't encourage an argument. She watched as Seras kept a careful eye on the trio as they filed out of the room, lead by Zoey. If she couldn't contain Seras here and now, they would be next.

When she was sure they were out of earshot, she put a hand on her pistol, wishing it had been loaded with anti-vampire bullets.

"You need to feed," Integra said.

"Yes," replied Seras, an evil grin stretching her features. It didn't look right on her, and it made Integra wonder of Seras Victoria was simply a mask worn by a monster that had been parodying her since her death years ago.

"Take some from me to get the edge off, then use up what's left in the freezer," Integra said, knowing Seras wouldn't make it to the freezer if she didn't have something now. That she had restrained herself thus far was a miracle, but with the amount of blood out in the open now it was too much to ask.

"Yes, master," Seras said, coming forward. Integra saw from her tattered clothes that it had been a long night. The front of her shirt had been destroyed and shoddily repaired. Seras now cared nothing for it and the tops of her breasts were exposed.

She knelt in front of Integra's leg and licked some of the dried blood around the wound before tearing the bandage off. Integra winced and fought the urge to shoot Seras in the head as he tongue entered the hole.

"Easy," Integra said, feeling it begin to bleed again. "I can't loose much more than I have, so you know."

Seras didn't acknowledge her and formed a seal around the bullet wound with her lips and began to suck. Now the pain was intense and Integra had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. She felt Seras's teeth begin to worry the wound a little and she tried to pull the vampire off but fell from her chair. "Ow, damn it," she said, as Seras didn't let go and kept drinking.

On the floor with her leg held aloft, Integra could do nothing but try not to scream. She had her gun drawn when Seras knelt and stopped using her teeth and tongue so hard.

The sucking on the other hand increased and Integra felt like she was being stabbed in the leg. The safety went off her gun and she held it to Seras's head just before she stopped.

The look on Seras's face was one of a person who had just finished their last meal, satisfaction mixed with despair. Seras worked something around in her mouth like a bit of gum before spitting it out. The bullet clattered on the cement floor. "You've been shot," Seras said, looking at Integra with blue eyes, then back at the wound. "My God, are you alright?"

Integra wanted nothing more than to have her leg amputated in the off chance it would stop hurting but she forced a nod and lowered her gun. "I've got to get you to the medical bay," Seras said.

"Can you control yourself?" Integra asked.

Seras nodded. "One hundred percent virgin blood, remember? Hits the spot."

"Glad you approve," Integra said. "Now fetch me that crutch and help me to the medical bay."

"Yes, ma'am," Seras said.

To be continued...