Chapter 11 : There Are Some Things Worse then the Smell of Eggs

Lana got up the next morning, snuggled relatively warm in her sleeping bag. What time it was she couldn't tell; in these woods darkness and light were one of the same. She remembered that Alex had stayed out most of the night on watch. She also soon after recalled their intimate kiss they had shared the previous night. She felt her cheeks grow warm. Alex! She looked outside through the mesh of the tent but didn't see the shadowed silhouette of his body on watch. Was he okay? Did she sleep through an attack? She scrambled out of the bed, ignoring a lingering pain in her back from the bruises and unzipped the entrance to see him sitting by a small fire eating peacefully. She let out a small sigh.

"You want some breakfast?" He asked yawning, holding up a hard boiled egg.

"Ew, no I'll pass on the eggs."

"Why they're good?" He said placing one in his mouth.

"They smell bad."

"Too bad for you then." He shrugged.

She let a smile creep to her face. "No too bad for you, actually."

"Me, why?" He said half chewing his food.

"Because if your breath smells anything like those eggs, don't be expecting anymore kisses from me." She teased, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail and sitting next to him, scouting out the pre-packaged crackers and jam.

"Oh really? Well that's too bad for you then…" He started, his cocky smile spreading across his face.

"How so?" She said spreading the jam from the jam packet onto the cracker.

"Because whose gonna stop me from kissing you anyway?" He then pounced on her and kissed her once again, causing her to nearly drop the cracker on the ground.

"So was it that bad?" He asked getting up to put his jacket back on.

"Gross actually." She pretended to gag, but couldn't help smile.

"You better work on those lying skills of yours." He warned, still teasing.

"I can lie just fine."

"See you just lied again." He said raising his eyebrow smiling.

She stuck her tongue out at him in defense. It was crazy how just a day ago he was driving her up a wall with his cocky attitude and teases, but now she couldn't get enough of them. She didn't even mind his spontaneous kisses; and she'd never been spontaneous nor found of surprises. Speaking of surprises…

"I'm surprised they didn't try to attack us last night?"

"I'm not. Cari, the blonde one that we managed to shoot, would have to have healed her wing and arm before they came back, and with the damage the holy water did, it would take most of the night for a wound like that to heal."

"I wish my wound would have healed overnight..." Lana said trying to stretch her back out.

"Oh, I forgot! Here." He tossed a bottle her way.

"Advil…you're telling me that you had Advil this whole time and didn't give me any?"

"I just found it in the pack this morning. Charles must have packed it, because I sure didn't. So relax?"

"Fine." Lana sighed again and popped one in her mouth and instantly took some water with it and hoped it would
help. "So do you think…."

"They'll come back again today? Probably. Dracula probably has them on a tight command to get you back, not to
mention we have to work fast somehow because one of them is going to end up being his High Mistress and when that happens…"

"It'll just be more to deal with…" Lana sighed again, this time out of dread for the future. She pulled out the red crystal that was still hanging around her neck. It was warm, but not nearly as warm as it had been when the vampires were around. She stared at it hard; why wouldn't it just light up and let out that weird energy when she needed it? Blast those vampires to smithereens? She knew she didn't need the crystal for her powers to work, but something about it made it seem like it would help…or something.

"We'll figure it out, don't worry."

She looked up. He must have guessed what she was thinking. It was nice that he seemed so confident, because she wasn't so sure. At least one of them was…

"We actually have to pack up. We should get a good move on before they come back this way."

Lana just nodded. She didn't like the idea of leaving; being here, and being slightly content as of recent was feeling pretty good. At least now, Helsing would be a bit more tolerable…hopefully.

They packed the tent and compressed it into the larger backpack, along with the sleeping bags and the other outdoor supplies. Lana put the food and water back into hers, already lighter just from their meals in the last day or so. She decided to sling it around one shoulder so it didn't press on the bruises on her back. She was lucky she wasn't paralyzed, and she knew it. Alex kept insisting he carry both bags but she denied him that. He hadn't got much sleep so she didn't want to burden him with two bags, plus he was the one with the weapons and needed to be ready so go holy water shooting if the mistress vamps came along.

They started off; making sure that his bike was hidden in a bush so the vampires wouldn't ransack it. They decided it would be best to follow the path, but stay in the cover of the trees; it was better for them so they wouldn't be spotted so easily, and with Lana's necklace they would know if they were nearby anyway.

For a long while they walked in silence; Lana figured that after last night there wasn't really a whole lot to talk about anyway. She didn't mind it, plus Alex probably wanted silence so he could hear the vampires coming just in case the crystal didn't work. Lana was thinking of breaking the silence, when they heard a crack.

"Shh." Alex said although they were already silent.

Crack.

"A branch." He said as they moved back to back, looking up at the surrounding trees.

"Ouch! Yep they definitely are here." Lana said, looking down nervously at the red glow, hidden only by the leather of her jacket.

"Shoot, I thought we'd make more ground." He said staring hard into the darkness.

Lana just nodded, she didn't want to say anything. That's when the loud swoop startled her and right in front of her was a raged blond vampire.

"This time you've got no where to run."

"We still have the guns." Helsing said turning around, switching spots with Lana so he was facing Cari with the gun.

"But two can play at that game." Lilith said, her hand glowing with a dark flame.

"Alex…" Lana whispered making sure his attention was brought to the dark haired vampire.

"Shit, witch's magic." He said as if identifying the flame.

"Surrender the girl now before you get hurt." Mel said pouncing down, creating a triangle of vampires around them.

"I should say the same to you." Helsing smiled instead of showing fear. Lana wanted to know how the hell he did that.

"You're in a position to threaten us?" Cari said with sharp eyes.

"Yep." He said before turning back and hitting Cari with a bullet, skimming her left arm before she darted out of the way.

"ALEX!" Lana yelled out as a dark flame went right for his hand, and hit it, blasting the gun out of his hand, singeing his hand.

"Aghh." He yelled out.

"Surrender now Helsing?" Lilith laughed.

He just glared back, eyes like daggers. "Never. I won't let you hurt her." He took out his second gun.

"Alex, your hand!" Lana said in his ear with a squeal behind him, looking at his hand scared in blood and red skin.
"I'm fine." He said, watching as the three walked closer cornering them to a tree. "Is your crystal reacting at all?"

"Uhm no I don't think so."

"Shit I was hoping…"

"Me too…I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Lana, it's mine. I lost my good gun. I should have soaked these in holy water, but I was too…"

"Distracted yesterday?" She finished.

"Heh, you could say that." He said giving her a small smile turning his face to the side to look at her behind him.

"Cut the small talk. Hand her over." Cari snarled, angered by her close call of being shot again.

"I'd die first."

Lana gasped. Was he serious? He cant die? He'd be her only chance…what was with this hero act that he started playing? Did he really care that much?

"Wait…" Lilith said with a suspicious eye. "You actually like the girl? The cold Van Helsing boy, fell in love with the pathetic little Evelina girl. How pathetic...and tragic…"

"Tragic?" Lana repeated.

"Yes. Tragic!" Lilith said pouncing on the two as Alex shot her, but it didn't take much for her to heal quickly after, and grabbed Lana by the jacket and pinned her against the tree.

"Lana!" Alex yelled but was instantly stopped by Mel and Cari. Cari went darting to him and as he shot towards Lilith, grabbed his wrists with her claws and pinned him against a tree. Her grip tightened and his gun fell out, blood dripping from his hands.

"ALEX!" Lana screamed.

"One move and you're throat's my next meal." Cari hissed in his ear before giving him a good punch almost knocking him out cold. She seemed stronger, like the night had given her more strength in healing than she had before.

Mel was now over with Lilith, making sure nothing would stop them from capturing Lana.

"Guess you really will die first." Lilith laughed, at the struggling Van Helsing pinned by Cari, the adrenaline filled vampire.

"Don't kill him. You have me, now leave him alone!" Lana desperately yelled out to them.

"He'll just get in the way after. Say bye bye." Mel said evilly.

Lana felt her eyes tear up, she felt desperate, and she wanted nothing more than to save Alex. He was the one person in this world who had actually tried to understand her; who had taken her as more than just a girl with money, or a girl with some special power. He knew she was a girl first; a human girl with feelings. She couldn't see the only person who had stood up for her die. For god sakes she loved him.

"Lana, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I've failed my father."

"No, no you haven't." Lana said both sad and angry between tears.

"Pay back time." Cari said hissing drawing her lips back, fangs flaring and darted to his neck savagely.

"NOOOOO!" The shrill scream escaped Lana's mouth before she could stop it. Suddenly her red crystal rose from her shirt, and she started to glow. The gold flecks in her eyes turned her green eyes golden in color and tears remained streaming down her cheeks. Then a long bright light came out of the crystal directing it straight at Cari.

"What is that?"

"What's going on?" Mel and Lilith screamed out backing away from the light.

Cari found herself targeted by the light like the pointer on a gun, and suddenly she burst into a million small pieces in a shrill scream, burning like a holy fire.

"She killed Cari!" Lilith snarled.

"Lana…" Alex said weakly, dizzy from the blow to the head.

"That bitch. She actually killed Cari." Mel said surprised.

"It's that crystal, she never had it before." Lilith said walking slowly back up to the girl. She reached out and snapped the necklace off of her, holding the blood red teardrop ruby in her hand.

"Alex…" Lana said before collapsing to the ground.

"It's like something possessed her." Mel said.

"It's the holy power. She's weak now; she won't do us any harm." Lilith said grabbing the fainted Lana and pulling
her up with one arm.

"He's pretty out cold too…" Mel said looking at Van Helsing.

"Don't. Leave him, if he doesn't have her he's powerless. Plus who knows if she could fathom enough energy to
destroy another one of us." Lilith said staring down hard at the girl hanging by her arm. "Help me lift her and lets go."

Mel nodded and the both flew into the air towards Dracula's castle.

Alex watched as his head throbbed and body delayed to his commands as he tried to stand up to stop them, but instead saw them flying off into the distance.


lol so when i was writing this i couldn't help but want to write "that bitch, she killed Kenny." Oh south park... (Cari, kinda sounds like Kenny...ya know?)

Anyway... Drac is back. Next chapter Dracula is present, and a lot of what happened in this chapter will be further explained. I hope whoever is reading this is enjoying it, I know i don't have a lot of reviews but i do appreciate those who do! It's nice to know somebody is enjoying my story!