Chapter Fourteen: The Loneliest Number

As Hogan and Newkirk began making their way to the ammo dump, following the map that LeBeau had relayed to them, both men found that they had their own problems to think about. They tried not to dwell too much on them, since the truth was too horrifying for them to comprehend.

More than ever I need to keep control over my emotions, and make sure that I don't give into any darkness Hogan thought to himself. It's bad enough that I let my desire get the better of me when I killed Hochstetter, but to kill or even injure Newkirk would be unbearable!

At the same time, Newkirk tried contacting Carter to let him know that he and Hogan were coming to rescue him. However, he found himself inwardly gasping as he discovered that trying to reach his friend was proving almost impossible. This isn't good he thought to himself. The psychic link between us has always proven easy to connect with. What if there's another force that's trying to break the link? Or even worse… Newkirk tried to shake that last thought from his head. He wouldn't allow himself to think that perhaps they were too late to rescue Carter, and that one of the vampires that had kidnapped him and LeBeau had killed his friend. If they 'ave, there's going to be bloody 'ell to pay! he thought to himself.

Having reached the ammo dump, Hogan and Newkirk made sure to avoid being spotted by any German patrols that they knew must be surveying the area. There seems to be more Krauts here than back at camp Hogan thought to himself, knowing that he would have to be extremely careful to avoid detection. He also marveled to himself that this was the first time that he or any of his men had returned to the scene of one of their 'crimes' the same night that they had committed the act. He couldn't help but letting off a small smile, seeing the handiwork that his demolitions expert had performed on the job.

Hogan and Newkirk moved away from the ammo dump, and when they were far enough away, Newkirk whispered to Hogan, "So, do we 'ave a plan for taking care of these guys once and for all?" Even though a couple of ideas had come to the corporal's mind, he was more concerned about protecting his Colonel, both from the other vampires and himself, to give much thought to taking out the vampires.

Patting the inside of his jacket, Hogan smiled as he could feel his favorite gun securely tucked underneath it. He knew that it served two purposes: (1) Taking out the vampires that he would soon come in contact with, but also (2) If need be, for taking out himself before giving into his dark side. "I think that in this case, the element of surprise would be our best defense against them. We should circle around the barn, and try to draw them out. Then, we'll eliminate them before they even knew what hit them." Hogan sighed before adding, "Does Carter know that we're coming?"

Newkirk sighed, not knowing how to deliver the news to his Colonel. "I'm afraid not, sir. I've been trying to get in touch with 'im all night, but so far 'ave been unable to. I don't know what's happened to 'im, but needless to say this isn't good."

Unable to hide his anger, Hogan could only shout, "Those vampires will have hell to pay if they've killed him!" Next, Hogan took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get a handle over his emotions.

As they neared the barn, both men kept on thinking about what they had to do in order to put a stop to the vampires. Suddenly, when they were less than a mile away from where Carter was being held, Newkirk let out an audible gasp. He realized that he knew the truth as to why he was unable to reach his friend, and he puzzled over whether or not he should tell his commanding officer.

Knowing that Hogan deserved to hear the truth, he began, "I know why I 'aven't been able to reach Carter all night. Apparently, one of the vampires, that Allerton, is 'is sire. For better or for worse, a sire usually is able to 'ave complete control over any vampires that 'e's turned. No vampire will be able to resist the call of 'is sire."

Hogan thought over what his corporal had just told him, and he knew that not only was he fearful for his own future but for Carter's as well. "So, you're telling me that there's a very good chance that Carter could give into his own darkness? I don't care what they do to me, but they better not try to do that to him!" It's more important than ever that I'm able to avoid any temptations that those vampires present to me, especially if I need to work with Newkirk to get Carter back to our side. It's going to be hard enough for Newkirk and Carter to save me, if need be, without Newkirk needing to worry about saving the both of us on his own.

Suddenly, both men found that they were outside of the barn, and they knew what they had to do. Quickly they began circling it, getting to know the physical exterior layout and figuring out how best to lure the other vampires out. Earlier that night, Newkirk had told Hogan how imperative it was that he made sure to keep his mind blank, unless the other vampires read it and would know that both men were coming. Even though Newkirk was very skilled at forcing himself to think of nothing, Hogan realized that as much as he tried to, he couldn't help but think about rescuing his trapped man that was inside the barn.

…

Back inside the barn, Allerton smiled to himself, knowing that Hogan had made a serious mistake in thinking about his man, since he knew that at least Hogan was outside at that very moment. "If Hogan is here, then I assume that means that his other man, Corporal Newkirk, isn't very far behind. It's a pity that we couldn't have all three of his men on our team, since they would make a lovely addition," Allerton asked, having left the other three leaders of Die Schwarzen Engel to voice his opinions to his captive.

Carter could only watch as Allerton paced back and forth in front of him, and Carter found himself engaging in a mental struggle against himself. On the one hand, with every passing second he could feel the connection growing stronger between his sire, and Carter found himself inwardly gasping as he began thinking of ways that he could help his sire in defeating his Colonel and his best friend. On the other hand, the sergeant knew how important it was that he fight against these thoughts and maintain control over himself.

Allerton allowed himself to smile, since he knew the mental anguish that Carter was currently experiencing at the moment. The expressions on his face were changing all the same, and even though the sergeant tried not to show it, his face was as easy to read as though it were a book. One moment his features were soft and sympathetic, another moment they were fearful, and the next they seemed to take on an almost sinister, twisted appearance.

Finally, after several minutes had passed, Carter found that the mental anguish was becoming completely unbearable. "I don't care what you do to me, but you and those others aren't gaining control over my Colonel!" he shouted with genuine sincerity and worry about his commanding officer.

"My dear Stanly, whatever makes you think I'm going to do something bad to your Colonel? I, along with the others, are only going to help him to understand what he truly is, and what he's been all along. You see, we know what he did to Hochstetter and…"

However, Allerton was cut off by Carter looking into Allerton's eyes for the first time since he had been kidnapped. "How do you know about that?" he asked, before finding that he had to force himself to look away.

"Sergeant Metzger is one of those rare vampires that is powerful enough to have visions. We knew that he would give into his darkness, and that as a new vampire he would have trouble controlling his emotions. Since both of these things have come to pass, it will only be a matter of time before Metzger's other vision comes true as well," Allerton replied sinisterly with complete confidence.

Knowing that Metzger would be able to read his mind, Carter had to force himself to avoid thinking about Anne's vision that Newkirk had told him about. However, he didn't realize that by doing this, he was thinking about the nightmare that Hogan had told him about killing Hochstetter before the actual act had occurred.

At first, Allerton could only inwardly gasp, since the event that Carter was thinking about completely shocked him. Then, he allowed himself to give off a small smile as he thought about the usefulness of it all. I wonder if Hogan was actually having a nightmare about killing Hochstetter, and that only preyed on his mind? Or, perhaps the Colonel is one of those vampires powerful enough to have visions. If that is the case, it would be extremely useful to have another vision-seer on our team. It's a lucky coincidence that this person happens to be the reputed Papa Bear as well.

At the same time, Carter suspected that looking his sire straight in the eye might have been his fatal mistake. Suddenly, he found that the link between himself, Hogan and Newkirk had broken completely, and for a couple of seconds Carter found that he couldn't think of anything.

...

Back outside the barn, Hogan and Newkirk were still circling it when they were about to make their move in luring the vampires outside. Suddenly, they heard another whistling sound come rushing through the air, and as had occurred just a couple of hours ago, some more smoke quickly became visible in the nighttime sky. Hogan and Newkirk tried making a run for it, but they found that the smoke was too powerful for them to handle. Once they had passed out, Amsel and Nacht picked up their bodies and brought them inside the barn, while Metzger went to retrieve a couple of chairs for them to sit in, before positioning them next to Carter. Carter tried struggling against the ropes as soon as he saw who the other vampires had kidnapped.

"What have you done to them!" he shouted, completely angry as he watched his unconscious friends being tied down. Suddenly, he could only look at Allerton before asking, "Why didn't you let me help you?"

Allerton smiled, seeing that Carter had been unable to resist the call. He watched as the sergeant's expression became one of anger and disgust, but it wasn't directed at him or any of the other vampires that he worked with. Instead, it was directed at Hogan and Newkirk.

"I am glad to see that you have come around, finally," Allerton simply replied. "Are you ready to become one of us?"

"Yes,… I am," Carter replied slowly, as though he was in a drugged daze. "You are…my sire and…I would…follow you…anywhere," he replied.

Allerton quickly walked around to Carter's back, and he began to untie his previously bound captive. "Welcome to the team, Stanly. If we're going to defeat the Allies, we could always use another demolitions expert in our organization."

Carter smiled as he could feel himself being untied, and once his wrists were free he looked down at them. They still slightly hurt, and he began rubbing the areas that had noticeable rug burns. Getting up to stand next to his sire, he could only cross his arms.

"I thought that Newkirk was my friend, but for the first time in my life I feel that I'm finally where I'm supposed to be. I can't wait until my Colonel feels the same way," he told Allerton, looking over at his new friend while smiling.

Carter could only wait and watch as Hogan began to gain consciousness from the effects of the smoke bomb first, as he watched as his Colonel began stirring. Looking down, Hogan found that he was tied up against his well, and he began looking groggily around the room.

Spotting his sergeant, Hogan said, "Carter! Thank God you're alright. Listen, those other vampires have kidnapped us. Hurry and help us get untied." However, Hogan could only gasp to himself as he saw his sergeant's expression become one that he was completely unfamiliar with.

"Now, why would I want to do a thing like that?" he asked his Colonel. "These men are my new friends and commanding officers, and pretty soon you will become one of us. It's as inevitable as day into night, and you'll realize how much you love it."

While Carter had been talking to Hogan, he hadn't realized that Newkirk had begun to stir also. "Carter, what did they do to you? This isn't like you!" he shouted, knowing full well what the other vampires had done to his friend.

"No, Newkirk, this is like me!" he shouted back, allowing his eyes to turn green and his upper and lower fangs to be visible. "It's just that I never noticed it before. It's a pity that you will never know the complete and utter happiness that I, and soon the Colonel, will be experiencing."

"Andrew, listen to yourself! They've tricked and brainwashed you. Please, 'elp us to get untied, and…" However, Newkirk cut himself short, since the grogginess had worn off enough for him to see Allerton and the others for the first time. "Alright, which one of you ruddy bastards is Allerton!" he shouted at them, struggling against the ropes that were holding him captive. "Which one of you did this to 'im?"

Stepping forward, Allerton could only look Newkirk directly in the eye. "The vampire that you're looking for is right here," he replied. "I am his sire, and he is only doing what comes naturally to all changed vampires. He is unable to resist my call, and he will serve us well in our organization."

Ignoring Allerton's remarks, Hogan could only look over at Newkirk before looking at Carter once again. "Carter, this isn't like you at all! You're supposed to be helping me, not the other way around! Please, you can fight this—you need to be able to fight this and stop them!" he shouted at them.

"Why would I want to stop them?" Carter asked, and Hogan gasped as he began to understand that his sergeant was beyond comprehending anything other than the connection that he shared with his sire.

Still looking directly at Hogan and Newkirk, Allerton, Amsel, Nacht and Metger began to mentally talk amongst themselves, thinking about how best to lure Hogan over to their side while eliminating Newkirk. Turning to face Carter, Amsel told him, "Stanly, please remove the nuisance that is Newkirk from this room. It's time for us to have a little talk with Colonel Hogan."

Carter quickly and easily picked up the chair that Newkirk was sitting in, and lifting it over his shoulders, began to leave the room that the other men were still situated in. Newkirk found that he was struggling against the ropes harder than ever, and he couldn't help but begin to experience a wave of panic that was quickly overcoming him. No, it can't be this way! he worriedly thought to himself. I can't afford to lose Carter, in addition to losing the Gov'nor as well!

Once they were in another room in the barn, Carter began to set Newkirk down, which he did rather roughly. Looking up at his friend, Newkirk saw that his friend's eyes were still green, and that both set of his fangs were visible as well. "Andrew, stop this! Please, you're still one of us—don't let those other vampires tell you otherwise! You're still one of Papa Bear's cubs….You're still me best mate!" Newkirk tried telling Carter, but it was of no use.

"Oh, why don't you just shut up!" Carter shouted. "Thanks to you, I know exactly how to get rid of you. I believe that Anne's vision will suit me well."

Newkirk could only inwardly gasp, as he saw his friend's green eyes take on a look of desire that was comparable to how they had appeared when both men were locked up in Faust's cell. Slowly, Carter began bending over his friend's neck, and Newkirk could feel the fangs ripping into his arteries and the blood being drawn from him. "Andrew, stop!" Newkirk could only cry out in pain. "Please—you're killing me!" he shouted as he began feeling faint and the world began closing in around him.

Suddenly, it was as though time and the world had both stopped. Before he realized what was happening, Newkirk could feel Carter taking his fangs out of his neck, and he managed to step backward a couple of feet. Newkirk could see that his friend was visibly crying, and that he appeared both horrified and scared.

Newkirk found that it was impossible to keep his eyes open any more, and he let them close while his head dropped. Quickly reaching out to feel his friend's wrist, Carter gasped as the pulse was extremely slow and shallow. Peter, what have I done? he angrily and worriedly asked himself while he began looking around the room.

His eyes fell upon that what he was looking for as he spotted a couple of blood bags lying on a nearby table. Quickly running over to them, Carter began scooping them up before hurrying back to his friend. He didn't bother feeling Newkirk's pulse, since he saw that his friend's chest was barely moving. Tilting his friend's head back, Carter quickly ripped open the bag and carefully began pouring the contents down his throat, forcing him to drink the life-saving substance. Carter tried not to panic as Newkirk didn't seem to be showing any signs of improvement, even though he had swallowed the entire first bag. However, by the time he had finished the second bag, Carter allowed a cautious smile as he noticed that his friend's breathing was beginning to return to normal, and that his pulse seemed to be regulating itself. By the time Carter had finished giving his friend the third bag, Newkirk was stable enough to open his eyes and he began to weakly lift his arms to feed himself. Carter didn't know if he should force his friend's arms back down or not, knowing how stubborn he could be, so he allowed his friend to drink from the fourth bag as well.

By the time Newkirk had finished the fourth bag, Carter was relieved that the blood was beginning to take effect and that his friend seemed to be returning to normal. "Peter, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" he replied, trying to keep his eyes from becoming misty again. He raised one hand to absentmindedly wipe the previously shed tears from his cheeks.

"Andrew, you can't be beating yourself up over this. The important thing is that I'm still 'ere, still alive, and you didn't cause me any permanent damage."

However, Carter could only slowly shake his head back and forth. "But I almost killed you! You were at death's door!"

Newkirk could only sigh to himself, since he hated to see how much grief his friend was in. Slowly reaching out to place a hand on Carter's shoulder, Newkirk could only shake his head. "Listen, I know why you did this and you 'ave to tell yourself that this isn't your fault. The important thing now is that we 'ave to save the Gov'nor, so who knows what those other vampires are doing to 'im. 'Elp me get untied."

Carter quickly walked around behind Newkirk's chair while he began struggling with the ropes. Trying to get the act out of his head, the sergeant tried changing the subject. "If the Colonel can be as easily swayed as I was, I can't imagine what we're going to have to face when he have to go rescue him. I can only hope that, together, we can save him before he's lost to us for good," Carter told his friend who, once he had finished untying him, helped Newkirk slowly and cautiously get to his feet.

At first, Newkirk allowed himself to be led out of the room with Carter supporting him. However, he found that with each step he took, his strength was quickly returning to him and that he was able to take the rest of the steps by himself. Standing inside the second room against the wall, Carter carefully peered into the second room, not knowing what to expect. However, before either he or Newkirk could respond, he felt a pair of arms roughly picking them both up and flinging them backwards across the room.

Getting his bearings, Carter could only gasp as his Colonel was standing with the other vampires inside the room, and looking over at his friend, he watched as Newkirk had to fight to keep his strength. Turning around to face Hogan, Carter realized that he and Newkirk were too late to do anything to help their commanding officer.

"You know Carter, you were definitely correct. There is joy and happiness in being who you were truly meant to be. It's a pity that Newkirk had to steal that happiness from you before you could help me and the others in accomplishing our goal," Hogan replied, turning to face his new 'friends.' Carter could see that all of them were smiling their approval to Hogan's assessment, except for Allerton, who had a visible look of disgust at seeing that Carter had managed to break free from his control.

"Sir, if I could fight this, so can you. Please, I know how powerful their tricks can be, but you have to fight them. You can't let them control you like this!" Carter began. At the moment he was aware of only two things (1) He would never let himself fall under Allerton's control again and (2) He, along with Newkirk, would have to do everything in their power to bring their Colonel back to them.

"Oh, but I want them to be able to control me. I know now where I truly belong," Hogan replied, letting his fangs show.

However, Carter and Newkirk could only gasp, since not only were Hogan's upper fangs visible, but for the first time his lower fangs were visible as well. Blimey, 'e's become a full-fledged vampire! Newkirk thought to himself. I wonder if the telepathy 'as completely kicked in too? This isn't good, since now it will be even 'arder to bring 'im back to us.

"It will indeed," Hogan simply replied, since even though the psychic link was broken between himself and Newkirk, the telepathy had fully kicked in. "So good luck trying!" he shouted at them, before spitting at the floor.

Suddenly, Hogan quickly walked over to them before they had a chance to respond to what was happening, and began lifting them up by their collars. Setting Newkirk back down in the chair where he had recently been tied up in, Amsel brought in another chair from the other room for Carter, before helping Hogan to tie him up as well.

Once Hogan and Amsel had accomplished that task, Hogan turned to the other men with a twisted smile on his face. "Now, about that 'hunting' that you promised I would engage in. Some of us are in the mood for fresh blood, after all." With that, Hogan led the way out of the barn, sneering at his two men with an utter look of contempt as all five men left the barn.

"Colonel, don't do that! You don't want to!" Newkirk called out as loud as possible, not knowing if he was out of earshot or not. However, there was no reply from the empty room, and he could only look at his friend worriedly. I can only 'ope that I'll be able to keep Carter from giving back into 'is sire he thought to himself. It was one thing that now he had to watch over Hogan, but it would be another if he had to protect his friend from himself again also.

"The Colonel will never be able to forgive himself for this. When we're able to bring him back, he won't forgive himself if he kills any innocent people," Carter told his friend, finding that the psychic link between them had returned and voicing his friend's opinions for him.

"I know. 'E'll probably be more suicidal than before," Newkirk replied while heavily sighing. "More than ever, once we get free we're going to make sure that we're there for 'im. But we 'ave to get free first," Newkirk said, as he struggled against the ropes, but found that they wouldn't budge. Looking up, Newkirk could only pray for himself, Carter, and Hogan that everything would turn out alright in the end. 'Eaven 'elp us.