Note: thank you Midnight Dove who corrected me on the spelling of
'Gabriel'... I thought it looked rather funny the other way I had it.
Chapter 2
"Carl!" Van Helsing yelled as he threw open the front doors of the Valerious manor. His mind reeled over and over of what could have gone wrong. "Carl!" he yelled again, but louder this time. "Yes, yes, I'm coming" Carl said as he quickly walked out from around a turn in the wall. His hood pulled up over his head and his binocular glasses over his eyes. "Carl, I fear that something has gone wrong" Van Helsing said as he pushed his way passed him and made his way up to the tower. "Something is always wrong with you isn't it?" Carl mocked. Van Helsing turned around to face Carl suddenly, causing him to jump back in surprise.
"I have reason to believe that Dracula is still alive" Van Helsing said as he plopped himself down into one of the many chairs littered about the tower.
"Well that is bad new" Carl agreed, walking to the secret switch in the wall. He knocked it with his arm and stepped back to look at the painting again.
"Gabriel..." Van Helsing whispered to himself again. He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and tapped his forehead lightly. Van Helsing stared at the picture of the right hand of God, striking down Dracula.
"Or course..." Van Helsing said to himself again, louder this time. Carl spun around.
"What is it?" he asked.
"He said that 300 or 400 years ago we met. I was the left hand of God; I was the one who destroyed him... Gabriel was the left hand of God... it is who I was... it is who I am" Van Helsing said to himself as he stood and stared at the hand, striking down Dracula.
Carl watched as Van Helsing's mind reeled over and over. He looked sympathetically at him before his eyes jumped open. He darted to the book case and ran his finger over a row of volumes, searching for the title he desired.
"Ah!" He said as he pulled a certain book back, he leafed through it, muttering words to himself that Van Helsing could not make head or tail of.
"You watched him die, yes?" Carl asked.
Van Helsing nodded glumly. He could not draw his gaze from this rendering of what he knew to be himself.
"He turned to bone and ash?" Carl asked again, his eyes flying over the words without pause.
Van Helsing nodded again.
"You were sure to destroy the skull?" Carl questioned raising his eyebrow, looking up from his book towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing's eyes widened. He slowly turned to Carl who stared at him desperately.
"I didn't" Van Helsing replied softly.
Carl let out a heavy sigh and his eyes drifted towards the ground.
"I fear, then, that all our struggle and battles were of no cause" Carl said softly back towards Van Helsing, who breathed heavily and angrily.
He let out a growl of frustration. He grabbed the chair he was formerly sitting on at threw it through the nearest window. Carl backed away from the maddened hunter and pressed himself again the wall.
"Anna's death! She died for nothing! Her death means nothing!" He raged again. He grabbed anything near him and threw it around the room. Glass shattered and pages from old books tore and littered around the room. Van Helsing forced his fist threw a window and cried out in pain. Blood dripped from the gapping wounds on his hand and he collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor.
"This is too much; I can not do this alone. Not without Anna" Van Helsing whimpered to himself. His eyes watered up and a pool of blood formed under his hand.
"You are not alone I might remind you" Carl said defensively. "I am always on your side."
Van Helsing turned and looked towards his friar friend. "How can we expect to defeat him again Carl? How can we hope to succeed? What hope do we have left?"
"A man without hope is a man without future" Carl replied.
"And a man without love is a man without a purpose" Van Helsing stated. A tear cut down his face as he held Carl gaze with his own.
Carl's brows furrowed, he looked disapprovingly at Van Helsing. "Perhaps this is a lost cause, but is it not worth fighting for Anna's memory?"
"That's all that's left of her is memories" Van Helsing replied.
"And if you loose that you will have nothing!" Carl exclaimed.
Van Helsing jumped at the tone of his voice. He had never raised his voice at him before. He blinked his eyes slowly as he stood up off the floor.
"Perhaps, then, Van Helsing will prepare to fight his final battle" Van Helsing whispered, loud enough though that Carl could hear.
Carl smiled and came towards him; he put his arm around Van Helsing and led him towards the weaponry. "We must get your ready then."
A/N: Oooo, Angsty isn't it? There is more to come soon and I am delighted that you all have enjoyed the first chapter so far. I hope the rest of the story lives up to the first chapter then. RR!
Chapter 2
"Carl!" Van Helsing yelled as he threw open the front doors of the Valerious manor. His mind reeled over and over of what could have gone wrong. "Carl!" he yelled again, but louder this time. "Yes, yes, I'm coming" Carl said as he quickly walked out from around a turn in the wall. His hood pulled up over his head and his binocular glasses over his eyes. "Carl, I fear that something has gone wrong" Van Helsing said as he pushed his way passed him and made his way up to the tower. "Something is always wrong with you isn't it?" Carl mocked. Van Helsing turned around to face Carl suddenly, causing him to jump back in surprise.
"I have reason to believe that Dracula is still alive" Van Helsing said as he plopped himself down into one of the many chairs littered about the tower.
"Well that is bad new" Carl agreed, walking to the secret switch in the wall. He knocked it with his arm and stepped back to look at the painting again.
"Gabriel..." Van Helsing whispered to himself again. He rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and tapped his forehead lightly. Van Helsing stared at the picture of the right hand of God, striking down Dracula.
"Or course..." Van Helsing said to himself again, louder this time. Carl spun around.
"What is it?" he asked.
"He said that 300 or 400 years ago we met. I was the left hand of God; I was the one who destroyed him... Gabriel was the left hand of God... it is who I was... it is who I am" Van Helsing said to himself as he stood and stared at the hand, striking down Dracula.
Carl watched as Van Helsing's mind reeled over and over. He looked sympathetically at him before his eyes jumped open. He darted to the book case and ran his finger over a row of volumes, searching for the title he desired.
"Ah!" He said as he pulled a certain book back, he leafed through it, muttering words to himself that Van Helsing could not make head or tail of.
"You watched him die, yes?" Carl asked.
Van Helsing nodded glumly. He could not draw his gaze from this rendering of what he knew to be himself.
"He turned to bone and ash?" Carl asked again, his eyes flying over the words without pause.
Van Helsing nodded again.
"You were sure to destroy the skull?" Carl questioned raising his eyebrow, looking up from his book towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing's eyes widened. He slowly turned to Carl who stared at him desperately.
"I didn't" Van Helsing replied softly.
Carl let out a heavy sigh and his eyes drifted towards the ground.
"I fear, then, that all our struggle and battles were of no cause" Carl said softly back towards Van Helsing, who breathed heavily and angrily.
He let out a growl of frustration. He grabbed the chair he was formerly sitting on at threw it through the nearest window. Carl backed away from the maddened hunter and pressed himself again the wall.
"Anna's death! She died for nothing! Her death means nothing!" He raged again. He grabbed anything near him and threw it around the room. Glass shattered and pages from old books tore and littered around the room. Van Helsing forced his fist threw a window and cried out in pain. Blood dripped from the gapping wounds on his hand and he collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor.
"This is too much; I can not do this alone. Not without Anna" Van Helsing whimpered to himself. His eyes watered up and a pool of blood formed under his hand.
"You are not alone I might remind you" Carl said defensively. "I am always on your side."
Van Helsing turned and looked towards his friar friend. "How can we expect to defeat him again Carl? How can we hope to succeed? What hope do we have left?"
"A man without hope is a man without future" Carl replied.
"And a man without love is a man without a purpose" Van Helsing stated. A tear cut down his face as he held Carl gaze with his own.
Carl's brows furrowed, he looked disapprovingly at Van Helsing. "Perhaps this is a lost cause, but is it not worth fighting for Anna's memory?"
"That's all that's left of her is memories" Van Helsing replied.
"And if you loose that you will have nothing!" Carl exclaimed.
Van Helsing jumped at the tone of his voice. He had never raised his voice at him before. He blinked his eyes slowly as he stood up off the floor.
"Perhaps, then, Van Helsing will prepare to fight his final battle" Van Helsing whispered, loud enough though that Carl could hear.
Carl smiled and came towards him; he put his arm around Van Helsing and led him towards the weaponry. "We must get your ready then."
A/N: Oooo, Angsty isn't it? There is more to come soon and I am delighted that you all have enjoyed the first chapter so far. I hope the rest of the story lives up to the first chapter then. RR!