Sorry about the long delay! I wrote this chapter earlier, but I lost my disc and spent a week looking for it before I rewrote it. Stupid lost things. But it's coming to an end, not much left now. Phew...
Funyun – Tombstone? Ah, that's a western, isn't it? Don't really like those. I'm beginning to feel like I should've let Hyde just kill Adria. That would've been fun! Especially to give Jekyll some issues about it later... Bwahaha. Yes, the whole "worm" thing is a bit annoying, but it's fun. Who can resist it? I'm glad you liked the "madness" thingy, I wasn't sure about it, but I couldn't have Mina fight all the vampires there alone? Was it four of five? That would be horrible, now, wouldn't it? Thanks for reading so far!
Tonianne – Bwahaha, explicit use of cliffhangers! Tom isn't in this chapter, you'll have to wait a while. Thanks for the compliments. :)
Oh, and in case you're wondering, I will only be able to update at week-ends now because that's the only time I can use the internet. I have it at school, but I don't want to mess with this thing there.
Anyway, here's another chapter of my little fic. Enjoy it, now, you hear?
Argh, for some reason the "---" thingy's won't work, so there's one of those things between Talley's little howl and the Skinner part.
"I guess I have something to tell you. I don't know if you want to hear it, but I must tell someone before I lose my mind. Or what little is left of it now. I never told you how much I hated him, you know, or why. And what kind of a question to ask is that? You know exactly who I am talking about. Quatermain, who else? There, now that I have stated the obvious, maybe I can get back to the storytelling. Oh, yes, I didn't mean you were stupid, I'm sorry. I will just go on.
I joined Jones' 'cause' for one single reason. He promised me that I could have Quatermain and do with him as I desired once it was over. And who am I to turn that offer down? I couldn't wait to have done Jones' dirty work so I could tear Quatermains heart out with my bare teeth. Don't judge me, wait until I get to the reason. Then you can look me in my eyes and tell me you wouldn't have done the same.
Do you remember our expedition? Our expedition to the mountain? I sure do. While we traveled back to the coast I lay wrapped in blankets, shivering of fever and mumbling nonsense. I remember that so clearly. The only thing I could say was your and my wife's names. I called them out whenever I could. It hurt so badly...
And where were you? I never saw you since then. Not on the ship back to England, not just passing by on the street. I didn't spot you even once, and God knows I searched when I could. Did you flee the expedition? Did you hide in the jungle and have your first transformation there? If I wasn't too weak, maybe you would've brought me? I think everything would've been much easier now if you had.
Do you know where I suffered my first transformation? In a cold, dark fucking cell! Chained to the wall! I was scared and confused and everything in my body hurt! I was alone! No wonder I lost my mind! I was hungry, and it hurt, and everything was new. No one even talked to me during that time, or even knocked on the door to ensure me that I wasn't there all by myself. Maybe you see now.
The humane thing would have been to kill me, don't you think? You would've done so. I know that. Quatermain didn't. He locked me away! He forbade anyone who wanted to see me to even come close! My wife... eventually she divorced me. I know she did, because I saw a notice in an old newspaper. She and her new husband on a nice picture. I didn't mind. All I could care about was Quatermain's bloody body at the time. And then... well, you know very well what happened then. I think I was fine again for a while. With you. I think everything in my head was the way it was supposed to be. You made me alright again.
And now I have lost you.
I am very sorry, Veronica. I should have been more careful with you. Now I guess you want me to leave. What? Oh, yes, yes of course I will... "
Talley kissed Veronica on her forehead. He noticed that her head was slightly out of place, so he carefully put it back on its right place before he lovingly kissed her forehead again. He wondered for a brief moment why she didn't smile at him.
Because she is angry. She has to think about Quatermain and other such things.
He listened to the reasonable voice and nodded. Of course that was the way. He got up on his feet and took a few steps away from her. He then turned around and climbed out of the window. He looked down on the ground and wished it was higher when he leapt down on it. He could smell the infant and his father. Sladjana was still up there. He gave the child a quick thought and then forgot about it. He looked around himself for a while before he began walking. He walked in the direction where the smell of the sea came from. He rubbed some warmth into his arms, it was pretty cold. He then cocked his head to one side.
"Veronica? Do you want to keep me company?" he said out loud. He paused for a while, as if waiting for a response. Then he nodded, as if thinking.
"No, it's alright. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I was just thinking... never mind. You probably don't want to hear it. What direction do you think that small town is? Over there? I don't know, I can just find the sea." He said and giggled maniacally. "I mean, the sea is pretty easy to find, don't you think? You have to struggle to lose it. The town, on the other hand, is tricky. It's never in one place..."
His voice trailed off at the end. He walked in silence for a while. He heard some sheep a small distance away.
"It's fullmoon tonight. If I don't change, I'll do tomorrow night. I have to do it, eventually. But not now, maybe later. Mmm, do you smell the sea, Veronica? It smells good, I think."
He thought he heard something move behind him. He spun around quickly to see who it was and saw absolutely nothing there. He stared at the empty ground for a while before he slowly began to back away from it. He felt a tear trickle down his cheek and didn't brush it away. It soon got company anyway. He sobbed quietly.
"Where is that town? And... and... why don't you talk to me, Veronica? I don't like it when it is so... quiet."
He stopped again and stood still.
"Please say something. Please."
He sank down on his knees and sobbed loudly again.
"Say something... Veronica. Veronica, PLEASE!" he whispered, and screamed the last word out loudly as long as he could. He then sat there for a long while, crying like a child and howling like a lunatic.
Skinner still sat slumped against the wall. His arm didn't hurt anymore. He knew that wasn't good, it wasn't good at all. It hang limp and useless by his side. He couldn't even move it anymore. He sometimes considered asking Nemo for help, but he probably don't mind it. Skinner tried to focus his eyes on his face. Nemo sat a little away from him, looking from the door to a spot a few inches above his left ear. He never looked at his face. Skinner grunted. He didn't know why, but he suspected it was jut to see that he still could. The spot above his left ear was intensively glared at. Nemo muttered something, probably in his own language.
"Nemo..." skinner croaked. He got no reply, not even a sign that he had heard him. He didn't let that bring him down, he hadn't asked him specifically to shut up.
"Nemo, why do you do this? What makes betraying the League worth it?"
Nemo muttered something and made a small motion with his sword. If it was some kind of sign, Skinner didn't get it.
"I... I mean, we have tried to be as good towards you as we can, and you..."
"Be silent!" Nemo snapped at him. Skinner took the advice. He rested his head against his unhurt shoulder. He wanted to get a little sleep, but he chose to stay awake, simply because he couldn't remember obvious things about himself anymore. And he'd be damned rather than to let a small fleshwound be the death of him.
The door shot open and Nemo was up on his feet almost immediately. Remington came in through the door, breathing heavily, and slammed it shut behind him. He leaned on it and tried to catch his breath. Half his face had blood all over it, probably caused by the small cut in his temple. He saw Nemo and raised his eyebrows in a questioning way. Skinner wanted to warn him, to tell him to keep away, but a small glance at Nemo's sword made him stay quiet.
"Captain Nemo, what have happened in here? Have you been here all along? And what is Skinner doing there, is he hurt?" he asked. Skinner heard some caution in his voice.
"No, I have not been here all this time. I retreated to this place to catch my breath when I saw Mr. Skinner here. He seemed confused or frightened, and so I attempted to calm him when he attacked me. It appears that Mr. Skinner has been a lycanthrope all along, Mr. Remington."
Skinner almost chuckled. Of course he was the bad guy now, who else? He was always the bad guy, it seemed...
Remington looked from Nemo to Skinner. Skinner tried to catch his eyes, but he assumed it was hard for Remington to get it when he couldn't even see his eyes. Skinner noticed how he didn't let his rifle down. He seemed to hold it ready in his arms.
"Skinner? A lycanthrope? How strange, I noticed no signs of that." He said. Nemo didn't look away from his face.
"No, I assume it is hard to see any signs when you cannot see him."
Skinner saw how Nemo didn't lower his sword. They both seemed to be more than aware that they had to fight each other to get out.
"Just tell me one thing, captain Nemo..." Remington started. Nemo raised an eyebrow as if motioning him to continue. "..how long do you think he has been a werewolf?"
Nemo didn't look away this time either. He stared Remington in his eyes.
"No more than a few days is my guess. He was probably infected in some way by young Adria."
Remington grinned and raised his rifle to his shoulder, ready to fire at any time.
"Don't you think it is curious then, that he was infected by her when he has never even been close to her? And he has been a werewolf for a few days, and he had no problem handling silver bullets this very evening? You lie, captain, and I want to know why!"
Nemo slowly took a few steps forward, glaring as Remington. He held his sword in a relaxed way that gave away his mastery of it. He lowered it so the blade pointed down by his feet, Remington cocked his rifle. They never looked away from each other.
And when the storm was about to break loose, the door smashed open, sending fragments of it out in the entire room. Something that seemed to be pure power whirled in through it. Remington saw Nemo be brutally smashed backwards before he received a hard blow to his head. He collapsed to the floor and the world turned black.
