Order 10: Witch Hunt
'You cannot kill the First...'
"Frost..." Rain whispered in disbelief, the strength in the meaning of that one sentence that Geiger had spoken caused her to freeze in mid movement as she tried pushing herself into a sitting position. Still partly sprawled on the ground at the dark creature's feet, Rain stared downwards, her eyes wide with shock as a quivering breath escaped her lips. But she wasn't the only one in shock. Both Celes and Walter stood together, astonishment written clearly across their faces as they stood not far from Alucard who continued to aim his handgun the Casull at Geiger's face. Rain inhaled and exhaled slowly, her skin visible paling as she slowly lifted her gaze upwards. Over the dark folds of his black cloak to the smooth silvery mask, which Rain now noticed to not be as smooth as she first assumed. An intricately woven design of pentagrams and ancient text were etched faintly into the silver on its face. Above and below each eye on the cheek and forehead of the mask, the head of a screw could be seen bolted securely into the mask, assuring that it could not easily be taken off. Strangely, for a being that had just been shot in the forehead, the mask looked in perfect condition – no indents or even any scratches. "Master...? How can it be...? Y-you died. You told me you had to leave. Your body was destroyed in Auschwitz."
Rain was unable to break her gaze with the silver mask, which also appeared to be staring back at her. She waited for some type of response, but the creature remained silent. "Why don't you speak?"
There was another pause, but once again he said nothing.
"He cannot." Geiger finally answered. "His body and soul are bound against it."
"Bound?" Rain gasped, as she continued to stare.
"The Millennium Reich saved him from the pain, child. After his death, his spirit became nothing but a grieving soul, plagued with memories of his former life. The pain consumed him until finally he become nothing more than a wild poltergeist, mad with anguish until we freed him of the chains that bound him. We returned to him a body so he could be apart of this world once again without memories of his painful past. For a price, he gave himself willingly to the Millennium Reich."
Long lost words whisper slowly to me
still can't find what keeps me here
when all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know your still there
- Amy Lee
All the lost years, all the tears she cried, every step she had taken for him – it meant nothing. She felt suddenly hallow. Without purpose, she felt as though her existence had suddenly become some sort of sickening joke. A sour taste rose in the back of her throat along with the urge to scream out. Clamping her jaw tightly shut, she tried to hold back the cries inside her. The agonized howls accompanied a fire that began to burn through every pore and vein in her body. It was like before, she could feel it. Slowly she leaned forward, finding it suddenly hard to keep upright as the world in her sight began to spin. Geiger's lips twisted into a smile as Rain's knees nearly buckled beneath her.
"History is repeating itself, Angel of Death Walter." Alucard said. The moment Walter's eyes fell on Rain's face, he knew that she was slipping away from reality. Her pupils were barely visibly and her eyes held no coherency.
Without warning, she reeled backwards, lifting her gaze to the sky. Her hair suddenly appeared as though it gaining a life of its own in the still airs. Strands of black locks curled up and around the curves of her figure with the resemblance of snakes.
"Ich bin... verraten worden..." She whispered, staring upwards to the dark blue blanket above. The sky was becoming visibly lighter at the forthcoming onset of dawn.
I've been betrayed...
She could feel the power coursing through every vein with each pump of the heart within her. Unexpectedly a gust of wind shot past Walter. It had risen out of nowhere and had almost knocked him off his own feet. Yet no matter the distraction, he kept his eyes on Rain, whose body, when it was hit suddenly by the wind, dispersed like vapor.
"You cannot run, Child of the First! Your body belongs to the Millennium Reich." Geiger called out to empty air, knowing full well that Rain could hear him. He looked to the First, his grin never once fading from his face. "Capture her." He commanded the First who with an immediate nod and reverent bow, disappeared from sight.
Geiger then turned around, his eyes narrowing in annoyance as they looked from Alucard to Walter and Celes. "It will be like before. Only this time it will be on English soil..."Geiger's voice trailed off as Alucard pressed the trigger of the Casull, the hand gun that was pointed at Geiger's head.
"Die miserably." The No Life King hissed softly in the split second before the gun fired. There was no time for Geiger to reply as his head exploded into unrecognizable pieces of flesh and bone. His headless body stood upright for a moment before crumpling to the ground. Everything went silent and Walter could not stop himself from staring at it in shock. Could this have been one of the many horrors Rain had dreamt of since her awakening? She had spoken of premonitions that had filled her thoughts and as Walter gazed down at the mutilated body of Geiger lying on the ground, he now began to see pieces of a large puzzle beginning to fall into place. There was a reason behind her coming to London.
"Revenge..." Walter whispered.
"We must quarantine this area immediately..." Celes managed to say after a few moments after her mind was able to recover from the sudden shock. "I will contact Hellsing and have these remains cleaned up."
Walter replied, looking to Alucard, who made no effort in hiding the large grin across his face. "We must stop them both before they spread their fighting across London."
Without effort, she passed over walls and rooftops. She didn't seem to care about a snapping cold at the backs of her heels. It felt like a dream. Rising up onto another rooftop, Rain looked back over her shoulder through strands of swirling black hair for her pursuer. What seemed like out of no where, a metal clawed hand covered in frost took shape in her vision. It reached for her quickly and instinctively, Rain's body twisted quickly to the side to avoid his touch. The folds of her jacket trailed behind her as strands of mist continued to curl around her body. As her body turned, she found herself suddenly face to face with the First. Her eyes caught the black wells of the mask, and Rain felt nothing but burning anger inside her. Hissing suddenly, she shot her own hand out to the mask. She knew he hadn't been ready for it as she curled her fingers around the mask's edge, feeling her nails sink into the softness of flesh. That's when a sound was finally drawn from the silent creature. A muffled shriek came from behind the mask as Rain pulled with all her strength, trying desperately to rip it from the First's face. The icy scream that rose in the First's throat was inhuman, but Rain would not yield. With her free hand, she brought it forward into the creature's chest. But in retaliation, as Rain's hand pierced through the First's ribs and lung, a taloned hand shot out from the folds of the black cloak and seized her face. His frozen claws sank into her cheeks and quickly he jerked her back so that her hand came free from his chest. Dangling like a ragged doll in his hand, Rain only had a moment to stare into the shadowy wells the eye holes of the mask before he threw her down so mercilessly that it dented the roof on which they stood. Without hesitation, he brought his claws downward, returning the favor in which Rain had given him. Sharp metal fingers pierced her stomach like a knife while his other hand grabbed her neck, pinning her to the ground.
She clenched her teeth together, her blood suddenly gathering in the back of her throat. As Rain tried to take a breath, she choked. Blood rose in her mouth and up over the side of her lips, trailing down the side of her pale cheeks. Suddenly, within his grasp, her body dispersed in a cloud of black mist. The First rose from his looming position, his clawed hand covered in blood. He looked over his shoulder, his gaze following what at first appeared to be vacant air, but from the droplets of blood that trailed along the ground to the edge of the rooftop, he knew differently. He turned swiftly as the air at the roof's edge abruptly gave signal to Rain's position. Portions of black mist began to combine, revealing Rain's figure clenching her stomach as she jumped to the next roof. The First pursued to the edge of the building where he stopped suddenly, watching Rain jump less than gracefully to a steeply slanted and visibly weathered roof. The roof of the adjacent building was the roof of a vacant church and as Rain landed, she was unprepared for the wood collapsing beneath her feet. Through the planks she fell, luckily able to catch her free hand on a rafter in the ceiling, high above the broken pews below. Pieces of the roof fell to the floor, stirring up small clouds of dust. She had no choice but to release the hold she had on her bleeding abdomen, in order to grasp the rafting so that she wouldn't fall. Even with her body's vampiric ability to mend itself, she could not escape the mind numbing pain that the First's touch had caused. Pulling herself up onto the beam, she managed to regain her balance before the roof above her suddenly exploded inwards, showering her with hundreds of pieces splintered and shattered wood. Instinctively Rain held up a hand in defense, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the First's figure following in the wood's wake. Jumping down with flawless balance and, he landed perfectly facing her on the beam. As the shower of splinters fell past her, she grabbed for the mask again. The First unsuccessfully reeled back in an effort to escape Rain's touch, but because of the limited space on the beam she managed once again to curl her fingers around the mask's edge. Again he tried to wrench her hand free, but his sudden movement back caused her to loose her footing on the beam. Rain's unrelenting hold drew the First down with her as they both suddenly found themselves plummeting to the pews below. A loud crash echoed through the silent church, stirring up another large cloud of dust as they both hit the ground. Rain was still, lying atop the pieces of wood like a broken doll, staring up at the rafters, her fingers still tightly curled around the silver mask now finally ripped away from the First's face. She didn't move and even if she had wanted too, she couldn't. Pieces of broken wood impaled her through her arm, chest and stomach and as she laid, the mask in her hand, blood trickled out from her nose and mouth. After a moment, the familiar black cloak of the First slowly came into view above her, his face still veiled by the shadows of the folds of his robes. Reaching down, he grabbed Rain tightly by the scruff of her collar and quickly pulled her upwards, freeing her from the spikes that pierced her frame. She had no time to gasp in the sudden pain rolled through her, before she felt herself being violently swung from his claws. She lost her hold on the mask as her body crashed suddenly into what was left of the small wooden altar at the front of the church. There, she was left suddenly in the same position as before. Hissing as blood dripped from her mouth Rain watched the First approach her again. Rolling to her side, Rain slid an arm beneath her; pushing herself into a sitting position. Beneath her remained a pool of blood coating the broken wood but it meant nothing to her - it would not stop her from getting revenge on the tragedy of Auschwitz, even if the enemy she was fighting now was the one that she had been fighting for. He grabbed her again; his aggression unrelenting as he sank his claws into her neck and lifted her up so that her face was only inches away from his own. She could feel his raspy breath, rising and falling like waves of cold water on her skin. She would not yield. Reaching out, as she hung from his grip, she grasped the hood that obscured his now unmasked face. Pulling with what strength she had left, the robes fell away, finally revealing the face beneath.
For a split moment Rain finally saw him, before he quickly released his hold on her neck, drawing back to hide his face from her view. Strands of thinning white hair ran down over a scarred face that partially was hidden by bloodied bandages wrapped around his eyes that showed signs of scaring beneath their edge. Blood seeped from the holes above and below his eyes that had held the screws of the mask onto his face. Stitches ran through his lips, another clear contributor to his silence. But as the First shrank away, she lost her only means of support and her legs gave way beneath her. She crumpled to the ground, blood running down over the front of her body from wounds on her neck and abdomen that strangely showed little signs of healing. It was as if the First's attack had been specifically created to be some sort of weapon against vampires, even though he was originally a vampire himself. Rain's hands flew to her throat, covering her torn skin as best she could in an effort to stop the bleeding.
"Frost!!" She cried in agony, the name fading to a gurgle in her throat as she coughed up more blood.
'Is this the existence you gave your soul for? You don't know how you've betrayed me, Frost.' Rain's thoughts reached out to his as now she could barely speak as the metallic taste of her own blood filled her mouth. It was not like the taste of fresh blood that you could only taste when feeding. The taste of one's own blood was stale and it turned her stomach more than it made her crave it despite the fact she had an incredible amount of blood loss. Exhaustion overcame her as she lay upon the blood stained ground, looking up to the First from the corner of her eye. She gasped lightly, choking again as she tried to breath.
'Don't you see me? Can't you hear me? Or are you lost and blinded by Geiger's lies?'
There was a pause in here telepathic touch before she gathered enough energy from her drained mind and body to continue. The First partially turned from her, pulling the hood of the black cloak back up over his head, veiling his defiled face once again.
'Did he tell you how they stole you from me? How they destroyed your body?'
In some way this caught the First's attention. As his hands fell away from his face, he turned back to the girl lying broken at his feet.
'You were my father... my Master... my lover...'
Slowly, the First leaned forward towards Rain who despite her lack of energy, caught sight of his extending hand and tried to shrink away fearing the biting cold of his touch. But the hand did not draw the heat from her as it gently slid beneath her, lifting her up off the wood. She whimpered softly, as his other hand reached to her forehead. Brushing bloodied strands of hair from her face, he pressed a cool metallic palm against her pale brow.
'Can you feel me in your arms?'
I remember the days I still could breathe,
now I'm sinking beneath the waves are crashing over me
the empty space that lay between
is all that's left of where our love was meant to be.
Do you cry your eyes to sleep?
Is it peace you seek at night when your body's weak?
Did I leave you with the scars of a war torn ravished heart?
Do you cry your eyes to sleep?
- Brian Transeau
As the First laid his hand on her forehead, she felt her own thoughts being drawn forward towards his touch.
'No...'
She tried to move her head to the side to break his contact, but he quietly kept her in place with little effort. The world around her dimmed, she felt helpless to prevent the First from reaching into her memories. Frightened, yet distant eyes screamed for release against his mental touch. She could feel him inside her, watching and listening to the secrets of the past that she held locked inside.
'No... Not again...'
She remembered being a child, born to a wealthy family in Hungary during the late 18th century. But there were complications when she had been young. Her body had been wracked with sickness, unable to rise from the confines of her bed even to do the simplest task. The doctors called it a sickness of the blood; the priests called it the work of the devil. She knew they were right. She could hear their voices calling her, demonic whispers swirling around her in the darkness of night threatening to devour her whole as they tried to drag her into hell.
She remembered her cries going unheard through the tormented nights. It was as if her parents were ashamed or scared – through her hallucinations, she couldn't tell which. She remembered the loneliness she had felt until she saw the eyes - the red and silver eyes that stared at her from the shadows as she lay in bed. At first she believed it to be a hallucination created from her loneliness, but when a voice finally accompanied the eyes, she knew it to be different. Unlike the other creatures that came from the obscurity around her, this one was gentle. His soothing words calmed her and his touch cooled her burning skin. With each passing night, the dark angel came, guiding her from away from the demons in her head. For the first time in a long time, she began to think clearly. The voices were going farther away and her fevers began to subside. But her family still kept their distance. Perhaps they were frightened of the fact that she talked to the shadows every night. But a part of her knew that they weren't even her family anymore. All she had left was the voice.
"What is your name?" She remembered asking him.
"I do not have a name." The voice answered. A single candle was lit next to her bed casting dancing shadows around her room. She saw his eyes at the foot of her bed. They burned like the fire of the candle, blackening out his features so she could not see. That was the way he had always been. Never was she able to look upon his face, only his eyes were visible to her.
"Why? Everyone has a name."
"Every 'human' has a name." He said, being more specific. "I abandoned my human name since I am not longer human. My name has been forgotten."
"Oh..." She whispered in child-like disappointment. "Don't you miss having a name?"
"I have little need of one. I am alone and have been for many years."
"I am alone too...My family, they hide me away. They think I'm mad..." She whispered.
"They are frightened that you are sent by the devil. You live in a dangerous time, my child. They hunt amongst themselves for witches and demons that do not exist. Eventually they will come for you." The voice replied. "Your family hides you so no attention is drawn to you."
"I don't want to live like this." She answered, clenching the sheets of the bed with her tiny hands.
"I don't want to stay in this prison."
Silence filled the room as she stared downwards away from the eyes that oddly gave her comfort. After a few moments, she looked up the eyes, her own eyes flashing with a strange determination as she said:
"Can you take me away?"
"You do not know what you wish for, child. You would be condemning yourself to the darkness for the rest of eternity." He quickly answered, the eyes backing away from the child lying in the bed.
"I-If I stay here they will kill me." She said, tears welling up at the sides of her eyes as she tried to hold back the sobs in her frightened voice. "I don't want to stay here."
How strange it was that he was so enthralled by a human child. Her innocence fascinated him and all he wanted was to hold it. For nearly 200 years he had lost faith in the world, walking alone, his heart frozen. Perhaps it was fate that he would find her, lost to the world around her, crying out for guidance. He felt something stir within him – pity. After his eyes traced the outline of her face and hair, they came to gaze into her deep auburn eyes. They drew him into her soul and he found it almost impossible to look away.
"I don't want you to ever leave me..."
Slowly she extended her hand to the eyes at the foot of her bed. There it lingered in the air for several moments until she felt a twinge of fear within her that no touch would come. Had her request insulted him? After a moment she let her hand drop to her side, only to gently be caught in mid air by strangely a cold touch. The cold fingers of a strong hand entwined around hers softly. They felt like ice but she did not draw away. For the first time, the voice's face came into view as he drew her forward. Silver hair fell in front of a pale face that even as a child, she knew it to be beautiful.
"I will take you away from here. Away from the loneliness you feel. We will leave this world behind."
As he drew her in close to him, she fell against his chest that was clothed in very expensive gentlemen clothing. As she breathed she could see her own breath rise in the air.
"You are like frost..." She said softly.
"And you are the rain that has melted away the cold within me." He whispered, she closed her eyes, feeling reassurance which was short lived. Her vision was suddenly flooded by bright lights that had come from nowhere. The room in which they had been standing dissolved away and all she heard was Frost's voice:
"Run..."
She lost her hold on him and as she desperately reached out, a hand which she knew to be her Master's pressed unexpectedly against her chest. Her eyes met his, despite the blinding lights. They bore into her soul before the touch upon her chest suddenly pushed her back. Against her will, she lost her balance, falling immediately back over the stone edge of the bridge that crossed the Vistula River – The aging queen of Warsaw.
"Master!!" She screamed as his echoing roar was drowned out by a thunder of gunshots rising in the air before her body hit the frigid waters below.
Carried away by the river, she fought desperately for the surface, only to find that when she reached it, she was no longer fighting against water. She was standing far away from any river as now she found herself alone, standing, staring at the photos of the bloodied dissections of Frost that covered the wall. Rain quickly stepped back, her eyes wide. But she was stopped by bumping into the edge of something cold covered by a light fabric. Lightly a she ran her hand over the fabric without turning around – she already knew what it was. Apart of her pleaded with herself not to turn around. But the memory was unstoppable. Frozen tears stopped midway down her cheeks as she slowly looked over her shoulder to what was there. Atop a metal operating table was a bloody cloth that covered the nightmare that had haunted her dreams for over sixty years. Subconsciously, Rain reached out and took hold of the fabric, drawing it back towards her. Beneath it, she saw him as he was at Auschwitz. Without arms or legs, Frost's upper body lay on the metal table.
"Master..." She whimpered, reaching to him. Somehow a piece of her believed that simply by touching him, she could breathe life into his torn body. But it was not to be. Her trembling hand ran up the line of his chest to the nape of his neck.
"Rain... You must drink my blood."
She had truly never wanted to grant that wish. She had never wanted to take what life he had left so that she could live on as a true child of the night. But for some reason, she did what was asked of her without question. More droplets of frozen tears fell to onto his frozen skin as her lips descended onto his neck. She drank from him, his blood far sweeter than any she had ever drunk to fulfill her hunger. His body convulsed beneath her and as she drew away, her world descended into chaos. From that moment she only remembered bits and pieces of the proceeding events. She remembered Frost's body deteriorating into dust and the blood of the doctor's on her hands, but after that, the world became a smeared painting of colors and distant shapes that soon faded to darkness, leaving her alone.
"Frost..." She sobbed, bringing her hands up to her face. She cried into her palms, the tears no longer frozen. "Master... Why did they take you from me? I just wanted you..."