Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing nor anything associated with it, it is the property of Universal and the brain child of Steven Summers

Chapter 26

Sarah screamed as Verona's claws were dragged across her bare midriff, digging deep furrows in the soft flesh there.

The sword was momentarily forgotten as instinct took over and she buried her fangs into her opponent's arm, warm blood entered her mouth and before she could stop herself she had swallowed the bitter liquid, fresh from the bride's latest victim.

Stunned and disgusted by what she had just done, she hesitated and Verona managed to snatch the sword from her grasp flinging it across the cobbles.

The older Bride was over powering her already, using superior strength and skill against the fledgling.

Tony watched the fight desperate to help Sarah but unwilling to leave the child alone. The boy's tiny body was shaking violently against Tony's chest. His head buried in the crook of the adolescent's neck. Tony had no words of comfort for him as he watched his friend fight a losing battle.

The bride lifted Sarah; her winged form struggled against the claws of the monster.

With a gleeful roar Verona dashed her against the wall of the nearest building, Sarah cried out in pain as her flesh tore and the bones in her arms shattered with a sickening crack.

Tony yelled with her and the boy cried louder but both were drowned out by Verona's screeching laugh.

The bride circled the square Sarah's limp form in her iron like grasp; Verona could not kill the girl, as her master had grown fond of her. But now she was faced with a problem, she had to keep Sarah out of the way while she finished off her little friends.

Pondering this problem her eyes landed on the well in the centre of the square, grinning evilly she swooped down and landed beside it catching Sarah's broken body into her arms.

Tony started forward and froze as Verona turned to fix him with her gleeful stare. Sarah was conscious but in great pain, she too looked at Tony regret and despair clearly written in her expression. Verona didn't remove her gaze from Tony as she addressed the girl.

"Dracula's brides share everything, so I believe, sister, that I will have some fun with your charming boyfriend." Sarah's eyes widened as did Tony's.

The bride held Sarah's body over the well she grinned wickedly and flung her down into it. In her healing state Sarah could do little but brace herself for the impact of the icy water.

She hit it painfully after a few seconds in which she had been dashed against the walls a number of times.

Tony was already in motion as he saw Verona deposit Sarah's limp body into the well.

Without hesitating he had hidden the boy under the town's large water trough outside the inn, and was even now making a desperate run towards the fallen sword.

He threw himself towards it; his hand grasping the hilt at the same moment Verona's strong arms encased him in an iron grip. The wind was forced out of him as she pulled him against her body; she was crushing his chest slowly suffocating him with the pressure on his diaphragm.

Sarah lay under the water for a moment feeling her broken bones and skin mending themselves. For the moment she still couldn't move, the damage Verona had done to her was extensive.

The moment she had hit the water her form had reverted back to its human appearance. Slowly she opened her eyes to find that she could see perfectly in the dark water. The white fabric of her clothes floated peacefully around her, as did her hair. Carefully she raised an aching arm and pushed the stray strands away from her face, testing the movement.

Her body had responded! Regardless of the now minor pain she began to swim for the surface.

Suddenly an image materialized in her mind. A scene form the Van Helsing movie began to play out in the darkness around her.

"Carl leaped up and said, "This should do the trick!" The Friar tossed Van Helsing a steel and glass bottle that he recognised.

"Holly water!" Carl announced.

Van Helsing reached out for the bottle, but Verona dove in and snatched it. She let it drop into the well…"

Holy water! Sarah immediately dove to the bottom of the well again, praying to any deity that would listen that the movie had been accurate.

Verona laughed gleefully as the boy struggled uselessly against her.

"Oh poor, poor boy," she said acting concerned. "You look so pale, and you are making strange noises. Are you ill?"

Tony ignored her taunts fighting desperately to get air into his constricted lungs.

Verona's grip tightened making him aware of the imminent danger of a broken rib.

Desperately he swung behind himself with the sword but could not reach her, dark spots began to appear in his vision and his head felt dangerously light.

He fought against his body determined not to pass out, Verona's shrill laughter angering him further.

Suddenly a loud splash echoed up from the well and Sarah soared up from its depths to land in front of the well platform.

"Tony! Break this!" She yelled throwing a strange glass bottle at him.

He watched it sail towards him, heard Verona's cry of recognition behind him, and then he swung at the bottle all his remaining strength behind the sword.

The glass of the bottle shattered as his sword passed cleanly through it. He closed his eyes against the fragments of broken glass, which showered his face and arms. Before he passed out he found that to his surprise Verona had let him go and he could breathe!

Verona screamed as the wave of Holy water hit her bare skin burning through it like so much acid.

She let the boy go and he fell limply to the floor.

Screaming she clawed at her face feeling skin dissolve to bone beneath, getting herself under control she looked up as she sensed somebody in front of her.

Sarah stood over Tony his sword in her hands.

"You!" Verona screamed.

Sarah smiled and tilted the blade slightly, Verona frowned as she looked at it the surface seemed almost…wet.

Sarah smiled sweetly as the bride's mutilated face contorted with horror, her eyes wide as she realised that the blade was saturated with Holy Water.

Sarah's smile fell and she screamed as she brought the blade around and cleanly through the dark haired bride's neck.

Verona uttered a silent "Oh" as her knees buckled beneath her and her head rolled off to land at Sarah's feet.

Tony awoke in time to see the final stroke, he watched in wide-eyed horror as the head rolled away from the body.

Sarah suddenly felt a searing pain in her chest and screamed falling to her knees. Across the square identical screams from Dracula and Aleera echoed hers, they had felt Verona's death, and now they all shared the pain as her body began to crumble to dust.

Van Helsing watched stunned as Dracula transformed in to the most grotesque creature he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot in his life.

From one of the other side streets he heard Aleera scream out in pain. Dracula took to the air immediately taking a swipe at Van Helsing's head with his claws and missing as the hunter's reflexes dropped him to the ground in a roll that took him past the attack.

Van Helsing watched him fly towards his bride and followed at a run, he was stunned when he turned on to the street and saw Dracula already flying away Aleera broken and bleeding in his grasp. Quickly he noted that the Princess and the boys were not seriously injured before running after the retreating Hellbeast.

Anna followed without hesitation bleeding freely from claw marks in her shoulders.

The boys were slower Bob had suffered a broken leg, he cried out as Carl forced it back into place and bound it to a splint.

Amie appeared then, regarding their injuries with concern she immediately went to Bob's side. Chris stayed to help carry Bob back to the manor while Jory and Marston followed Van Helsing and the Princess hoping to find Tony in one piece.