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 43
Van Helsing cursed the weather as he ran through the snow blanketed streets of the village.
The fresh powder made running an effort in a situation that made it essential, and the falling flakes gave him only limited vision, something he doubted would be a problem for the werewolf.
As he entered the square, he stumbled as his foot fell heavily on an object with a disgusting crunch. Frowning he knelt and brushed aside the new layer of powder.
Beneath it, the snow shone dark with fresh blood and the head of a domestic llama stared back at him, its eyes glassy with death. He raised his hat and located its body a few feet away, only visible as a small hump under the white blanket.
The snow fall was thinner now, less than the near blizzard it had been when he had first ventured out, he could clearly see other corpses scattered precariously on the ground now.
Reaching for his pistol he checked the bullets and took the safety off, the beast was close.
The hunter barely blinked when he heard Carls cry of surprise as he entered the square and promptly tripped over the llama corpse to land nose to nose with its dismembered head.
With a strangled cry, he hurriedly scrambled to his feet and came alongside his friend. "Oh my God what happened here?"
Van Helsing gave him a wry smile "Our friends been busy."
Sensing someone approach he whirled around and aimed his gun.
Anna walked up to him; placing her hands on her hips she raised an eyebrow at the gun.
"Are you going to shoot me Van Helsing? Then perhaps you would be more murderer than holy man." She said with a sly smile.
Van Helsing grinned in return and replaced the weapon in its holster "In this village I wouldn't dare, your subjects seem to be able to produce torches and pitch forks out of thin air I wouldn't stand a chance."
Carl seemed genuinely curious when he asked. "Yes how do they do that?"
Anna and Van Helsing shared a look "They've had lots of practice." She answered matching the hunters pace as he stalked forward.
"Any sign of him?" Van Helsing asked searching in vain for footprints that had been erased by the fresh snow fall.
Anna shook her head "The trial ends at the church, at the door one carcass had been the most recent."
"How can you tell?" asked Carl fearfully.
"The blood was steaming; still warm, killed only a few minutes before I got there."
Van Helsing frowned "Why is he slaughtering all the animals?"
Anna began to answer when an ear splitting scream came to them from the direction of the inn and two figures came running at them from the side street.
Anna recognised the girl as the barmaid, and the man as one of the local farmers, the source of there fear was also horrifically familiar as the large werewolf leapt from the inn roof and tackled the man screaming to the ground, mauling him with relish.
Anna's anguished yell was drowned out by Van Helsing's pistol. Two bullets headed straight for the beats heart only to be thwarted as it leapt unnaturally fast out of harms way.
The barmaid collided with Carl screaming and crying hysterically.
Bewildered the Friar could only hold her awkwardly. He looked to the hunter or the Princess for help but caught sight of them only briefly as they rounded a distant street corner and disappeared in pursuit of the werewolf.
As he led the hysterical woman out of the corpse ridden square and towards the manor for safety, he heard someone approaching and turned to see the undertaker kneeling by the unfortunate farmer's body. Cackling he turned his skull like features to the friar, grinning like a mad man and tipped his hat in greeting.
Van Helsing only had one silver bullet left, unwilling to waste it he had taken to using his crossbow to weaken the werewolf, even as Anna assaulted it with her sword.
He winced as she barely avoided one fatal swipe from the beast's talons.
Taking his chance while it was momentarily distracted, the hunter let loose with a volley of crossbow bolts, all of which it miraculously managed to avoid.
Anna flinched as several flew close to her head, one actually brushing her cheek on its way past.
Angrily she glared back at the hunter. "Just who are you trying to kill!"
"You prefer to talk to it?" he asked watching as the beast set them up for a charge
Anna's eyes became bright "Why not?" she asked seriously.
"You want to reason with a werewolf?" he exclaimed in astonishment even as they rolled to avoid the beast's claws.
"If anything of Velkan remains, I may be able to get through to him." She insisted climbing to her feet and facing the beast.
She shuddered slightly as the cobalt blue eyes shifted in her direction and the beast dropped to all fours it's heckles raised for another attack.
Van Helsing raised his pistol, getting the beast within range. "If you're wrong, I shoot." He stated coldly. Anna swallowed hard and nodded.
"Velkan? Velkan its Anna…please stop this…fight for control." She begged it, stepping back instinctively as a menacing growl escaped its throat.
It moved amazingly fast, leaping for the princess.
Van Helsing threw himself at her, sending them both flying into a snow drift.
Without hesitating he fired the silver bullet at the advancing werewolf and watched it connect with the beasts shoulder, sending it limping away in to the forest.
Van Helsing watched it go breathlessly before he realised that most of his body was straddled atop a very disgruntled princess.
"Are you planning to get off me any time soon?" she enquired angrily.
He grinned wickedly pulling her to her feet. It began to snow again, soft white flakes falling from the night sky to settle around them.
Van Helsing looked in the direction the beast had taken. "I don't think negotiating with it worked." He pointed out holstering his gun and retrieving his hat.
Anna sighed kneeling to inspect the blood-splattered ground. "So my brother truly is lost to me." She whispered sadly.
"I'm sorry," the hunter said sincerely.
Anna looked at him white flakes of snow sparkling in her hair. "Don't be…if it wasn't for you, the Valerius line would have ended month's ago."
They turned and walked back to the square. Kneeling, Anna carefully examined the savaged corpses scattered around the square.
"Why kill them if he doesn't wish to eat them?" she questioned regarding the carnage with disdain.
Van Helsing knelt beside her, kicking the blood soaked snow with the tip of his boot.
"To deprive the village of food?" he suggested uncertainly.
Anna shook her head "to what end?" she asked standing and gesturing towards the inn. "We have stores of food, we can live off fruits and vegetables if need be."
Van Helsing straightened and kicked at the snow again with a troubled expression. "We can, the villagers can." He looked at her seriously. "Sarah can't."
The princess's eyes widened, "Velkan's attack…"
"He injured her badly. She lost a lot of blood." Van Helsing said meaningfully. Anna closed her eyes in despair.
"She needs to replace the blood she's lost. The vampire within her will become frenzied with the need." He continued, confirming Anna's fears.
Nodding silently she turned to look at the distant manor "The bloodlust will drive her insane, she'll turn on us."
Defiantly she met the hunters gaze. "I won't let him win…he won't have her." She announced.
A sharp wind whipped up the newly falling snow. Anna sighed with regret as she saw the werewolf's tracks disappearing under the fresh white powder.
"I don't think we'll be able to track him tonight."
Van Helsing nodded in agreement gesturing towards the distant manor. "Shall we go and inspect the damage then?" he suggested.
"What about Sarah?" Anna asked worriedly. "What do we tell them, what do we do?"
"We tell them nothing…nothings changed." He said sharply.
They began to make their way back to the manor side by side.
"You know her Van Helsing." Anna said gently, "She probably knew what was happening the moment he entered the manor."
The hunter nodded, pausing before the doors, "She may know but her friends don't, she wouldn't want them to worry. If I think they are in any danger then I will let them know."
Anna smiled sadly. "They were always in danger."
Note: ok that's my last update for today R & R as always flames welcome. I'll probably be suffering a mild (Yeh right) hangover tomorrow but have the next part already in my head so it shouldn't stop me from updating!