"Love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbour"
(Of Pride, Dante in the Divine Comedy)
Chapter Seven
- Superbia
Integral had been barely able to sleep ever since the mansion was burnt down. Her insomnia had increased due to war, her men vanishing, but the assault on her headquarters had taken away all the thrill of dreams, replacing it with paranoia, concern, and a deep violence boiling inside her system. She rolled over to face her husband; he had placed a hand around her waist that she had removed at once, it was against the agreement to touch each other so soon. William was blissfully unaware of the evil that was lurking outside his home, with his eyelids closed, breathing steady and peaceful expression, he rested for both of them.
It won't last, Integral thought to herself, glancing at the closed windows that stopped light from entering their chambers, then snagged her glasses and looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Eight twenty, almost time to get up. She disconnected the alarm and rose, taking a quick shower before dressing.
Integral declined most of the breakfast except for a piece of fried bread and a cup of tea. The anxiety left an acid taste in her throat, eating only increased it, the sweet flavour of tobacco, though provided enough nourishment. While her husband slept, she summoned her surviving men and some of the people William had hired. They entered and saluted; their faces were half attentive, half asleep.
"Sir Hellsing," Richards greeted, bowing. She was not Mrs. Bannerworth, true to her word, Integral had been allowed to keep her surname.
"Gentlemen," Integral said, placing her elbows on the table. "Is there any advance in determining the location of the culprits?"
"Boss," Buttes took the response, "We have bribed the local leeches to spill it out under the threat of incidents like the ones that happened in Romania." Integral smiled inwardly, remembering the glorious massacre, it had been cathartic. "And they had thrown us some clues of their current position."
"Sir Hellsing," one of the new recruits spoke now. Integral turned to watch the woman, she looked to be in her forties and sported some well-concealed scars on her face. "We may not have enough supplies to provide for all the new soldiers."
"It's not necessary, Miss Wilde. My experience is the most notable asset. We will use surprise as a crucial element now that they think themselves high and mighty," Integral answered, trying very hard to not slam her desk in rage. Those beasts did not deserve to exist under the same sky. "We will depart as soon my husband is willing to join our battle."
"Will Sir Bannerworth be able to cope?" Richards asked, dubious.
"I will protect him if something goes wrong," Integral stated, leaning forward further. "Any report that indicates the reasons for those dead targets weeks ago?"
Buttes shook his head. "No idea, boss. Maybe the same punks who burnt down the mansion were involved."
"I agree, Sir," Richards nodded, "Their wounds were unusual."
"How so?" Integral inquired, reaching for the file that contained the cases information, scrutinising the remains of the dead Midians.
"Check that, Sir," Richards pointed to a dismembered arm. "The way it was sliced."
Integral's eyes narrowed, "It seems like someone… chewed on it. Something with sharp teeth." She shut the file. "We won't allow this mockery of our abilities to go farther. Today, we will hunt them down!"
----
When Integral finished changing and left, Anderson finally opened his eyes. He sat up straight on the bed, inhaling sharply despite not needing air. Two days, it had been two days since the ceremony and he still could not bear himself near her.
Self control isn't your forte, is it? Dracula taunted inside his head. I know you crave to break the agreement, to take her before I did in my way. For her own good, or yours, Judas Priest? Can't bear anyone else to win?
Anderson was about to retort that Dracula was the one with that issue and that his lascivious thoughts leaked inside his mind, but the pain of shifting bodies again overcame his system. His bones cracked and elongated, his hair grew in length and he felt his teeth sharpening, damaging the sensitive flesh inside his mouth. He wailed and curled, in a vain attempt to pause the transformation. He rolled over on the bed, falling from the edge and crawling with effort towards the bathroom, standing up with the help of one of his bayonets. He gritted his teeth, feeling his flesh being burnt by the holy item.
Open your eyes, Judas, Dracula said with an innocuous tone. See what image awaits you.
Anderson leaned on the sink, agitated, and glanced at the mirror. If his sane mind was working, he would have realized that vampires did not cast reflections, but his consciousness was far too gone and what he saw horrified him: Dracula. With his long curly hair, well shaped cheekbones, elegant goatee and red eyes. He was Dracula, there were no recognisable traits that indicated he was Alexander Anderson any longer. He lifted his bayonet, despite how it burnt his hand, cutting the strands roughly, taking away layers of his skin with it then tried to get the rid of his facial hair. The silver was acid to the skin, blood poured down from his cheeks, dripping to the floor along with the hair and the flesh. But the image of the mirror did not shift; it was the same mocking figure of the vampire.
No one can see me like this! No one! Anderson repeated, chanting as is eyes swirled in chaos, as he kept damaging, disfiguring the unchanging image of the mirror. He would destroy him, annihilate anyone who discovered his secret.
That you lost. That's why you killed Seras. She was the witness of your fall, Judas Priest.
Anderson released the bayonet and he collapsed with it, remembering… remembering everything.
"Sir Hellsing," Anderson had addressed her, hands in his pockets, moving anxiously. "Is there no mission for me today either?"
Integral had placed a folder to the side. He had waited until she left her men training to speak with him in private of her office. She had shook her head. "I am afraid so, Anderson. Seras and the Count easily destroyed the last target."
He had been tired of being a wasted resource; he had wondered if she was afraid to employ him in her service. That had been the most logical explanation in his mind, the one that protected his honour. Then the sessions of sloth began, he allowed himself to fall into apathy, forgetting to pray, no longer caring for what he read. It continued until that night when he awoke in the cell.
Anderson had heard the footsteps, the light noises Seras' boots made on the floor, but he did not move, remaining still until she had approached too close. The dark magic inside the dungeon damped his abilities to purify and to summon bible pages. He was in serious trouble. He tried to defend himself once, pulling bayonets from the fourth dimension, but his hands were held, tied by the shadow tendril. He admitted that on a primal level he wanted this, to be as useful as the vampires in Sir Integral's sight. He was already damned after all, what could he lose? He caught a glimpses of Draculina's face before she dipped to his neck; her expression was blank, like she was in a trance. She was being controlled.
Her bite had been delicious, so pleasurable that all the struggle in him died out, favouring the strange sensations induced as her fangs pierced deeper into his flesh. Anderson had felt her curvy body pressed to his, straddling firmly to limit his possible movements. He had groaned, moaned, and whimpered Integral's name in ecstasy until Seras had been interrupted by a clapping sound. Obediently, the Draculina had left Anderson on the floor when her Master appeared. Anderson had glanced at Dracula hungrily.
"I will be the Master of your Master, Judas Priest," Dracula had said as he kept applauding. "How does that sound?"
Anderson had stood up, weakened as his body adjusted to the metamorphosis, as his canines elongated and the spasms of the body were fading along with his vital signs. Pushing Seras out of the way, he had lunged for Dracula, who greeted him with welcoming arms and a triumphal glee. He had been so damn hungry; he had craved the other vampire's blood like his life depended on it, and bit down, losing himself in the taste of the devil's haemoglobin. It brought him such pleasure, to feast on the bloodsucker at last, and as he felt the power, his expression darkened, he wanted more and more power. He would be Integral's ace if he were powerful, not them.
Alexander had released the vampire when he was almost empty, uncaring of his joker grin or his watchful eyes, Anderson had focused in the blood of the floor, leaning to lap at it greedily. More power, more blood, his mind was ragging, uncontrolled. It was all for a good cause.
Anderson had died in that position, passing out over the blood pond, limbs twitching with the oncoming transformation. What had been pleasurable now became painful beyond his imagination. He recalled the process that turned him into a regenerator, the memory was a relief compared to what he endured. Shadows, there were layers of darkness invading his body during the convulsions and he tried to awake. A voice, a presence had entered his mind, this body, a cold bearing the numbness of death.
As the Master of your Master I command you, Judas Priest, Dracula's voice resounded, so close and intimate.
His body had started to change, more than the usual vital signs fading and the fangs, it shifted, moulding to what the soul that had taken over commanded. Anderson screamed, awaking from the trance, watching as his stained clothes formed armour, as his blonde hair darkened and gained length. His eyes had widened, he was becoming his hateful foe, his rival. The sour taste of the ultimate defeat: he had poisoned his soul and own body! This wasn't supposed to happen!
"M-master?" Anderson had heard Seras speak, her tone cracking. He had looked at her; her eyes had a semblance of self-control. She had touched her lips, licking his blood off of them. She had been controlled, he was aware now she had not meant to. But she had been staring at him, frightened by his new look and had made no attempt to hide her shock.
"Don't look at me!" Anderson had snapped, ashamed to be seen. No one should see him. No one! If he avoided being seen, his shame would be hidden. "Don't look at me!" he had insisted, rage swelling inside. But she could not take her eyes away from his body, those innocent red eyes. A damned curious creature should had not have been allowed to be so innocent, to exist, to see him and how low he had descended!
Judas Priest! Don't touch my fledgling! Dracula had roared.
"Oh God, I swear I didn't want to! He took control over me! Please, believe me! I-I…"
Her words had come too late, Draculina had been distracted, still stunned by the mind control and he had been enraged because of his defeat and those who aided to bring him to this position should suffer in hell. He had watched Seras' head sliced off her body, both pieces falling to the floor then the Void had taken over until he had awakened, hours later.
Anderson lay on the bathroom of the Bannerworth bathroom. He had the urge to break things, to cry, to fight but could not do anything but remain there, motionless.
Your vanity, your pride caused all those problems. After all, that's the chief of the deadly passions.
Deadly passions, how the Orthodox Church calls the capital sins, Anderson thought, bemused, thinking himself pathetic for his own actions but strangely unwilling to admit them.
I was Orthodox in life, Judas Priest. And self-righteous, like you, like Integral, look how I ended up, Dracula pointed out, laughing. You have put up a good fight, Judas Priest but your will has decreased. Now is time for me to step in. I must confess I was first worried that the Police Girl's death would deter my control over you, and it was diminished considerably, but through our games I have recovered the upper hand.
Anderson felt himself pushed, unable to control his body anymore, just to witness without influence. The hybrid of Dracula and Anderson fell on the floor, but the body that rose was William Bannerworth.
Now is time to replace the fledgling you destroyed.
"Sir Bannerworth," a maid asked from outside the bathroom door, knocking it. "Are you alright? We heard a scream."
"It's fine, Sally," 'William' replied rubbing his jaw, tracing the scar on his left cheek. "I just cut myself with the razor, that's all. It'll heal."
----
Integral gestured to the soldiers to secure the perimeter. The culprits had been hiding in East End, a building that had miraculously been able to remain almost complete after the Nazi assault.
"We have located them, they are on the fourth floor, Sir," Richards informed her, "And… they have some ghouls…" Integral lifted a brown, noticing his hesitation. "They have the emblem of the Hellsing Organisation."
Integral closed her eyes, barely containing the anger, the insult and the biting sorrow. Her soldiers, her men, the proof of her failure. "I will take care of the ghouls before eliminating all vampires," she ordered, "It's my duty."
"Sir!" Richards saluted.
"Is that wise Integral?" William asked, crossing his arms over his vest. He looked rather attractive and less foppish with his military attire. "Allow the soldiers to clear the way for you," he suggested.
"No," Integral shook her head, "This is what I want. I will put those men into rest. This is not the first time I am forced to do this. Otherwise I am not worthy of being a Hellsing." William sighed and leaned closer to her, she remained still, allowing him to press his lips on hers in a brief kiss. They needed to appear a couple at some point.
"Call us if you need help," he murmured.
"We'll see," Integral said before turning to her men. The new and the old ones. "The main group will follow Richards through the emergency stairs. Buttes, remain here to cover the snipers in the surrounding buildings. The rest will follow me inside. I will take care of the ghouls," she ordered, patting the hilt of her sword. "Start the operation."
"You heard my wife," William holstered his revolver, a Magnum he'd had made specially for the occasion. "Let's move." Integral feigned to be pleased by his support but she was not, he was trying to steal her leadership.
The door was opened cautiously and the rifle's flashlight illuminated inside. There were bones on the floor, human and animals. The stench was unbearable, several coughed from the putrid smell.
"Put your masks on," Integral ordered as she masked herself. "The skeletons are old, must be victims from the war."
"The staircase," William told her, pointing to the crack of stairs, there were faint noises. Footsteps, many descending the stairs. Groans and grunts.
Ghouls, Integral realized, loading her rifle. "Step back, I will clean the way."
"Integral, they are many, it's too dangerous!" William pleaded but she did not listen, could not. This had been her fault and she would take care of her responsibilities. It was a personal matter and punishment. Those men fell for her, fell for Hellsing. So did she as their leader, both would be avenged through the execution.
Alone, Integral walked to the end of the staircase and waited. She saw the first one jump towards her direction, she quickly blew his head off by pulling the trigger. Then the other. Bang. And another. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Their dark blood spilled over her mask, her green fatigues, she stared at the dark staircase until there were no more noises. Carefully, she illuminated the stairs and, after assuring they were empty, she started to climb.
"Integral…" William's voice called to her. "Allow someone investigate for you."
"Give Richards the signal to proceed," she said dismissingly, reaching the first floor. She was going to spin around the corner when she realized the ghouls were not gone, they were waiting. She was not able to count them, but there were at least twenty moving fast towards her position. She tried to shoot, but they got a hold of her barrel. With alacrity, Integral unsheathed her sword and severed the hands of those trying to capture her front but she missed her left, a fatal mistake. Integral felt the blunt rotten teeth of a ghoul on her forearm, making her scream in pain. Dumbfounded, she took a sharp breath and cut the culprit's head, she felt another sting, on her right leg that time, and lowered her sword to the other zombie.
Damn, damn, damn, Integral thought, her mind growing numb, sweat and fever increasing. The bites had infected her and she knew she would not be able to keep fighting for too long. In hopes of winning space to battle better, she retraced her steps, not calculating correctly the position of the staircase. She slipped and fell, releasing her weapons in the fall. Instead of hitting the marble stairs, she collapsed over something equally as solid and cold. Arms were holding her tightly. It was someone's chest. She attempted to see who her saviour was, but her sight turned blurry, she only could distinguish silhouettes.
"See what happened because of your desire to deny help?" The voice was masculine, it sounded like William but it did not at the end of the question. Integral grunted in pain. She could not see her wounds but was certain the skin around had grown dry and rotten. "Do you want me to save you now, Integral? Ask for it," he demanded in a devilish tone. "I don't want to become a widower so soon. Third's time the charm and all…"
William? No… "Count? Alucard?" she asked in disbelief, how that fit. She had married him. She had been set up? "Seras? Anderson?"
"Anderson is with me…" There was something in his voice, sarcasm? She could not place what it was but the vampire played as if he knew something she did not. "Seras died."
Seras dead… Integral felt another type of pain spreading quickly inside her upon hearing that revelation. But she was in no condition to mourn her officer now.
"Then I w-will join her. I would never admit defeat," Integral shot back, struggling for her words, it was painful to breathe, to keep her mind awake. She felt him cradling her head, pressing something cold to her neck and then a sting; her flesh was so numb she could barely feel it. The world faded around her and Integral Hellsing tasted blood in her mouth, it was too cold to be hers.
In the end, Integral, she heard his mental voice as her body changed, Anderson protected you until now. Your answer was all I needed. I am so proud of you. Those with too much pride always fall first.