Order 32: Mind Spies
Skey's Room. 9:00 P.M.
Two games later. Skey and Anderson were in their third game. The first game he had won but not without difficulty. Then the second game, he didn't stand a chance. Those avid, young eyes saw through every strategy he tried to form. Once she saw the plan, it took her only one move to thwart his strategy. Already she'd taken a Knight and rook! Him? Two mere pawns! Skey only leaned in, resting her chin on her crossed wrists. A clever smile taunted him mercilessly.
"Come on. You got pawns attacking my Bishop. It's not even a protected piece! How hard of a choice is this?"
" Ae hard yin considernig who' Ah'm up against. Ye got the grin O' the devil, Skey."
After considering the move, he took the shiny, onyx bishop from her. No relief settled. For all he knew, Skey could be setting up a trap and only used the Bishop as a means of distraction. Skey picked up the Queen, moving her swiftly to her far left. There wasn't a trace of worry knowing Anderson had taken one of her good pieces. Something was amist. A free diagonal line provided for a quick check of Skey's King. Anderson took the alabaster Queen in his hand and surfed the Queen on smooth air across the wooden board.
"Check."
Skey moved the King forward one space, unscathed from the petty assault. Now his queen was out in the open, it'd be hard for her to move her other pieces with that threat there. Anderson decided to keep the strong Queen there and move his noble Knight, his only Knight, out of its place. Skey moved her own Queen up a square and in line with her black squared bishop. No fidgeting and no sweating. She was keeping a cool exterior but he knew inside she was quivering with delight at the thought of outmastering him. He was quivering too...but not out of delight! He saw an available move with his Bishop to trap her dark Knight. He went with the move, thinking nothing of the onyx Queen's threat. The fingertips lifted off the piece, making certain the move. Then she grinned. The malicious Queen of hers surfed diagonally all the way across the board, then took his pawn that was settled in front of his Holy King. There'd be no killing the Queen due to its protection provided by the distant Bishop. There'd be no escaping the fate of this game either.
" Checkmate."
Again, outmanuveured by the student! The anger he felt didn't surface once to her. Both cleaned up, deciding it was time for sleep.
" Tomorrow we should place another game. Maybe then you'll beat me!"
"Nae, Ah dinna think Ah'll e'er be able tae beat ye."
The game was put under her bed. A loud yawn filled the room as Skey laid back on her bed, her eyes tired now and ready for some rest. Anderson said his good night and left her to sleep. Before she decided to though, she sat up, looking out her window. Sunday was finally over. But still, there was Monday and Teusday to live through. With each hour, the tension would mount ever so slightly. Simple distractions like maybe a game of chess kept them relatively sane. Well, as sane as any Iscariot agent was.
Cemetary. 10:00 P.M.
Night was the gift the devil had given the vampires. After being locked into that apartment basement all day they had to get out at night and stretch their cold muscles. The cemetary was the horde's favorite little hangout. Absurd laughter and cackling echoed from the foggy cemetary. Vampires sat perched in trees, on tombstones and simply on the grass talking about their plans once entering the approaching battle. Malakai was sitting alone looking up to the moon. Not one cloud obscured the lunar light. Crickets sung their symphonies as they did every night around the world. Two of Malakai's trusted hung around him, keeping their peace. Holgen fidgeted, feeling weary about the distant voices laughing carelessly, having in general a good time. Malakai's attitude was so dark, depressing yet iced with the anger and rage of a demon. The other trusted, the female leader of the Lunar coven, kept her red eyes closed feeling no emotion.
" Holgen, is there something bothering you?"
" Yeah, there is actually. Why can't we just go attack them now? It isn't like they're expecting us. With each increasing day, they may decide to stock up on defense knowing there is decrease in vampire activity."
" If they stock up on defense, they only stock up on our fill and pitiful lives doomed to the depths of hell. Not even the U.S. army could stand up to the likes of us."
Babylon opened her eyes and watched as Malakai made no movements and used his low, smooth voice to answer Holgen. The tone suggested he wanted to be left to whatever he was thinking upon. She stood and touched Holgen's shoulder, giving him the look in the face that they had better leave and let their future king to his thoughts. Holgen submitted, leaving to the party with Babylon.
Malakai sat still, unphased with them leaving his side. All he could think about was Skey. He wanted her like nothing other, but he had to break the spell the Vatican had on her. He had thought turning her biological parents into vampires would coax her into it, but as it turned out, that was an empty street. Still, he believed in all oppositions, that he would be able to win Skey over. What it would take is proving the Vatican didn't care for her life and of course, his promises of a better life. Then his striking looks could help too. He still remembered that one kiss he took from her. His long tongue ran over his cold, smooth lips that snared into a smile.
Anderson's Room. 10:30 P.M.
Insomnia was deemed by Anderson as the worst plague upon a person. Usually the cure he used when it was so late at night was to pick one of the many books that stood on his shelves and read. These poor books had been read so many times that Anderson himself could recite the book without even looking at it. A large book was picked out and opened, a smell that most aged books had infiltrating the air. The absence of noise left the small dorm pretty much desolate yet peaceful. And so time dragged on as Anderson read from the old, tattered book.
-ten minutes later-
Anderson had slouched while still propped up in his bed. The book was open and laying on his bare stomach. He'd fallen asleep reading the book for as long as his body would stay awake. To dreamland he went. What Anderson wasn't aware of was within the dark corners of the room, Alucard sat. He was waiting in the walls to see Anderson succumb to sleep so he could enter the priest's mind. The wiley vampire grinned.
" Well, well. You think you're safe to sleep knowing I'M around, Judas Priest? you were sadly mistaken. Now it's time to pick that enigma of a brain you have apart."
Alucard focused himself and fainted, letting himself leave the cold vampiric body to enter Anderson's mind. Once getting into the priest's mind, he was welcomed with a blinding white room. The shine made Alucard hold his arm up to shield his eyes. This light reacted to Alucard just as sunlight would! He walked further. A door, faintly outlined by the shadows within the room, was closed. Alucard rested his hand on the doorknob, only to find his hand to burn! His hand retracted sharply, his glove sizzling off his skin. He growled, aimed his coal dark Jackal at the door and blew the door handle off in two shots. The door creaked open to reveal a pitch black darkness. Fire roared within the room, but no flames could be seen. Alucard entered without any hesitation. The white, pure door slammed closed, locking the vampire within a completely dark room. Invisible fire roared loudly somewhere where it couldn't be seen. Alucard wandered through the darkness then fire suddenly roared up before his face. Alucard stumbled back as the flames parted and revealed a scene of horror. The Vatican was in flames and there was battles everywhere. Anderson was fighting a fierce battle with the rather fierce vampire. Both battled, both ripping themselves up. Blood was dripping everywhere on the holy soil, Anderson's teeth bared in anger, this other vampire's fangs bared in the same equality. From Alucard's point of view, this had to be the priest's current dream. The picture dissolved into the darkness. Only dim lights showed Alucard a path through the darkness of Anderson's mind. Here Alucard hoped to find something juicy about the priest's subconcsiousness. He wandered down the long corridor that looked as if it would go on for eternity. Finally, after what seemed like hours of wandering (when it reality it had only been two minutes), a dark door was lain before Alucard. Many Latin words of holy prayer kept the door sealed away like a barrier writ against such mind demons as Alucard. The silly attempt to guard his mind so weakly made ALucard's chest rumble with am amused laughter.
" So, you do have your little dark secrets don't you, Judas Priest? Well, open up and let me see!"
Alucard took both of his special guns out, barrading the heavy door with round after round of explosive and mercury tipped rounds. Though this kind of armory was meant for a vampire's heart, it still got the job done. It was riddled with bulletholes and Alucard was out of ammunition. Alucard's dark boot kicked down the remaints of the pissy door and poked his head in to behold a garden! This had to be the 'peace of mind' area. A solitary, disappointed chuckle came from Alucard as his dark figure came in to disgrace the beautiful pastel colors of this mental paradise. A small stream curved its way through grassy plains of the most vibrant light green and single trees dotted the landscape here and there. It was empty. No one was in sight of this place when Alucard gazed around. So now what? Unlike the other places, this wasn't going to be no room with a door to walk out. The door he had come through disappeared. Alucard sat down on a light gray rock, trying his best to figure out what this place was to represent. After seconds of thought, he declared this place to be the nirvana that Anderson may been trying to attain. That this is his ideal of Heaven. It had to be empty...cause maybe Anderson didn't believe he'd reach such a place. Rain fell down from no cloud in sight. The paints of the landscape melted into water, revealing a darker, depressing scene. Alucard found himself not sitting on a rock anymore, but a wooden crate of nothing. Whores walked their ways down the street, hitting on potential customers. Now why in the hell would Anderson be dreaming about whores? Then he saw why. Across from him, he could see that Iscariot girl passed out on the ground. It was hard at first to determine who it was exactly, but behind the matted hair, the running makeup of the eyes and the drained life look in her skin, it was indeed the Iscariot girl. The veins in her arms were so criss-crossed with darkness of the street poison. She was a miserable sight to behold. Even Alucard's lip lifted in common disgust. But no...what was this?
" Ye ok? Yer ae mess..."
Anderson was right there inspecting her and with gentle care! What did it matter to him that this one whore out of the hundreds walking this street, was more important? The stench of death was nipping her heels. Was that was Anderson had sensed? The tall priest had taken the woman into his arms and headed back to the Vatican and out of the dumpy road. It was plain stupidity to pick up some measly whore like that. Then again, from what he had seen in the girl's eyes, she did have fire for fighting.
" Hnh."
It reminded him of when Seras had decided to let him change her. He'd taken her under his wing in her weakest moment. The two girls weren't as different as one would think. Alucard decided to follow Anderson and see if this would continue befoe it too melted away into another picture. Unfortunately, the memory did unravel. Alucard was emerged in another white room likening to the one he first came into. But the walls started to spring darkness of the Vatican garden. Shadows of tree trunks, the puffiess of trimmed hedges and slim beauty of all different races of flowers. The two fought fiercely. The small girl held her ground in agility and speed against the tall and overwhelming priest. Swords clashed and rung like a stricken bell. But they smiled...there was this bond more than what he himself and Seras had. Again, the quick memory dissolved and Lo and Behold, the most controversy scene presented itself. Anderson sat on Skey's bed, holding the child close to him as she confessed her sinful past to him, looking in him comfort from it and salvation. The little Iscariot girl was cuddled up against the priest, clutching to him like a child would do when they felt sad. Maybe the girl couldn't see, but Alucard could see plainly into Anderson's eyes and could tell that he was shocked and felt the wallows of sympathy for the poor girl. He had hugged her reassured her of her strength...
Alucard woke. As did Anderson. Alucard's red eyes became wide with fright as he heard for the first time the priest let out such an angry string of cuss words. Alucard disappeared into the wall laughing before the ten bayonets would strike him. Anderson stared at the stabbed wall, eyes wide with disturbed anger. He calmed but now he sat up. Instead, he picked up his book he'd fell asleep to and began reading again. Only difference was this time, he wouldn't be falling into peaceful sleep.
