Lady Nessa: It would be horrible for Van Helsing. But who's to say it would be him that had to kill the monster? Let's hope not.
Crimson-Wolf-65: Updated! Thank you for reviewing.
Fanfiction fanatic: Glad you liked it! (: I have updated!
Blix: Not mean, but most certainly strict and rule abiding. He's still one to be respected though.
Chapter 6The large metal door slammed heavily behind Van Helsing as he stalked into the kitchens. The aroma of several delicious foods played in the air whilst the dim light of the kitchen cast an eerie glow over the stonewalls and flooring of the small room. Both Carl and the monster were sat opposite each other at the scrubbed wooden table in the centre of the room. Carl was hungrily devouring some bread whilst Frankenstein's monster stared thoughtfully at the opposite wall.
At the loud slam of the door, both Carl and the monster spun their heads to see a displeased looking Van Helsing stalk in. His boots sounded heavily across the stone flagged floor as he walked closer to the table, dropping his coat and hat upon one of the chairs whilst he sat at the head of the table, in-between the two figures.
"Didn't it go well?" questioned Carl, swallowing his mouthful of bread.
"You could say that," sighed Van Helsing, reaching for a goblet of brandy that Carl had poured for him. He took a large drink before removing it from his lips, "He's not happy."
The Frankenstein's monster turned his large head slowly to Van Helsing, his face creasing with a disfigured frown, "It is all my fault," the large being sighed.
"No," reassured Van Helsing as he looked down at his goblet slowly. He shook his head solemnly, "It's me he is angry at. For not doing my job properly."
"What did he say about Frankenstein's monster?" asked Carl quietly; now quietly biting into a shiny red apple he had plucked from the collection of food he had laid out on the table.
The goblet was placed down upon the uneven surface slowly and Van Helsing let out another low and weary sigh, "He said that even though you may not be evil, you can be used for evil."
"The key to life," inputted Carl quietly, "That's what he said before.."
The Frankenstein's monster lowered his head slowly, staring down at the grain of the table, "What does the future hold in store for me?" he asked softly to himself.
"Don't worry," said Van Helsing, "I'll make the Cardinal see straight, you can stay here where it is safe."
Then, a small smile managed to rise on the monster's uneven lips, "There is nowhere I would like to be more. This is a house of God."
Carl grinned brightly to the monster opposite, an eager nod coming from him before a realisation came upon his face and he worriedly looked upon Van Helsing, "Did the Cardinal say anything about Anna? Or the werewolf?"
Van Helsing's faint smile to the Frankenstein's monster vanished as Anna's name was mentioned and he swiftly pinned his gaze upon Carl, "He decided to rub it in," be muttered bitterly, "Reminding me it was my fault for her death.. although, on the bright side, he didn't seem too bothered about the whole werewolf situation."
"Are you sure? He was absolutely furious when I messaged him just before our arrival," said Carl solemnly, casting a gentle gaze upon Van Helsing, "I don't know if I just caught him at a bad time, but he was raving about how once an evil blood has tainted a knight of the Holy Order it will remained flawed."
"Makes it sound like he's going to have me killed," said Van Helsing with a half-hearted laugh, lifting the goblet to his lips to finish the remains of the whiskey. However, he abruptly lowered it when he saw the grave expression of Carl continue.
"You know he could have it arranged," said Carl quietly, "and I don't put it past him, he's had people killed before. One of our nuns was bitten by a vampire about six years ago, a week later she was found dead by the town fountain with a stake of the Holy Order through her heart."
Frankenstein's monster swivelled his eyes upon Carl, making a quiet grunt before he spoke, "But Van Helsing is free of the werewolf's curse."
"So we hope," continued Carl with a nod of his head, "But that was supposedly the only working cure. But the guessing can have its flaws. We will never know how good Count Dracula's antidote making skills were."
Van Helsing cast Carl a very serious look, "So you mean, I may not be cured?"
"It's possible," answered Carl in the same quiet voice, like he was too frightened to express these words any louder, "But hopefully things will be fine, and the Count was a good potion maker. However, I heard that there is one cure made by foreign gypsies, I am not aware if it is true.. but if the potion you took is indeed faulty, it could be the only backup we have."
With a surly expression, Van Helsing leaned closer to Carl, "And where did you find this information?"
Carl swallowed quietly, muttering very softly, "A book."
"A book," repeated Van Helsing quietly. However, his voice grew, "You should stop trusting these books, Carl!"
"Oh really?" replied Carl, for the first time, a hint of anger coming into his voice, "Even though I corrected you on the killing of vampires, knowledged you on the traits of a werewolf, seeked the answers to the Valerious curse - and yet you still don't believe me when I say I learnt my facts from books!"
"Words on paper do not account for what eyes can see!" cried Van Helsing, abruptly standing to his feet.
But Carl shook his head, "That's your opinion!" He raised to his feet also, facing the glowering Van Helsing, "Listen to me, we have three weeks until the next full moon, werewolf tendencies display themselves a week before the full moon, give it till then, we can talk to the Cardinal and – "
However, Van Helsing swept past Carl, grabbing his coat and hat in the process and took off out of the door, which closed with a slam. Carl was left with his sentence hanging, staring furiously at the closed door.
Van Helsing angrily stalked through the underground levels of the church, progressing through lonely corridors lit only by the flamed torches on the walls. His shadows passed murkily on the sandy stonewalls, fire light flickering his shadow distortedly. As Van Helsing turned the corner, he saw the Cardinal walk across the corridor ahead, pausing to cast a stern glare upon Van Helsing, eyes searching and thoughtful before he continued with a bowed head.
Van Helsing continued to walk on with a scowl lining his face. Today had had an extremely unsettling ending and gave him so much more to worry about. However, no doubt within the next week there would be another mission, another victim awaiting death from the bloody hands of Van Helsing. It appeared Van Helsing only witnessed death, and caused death. Surely it would mean, that like some bad karma, it would all come back to him.
The Cardinal could want him dead? Van Helsing doubted it.. surely that would be a sin in itself, he was here to do God's work, not be sent back away from earth. However, the number of times he had wished for his death made an unpleasant thought spur in his bitter mind as he continued to walk ahead.
Perhaps this was the answer he was looking for..
It's not as long as it could be, but I hope you appreciate the update, it's hard to keep my school life going at the moment.
