The snow had stopped falling for the time being, leaving Sasha Pomeroy with nothing to look at until some of the Philosiphers got on with their daily drills. They were in the middle of teaching the defectors some rudimentary basics, but they were treating it like it was a game. Idiots. They were going to die. Sasha didn't have to know much about war to be able to tell. She could see it from her window.
It was her only connection to the outside world. It had been ages since she had left the confines of the Lexington manorhouse and she longed to be able to walk outside. The closest she could get was when she opened her window and touched the snow that had gathered on her windowsill or landed in her palm. Otherwise, she was locked away like a princess in a tower, only she knew that there would be no knight in shining armour to save her. All she could do was wait for whatever was going to happen to just do so already, even though she dreaded what that might entail.
"Are the recruits' drills really that interesting?" asked a voice from somewhere behind her. Turning her head, she could see her captor, "King" Abhartach, standing in her doorway.
"It isn't as though there's anything to do around here." Sasha replied. "I'll take what I can get."
"Did you not like the clothes I got for you?"
"I did, but what's the point of having them if I'm not going to go anywhere? I'm just going to spend the rest of my life here, I guess, so why even bother?"
"Well, I'm certainly not going to have you walking about in rags." Abhartach stated. "If they are unsatisfactory, do say so. If not, then I suggest you get dressed and make your way downstairs. I will prepare a car for us once I have your word."
That made the young woman perk up a bit. She turned to face the man completely with a surprised expression on her face. "Where are we going?"
"I thought I would learn more about you. I thought we might pop around to the shops and have some lunch… If that's alright with you, of course."
Slowly, the Pomeroy gave a somewhat hesitant nod. "Alright, then… I'll be there."
"Good to hear." Abhartach said with a warm smile before placing a hand to the doorhandle. "I'll leave you to it."
Once he left, he straightened the collar on his shirt and walked down the hall, only to be stopped by the man who was technically master of the household. Sir Lexington arched an eyebrow at his king and asked: "Were you talking with Pomeroy? I thought you were going to wait in winning her over?"
"I was, but as the main event draws closer, I find myself becoming more restless." the revenenat said. "The usual distractions are doing me no good, so I thought a small challenge would entertain me somewhat."
"A challenge? Sire, are you trying to woo her in earnest?" Lexington asked with a skeptical grin, but the other man chuckled.
"Every attempt I make in wooing a woman is earnest, even if my intentions aren't the most kind." Abhartach told the incubus. "Young ones like her only want to hear about how mature you think they are. How special. Still, she does have some intellect, given how cautious she is, so she may wind up being somewhat good for conversation."
"For what purpose? She's pretty, she doesn't talk much, she's perfectly capable of producing an heir, and she's convenient. What does it matter if she makes good conversation?"
"You're obviously a young man, Stephan…" the older man said with a shake of his head and a sigh. "Convenient as she may be, if a woman cannot keep a man's interest intellectually, then what is the point in having them around? Why waste time in having a mistress?"
"Will you drop Pomeroy if she bores you?"
"She will still be interesting in… other ways. I may not take her as my wife, but even bastards can become kings."
"You're horrible, sire..."
"As though you can talk..." Abhartach noted somewhat playfully as he continued to walk. "Are things still going as they should be?"
"Yes. HELLSING has dispatched a few of ours in the intermittent attacks, but are still having trouble reacting in time to stop most."
"Good. Our numbers are increasing. It doesn't matter if they are skilled or are capable of conscious thought, so long as they can act as sponges and overwhelm the enemy."
"They will certainly be overwhelmed tonight..." Lexington noted. "Everything is in its place. It will be a happy new year's for us!"
"Good. When night falls, we will have our army."
The revenant held his head up high as he descended the stairs with his underling following behind. His feet were just about to reach the foyer floor when the heavy doors to the main entrance flew open and a hooded figure came rushing in. They stumbled as they ran before eventually falling at the bottom of the stairs, panting like a dog. Abhartach paused for a moment, raising his brows before continuing onward.
"To whom to I owe the honour of bursting through my front door?" he questioned, causing Sir Lexington to look at him quizzically, but Abhartach did not acknowledge him. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the figure below. With blister-covered hands, the stranger pulled off his hood, revealing himself to be a vampire as his fangs were visible through parted lips.
"Your highness!" the young man called out. "It's HELLSING! They- they attacked us!"
"Us?" the revenant echoed. "Who is 'us?'"
"Some of us waiting for nightfall! They found us, somehow…"
"How many groups of you?"
"I don't know, sire..." the vampire stated.
"Well, find out." Abhartach ordered. "It can't be that many. It only takes one vampire to turn a private party and with eight per hiding spot, there is no way that they can truly decimate us before dusk. Even then, we still have the larger party to worry about."
"The New Year's Vampire Masquarade?" asked Lexington. "How many do we have there?"
With a smile, Abhartach told him. "Twenty. More than sufficient. There won't even be any effort to hide, as these humans love to dress up as supernaturals, for whatever reason. Even when bitten, they'll believe that it's all part of the act until it's too late. Marvelous, isn't it?"
"It truly is, sir." Sir Lexington replied.
Both were confident in their victory and not unjustifiably so. They were correct. There was no way that HELLSING could ever find and prevent the attacks on smaller, private parties. They stopped all that they could track down, but they could not stop them all. All they could do was wait until the first wave of reports came in. That said, they were aware of many of the larger parties in the city, thanks to the combined efforts of the Intelligence and Media Management departments. It was actually Revy Macken who pointed out the presence of the vampire ball and the agency swiftly made moves to handle them all.
They called operatives from other branches stationed elsewhere in Britain to temporarily provide backup in the event that the agency accidentally runs their forces thin. Then, there were small, yet clever moves made at the suggestion of agent Audrey Baines. HELLSING got in touch with the venues of each event and gained access to the water that was reserved for the sprinkler systems that ran through the buildings. Then, they blessed it, making it poisonous for any vampire that might dare to try anything. They did the same for every smoke machine they could get their hands on that was at the disposal of the event organisers. It was a double-edged sword, however, as it make HELLSING'S own vampiric staff unable to gain access to the buildings, although Seras Victoria could probably grit her teeth through it. The demons were susceptible as well, but were more than happy to stay on standby just in case. In fact, they eagerly kept a watchful eye within the venue of the vampire-themed party while the human soldiers remained hidden.
It wasn't long before someone seemed to be having trouble passing through the faux fog. It was only one person, causing the agents to believe that they were entering slowly, one at a time as to not arouse suspicion. That also meant that this trick wasn't going to work for every troublemaker, so everyone needed to be paying as much attention as possible.
"Hurry up and go!" shouted a few partygoers behind the offending vampire, frustrated by the line being held up. Despite everyone in line wearing fangs, the offender was easy to pick out. He was alone and the only one who seemed nervous. The poor man almost seemed to sweat despite the chilled air. He seemed tempted to charge ahead really quickly and hope that he didn't get burned too badly when a hand grabbed onto his shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir." called a voice from beside him. It was a rather intimidating looking man with black hair, a black suit, and a heavy coat to match. He wore a polished, black mask with gold trim that covered his eyes and nose while wrapping over the very top of his head. Do not be mistaken, however. Ordinarily, this man's hair is pale and the mask was a relic from a previous mission where he took on the alias "Blackjack." He was a frightening sight for the poor vampire.
"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to step out of line while you decide whether or not to come in." the masked man continued. "Will you come with me for a moment?"
Ah, it was surely security! Maybe the guard would take him inside via an alternative route, or maybe, the vampire was simply too stunned by how wrong things has gone for him already that he simply went along with it. Sure enough, the masked man led him around the side of the building, but there was no entrance in sight. In fact, there was nothing and no one, save for a large, heavy van parked just down the alleyway. Then, in one swift motion, a hand was on the back of the vampire's head and swung him into a wall. Then, his hands were behind his back in heavy cuffs that the other man seemed to produce out of nowhere. They weren't ordinary. The vampire couldn't see them, but they had runes etched into the metal, making it so that no matter how hard he pulled, a weaker supernatural like himself could never break free of them. From there, once his hands were secure, he was pushed into the wall again.
"All supernaturals were instructed to stay home tonight or risk being either arrested or killed." the masked man stated. "State your name and purpose for being out."
"H-hey! What are you talking about?!" nervously laughed the vampire. "Supernatural what?! It's all fake! Are you fucking crazy?"
"You couldn't walk through a holy water mist and I have sixth sense. I know what you are."
"Oh yeah? Say it, then! Out loud! Fuckin' nutter..."
"You're under arrest." Roughly grabbing the vampire by the back collar of his coat before dragging him toward the van. As they got closer, the doors swung open, revealing armed guards in deep red berets.
"Here's one for interrogation." the masked man said before hauling him into the back of the van. "Let me finish chaining him up for you."
"Thanks, Phantomhive." one of the soldiers said while the vampire thrashed. "I'm not sure if we could handle that without shooting him."
"No problem." Alois answered, having secured the other supernatural before swiftly making his way back out of the van. "Take care, now~!"
With that, the doors shut and the vehicle took off, leaving the demon on his own. Reaching up to his neck, he pushed a button on a collar-like receiver that connected to his earpiece. "Lion to Watchdog: Got one bagged and off to interrogation."
"Good. Headquarters will mobilise on any location they get from him, so all we need to worry about now is our own station." his husband replied. "I assume I don't need to tell you how to do your job?"
"Nope. Keeping my eyes and ears open, lookin' fer vamps." the menace answered with a grin. "Have fun inside!"
"I hate parties..." groaned the bluenette.
"At least you're not part of it!"
That was true. Ciel wasn't part of the festivities. He wasn't even in the crowd. Instead, the demon was watching over it from above, perched on one of the supports that held the flashing lights on the ceiling. This also left him close to the sprinklers, but he was prepared. Instead of his typical mission garb, he was wearing a rather frightening ensemble consisting of black rain gear and a mask that covered the entirety of his face. He was even wearing fishing waders, but the silliness of the top half of the overall like garment was covered by his long raincoat. He blended in with the party, but he couldn't be seen. He wouldn't be seen unless a time came when he needed to jump down from the rafters.
Hitting the button on his communication device, he called out: "Watchdog to Firestarter: Buckle up. It looks like it's going to be a long night..."
"Firestarter to Watchdog: I'm nervous as hell." It was a familiar voice that replied. It was also a very obviously nervous one. Former training cadet, agent Wallace Young, was on the job and was lucky enough to get stationed with his former mentor.
"Well, it's your first mission, so that's not surprising. Just stay focused and wait for either signal." the bluenette reminded, but Wallace couldn't forget.
Agent Young was stationed with several armed guards elsewhere in the building with his hand at the ready. His compatriots' codename for the mission was the "FireBrigade," and he, as "Firestarter" had the all-too-important task of triggering the sprinklers either when Ciel gave him the order or when the clock stroke midnight. If they were going to ever launch their attack, then surely, it was going to be at midnight. Thus, they would trigger the sprinklers to take care of them preemptively, whether they were spotted or not. Otherwise, Ciel kept watch in the event that they were wrong and the Philosophers were going to spring their attack earlier. With Alois' finding, it was obvious that there were vampires present, so everyone needed to stay alert.
"I feel like I got too big of a job, though… I don't want to mess up." the newbie explained, but his former instuctor remained firm.
"You won't. Just follow instructions and you will be fine." It was hard for Ciel to talk over the booming music below him. Taking his finger off of the button, he sighed to himself as he prepared for a long, arduous, night.
These long stakeouts were never particularly fun. They were always dull, as one had to sit and wait for hours at a time while focusing on nothing else but the task at hand. Some people's attention drifted, so the Watchdog was glad that his former student had other, more experienced operatives to keep him focused. All he had to worry about now was himself and how he was going to pick out individual supernaturals in this large crowd. His senses were sharper, now, so he could feasibly do it. It was just a matter of paying attention when most of what he was looking at were partygoers.
Bright, multicoloured lights flashed, but Ciel was above them, so he didn't bear the brunt of them. The loud music was oddly haunting. Never in his life had the Watchdog heard such an odd mix between gothic fanfare and techno, but he had seen stranger things. Even the partygoers themselves weren't all that strange, although it was odd to see so many fangs in one place. The styles were slightly variant, but all carried somewhat similar motifs. Black was popular and so was red. Just how long had it been since Ciel had thought about his late aunt, Doctor Angelina Durless? Years, at most, yet he felt as though she would love this place. She was always partial to parties. The louder, the better.
"Lion to Watchdog:" called his spouse over the radio, "Why are these people dressed up as vampires when it's not Halloween? Is it a goth thing?"
"Watchdog to Lion: Stay focused." the bluenette reminded, somewhat hypocritically. "Partially, it is fashion, and most people enjoy dressing up. There is a rather fascinating subculture of human 'vampires' who believe that they are able to live off of the energy of others through various means. Oftentimes, it's 'psychic' or spiritual- It's seldom blood, however. At least, that's what I'm told. More private parties in the subculture might have a room for bloodletting. I'm hesitant to call it a 'religion,' but it has a lot in common with a sort of spirituality."
"Lion to Watchdog: Literally what the fuck?"
"I... don't really get it, either..." Ciel said. "They have a choice whether to feed or not feed off of others, and they choose to do so.
"No, I mean, how do you know this?"
"It's my business to know about occult sects in our jurisdiction. Most of them are harmless."
"Yeah, well, they're unwitting targets of some supernatural bullshit this time. It's kinda funny how close they are to the real thing without knowing it."
"Everyone on our side of things starts out that way, once. It is somewhat ironic, however." Blinking, Ciel realised that he had been pulled into an actual conversation by the menace. Surely, Agent Young and his crew were chuckling at him and he wouldn't be wrong to assume that. Shaking his head, he got back on task. "How are things outside?"
"Quiet. I dispatched a few of them in the alley and called the cleanup crew. After that, nobody's come up in a while. They're probably going to find another way inside. I'm geared up to come in, now." Alois answered. "You stay in the sky and I'll stay on the ground."
"Will you be able to see anything from down there?"
"Sure can! Be there soon."
"Alright. Lo-" Ciel stopped himself just in time, having remembered that everyone on this operation could hear them. "Look around on your way here..." he said instead in an attempt at saving himself, but the menace only chuckled at him.
"Roger that! Lion: out."
Releasing the button, Ciel groaned. Of course Alois noticed. If anyone was going to notice, it was going to be Alois. It somewhat frightened Ciel that he could get swept up in talking to the menace so easily. He had to ignore it, for now. It wasn't as though there was an operative on HELLSING's payroll apart from those who were either blood relatives of his, or closely associated with them, would ever mock him about it in his presence. It wasn't relevant to the mission at hand.
People watching was disgusting. He hated watching them "dance." It wasn't really dancing- at least by his standards, it wasn't. To him, it was merely jumping up and down or wiggling. The man's sensibilities were not entirely "delicate" in most cases, but here, he took offense. Ciel believed himself to have never seen so much pelvic thrusting outside of his own bedroom. Animals. They couldn't help themselves all the time, however, which was why he was there. If only he didn't have to see the unrelated bits.
"Lion to Watchdog: Vamps are on the dancefloor." called his beau's voice over the radio. "To your right."
"Copy that, Lion." Ciel answered back while turning his head. There they were, all gathered in a group. They were talking- undoubtedly discussing their next move. "Keep scanning the crowd. I'll keep watch over them."
The group stood there for over an hour before breaking off into groups and spreading around the party. Ciel reported their locations while Alois reported finding more of them. The menace was worried, Ciel could tell. Undoubtedly, it was because he was worried about the other parties in the city and the possibility that they were killing innocent vampires that had nothing to do with the Philosophers. Unfortunately, it was a sacrifice that HELLSING was willing to make. Ciel was willing to make it as well. As much as it pained him to do so, so was Alois. All of them knew that a handful of vampires could turn this entire building in a matter of minutes. It wasn't chosing humans over vampires. It was choosing to kill twenty people over a maximum of four hundred others. It was indeed sad, but the demons were hardened assassins. They needed to close their hearts to whatever suffering their loss may cause. Instead, they needed to worry about the success of the mission and all of the missions that were in operation that night.
"It's been a whole hour and I haven't seen any more of them." Alois stated. "I think that's all of them that's gonna show up."
"Still troubling." Ciel said, sliding his sleeve up slighting so that he could read his watch. It's past eleven thirty. They seem as evenly mixed throughout the venue as they're going to be."
"What's the plan?"
"When the water begins to fall, we swoop in and finish them off while everyone else runs for the exits. More than likely, they'll be trampled, but it can't hurt to be sure. Watchdog to Firestarter: Look alive. We're getting close to time."
"Yes, sir!" agent Young answered, placing his hand over the lever. Before long, the alarm he had set was under a minute away from going off and the celebration in the main hall was growing to it's climax.
"I see movement." Ciel said right before the final countdown commenced.
"Ten! ...Nine! ...Eight!" The crowd counted down from ten in unison. One great, booming voice made of the voices of many rang out across the city. In that moment, everyone was dead-set on the promise of the new year, unaware of the danger that was preparing to tear out their throats as soon as they reached zero.
"...Seven! …Six!"
Ciel's eyes were trained on the threat below, watching as they moved into position. His brows raised as he grew more and more concerned with each passing second. The fangs of the supernaturals below him were poised and ready. Some were merely inches away from their victims, who simply thought that they were in store for a New Year's kiss.
"...Five! ...Four!"
The Watchdog gripped the metal bar that he was crouching on, leaning forward as he peered down at the crowd. It dawned on him that waiting for "zero" would be far too late. Quickly, he pushed the button on his communicator. "Young! Throw the switch!"
"Huh?" Young immediately replied, having been pulled from his focus. He had been waiting on the alarm and was startled when he heard the Phantomhive's voice. "Oh, fuck!" Frantically, he pulled the switch, causing the firealarm to go off and interrupt the festivities. Bright lights flashed, leading to the also brightly lit exit signs as the party suffered an unusual bought of indoor rain.
There was a moment where the crowd was confused in silence, but silence turned into a murmur and the murmur was shattered by screams. The horde had begun to move, but the vampires did not. They were startled by the sound and looked around, unwittingly revealing their faces to the water coming from above. To their shock and horror, they found it to be searing hot. It burned their skin and it was only made worse when they held out their hands in an attempt to shield themselves. Some of them tried to crouch down as if that would do them some good, only to be knocked over and stepped on by the humans that were trying to escape the fire that did not exist.
As the crowd moved and concentrated toward the exits, they moved remarkably smoothly through the large doorways and didn't have the time to look back, even as the lights went out to their backs. Only the strobe lights remained behind them, illuminating the Philosophers as they were kicked while they were down.
These vampires thought that they were wolves among a room of sheep. Never did they ever consider the possibility that they might not be the biggest predators in the room. They were already bloody and burned from being trampled and soaked with holy water. Once the wave of people passed over them, exposing them, they were descended upon. The demons pounced, attacking from the ground, and attacking from above. One unfortunate Philosopher bore witness to the sight of perhaps the most frightening nobleman in all of the British isles leap from the high ceiling, looking like death incarnate, only to crush the poor vampire's head with his boot when he landed. Standing upright, the Watchdog's sword appeared in a stream of black fire, but it produced no light. Instead, it devoured it, before the sword was unsheathed from the demon's garb. Then, Ciel advanced, intent on putting them back in their place.
These were primarily traitors of Gehenna. Ciel could see it when the lights flashed. They wore symbols of their small covens. These were vampires who were dissatisfied with the tame life in Gehenna, as it was nothing like the grandiosity of their species' portrayal in the movies. Their dream would never come true. The demons would make sure of that. At the end of it all, those poor souls would be reminded that weakness does not go away once someone gains a pair of fangs.
Neither demon needed to see the vampires. They only needed to sense them. From there, they were easy pickings. With each passing moment, the screams of the pained supernaturals grew quieter and quieter, but the hall grew more and more stained. With a swing of his sword, Ciel sent the head of one poor, unfortunate, soul flying. With the strobe light going off, capturing it for a still frame, the bluenette had to admit, it looked rather interesting.
"Too easy." Alois pointed out as the blaring alarm finally went quiet. "I don't like it when things are so easy. It feels like we messed up somewhere and we're about to be overwhelmed by impending doom."
"I both agree and disagree..." his beau replied. "I prefer things to be simple, yet I understand your worry completely."
"Is this really it?" inquired the menace, looking at the destruction they had wrought. The blood of twenty people was scattered throughout the room with their bodies mutilated in varying ways. "All of that? For this? It feels like we could be doing something else..."
"The mission is complete. Our job here is done."
"Are other agents' missions complete? Could we be helping with those?"
"They're probably in full swing by now." Ciel replied. "If we enter now, it could jeopardise their operations." Seeing his husband's shoulders deflate slightly, he put a hand on one of them reassuringly.
"Let's go back to headquarters and wait for updates." he continued. "We'll be ready if they need us again."
"Sounds good. I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I know what happened..." Alois confessed.
"Let's hurry, then."
Things were stressful back at headquarters as information continued to pour in. While the demons' task was complete, the night was just getting started for everyone else. Many of those in the Media Management Department did not go home and instead joined their night shift compatriots in keeping everything under wraps as reports of strange attacks flooded in. Dispatch was sending out troops seemingly by the minute, proving Integra and Elizabeth's decision to bring in help from other branches to be a wise one. The death count kept rising and HELLSING was picking up the pieces as quickly as they could.
"More bitten in Soho. Seven of them show signs of onset ghouldom. They were dispatched, but those showing signs of vampirism are being sent to Phantom House." Audrey announced, not looking away from his computer.
"At this rate, they'll run out of space..." Elizabeth noted, but her granddaughter seemed more confident.
"We will expand Phantom House later. For now, have them double up on rooms. If they run out. We just need to put them somewhere for the time being." Integra instructed.
"I'll make the call." the angel replied, stepping out of the room momentarily while more announcements came in.
"Four small parties hit Eastside. No survivors in two. Estimated deaths amount to forty-three, including perpetrators." Another intel agent announced. "All undead were successfully eliminated."
"Large Party 'D' has transformed ghouls. Sprinkler system was delayed in activating."
"Bitings at private party in Reynes Park. Soldiers dispatched."
"Large Party 'B' is secure."
"Bitings reported at Large Party 'E.'"
"Large party 'C' is secure."
"Violent, biting, street attack in West End. Sending address to dispatch."
They weren't fast enough. They needed to keep enough soldiers to defend the base in case it too was attacked, and had to keep sending out soldiers that had to keep moving the operatives that were already out in the field. Supernatural soldiers had to quickly move from venue to venue, even if it was a small situation that was far below the amount of power that they possessed.
"Damn..." Integra grimaced, furrowing her brow. "This is a slaughter…"
"We're keeping it remarkably secure, given the situation, though." noted Seras Victoria, the only combat-oriented supernatural agent who was currently not in the field. As their trump card, she needed to stay at the base so she could compensate for the excess of personnel that was out working. "As long as we keep this up, it shouldn't escalate, should it?"
"No..." the head of the organisation said, relaxing her face somewhat. "No… It shouldn't. We must remain vigilant in order to keep it that way. It won't be on the scale of the Millennium incident, no, but lives are being lost and we can't save all of them." Turning away, Sir Hellsing made her way out of the room.
"Master? Where are you going?" inquired Seras, turning to look after her.
"I'm going to call inform Buckingham Palace that they need to increase security." Integra stated. "We'll also need to pass on some antifreak equipment to them. As they are, they're no match for the undead."
Ordinary bullets could vanquish most supernatural beings, but vampires and werewolves were another story. Without antifreak bullets, it didn't matter how well trained the palace's gaurds were. The enemy simply would not die. Things were getting more and more dire by the moment as HELLSING and the surrounding players and parties dreaded the day that the Philosophers would attack them for real. They knew that it would take place during the next full moon, but that was only weeks away. They had to be ready. They had to be better.
Previously lively parties were now silent. Where there was once laughter, there was now nothing. While the partigoers once smiled jovially and made merry, their faces were not grim and twisted with the pain and fear leading up to their deaths. Their eyes were open and glazed over- vacant, as they saw nothing at all. The floors were wet with blood as it seeped deep into the carpet, causing it to squelch as boots stepped through the room.
Two masked men wearing black rainwear looked over every corpse while their machine-gun toting compatriots stood by. They didn't need to check, as they could already sense who was and who wasn't alive, despite their souls not yet being collected. One of them finally shined the flashlight at the only living being remained, looking at her carefully in order to assess the damage.
She was heavily injured. Bulletholes riddled her body, incapacitating her and forcing her to the floor. She couldn't speak. All of her energy was focused on taking the rapid, sharp breaths that sustained her for the time being until her lungs filled with liquid. Her dress, which was once beautiful, was soaked and stained a deep red, but that was not the end of things. The man with the flashlight sensed something changing in her, so he needed to check to make sure what.
"Here we go..." he said softly, turning her over on her back. The loud whimper she let out from being shifted caused him to cringe, but he had a job to do still. Tilting her head, he exposed her neck and focused the light there.
It was hard to see as she was rapidly bleeding out from the gaping hole in her neck. What wasn't concealed by blood and marred beyond recognition was discoloured. Her skin began to change into a cool grey hue and she was very cold. A hospital wouldn't help her any. All they could do was see what became of her and took action from there. The man with the flashlight, however, wasn't enthusiastic.
"I don't know what to make of this." Alois said. "It could go either way."
"Check the whites of her eyes." the Watchdog instructed. "What colour are they?"
Removing his hand from the woman's neck, Alois brought it to her eyes, using hie fingers to hold one open while he shined the flashlight at it. "Yellow."
"She's a ghoul."
"Fuck..." the menace rather disheartenedly groaned as he stood up.
"Do you want me to do it?" the bluenette asked.
"I've got it." Alois answered, pulling out his pistol. Aiming it at the woman's head, there was no hesitation. There wasn't a moment where he paused. Instead, he took aim and pulled the trigger, causing those sharpened gasps to stop at last. The blonde's hand then fell to his side, still gripping the weapon with a certain amount of sadness.
"This sucks..." he sighed. "This fucking sucks..."
"I know… There's nothing else that can be done, though. It's either this, or allow her body to walk around and harm others until it rots away."
"I know that… I'm just out of practise, I guess. I haven't had to kill a civilian in a while, is all… It's only going to get worse from here."
"This is war, Jim. All of it. It's a genuine war. Right now, there are many battles going on at once. We will win some, but we won't win all of them."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Alois asked as both of them exited the room and stepped out into the light of streetlamps.
"No. It's meant to prepare you." the Watchdog said plainly. "We aren't done fighting and we won't be until the other side has lost. I know that you don't like innocents being killed… but that is the way war is. Most of the death is that of civilians. That is true of any war that has ever been. We protect all that we can, but loss of life is inevitable. All we can do is our best..."
His beau did not answer right away. Instead, he meditated on that and tried to come to terms with it. That maybe so. Ciel, unlike the menace, had seen war before. Alois was still trying to hold onto the normalcy that his current life had given him. Truthfully, he didn't want to even think about it. The thought that there might be a possibility that he might lose this mostly peaceful state of being was terrifying- so much so that it hadn't really sunk in yet.
"I want this over with..." Alois said. "What's with assholes like this? Why do they have to fuck up everything and bother everybody?"
"For most, it's just greed, but I wonder about Abhartach… Being immortal is hard, especially when you're used to conflict… From that perspective, it makes sense for him to aim for the biggest fight possible."
"Think he's like you?"
"I don't know… I've never met him… Maybe I'm just projecting..."
"I think some people are just pieces of shit." Alois stated. "Power feels good and some people are willing to crush or hurt other people in order to get that rush. Some people are just sadistic freaks. Some people just don't care if other people get hurt. People are dicks."
"It's never enough, either. There always has to be more… Abhartach won't be satisfied until he either rules the world or is finally killed off."
"Yew wood doesn't work, though… It only puts him to sleep..."
"I have some ideas..." the bluenette replied. "Come, the night is still young, and there is still much to do."
New Year's was always a dangerous night. Drunk drivers and the usual party dangers made up only a fraction of the death toll and injuries. Many people went missing. While HELLSING won all of their battles at the larger parties, they weren't so lucky with the smaller ones. There were so many of them and there was death at more than half of them. Neither side proved to be particularly victorious that night, although Abhartach did succeed in bolstering his forces somewhat, fulfilling his goal for the attack. All the while, he was out gallivanting around, completely confident in his forces. Thus, in the end, he won.
While HELLSING headquarters and the city of London itself were in the midst of a crisis, tucked away on a grand estate somewhere on the outer-rim of it's borders, was the rest of of the Phantomhive family, save for Revy Macken, who was still working. It was late, so his brother Luka was already asleep while the butler of the household continued to work to upkeep the manor. He was standing in the kitchen, polishing the silverware in silence. Not even the hum of a heater kept him company, as he didn't mind the cold in the slightest. All seemed perfectly ordinary, despite knowing what was going on elsewhere. His masters were out fighting the good fight with varying degrees of success, but at the mansion? Things remained quiet. Perhaps that was why the sudden gut feeling that came over the butler stood out to him so drastically.
Slowly, he lowered the silverware as he raised his head. "Oh, dear..." the man said aloud. Carefully, he put everything back in its proper place before walking out of the kitchen. Walking upstairs to the ground floor, the feeling grew stronger. Then, there was a knock at the door. Rather, someone began to violently strike it with their fist. Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he began to walk toward it, only to hear a voice call out from nearby.
"I'll get it!" Finnian declared, prompting the demon's brows to raise. Sebastian's pace quickened drastically as he made his way through the house to the foyer. Just as he arrived, however, he saw the blond pull on the heavy door, revealing who it was on the other side.
The demon furrowed his brow, making for a rather grim expression as he and the former gardener saw the group of men huddled by the front door. They wore ski masks and military gear, but they were obviously not HELLSING. Worse still, they were armed.
"Finny! Move!" the butler called out, but as he did, one of the men raised his gun and aimed it directly at Finnian's face.
A/N: We've gotten into the cliffhangers~! Good times... If I kept going, though, it would probably take another week before I updated, so it's a trade-oof, I suppose.
We're getting into like, actual content that I've had notes about for months, now. I haven't touched the black book in a while, but I'm probably gonna have to bust it out again to keep up with all of these moving parts...
I crave... violence...
We've been really touchy-feely for a while, and I think we're due for some senseless violence. We'll see how it goes. I just have some details in between these dots that need filled out and that might alter plans a bit. We're on our way, though!
Until the next chapter, my duckies~!
