PART EIGHT

Elsewhere
Elsewhen

"Master?"

The last thing she remembered was the cold and dark. The weight of her body slipped from underneath and her spirit was sent spiraling downwards this way and that to regions unknown. Seras Victoria wondered as she died, do vampires go Heaven or was she damned for the crime of being inhuman?

Gradually she slowed, her form becoming more solid as she became aware. She wasn't falling as much as she was resting weightlessly in the void. Surrounding her wasn't so much darkness as it was the absence of anything, living or dead, large or minute. In time she came to realise she was all there was in this strange new universe. Could have this been Purgatory?

Suddenly she jumped as she felt a soft cushion of a theatre seat encompass her behind. In no longer than it took for her to recognise the sensation than the rest of the environment appeared before her: a grand hall with high balconies lined with marble and gold trim. Before her was a stage wider than she'd ever witnessed and from behind the thick, red velvet curtain came the sounds of a scene being set.

Seras stood, only just realising the thousands of patrons around her: men, women and children with dead, white eyes from an unknown time and place hissing for her to be seated. She could not do that, not without knowing. "Master! Master, are you there? Please, Master!"

The abrupt silence was deafening, as if sound itself had suddenly ceased to ever be. She paused and sat among the bodies frozen as they looked ahead. The lights dimmed and there came a voice, calm and welcoming. "Ladies and gentlemen, our feature presentation."

When the curtains slowly drew open there was a blinding light from a formless entity babbling like a brook. Thousands of words and ideas spilled from it's un-mouth as it strolled, rolled, galloped through it's performance.

Seras had a hard time making out the words. She leaned closer to listen, but soon though they would destroy her mind. They melded together as one: a single entity given a million different shapes.

"What...?" "Huh huh, you said... butt." "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" "I think they calls it... foods library." "What... do you like to play?" "I am Cornholio!" "With the lights out it's less dangerous!" "I hate cute! I want photos! Photos of Spider-Man!" "And now you know..." "I need TP for my bunghole!" "Here we are now! Entertain us!" "...And knowing is half the battle!" "All your base are belong to us!" "Y'see, the kids, they listen to the rap, which gives them the brain damage..." "Did I do that?" "I feel stupid and contagious!" "With their hippin' and the hoppin' and the bippin' and the boppin'..." "Ugh, that's brutal. I need like a hundred beers." "What's a nubean?" "Here we are now! Entertain us!" "Did I do that?" "So they don't know what the jazz is all about!" "Can I have a hundred beers, please?" "Pleased to meet you, Rose." "Did I do that?" "Exactly... one hundred beers." "Run for your life!"

"Quiet! Please, just shut up!" The house lights had returned and the seats around her were empty, as was the stage. In the brief second it took to scan her surroundings a familiar figure draped in red stood in the centre of the main platform. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Master!"

'Alucard' looked out to the empty auditorium and let loose a cheesy grin. He snickered as he leaned against the microphone stand and addressed an invisible crowd in a voice not his own. "So, anyways, I donated blood the other day. Not mine!"

"Master?" Seras Victoria was confused as she watched his display and was alarmed when canned laughter echoed from nowhere. There was something very wrong with him: more than the fact that he was not her master.

He smiled as he danced around. "You guys wanna see me donate some blood to you? Huh? Do ya? Okay!"

Seras watched in confusion as he dragged a thick hose from off of the stage and opened the valve releasing wave after wave of red liquid into the stands. The impostor laughed cruelly as he let it wash over everything, then turned to Seras to shower her in it. Though she was a vampire the sight of this performance was vulgar to her at best.

After being overtaken by the blanket of red she then saw white. It was the same nothing as before but in a different colour (or something of the like she couldn't describe.) Not knowing what else to do she called out to the void. "Hello! Is anybody there?"

Loud trombones played with a brass and string band as a large, muscular, steroid-pumped man danced around wearing a Colonel America uniform. He waved his arms with pom poms in each hand as he chanted: "Vote for me! Vote for me! I am ze Governator! I'll back back! I raise your tax! Vote for ze oil! Vote for ze groping and vote for me!"

Seras shook, taken aback by the strange sight before her. She tried to say no thank you, that she wasn't interested and that as a dead person, not to mention a dead English person that American state politics really was of no interest to her. She tried to say that, but instead she came out with "Er..."

From behind her came the sound of metal claws and an animalistic yellow and black garbed zombie standing only two feet tall stalked towards her. "Hey, bub. I'm the best there is at what I do, bub. And what I do, bub, is knit baby clothes, bub."

"Vote for ze Hitler!"

"Bub. Bub. Bub." She looked down to see one picketing while the other knitted little vests and booties. The sight left her questioning herself. Had she died and gone to a mental asylum? Perhaps she'd been reincarnated as a character in a terrible story: it was impossible to tell.

"Excuse me, I..."

"I pledge allegiance to ze flag of ze United States of the Forth Reich unt flying shnitzel houzen!" Governor America growled. "Let me try again... un tagen. I pledge allegiance to ze flag... and ze boobies of Cow-lee-faw-nee-ah! Cowleefawneea! I am ze governator of Cowleefawneea!"

Seras gasped tiredly. "This is madness."

"Madness?" he railed. "Zis is Cowleefawneea!"

"I just want to get out of... ow!" No sooner had she turned her back than a number of miniature zombies leapt on her, gnawing at her skin with toothless mouths. As their gums clamped down they each yelled out on chorus, 'ah, num num num! Ah, num num num!' Seras wanted to scream. "Get off of me! All of you!"

"Seras Victoria!" The authority in his voice caused for the little zombies to fall and roll awkwardly away. She was taken in by the sound, the deep tone unique to her master.

"I am here, Master," she said.

His smile could be heard all the way from the mortal plane. "You are needed, Seras Victoria. Come forth and join me so that we may fight side by side in glorious battle!"

"But... Master... I am dead! My heart was pierced and my body is dust!"

Alucard laughed off this foolish notion. "Worry not, Police Girl. You and I are bound by blood. As my servant you are under my protection. Though your body has fallen your spirit is still joined to me and to this battle. Now, rise!"

"Yes, Master!" she cried as a supernatural light reached down and took her.

NOW

"Forget the footsoldiers! Cut them down and take out Alucard! The rest will fall soon after!"

The Avengers and their undead allies pushed against the raging sea of former humanity waving their heavy swords violently against them. Though they battled fervently they were still limited in the face of their enemy, possessing only a few of the powers of the nosferatu that their master shared amongst them. Metal crashed against metal and bone as swords snapped and limbs were pulled from their hosts.

"There's too many of them!" She-Hulk struck against the tide of bodies, each strafe of her mighty fists causing for them to fly back and to the sides. Taking bites from them she quickly discovered like the rest that the enemy was cold and tasteless like they were chewing on paper. They provided no sustenance at all. "These guys taste like crap!"

"Keep your mind on the job! Not on your stomach!" Colonel America bellowed as he sliced through them two by two. His own hunger was setting in, the nagging hollow void inside aching to be filled ever itching in the far most corners of his mind. The warriors before him were nothing as he used his shield as a battering ram to plough his way through. He was fighting on instinct, years of training honed into habit while the real battle for self-control raged within.

In the briefest of glimpses he looked to his surroundings and watched the progress of his teammates. The Phoenix cut through them with a wall of cleansing fire. Thor bowled them away by the dozens and made the Earth tremble. Meggan ducked and weaved between them like a snake, strangling their necks and popping their heads like bad acne, while Giant Man simply kicked them away as they amassed at his base.

"Thor! Miss Marvel! Captain Britain!" he roared as he reached a clearing. "Fly over them and take out the leader!"

The zombies didn't hesitate to follow orders. They wanted this done with just as he did. Within seconds they were in the air, the three of them of them charging at the vampire king. He was just sitting on his black stallion, looking down from on high and it caused for them to scoff. It was vulgar of him to be so nonchalant while an army was slaughtered in his honour.

A nearby blast threw Miss Marvel off course: it was Seras Victoria once more wielding her twin Harkonnens. One look between Thor and Captain Britain and a plan was formed. The god of thunder advanced while England's former patriot hero saw to the girl on the ground.

She smiled as Captain Britain descended on her. The Union Jack spread across his chest was practically a target, though she hadn't counted on how fast he was. Shooting a vampire was one thing, but successfully hitting an undead superhuman was something else entirely.

"Give it up!" he roared as he slapped the cannons away from her. They fell to the ground heavily. With one hand the Captain choked her neck and lifted her from the ground. "What are you smiling at, girl? Just because we can't eat you doesn't mean we aren't going to kill you."

She smiled widely with the mouth of the demon that had overcome her. Reaching back she drew her handgun only to see it quickly snapped away along with the arm holding it.

"You should have stayed dead."

"You should have learned to control your appetite," she remarked as she struggled. From her bloody stump erupted a torrent of shadow, splashing over his chest and forming a solid blade with the power of a true vampire's dark magic. With a crunch it pierced Captain Britain's corpse and with a hard jerk sliced through the rotten, soggy flesh from torso to head. The sides of his brain separated, he fell to the ground and would not rise again.

Seras beamed. As bloody and pointless as war was she could not help but wear her victory with pride. Truly the battlefield was a playground for monsters.

Meanwhile Thor did not deviate from his target. Mjolnir hurtled him forward, aimed squarely for Dracula's sinister grin. When finally he came close enough that he could see the whites of the vampire's eyes he raised his hammer high and brought it down with a force that could make cities crumble.

The vampire king held it off, wrestling him back with his broadsword through sheer strength and will. Though powerful, he did not share the physical might of an earthbound god, even one whose body was decaying. Dracula was thrown from his horse and to the mud where he quickly rolled to avoid the hammer's drop. He fought his way to his feet and battled with all of his speed and agility, but blow for blow neither made any progress. They had reached a stalemate.

"You would fight me here in the dirt like a dog," he muttered with contempt. "This is not a fitting battle for gods and monsters! Or have you lost your pride with your life?"

Thor shifted his stance to show it was a hammer and not a streetlight that he wielded. His fetid features contorted in fury and he said "Nay!"

The undead king was pleased with this knowledge and a contented smile graced his lips. His tattered cloak was torn to shreds as the shadows beneath took shape, forming giant bad-like wings which stretched many times the size of his reach. Looking to Thor his eyes dared him to follow and with one great flap he took to the sky, racing towards the full moon above.

With a foul grimace the thunder god pointed upward and hurtled afterward. His will channeled through his hammer gathered dark, thundering clouds from all directions, rumbling furiously as it set the stage for an awesome battle. Dracula was consumed by the dark wisps, the air heavy with condensation burning his lungs like hellfire. Thor followed swiftly and from the ground could be heard his unearthly roar as he charged in with the first blow.

From the small patch he had claimed Colonel America took a moment to look above. Even the vampires feared to approach as the pile of bodies surrounding him served as a warning to any who would dare come close. Though he did not notice his would be attackers: his senses were clouded by starvation, hunger and pure unadulterated hate. He breathed in heavily through the sinew of his collapsed nostrils and cried out to all who could hear. "Alucard!"

Walter C. Dornez walked down the cold, brick hall. It was silent and still: every soldier had clamoured into a room with a screen, any screen, to bare witness to supernatural war above them. Though for Walter there was no need. He was prepared for it's end, no matter which may come to pass. Instead he chose to temporarily abandon his command and sit by his Master's side. They had little need for him in the control room, anyway.

"I'm here, sir," he said as he stood at the doorway. Integra's neck was heavily bandaged and bag after bag of blood was being fed back into her system. It was disheartening to see her body so weak but Walter knew it did not reflect her spirit, her courage, her strength of will. She lay before him not a victim, but a brave leader who had for the first time encountered one of the deadlier pitfalls of her profession. Walter had seen many die, many in a manner far less dignified.

To look at her he could still see that same, stubborn little girl with eyes blazing the same as her father's. She had the same ironclad resolve and while she could have grown selfish and spoilt she instead grew to be bold, proud and graceful. In the back of his mind he could almost hear her ask what news came from the topside.

"The battle continues, sir," he spoke. "Alucard has released the zero seal and returned Seras Victoria into the battle. It is quite remarkable. In fact I would even say... it's glorious."

Perhaps he was imagining or perhaps he was the only was the only one who could see such a slight smile on her comatose lips held open by the thick oxygen pipe. Walter leaned in closer and inspected her. Underneath her eyelids was a lot of rapid movement as if she were dreaming. Again, he wondered.

"Can you feel him, sir?" he asked in barely a whisper. "Once, many years ago he drank of your blood. Are your spirits joined? Are the two of you bound to this experience? Do you see as he sees?"

Even in her silent, subtle, subconscious state she refused him an answer. He could not even see the answers that he wanted to see, only that she wished to be alone so she might dream. Walter bowed his head and replaced his monocle, bidding her a fair sleep.

"As you wish, sir," he said as he walked out of the room. No doubt somebody would want him at the command post where he could share a large serving of helplessness with the rest. He huffed at the thought: what senseless dramas come with doomsday.

The war seemed to mimic the epic clash above. With each blow between the former deity and the damned the tide turned, empowered by the roars and strikes like rolling thunder. Suddenly every warrior, vampire and zombie turned when there came an indecipherable scream from the Heavens above. What followed was silence. The storm clouds eased and every eye watched, breath baited in pregnant pause, waiting to learn the outcome of the battle.

Colonel America watched intently, stretching out his neck as if it were to reach into the sky and allow him clear view. From the wisps in the sky a black speck appeared, falling to the ground at terminal velocity. He wiped the fetid drool from his chin and fought with himself: fought to focus on the task at hand. Whose body fell? He had to know.

With a heavy crash the body landed, covered in blood from head to toe. From underneath the coat of red lay Dracula, his large wings torn to shreds. He gasped for breath, his lungs punctured and torn. His ability to heal had been greatly exhausted in the battle where all he had was dark magic against the power of a hungry, unforgiving god.

"Master?" Seras Victoria looked on from her perch, unable to believe her eyes. That could not truly be Dracula crawling on the ground on the verge of defeat. Her unbeating heart sunk with despair. "Master!"

The Colonel was dumbfounded. With Dracula defeated there was nothing left to stand in their way. The horror to literally end all horrors had fallen. He raised his shield victoriously. "We did it, Avengers! We did it! The vampire king is dead!"

In a savage chorus the zombies hissed and proceeded to remove head after head with their weapons or just the strength of their mighty hands. Through the slaughter they called and howled, celebrating for their triumph. Then came another pair of specs tumbling from the sky above.

Seras Victoria spied them through her grief curiously, Colonel America gazed at them suspiciously while the zombies and the vampires were happy to remain ignorant and tear each other to pieces. When came the thick boom against the Earth they turned and were presented with the body of Thor removed from it's head. His other remains had fallen in the distance, many miles away.

Coated in blood Dracula began to cackle, amused by the absurdity of what surrounded him. Yes, he was tired. The truth was he had always been tired, but never in his days would he ever allow himself to be defeated by something so pathetic. His skin cracked and stung as it twisted into a smile. What a pleasant sensation, he thought. It was almost like being alive again. Death was so close he could taste it, but he would not accept. He refused to take it unless God came down and offered it himself.

"This is... getting stupid..." He was beginning to lose his temper. Colonel America's hunger was growing, tearing him apart from the inside. Anything keeping him from a struggling meal was something to be hated and had to destroy, no matter the cost. "Finish him!"

"No." Raising the cannon over her shoulder Sears opened fire, driving the zombies back from her master with a wall of cleansing flame. The air bent on the rising heat and through it she saw a tender smile meant just for her. She would protect him forever for the things he had done and he knew it.

Though taking her mind away from the battlefield would prove a fatal mistake. From behind Giant Man's hand grasped her and lifted her from the ground, crushing her in his grip. The late superhero peered at her with thinning, pale pupils. It was hard to imagine that one puny vampire could have caused them so much trouble.

"Pym! Don't play with your goddamn food!" Colonel America ordered furiously. "Eat her! Eat her now!"

It didn't matter that she wouldn't taste very good. Like the rest of the zombies he just wanted something, anything to fill the empty nagging chasm inside his stomach. His mouth opened wide, revealing the black pit to which Seras Victoria's new body would be descending.

"Master! Master, please! Help me!" As much as she called out he was powerless to help her. All he saw was a pool of red as the blood filled his eyes. Her master was at his last and so was she and as her unlife ended Seras Victoria was forced to watch the zombies fight through the fire and deliver the killing blow.

The image was clear and crisp. Highlighted by the sickly green tint of the telescopic nightvision lense the satellite caught it's first picture through the stormclouds. It painted a very grim portrait and lead to only one conclusion. Alucard had been defeated. The zombies had won. Though they were still contained within London and there was one last chance to strike.

Nick Fury hesitated. The decision was there before him, clear as day and he knew it had to be made, though he couldn't. There were times when as director of SHIELD it was his duty to ignore his conscience and in the end he'd find a way to get over it, but this time around he choked on the idea, gritted his teeth and looked to the monitor as if staring it down would cause it to change.

Almost as if reading his mind the young SHIELD soldier assisting him decided to make himself known. His voice stuttered nervously. "S-sir... London still hasn't been fully evacuated. By our count there are still several thousand people making their way south along the outskirts, well within the eighty mile blast radius."

Thanks, kid, he thought acidically in his direction. The last thing Fury needed was to be reminded out loud of the mortal cost that his decisions would take. Still he swallowed it and did what he had to do, reasoning that if he didn't take drastic measures then all of those 'survivors' would be monster food anyway.

"Are we in position?" he coughed through his own bile. Sorry, kid, he thought, but those morals of yours would only get us killed.

"Two minutes, sir," came the report from below his platform.

"Then it's official. Prepare the orbital strike." The thought weighed down on Fury. Usually he'd wait for a Presidential order before drawing out the 'Star Wars' arsenal, but the President was dead. The chiefs of staff were dead. Nearly every city in world was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

"Sir!" The young officer protested out of place. He was alarmed when the red lights flooded the room, every station preparing for the final, climactic blow.

"What's it going to be, kid? A few civilian casualties or the extinction of all mankind?" He lit the tip of the cigar bitten between his teeth. The inhalation of smoke took the edge off and made his cajones look ten times bigger as he peered into the young man's soul. "You've got a good heart. How the hell did you made it into SHIELD in the first place?"

The question lingered as the countdown began, numbers falling backward on the side screens. "One minute and fifteen! ... One minute and five! ..."

Nick Fury blinked tiredly, his eyelids crashing together like steel doors. Soon it would all be over and he'd be able to learn how to live with himself all over again.

TO BE CONTINUED...