Insanity rise: Hello again! This chapter is horrible considered to the first, it's not very exciting either. Still, I'm working on it. I have so many plans for this story as it develops! It should get really good! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2

Awaken the Nightmares

There was a damp, frigid draft running through the stone, creeping through the corridors, biting at the souls dwelling within, settling its chilling cold into their very bones. This foreboding feeling seemed much appreciated down here, beneath the surface of the earth, in these dark, cold walls. Mystery and shadows seemed to swirl within the very air, almost as if one could breathe in the haunting atmosphere. Silence, so quiet that even the slightest noise would echo from the walls in a chorus of shattering sound. Rooms, doors, corridors, dark and empty, shadows filling them for there lack of any source of light. A single string of bulbs was the only source of light here, running down the hallways in an endless line, however, many were broken or too old to function, and they were dark for now. Darkness, that was what had filled this place, this cold, vile place. Suddenly, a soft cry echoed through the hollow halls, unheard to any but it's deliverer.

Drenched in a cold sweat, a girl looking no more than seventeen sat up in her bed, pushing short blond hair from her face, her breaths coming in heavy gasps. The images of her nightmares were still clear in her mind, and she shook her head as to ward them away. She'd been having those dreams constantly over these last few nights, and it woke her from her slumber time and time again. Perhaps she shouldn't be sleeping right now, or at least as she was told. She should be out and about at these late hours, but she was just too tired to do so. She'd been sleeping quite a lot lately, but she still couldn't shake these terrible feelings. Something was going to happen, she just knew it, it was this strange feeling that gradually crept up her spine, tingling the bone as it reached her mind, screaming some secret warning even she could not understand. It felt like the classic dread of horror, of fear, of something she could not stop, like a foreboding hand clutching her throat. There was just this strange sense of knowing, a sense she possessed at the given moment, and it was truly terrifying her.

She could still see the pictures, the shattered images floating through her thoughts like a ghostly shadow. Pain, fear, those were the emotions that poured into her during these nightmares, and blood clouded her vision. It was deeply upsetting, and she bit her lip each time she thought of it.

Pushing those thoughts away the best she could, she looked around the dark room, her eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom. She had grown used to this darkness. Of course, Alucard was nowhere to be seen, that was predictable. He wouldn't waste his nights sleeping; he'd be out doing something worthwhile. Sighing, she flopped back down upon her pillow, wondering what her dreams could possibly mean. She wished they'd just leave her alone, wished the cruel demons of her nightmares would simply leave her in peace. However, she had no way of getting rid of them. Some people said nightmares disappeared once you told another person of them, but there was no way she was going to do that. Most people would think she was foolish to feel so afraid of her dreams, or tell her she was too old to worry over them, and Alucard would probably laugh. Knowing him, he could even be the source of such disturbing images. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes again, opening her mind to sleep, begging it to overtake her. Dreams reminded her of a game of chance, sometimes you received calm, peaceful slumber, and other times horrifying nightmares. Maybe she'd find a good card this round, or perhaps she'd lunge into darkness yet again. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen, and that something was soon on its way.

Karol Carthigan held a large roll of bandages in her shaky hand, and a wet rag in the other, her entire body trembling as she slowly made her way up the dark stairs to the attic of her small home. She and her mother had lived here ever since she could remember, but these stairs were ones she traveled very rarely. All that was in the attic was useless storage items, old, broken things they never intended to use. However, now that cold, dark room had another inhabitant, one she feared worse than what her mother might do if she caught her going up here. If she was caught, her mother would not be happy, she'd always warned her that the attic was a dangerous place. She was caught between two loyalties, tha respect fro her mother, and the new fear of this cruel stranger. She'd led him up these very stairs only a short time ago, and now she was going to have to tend to his medical needs. The only thing that drove her to help him was the fear that he had so quickly placed inside her heart, if she didn't help, he would surely kill her. Death, the mere thought of it, sent shivers down her spine, and it led her farther up this dark staircase. Hopefully her mother was still asleep, and hopefully she would stay that way as long as her steps were quiet.

Finally, she came upon a dark wood door, the hinges black with rust, splinters of wood littering the stair before it. Taking a deep breath, she gave the doorknob a gentle twist and tug, jumping slightly when it gave a hollow creak as it opened. Her eyes darted to the stairs below, her heart thudding loudly in her ears, but she saw nothing but the overwhelming shadows.

Sighing, she slipped inside, closing the door softly behind her.

"Mister," she called through the darkness, her voice as shaky as her hands, "I brought you your bandages."

There was no reply, and for an instant, her hopes grew, thinking maybe that he had left already. Nevertheless, the rising fire died when she heard a hoarse cough, and she quietly stepped across the attic, dodging piles of clutter, until she came to the back wall. There, sitting up with his back against the wall, Jan Valentine was waiting, a tattered bedspread coming up to his thighs. She'd made him a makeshift bed with a few old blankets, and the ancient material was already stained in blood. If her mother ever noticed that, she'd be dead for sure. Her eyes wide, she approached him as a fearful child would a long lost relative, obviously having no idea what to say. He gave her a dark sneer, his gold eyes focused directly on her.

"What are you standing around for," he hissed, his voice filled with impatience, "aren't you going to help me or do I have to slap some sense into you first?"

That got her; she pulled her mind from her daze of terror and knelt beside him, biting her lip. She'd seen her mother treat wounds before, at the hospital where she used to work, but she had never done much herself. Her eyes came across the bullet wounds crossing his face, and she felt helplessness bite at her mind. What did he expect her to do for wounds like that? It struck her to wonder how he was even alive, most people couldn't survive that many shots in the face, and most people would die at the first bullet. Nevertheless, she'd already gathered like this man wasn't most people. Daintily, she wiped the rag across the blood on his face, being careful not to come too close to his eyes, the eyes that were still glued to her face. He winced slightly when she swept the cloth over the gold rings piercing his face, and she drew back for a second, praying he wouldn't lash out at her. Still, he remained silent. With a sigh of relief, she continued her work steadily, the awkward silence and the putrid scent of the air bringing tears to her eyes.

"What's you name, girl," he asked coldly, Karol so stunned that for an instant she didn't reply.

"Ka…Karol…Karol Carthigan," she whispered, doing her best to answer without sobbing. He didn't reply, and for that, she was grateful. The loneliness sunk in as he closed his eyes, and Karol continued her steady work, her hand shaking still. If this was what she would have to spend her life going through, then perhaps it would be better to face her mother instead. At least then, she wouldn't feel this horrible premonition, as if she was breaking every rule possible, there would at this be that last thread of love in her mother. There was nothing in this figure except darkness and cruelty, she could sense that, and all she wanted was to get away. Was there no end to this torture? This terrible mixture of feelings was overwhelming her, and if it didn't end soon, surely she'd snap.

Dumb chapter, I know. If you couldn't tell, the girl in the beginning is Seras Victoria. Thanks for reading!!!!