After experiencing a near-death encounter with Alexandria Wolfe, the vicious former pupil of Todo Hotsumi, Anna Van Helsing sets descends on the Holy Rosary Cathedral where she interviews an unlikely vampire ally.

Chapter 23

SHIT! I can't believe I got set up like that! THAT BITCH! Why the fuck I didn't carry any silver nitrate? FUCK! That night I took off my jacket and wrapped the knife wound in my arm. I visited a friend that night to help me get it patched up. David Lynn was another ally who linked up with me and Danny in vampire killing. He was also good and fixing up injuries no matter how fucked up they were. While he stitched me up he asked me how it happed. I told him I "fucked up in target practising." He found it hard to believe but he accepted my excuse. I had no choice but to lie to him because he and Danny were very close and I didn't wanted to have a snitch on my grill. After having my wound sewn up I headed back to my apartment to take a little snooze. But an hour would pass and I wouldn't get any sleep. Then an hour turned into two hours, then three hours and then four hours. Even before that night, weeks before, it was getting hard for me to get any sleep. The week before I visited a fellow vampire hunter named Casey Hummel, who was also a doctor, who diagnosed me with an acute case of Insomnia. Well, just my fucking luck. He gave me pills to help me sleep. But I've been taking them barely if anytime at all. I don't trust drugs, illegal as well as prescription. As I laid in bed I start to think about where this investigation has led me. At the same time I was really scared of the possible forces that were probably after me at that moment. I think about the fact that I've probably gave away myself too many times. The vampires probably had me on surveillance. Shit, they probably had Danny, all my relatives and comrades under surveillance. If that was the case those blood sucking motherfuckers were probably waiting to blow their enemies' brains out in bed. If that happens I'd never forgive myself. It was thoughts like these kept my eyes wide open at night. And I thought but what about Lex and Al? How many comrades of mine are gonna die on my watch because of Mina Harker? Why's a bitch like her going to church for? I'll gonna try my best to get some sleep so I could pay somebody a little visit.

The following night I downloaded info of that church Mina attends. The church was run by Father Curt Arnold, Holy Rosary's priest. This guy's oughta be ashamed of himself. If Mina's been confessing to him for so long and didn't have a drink of his blood then God's really protecting him. But how can a vampire come in full contact with something that people depended on for years to keep it at bay? To find the answer to this burning question I had to have a little one on one with Father Arnold. I hopped on my bike and rode down to the church that's been around for 105 years. When I got there it appeared that services were still going on. The very site kinda made me embarrassed to be there. I was a person who never really prayed to God or went to church. My dad raised Danny and I in the Catholic faith telling us that faith in God was very important to make it through the harsh world we were living in. Dad could never be more right. Whenever I make it out alive in a mission I would say thank God for saying "Thank God" sake. I never really gave a long hard thought about having a close relationship. And many times I would think it was pure luck that I was alive. Not knowing that it could be God Himself that was keeping me alive. Another thing I wasn't sure if I was destined for Heaven or Hell. I have a really dirty mouth; I can't help it sometimes. I almost never read The Bible. I often resort to dishonesty, but most of the times, as far as I'm concerned, it's for a good cause. I didn't know if I was on God's side because of my hardened personality and my killings. I figured that God wanted somebody with lots of compassion and love; a punk, so to speak. It didn't really matter to me if I was going to Heaven or Hell. Heaven and Hell is on earth. I carried no guns this time, no stakes, nothing. I decided to wait until services were over to interview Father Arnold. It took about thirty minutes for the services to be over. People started to walk out. Some were crossing themselves; others were just carrying on conversations. I decided that this was my chance. I took a deep breath and walked into the church. I felt I didn't belong in this place. There was a huge crucifix above the altar with a statue of the crucified Christ on the crucifix. The sight made me almost break down in tears. I haven't been a good girl lately and I felt that I was spitting in Jesus' face. I crossed myself and walked towards the altar. Once I stood there I thought I should say a little prayer. I really didn't want to do it but I thought should do it for Dad's sake. He would've wanted nothing less. I kneeled down and clasped my hands together. I asked for forgiveness for any bad thing I've done and for help not to do them again. I asked God to mend my broken ways and Danny's and all my comrades'. I asked Him for strength for doing the things I did when it came to killing vampires and to help me to find Mina. Through all this a priest happened to overhear my prayer. "It seems that you really need God in your life, young lady," said the grey-haired, blue-eyed priest. "I guess," I said as I stood up. "Um…I'm looking for Father Curt Arnold."

"I'm Curt Arnold," said the priest.

"Uh…nice to meet you," I said shaking his hand slowly. "Uh…Father, I need to talk to you about something really serious."

"Well confessions are not on until tomorrow evening," he said.

"No, I'm not here to confess. I don't even go to this church. I wanna talk to you about somebody named Mina Harker."

The look of love and compassion on his face suddenly changed to a stunned look. He looked around the church and then looked at me. "How did you know about her?" he asked.

"I had her under surveillance," I said. "Father, she killed two of my comrades." Father Arnold looked around again. "Have a seat," he said. I sat on the seat in front of the altar and Father Arnold joined me soon after. "Who are you?" he said.

"Is it really important for me to tell you, Father?" I said.

"Yes it is," he said. I breathed a heavy sigh and said "I really can't tell you, Father. I already put my brother and many close friends in danger. I myself feel that there's a death warrant out for me right now. I hope you understand that."

"I understand," he said with a nod and a sweet voice.

I felt kinda embarrassed looking into his face. After all, he was a priest. "Father…" I said "Mina Harker's been circling around for some time now. From all the intelligence I've gathered, I've found out that she's unlike any other vampire." Father Arnold crossed himself the moment I said the word "vampire". It was as if I cursed or prayed to the devil. "Mina's been trained by another vampire named Todo Hotsumi," I continued. "He passed on some bad stuff on Mina. I honestly think she's gonna use those skills of hers for something bad. But then I heard that she prays to God. She has a verse from one of the Psalms on her sword. But I find it very hard to believe that she could carry the blood of Count Dracula in her veins and still worship God, Father." Father Arnold crossed himself again when I said "Count Dracula". "I really don't know what to make of all this, Father," I continued. "I don't think Mina's intentions are good and I think she's stabbing you in the back. Maybe she's gearing up for some plan to dominate the world or something. I've also learned that there are people who worship her like a god. With all due respect Father, I honestly think you should be ashamed of yourself dealing with thrash like Mina. Excuse my French."

"First of all, young lady, I'm not ashamed of anything," said Father Arnold. "I don't know what intelligence you may have gathered, but when I listen to Mina I hear the voice of a broken child. I don't see an arrogant, power-hungry monster. Mina is a very distressed individual. She may have all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of the vampire, but I assure you she has the meekness of a mere human." I was stunned hear all that coming from a Catholic priest. Either this guy's on drugs or he's blinded by his faith. All my life I've known blood suckers as these cold-blooded murders. Why would a guy like stick up for her? "Father, if that's true my two comrades would still be alive today," I said in a firm voice.

"I understand. She told me all that," said Father Arnold. "She told me that over the years she'd kill vampire hunters who would stalk her and try to kill her. Don't get me wrong. I don't approve of her killing humans, let alone vampire hunters or anyone for that matter. I'm not all defending her actions but I am convinced that in her nature she cannot control her impulses. I could hear it in her voice and I could see it in her eyes. Every night she would confess to me and it would break my heart whenever she tells me that she killed another human or another vampire hunter. She would constantly tell me that she wants to stop and how she wishes that she was human again. You must understand, when you become a new creation your mind dashes all of the traits of what you were before. It's like accepting Christ in your heart only different. You can choose whether or not you want to follow Christ, but in Mina's case she basically has no choice but to give in to the monster inside."

I sighed and said. "How long you've known Mina?"

"For thirty-six years," said Father Arnold. "She came to me when I was a young priest. I didn't know vampires existed until I met Mina. I was very afraid when I first made contact with her, but she presented herself in a way that was not threatening at all. Then I noticed her sword. It had the verse "Yea, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I shall fear no evil, for thou art with me," in Latin. She told me that she needed my help in driving out the beast in her. I told her that I didn't have the ability to exorcise any demons. She told me that she didn't have any demons, she was a demon. She had a voice that was so humble I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She told me her story about how she became a vampire that night. It was about 73 years earlier when she was married to a real estate agent named Jonathon Harker. She was about seventeen years old when she first met Count Dracula. I'm sure you probably heard of him."

"Of course I do. Do you believe he was real?"

"I was convinced that he was real by just looking at her. She told me that Dracula attacked Jonathon and forced her to drink the blood from a wound in his chest not before biting her at least three times. Since then she's been carrying the blood of Dracula for years and struggling to find out who she is. She told me that there were people trying to kill her for what she is. She said that she hoped to undo what happened to her and to live a normal life. I told her that I couldn't cure her of vampirism but I could try to give religious advice in order to control her animal-like nature. Since that time when we first met she would visit me after I held services to confess. I had to go through a barrage of stories how she killed a company official, how she joined with a group bent on wiping out the human race and how she just killed a vampire hunter. Hearing her with these stories would… just make me feel like crying. Sometimes I would wish that I never took her under my wing. But I personally feel that God has chosen me to mentor this young lady."

"Do you think your religious instructions are working?"

"I don't know; maybe, maybe not. Sometimes she would come to me and say she's finally able to overcome her thirst for human blood but about two weeks later she would say that she sinned again. She would tell me that God her. That's the reason why she's cursed. I would try to lift her spirits up by telling her that God's a forgiving god and that there was no sin that He couldn't forgive once she confesses it."

"Father, there's something I can't understand. How can a vampire set foot in a church?"

"With the blood of Dracula flowing through her veins, she's virtually powerful against anything that would ward off the average vampire. I personally believe God has ordained it to be that way so that Mina would be close to God."

"Father, I have to warn you that there are vampires out there that have you under surveillance. Your life is in grave danger."

"I'm not worried at all. Mina gave me the same kind of warnings. You see, it's not the mere sight of a crucifix that vampires are afraid of, it's the faith the human has in the cross. It's my faith that keeps me alive."

"What else can you tell me about Mina?"

"There are many who call her the Bride of Dracula. She hates being referred as that. She blames Dracula for everything thing that has happened to her. She doesn't like being immortal. She's a grown woman trapped in the body of a girl. She is tortured by the fact that she would never experience what it's like to grow old. It's the sheer boredom of the immortal life that eats her inside. I could only imagine what it's like to live year after year being tortured by the urge to drink blood, having to be both the hunter and the hunted and having to see mankind slowly killing itself. All I could do is pray for God to give me strength to lead Mina in this life."

"Do you know where she mostly hides out?"

"She doesn't stay one place. She travels the world to find out who she is. She often meets priests in those countries to help her in her soul-searching."

"Do you know where she is now?"

"Like I said before, she doesn't have one residence. She would sometimes take refuge in crack-houses, old apartments and abandoned buildings. She's often paranoid that vampire hunters and vampires would track her down. That's why she moves from place to place."

"I don't get it, Father. Why would Mina kill her species? After all, she is one of them."

"She blames them for what she is. She would tell me that when she kills a vampire it eases the pain that she has inside. Sometimes the pain would come back and she would kill another vampire. She would later confess that doing this has not brought any comfort for her but it has become a habit. She feels that she has to kill them. But when she would drink a human's blood she blames herself for creating more of them. I have one question for you: why do you carry revenge in your heart? Why do you feel that you have to kill Mina? Do you really think that killing her would bring your friends back?"

As Father Curtis asked me those questions I was at a lost for words. I never really gave it thought? Why was I tracking down Mina? I gave a heavy sigh and said "When I was ten years old my dad was killed while hunting vampires. I have this heavy burden to kill as much of them as I can. It's been a tradition for my family for over a century. But the thing is me and whole lot of others weren't able to keep a lid on the vampires. It's up to people like us to stop the human race from becoming extinct. When I heard about Mina about what she is and what she could do I personally thought that we were on brink of being totally wiped out. I feel I have to stop that from happening. Father I really need your help. Everything you've said about Mina may be true but I just can't take any chances."

"I'm afraid you're terribly misguided, child," Father Arnold said shaking his head sadly. "I'm totally convinced that Mina has no ambitions to exterminate our race. She is a woman that has absolutely zero control over her nature. All I could tell you is to try and really take a long hard thought about what I've told you."

I bowed my head and sighed. My work there was done. Every fibre in my soul was telling me that Father Arnold was right. But there was another part of me was telling me not to take any chances. "Think about your father," I thought. "Think about what happened four years ago. Think about what happened to Karen. There mightn't be a tomorrow if you don't kill Mina." I turned to Father Arnold and said "Father, if I may I'd like to confess." He nodded and said "Very well, I guess I could listen to one more person."