Sing the Devil, Prick the Flesh
So here's a new chappie for you! It's another twist of events stored up for this story! Hopefully you'll uhh be able to enjoy it (and I don't mean it in any, y'know, sadistic way). I wrote the dream-subconscious scene a while back but I thought it'll be good for the story. Originally it was together with the previous chapter! (:
Thanks to all those who reviewed! I was a bit disappointed I didn't get more reviews, but then again this story is a little violent and sometimes I can't believe I'm writing it myself! But curiosity gets the better of me, and I don't want to leave this story alone in the dark (especially if the characters are imprisoned in those chapters for a long time)!
Anyways, sorry about the complaining! I'm just a Review addict, it keeps me going and makes me happy to know someone is reading the story and my effort was wasted! Reviews are always appreciated! (;
Playlist: She's the Blade – Sugar Cult, Seize the Day – Avenged Sevenfold, Beauty from Pain – Superchick (from reading LillyHelsing's story:D)
WARNING: Violence, Angst and Bad Language! If this is not your type of story, you should go elsewhere.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the movie, Van Helsing!
Chapter Eight – Our Benefit
Tap, tap, tap.
In hard strokes her high heels fell to the floor with each step she took. The torturess Tora walked closer towards the familiar dungeons. She felt so home inside of them, and her ears have already become used to the pleas of help and screams. Her teacher had taught her well. From childhood the vampiress had been in the torturing business. It had become a crude piece of her.
Tora was proud to be of service for Master Dracula and to use her 'skills' to the advantage of her kind. Since Count Dracula's reign had spread, humans, creatures of many species and immortals alike had been brought in to be questioned or turned to their side. Blood was spilt almost daily, whether it be innocent or guilty. Most of the prisoners would either die or their wills will be defeated, turning themselves into the service of their new master. A torturer can inflict death and pain on any living creature. Tora had the reputation of making anyone scar forever and never heal.
The dark-haired vampiress licked her lips and smiled sadistically. She had read the wolf's profile when he was still human and had wrinkled her face in disgust to read that the man was a Hunter. The wolf had been hunting her kind and creatures of the underworld, 'protecting' the innocent. It would be a pleasure for her to make this man endure the pain he deserved.
Tora nodded to the vampire guards in front of the dungeon entrance. They looked at her and nodded respectively, their eyes cold and unfeeling. As soldiers, they have to be heartless to kill. Humans were weak; they could feel, and that was their disadvantage. They stepped aside and Tora entered. The clinking of metal and the shrieking cries mingled together. She smiled. As always, it was doing well.
"Soren, I shall be in dungeon room 106!" she roared through the noise at another fellow colleague. The vampire male nodded, grinning. The torturess walked up to the tools, and grabbed them, knowing exactly which to use.
Tora turned towards a corridor, passing away from the noise and through the rows and rows of iron doors, all of them shut tightly. Little slots of windows were on the door. Food was brought by the servants at the risk of entering the room. Fortunately for the servants, the prisoners all locked inside will be locked together by chains. Werewolves will have windows inside the cell so that they will be able to change when it call for them.
Her feet stopped when her eyes finally made contact with the number slot, 106. She pulled out the key and unlocked it, stepping through.
In the middle of the cell was the werewolf. He turned to look at her, and almost immediately his eyes turned feral.
"Kneel, wolf!" The torturess snarled in cold ferocity.
The man did not kneel. He did not obey. He stared at her with defiance visible in his blazing eyes.
"No."
Tora frowned. She will make this wolf bend to her Master's will.
"KNEEL!" she yelled, pulling out a sword made with silver out of its sheath. Almost immediately the man she knew to be called Van Helsing gave out an unconscious growl of pain. His eyes had flashed gold and he had slid away from the sword. The torturess knew that silver was a wolf's weak point. No matter how much whips broke through the skin, the werewolf curse will heal it. But silver will not. It could kill a wolf if a silver bullet was shot through its heart. It could weaken its healing ability and the wolf itself.
"No!" Van Helsing roared back in resistance. He would have flung himself at the vampire if she had not been quicker than him. The sword was sliced into him in deep cuts. He gave an agonized gasp but he still stood upright. He needed to be strong, for everyone. For light and goodness.
"Do you think defying the Master will do any good on your behalf? You will bleed. I will make sure your wounds stay permanent until you cry for mercy!" Tora shouted, and her lips tightened into a smile.
"Do whatever you like with me, vampire. But your evil kind will perish! The malice you spread will stop. I will not let it continue so long as I live!" Van Helsing countered.
The torturess burst in laughter, "Foolish wolf! You will die by my hand if you do not give in! Your pathetic preaching will stop from here on." She started to come closer, this time brandishing a coiled whip in her hand. She let it crackle and hit the skin of the hunter, who flinched in agony and drew back. This chains, however, did not give him much free movement. More lashes came and he thrown to the floor by force as the pain became unbearable. Crimson drops fell to the floor, spraying the floor like paint. He looked at it in disgust. The vampire was making him an art piece of cruelty and blood.
"I have read your profile, Gabriel Van Helsing! It told of your 'great' deeds. Your pledge to vanquish evil from the land of 'God'. But where is He when you need him most? Perhaps he is hiding?" Tora scoffed, mocking the werewolf as she threw the whip again. It bit at Van Helsing, sinking its fangs and then letting go, blood trailing from its snake like tail tip.
"He is always here!" Van Helsing yelled back. "He will never abandon us. Not while we are loyal to him!"
"And were you, hunter?" Tora smiled, and Van Helsing felt a mental blow to his heart. He staggered as those words sinked into him. It hurt more than the silver blade and the whip. His thoughts went back to the memories of the innocent. Their frightened, terrified faces as they saw their deaths coming swiftly for them. He had given it to them so selfishly, just to save his own skin. He had given up. And because of it, Van Helsing was a real murderer. True, he may have been unwilling, but he had done these acts. He had deserted God and his light.
Seeing the vulnerable expression on Van Helsing's face, the torturess knew she hit a soft spot in her prey. "Ahh, so you are guilty, wolf. You are a MONSTER!"
"No!" Van Helsing growled. He was no beast. He was still a man! "You are the monster! You had killed and given pain to living creatures just to gain pleasure out of their suffering! I have murdered innocents and guilty alike unwillingly, but you.. you have killed for fun!"
Tora's lips twitched. "How dare you speak to me in that tone, slave!" She lashed out, this time even more faster. Van Helsing howled in agony but he didn't back down. He stood as long as he can even if his feet protested him to lie down.
"You are worthless! Your 'friends' have died doing because of your heroics! No matter how hard you try, Master will take away everything that is dear to you!" The torturess cackled and she took a vial containing a liquid with silver in it. Van Helsing could smell it, pricking at his skin and making him snarl in warning.
"You see this, wolf? This substance can make your wounds worsen. Those cuts on your skin will continue to bleed if this liquid was sprayed onto it. Your body will debilitate and you will only have to pray that your God will save you!"
Before Van Helsing could do anything, he saw the sword and whip come down on him, along with something that felt like water, except it burnt so badly on his skin he knew it could only be the substance inside the vial. A scream so deathly erupted from him, excruciating pain spreading all over his body. He felt his feet give way and he fell, colliding coldly onto the floor, blood flowing freely and pooling beneath him like a river. Van Helsing suddenly felt so numb and then everything... went dark.
No light... No darkness...
What happened?
Van Helsing found himself in the middle of nowhere. The only thing he could see was the nothingness of the place he stood. Blankness washed over his surroundings, and the paths in front him stretched out towards eternity.
The former hunter got up onto his feet, surprisingly enough, without any pain, and found he was clothed in his usual hunting clothes, back when he was still a Knight of the Holy Order. He looked at it in confusion and disbelief, his eyes widening. He opened his mouth in surprise but shut it back.
This must be a dream, must be! Van Helsing thought as he instinctively shook his head, only to stop himself from doing it again. If he really was dreaming, perhaps it was better if he stayed in this blank world of nothing then return to reality and back to the awful dungeon with the continuing pain and torture.
What had just happened? Van Helsing thought confusedly. Where was he?
Van Helsing looked around more closely at what he thought was his dream. His wrists and ankles were free of the crude chains. He could move around as much as he liked without being constrained. Suddenly tears of happiness welled inside his eyes. He was a man again.
For the first time, he felt freedom burn so yearningly back into his heart. If only this was real. He wished so much for everything; for Carl to be alive and back with his humor, for Anna's presence and touch, for peace... The more he thought about it, the more it made him want to cry in anquish, for he knew those wishes will never truly be granted. Anna will never come back to him and Carl will never make him laugh again. 1. And the Frankenstein monster, oh what sad life that man had been led to live. And Van Helsing could do nothing about it. He bit his lips hard, angry at himself for failing them all. But there was no pain, and even if he had made a cut, there would have been no blood.
A unfamiliar howl rang through the dreamy world, making the hair on Van Helsing's back prickle with caution. His eyes hardened to become a glare. "Whose there?"
"You Already Know."
"You..." Van Helsing growled venomously. He knew who it was. It was the wolf living inside of him.
"Nice To See You Still Remember My Presence."
Almost immediately, the expression on Van Helsing's face turned to a animalistic snarl and his voice became deep with fury.
"Get Out!" he roared loudly. Anyone who would have seen him would have cowered at his feet in fear.
"Anger Is Good. It Makes You Inhuman."
"What do you want from me! Haven't you taken enough from me?" Van Helsing yelled at the blankness, his voice traveling elsewhere in all directions. But the voice heard it loud and clear. It answered his response with snigger.
"You Let Me Take Them Away, Hunter. Scream All You Want, I Will Never Leave You While My Master Lives."
Van Helsing hands curled into fists. "Have you come to taunt me then?"
It laughed in a inhuman husky growl. "Perhaps. But I Have Come to Share Some Intelligent Advice... If You Want To See Your Long Lost Princess Stay Alive For Another Day, You Must Not Resist My Master."
"I will kill myself before losing Anna, even after her memory loss. Her life is like my own. And if by dying I can be rid of you, then I will do it willingly, Wolf!" Van Helsing shouted defiantly.
The wolf growled angrily, and as if by magic, Van Helsing was thrown off his feet by a invisible thrust from a transparent enemy. He crashed onto the floor, and his eyes shut tight with instinct, his body embracing the pain that will soon come to him in a flash.
Instead there was nothing. He opened his eyes slowly, confused, but he didn't have enough time to think about it. For in front of him stood a enormous, almost familiar, dark brown werewolf. Its feral eyes were aflame with invisible flames of gold, and its claws gleamed, its fangs glittering. The Wolf's fur bristled with hatred and animal ferocity.
"This Is No Dream, Van Helsing! This Is Reality, And Yet You Are Not Awake! This Is What It Feels To Be A Werewolf Trapped Inside Captivity! We Feel No Pain And The Sweet Taste Of Blood! All We Can Do Is Wait Hidden Like a Cowering Cub Inside The Mortal's Mind..." The werewolf howled, intelligence in its eyes.
Van Helsing got up onto his feet without hesitation, but now he looked slightly confused at his newfound realization. The wolf had explained at least two things in his reply... One, the fact that the wolf was always inside of him all along and he never even felt it. Two, that because the werewolf was kept inside the mortal's mind for a long time, it starts to yearn for violence and blood badly.
"Are you saying Dracula is your savior then? A master that will feed your share of meat in exchange for service? Already you've seen the result. What good do you think it is doing, Wolf?" Van Helsing spoke, and the werewolf bared its fangs.
"We Are Not Born Good... For Generations We Have Lived As a Curse, Passed Down Through One Bite That Will Take Away The Freedom Of One Single Human. If We Do Not Serve The Prince Of Darkness, Then Who? The Devil? He Is Even More Cunning Than His Son. If It Will Benefit Us, Then The Vampire Is Our Ally."
"What if we humans made a deal with you?"
The werewolf only gave out a amused chuckle. "A Deal? You Are Young, Hunter. You Can Give Me Nothing. You Are, After All, A Savior."
"True. But wouldn't it be better if your kind was free from a Master?" Van Helsing spoke, and slowly the anger that had grown like a wild fire ease into a candlelight. Somehow, talking to this werewolf felt like he was talking to himself. And for once, he was able to do something besides destroy. If he could do something to rebel Dracula's rule, then he would do anything. He would do it for Anna, Carl, and for mankind.
"And How Are You Going To Attempt Such A Suicidal Strategy?"
"With the help of your kind, we can attempt anything."
"What Would We Benefit From It?"
"Freedom. Isn't that enough for you?" Van Helsing told. The word made him yearn for it himself. He would love to be free from the curse and Dracula's reign once and for all.
"We Could Have Been Rid Of Dracula Years Ago. And Yet We Have Not... He Provides Our Kind Enough Shadow And Blood. Will You Have More To Offer Than This?"
Van Helsing paused into silence, unable to think of something in exchange for their service. What could he possibly offer that would overcome a deal as great as Dracula's? The werewolf did not smile, but it looked quite amused at Van Helsing's perplexed expression.
"What if we gave you free reign of the curse? If the humans were willing to give their bodies up so you can inhabit them, would your kind agree to help us?"
The wolf could have roared into laughter for such a foolish offer if it hadn't been this good. "You Will Risk Sacrificing The Freedom Of Your People To Defeat Dracula?"
Van Helsing was not smiling. He looked seriously at the wolf.
"Yes."
The werewolf snorted. "Very Well. You Will Not Able To Change Or Withdraw From This Deal Once It Is Complete, Hunter. A Few Of The Humans Will Be Spared, Many Including The Woman And Children Because Men Are More Stronger At Bearing Our Curse. This Is Your Last Chance. Do You Accept?"
Van Helsing closed his eyes. He knew he should discuss this with the people, but there was no time. He could only hope that they will understand.
"Do your kind promise to explain about this deal to the infected? They will not know what had happened to them." he spoke an the wolf nodded.
"We are loyal, and we never lie. We may twist our words, but we cannot tell untruths. We shall do what you have just told us and keep our promises. Our bargain with Count Dracula will be of no use."
"Thank you... wolf." Van Helsing paused. Suddenly he realized something, and he let it out.
"Why are you talking in a civilized manner?"
"You Thought We Were Mindless Creatures Without Speech, Hunter?" the wolf scoffed. It looked amused though.
"How long have you been alive? And why have you become a curse?" Van Helsing spoke curiously. The wolf raised its enormous head, eyes glowing eerily.
"As Long As The Vampyres And The Creatures Of The Underworld..." the werewolf saw Van Helsing's eyes widen slightly, "We Were Born From Darkness, From Wolves That Have Evolved And Lost Lives For No Particular Meaning By The Noble Blooded. Their Thirst For Blood, Revenge And Hunger Against The World Had Made Us. Passed Down For Centuries, Our Ancestors Injected This Curse To The Humans, The Most Weakest. They Can Easily Be Tainted." 2.
Van Helsing shivered hearing those last words. "And how did your kind become Dracula's servant?"
The wolf growled annoyingly, "You Ask A Lot of Questions."
The brown-haired man couldn't help but smile softly. Anna has asked him the same question before this had happened. "Usually I ask only two, but that was a long time ago."
The wolf sensed something from the hunter. After all, they were connected. There was a thread between the beast and man that could not break. However it said nothing. The creature did not understand emotions that well as humans do. Those creatures had the advantage of controlling what they felt and knowing about them.
"My Kind Had Agreed To A Deal; Blood For Service. But We Had Been Deceived. Dracula Had Killed Our Superiors. The Pack Leaders Had Been Murdered."
"Why did you not revolt?"
"Our Agreement Was Met. It Did Not Matter If Our Leaders Have Died Because Another Will Rise Again."
Van Helsing said nothing. He thought it strange that these raging beasts did not thirst for blood of the enemy who killed their kings and queens. But he didn't know anything about their customs.
"Do you have a name?" Van Helsing inquired.
"No. I Was Born With No Name... But You May Call Me," the wolf paused, "...Lorccan"
"Lorccan... Thank you."
The werewolf shook its head, "Do Not Thank Me. Your People Will Not."
Van Helsing frowned but stayed silent. Suddenly there was a loud noise and it echoed through the white world like a blaring bell. It vibrated, sending shivers running down the floor as if it were an ocean of milky colored sand.
DUNK. DUNK. DUNK.
It was the sound of a heartbeat. And it was coming directly from Van Helsing, who clutched his chest in unexpected shock. A jolt of agony burst within him and he fell onto the ground. This feeling was identical to that of one who had just drunk a glass of wine, only to find too late that there was poison inside it.
"W-what... is.. happening...?" Van Helsing cried out, kneeling and squeezing himself into a tightened ball in his pain. It was too unbearable.
The wolf sniffed. He let out an agitated growl. "Your heart is failing, hunter."
Van Helsing's blinked away the tears that had reached his eyes. "The torture.." He whispered and coughed, spitting color onto the floor. It was a small crimson pool.
The werewolf exhaled the sweet, rich smell. But its eyes glowed with intelligence and urgency. "Go Back. Leave Your Subconscious." The wolf growled.
"How?" Van Helsing managed to speak.
"RETURN!" The wolf snarled harshly, and raised its huge claws at Van Helsing. The brown-haired man's eyes widened and instinctively he closed his eyes to try and shield himself from the blow. Instead, it never came.
Suddenly everything went dark.
A/N: Ok, I'm going to stop there! (; I hope you liked this chapter! I know I probably made Van Helsing's way of speaking a little out of character but the story kinda wrote itself, leaving me with the leash, lol. (: Wish me luck on the next chappie! Please review:D
1. - This is what Van Helsing thinks is the case, so technically it might not be true. Although he is right about Carl, unfortunately. The little Friar is gone. -sniffle, sob-
2. - This is my Made – Up Theory for the werewolf curse. It's totally improvised (something it popped up in my head while writing this!) So..uh.. don't sue? lol