Three of a Kind
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, anyone, or any concept here-in
Chapter Three:
The APC's stopped about a kilometer up the road from the orphanage. In this case the pre-assigned team commanders took charge of their respective units for the forest hike required for a good sweep for ghouls. When everybody was good and ready they left one team on a patrol to the left of the road, the other to the right, and Seras and her team down the center complete with the rookie who she had knocked out two days ago only tonight. He carried the 'body bag', this was not because anyone was expected to die, it was just in case the sun came up before the mission was over, to transfer her to her APC. About half way up the road they encountered about fifty ghouls, the troops made short work of them and they continued on.
When they reached the front door the team spread out in a prearranged pattern to sweep for ghouls, while Seras went inside and started searching for her targets when suddenly, she heard a scream cut short by a loud 'crack' sound. She ran down the hallway toward the sound stopping on her way at a door when she heard children's voices coming out of it.
"Shhhh, settle down like the man said if we stay hidden until he gets back he'll lead us out." Seras walked up silently to the door and tried the knob, it turned but the door must have been barricaded from the inside. She knocked instead of kicking in the door, there was a muffled and excited sound then the question,
"What color are your eyes?" Thinking this an odd request Seras still answered.
"Blue," there was a chocked sound along with the shuffling sound of furniture
"That's the wrong answer, go away," then a voice spoke from behind her.
"They won't open it until my brother in arms returns." Seras whirled around to see who said that only to look into the face of a sketch stuck to the wall with a push pin. Just then another scream ripped through the night and was cut off. Seras ran towards the stairs and up to find a pile of dust with a small silver bullet nestled in the top. She heard a low moan further down the hall she ran up to the open door and stopped as a bleeding half recognizable form flew out the door and smashed into the wall followed more sedately by a figure dressed in black.
"Sp-sp-spare me, please, please," said the vampire around shattered and bleeding teeth.
"Please?" questioned the figure in black; his tone was cold enough to chill even Seras. "Why would I spare a person whom I first saw with a child in one hand and another in his teeth, a person who would probably not give me that mercy?" he reached down and gripped the vampire by the throat.
"Because you're human," rasped the vampire.
"Wrong," stated the boy and with a crunch, punched the vampire in the face breaking its nose. He dropped the vampire pulled out a small handgun and put one bullet into the vampires face, it turned to dust. The figure turned and as he did said, "Greetings, Seras Victoria." When he was looking at her she found that he looked exactly like both the boy in the park and the one in green, except that he had totally black eyes with no white at all. Since this seemed to prompt a response Seras said "I suppose that your friend Greeney told you about me."
"In a manner of sorts, and I must apologize for my associates actions earlier tonight," said the black suited man. He turned and walked back into the room where she heard the words,
"Come on girl, come out from under the bed, the monsters gone, I made him leave." Seras walked up and saw the man coaxing a child of about six out from underneath a bed. He got her standing but when she took a step she faltered. He caught her and picked her up and started walking toward the door until the child looked in Seras direction and began to scream.
"Monsters!" and tried to struggle loose of his grip. Seras didn't realize the ghouls were there until the first had grabbed her shirt from behind. She turned and looked down at about a half dozen ghoulish children, she stopped, this was wrong somehow this shouldn't happen to a child. But it had and more were coming from both ends of the hallway. Suddenly she heard a volley of loud 'BANG's and most of the children fell as the characteristic piles of dust.
"Don't think about what they were or could have been, know what they are now and destroy them," said a voice. Looking up the hall Seras saw a procession led by the brown eyed boy from before and consisting mostly of children and one adult when Seras recognized the vampire from the square carrying no less than three infants. Seras instantly trained her weapon on his heart and immediately two voices spoke out in exact sync.
"If you shoot the following things will happen. One, I'll shoot you. Two, my friend will shoot you. Three, and worst of all you will kill the baby strapped to his back." Seras lowered her weapon.
The vampire grinned and said, "Hello."
The dark clad one walked out with his human cargo and asked, "How many?"
"One," he replied.
"Ha! Beat you again, two. Mind if I add one to your caravan?" the dark clad one asked.
"Not at all, can she walk?"
"With help." He put the child on its feet and walked it over to the vampire. "Now hold on to this man's hand and he'll take you were you can be safe." He spoke to the child who nodded her head in understanding. The parade passed down the hall, towards the stairs.
"This almost feels like my job's being done for me," said Seras to break the tension.
"Your job?" Snarled a voice behind her that made Seras' skin crawl. "I've been killing monsters since before you were born." Seras knew that Irish accent filled with hatred. She turned and saw none other than Alexander Anderson walking down the stairs that she had climbed up only seconds before. Seras started backing away down the hallway towards the children and their guardians. By this time Anderson had withdrawn a pair of his deadly bayonets.
"You won't get away this time monster," he hadn't even looked at the children or the three strangers until the brown eyed one walked in front of Seras.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the notorious Alexander Anderson. The Vatican's trained attack dog. I've got something here for you he reached into the side his vest and pulled out another of Anderson's blessed blades. "This is the blade that killed my friend Andrea Sugars, she ran a Day-care centre, contributed to the community, and because she was a vampire you killed her even though she had never threatened so much as a fly." Anderson had stopped by this point and was devoting his full attention to the boy.
"This is not of your concern orphan, all monsters should be destroyed." The boy took another step towards Anderson.
"You seem to be laboring under false assumptions, paladin." He said 'paladin' as if it were coated in slime. While this was happening the black eyed one walked up to Seras.
"Follow John and the children, collect the others from downstairs and escape. Then let him escape." Seras decided that she was better off leaving them to deal with Anderson and followed the vampire downstairs. The black eyed boy walked up beside his friend who was now taunting the paladin.
"...the psychological trauma from your murder of Ms. Sugars still haunts at least ten of the children present at the time." But Anderson had had enough.
"Will you just shut up, I have a job to do and your getting in my way," Anderson still hadn't gotten it through his skull that the boy wasn't a crazy orphan spouting nonsense, besides he never learned the names of his targets and he had killed no less than four, or was it five, vampires who had been posing as day-care professionals, he couldn't remember.
Alexander felt a stabbing pain in his lower torso all of a sudden and looked down at, the bayonet, which was embedded dead center in his liver.
"Stop assuming that we are silly children or we'll make you regret it." Alexander pulled the bayonet out of his liver and dropped it at his side to land point down in the ground beside him.
"You'll pay for that heathen!" Anderson said regenerating the hole in is midriff.
"Oh joy a regenerating paladin. How long has it been since we let loose around one of these?" asked the brown eyed one.
"About, three and a half years," the black eyed one replied.
"Well then, this will be refreshing." With that brief exchange the two charged the paladin.
TBC…