A/N: Well, I hope the story is good so far. I would just like ti take a moment to thank Celtic Aurora, and VintageLyre for being such ever faithful readers and reviewer's. This chapter is dedicated to them. Thanks you guys, you rock!

Chapter 11: Hell on Wheels

Carl hurried outside into the courtyard to meet up with Anna and Van Helsing. Earlier in the day, he had discovered something in the tower that may be of good help to find a way to kill Dracula. The only issue was that Carl didn't know what the painting meant. He hurried to meet up with Van Helsing and explained to him what had happened.

"...then the painting came alive, the two creatures attacked each other." he explained, the hunter's attention intrigued. After thinking about it for a moment, Van Helsing asked, "What does it mean?"

"I don't know," Carl said, looking at the hunter. "I was hoping that maybe you would know if I explained." Van Helsing shot him a look and shook his head.

Both walked towards Anna who had tightened and rechecked the reins on the horses who hoofed the floor impatiently. The horses were getting ready to lead a carriage. Then, he noticed something. "Isn't... somebody missing?" he asked, looking at Van Helsing, his face crestfallen.

Van Helsing sighed and decided to change the subject. He patted Carl's shoulder and led to the carriage's door. "Now listen, Carl. Whatever you do... don't stare at him." he cautioned.

Anna reached out to open the door as Carl muttered, "Wha-?" He came face to face with a chained Frankenstein who struggled to be set free from his chains. He stopped momentarily to look at them before beginning once more, grunting angrily as he did.

Carl, having forgotten of Van Helsing's warning, shuddered timidly. "I'm staring at him." he whimpered. He turned to face Van Helsing, his face turning a bit pale. "Is that a man?" he asked, his words almost coming out in a whisper.

Van Helsing grabbed the young friar's shoulder and pushed him inside the carriage, Carl struggling a little. "Actually, it's seven men." he corrected. "Parts of them anyway."

Frankenstein howled in anguish. "By exposing me, you have condemned me!" he yelled out in frustration. "Me and all of humanity!"

Anna closed the door, needing the monster's anguished rants. She looked at Van Helsing and he saw her skepticism. "I have a bad feeling." she said, as though to approve of her feeling.

"The plan will work. I promise." he assured her.

"No. It's not about this." she said. "I'm referring to Nathalia. Something isn't right." she said, worried.

Van Helsing sighed. Knowing Nathalia for such little time made him believe that perhaps she would be fine and that maybe Anna knew it as well. But not only did she presence this omen. So did he. "Dracula won't hurt her until he has what he needs. I won't lie that I'am worried about her as well." he said. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will get her back. Of that, I will make sure of."

Anna stared at the horses who almost looked anxious to leave. "Nothing is faster than Transylvanian horses," she explained, "Not even a werewolf." she looked back at him. "Anything else," she him his shoulder playfully, "you're on your own."

She walked away and he stared at her departing figure as a smile took hold of him.

ooo

"Your monster is indeed with them." Nathalia told the brides. They were all atop a hill, looking down below where Manor Valerious was located. The carriage sped off and Nathalia turned to face Verona and Aleera.

"How do we know you are not deceiving us?" Verona asked.

"I have no interest in the creature. I don't care what you do with him. You want my help and I'am giving it to you." Nathalia said, not caring what the brides thought. "Now, unless you want to lose track of that carriage, I suggest you follow them."

Aleera and Verona fumed and did as they were told. Nathalia stayed behind. She stared once at the grand house and a vague memory came to her. A memory that she had not acknowledge or had all but forgotten about it. And now, her mind seemed foggy with questions that she knew could not be answered.

ooo

The trip had bee awfully quiet and safe. No vampires or werewolf after him, but now that safe feeling washed away as Van Helsing found himself in a foggy, eerie forest. The serene feeling was now completely gone.

He knew that he was probably halfway to Budapest. He hoped for the best of his plan. He and Anna were leading identical carriages, but it was Anna who carried the important carriage. He was only the decoy. He had prayed that any threat had seen Anna's carriage and had gone to her trail than his.

He worried about Anna, maybe a little bit too much, but he had to keep his mind on the mission. Pondering more about it, he came to believe the perhaps-

There was sudden movement behind him. He turned around only to see the road he had left behind and a row of trees. Turning back around, he tied the reins to something and picked up his crossbow, feeling a bit more eased. Looking around him, he didn't notice a shadow looming behind him. He was then lifted into the air, losing his grip on his weapon.

Above him, Verona made a triumphant growl, lifting the hunter by his wrist. He then reached out for her flapping wing, missing it a few times. Finally, he grabbed the wing and tugged at it. Verona was losing altitude and hissed angrily. She had not choice but to let the hunter fall and fly upward.

The hunter was lucky enough to land on one of the lead horse's back in time to see the danger ahead. The bridge ahead was gone and death was awaiting for his arrival as he stared at the gaping canyon the laid beneath the once full bridge. Cautiously, he got up and jumped from one horse to the next until he finally reached the driver's seat-

only to be surprised by and angered screech and pushed back by an angry Aleera.

Now, in a more dangerous position, he found himself tangled in the harnesses that kept the horses together. Anna had probably forgot to mention that the horses were just as fast as they were determined. They payed little mind to the danger surrounding them and continued to gallop towards the canyon.

Above him, Verona and Aleera stared at the canyon ahead and gasped when they saw the bridge was gone.

Suddenly, the horses jumped into the air just in time for the hunter to grab onto one of the straps and pull himself up and he jumped into the air, grunting as he reached out for the lead horse. All of them made it across the trench, but the carriage had gotten stuck and was torn apart for the rest of them and plunging into the abyss below.

"We must not let the creature be destroyed!!" Verona howled, fear and despair clear as water in her voice. Both women screamed and flew in headfirst to reach the the falling carriage.

Reaching the carriage, Verona pierced her talons into the carriages door, but Aleera was not so lucky. Instead, she found herself spinning and losing grip on its wheel. "Save him," she began to tell Verona. "Save the monster!" she lost grip and rapidly soared into the air, watching Verona as she tore the door from its hinges.

She gasped with surprise to ind the coach empty and looked desperately for any sign of the creature. Then, she spotted something attached on the other side. She immediately recognized what it was. "Stakes!" she gasped. Stakes and unstable chemicals strapped together to make and unstable bomb ready to explode when it impacted below.

She flew away as fast as she could, but what not fortunate as the coach hit the ground and conflated, stakes speeding in all directions, piercing her. She stopped and howled, "No!" as she turned into ash before she could even perish in the flames.

ooo

Anna prayed that Van Helsing would be all right. Though the trip had seemed unusually calm, she knew something was bound to happen. Then, she spotted the horses, but no carriage. Her heart fell, but as the horses got close, she spotted the hunter on horseback on one of the lead horses. She sighed, relieved. The horses were beside her now, close enough for Van Helsing to join her on the driver's seat.

Both stared at each other, a smile on the hunter's face. He broke the contact and that smile faded as he yelled out, "Look out!" She looked up to see her Velkan- or rather the beast he had become. Both dodged the beast by jumping off the driver's seat.

The werewolf crashed into one of the lanterns and the top of the carriage conflated in flames. She held on for dear life on the side of the carriage and knew she would last for long. The flames on the coach were burning her fingers and she began to bang on the door. "Carl!" she called for Carl's help.

The window's curtain was pushed aside and Carl's bewildered face appeared. He opened the door and gasped to see that there was no ground. "Oh, my God!" he gasped.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Carl!"

"Right, right." the friar said as he reached out to aid the princess.

On the other side, Van Helsing was clinging onto whatever his hand had grabbed hold off. Then, he heard a sudden snap and his demise seemed to be destined to be a quick, yet painful one. It stopped and he gasped when he found he was awfully close to the rolling wheel. He reached up to the coach's door and banged fiercely. "Carl!"

Inside, the friar looked at the other door, unsure what to do. He still wasn't finished with Anna and he couldn't help both from where he was. Van Helsing called the friar's name again.

Frankenstein tried to get up, as though to try and help, but the chains confined him to where he was. "I can help!" he told Carl.

"You won't kill me?" Carl asked, his voice in a squeak as fear rose in his throat.

"Only if you don't hurry." Frankenstein threatened. He pushed the chain forward as though to emphasize to hurry.

When no one responded ti his call, whatever the hunter had hold of snapped completely and he closed his eyes instinctively to ready himself for the pain that would come for him to pay. Then, his fall stopped. He was but a few inches too what would've have been a painful end to his life. He looked up to his savior to see Frankenstien straining to keep hold of the man.

Carl managed to push Anna back on the driver's and so did Frankenstein. Anna and Van Helsing landed on their backs instead of sitting up. They then heard a ferocious growl. The werewolf stood on it hind legs and howled as the flames surrounded him, making him look like a hell-hound from the bowels of Hell.

"Jump!" the hunter yelled out. Anna jumped out, Carl and Frankenstein followed suit as Van Helsing drew out his revolver's and twisted himself in mid-air as the flying werewolf lunged at him. He shot the werewolf twice, point bank, and both collapsed into the forest's floor.

Van Helsing could not describe the pain he was going through as the coach was consumed by the flames and tipped as it collided with a fallen tree, the horses moving on. The coach became nothing more than a heap of flames as the inferno consumed it and he began to lose conscious. He knew how could handle the pain, but it was his chest that nagged him. He could think of it no more as the darkness filled his view and he fell into a deep unconsciousness...

A/N: A long chapter. The title actually fits the chapter, though maybe Hell was already on wheels at the very end, but it was the only thing I could think of. Hoped you nejoyed the chapter and please, Read & Review. Thankies!

With much love,

Luna