The Lost Priest
Chapter 7
A Promise He Keeps
(A/N: I know it took me a while to update but I have started school which really is a pain. College in the computer animation course is a true pain. But anyway thank for the last reviews. Also some of you are wounding if I'm doing this off of the anime or doing it from the manga. Truth be told, I'm mixing the two together. So, eventually you will see characters unique only to the anime with the manga characters. Well here is chapter number 7.)
SOUNDS/sounds
Thoughts/writing
Telepathy
"That bloody imbecile," Integra growled, slamming her fist down on the desk as she looked at the note left on her doorknob.
Dear Sir Integra Hellsing,
I have written you this letter because, by the time you read this, I will not be here in person to convey my sentiments to you. I sincerely apologize for my actions last night and hereby resign from your Organization. I lied to you earlier about what you saw on the tape; your allegations were completely correct. I know running makes me look extremely guilty, but I'm doing so in order protect Ms. Victoria from any grief I may cause in the future. You'll forgive me if I haven't resigned myself to the gallows just yet. I apologize for the trouble I have caused you and your Organization. It was my mistake and I should have known better. I should have told you all of my Crusnik's characteristics before you ever hired me. It was foolish of me to believe I could ever belong here. With this letter you will find my gun, holster, ID card, and dog tags. I do wish you and your Organization the best.
My Apologies,
Abel Nightroad
"That stupid bastard," she snapped again. "He takes advantage of my hospitality, and then this. He and Seras even had the gall to lie to my face!"
"Don't be so hard on them, Master," Alucard said, materializing by her side. "I was the one who told him to lie."
"You WHAT?!" she roared, whipping chair around her to her right to look at her undead servant. "You told him to lie to me, Alucard?!"
"I already knew he was planning to leave while you and Police Girl were talking to him," he replied. "If he ever wanted to make it out alive, he would have to keep his trap shut. He does feel a great deal of remorse for his actions and you should just let him be."
"If he really did feel remorse, then why didn't he just talk to me?" Integra demanded.
"Would you have listened to him fully or fired off a round at him before he could finish?" Alucard pointed out reasonably.
Integra sighed. "Good point. You said to just let him be?"
"Yes, I think it would be best. I don't think we'll be seeing him anytime soon. And besides, he's Catholic, but I seriously doubt he'll have anything to do with Maxwell."
"Speaking of that Roman git, do you have any news on his arm?" Integra asked, lighting a cigar.
"You will have to ask the Angel of Death on that one," Alucard smirked, straightening his hat. "But I believe I heard that he needed pins."
"Well, some good has come out this. I wonder what Maxwell is feeling right now other than pain," she smirked, taking a puff of her cigar. "Anger? Embarrassment? Shame? Resentment? He got what he deserved from coming here."
"You're enjoying that little bit of knowledge, aren't you, Master?" Alucard drawled, watching Integra's smirk grow into an evil grin.
"Ever minute of it," she chuckled.
Dear Seras,
I apologize for my actions last night and this morning. By the time you read this, I will no longer be here. I have resigned from the Hellsing Organization. It was a mistake for me to ever come here in the first place. I'm not saying that it was a mistake meeting you and your Master, of course. It was my mistake thinking I would be able to have a life here and be able to fit in. I thank you for the short time we've had together. Please give Alucard a 'thank you' for me. You have a very kind heart, and remember to always do your very best.
Sincerely,
Abel Nightroad
P.S. And just because I'm gone doesn't mean you can stop eating. If I find out you have stopped, I'll have Alucard hold you down and I'll force feed you myself. Just kidding! But seriously, don't starve yourself again. It's bad for you.
"Idiot… Abel, you idiot," Seras whispered, looking down at the letter in her hands as she sat on her bed. "How could you just leave me like this after I helped you and everything?"
She put her head down on the pillow and curled into a ball, crying. She felt abandoned and hurt; Abel had been the only to treat her as a human, not as a vampire. Integra and her Master both treated her differently; Integra was always cautious of her and her Master was always trying make her more like him. Abel saw a human, not a monster. It was first time in a long time that she had felt like a normal human.
"ANDERSON!" Maxwell yelled from his hospital room.
"Aye," the tall priest asked as he walked in, looking a little tired and annoyed.
"I want you to find that damn monster and kill it," he snapped, looking at his bandaged wrist. "I want that thing to suffer; take your time in getting rid of it slowly!"
"Ah don' think—"
"I'm not paying you for your opinions! Find that monstrosity and destroy it! That's an order," Maxwell bit out, glaring at Anderson.
"As ye wish, yer Grace," Anderson said, bowing to the archbishop before leaving the room.
Last night had been bizarre right from the beginning. Something was different about this Abel Nightroad; a vampire that drank the blood of vampires was something new. A Crusnik was nothing he had ever heard of. He had a lot of power; that much Anderson was sure of, and he knew Maxwell had gotten off lucky with only a broken wrist.
But the strangest bit was that if Abel had wanted to kill Maxwell, he could have done so easily; but he hadn't. Even that night out on the streets when he had first encountered Abel and the female vampire, Able had had no intention of killing him. If he had been anything like a normal vampire, he would have done so without a second thought.
If he didn't know any better, he would have believed that the creature known as a Crusnik was more human than monster. Abel saw no sense in killing him or Maxwell; the Crusnik had let them go even after they nearly killed him. No demon would ever do that. Just what was a Crusnik?
Abel sat down on a park bench, setting his duffle bag on the ground. He let out a long, tired sigh; it was late evening now and the clouds lightly dotted the colorful heavens up above. He looked up at them, trying to figure out what he should do. It was a Protestant county after all, and Catholicism, though here, was not widespread.
"I miss my home," Abel mumbled, running a pale hand down his long face. "I wonder how Esther, Caterina, Leon, and the others are doing. They're probably trying to find me. Caterina's probably having a fit right now."
He let out another long sigh as he turned his head back to the ground. He watched the autumn leaves blow along the sidewalk and browning grass. There was a cold wind that cut right through him; he shivered and pulled his long coat closer to his body. This was going to be a long, cold night.
He decided he'd stay in the park for the night and look for a job and perhaps a nice someone who might let him stay with them for a couple days. It was a nice thought, but he knew he would have trouble in actually finding such a place. Everything was money, money, money and that was the one thing Abel was currently lacking. He then sat up straight, rubbing the bridge of his nose where his glasses sat.
"Good evening, Alexander," Abel said calmly, not turning around to greet the man behind him. "I take it Maxwell sent you to kill me."
"Evenin', Abel. It's a wee bit tae early for yer kind, ain't it?" Anderson drawled, holding a blade to the back of Abel's head. "Ye know vampires doan' come oot till dark."
"Yes, I know." Abel said blandly. "So, how does Maxwell want me killed? Cut into pieces, impaled, or maybe even by slow torture?"
"Hahahaha! He said tae make it nice an' slow," Anderson replied. "Tell meh, where are yer Hellsing comrades at?"
"That's funny, actually. You see, I quit," Abe said sweetly, turning around with a big smirk as Anderson looked at him oddly. "Just this morning, in fact. It was just far too high maintenance for me; running here and there was just too much for me to handle."
"Ye quit," Anderson said in shock, removing the blade.
"Yep, so now I have no job and, sadly, no money." Abel suddenly moped, looking tearful. "I hadn't even received my first pay check. Oh, well. C'est la vie. SAYONARA!"
Abel jumped from his seat, snatched his bag, and hightailed away from the bayonet-wielding priest before said weapon-user could register what had just happened. Anderson stood in place for couple of seconds before his mind caught up and he finally gave chase to the other man, who was screaming 'Excuse me!' and 'Sorry!' down the sidewalk.
"Come back 'ere," Anderson yelled, pissed, throwing four bayonets at Abel as Abel ran behind a tree. "Come oot and fight meh, ya demon!"
"Now, now, Father Anderson, can't we talk about this like civilized adults?" Abel asked, peeking from behind the tree for a split second before two more blades were thrown at him. "I'll take that as a big 'no'. I so hate violence."
"Sae, ye're not thinkin' 'bout runnin', are ya?" Anderson asked, walking up to the large oak Abel was hiding behind. "Where's the fun in tha'? Come on oot an' face meh!"
"I really don't want to, if it's all the same to you, Father," Abel said, dashing out from behind the tree just as Anderson reached him. "All I want is to be left alone! I don't hurt humans at all! They're not on my menu! But I wouldn't mind some chocolate covered toffee candies!"
"Good for ya but do ye think tha' makes ae difference?!" Anderson shouted, running after him again as Abel ducked behind a brick wall. "Ye're still ae monster, all the same!"
"If I were truly a monster, don't you think I would have tried to kill you by now instead of running away?" Abel asked, hearing Anderson coming in closer by the second as Abel pulled out his old revolver. "Please don't make me hurt you; that's all I ask of you! Don't make me kill you!"
"Don' tell meh ye have a conscience?" Anderson asked, disgruntled, coming to a stop as Abel walked out from behind the wall, holding his gun. "Wha' really keeps ya from pullin' tha' trigger? Tell meh!"
"A promise I made long ago," Abel said darkly. "A promise I intend to keep."
"Ae promise, ya sae," Anderson sneered. "Wha' kind o' promise may tha' be?"
"To never kill and to protect the humans," Abel answered as Anderson's sneer slid from his face. "As atonement for my sins upon this earth for which I can never forgive myself, I beg you now to let me be! These bullets are not meant for you!"
"Hahahaha! Ye don' pull the trigger because o' some silly promise?" the Paladin laughed as Abel's face took on a dangerous expression. Alexander abruptly stopped laughing. "Dear God, yer serious, ain'tcha? Mah apologies, Abel."
"Now please leave me in peace. I'm not planning on hurting anyone," the Crusnik said, still holding out his gun. "Tell his Grace that I apologize for my actions last night, if I have not done so already. I shall pray for his quick recovery, not that he'll like that idea too much."
"Tha' I shall do, Father Nightroad," Anderson said, putting away his bayonets as Abel put away his gun. "It gets dark quickly this time o' year, nae?"
"Yes, it does," Abel nodded, not quite sure what this psycho priest was getting at.
"'Em freaks should be comin' oot soon." Anderson sneer returned. "And it's ae full moon as well. Ae good night fer hoontin', wouldn't ya sae?"
"Well, have fun," Abel said, ducking behind the wall to grab his duffle bag. "I'm off to find a place to settle down for the night."
"Ye maun be jokin'," Anderson smiled.
"Oh, no, I'm quite serious. My sleeping patterns are very much like a human's," Abel replied, walking away with his bag over his shoulder. "I sleep at night most of the time; I only sleep during the day when I don't get any during the night. Also no thanks to you and the Archbishop, I lost a lot of blood so I'm extra tired tonight. Good night, Father Anderson."
Anderson stood there quietly as Abel started to walk off down the dimly lit sidewalk of the park. Just because of a promise he made to someone long ago, he does not kill humans? It was for atonement for his sins that he would protect the human race, which only meant one thing; he had a soul, a human soul. Was it possible that this Crusnik creature was like most vampires and was once human?
But, unlike the average vampire, he hadn't lost his soul to the devil? He'd kept it, for the most part. But was what he atoning for? From the sound of it, it sounded like he had once been the enemy of man but the promise he had made to someone had changed that, and now he protected mankind. Something clicked in Anderson mind at that moment. He was going to have a very long talk with Maxwell.
It was almost ten before Anderson walked to the hospital room where Maxwell was watching TV. Anderson's boss then turned to look at him as he stepped inside, stopping beside Maxwell's bed.
"Did you complete your order, Anderson?" Maxwell asked, looking up into the brilliant green eyes of the psycho priest but Anderson remained quiet. "Answer me. Did you, or did you not, complete your order?"
"Nay, Maxwell," Anderson drawled as Maxwell's eyes narrowed.
"And why didn't you!?" he snapped.
"He's no threat tae anyone," the priest answered back. "He's no' even with the Hellsing Organization 'nymore. He quit."
"You believed him?!" the archbishop yelled in disbelief, throwing the remote at Anderson head. "He's a demon, Alexander, and you've been deceived! He wears a human skin but you and I both know what he really is!"
"Ah don' think we do, yer Excellence," Anderson said in monotone voice. "He said 'e made ae promise—"
"Bullshit, Anderson!"
"Ae promise tae never kill or allow anyone tae die—"
"Shut up and listen to yourself! You let that demon work its way in to your mind, heart, and soul!"
"It was tae atone for his past sins upon this earth—"
"Enough, you miserable priest!"
"Tha's why he saw nae sense in killin' ye last night!"
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT UNTIL YOU CAN GET THAT MONSTER'S LIES OUT OF YOUR SOUL! I DON'T WANT YOU NEAR ME UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO REPENT! GET OUT!"
Anderson turned on his heel and started to go out the door, but he paused for a moment and turned his head back to look the irate church official.
"By the way, Father Nightroad prays fer yer quick recovery," Anderson sneered, ducking out the door as a glass of water sailed toward his head. He couldn't resist a final jab. "An' 'e apologizes as well!"
Abel yawned, putting a chilly hand over his mouth. It was late and he just wanted to curl up in a ball somewhere and go to sleep, but he had no such luck. He was too cold to fall asleep, even with the Crusnik inside him helping to keep him from hypothermia, so he was cursed to walk down the dark streets of London to keep warm. He heard someone sneeze as he walked by a dark alley.
"Bless you," Abel replied absentmindedly as he walked by.
"Oh, why thank you, cutie," a woman answered.
Abel stopped and turned to look at the woman with drooping eyes. She had long, wavy blonde hair and was wearing a long, black, fur-trimmed coat, tight dark blue jeans, knee high black boots, and a nice black sweater-shirt. She looked a little too well-dressed to be out in the streets and at this hour. Not mention the fact that she had also called him "cutie."
"Don't you think you should be at home, Miss?" Abel said calmly, turning back around and beginning to walk again. "The back alleyways aren't the safest place to be, right now."
"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, handsome," she smiled, trotting after him as her high heeled boots clicked on the pavement. "Besides, you look lonely and cold. I could always warm you up and give you some company."
"Miss, please, I'm fine." Abel sighed as she wrapped her arms around his as he continued to walk. "Now go home. You shouldn't be out here at night."
"Oh, c'mon," she complained, bringing his arm around her waist, which he quickly removed. "I'm cold, too. We can keep each other warm."
"I'm a priest, ma'am," Abel finally said as the woman stopped dead in her tracks. "Go back home and get off the streets."
"A priest? Why are all the really cute men priests?!" she snorted, crossing her arms in a huff. "You asshole!"
"May God be with you," he said, falsely pious, waving at her as he walked down the street. That's a first. I've never had a hooker come me after before. But, then again, I'm usually in my uniform and not in street clothes.
"AAAAAAAAGH!"
Abel quickly came to a jerky stop and turned to see the young woman being attacked by a large, muscular man. He quickly grabbed her by her hair and dragged her back into the dark alley. Abel quickly ran after the both of them, hoping he wasn't too late.
"Let me go, you bastard!" she cried as the man began to hit her on the face and rip off her clothes before tilting her head to the side. "STOP!"
"Cry all you want, human trash," the man smiled, a sinister glare in his red eyes. "That only makes you all the more delectable."
"Let her go," Abel said calmly, stopping at the entrance to the alleyway. "Otherwise I'll have to take action against you."
"Hahaha! That's funny, you fucking dickhead," the vampire laughed. "I don't think you can really take me on. You have no idea what you're going up against!"
"Last warning, VAMPIRE," Abel barked, pulling out his gun from his coat and aiming it at the vampire. "Let her go!"
"Oh-ho, so you're not as dumb as you look, but…," the vampire quickly put the girl between him and the business end of Abel's gun. "Do you have the balls to shoot me when I have this little bitch in my grasp? Go on and shoot! I dare ya!"
"LET THE WOMAN GO!" Abel ordered as his eyes narrowed.
"I don't think you can hit me," the vampire mocked. "Your aim's not good enough, is it? Scared you might hurt her or even worse, kill her, aren't you? Ha! You're not so brave! Maybe I'll just start nibbling and let you watch!"
"Help… Me…" she whimpered, feeling the vampire's tongue run up her neck. "Please…"
"Go on, dickhead," the large vampire sneered, showing off his fangs. "No? Then just watch what I'm going to do to her, and then I'll do the same to you."
"I won't let you," Abel said as he wrapped his finger around the trigger and took aim.
BAAAANG!
The vampire's head exploded in an instant and the woman began screaming, panicked, as blood cascaded onto her. She quickly hit the ground and scooted away from the bloody corpse in front her.
Abel was at a loss for words, mainly because it wasn't his gun that had fired. He was pretty sure that: one, he didn't pull the trigger, and two, the shot came from behind the vampire. He looked down to the other end of the alley to see a shadowy figure standing at the other end, holding two semiautomatic handguns out in front.
He couldn't make out who this person was, although he was pretty sure it was a man at the other end. Abel tried to focus his eyes a little, but there wasn't enough light for him to see clearly in this form. The other man put his guns away and started walking towards a shocked Abel and the panicked woman.
As he got closer, the woman, took off, afraid for her life. She knocked Abel into a wall as she ran by screaming. Abel looked up from his position on the pavement as man walked closer to him. He could finally begin making out the features of this man. His eyes widened in shock as the man stopped and looked down at him.
"Father Nightroad." The other's voice was deep and monotonous. "Requesting damage report."
(A/N: That's the end of chapter 7. How was it? Sorry it took so long to update. But this should be a good place to stop and you're most likely going to kill me. I now you are. I just figured I'd get this story in before the winter storm hit. Well, get reviewing or no updates.)
Millie M. Banshee
Beta: 2stupid
(BN: Sorry it took so long… I have a hectic schedule.)