Sanctuary to the Lost and Damned

Chapter 19: Vampire?

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AN: please review.

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Stralsund, Northern Germany...

A female werewolf flipped the switch of the radio.

"Well that episode wasn't very interesting was it?" she said to the suspected figure. "But these murder mysteries sometimes are like that."

She was sure that Schrödinger would have enjoyed it though. She thought about the male werewolf. When he wasn't on watch, he was often collecting samples from a nearby pond. He would then examine his specimens under his microscope that he kept hidden in the basement.

She laughed to herself. As she thought about how taken he was with her. She was surprise when he had dropped to his knees and asked for her hand in marriage. This was funny for her in a few ways.

One being that they were both werewolves and had never heard about such creatures marrying; The second being that Schrödinger had long ago given up on religion. While She was a devote catholic.

Another was the fact that neither of them existed, officially. To marry one need some proof of identity.

Then there was the fact that Schrödinger was, well...Schrödinger. He was possibly too laid back in her opinion. She had known him for many years. She had usually thought of him as a grown child. Despite the fact that she didn't look like it, at nearly 100-years-old, she was old enough to be his mother or grandmother...She estimated from what he had told her that he had been a werewolf for at least 20 years. She could only guess at his total age, but she seemed to feel that the werewolf was now in his 40's, possible 50's. Why he was not more mature was a question she was sure someone might have the answer to, just not her.

But she had to admit that he was rather sweat, particularly every time he brought back those wild flowers for her.

The figure moved about a little.

The Irish werewolf knew that 'she' was becoming more and more aware of her surroundings. The drugs were strong still, but not enough to make 'her' oblivious to her surroundings.

The werewolf heard 'her' say something. 'She' had started to say things lately. Mostly mumbles, but these sounded like words. Nonsense, yes, but still words.

"What was that dear?"

"Is the moon out?" 'She' asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Then you must release me."

"Why?" she wondered what reason the figure would give.

"Because she is my sister. My big sister... and she is waiting. Always waiting for me to come to dinner."

"Who are you?" the werewolf knew that she would only be blabbering, but she was still curious to know what 'she' would say.

The feminine figure suspected started to laugh insanely. "I'm Shiva," the figure growled. (1)

"Shiva?" The werewolf repeated to herself out loud.

The figure started to thrash around violently.

In a state of panic the werewolf prepared another needle for 'her'. She administered the drug into the tube.

"Release me! Werewolf!"

The werewolf gasped. 'How does 'she' know what I am?'

"I can't do that!"The werewolf told 'her' trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"Release me! My sister is waiting."

The werewolf stepped back and dug around in her pocket for the gun with the special blessed silver bullets. He pointed them toward the figure.

The figure thrashed around some more. Her thrashing was now so violent that the werewolf thought that the binding might actually break.

Another werewolf burst through the door. "What's happening?" An English werewolf asked with concern.

"Here!" she threw him a similar gun. "I gave 'her' what the doctor ordered, but 'she' isn't..." the female werewolf trailed off as the figure stopped moving and became once again silent.

The female werewolf collapsed on the chair with a huge sigh. "The medicine is kicking in. You can go to bed now."

"But-"

"I will need you to take over for me in the morning! Go and Get some sleep."

The male werewolf turned around and headed back for the bedroom.

The female werewolf straightened herself against the back of the chair.

She considered the figure's identity. "Shiva..."

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In a cold basement Laboratory...

There was a knock at the door.

"What is it!" the doctor yelled. "I'm busy."

The door opened a crack. The doctor could see that Schrödinger was on the other side.

"Doctor, I was hoping that I could lend a hand."

The doctor did not seem very pleased. "Help? You are a beast. Science is a pursuit for man."

Schrödinger hung his head low. The doctor had told him this before, but it always stung the werewolf to hear it. "Yes, I know. But I still remember all of my training." Schrödinger was among the werewolves being keep by an aristocrat. But before his life had deteriorated to the pitiful state that it was in, he had been a bright young science student. He had once worked as a lab assistant for a man in the lab, and had hoped that the doctor would allow him back into a lab that he so missed.

"You are a werewolf! You are a monster; I do not require any help from the likes of you."

"Before I was...changed, I was at university...working on my masters..." (2) The werewolf saw an apathetic look on the doctor's face. It was clear that he did not care. "But an extra pair of hands is always useful in the lab." Schrödinger said hoping that the doctor was in need of some help.

Though the doctor could not deny that having someone with training was beneficial, was less likely to mess something up at the very least, the fact that the being before him was still a werewolf.

"Would you please consider it, Doctor?"

The doctor was silent.

Schrödinger looked at his feet. "Alright then...I will be leaving."

"Stop!" The doctor commanded calmly. "While you are here I might as well take a sample."

The doctor walked over to his stores and pulled out a needle from a box.

Schrödinger had started to roll up his sleeve.

"Oh no; I won't need a blood sample." the werewolf put his sleeve back down. "But I will need you to remove your shirt." The doctor turned from the werewolf to prepare the needle and the required vial.

"Sir, doctor...I am wearing..." though the doctor could not see him the werewolf pointed to his one-piece uniform that only appeared to be two pieces of clothing. "I will need to remove everything..."

"Then do it!" the doctor said irritated to the werewolf behind him.

The werewolf removed his uniform revealing that he had nothing underneath. It was getting warmer outside after all and he did get very hot when he was working. The doctor turned back to face the creature. As he did Schrödinger saw the doctor's gaze change? It was no longer the apathetic look it had been. Nor was one of disgust. It was of the variety that the werewolf had never seen a man give another man...It reminded him of the look that he gave that female Irish werewolf Siobhan: the female that he loved and had asked to marry him. "Um...Doctor...The...sample..."

"Turn around." the doctor ordered. The werewolf did. And after what seemed far too long the werewolf felt a prick of the needle in his spinal region. He grabbed the table in front of him as he felt the pain of the protective layer being pierced and fluid being drained that wasn't meant to leave his body.

"That should be enough..." the doctor mumbled. In a normal human being doing such an action could introduce infection, but werewolves had amazing regenerative powers. He did not thing that it would do any permanent damage to the creature, as it had not seemed to affect any of the others. Not that he really cared. One dead werewolf would soon be replaced by another. He put the sample into a large cool box. The werewolf turned back around.

He turned to face the werewolf again. His gaze fell on Schrödinger. Again it lasted far too long.

The long gaze made Schrödinger feel very uncomfortable. The doctor's eyes then gravitated downward on the werewolf's body. Neither of them understood why the doctor was gazing at him as he was, but it was giving Schrödinger a cold shiver down his spine that he was sure had nothing to do with the procedure just done.

"Doctor."

Both the werewolf and doctor looked towards the door. There stood a young woman with dark hair. It was Rita, the Baron's daughter. Both were caught unaware that she had even entered the room. But Schrödinger could recall that he had not closed the door when he arrived. He had not expected to have been there as long as he had.

"My father is waiting to see you."

"Ja, I forgot..." The doctor held his head with one hand. "I am on my way." the doctor grabbed his large black bag and took off running into the halls.

Rita looked at Schrödinger who was still standing there completely naked.

Her eyes traced his top half. Then his lower half. He did have some muscles, but he was very thin as were most of the werewolves. It was true that Schrödinger could hold a gaze; she still would have preferred to have been looking at Hans though. She thought Hans was a more impressive sight.

That reminded her. She pulled out an envelope out of her coat pocket.

"Can I ask you to do something?"

"Whatever you need, Mistress."

She held out the envelope. "I need you to give this to Hans."

"Hans? If this is 'party' business I am-"

"This is for Hans and Hans only! Do not open it!" she pulled out some money from her purse and handed it to the werewolf, "Understood!"

He looked down at the money that he had been given. It seemed to the werewolf that lately being Han's friend had proved to be a profitable business.

"I understand. He will get it after dinner. That's when I see him next."

"Excellent."

She waited until later the night. She watched as the werewolf exchanged words, and then Schrödinger handed it to Hans, who went to his favorite spot in the wooded area. She followed him as she waited to see his reaction to the letter.

She hid behind some trees watching him open and read the letter. In the letter she included the many explanations of her actions.

His face showed very little emotion as he did so, but then to much hurt, he started to tear the paper into shreds. As the pieces started blowing in the wind Rita felt a tear roll down her cheek. The most important element of the letter was that it had contained her declaration of her love for the werewolf, and he had torn it up as a signal of his rejection of her. He had rejected her again. She ran to her room, crying, with her face in her hands.

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An unnaturally large smile had appeared on the face of a dark haired boy serving tea to Arthur Hellsing.

Walter had eavesdropped on a group of soldier who were talking about some mission at night to a lordly estate.

Walter had been thinking about this mission all morning and had decided that this was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his skills in the field. He of course asked Sir. Hellsing to allow him to participant in this new mission, but Hellsing had told him, as the man had always told him, that he was too young and many other men would criticize him if he sent the boy to his death.

Walter had argued with the man many times that he was as strong, If not stronger than many, (and Walter believed all) of his men.

That was why Walter decided to "retire" early for the night and sneak into one of the empty crates that the men would be taking. Walter was told that, Abraham, Arthur's father had always taken empty crates with him in case they got anyone still kicking. Walter had been told that Abraham had been a doctor from Amsterdam who had a lifetime goal of extending the limits of human knowledge, particularly in regard to the supernatural.

From what the boy had gathered there would be a team of twenty men. There was also talk that a man by the name of Alucard would be coming too. Walter had heard that name before. He had always heard people discussing the man, but he had never actually seen the man. From what he had heard about the man, he was a strong fierce warrior which had been absent from the Hellsing organization for many years. According to the men, he was the Hellsing's family favorite soldier serving the organization from day one. Walter hated the description the men gave to this soldier, this Alucard. The words that they used to describe him were words which Walter felt should have been used to describe himself.

Walter knew that this soldier could not do what he did. He did not think that this man could move as fast as he could, he had never met anyone who could. Walter had spent his entire life in the 30's. It was a time of great economic stress. He learned quickly that to get anywhere one needed to be the best of the best. You see if there was someone better than you, you could get replaced. Walter decided to himself as he served Arthur another cup of tea, that this top soldier, Alucard, was due for replacing.

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Later that night...

Walter crept silently to the loaded truck. He looked for the crate, but only found a coffin. He contended that the men planed to bring one of the vampires back in the coffin; after all they were dead already, so it seemed to fit in Walter's opinion. Ignoring some writing on the top, Walter got into the coffin, which was more comfortable than he thought that it would. Soon he was asleep.

When he awoke the truck was stopped and he could not hear any of the men. Forgetting where he was he bolted up in the coffin, only to be hit hard by the lid. The boy cursed silently as he held his head.

He opened the coffin silently and listened for any noises which would tell him where he was. He did not have any difficulties find the house as he observed the group of trucks parked on the front lawn.

Walter spotted a light in the window on the top floor and headed for it. Walter usually had a good sense of direction, so he found the lit room quickly.

He opened the door and saw a man in pinstriped suit; the types which one might expect to see the American Gangster, Al Capone wear, sitting in front of a fire.

"You must be Alucard." The man addressed him. "You are not what I was expecting, but..."

"My name is Dornez." Walter said proudly.

The man just looked at him. The man then burst out laughing.

"What is so funny?" Walter asked as he realized that the man was laughing at him.

"You my dear child. Do you know who I am?" Walter did not respond to the man. Walter, who was there uninvited, had not been to the briefing before the mission. As such he was unaware that the lord had left his property. He instead believed that the man before him was the master of the house.

"We need to leave this place quickly, sir." Walter made to grab the man's arm to lead the man from danger, when the man instead grabbed him. The man started to laugh again. This Time Walter saw a glint of two white fangs in the man's mouth.

"You stupid, stupid, little girl."

Walter's eyes widened as he finally realized that this man was a vampire. Confusion wreaked in his mind as his mind conjured imagines of vampires being very bat-like with long claws and appearing very grotesque. That was how they were described in the books and shown in the moving picture shows.

"You may be young, but I imagine that I will have some use for a pretty little girl."

"I'm a guy!" Walter snared trying to pull himself from the vampire's grip, but the vampire was much stronger than the man-like creature appeared.

"Really..." The creature mumbled.

"Where is the master of the house?" Walter demanded.

"The master? Why he left nearly two days ago. As for the acting master of the house, I imagine he is on his way to reaching the nearby village by now, along with all the others". The vampire smiled showing his pearly white fangs.

Walter then started to feel his perceptions of the world go fuzzy. It was a pleasant feeling, like the feeling one might feel after a couple of drinks of alcohol, but Walter knew that there was something wrong.

To Walter's horror he felt the vampire's hand drift downward and come to rest on the boy's crotch; the vampire grabbed him there causing the nine-year-old boy to gasp.

"My you really are a boy. A pretty boy..." The Vampire said excitedly as he licked Walter from his collarbone up to his temple. "Perhaps I should wait until one of my female fledglings returns so that she can turn you." The vampire ran his hand seductively through Walter's raven black hair. "Then you and I can play for all eternality."

Walter returned to his senses as he twisted his hands in the right way causing the vampire arms, the disgusting arms connected to the hands which had been touching him, to be severed from his body.

Although Walter was not yet old enough to know what the vampire had been doing to him, he could feel that he was being exploited and he had not liked it.

Walter smiled as he flexed his wires for display. "I may be young, but I am very strong."

Walter's faced contorted into one of pure anger. "I will not allow you to ever touch me like that ever again." Walter felt a burning feeling flow through his body as the vampire's blood sprayed in many directions. The sight seemed almost pleasant to him.

The vampire laughed.

"Stop laughing. I just took your arms from your body." Walter almost yelled. 'This thing's as loony as any human nutter.' Walter thought. (3)

To Walter's surprise the man-like creature regenerate his arms. "I guess that there is going to be fun of a different kind, as we wait." The creature retorted.

Walter's surprise soon turned to excitement as he maneuvered his wires through the vampire slicing him like butter. Again and again Walter sliced the creature and the creature attacked back, missing Walter most of the time as the quick boy twisted his body very acrobatically.

As the two moved around in a violent dance of combat neither noticed the figure phase through the wall.

That figure laughed. "May I cut in?" The two fighting stopped inches from one another, as they looked to the tall man, dressed in red.

Walter gasped. 'It was the ghost.' Walter had seen him phase through into the library one late night before leaving without a word.

The Vampire's surprise turned to a smug smile. "I knew that you would come, Alucard."

"Alucard?" Walter questioned softly to himself. This ghost was Alucard? 'No.' Walter told himself, 'This is not a ghost.'

As he looked up at the tall man he notices that many things did fit with the descriptions which he had gotten about the soldier. Thought not everything did. He had been told that the man had been part of the original membership of the Hellsing organization, but the man who stood not 5 feet from him could not have been a day over 25. Even if the man had been 20 years old when he joined that would still make him almost 60 by now.

Then there was the issue of how he had moved through solid objects which did not make any sense to Walter, who had always relied on logic.

"Well, I did have to knock down some ghouls and curve up some Vampires, but what is it they say? Ah yes, better late than never." The man known as Alucard said pleasantly to the Vampire, who looked passed the hair, which under the right moonlight revealed small clumps of blood and gore covering it; anyone who knew Alucard well enough, knew that this was a sign that he had had a semi-enjoyable night.

"I have been looking for a vampire like you, Alucard."

Walter's wondered for a moment if he had heard the Vampire correctly. 'Alucard cannot be a vampire' his rational mind thought as he remembered the Hellsing family mission; to destroy the unholy undead which threatened the crown and country. Surly they would not employ a vampire. It would be against their ethical guild lines. It would be like consorting with the enemy.

"Well, here I am. Shall we dance like you did with the boy, or would you prefer to battle like real Vampires?" Alucard asked nonchalantly.

The other Vampire grinned cruelly. "Soon, my precious." He said turning to the Boy.

Walter still did not comprehend what the Vampire wanted from him, winced all the same.

Walter backed up as he saw the vampires change some of their shape. Walter backed against the wall.

The fighting did not last long. The intensity of the battle seemed almost beautiful to the boy, who stood watching the two monsters changing their shapes around each other seeking victory for themselves.

"Is that it, child of the darkness?" Alucard said emphasizing the child part with disdain.

Walter watched at first in terror as a large dog appeared from Alucard's shoulder bearing a million red hungry eyes, then with fascination as he was suddenly reminded of the Hound of Baskerville, from a Sherlock Holmes novel of that name.(4) The hell hound then devoured the other Vampire.

"It's a shame" Alucard said to himself sounding very disappointed, "I had really hoped that there was more to him." The vampire shrugged his shoulders and acted like the battle had never happened. "You'd better come along boy." The vampire said phasing through the doors.

Walter did not make any protests as he followed the vampire through the halls; the monster who seemingly in no hurry to go anywhere strolled through the house taking the scenic route before ending up on the yard where many soldiers were gathered.

"Ah, Alucard. I trust that you found him?"The Captain was referring to the vampire, however Walter wondered if they had discovered his absence from the Hellsing estate already and had guessed where he had gone.

"I did Captain." The Vampire smiled. "Have you ascertained the reason for the failure of these automobiles?" The vampire asked. Though Walter did not know this, the vampire intended to travel by fog back to the Hellsing Mansion. Thus he did not truly care if the trucks were able to start.

"There appears to be some tampering of the wiring under the hoods." The Vampire nodded.

At this time the Captain caught sight of Walter.

Walter could see in the Captain's eyes that he recognized the boy. The man's face displayed the look of the mental cogs turning, suggesting to Walter that he could not yet place him though.

"Boy." Alucard called to Walter. Walter obediently followed the Vampire to a place behind a truck. The Vampire looked at the coffin which Walter had smuggled himself in.

Walter read the lettering on the top. It read: I am the Bird of Hermes. I became tamed by devouring my own wings.

There was a moment of silence in which Walter came to the realization that the coffin in which he had ridden and even sleep in belonged to the Vampire, Alucard.

Seeing this expression of the boy's face Alucard produced a deep chuckle, which sent shivers down the spine of Walter. "Most human's try to avoid getting in to one of these, at least before a ripe old age. You just jumped in huh." Walter wanted to say something insulting to the vampire, but nothing came to mind.

"Well," the vampire continued, as it walked passed Walter. "I suppose the world is vast and filled with many idiots." Walter was taken aback by this. He turned to tell the vampire that he was not a fool, but he could not find the vampire anywhere. There was only a thick fog moving away from him.

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END of Ch 19

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AN: Wow. That chapter was longer than I thought that it would be. It think that it turned out well though.

Yes, the vampire at the lord's estate is a pedophile.

(1) – Shiva, is the Hindu god of destruction (or transformation.)

(2) – I'm saying here that Schrödinger has about 5 -6 years of postsecondary education.

(3) – Loony and nutter are slang terms used for those of mental illness.

(4) - 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' is a Sherlock Holmes novel that includes a hell hound. I have never read the book, but I did see one version of the 24 movies out there.

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Preview of the next chapter: Fearless Fool

The vampire laughed again. "I was told that you are a butler in-training, but considering how amusing your ignorance is I would think that you're better suited as a Jester."

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