Chapter 2: Of Vampires and Garlic Bread
Disclaimer: Hellboy characters do not belong to me, and neither does the Christmas carol "What Child is This?", Shakespeare, or his plays. However, Erica Schwarz, the vampire, and the plot that isn't from the movie is mine.
Author's Notes: Yay! So many reviews and new reviewers! Thank you all for the wonderful positive feedback! In this chapter the BPRD's adventures in Transylvania continue and things progressively head downhill, but with a little humor to lighten it up. Here are the German to English translations: 'Ja' is yes, 'Nein' is no, and 'Fräulein' is Miss. Enjoy the chapter!
Psycho Llama: blushes Awwww! You're so nice! By the way, what does (imho) mean?
amyltrer: Wow, you're Romanian? That's awesome! I'm surprised I got the weather and landscape right, I've never been there before! Just a tad creepy, no? As for Kroenen, don't worry, he'll be showing up soon, either in the next chapter or the one after that, which will only have him and Ilsa in it.
iluvrocknroll: An author? Well, I've thought about it…I guess I could! Thanks for the encouragement! I'll try to do more flashbacks since you liked them so much, and the freaky undertaker will definitely be serving up more humor.
musicamode: There'll be more humor in here, I like writing it and it lightens up the sometimes dark plot. (And it is kinda funny to imagine Abe driving!)
Gestalt: Yup, I love vampires! They're fun because they're the perfect villains and the perfect heroes all at once! Kroenen should be in the next chapter or the chapter after that, and it'll be completely devoted to him and Ilsa.
The Common Wind Deity: Awesome new name! Humor at Abe's expense is kinda funny, isn't it?
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."— Franklin P. Jones
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."—Eleanor Roosevelt
October, Present Day
Transylvania
Afternoon
Hellboy wandered through the fields, the agents running to keep up with him. He set his foot down as he took a step and his huge boot flattened yet another patch of wheat. No doubt the villagers would be ranting about werewolves trampling their crops after they saw the mile long wandering path smashed through their wheat. Hellboy stopped to survey the landscape and took his cigar out of his mouth, blowing a stream of curling smoke into the chilly autumn air.
There was the dry crunch of boots crushing wheat as Agent Clay stopped beside him, staring at the same thing Hellboy was coolly examining. Up to this point they hadn't found anything of interest. Emphasis on the words 'up to this point'.
Ahead of them the well kept fields of crops continued, rank after rank of stalks and leaves turned a beautiful golden brown by the nippy autumn air. Sparse trees dotted the landscape, most of them barely holding onto half of their gold or red autumn leaves. However, the fields came to an abrupt halt as if a giant scythe had swung down and sheared off the edge of the fields. Beyond the fields was a huge expanse of barren land with only brown grass clinging to the soil and the occasional blasted and twisted tree. And right in the middle of the desolation rose a few equally barren hills, and on top of one of the hills, right up against the base of the towering mountains, was a gigantic, ancient and abandoned castle built of black and grey stone. The towers rose towards the sky like the razor sharp teeth of some gigantic beast intent on tearing the clouds to shreds. The castle's windows stared out over the land like blank, soulless eyes. A single snaking path wound up the hill to the iron doors of the castle.
There were several more crunching noises as the rest of the agents finally caught up to Hellboy and Agent Clay. A gust of wind tossed the fields of wheat, making it look like the Agents and Hellboy were wading waist deep through a golden sea that was the moat for the foreboding castle ahead of them.
"Do you think that's it?" asked one of the agents.
"No," said Hellboy sarcastically. His hunger had put him in a bad mood. "That can't possibly be it! Perhaps the vampire's hangin' out back at the village in some quaint little baker's shop, covered in flour and makin' pastries!"
"Okay," Clay said, "that castle isn't going anywhere, let's head back to camp. The others should be heading back. We need to find out what the others found."
"And get somethin' to eat." Hellboy muttered, his stomach rumbling.
XXXXX
A Village in Transylvania, Romania
"Whhaaaaa!" the little girl sobbed, clutching her teddy bear. A boy named David was standing beside her. He shifted from foot to foot looking very uncomfortable.
"Shhhhhh." Abe whispered, trying to calm the little girl. He was very glad his face was mostly covered up and couldn't frighten her.
To Abe's amazement, the girl actually stopped crying. She sniffled and peered up at him, her tearstained face glistening. "Anna's dead!" she said and then burst into tears again.
Abe was baffled. He didn't know what to do. Children were not something he had to deal with often. And it didn't help that most of the adult villagers were glowering at him as if he was being a bully.
Abe sighed and knelt on the ground. He gently touched the girl's arm. Calm down, he thought at her. The little girl took a few deep breaths and sniffled a few times, the last few tears trickling down her face. That's better, Abe thought. He reached out into her mind, sorting through the girl's memories and seeing them through her eyes—
Darkness. Screaming. The crunch of bones—Fear—Anna running, carrying the girl on her back—the church stairs—turning around and catching a glimpse of the vampire's pale face only a few feet away—fear—screaming—the world spun as Anna thrust her through the gap in the church doors—sitting up and seeing Anna, then seeing the vampire looming up behind her—Anna kicking the doors shut—
Abe pulled away from the girl. He had what he needed. "Go home," he said softly, "David, stay here."
The girl nodded at Abe, cast a glance at David, and then walked away.
"Well, I can't imagine that was helpful." The undertaker piped up, moving over to Abe like a hyperactive skeleton. His battered top hat sat crookedly on his head and his long stringy hair hung like limp rat tails around his gaunt face.
Abe closed his eyes and willed himself to be patient. "It was more helpful than you realize." he said.
"But not as helpful as this garlic and these crosses!" the undertaker announced. He grinned and produced several strings of garlic and a handful of large crosses from somewhere inside his dusty old formal jacket.
"I don't need those," Abe insisted. He was desperately trying to be polite. "Now, David—"
"Don't need them?" the undertaker said incredulously, "Are you trying to get yourselves killed? Not that I'm complaining, it would be good for business, but still…"
Abe slid a gloved webbed hand down his face in frustration. Rotten eggs and the safety of mankind, rotten eggs and the safety of mankind, Abe thought. He couldn't wait to leave the village, and specifically the undertaker, far, far, far behind him.
XXXXX
The BPRD's Makeshift Camp
Erica sat in the back of one of the trucks sorting through crates of equipment and taking out anything they might need. There was a growing pile next to her of garlic, mirrors, crucifixes, wooden stakes, bullets filled with holy water, and various books. She paused in her work to glance at Agent Moss. He was standing next to the campfire he had built and was busily stirring the contents of one of the three enormous pots hanging over the fire. The delicious scent of spaghetti, coffee, and garlic bread was carried over to her by the wind.
She thought for a moment and then picked up a crucifix from the pile, walked over and set it on the small folding table where Agent Moss had put his cooking ingredients and utensils. He glanced up at her.
"Just in case." she said.
"Thanks," he replied as she sat down next to the fire. She started reading one of the books she had found in the crates and absentmindedly slid the silver cross pendent on her necklace back and forth on the chain.
"Erica?"
"Ja?"
"I'm gonna dig another couple of boxes of noodles out of the back of one of the trucks. Will you keep an eye on the food for me?"
"Sure." she said apprehensively.
"And I mean an eye—don't touch anything!" he joked as he disappeared behind one of the trucks.
"Ha ha, very funny." she called after him.
Erica reluctantly glanced at the steaming pots of food. God only knows why he left me in charge of watching the food cook. It would be better off if I didn't have anything to do with it. He must want it to get burned or something…Oh well, it should be fine—or at least better off—so long as I don't touch it, she thought.
She glanced around hoping to see Agent Moss coming back with the boxes of noodles. But no one was in sight. The entire countryside and road were devoid of any moving life, including birds. He must be in the back of the truck still, she thought. Erica took a last glance around and returned to reading.
XXXXX
Everything was perfectly silent except for the crackling fire and the gentle sound of the wind as Agent Moss opened the back of one of the trucks. This place is really beautiful, he thought, pausing to take a deep breath of the clean, crisp air. He climbed into the back of the truck and knelt next to one of the wooden crates and pried off the lid. He sorted through the contents, moving boxes of various foods aside so he could reach the large boxes of noodles in the bottom of the crate. I better hurry up, Erica couldn't cook to save her life, he thought with a grin.
Agent Moss was so intent on his task that he wasn't aware that something was slipping silently into the truck behind him. It snuck up on the unsuspecting Agent and stood behind him, waiting for the opportune moment.
"Here it is," Agent Moss said, pulling a box of noodles out of the crate.
The thing struck!
WHACK!
The unconscious Agent fell to the floor of the truck with the box of noodles still clutched in his hand.
The thing smiled in a self satisfied way and then silently climbed out of the truck and quietly closed the door, locking the Agent in the back of the truck. This way there would be no one to interfere with its mission.
The thing glanced around the corner of the truck, turning its attentions towards what it had come for: the young woman with the "T" shaped scar on her left cheek. She was still sitting beside the campfire, reading. The thing grinned wickedly. The young woman had no idea she was in danger.
XXXXX
Erica was completely absorbed in her book as she read over historical accounts of vampire killings and what had worked and what had been a complete disaster.
"Mmm. That smells good."
Startled, Erica dropped her book, jumped up and spun around, her right hand instinctively grasping the hilt of the baton sword strapped to her upper leg. A strange man was standing on the opposite side of the campfire, dressed head to toe in black and wearing a black cape and hood that hid his face. Erica was instantly wary, though she was careful not to let it show on her face. Where did he come from? she wondered, He wasn't there a moment ago, and the 'road', if you can call it that, was perfectly clear. And why didn't I hear him coming towards me?
"Vhat are you cooking, Fräulein?" he asked in a courteous tone. His voice had a strong German accent to it. The man leaned over to look in the pots hanging over the fire.
Erica sighed and made a despairing gesture, her face a carefully constructed façade that an actor would have appreciated. "Two enormous pots of spaghetti, some bread, black coffee. The usual."
"So much food for someone vho is all alone." His eyes glittered from inside the depths of his hood as he spoke.
Erica didn't like the tone in his voice when he said the word 'alone, but she pretended to be cheerful and laughed. "Oh, all this isn't for me. I'm just keeping an eye on it until Agent Moss gets noodles out of one of the trucks." she had chosen her words carefully to discourage him from doing anything. If he's up to something he'll be less likely to try it if he knows I'm not alone. And where is Agent Moss anyway? Shouldn't he have been back by now? she wondered.
But the strange man didn't leave as she had hoped, he continued standing by the fire and watching her. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" she asked, hoping her questions would drive him away.
"Vhy yes, I vould." he said, his eyes glimmering strangely as if there was some sort of irony to his words.
Great, now I'm stuck with him until he's finished eating, Erica thought. She really didn't like the tone in his voice when he spoke to her. It made her instantly suspicious. Maybe that's because of dealing with Germans during WWII, she thought, But on the other hand…Erica was careful not to turn her back on the man, if that was really what he was and not something else just pretending to be one, as she filled a bowl with spaghetti and a mug with coffee.
"Here." she said, handing the mug and bowl to the man while carefully standing as far as possible away from him.
He set the bowl and mud down on the folding table covered in cooking implements and supplies. She noticed that he put them down as far away as possible from crucifix lying on the table. "Thank you, Fräulein, but that vill not be necessary. I have tastes for… simpler things."
"Oh," she said, becoming even more uneasy by the moment. Why won't he leave? she thought. But no, she thought she knew why—his words had betrayed him: they had double meanings to them. His actions over at the table had betrayed him. She just hoped she was wrong since he was right next to the crucifix on the table, making it hard if not impossible to reach it before he reached her.What else do I have? She thought quickly. There was always the cross on her necklace, or the one on her ring—then she got a better idea.
"Would you like some bread?" she asked, keeping up the pretense. She picked up the basket of bread, though she was ready at a moment's notice to pull out her blades. But if he's what I think he is, then my blades won't do any good, she thought.
"No thank you." the man said curtly, stalking toward her in a very menacing fashion. Immediately the air temperature felt like it had dropped by ten degrees. The man grinned and she saw his unnaturally long canine teeth gleam from the depths of his hood. Her suspicions were confirmed: he was a vampire. Maybe the one that had been murdering the villagers. She also knew the pretense between them was about to come to an abrupt end.
"Too bad. It's good bread," she said. Erica suddenly picked up a piece of the bread and held it out in front of her so it was only a few inches away from the "man's" face, "In fact, it's garlic bread."
The man—no, vampire— hissed and quickly recoiled from her, stepping away from the folding table. Erica quickly took the opportunity to grab the crucifix she had left on the table. She dropped the garlic bread, drew one of her baton swords, and held the crucifix in front of her to make sure the vampire knew she wasn't going to back down. The vampire continued to back away from her until he was several feet beyond her reach. He stopped and stood up straight and tall as if in an effort to regain his composure.
"Clever girl," he hissed, "But my dear Fräulein, if it's a fight you vant you vill certainly get it. And your friend Agent Moss von't interrupt us, I've seen to that!"
The vampire's his posture changed as if he were about to attack her. Erica didn't back down. She braced herself to fight and raised her blade— Suddenly she heard voices. The agents were coming back. The vampire had obviously heard them too: his posture changed again, this time to a more defiant and dramatic one.
"Too bad. I vould have relished a battle vith you. Your reputation precedes you. However, I assure you that ve vill be seeing each other very soon." He swept his cape around him and retreated a few steps. "Until then, Fräulein." he whispered, and then vanished into thin air.
Erica stayed where she was, still wary and ready to attack should the vampire appear again. After a few seconds it appeared that he was really gone and she relaxed a little bit.
She had a vague nagging feeling in the back of her head, as if she had seen the vampire before. I recognize him but I don't know who he is, she thought, But that's ridiculous. All of the vampires I've met have been killed by the BPRD. And how could I recognize him when his hood covered his face? Still, there was something familiar about his voice. I know I've heard it before, but where?
Her ponderings were interrupted by Hellboy, Abe, and the agents as they appeared around a bend in the road. Abe looked exasperated and cold, and the scowl on Hellboy's face was practically shouting that he was ravenously hungry. Abe was the first one to look at Erica and realize something was wrong.
"Red." Abe said, touching Hellboy's sleeve.
"What?" H.B. said grumpily. He looked in the direction Abe was pointing and took in Erica's expression and the blade and crucifix in her hands, as well as the spilled basket of garlic bread and the abandoned book laying on the ground.
"Great. What'd we miss?" Hellboy asked heavily.
"A lot. Probably more than I did." she answered.
A loud banging and shouting came from one of the trucks. "Hey! Let me out of here! Anybody out there? Let me out!" yelled Agent Moss.
"I take that back, maybe I missed more than I thought." she muttered, casting a glance at the truck.
XXXXX
It took a little while for everything to get explained over lunch. Erica and Agent Moss told everyone what had happened at camp. Hellboy didn't have much to say about the castle, and despite his psychic abilities Abe hadn't found out much at the village, simply because the children had been unable to see very much in the dark.
They all sat around the campfire drinking steaming mugs of coffee and eating lunch. Hellboy was gobbling up his huge bowl of spaghetti at a speed that put a starving pack of lions gorging on an antelope to shame. Abe was sitting very close to the fire, bundled up in a few spare blankets and still shivering from the cold. He had taken off the disguise he had worn to the village and the shiny blue skin on his face and the clear plastic on his respirator reflected the flames of the fire in a very ghostly way.
"As far as the villagers know the attack was unprovoked. If the vampire is trying to get revenge they don't know why." said Abe as he munched happily on a rotten egg. Just as he had hoped, Erica had remembered to bring some. However, the agents on either side of him were looking a little sick due to the overpowering smell of his favorite snack.
Hellboy stopped shoveling spaghetti into his mouth long enough to speak. "Five dead, none of them for food, and they're sayin' it wasn't revenge?" he said disbelievingly.
"Maybe it isn't revenge on the villagers," Erica said quietly, "Maybe their deaths were just bait to lure us here."
"What?" Hellboy asked.
"The vampire said he would have enjoyed a battle with me. He also said my reputation preceded me, and that we would be seeing each other again soon. The only thing is I'm not so sure he meant me specifically, I think he meant the BPRD in general, like maybe he wanted revenge on all of us for something we did."
"This is just a shot in the dark, but maybe it's because we've killed vampires." Hellboy suggested a little sarcastically.
Abe nodded. "That makes sense. Erica, what else are you thinking?"
"Can't hide anything from you, can I?" she asked with as smile, "All right, as crazy as this sounds, I think I've seen him before."
"What?"
"I didn't recognize him," she said quickly, "It's just that his voice sounded familiar. I just don't know where I've heard it before."
"So it is possible that he's after you specifically," Abe said calmly, turning his dark eyes towards her.
"Possible, ja, but it's more likely that he's after us in general."
"We'll have to be extra careful then," Clay said decisively, "And we all better get moving if we want to get to that castle before evening."
It was another hour before everyone was finished eating and packing everything up. They broke camp and slowly, carefully drove down the dirt path and through the village. The villagers watched then go silently, a few of them looking sad and a few others making slashing gestures across their throats to symbolize they thought all the agents were going to be killed.
"Wow. Isn't it great to have the support and encouragement of the locals?" Erica said. She heard Hellboy laugh on the transmitter, he was in a better mood since he had eaten, despite having to travel in his crate again.
The last person they passed was a skeletal man in a battered top hat waving a sign around that read: Special Low Prices on Coffins and Funeral Services Tonight Through Tomorrow Afternoon!
How wonderfully encouraging, she thought sarcastically as they drove out of the village and started down the road towards the castle she could see sitting at the base of the mountains in the distance.
The road was so rocky and they had to drive so slowly that by the time they got to the castle it was evening and the short autumn day was quickly coming to an end. And it was starting to get cold—the Agents shivered a little while Abe huddled in his blankets.
The sun was rapidly falling towards the horizon as they drove along the snaking dirt road that led up to the iron doors of the castle. They parked the trucks a short distance from the doors and got out.
"That's not good." Agent Clay observed, watching the sun set, "Night is the time when that vampire will be the strongest."
"We can deal with it," H.B. said confidently, blowing a stream of smoke into the air as he tapped the ash off the end of his cigar. "It's too late anyhow, vampy will know we're here by now. If we don't go to him, he'll come to us."
Erica noticed the long, distorted shadows cast by a few twisted trees, the only things that seemed to be capable of growing in such a desolate landscape. Behind her the evening sky was darkening and the faint sparkle of stars could barely be seen. In front of her the sky darkened to an orange-red hue as the golden sun dipped below the horizon, steadily plunging the landscape into darkness. The wind was beginning to pick up and shriek eerily around the castle and through the bare branches of the gnarled trees.
Why can't we ever face monsters in daylight? Erica wondered as she toyed with the silver cross ring on her right hand.
The castle loomed over them as they gathered together next to one of the trucks. Hellboy took command, an idea already forming in his mind.
"Agents in two groups, the small one to stay with the trucks with Abe and the larger one to surround the castle and make sure nothing gets out of there. Clay, you're in charge of that one. If vampy gets out and makes it past the agents around the castle, the agents here at the trucks can go after it. Abe, research and try to keep tabs on where that thing is. Me, I'm goin' in." he said, starting to load his huge gun with bullets full of holy water, "And Erica, you asked us to save you some monsters, you're goin' in too."
"With you?" she asked, surprised. Hellboy usually preferred to work alone.
"No. You're goin' in first, and I'm comin' in after you. You're bait."
"Are you sure that's wise, Red? If the vampire is after her…" Abe warned, the concern obvious in his voice.
"Then he's sure to show up. And if he isn't, we're all part of the BPRD, and he won't like us trampin' through his cave of a castle. That's Plan B. He'll show up."
"Why do I have to be bait?" Erica asked.
"Because I'm too big and Abe looks too strange, and you, um…" Hellboy paused, trying to find the right words.
Abe came to his rescue, realizing Hellboy wasn't the best at being tactful, "Um, someone that doesn't know you will assume you're not a huge threat."
"Not a huge threat? Do I look like some airhead at a shopping mall? No! Not a threat—do you have any idea how terrified people were of me during WWII—?"
"Of course, we know better," interrupted Abe, "Besides, this way you get the first chance at that vampire."
"Alright." Erica said, throwing up her arms in defeat, though she smiled a little. She started towards the trucks to collect the equipment she would need, "Cooking and bait in the same day. You all are going to owe me…"
She quickly loaded her small handgun with smaller versions of the bullets Hellboy had picked up. Then she pulled her long brown hair back into a ponytail and then twisted it into a slightly messy knot on the back of her head and secured it with a hair clip.
Abe watched her. Her hair looks pretty that way, he thought. But he knew that wasn't why she had pulled her hair back, she had done it because she wanted to prevent something from grabbing into her hair. He knew it was one of the things she had learned from her former teacher, Karl Kroenen, during WWII.
Erica grabbed a flashlight and shoved a crucifix and a wooden stake through her belt. She tucked a small mirror and some garlic into the pockets of her black trench coat. That should do it, she thought, The extra equipment plus my two baton swords, handgun, and various daggers should be enough.
She drew one of her baton swords faster than lightening. She smiled. It was time to go hunting.
XXXXX
Erica pushed open the heavy iron doors of the castle just enough for her to slip inside. The rusty hinges squealed in protest, making so much noise that had she had a cautious companion, they would have glared daggers at her. As it was, she was alone. And anyways, Erica didn't care about making noise. She was trying to get the vampire's attention, she wanted him to hear her. There was little chance of her being able to find the vampire by sneaking around and searching the castle, but by making noise she was bound to attract attention, as the vampire would wonder what fool had decided to come tramping around loud enough to wake the dead, or in this case, the undead.
However, Erica wasn't a fool.
As she stepped inside the castle, she went on full alert, aware of the danger she was in. She wasn't afraid, just cautious. She was confident in herself and her abilities, and in her friends outside. She hummed loudly in the hope she would be overheard and flicked on her flashlight as she slowly took another step inside.
She scrutinized the enormous foyer of the castle as she shone her flashlight around. The interior of the castle was just as dark and foreboding as the outside. The walls of the foyer were built of black stone and the floor was covered in dust. Something crunched as she took a step and she lifted her boot to see a piece of broken glass shining brightly in the yellow glow of her flashlight. Erica shone her flashlight over the floor and discovered that broken glass was scattered all over the dusty stone floor. Probably from the shattered windows, she thought, glancing up at the arched gothic windows set high up on the walls. It was because of these windows that the interior wasn't completely dark. The dim, coldly bluish light of evening filtered through the windows, casting strange deep shadows over everything and giving the castle a very sinister atmosphere. Menacing is more like it, she thought as she took another step inside. She stepped out of the crack of light that streamed in through the doors—and walked straight through an enormous spider web.
"Ew," she muttered, brushing the thin, clingy strands off of her skin.
"How's it look?" Hellboy's voice crackled over the transmitter.
"Old," she answered, "And full of cobwebs."
"Huh, I'm guessing you're sayin' that from experience." he laughed.
"Ja," she replied distractedly as she turned her flashlight up to the ceiling, wanting to be sure she wouldn't be attacked from above. The beam of light glittered on the dusty crystals of an enormous wrought iron chandelier that was draped with dust choked cobwebs. The chandelier was suspended from the center of the ceiling and a few gargoyles and decorative arches lined the walls, but that was all.
Satisfied, she walked deeper into the castle, wandering from room to room and carefully searching as she went. The fireplaces in the rooms were huge and empty and cold. The decorations and ancient, dry rotting furniture were still oddly beautiful in a morbid way She noticed that almost everything in the castle was black, white, or silver with the exception of the unraveling and mildew-covered rags of tapestries that clung to the stone walls like lichens. She passed a few paintings and a family's coat of arms. To her surprise, she noticed that the further she got into the castle the more it began to seem like an elaborate mansion or palace: the decorations were more ornate, the furniture in better condition, the floors made of marble and the walls decorated with wood paneling or white marble with decorative columns. Each room had its own decorative scheme: one was decorated with sea shells and another was a library full of books and exotic objects from faraway lands. Maybe the first few rooms, foyer, and the outside of the castle—or whatever—are supposed to be a gothic theme, she thought, like the cathedrals in Europe.
The room she was in now was an enormous dusty dining room, the third or fourth one she had gone through in addition to several parlors and ball rooms. She noticed the thick dust on the red carpet and saw her own footprints behind her—at least that meant she could find her way back easily, and, possibly, that the vampire hadn't been in this room.
That was when she realized she wasn't making nearly enough noise to be found in a huge place like this. Humming wasn't good enough. What about singing? She winced as the thought crossed her mind. She didn't sing badly but she didn't sing well either, she was only mediocre at best. Singing, like cooking, simply was not her thing. Oh well, if it's in the interest of the mission…she thought.
"What child is this, who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?" The song sounded odd as it echoed off the walls in the huge spaces of the palace, coming back to her sounding thin, reedy, and very eerie, like the wind sighing through gnarled branches on a moonless and cold night. Erica grimaced a little. She definitely wasn't good at singing, and this just compounded that. Maybe reciting poetry or something would be better, she thought. She wandered through the next few rooms while reciting parts of plays Shakespeare had written, some distant part of her feeling obscurely idiotic because she was reciting poetry to thin air, even though she knew something or someone was probably listening to her.
Erica's grey eyes darted around at every shadow, waiting for the vampire to hear her. She was being careful, she didn't want to be making so much noise that she wouldn't hear the vampire when he arrived. He would be walking quietly, VERY quietly, and she didn't want to be surprised.
Her voice echoed off the stone walls and her boots tapped on the stone floor as she walked, her flashlight lighting the way. After about ten minutes of this she looked out a window as she passed through a room and discovered that it was completely dark outside.
"Find anything yet?" Hellboy asked over the radio.
"Nein. Just dust and more dust. This place is like a maze."
And I'm tired of searching this way, she thought. It would be much quicker to use her visions, which she could use find out specific things like dates and times or what might happen if she went to a certain place.
"I'm going to try using my visions, okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, just be careful. Don't take too long and give vampy a chance to sneak up on you."
"I won't." she replied.
"Let's find out where you really are," she muttered to herself as she carefully scanned the hall she was in to make sure it was safe. When she was sure, she shut her eyes and asked herself a question.
Where is he?
In reply, an image appeared in her head as if she were running at an impossible speed through the rooms in the palace, the walls racing by her in a blur, but just slow enough for her to recognize things so she could find the way later. A suit of armor—a painting of a horse—a blue parlor—a huge hall that attached to the foyer—the images came to an abrupt halt, showing her a gigantic ball room. The ceiling soared up at least four stories and was decorated with paintings. The floor was covered in a checkerboard of black and white marble tiles. And there were white marble statues along the walls—
Erica opened her eyes. That was enough. She couldn't risk standing in one place with her eyes shut for very long, it would be too easy for the vampire to sneak up on her and kill her. At least she knew where to go now.
"Red, I know where he is," she said over the radio.
"Great. I'll come after you in a few minutes," Hellboy replied, "Just keep your locator belt on so I can find you. And good luck."
She quickly exited the room and followed the sequence of images from her vision, this time walking as quietly as she could. Now that she knew where the vampire was, she wanted to sneak up on him instead of giving him a chance to hide or get ready to attack her. She walked through a long hall that had a suit of armor in it and was confronted with a place where another hall intersected with hers. She looked down the corridors and chose the one with the painting of the horse, which led to a blue parlor. She went out through the door on the other side of the room and found herself in a hall with a high ceiling just off the foyer. There was a pair of black, fifteen foot tall double doors at the end of the hall, and instinctively she pulled one open and slipped inside.
The sight that met her took her breath away.
The ballroom was at least a hundred feet in length down the two longest sides on her left and right. The two shorter walls were roughly eighty feet long. There were no windows. Each of the two longest walls had a long, continuous pedestal that was four feet high and made of white marble, and each pedestal was covered in life-size idealized statues of people, horses, and creatures—lots of creatures, most of which were grotesque monsters. Behind these statues the white walls were covered in ornate gold and silver carvings. The walls rose up four stories to a ceiling that was painted with angels and the sun on the left half, and demons and storm clouds on the right half. All four walls had long balconies that ran the length of the wall and overlooked the extravagant ballroom from the second and third levels of the palace. The floor was a huge expanse of black and white marble arranged like a chessboard, and was covered in a thin layer of dust. At the far end of the room the length of the wall was almost completely covered in a long, ten foot tall mirror in a thick, ornate gilt frame. To the left of the mirror was a black piano, sitting there as if just waiting for a small orchestra to start playing.
But all the beauty was spoiled by one thing: That vampire is in here with me, providing he wasn't on a balcony and decided to leave, she thought as she scanned the area. But even if he had, he couldn't have gone far: the entire room was lit by flickering torches and the lights on the elaborate golden chandeliers overhead. She glanced at the ceiling again to make sure no nasty surprises were hanging over her. As she did so, she noticed the painting on the ceiling and grinned ironically. I don't know about angels watching me, but there's a demon in this room that is, she thought.
"I know you're here!" she shouted, her voice ringing in the enclosed space.
There was no answer. But then again, she hadn't expected one either.
She held her baton sword in an attack position and with this clutched in her right hand she slowly walked down the length of the ballroom, shining the beam of her flashlight into the shadows between the statues as she went. Nothing. She ended up at the other end of the room, the one with the huge mirror and piano. She cautiously knelt down and looked under the piano. Nothing. She eyed the lid of the huge instrument and carefully put down her flashlight and grabbed the edge of the lid. She paused a moment, her heart beating quickly, and then threw it open. It was empty.
Erica closed the lid. Her grey eyes fell on the enormous mirror in front of her. It was mostly intact except for a few roughly round spider web-like cracks as if heavy objects had been hurled at it sometime in the past. The broken sections of the mirror shattered her reflection and the reflection of the room into a thousand mismatched and confusing shards of images. There was a thick layer of dust around the edges of the mirror and on the carved gold frame, but that didn't stop the mirror from reflecting the ballroom and making it seem as if it stretched on forever.
Curious, she examined the mirror. I wonder if the mirror is a door to a secret passage that the vampire is hiding in, since he doesn't seem to be in the ballroom, she thought.
As she stared at the mirror, the reflection of the statues' empty marble eyes stared back at her, their frozen stone faces seeming to express both a mixture of astonishment at her presence and a menacing quality. The empty eyes simply stared.
But not all the statues' eyes were empty. And not all the figures on the long pedestals were carved from marble. A man dressed all in black was crouched in the shadows between two statues of grotesque, bat winged gargoyles, his electric blue eyes fixed on the young woman examining the mirror. Between his pale skin, the shadows, and his black hooded cape he did appear to be just another statue. But he wasn't. His thin lips slowly curled upwards into a smile, the first movement he had made since the young woman entered the ballroom. He had seen the 'T' shaped scar on her left cheek, she was the right one. This will be fun and so easy, he thought.
He slowly and gracefully stepped down from the pedestal to the marble floor, his boots not making the slightest sound against the stone. His electric blue eyes were locked on the young woman's black clad figure and the blade she was holding. His black cape swished and swirled noiselessly around him as he walked boldly up behind the young woman who was still examining the mirror. But he wasn't worried that she would see his reflection in the mirror as he crept silently up behind her: he hadn't had a reflection for centuries. After all, vampires don't have a reflection in a mirror.
Erica gave up on trying to figure out how the mirror opened, if it even did at all. Perhaps it really is only a decoration, she thought. She glanced up at the reflection of the statues, all of which appeared to be staring at her. It was creepy, all those reflected empty gazes made her feel like she was being watched. She considered the mirror again, thinking how odd it was. It's strange that a vampire would have such a huge mirror in his castle. It's not like he could see himself in one—a terrible, frightening realization dawned on her, How long have I been standing here looking at this mirror? The vampire could be right behind me and I wouldn't even know it! she thought with horror.
Just as the thought crossed her mind she became aware of a very uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She shuddered as an icy cold shiver went down her back like the water from a melting icicle was running down her spine. Something told her not to turn around and look behind her. She shivered again, and not just because the palace was cold. Despite all the lit torches and the chandeliers the room seemed to darken and become more disturbing and threatening by the second.
She strained her ears for the slightest sound, knowing instinctively that she wasn't alone. Her heart hammered in her chest as she waited tensely. She heard only silence—and then a soft, barely audible rustle. Instantly, all the lights in the ballroom went out, plunging the room into a strange, shadowed twilight. Startled, Erica jumped a little but stayed where she was, facing the mirror as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She glanced down at her belt and mentally cursed as she realized she had left her flashlight lying on the floor. And based on how dark it is, the flashlight's probably gone, she thought. The only light in the room came from the pale blue glow of the light on her locator belt. She briefly considered turning it off, but it would only make things worse. Clearly the vampire already knew where she was, plus, vampires could see in the dark. And if her locator belt was turned off Hellboy would have no chance of finding her.
She felt a sick, tense feeling in her stomach, the sort of feeling you get when your brain instinctively knows you're in danger and screams at you to run. Erica fought down the urge to run and tried to slow her breathing. She held her baton sword in her right hand and slowly inched her left hand toward the crucifix on her belt—
An icy cold hand suddenly seized her left wrist in a grip like iron. Erica's blood froze in her veins even as she whirled around in shock. In the darkness she saw a noble and very pale face only a few inches away from hers, the skin as pallid and white as death. A pair of electric blue eyes bored into her grey eyes.
Without thinking she struck out at the vampire, shoving her baton sword right through his chest. She felt the lethally sharp blade slide smoothly between his ribs and become lodged against something. The vampire gasped and arched backwards as if in pain—but it was short lived. He quickly regained his composure and smiled pleasantly and sinisterly at the same time, revealing his two very long canine teeth—a blade couldn't harm a vampire.
Still crushing her wrist in his icy cold hand, the vampire used his free hand to idly pull the blade from his chest and toss it away. The baton sword hit the floor with a chilling metallic ring before skittering across the floor out of her reach.
"Oh my god—" she whispered, realizing her mistake.
"I'm afraid God has nothing to do vith it, Fräulein." he whispered, so near to her that she felt his cold breath on her face. His electric blue eyes seemed to glow insanely in the darkness.
Erica hastily grabbed for the crucifix on her belt, but he grabbed her and pulled her into a constricting and icy cold embrace. She struggled uselessly against him in the darkness and felt a sharp pain on the back of her head as he struck her. Stunned by the force of the blow she toppled backwards and hit the marble floor so hard it knocked the breath out of her. She gasped for breath and struggled to cling onto consciousness as the world started to blur and go dark. She glanced up at the ceiling and saw that the demons painted on the ceiling appeared to be laughing and pointing at her. Then she was falling blindly through a smothering darkness as her conscious mind spiraled down into oblivion. After that she knew no more.
Author's Notes: Cliffie! Hehe, aren't I evil? I hope you enjoyed the humor and the very long chapter. Please tell me what you think and review!