"Kit!"
Katherine raised her head as Walter came rushing into the workshop and instantly noticed the urgency in his eyes. Rising swiftly from her seat, she said, "What is it Walter? What's happened?"
"We have a problem! We've received word of another ghoul attack just north of London, but the majority of our troops have gone south to deal with another attack there. We are short some members."
Katherine's eyes widened at what Walter seemed to be implying.
"You don't mean you want me to. . .?"
"I'm afraid so. We could really use your long distance shooting skills. With both Ceres and Alucard gone, we need someone to provide cover for our men, and you're the best we've got."
"But –"
"You don't have to worry. You will be situated on a hilltop overlooking the battle area, with guards on standby to fend off any close range attacks. All you need to do is take out as many of the ghouls as possible."
Katherine brought her fingers up to her mouth and began chewing on her fingernails as she considered his words. She was under contract, and therefore obligated to follow any orders given by Sir Integra Hellsing, however they seemed to be giving her a choice, taking into consideration her lack of field experience. She was used to lab work, not combat, but it was true she knew how to handle a firearm.
"Alright. Give me a few minutes to gather up some gear and I'll meet the troops out front."
Walter gave her grateful smile before leaving her to prepare. Within a matter of moments she had gathered together enough ammunition for herself and the men, as well as a new 7.62x51mm bolt-action sniper rifle. With all her gear together, she slung the bag containing the ammunition over her shoulder and hurried out, cradling the rifle in her other arm. When she reached the front of the manor, a large green van was waiting for them, and the men were already filing in one by one. Katherine jumped in last, seating herself on the edge of the bench and focusing her gaze on the ground to avoid the curious glances of the other men. They rode the whole way in silence, and once the vehicle came to a stop, the men emerged with their weapons ready. Katherine gathered her things together, listening to the sound of a captain shouting out orders. There was a scurry of boots on the hard ground, and they were off, jogging over to the building where the ghouls were attacking. Almost immediately there were sounds of battle, shots being fired from both sides.
Katherine watched the scene for a few moments before spotting the hill Walter had mentioned. Realizing time was of the essence, and not waiting for the promised guards, she hurried up the side of the grassy hill by herself. Once in position, she worked quickly to set up her weapon, but as she was reaching back for ammunition, her eyes caught a flash of movement and suddenly a stray ghoul entered her line of vision.
It was instinct that saved her the first time, as she jerked back out of the creature's reach with a startled cry, though the cold, grey fingers managed to leave a bloody scratch on her cheek. Only, the swift movement caused her to lose her balance, and she went tumbling to the ground, landing flat on her back. The ghoul was on top of her in a matter of seconds, its heavy body pinning her legs beneath it. She tried fighting it off with her hands, but the monster's teeth snapped at her arms, grazing the skin.
The ghoul's meaty grey hands locked around her neck, cutting off her supply of air. Katherine clawed at the creature's arms, trying in vain to break its deadly grip. She was starting to feel dizzy, and the ugly, twisted face that was moving closer to hers – jaws agape and ready to take a bite out of her pale flesh – was a grey blur.
This is it, she thought.
Suddenly a shot was fired from close by, and the monster hovering over her shuddered before disintegrating into white ash that was blown away. Gasping for breath, Katherine pushed herself into an upright position and saw a soldier standing nearby, firearm still clutched in his hand.
"Sorry about that, missy. These bloody ghouls are a bunch of sneaky bastards. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied, rubbing her neck absent-mindedly.
"You sure? Your face is bleeding a little."
Katherine reached up and wiped away the blood that was dripping down the side of her face from the scratch. Without another word, she stood up and walked back to where the sniper rifle was set up. She finished loading the magazine before sitting back on her haunches and unbuttoning the top half of the overalls she was wearing – for when she was doing metalwork. She folded it down to her waist until she was left wearing only a tank top on the upper half of her body, which would enable her to move more freely. She lay down on her stomach next to the rifle and adjusted its position slightly, watching the battle unfold through the scope.
She stabilized her breathing, ignoring the dull ache in her neck from where the monster had gripped her and the shame this brought, and began firing at the ghouls, taking out several of them in the first ten seconds. She hit her target in the head each and every time.
"You're pretty good," the soldier commented from his position beside her, but she ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. After a few more minutes, the battle was winding down, but the soldier's radio crackled to life and Katherine heard the new information.
Apparently there was a Freak barricaded somewhere inside the building, and it was the one controlling all the ghouls. Also, it seemed to have a group of human hostages which it was using to add to its army of ghouls. The Freak would no doubt use this to his advantage, as the soldiers would now be focusing on protecting the humans.
However, their first bit of good news came shortly after. Apparently the main body of troops had finished up their mission and was headed in their direction.
"They've sent their top agent ahead of the rest," the soldier said to her. It was immediately obvious to Katherine that he was referring to Alucard. She felt relieved at the news, and her resolve strengthened. She wanted to show him that she could take care of herself.
Katherine was certain he had taken to watching over her. Why he did this, she was not sure, but she was sure she had caught sight of a dark shape in her bedroom at night once or twice before. There were only two persons it could be: Alucard or Ceres, and the figure she had glimpsed was too tall to be little Ceres.
Surprisingly, it made her feel safe knowing he was there, despite what he was. Katherine had never bothered much with men in the past. She had witnessed first hand what losing a partner could do to someone. Her mother had been completely devoted to her father. Her whole life revolved around taking care of that man, and when he passed, her mother was left with nothing. With Katherine leaving home to start up her own life, her mother had slipped further into depression. Having been a housewife her whole life, she did not know what to do with herself now. Katherine had vowed she would not become like that. She worked hard to build up her career, so that should she one day marry, she would always have something else in her life to sustain her.
But her feelings of attraction for Alucard frightened her. She had never felt such strong desire for someone before. It was complete and utter madness, and whenever she was alone she was able to fight against it; however the minute Alucard appeared before her, her resolve crumbled into nothing and she was overcome by her need.
She needed him to leave her alone, and hopefully she could show him that tonight.
"Once Alucard gets here, we'll all be moving in behind him, myself included. You'll be alright then, won't you?" the soldier asked Katherine.
"No, I'm going in too," she answered, clipping the safety on and rising. She reached into her bag and pulled out a handgun similar to Alucard's Jackal, just smaller in size. As she checked the magazine, the soldier tried to protest, saying it was not necessary for her to enter the building and that she had performed her duty well, but Katherine ignored him. She strapped a holster around her waist, attaching spare clips for later. Once ready, she rose and tilted her chin at the soldier defiantly, her eyes showing that she was not going to back down from this fight. With a heavy sigh and a shrug, the soldier turned and headed down the hill to await the vampire's arrival. Katherine waited with him, and moments later a swarm of shrieking black bats swept in from the sky, melding together into a solid shape.
With a racing heart, Katherine watched as the shape became Alucard. He stood in the center of the yard, his back to her. She heard the malicious chuckle that escaped his lips, and she could tell he was excited by the prospect of battle. It was an Alucard she had not seen yet.
Without waiting for anyone, the ancient vampire strode confidently forward, entering the building before anyone else. The soldiers waited only a minute before following, and Katherine quickly joined their ranks, rushing in with her gun cocked and ready. The interior of the building was dark, the only light being that given off by the pale moon. Alucard was nowhere in sight, having raced ahead of the rest to seek out the Freak.
Katherine listened to the moaning growl of the remaining ghouls and used it as a way of finding the monsters in the dark. Still determined to prove her worth, she fired off a series of rounds along with the men, killing off her fair share of the attacking ghouls. She was unaware of the pair of fiery red eyes watching her, but shortly after the message was passed along that the Freak was dead and the humans safe.
It was only then that she became aware of the figure standing close beside her.
"You weren't supposed to fight," Alucard said, his eyes drifting over her body, lingering on the bruises in her neck.
"But I did, and I'm alive."
"Yes, you were strangely fortunate," he added before turning and walking away, leaving her standing in the dark with the rest of the soldiers.