Hello.
Okay, been a while again. When hasn't it been? But I have a proper excuse. I've started studying again and I have been learning the mysteries of movie making past couple months now. I actually did write first half of this chapter a month ago then already but the studying delayed me from finishing it.
As always big thanks for all who reviewed: Black Diamond07, melzdog123, JIN-HayTeR, VladLover, Mortimer S, Hartanna, Kars, Irena and BigKwell.
Disclaimers: see previous chapters.
CHAPTER 35: END OF INNOCENCE
In 1969 Alucard was sealed in the darkness and solitude of the Hellsing manor dungeon. There he sat, withered and decayed in silence for twenty years. He suffered hunger and endured it, because he knew that he would not die. Finally his mind fell in the fog of oblivion and his body became a mummified corpse.
Despite his withering state, because he was denied the comfort of his coffin Alucard was still on some level aware of his surroundings. So he knew of her presence the moment she pushed the heavy door open. He could not see her, his eyes had rotten away long ago, but he did hear her small steps tiptoeing closer to him and drumming of her heart beats.
"What is this... it's... it's a corpse. Daddy, is this my protection? These dry, rotten remains will defend me?" he heard her small voice say. She was young, not even a teenager yet.
"Father, this isn't funny..." she continued to say to herself. "But... I have nowhere else to go. You won't mind me sitting here, will you?"
She sat down next to him on the dust covered floor. "I thought a knight in shining armour would await me... instead, this. If only such fantasies were reality".
"Placing a dead man here for 20 years... father, why have you done this?" the tiny voice, that tried to sound brave and confident but that had an obvious quiver of fear in it. "I don't want to die... I really don't..."
Then they were no longer alone. More people had entered the dungeon. Six men and even in darkness of his mind Alucard was able to recognise one of them as Arthur's adopted brother Richard.
"You hide yourself well, Integra" Richard said.
"Uncle, why are you doing this? Are you really so full of hate? Are you fit to lead Hellsing?" the little girl demanded despite her fears.
"There's no way I'll give Hellsing to a child like you!" Richard shouted and then Alucard heard familiar clicking of a gun.
Then came the shot that echoed in the dungeon, soon followed by the little girl's scream of pain.
And then the room was suddenly filled with the sweet, intoxicating smell of blood. The very thing he had been denied for twenty years. Even in his state his nostrils, what was left of them, flared.
Some of the blood landed to his face, to his lips. It wasn't much but it was enough to bring him fully back from the oblivion, back from the darkness. His dry tongue licked the blood from his lips and he swallowed it.
Ah, the taste. The very essence of life!
Even this small amount of blood was enough to start his body rejuvenating. Strength returned to his limbs, his eyes grew back to his skull and the millions of souls inside of him woke up with him. Alucard forced his body to move and bend, so he could lick more blood that had landed on the floor. It tasted so sweet, so young... so innocent...
It was the blood of the girl, Integra, and by consuming it Alucard was able to see flashes of her recent memories. Her full name was Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing and she was indeed Arthur's daughter and only child. She was currently twelve. Arthur had died very recently and made Richard promise to support Integra who became new head of Hellsing. However, almost immediately after the funerals, Integra had found out that Richard intended to take over Hellsing by killing Integra.
And she ran here because Arthur told her here was something to protect her. I take that as an indirect order then, Alucard thought and raised his head.
Integra and others had by now noticed the corpse that had started to move and were staring at him with a mix of disbelief and terror. He stood up to his full height and gazed on Richard's five lackeys. Faster than they could react he slaughtered them all on the spot and feasted on their blood.
He was hungry so he didn't bother with manners. He was messy.
Richard started panicking and shooting him with bullets. With ordinary bullets. Apparently he still had no idea what Hellsing organization was really about. Alucard didn't bother killing him. He simply unarmed Richard... literally. The vampire ripped his arm off.
He then fixed his gaze upon Integra, who was still on the floor. Her shoulder was bleeding for the gunshot and while Alucard had a strong desire to put his mouth over the wound and keep drinking her delicious blood, he suppressed that instinct and really looked at her. She was hurt, trembling and scared. And yet there was something in her eyes... like curiosity, wonder maybe.
Is that the look I had when I first saw a midian? Alucard wondered. What was it she said earlier? That she had expected a knight in shining armour?
Alucard walked right in front of the young girl and then surprised her by kneeling in front of her, his head bowed.
"Are you well, Miss Hellsing?" he asked, with his raspy voice. "I await your command, my Master".
Behind them Richard had manage to pull himself up and raise a gun with his remaining hand. He shouted something, Alucard didn't pay attention, and fired a well aimed shot at Integra. Bullet would have hit if Alucard had not raised his hand, letting the bullet hit his arm.
Alucard looked at Richard, a traitor of his own brother. Like Radu had been.
"Your blood smells foul. You will never be my Master!" Alucard said.
It was Integra who surprised both of them. With shaking hands, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, she raised a handgun that had fallen from one of the men and aimed at her uncle.
"What is your name?" she asked, without actually looking the vampire.
"Alucard. That is what your predecessors called me".
She fired the gun. Then she passed out.
###
The next morning
Walter C. Dornez, age 59, Hellsing family butler, drove his car at the door of Hellsing manor. He had driven from airport, having arrived from South-America. It was still early dawn and everything was covered by mist. Walter looked around himself. It would appear I am first to arrive, he thought, thinking of the soldiers and servants of Hellsing who had all been commanded to take a day's vacation after Arthur's death.
Quite strange of Richard to send us all away for the day. I should have objected... why didn't I? Why did I go to South-America again? I must be getting old, my memory is so foggy.
Walter inhaled the morning air, trying to clear his head, when those old vampire hunter instincts surfaced. Something was wrong, everything was way too quiet. With careful but sure steps Walter entered the manor. He was greeted by only silence.
A sudden fear for Integra filled him. She needs me. Why on earth did I leave?
"A very good question indeed, Angel of Death".
Walter turned around and saw him standing against the wall, away from daylight that was creeping into the room. He wore the same black straightjacket Walter had last seen him in. His hair was long and gray, though it seemed to become darker. His skin showed signs of decaying, but it was regenerating. His eyes were the same as Walter remembered them.
"You look good, Walter. You've aged well" vampire said.
"Alucard" Walter acknowledged. "How come you're awake?"
"I suppose for whatever reason you were not here to protect little Miss Hellsing".
Walter's eyes winded as he felt a lump rise to his throat. I knew it, I knew something was wrong! "Is she alright? Is she alive?" he asked frantically.
"Alive, yes. Alright, probably not. Girl has lost her father, been shot by her uncle, found a vampire living in her basement and shot her uncle, all in just couple days. I doubt she is alright".
"She shot him?" Walter had faced Nazis, vampires, ghouls and all sorts of enemies, both human and midians, and yet he had never feared as much as he did when asking the next question. "What happened?"
"The little miss entered my dungeon with her uncle and his men close to her heels. Traitor Richard wanted Hellsing for himself. But I stopped them. All but her uncle. He was for her to shoot" Alucard said, with a grin appearing to his face with those last words.
"And then?" Walter asked anxiously.
"Then she fainted. I carried her up and cleaned her wound. When she woke up she was scared and trembled, but never once did she look away from me. So much fear and courage in one so little!" Alucard said with joy. "She asked who I was. After everything that she's already been through she asked who I was. No, she demanded to know! Truly she has inherited the pride of my previous masters. We shall soon see if she has inherited anything else".
"What do you mean?"
"I explained to her who I am and how I am here. Arthur apparently had left me completely out of dinner conversations. I told her I could be her servant if she proved to be a worthy master. I told her she is a little girl alone in a house with a monster. I told her that she had to prove to be a human who kills monsters or she wouldn't survive to see sunrise".
Adrenaline run through Walter's body and he felt like a young man again, ready to attack this monster if he had dared to harm his young lady. "What have you done?"
Alucard gave his best mocking innocent look. "Oh, nothing much. I just gave her a gun with silver bullets that I found from Arthur's office and took her to cellar. I told her I wouldn't open the door until it was morning".
"But, you said you killed all of Richard's men and that she..." Walter stopped as he came to a realization.
"Yes, Walter, that's right. I said she shot him. I never said she killed him. She only hit his shoulder, probably first time she had used a gun. Richard was dying already, having bled quite a lot. But one drop of my own blood can do miracles".
"You locked her in there with a ghoul?" Walter shouted and practically leaped to the cellar door when...
...it opened.
Walter stared the figure of a young girl who slowly walked out. She was pale, her face was covered in tears and she had a look in her eyes that spoke of hell she witnessed. She was holding a gun in her other hand.
"Miss Integra" Walter started slowly. "May I have that gun?"
Integra made no move, so Walter gently took the gun from her hand. It was then she noticed that her eyes didn't show a shattered little girl. They showed fire and toughness that hadn't been there before. Walter felt like his heart was breaking as he realised this was no longer the same girl he had seen growing up for the last twelve years.
This day came far too soon.
"Monster" Integra suddenly said.
"My Master" Alucard bowed.
"Look at me. Look at my tears. For I shall never shed them again in front of you".
To be continued...
Okay firstly, I know I said I would skip over any scenes that appeared in Hellsing manga because we already know them and would concentrate only on scenes we didn't see, but I had to recreate the Integra and Alucard first meeting scene because it is so awesome! I hope I did it justice.
Secondly, the whole Walter memory fuzziness hinting that he went to South-America to have Millennium to remove his memories of being a traitor as Alucard can read minds. That's at least what I always thought to be the reason he wasn't in the house when Richard attempted to kill Integra.
Thirdly, I tried time and time and time again to make a scene of Integra in the cellar alone shooting her ghoul uncle to work, but I ended up always hating what I came up with. Ultimately I do think this works better this way, as we can only imagine what she has gone through. And no, I know Richard didn't turn to ghoul in manga, this was just my way of explaining how she became who she became so quickly in her young life. End of childhood and all that.
Well hope you enjoyed this instalment. Next chapter... better not promise when as I don't know. Before Christmas I think.
Till next time!