Most of the living have been extinguished. A few tremble underground. Hardly even morsels to sate me.
Ate most of the Players, a few corpses as well. Weak weak weak.
I need a hardier meal.
"Okay, so he has these super slick shades and awesome blonde hair, but absolutely no babes in town are into him! And here I am thinking 'Here's the coolest guy within a million miles, and he doesn't get ANY?!' I mean come on, Johnny's big enough to suplex a bear if he wanted to! That's hot as hell."
Joshua chuckled at Amy's ramblings. "Your American cartoons are so bizarre."
"Hey man, your Japanese cartoons ain't much better. I've seen Sailor Moon; that shit is the most boring fru-fru shit I've ever seen!"
"What about Mobile Suit Gundam?"
"The fuck is a Gundam?"
Neku and Brad sat further down the sidewalk, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. The barricades Joshua set up were effectively keeping out the ghouls, giving all the Players time to rest and recover from their wounds. Most didn't utter a sound.
"Your friend is really into old cartoons," Neku commented. "She must have named three different shows that I've never heard of."
"Yeah," Brad sighed. "I don't know about any of that, I don't watch TV much. Amy's always tried to see everything, including kid's stuff."
Neku raised an eyebrow. "So you can talk like a normal person."
"Huh? Oh, haha, yeah. Whatever trend Amy gets into, she usually drags me into with her."
"Is her current phase 'Fresh Prince of Belair' couture?" Neku grinned at Brad, who just looked perplexed. "Ah, no TV, right. Anyway, you don't have to do whatever she does you know. You can be your own man, I'm sure she'll respect you more for it."
Brad shrugged. "Amy's been my best friend since we were little. It's always been this way. Grouping up with her IS me being my own man, it's what I know."
"Mmhmm. And what if she isn't around for you to copy?"
"Never happened."
"It could."
"It won't."
Neku chuckled. "Well now you're just jinxing yourself. Trust me man, you're going to want to build your own spine. Isn't independence the most important thing in America or something like that?"
"And isn't codependence how Japan runs itself? A bunch of people playing the same roles for their entire lives to make the country run?" Neku scowled, which Brad took as confirmation.
"I guess we're both a little anti-establishment," Brad ended with some satisfaction. "I'm sure you have your friends and dependencies, just like I have my own thoughts and opinions. But in the end we're still not quite what everyone else wanted us to be."
"What are you, my fucking psychologist? You wanna talk about my mom next?"
"Nope. I just want the week to end so Amy and I can get on the first plane back home. Fuck the Reaper Game."
Well there's something we can agree on. Neku stood up, tired of loafing around. He looked through the church windows to see how the survivors were holding up. There were barely over a dozen inside: some were kneeling before the cross and praying for their eternal souls, while others were weeping and lying catatonic in the pews. Neku wondered if they could see the Players outside, or if they saw only him. Neku thought he should put on a more confident air, just in case they looked outside to see him.
He turned back to see the Players. They weren't holding up any better than the people they were protecting. These kids had seen more death than the average war veteran. Their number had decreased notably, and the ones remaining looked like they'd been beaten into the dirt. The morale they'd gained from Neku's arrival had crumbled away in the past few hours with each vampire attack. He'd eventually learned the truth about how the Players had fared before his and Joshua's arrival: Amy killed three quarters of the ghouls with her skates and yoyo while all the rest were systematically slaughtered and devoured. When the ghouls were blocked off and only vampires could attack, Neku and Amy would hold them off while Joshua and Brad played support. All the Players barely managed to avoid being mauled.
The wailing of a young girl betrayed the fate of her elder brother. A teen boy clutched a torn and bloody leather jacket to his chest in silent despair. A few haggard teams huddled around a bonfire. A couple embraced each other, barely holding in their own panic for the sake of the other. All the Players that had freaked out had already escaped to outside the barrier before anyone could stop them. Neku had no doubts about what became of them.
And off to the side was Joshua and Amy, discussing decades-old anime. There was Brad, sitting perfectly calm, thumbing through CDs and cassette tapes.
And there was Neku, judging them. He sighed and berated himself. Joshua's old words passed through his mind:
"Understanding other people isn't hard… It's impossible."
Someone tapped his shoulder. Neku turned and faced Joshua, who wordlessly pointed toward the sky. Neku followed his indication and looked up to see a winged red figure zoom past them. Yellow hair coursed behind the figures back, and Neku spotted a telltale jiggling.
"Was that Seras?"
"Definitely," Joshua said.
Neku thought. "She left the Manor. Why would she leave the Manor?"
"It was probably overrun. I can't imagine there are any survivors left there."
"Well, she made it out. That's good at least." He looked at Joshua, who was still gazing up at the sky. His face was crooked and wrinkled in distress, like a spider just bit him and he wasn't sure if it was poisonous. "What is it?"
Joshua's eyes turned to Neku. "That idiot girl drank blood, Neku. She's a fully-fledged vampire. Which means we're officially fucked."
Any ounce of sunlight that might have waned against Seras' power had been hidden away by the smoke of London. It seemed like the fires were unquenchable, devouring more and more of the helpless city. Off in the distance Seras could see white phosphorous raining from helicopters like mock-angels, and the raving madness of Maxwell. As much as she wanted to go knock them out of the sky, Seras' first duty was to Hellsing. She had to find Integra and confirm her safety; after that would come the Reapers.
Seras heard yelling from a nearby alleyway. The accent and zealously religious tone were unmistakable: Alexander Anderson, Iscariot's war dog. He was the best lead she could have to Integra's location Seras could get.
In fact, he was the only lead she needed. There was Integra, caught in a circle of fire arms held by Iscariot soldiers.
"No, I do not like this," Anderson growled.
A younger man Seras had never seen replied. He was likely the second in command, or perhaps Anderson's apprentice. "It is not a matter of whether you like it or not, Anderson."
"I don't like this!" Anderson repeated. Then he looked up, as though he could sense Seras' presence, as she dived down into the fray and swept away the men cornering Integra. The sheer ease of it was astounding to her: over a dozen bodies, easily one thousand kilograms, tossed aside like pebbles. She couldn't help but smile from satisfaction, but made herself serious again when the enemy could see her.
"Seras!" The second exclaimed.
"Seras Victoria!" A nun with a sword finished. Sodding hell, I'm developing a reputation aren't I? Seras thought to herself.
"Are you injured, Miss Integra?" Seras asked, keeping her eyes to Iscariot. The paper soldiers may be worthless, but Anderson and his two pets could be a serious problem if they decided they really wanted Integra. However, based on what he said not moments ago, Seras suspected Anderson wouldn't try anything.
"I'm fine. How is headquarters?"
"We were attacked by a company of enemy soldiers. We eliminated the enemy." The memories of gore appeared in Seras' mind. "Headquarters has been wiped out." Her face softened with a note of sadness. "Including Mr. Bernadotte."
A breath of smoke tickled Seras' hair. "I see, you don't say," Integra replied almost apathetically. "Seras, you drank Bernadotte, huh? You've become a vampire, haven't you?" There was a note of sympathetic pride in her tone. She didn't seem to care about headquarters, or the dead mercenaries. She cared more that Seras had finally imbibed blood.
Seras took a moment to consider this before responding. She turned her head and smiled. "Y-yes." Practically the instant Seras turned, the two Catholic pets pointed their weapons at her.
"Stand down," Anderson ordered before either side had a chance to strike. "The girl is already too much for you to handle, even if you ganged up on her." Seras met the Father's eyes. "Seras Victoria, the vampire… you are starting to become something quite fearsome."
She found herself smiling. It likely wasn't meant to be a compliment, but Seras smiled all the same. "Yes, I am, Father Alexander Anderson. I am not afraid of anything anymore." Out of anyone's sight, something moved in the shadows. A silent gasp, an immobile recoil, hidden away from perception.
"Your eyes look like they go down to the bottom of the abyss," Anderson stated. "What a state to be in, for someone who looks so human."
Suddenly the atmosphere of London, England trembled in fear. Darkness passed through its borders, unnatural and reeking of death. Seras and Anderson turned simultaneously as it crept over them and filled their pores with oozing evil.
Seras smiled again. "H-he is… returning!" Master Alucard had entered the harbor, dressed in blood and fog. Integra closed her eyes and smoked away with a relieved grin. All was in her hands now.
Anderson laughed lightly. "This is fantastic," he spoke from the violent devil in his soul. "It all goes awry now."
Oni and Richard stopped in their tracks. "What the fuck is that?" Oni breathed, looking into the air.
"The devil," Richard said, tightening his grip on his sword. "Beelzebub comes upon us with the key to the Gates of Hell in his wicked grasp."
"Whoa," Oni said, laughing nervously. "Slow down Dante. That seems a little far-fetched, even for tonight. It's probably just some strong vampire or something, nothing Anny or Mr. Nayake couldn't handle."
A shadow was cast over Richard's stony face. "We should go find Megan and Rocky. Quickly."
"Y-yeah," Oni nodded. "Strength in numbers.
Composer King and her fiery Noise stood contemplative over a mound of corpses. "A new vampire. A real vampire. It's announcing its arrival to its spawn like some king." She turned to her Noise and looked into its burning essence. "We should kill it before it sniffs out the survivors underground."
"What's up Joshua?" Neku asked. Joshua's face had just suddenly shot up from his phone, and he was looking towards the Thames.
"Papa Drac just got home. I suspect he'll be hungry after his business trip, and I'm sure Integra has a hot meal waiting for him."
Neku looked back to the Players. Amy and Brad had started up a big hacky-sack circle to boost morale while they waited for something to happen. "Are we safe?"
"Should be," Joshua said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small leather pouch and tossed it to Neku. "Just in case, hold onto this. Don't open it up unless something bad happens and I can't save you."
"Right." Neku tucked it away and looked to the barricades. All those vehicles and dumpsters were starting to look very flimsy.
Mmm, what's that smell? That's a big corpse. Smells tasty.
"Seras. Take me and follow Alucard. I'd like to have a full view of what's about to take place."
"Yes sir." Seras cradled Integra's body in her blood tendril and leapt to the rooftops. She could see Alucard flying over the city, guns in outstretched-hand and his wicked smile gleaming down on the warzone.
"Stay up here. It won't do to let the enemy see us all at once." They both knew Alucard would be heading for the largest mass of hostile forces. He undoubtedly wanted to face off against Iscariot and Millennium alike.
Seras and Integra skulked into the shadows and looked down on the quiet battleground. There were the two armies of Iscariot and Millennium. The vampires were outnumbered four to one, yet they had all the confidence in the world.
Alucard descended with deadly grace into the mass of Iscariot crusaders, teeth bared in a lusty grin. A flurry of golden scripts twirled through the air to announce Anderson's arrival, bayonets sharpened to a silver glistening. A body fell from Nazi zeppelin up above and landed in a cloud of dust: some mysterious third elite, representative of Millennium. The three converged between the lines of spears, an unholy trinity of bloodthirsty demons licking their chops and teasing their claws. All eyes were on Alucard, the only one with a cool demeanor in all of London. His soft, almost seductive grin made even the cold blood of the Nazis shiver.
"Lord!" Alucard cried out, completely aware of Integra and Seras' proximity to himself. "My lord, Integra Hellsing! Your orders!"
Seras remained crouched in the shadows as Integra rose to answer. Her cry reached over the armies to her loyal assassin. "My servant, the vampire Alucard, I now order you!
"Stain in vermillion the army wearing white with your gun of platinum. Stain in scarlet the army wearing black with your gun of iron. Stain with crimson each and every last one of our foes. Search and destroy! Search and destroy! Lay waste to them! Do not let them leave this island alive!"
Alucard's lips formed words, but whatever he said was lost to the wind. There was a still silence on all sides. Everyone waited to see what he would do.
Integra raised her arm to the heavens. "Releasing control-restriction system level zero. Make good on your homecoming. Unleash yourself thousands of times over and make good on your homecoming! Recite it!"
The words of Alucard's ancient oath were spoken quietly, yet they resounded within the ears of all in attendance.
"I am the Bird of Hermes…"
Joshua's ears perked, and flew away faster than Neku or the Players could follow. He suddenly became vividly aware of where all those strange stories of today had come from, and fear was forcefully stabbed through his heart. He fought it off though, because ultimately it didn't matter to him. Neku and Seras would be fine in the wake of Dracula. But Joshua knew he wasn't the only one who could feel his power.
"I eat my own wings…"
Anderson screamed in an attack and threw as many blades into Alucard as he could wield. The Millennium elite struck out and kicked at his head with enough force to topple a forest oak. The two armies of Iscariot and Millennium opened fire into the swirling mass of Alucard, scared frozen and then terrified into action.
"Everyone here has sensed it," Anderson said to himself, jumping away from the crossfire. "Something terrible is about to happen. Unless we put down this monster, something terrible is about to happen!"
Annabelle was struck out of the air by the force of power. Her eyes widened and sweat crept down her brow. "That's no vampire. That's Lucifer himself! If his power is unleashed, no one will survive!" She took off into the air, flames following her gait. "I've got to hur-"
A beam of energy flashed and struck her down. The Tamed Noise hissed up at its master's attacker. Annabelle looked up and was met with a pearly white Cheshire grin.
"Well now Miss King," Joshua hissed, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I finally got you outside of your throne room."
"Kiryu!" Annabelle exclaimed, a spear of ice spreading through her heart. The fire of her Noise wrapped her body in an attempt to shield her. Joshua smiled at the little creature's futile attempt.
"I'll tell you what," he cooed down at her. "You can have the next hit. Make it a good one."
"… to keep myself tame…"
The mass of gore and giblets known as Alucard gyrated and writhed as though it were chuckling at the bullets penetrating it. A cease fire was announced, and the armies froze. In that momentary peace, with the still of the morning, the legions of Dracul were ripped from their filthy cage and thrown into the fray. Two solitary soldiers peaked out of their fetid cave, a Spaniard and a German woman. With the flesh of their souls penetrated by Dracula's omnipresent reach, they tore apart the forces of both Millennium and Iscariot.
The bloody mass reared its form and let itself pour out upon the streets. The tides of rot were high and crashed against the crumbling walls of the city. Mindless creatures, as ancient as Dracula himself, rose from the tides with gore gushing from their every orifice. Ghouls of the soul, prisoners and soldiers in their afterlife, they reached upon the warm bodies of the living and swept over them. Some were drawn by horses stolen from Hell, wearing suits of chthonic armor and wielding blades that had rent much stronger foes to their knees. All the while the river of Hades flowed in a fury, embracing everything in its path with violent force.
Everything was the hand of Dracula, king of vampires.
Seras and Integra watched the scene from above, safe against the wrecking tide. "That is what the vampire Alucard is," Integra told Seras. "Blood is the currency of the soul, the tender of life. It is nothing more than the medium by which life is transacted. To drink blood is to take the entire being of a life unto oneself. You can understand what that means now, can't you, Seras Victoria?"
Seras looked down at the gaping mouth of Hell, a few beads of sweat stuck behind her ear.
"Yes."