This is what she wanted, wasn't it?
Carrie could see the smoke rising from miles away. The road was clear of traffic as she sped through on her motorcycle. No one was driving in or out.
She came to a halt just outside of town. It was quiet aside from the faint crackling of flame. The area looked like it'd been hit by a hurricane. Buildings lay flattened. Embers glowed in the dusty streets. There was nothing left.
"And this is only the beginning" Carrie spoke to no one. She'd seen destruction like this before during her time. All the progress, technology and advancements humanity had made since then meant nothing to these demonic creatures. The land was free from even the concept of magic, except perhaps the church. But if there was one here, it was gone.
She clicked the ignition back on her bike and slowly moved forward around the debris. It was easier this way; with no survivors. That meant there weren't any lose ends for her to deal with. She could accept the loss, and move on. Or did that make her a horrible person?
All she wanted was the death of Dracula. That's all she ever cared about. A year ago she'd have struggled to even imagine a world were that wasn't her life's purpose, her raison d'etre. But now, she wasn't so sure. And with her life's work so close to an end…..
Now was the worst time to doubt it.
"They've lost contact from another one" Jonathon said. He was working at his desk while listening to the news on a portable radio. "It's coming much stronger this time. No witnesses. No video footage. No communication" he said.
"The public will start to panic if this isn't dealt with soon" Julius said. "The conspiracy theorists will confuse it with nuclear war"
"He might be counting on it" Jonathon said.
"It makes it that much harder to find able soldiers" Julius said. Although the more he pondered the idea the less sure of himself he was. He'd have to be mindful of his own doubts in situations like this. He wanted to take the offensive, but wasn't so foolish as to do so alone.
"There are greater concerns in the geopolitical sphere" Jonathon said.
"Ignore them. Once the job is finished they can sort out the mess on their own" Julius said. He stood from his chair and stretched, but his grogginess refused to leave him. "I need to check on how the troops are doing" he said.
"We still need to pick up reinforcements from Louisville" Jonathon said.
"Yeah, I'll get to it in the afternoon" Julius said, and stepped out from the tent.
They set up camp just shy of a hundred miles from Dracula's castle. The mages he'd hired cast enough barriers to conceal them from the bulk of the dark lord's forces, but he struggled to relax so close to the place. Most of the soldiers here were veterans of war so he couldn't complain. This was different to him though. And where was Carrie? She should have been back by now.
He walked through the twists and turns of the trees until he found the tent he was looking for. It was long military tent with a raised wooden platform and two stoves (unlit) inside. Thirty people typically slept in here, most were outside at work. The man he was looking for sat at a desk covered in scrolls. He was a short and stocky fellow with a long red beard.
"How's the preparations Clovis? Please tell me you have some good news" Julius said.
"I'm preparing a training on Minotaurs this afternoon based on your specifications. But I must say I don't think a day's worth is enough time to cover all this." Clovis said.
"You aren't expected to master anything just yet" Julius said. "We've got another two dozen troops on the way later this evening, and hopefully a few hundred more coming from the church. I'll need your team to help bring them up to speed."
"It will be done sir" Clovis said.
"No no no" Julius said. He pulled up a chair next to the table. "At ease Clovis, I don't care much for the formalities. I need to know you're doing okay."
Clovis set down the scroll he was reading and leaned back in his chair. His nose grew scrunched as he stared back at his boss.
"To be frank. I'm not sure I want to go through with this. I think you need to up the payment" Clovis said.
"There it is" Julius said, oddly cheerfully. "That's good. You've started to realize the truth about what we're up against."
"Money is worthless if you never make it back alive. And from the looks of what you're planning I doubt you expect many of us to return at all." Clovis said. "Vampires? I'll be damned."
"There's more than that" Julius said. "Look at us here. We have what, a hundred men in this camp? With the type of fortune the Belmont's have, why wouldn't it be six hundred? A thousand? You think there aren't more able bodied workers waiting do whatever I tell them so long as they make a quick buck?"
"Of course there is" Clovis said.
"Exactly" Julius said. "And I can never hire a single one of them. Because if all you care about is money, then I'm not the highest bidder in this puzzle."
"You….think too well of me Julius" Clovis said. "You need a bond with these people. And that takes years, not weeks."
"You're in charge of your group. All I need is your support and I'll be fine." Julius said. "So I'll ask again, how are you? Are you ready for this?"
"You're too soft" Clovis said. "And you want me to go soft too"
"Not at all" Julius said. "I just need you to kill some vampires. Not because you're getting paid to do it, but because they are mother f**king vampires."
"Okay" Clovis said.
"Hmph" Julius said, standing up to leave. "I'll check back in the evening to observe the troops progress"
Clovis fought the urge to throw over his desk as Julius departed. He was right, he couldn't say no to this. But he was going to die. There's no way in hell he was going to ever walk out of that castle should he step inside. This felt different from what he'd seen before. His death felt certain, approaching like a ticking clock. And he didn't feel ready for it at all.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.
"Amen" spoke the crowd in unison.
"They are prepared and awaiting your orders Commander Belnades" spoke the Bishop. He turned to Olga and motioned her towards the ledge overlooking 200 warriors of the tenth crusade.
"No they are not" Olga said. It'd taken weeks to navigate the Vatican's politics and convince them of the need to assemble these warriors. But she hadn't anticipated that they'd give her command over the Pope's personal army. "They're exorcists. They've never faced anything like the demons of that castle before. They'll have to be trained, and we are running out of time"
"Don't make light of Our Holinesses decision Miss Belnades" the Bishop said. "A mentor was required and the Lord sent you to us. He will provide everything you need to succeed if you only trust him"
"I do. We won't fail" Olga said. She really meant it too. "Move everyone into the transports, we need to get moving."
She'd already heard of entire towns being erased from the map. Dracula wasn't waiting for them, and their offensive still needed a lot of work. If only she could tell where he would attack next, perhaps they could send a resistance force. But that'd be impossible without intel from the inside.
Then it occurred to her.
She handed the Bishop a folded sheet of paper. "This is the location of the Belmont encampment, and here is the rendezvous point. Meet them there as soon as you can" Olga said.
"Why are you telling me this?" The Bishop said.
"Because I need to make a stop along the way. I'll catch up later"
The sky was turning red and the shadows long. Her motorcycle was running low on gas and Carrie would have to stop soon. She should probably find something to eat too, although she didn't want to stop. Her mind wandered as she drove.
Dracula's attacks were growing unpredictable. For his forces to mobilize so distant from the castle meant he either had powerful political allies, or that his monsters penetrated deep into the continent. It was likely a combination of both. That meant she'd need to be on her guard everywhere she went from now on.
She wondered if Julius had found himself able to rest. He was always more jolly than herself, and seemed to find relief in any situation. He was built for this his entire life, never straying from the path of the light. She could never be so carefree.
Perhaps she should have explored more of the new world before she embarked? Although they were running low on time as it was, and she had already done her fair share of traveling.
"Hmph" Carrie said. "Fair share. What a peculiar choice of words"
She was struggling not to overanalyze herself. These weren't the sort of things normal people ought to be thinking about. No she wasn't normal, but she ought to at least be sane shouldn't she be? Or is even that too much? And if that was too much, what was it worth asking for in life?
"What a godless word we live in" Carrie said. She pulled into a gas station. The store lights burned bright against the decaying sky.
"Hello?" Carrie said as she walked in the building. There wasn't anyone behind the counter.
"I'll leave if there's no one here!" Carrie said.
"It's not out of character for you to steal, why even ask?" came a girlish voice.
"Eleanor?" Carrie said. "You didn't kill the cashier did you?"
"Of course not" Eleanor said. "He's just….taking a nap" Carrie glanced over the counter to see the vampire hovering over an unconscious man. She was too short to be visible over the tabletop, but her size was deceiving relative to her actual age.
Carrie dashed around the desk to embrace her old friend.
"It's been so long" Carrie said. "I haven't changed my mind, but I'm glad you're here. At the end."
"The end, you say those words so frivolously my dear" Eleanor said. "It's never the end Carrie. I'm old enough to know"
"I…I don't know if there's anything left to say" Carrie said. "I've come such a long way. He feels so close to me now. I can feel his presence, glaring down at me. Judging me, as if he were one who could cast such judgment"
"Don't be like that Carrie. You had such conviction last I saw you." Eleanor said. "Dracula is so unlike you, he has something to fear"
"I'm a mess" Carrie said. "It doesn't make sense, why I'd feel this way. I can't explain it"
"Because you're human?" Eleanor said. Carrie waited for her to say more, her heart throbbing faster with every second of silence.
"I don't think I am" Carrie said.
Eleanor giggled. "Oh my Carrie you are a mess. Of course you're human. And somewhat of an inspirational one should you come to realize it. It's been nearly a year since I last saw you and the first thing you do is start unloading yourself like I'm some sort of councilor."
"I'm sorry" Carrie said.
"No you're not" Eleanor said. "But I'm not here to argue with you Carrie. I'm here because for the first time in centuries I feel that Europe has become a safe place for my people"
"Safe?" Carrie said, puzzled. "Have you not been paying attention?"
"I have" Eleanor said. "And my people no longer have any reason to fear. We never kill our prey, so our feeding goes unnoticed by most. The only threats we had were that of a particular dark lord, whom is unlikely to survive the next full moon. And for that, I must grace you with my eternal gratitude" she curtsied as she spoke.
"You're not going to beg me to reconsider the deal?" Carrie said.
"Would you if I did?" Eleanor said. "A woman who said herself she has no regrets?"
"I wouldn't" Carrie said. "But I want to"
"You've always said that" Eleanor said.
By then the sun had fully set, and Carrie returned to her refill her bike without bothering to pay for it.
"Anyways, where has that bird flown off to Carrie?" Eleanor said. "It's strange to see you traveling without him."
"Elof died, a few months ago." Carrie said, starting the engine.
"So is that what's changed?" Eleanor said. "That is unfortunate"
"No, what's changed is I started to fall in love in ways I shouldn't have" Carrie said. "I won't let it stop me, but it's not something I was prepared for"
"You?" Eleanor said, surprised. "Don't hate on the world too much Carrie. It's what most of us live for."
"Don't care" Carrie said, and sped off.
"Of course you do, foolish girl" Eleanor said, glad she was out of earshot. "But you will succeed regardless"
The sky grew black as the sun set. Soon it would be time.
Alucard gazed across the landscape from a rooftop. Berlin was a large city with a history of turmoil. Its citizens would be unusually susceptible to rumors and superstition should such dark forces begin mobilizing here. And if Alucard's intuition was right, they already had.
What he hadn't expected, was for a blonde woman in red to suddenly climb up next to him.
"Greetings black cat, it's been a while" Olga said.
"…black cat?" Alucard questioned.
"Did I stutter?" Olga said.
Alucard didn't respond.
Olga giggled. "So what are we looking at here? You seem to know what's up better than anyone."
"Now that the sun has set, any scouts sent by Dracula's legion will be on the prowl" Alucard said.
"And you know how to find them?" Olga said.
"I have an idea yes." Alucard said.
"And you were planning on taking on the entity of Dracula's army alone were you? And without me!" Olga pouted.
"Not exactly" Alucard said. "If you stop acting like you for a moment I'll explain"
To be continued…..
Hey everyone,
I've decided to keep chapters short so I can release more often. If you prefer longer chapters or have any other suggestions feel free to let me know.