Hellsing Fan Fiction ❯ Veneficus, Draconis, et Fetialis ❯ Alarms and Excursions ( Chapter 5 )

Seras hated the Slytherins. They were arrogant, snobbish and annoying, and, from what she overheard of their conversations, many of them seemed to have a drastically over-romanticised view of vampires. Thankfully she didn't have to talk to them much. Just follow them around for their classes and sleep in their dungeon.

That was the other thing she was hating right now- having to be up in the day. Sunlight didn't make her melt as the students liked to believe, but it was too hot on her skin, too bright on her eyes, and she felt a violent physical repulsion from it. But she had to do something with her time, and the teaching staff had been quite adamant that they didn't want a vampire stalking the corridors at night. Alucard had simply ignored these rules, but Seras, lacking the ability to teleport, walk through walls or do any of the other handy things her master could, was pretty much stuck with Snape's plan for her.

Thankfully, another gruelling day of lessons was over and she was now sitting, eyes closed, in the comforting shadow of a pillar in one of the lesser courtyards. Her eyes might have been shut, but she could hear the muted conversations of the students as they edged cautiously past her. One small child, somewhere off to her left, was daring another to go and touch her. She made a vow with herself to scare the little brat to death if he dared try such a thing. Less than a week of Slytherin and sunlight had cleaned the fluffy edges off her personality, leaving only the angry, resentful bit in the middle.

Suddenly she felt something. It was like someone had just shattered a block of ice over her head. She jerked wildly and sat bolt upright, her eyes wide open. Someone screamed, but she ignored them. She knew what this was. She had felt it before; back in the police morgue when Anderson had placed his seals on the wall. Someone had just unleashed a vast quantity of holy magic inside the castle.

They were attacking!

She stood upright and turned round, gun flipping out, and set off down the corridor at a dead run. Her intuition, untrained though it was, was giving her a direction. Up, left…

She was moving very fast. The kind of sprint that most humans can only maintain for a few seconds. She however, didn't breathe, didn't respire. No painful build-up of lactic acid in her wire-taut muscles. Students screamed and jumped out the way as she shot down corridors, up staircases, past statues and armour, through at least two ghosts, and finally onto a narrow landing, with only one doorway at the end.

She managed to skid to a halt before she crashed into Alucard, who was standing in the doorway with an amused grin on his face.

"You're far too late, Police Girl. He was too fast even for me. I should really teach you some faster ways of travelling than your legs."

Seras said nothing as she holstered her gun. "Who was it?" She asked, stepping forwards.

Alucard held up a sheet of paper, the sight of which caused Seras almost to jump back. She knew that paper very well.

"Anderson…" she muttered.

"Yes, the Judas Priest was here alright…And he kidnapped your colleague, Snivellus." He said over her shoulder. She spun to see Snape, breathless, at the top of the stairs.

"Flitwick?" Asked Snape, collapsing against the wall. "Why…on earth…would anyone want that….bumbling old fool…"

"I have no idea, Snivellus. Isn't knowing things what you wizards are supposed to be good at?"

"Quiet vampire, unless you've got something useful to say."

More staff had arrived by now, and some students were at the bottom of the stairs by the sound of things.

"Well Snivellus, I'll leave you with this merry throng to deal with. Meanwhile, I have a paper-trail to follow…"

And with that, the elder vampire stepped back into a convenient shadow, leaving Seras alone with a large group of very confused wizards and witches, all of whom looked intent on upgrading the group status from `confusion' to `panic' and from there to something like `riot'.

How the hell was she going to get down the stairs past that lot?

They first realised that the three students had gone off at dinner.

"Typical!" raged Snape, walking backwards and forwards in front of Dumbledore, "It would have to be them! Always running off on their own, like they're some sort of heroes…it's that Potter boy, Albus, you know it is…"

"Oh do be quiet Severus." Said Dumbledore calmly. "I know you have a grudge against the lad, and I suppose with good reason, but that's still no excuse…"

"He's run off with two other students into the night, Albus! It's dangerous out there, whatever kidnapped Flitwick could still be about, not to mention everything that's normally out there…"

"Please be calm, Severus!" The old mans eyebrows shot up, but his face remained almost jovial. "Take a seat. Now, you say that the elder vampire, this `Alucard', has run off?"

"Yes, Albus." Said Severus, collapsing into an armchair. "He said something about a `paper trail'. Given the sheets of paper strewn across Filius's office, I can only presume that meant he was following the kidnapper…"

"Trying to follow, Snivellus"

Severus jerked and turned his head. Alucard was standing nonchalantly in the sealed doorway to Dumbledore's office, his hat-brim shadowing his goggled eyes.

"You mean you lost him, you incompetent undead…"

"There wasn't a trail to follow, you oaf! When someone teleports from place to place they tend not to leave a scent or footprints. I did attempt to follow the distasteful stink of the magic, but the trail had been deliberately masked."

Snape gave a snort, as if to suggest that there was no point in having a vampire if he wasn't some use. "Well, I've got something you should be able to follow, vampire."

Alucard raised one eyebrow sardonically.

"Oh really?" he said.

"Three students have gone off on their own into the countryside."

Alucard suddenly laughed. "And you want me to rescue them? ME!?" He slapped his thigh. "That's a fine joke Snivellus, I really mean it…"

"Alucard, I order you…"

"Pah!" The No life King turned, "There are people out there who would slaughter everyone in this castle without batting an eyelid, and you worry about three pathetic little students? Anyone who would run off on their own at a time like this deserves whatever they get."

"Alucard, I invoke…"

"Send Seras!" Said Alucard, waving a hand as if to brush him off. "Her nose is keen enough, and it does her good to hunt occasionally."

"I want these students back in one piece, Alucard…"

"Oh, you'll have no worries from the moralising little police girl. However, if the Catholics have got to them, well, you can start getting ready the envelopes to post them back to their parents."

And with that the elder vampire swept out of the room in a twist of coat and shadow, leaving behind him an enraged Snape and a slightly smirking Dumbledore.

This had been a bad idea. They were lost now, in some shallow valley in the mountains from which not even Hogwarts lights could be seen.

"This was one of your stupidest ideas, Hermione." Said Ron. "And you're supposed to be the sensible one."

"I thought…" protested Hermione, "Look, how was I to know I'd got the place wrong, eh?"

"Do you even know what unplottable means Hermione?"

"Well yes, but I thought I'd got it down…"

"Well obviously you hadn't! If you were right, this would be the down, and it bloody well isn't!"

"Quiet!" Said Harry, turning round with a finger to his lips, "I think I hear something…"

They stopped talking and listened. There was something. A rustling in the bushes, and then, oddly a faint moan.

Harry squinted, he could see something coming through…

"What on earth…" he said, trailing off as it came into a shaft of moonlight.

It had clearly once been human, or at least it want ed to give that appearance. Its flesh was pallid, and tight to the bones. Its face was a skull mask, with eyes lost deep in shadow. It moved at a shambling pace, but with great deliberation. It looked up, and seemed to see them as if for the first time. It snarled and gave a sort of hiss, thin, caking lips pulling back to reveal serrated fangs.

"I think we should get out of here, guys…" Said Hermione quietly.

"Too bloody right!" Said Ron, panic beginning to creep into his voice. He turned around, and suddenly gave a cry. "We're surrounded!"

It was true. The lumbering shadow of a young woman had moved from the trees behind them, shadowed pits somehow glinting with hunger as the fanged jaw hung slack. Others, people seemingly of all ages, could now be seen, moving slowly through the trees surrounding the path, heading towards them.

"Oh dear…" murmured Hermione, readying her wand, "I think they might be after us, whatever they are…I don't remember them from any defence against the dark arts lessons…."

"What are you going to do to them, Hermione?" said Ron, almost squeaking, "I know what they are, their bloody flesh-eating zombies, that's what they are, and I don't think Patronus works on flesh-eating zombies…"

The first one was close now, and backing away would just have brought them closer to the other ones.
"Someone think of something!" Said Harry, desperately, "Quickly!"

The first thing snarled, and seamed ready to leap. Suddenly there was a whistling noise and the middle of its chest disappeared. The head and arms flew off into a gorse bush whilst the legs spasmed and collapsed to the floor. Half a second later a sound like a tank gun going off echoed down the valley. The creatures stopped as one and turned.

There was another shot. The children threw themselves to the ground as an explosion tore through the creatures in the trees to their right, liquid flame exploding around bodies and tree trunks with a flash of heat.

"What's happening!?" Squealed Hermione.

They tried to get up as they saw another creature, obviously recovered from the shock of the attack, move towards them, mouth opening. Suddenly they heard the sound of running feet in the distance, and a voice cried `Stay away from them!'. As the children tried to work out if this instruction was aimed at the creature or themselves four bullets struck the slavering monster in the head, reducing its skull to pulp. It fell forward, coming apart as it did, dust blossoming up.

The children turned and saw a familiar figure in blood red robes. It was the vampire, Seras. Across her back was strapped a backpack and the most enormous gun any of them had ever seen, a good six feet in length. This had probably been what had created the explosion and torn that creature in two.

As she neared them another of the creatures sprung from the bushes. They watched, both amazed and horrified as she smashed her left hand into its stomach, causing it to bend over with a horrible snapping noise, then rammed the butt of the pistol in her right hand into its face, tearing the head from its shoulders and sending it flying into the trees. She tossed the body away, and in the darkness, they could see the most horrifying grin on her face. Suddenly, she shook her head slightly, and the grin disappeared, replaced with something more like disgust. She looked up.

"Run! Back along the path!"

As they stood she raised the gun and seemed to fire at them. They all winced as bullets whistled around them. Groans and impact noises from behind them indicated what she was really aiming for. They scurried past her, turning after a bit to watch.

Seras had let her beast out to play, this night. Her pistol discarded she grinned like a demon as she tore the oncoming creatures to shreds with her bare hands, clawed fingers tearing through flesh like wet tissue paper, punches and elbow slams pulverising meat and bone. After about forty seconds, it was over, and Seras stood there, in the middle of the death, lit by the dying flames of the fires that still burned amid the wet bracken, shaking slightly. Then, she slowly reached down to pick up her pistol and tucked it into her belt inside the robes. She turned, and they could see the dark blood splattered on her face and hands, and across her robes. She saw them looking at her, and her eyes suddenly became downcast with shame.

She walked towards them, eyes on her feet, only looking up as she passed them. Her red eyes were shockingly bright this dark night.

"Come on then, we're heading back to the castle."

Then her eyes went down again, and she kept on walking. The children could do nothing except follow her, trying to keep up with her horribly regular strides.