#cbkm

The only sound you could hear was your heart beating like crazy inside your chest, desperately. You knew fear, death, pain, they were part of your job: training, planning, killing ghouls. You knew it all, you were confident on your skills, but it was different this time, your entire squad had died. It had been destroyed in an ambush. You still remember how certain your captain was that it was you, Hellsing agents, who would ambush and kill those vampires.

He was so wrong! If you could go back in time, you'd tell him how they were waiting for you, how they massacred you all.

Luckily your teeth stopped shaking some time ago and the vampires seemed too distracted to notice the smell of your blood and how your heart that was beating loudly. If they noticed it would be the end of you and with your death, your entire squad would vanish. That is if before that they didn't want to play with you first, mentally and physically. You hope not, otherwise you would kill them with your hands and teeth. No one would touch you indecently.

Hidden like a mouse, you watch them and make plans. There are three vampires among your comrades bodies, feeding on them, laughing and cracking jokes about something you can't hear, and judging by their appearance they are not armed, yet, you know what they can do even unarmed, you know the innate strength they have. There were more vampires but those left a little while ago.

Should I shoot them? You asked yourself, raising your weapon just a little, having one of them in your sights, your finger on the trigger, before giving up this idea. Despite hating your impotence, you knew that even if you took some distance to shoot them, they would only need five, at most six seconds to be face to face with you. And then you would met your death. A slow, painful death as your comrades did.

What to do then? You think indecisively.

The only thing you could do was wait for Alucard to come and kill them all. You knew he was going to come, you knew because it was about you and he was so possessive of you. If wasn't for Integra's orders for him to not bother you, you don't even want to think what he was going to do with you. And while you loathed to thought to spend time with him in any form, today, right now, in fact you wouldn't mind.

Right now if he was to appear at your side, you could even hug him. That beast wouldn't let go of you and would tease you to no end, sure, but at least you would be safe and sound in his arms, safe enough to cry and to grieve. At least you could feel that there's someone there with you who cared, even if it was a twisted way of caring.

It was not the first time that you met death in a mission but certainly was the first time that a mission took all your comrades life. Promises, secret jokes and handshakes, every precious little memory was all yours now because there was nobody else to share it. The little family you found in them, destroyed. Silent tears burned in your eyes but you held them in place.

You had to be strong, you had to survive and tell their family what happened, you had to watch them get buried as they deserve, even if there wasn't much to bury. But it was so difficult to be strong.

Giant sequoia trees stretched high into the sky, blotting out the last sun rays that were stubborn enough to make it through the thick foliage. The forest was so quiet as if it was taking a long nap at that time, you couldn't even hear the owls hooting anymore. The dark and the silence only made you more aware of your heavy breathing and your heart. Badum, badum, badum. Did they could hear it too? Gods, you hope not.

The vampire were as silent as possible, talking among themselves while gesturing and making faces. You couldn't hear them but you could do the only thing that you had been doing for the last hour: you could still watch them.

Go away, go away, just go away already. You prayed for whoever wanted to hear you, begging, legs already aching from how much time you spent sitting in this position.

As the minutes crawled by, your heart pounded an erratic rhythm, mimicking the thud of drums echoing in your ears. Every fiber of your being screamed for stillness, for silence, as you clung to the shadows, praying they wouldn't detect your presence and the smell of your blood as they started walking again.

The vampires, teasing and mocking each other, moved with a grace that came with the years lived, almost as if they were floating, distancing themselves from the gorey scene in slow steps. You watched with bated breath, not even daring to breath a little loud so as not to get their attention.

They were vile and disgusting.

They bragged about everything they've done to those poor women and how they killed the men. About how they could kill it slower to savor the hot blood and the tears and screams.

Just a few more seconds, you thought. Your whole body shaking from fear or relief, you didn't even knew it.

Then, one of the vampires stopped mid-sentence, their gaze piercing through the darkness as if sensing something amiss. Panic surged through you, a cold sweat breaking out across your skin as your mind raced with dread. A twig broke somewhere. Somewhere near you.

You looked behind you; nothing there yet. But your weapon was ready and so were you, so ready to pull the trigger and shoot.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-

With a predatory glint in their eyes, the vampire's lips curled into a sinister smile, their attention honing in on your direction. In an instant, they closed the distance between you, their movements swift and predatory.

And you shot him. Once, twice, till you lost count.

His fingers were still streached out to curl over your arm when he fell and you didn't waste another second there, crawling away without caring about the mud on your nails or the pungent smell of the vampire's blood dripping down. Finding the other vampire became your priority; you knew his companion wouldn't be pleased to discover they had let a human escape alive.

The dense foliage obscured your view and you felt so alone and small, you're so small while you stood beside the trees in the open field. You were isolated here with no help. Branches snagged at your clothing and twigs snapped underfoot, each sound amplifying the stillness of the night.

Then, a laughter.

Crueler and evil than you ever though to be possible.

It was a laughter devoid of humanity, a malevolent symphony that sent shivers down your spine. You froze in your tracks, heart pounding in your chest as the realization sank in — your adversary was near, reveling in your fear.

And you were a mere mouse in an open field. They could see you but you couldn't see them. You raised your rifle blindly and aimed in the direction of the sound. It was useless but you would fight anyway, forcing your ears to work even more than they could.

The laughter echoed again, closer this time, weaving through the trees like a haunting melody. It was a mockery of everything good and pure. Dread washed over you, mingled with a primal urge to flee, yet you stood your ground, steeling yourself against the terror that threatened to overwhelm.

A shadow passed through you and you shot it. Nothing.

With startling speed and force, the vampire lunged from the shadows, crashing into you with a weight that knocked the breath from your lungs. The impact sent you sprawling to the forest floor, leaves and twigs crunching under the sudden weight.

Pain shot through your body as you struggled beneath the vampire's relentless grip, their cold, inhuman strength pressing down on you. Panic surged, adrenaline flooding your senses as you grappled with the realization of your situation. Your weapon was far from you.

Above you, their laughter echoed once more, now tinged with a triumphant edge that chilled you to the bone. It was a reminder of their dominance, a cruel symphony that made fun of your struggle against their overwhelming power.

"Not so feasty now, are we?" They said in a false soft tone. "Didn't know a cute thing like you were capable of such ire. I almost want to taste you right here and now."

Every instinct screamed for escape, for survival. You felt their hands fondling the skin from your hips slowly, feeling every inch, their nails playing with the hem of your pants.

Desperate to break free, you fought against the crushing weight, clawing at their arms while tears flooded your eyes and made everything blurry. But the vampire's hold remained unyielding, their grip was like iron shackles binding you to the ground.

In a fit of anger, you headbutt them hard. "Fuck you."

Summoning every ounce of strength and willpower, you twisted and thrashed against the vampire's grasp, fueled by a primal urge to break free from their suffocating hold as they laughed. It was then that you spotted a rock laying nearby, one they didn't realized it was there yet.

With a surge of determination, you seized the rock and swung it with all your might against the vampire's temple. They recoiled with a guttural hiss of pain, momentarily loosening their grip over you.

"I'm going to fucking kill, bitch!" They screamed. For a second you felt proud for hurting them, even if just a little.

That was for every comrade you lost. For the fear that consumed you, for the pain you were feeling. You smiled at the blood trickling from their temple, you hoped this would hurt their pride before you killed them.

Taking advantage of their state, you crawled a few meters without caring about the small sharp rocks that ripped your elbows and knees off. It hurts but it wasn't enough to make you stop. It only served to make you crawl faster, faster than how they could recover, faster than the cold air that seeped into your tired bones.

A few more inches... Just a few mor-

You were pulled back by your legs, the vampire was much more harsher now in their attempts to hurt you. He was much more angrier. You kicked and struggled but nothing seemed to work now. Not that it worked before.

The vampire’s fangs gleamed in the dim light as they snarled, their grip on your ankles tightening painfully. You were being dragged across the cold, damp ground, blood escaping through your wounds, every second spent letting you be taken closer to that creature. Panic surged through your veins as you struggled desperately, but nothing seemed to work.

Suddenly, a shadow moved at the edge of your vision. You barely had time to register it before a powerful voice cut through the night, deep and commanding. You used to dislike this voice, this familiar tone.

You wanted to cry and scream for his help now.

"Enough."

The vampire froze, their grip on your legs slackening. You twisted around to see a tall figure standing at the edge of the clearing. Clad in a long, red coat, his crimson eyes glowed with an eerie intensity. It was Alucard. He was finally there to help you.

The vampire hissed, releasing you entirely as they turned to face the new threat. Alucard’s presence was overwhelming, his aura of power unmistakable. He stepped forward, his movements fluid and precise, like a predator stalking its prey.

He was confident, unafraid. The other vampire though they seemed like a newbie.

"You'll pay dearly for touching my human." Alucard's voice was a low growl, dripping with menace. "The likes of you were always so stupid and weak anyway."

The vampire lunged at him, but Alucard was faster. In a blur of motion, he sidestepped the attack and delivered a crushing blow to the vampire's chest. The creature flew backward, crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter a trunk.

Alucard advanced, his eyes never leaving the vampire. He drew his twin guns from his coat and aimed it at the creature, who was struggling to rise from the ground. They were hungry for blood and pain, they were ready.

"Pathetic," Alucard sneered. "You should have known better."

With a deafening crack, Alucard fired. The bullet struck the vampire squarely in the heart, and the creature let out a horrific scream as their body hit the ground. But this time to never stand up again.

And you still lay on the ground, breathing heavily, trying to comprehend what had just happened. One second you were certain that you were going to die, the other he was there to save you, just like you wished for. Alucard turned to you, his expression softening slightly.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, his voice gentler now.

You shook your head, still too stunned to speak. Alucard extended a hand, helping you to your feet. His grip was surprisingly warm.

"It could be worse." You faked a laugh. Still the sound was dry, devoid of life and happiness, exhausting kicking in now that the fear was dissipating.

His voice held a rare warmth, offering a fleeting glimpse of gentleness that seemed almost out of character for Alucard, the infamous No Life King. At least for those that didn't knew him like you unwillingly did, that is.

Alucard noticed you shivering and trembling even you seemed to not notice. Frozen tears streaked down your face, betraying the emotional turmoil you were in. As he spoke those words, "You're safe, darling," the nickname that usually annoyed you to no end was now carried with an unexpected tenderness.

His crimson-stained hands tenderly wiped away your tears, a gesture both comforting and unsettling as he licked the blood from your cheek, rough tongue leaving behind a trail of saliva. He scanned you with a sharp gaze searching for any sign of injury. Finding none that was too worrisome - you had a few scratches here and there but with time those would go away, plus he didn't carried alcohol to disinfect them on him -, he seemed momentarily relieved, a rare expression on his usually stoic face.

"Let's get you home. You need a bath and a hot tea," Alucard suggested, his words usually brushed off under different circumstances now resonating with practical concern. Normally, you would have resisted, instinctively wary of spending any unnecessary time in his company. But tonight was different.

Exhausted and drained, you found yourself nodding in agreement, leaning into his reassuring presence as you both made your way back to the headquarters of the Hellsing organization. Alucard was matching his step with yours, so slow, watching over you like a hawk over their fledgling.

It was a moment of unexpected vulnerability that you were showing just now, the first time you hadn't recoiled from his proximity or fought against his touch even if it disgusted you. Yet, even as you allowed yourself this brief respite, the knowledge of who he truly was lingered in the back of your mind. Alucard was not just any vampire; he was a creature of immense power, capable of ending lives with a mere snap of his fingers.

"Thank you." You whispered so low and softly. It was all you could muster right now. "For saving me, thank you."

Trusting him was a dangerous gambit, a compromise you reluctantly made for now, knowing full well the precariousness of your situation. But for now, in the quiet walk back home, with his presence strangely comforting despite everything, you allowed yourself to lean on him, if only for a moment.