Hellsing Ultimate (2006)

A Night for Hunting Ch.7- Fear

T/W: 18+, Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, memory loss, horror, violence, gore, angry feral vampire, comfort, eventual romance Words: 5066 On AO3

I'm back! This chapter taught me that I have a long way to go as an amateur hobby writer! Action scenes are hard. Hope you enjoy anyways!

You thought about him on your stroll home after dinner, that vampire that hid in shadows, that delighted you with an adorable colony of furry bats, yet who could also summon a writhing sea of vile centipedes. He terrorized you endlessly and was the cause of many sleepless nights. He was like a tempest that upended everything in his path, leaving destruction in his wake, though his majesty was breathtaking. He made you beyond angry.

But then he unexpectedly took care of you that time when you were drunk and alone. The way he looked at you when he wasn't being an infuriating ass hat…he also physically threatened you the last time you met.

He scared and confused you.

To your chagrin, your thoughts lingered on him, and the longer they did, the more conflicted you felt. Several weeks later, he still hadn’t visited. Part of you was glad he was finally gone for good. Another part of you had gotten somewhat used to the routine of entertaining this uninvited guest and his extended absence was beyond odd. Yet you would also be unsure about seeing him again after the way you parted last time.

You were right. All you needed to do was endure him until you earned your freedom. It was about time he got bored and moved onto his next victim.

--------------------

A breathy moan rang out from around the corner and you got ready to dodge the careless person who was right there as you rounded the corner.

Holy shit.

They were a corpse, their skin was sloughing off, hollowed eyes glowed with a ghostly violet light. You cried out in shock and stumbled back at the last moment as the thing's arms reached out for you.

What is this new devilry?

Your head pounded, but now wasn't the time for a migraine. You jerked your shoulder back again to avoid its flailing grasp. Its fingers looked like shrivelled sausages where dried up leathery skin was pulled taut over knobby bone.

Multiple people have disappeared after dark in London over the past months –by the popular tourist attraction Tower Bridge, at an abandoned factory, and even in Soho. The sirens of emergency vehicles have been much more frequent lately. The news reports of recent mysterious occurrences you once dismissed as irrelevant freak incidences slowly gained salience.

Haaaa. Haaaaaaa.

Your skin crawled at the raspy breathing and you took off at a sprint. The slobbering zombie followed at a fixed pace and the stench of gangrene hit you. The walls blocking off suppressed memories were peeling back layer by layer to unveil the obscure truth within. That disgusting smell of rot…triggered the forgotten experience of being tailed by a homeless woman, who walked with an unnatural jerking stumble according to the tempo of a metronome. Her face was grey and she might as well have been dead. Your heart clenched with remembrance. What were these memories? They were yours?

You ran blindly in terror-stricken confusion with the wind in your face, taking numerous turns before finally fleeing down a flight of stairs lined with trees while slapping away the offending branches that were in the way.

You were hastily running through a park, the one where Alucard last chased you through, where the foliage became shapes of shadow that took on a demonic life of their own.

The soft murmur of flowing water whispered into the night. The lifeblood of London glided solemnly through its path, indifferent to the woes of the people who inhabited its banks. Oh no, you inadvertently came to the Thames River.

You gasped for breath. Historic buildings painted the river’s face in sparkling gold streaks, the image of the capital city at night reflecting radiantly on the calm surface. It was awe-inspiring. And completely at odds with how you were feeling at the moment. If you weren’t this rattled, you would have paused to marvel at the sight where the beauty of nature met the sophistication of man-made architecture.

The fetor of decay invaded your senses once more. Calm down. Tower Bridge wasn’t too distant, but this was in the heart of a tourist area. On a Friday night, it should be bustling. And there was no way you could be that unlucky.

The riverside wasn’t deserted, but it was hardly bustling either. Where were all the people?

Glancing behind to confirm that the thing earlier hadn't caught up yet, you turned to go home, only to walk directly into a solid chest. You yelped, having completely missed this person’s presence. For a moment you panicked. It was impossible for that fumbling zombie to arrive here so quickly! You looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a normal man.

“A-apologies. I wasn’t looking where I was going. E-excuse me,” you stuttered, your eyes were wide and you looked away.

The man raised a brow and smirked.

“There is no issue, Miss,” he told you with a sweet voice and gave you a quick once-over. “But if you’d like to express your sincerity, allow me to take you out for a drink tonight.”

“I…that’s not a good idea. I need to go, I apologize.” You were skittish and checked behind you again. There wasn’t anyone else except another couple by the riverbank watching the lights.

An iron fist gripped your wrist and you went cold at the glacial touch. “I insist, Miss. Please allow me to show you an excellent night.” His leer turned cocky, revealing a razor sharp grin. You stared in disbelief.

Attempts to pull your hand back were in vain. Unwanted fingers flitted across the palm of your hand and he sighed, “You are very warm. I was hoping you would share some of it with me…” Your skin crawled from his touch and goosebumps formed from the seeping chill. Everything about this was wrong.

…Vampire…the word tickled the back of your mind.

Your head went into overdrive to think of a way to escape your predicament. If you were right, the ‘man’ was much stronger and faster than you. He can see and smell better than you as well. What could you do when you were completely outclassed?

You started shaking. This experience was way too familiar. Not again! You stared at him in anguish, frozen to your spot when you came up with a blank.

“I-I’m sorry sir, I don’t drink!” You whispered weakly, hoping against all odds he would let you go.

His lips curled and he took a step closer well into your space. “...Unless you believe yourself too good for me?”

You inched away despite being unable to break free and thought about screaming for help before stopping yourself. Piece by piece, the puzzle was falling into place –the mind conjured up an image of red-rimmed shadows digging into a body’s crevices, snapping bones and ripping up its limbs in a dark alleyway.

If this man was the same, you doubted any human interventions would be of assistance to you. You were completely, utterly screwed.

“Is this man bothering you?” The two women who were holding hands by the river came closer with a frown, one of them with a hand on her phone looking like she was about to call for help.

No…don’t get involved…You thought helplessly.

“Tch. You two aren’t my type. What’s this?”

–A severed forearm holding a smartphone dangled from his other hand. The phone dropped from the lifeless hand, its screen shattering upon impact with the pavement.

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!” One of the two women howled in agony as blood erupted from the stub where her arm was moments ago.

“Hahaha. Shh…quiet down bitch, or else you might summon the ghouls.” He let go of you and faster than any of you saw, the next thing he ripped out of the unfortunate woman was her throat. You will never forget the scene. Even years later this night will come to haunt you.

With her remaining hand, the woman held the gaping hole in her neck where jagged wisps of flesh still held on like chicken skin. She was in shock, as were all of you. Surprisingly, she wasn’t instantly dead. For several seconds, she remained standing while blood shot out in pulsing squirts. All too soon, it was like someone turned on the faucet at full blast. Her forcibly severed carotids exsanguinated, multiple ropes of blood exploded out of her throat for only another couple seconds until she collapsed on the ground with a gut-wrenching gargle as her life essence continued to empty from her vessels in powerful jets.

The thick pool spread beneath her rapidly. It sprayed everywhere. It painted your face and filled your mouth with copper as you looked on in horror. It dumped into her open windpipe and she drowned at the same time as she hemorrhaged. The gargling was the same…as that time. You remembered now. Not long ago, you witnessed someone else drowning in their own blood beneath a monster of lore.

This monster revelled in the pandemonium and smacked his lips. “AB+ is my favourite blood type, did you know that? Much more flavour.” You weren’t sure if he was asking you.

Already drenched from head-to-toe, her girlfriend wailed with a hand pressed to her mouth. “AHHHHHH!!!!”

“Gah, shut up, will you? She’ll be back soon enough and you can join her.” The vampire bore a sadistic smile framed by wicked teeth. He thoroughly relished killing some helpless woman.

No…

He spun around to face the second woman who remained bolted in place staring at her now-dead lover twitching on the ground. He strutted towards her.

You had to leave. Closing your eyes in guilt briefly, you knew you had to go now. There was nothing you could do to save the other woman, if you could even help yourself. When your eyes opened a mere moment later, she was already dead. Her mangled body hit the ground with a thud. Too fast. You couldn’t keep up with the pace of everything that was happening. One foot inched backward, then your other foot followed the first.

“You still aren’t interested in sharing a drink with me, love? They weren’t my type, but you are. I’ll be nice to you, I promise.” His voice travelled and reached your ears. What a twisted joke.

With a breathless wheeze, you rushed from the nightmare in front of you. All you ever did was run, but you knew there was no way you were getting away this time. Tears of desperation fell down your cheeks.

Golden lights streaked by in the periphery of your vision in a blur. There was no comfort in the beauty of the Thames. London was your home, but for all its old-world elegance, it was as callous and uncaring of its inhabitants as the river this city depended upon. This city will offer you no aid. No, two people just died trying to help, but what can anyone do in this situation?

From beneath your consciousness it bubbled up –a flash of the floating sensation on a night you fell asleep to a familiar purr while warm golden orange orbs kept vigil as you faded away. Your eyes widened in recognition. It was too late now to do anything with the truth.

I'm scared…Alucard…

"Smells like a terrified bitch." He already caught up and took a deep whiff of the air. Red eyes regarded you with a sinister gleam while you sobbed. You stared at the monster with frantic, despairing eyes, wondering how exactly you will be meeting your end. “That’s an excellent expression!” The vampire snickered as he cracked a knuckle.

You twisted around him and kept going back the way you came from. He chuckled, wearing a demented expression baring two rows of spiked teeth. This was too much like old times. You never escaped Alucard until he decided to allow you to leave. There is no reason this will be any different, but you will try until your body gives out.

Two figures stumbled towards you up ahead. You wanted to warn them to run too, that they were in mortal danger, but the breath wasn’t available.

They were wearing the same clothing as the two women earlier. They were the two women earlier. One was missing an arm and her throat, the other’s head was split open, dripping brain matter on the ground. Her chest cavity gaped through dismantled ribs.

What in the world was going on?!

You heaved with over-exertion and managed to skid to a stop well before you ran into them. Zombies. You were literally looking at the walking dead. Somehow, the vampire did this?!

You were so stupid. Why did you come back this way? Even if the two ladies stayed down, there was still the one chasing you from before. Three zombies blocked the way up ahead while you were trapped down by the river with no way back up its bank without access to the stairs.

You whipped around at the guffawing murderer. There were now dozens of undead behind him. They hobbled around in an identical manner as the ones you met previously, with arms out, their corpses at various stages of decomposition. You were surrounded by a whole den of zombies.

As if you were just going to give yourself over to your fate.

You panted as your eyes darted about. The creatures closed the last gap in the circle around you. Tears turned your vision into a blurry mirage. There was nowhere left to go, but even if you were brutalized and died screaming, even if you didn't know how to fight, you were going to resist them, no matter how useless it was.

“Did you know that power is both a blessing and a curse? I can do stuff like this now,” he decapitated one of his undead companions and you flinched. “Yet the ladies never seem to favour me until they are my pets.”

He studied the blood trickling down his fingers, pressing his thumb and middle digit together before pulling them apart. He bursted out in laughter. “I’ll be very good to you when you become my pet, even if you’re an unappreciative whore.”

--------------------

The surroundings exploded and you squealed in fright. It was suddenly bedlam. The menacing figure draped in crimson stood with his back to you. A massive firearm pointed out to his side and he snarled, the tails of his coat rippling as if they were immaterial tassels. You knew him immediately.

Alucard!

The clash evolved into a symphony of horror. It was almost like you were in a shooter game with him, except he never missed. One after the other, zombie heads became popping balloons, spilling more gore in a splatter of blood and brains. Each shot exploded and left a hollow in the stone wall behind the felled zombie. After the heads were gone, he shot the corpses more for good measure. Arms, legs, bodies, nothing was spared. But he never missed the mark.

You were deaf from the gunshots. As your ears rang, all you saw was the butchery of Alucard unleashed for the first time. He spun and his guns went pointing in every direction. He was a tempest, the eye in a storm of flying iron and carnage. It seemed like even those monsters couldn’t react in time. Bodies fell at his feet in pieces. The squelching sounded like when you blended your minced meats with spice and seasoning by hand. He cackled again with glee, a glint of madness in the glimpse you caught of his visage.

He resembled the time you were reunited after you moved to this part of London. His demeanor screamed of bloodlust. This was a massacre.

You flinched and covered your head when a shot found its mark closer to you and pieces of a crumbling wall scattered nearby. Forked shadow tendrils formed a barrier encircling you that pulsed with dense, arcane power. Nothing got past it. Not zombies, bullets, nor fragmented stone.

“A sorry excuse for a vampire. What will you do now that your ghouls are dead and your weapons empty?” That was Alucard? His voice was guttural and nearly unrecognizable.

“W-what are you? You m-monster!” The other vampire sounded miserable.

“That is correct,” You heard the smile in Alucard’s voice. “I’m a monster. Where are your familiars? Turn into bats or mist! Fight me like a real vampire!" He boomed.

…"Tch. Pathetic. You do not even know what you are."

Too bad Alucard’s shadow didn’t shield you from sound. Your ears weren’t working properly. The buzz was getting louder and it was difficult to hear anything else despite straining. That might as well have been a watermelon crunching. Your eyes fell shut.

-------------------- Alucard saw red. The scent of blood suddenly blossomed in the air earlier. It was miles away, but it was so pungent and strong, the odour travelled far. He rushed to investigate the occurrence, only to discover the unmistakable stench of ghouls and a lone vampire that was ubiquitous in this area once he was close enough. And then he caught the overwhelming scent of your fear. He hoped he’d make it.

--------------------

He was on one knee in front of you with his head bowed when you braved peeking out again. Something was squashed under his hand, which took a moment to work out what it was. It was what was left of that vampire’s detached head, flattened into paste on the ground with splinters of skull coming through around a mush of brain. The rest of the body convulsed off to the side before he shot it without needing to look. Right in the heart.

You winced at the bang as bile came up and filled your mouth. You retched up the remains of a half-digested meal of ramen and broth. The festering flesh and your puke, as well as the thick metallic flavour, breached your nose. It stank like putrefying meat soaked in foul blood that should be crawling with maggots. You threw up again.

The dead vampire’s blood seeped through the cracks in the pavement and trickled towards you, causing you to crawl back against a tree and gaze around. Everywhere you looked, body parts were strewn about. Who even knew which leg belonged to which body. There were no longer identifiable heads, only viscous pools of liquefied matter that oozed from the source body stumps. Some of that stuff dribbled from the leaves of an ash tree.

A wretched whine you didn’t recognize as your own crept from your throat and you hurled yet again. Your hand landed in the puddle of vomit as you bent over for your stomach to turn itself inside out.

You lifted a tearful gaze. Through midnight bangs, a pair of blood-red eyes watched you with an unworldly blaze. You whimpered.

--------------------

Aggression and the thirst for more violence thrummed through his undead veins, but there was unfortunately no one left to take it out on. The feeling of possessiveness left him berserk. How dare anyone else touch you. How dare anyone frighten you. How dare anyone threaten you.

Your distress saturated the air. He scented the other vampire on you and growled low.

He was this close to letting you get hurt. This close to losing you. The vampire king reached for you.

“!!!” You gasped in terror and pressed against the stone wall at the craze and blood thirst in his eyes, the breathy intake morphing into a fearful squeak at the sight of organic matter dripping from the hand that approached.

The tang of your fear tainted the air even more heavily, so thick it could probably be cut with a knife. Alucard recoiled as if you struck him.

"You are afraid of me?" He whispered, drawing back from the discovery.

He came back to himself and realized how he must appear to you. Like a bloody murderous monster dripping in the viscera of his foe. It took all his control, but he calmed himself. Irises swirled from raging crimson into a familiar orangey-gold.

Alucard was confused, he gleaned no pleasure from your terror. He strangely found he didn't want it anymore as he took in the sight of you cowering from him with your limbs drawn up tightly against your body. Even your small sandaled toes curled away from him.

He said your name softly. No response. “Little one?”

Your lips pressed together and you clenched your eyes, shrinking further from him.

Alucard had been away from London for several weeks on a mission for his master Integra, which culminated in an assignment out-of-country. He almost didn’t make it back in time to rescue you from the ghouls and vampire.

"I will not harm you little one. That has not changed."

You stayed huddled against the wall in the fetal position, your gaze distant as you stared blankly at the soaked ground. Alucard couldn’t pick out any coherent thoughts from your head right now, only the unadulterated fear that was absolute and all-encompassing.

You couldn’t move or object as he bent down to pick you from the ground, taking care to cradle you in a comfortable position. He took off for your home.

-------------------- Alucard arrived on your balcony. Both of you were soiled and covered in filth, yet the balcony was no place to remain. He quickly considered his options before opening the latch with a thought and floated to the bathroom. He sat in the wide shower stall with you nestled into his chest.

…He was to report on the incident tonight as soon as possible, however…he watched your stiff posture and lack of expression. Alucard flipped open his phone and placed a call to Hellsing before putting it away after giving a concise report.

“Nest of ghouls and a vampire by Tower Bridge. Targets eliminated.” He hung up before the unfortunate sap who would relay his message to Integra could say a word.

He took another look at you and sighed. He detected no spilled blood of your own on your clothes, which was encouraging. He however didn’t know how to mend your other scars, besides wiping your memory clean again. It probably wasn’t something he should do repeatedly, especially with how traumatic this experience was. But if it will spare you this hell…

Your gaze tentatively crept up to his. Your pupils were fully dilated, your eyes so wide the whites were showing around the irises. The stench of fear permeated the air all over again and you made a tiny, shrill whine. You started quivering, then all at once, you collapsed into his arms, choking on your cries with your fingers tangled in his suit.

You were completely beside yourself in shock. Air came to you in lurching breaths you couldn’t control. Alucard remained still while you came apart, unsure of how to comfort you without utilizing his supernatural abilities.

“Ahhhhh…” You moaned softly, piteously. And still you sobbed, sending wave upon wave of your confusion and panic to wash over the vampire king’s senses. His hand drifted up with hesitation. It hung in the air behind you.

Again you looked up at him frantically, desperately beseeching him for something. Your fists tightened in his lapels. The tears dripped non-stop, leaving clear tracks over your blood-stained face.

“Ahhhh…” Your voice was so small. You were small sitting there helplessly in his lap. Your face landed in his chest, smearing putrid filth over yourself, but you were uncaring of your state of cleanliness. Your hands shook as they gripped their anchor with need. You were safe now, you somehow knew this, but everything that happened was too much to bear. You couldn’t just get over what transpired tonight. You needed…

A cool, bare hand landed lightly around the back of your head, bringing you back to the reality that you were alive. Another arm draped over your shoulders gingerly.

Your loose limbs spasmed against a solid frame that surrounded you. It remained steady no matter how much you quaked. Its sturdiness became the only thing that was definitive, the only thing you were certain you could depend on to hold you up and not harm you.

You held on tightly to your lifeline.

-------------------- It felt wrong to touch you with his soiled hands even though both of you were stained from top to bottom. He figured it wouldn't make a difference, but he removed his bloodied gloves before making contact with you.

Then he sat with you for hours until your tears stopped. Eventually the sharp draws of air evened out as well and you were able to form words once more.

"Oh God, what did I see tonight?"

"It's no use praying to God, my Dear, He will not offer salvation. But I will do what I can for you," Alucard muttered, feeling subdued now that your cries finally died down.

“What were those things?” You whispered.

“...The things that chased you were ghouls, the undead spawn of the lone vampire who set his sights on you.” He was hesitant to tell you much more. You were a creature of the day, a daughter of sunlight, and wholly unsuited for the violent way of life at Hellsing.

After tonight, you felt you shouldn’t even be surprised anymore at finding out that not only vampires, but other damned creatures of fable also existed. The obvious question of whether Alucard can create ghouls as well didn’t cross your mind.

“Are they common? Ghouls and vampires?”

How much should he tell you? His lips flattened. After your admirable show of strength tonight, where despite the hopelessness of your hellish situation, you remained steadfast and never gave yourself up…he supposed you deserved some answers.

“You will not encounter them every night, but they are more common than you assume. Lately they have been more numerous than in past times, but they have been exterminated from your old neighbourhood.”

The night is dark and full of terror.

Understanding unravelled over the course of this night like the queen of the night’s bud in bloom. Your prior encounters with this vampire were not as random as they had seemed. Everything suddenly made sense.

“You said you were employed…what do you do?” The silence stretched out, but you had to hear it for yourself.

Molten pools of lava flashed. “I hunt vampires and ghouls.”

Everything now made sense, but the revelation that dawned tonight still shocked you, especially after what had passed. You studied his face curiously, your voice now hoarse… “All this time…you were protecting me from the shadows?”

“...” The liquid pools continued to twirl lazily as this vampire studied you quietly.

"Alucard, I-"

You were quaking again. You threw your arms around him and buried your face in his chest in relief. In spite of everything he did to you, by some miraculous stroke of luck tonight, you were alive, all thanks to Alucard. “Thank you,” you told him with heartfelt sincerity.

His eyes narrowed. The Nosferatu was not an altruistic being. Your gratitude was undeserved. You were right –he was selfish. You told him clearly that you wished for no further involvement with him, yet he didn't want to stay away.

He had dedicated abundant time to patrolling your former neighbourhood. Ghouls and lesser vampires were non-existent these days in your old area as a result of his efforts. After your move to the other side of London, Alucard had to make nightly hunting trips to pave the way for your safety.

He visited you on multiple occasions. One recent night, he had to dispose of a ghoul and vampire that stalked you. As he stood on your balcony to check on you after the fact, you tried fruitlessly to sleep, your fear so biting, he could taste it outside from the balcony.

Somehow it was wrong to him. He enjoyed your fear for the better part of the year, but for you to fear for your life when nasty ghouls and lesser vampires hunted you, it wasn’t the same as when he did it.

He growled, the unpleasant sense of having his territory encroached on pervaded. No one else was permitted to make you feel that way. He worried about what would have happened to you if he hadn’t arrived when he did tonight. It was why he dedicated so much time to following you home these last months.

Alucard shifted to move you from his lap, but you tightened your grip on his back. "No! Don't go!” Your words surprised you. “...Please don’t leave me alone tonight."

The vampire was tense. His first instinct was to remove himself, to self-extricate from this baffling experience. Instead, he tentatively wrapped an arm around your side while you eased back into his chest. He was confused from the mixture of your emotions roiling through his sinuses. You felt good in his arms, and he was somewhat pleased with you seeking comfort from him, but you remained frightened. After the battle, he was disoriented to find he still no longer relished your fear.

He put another hand behind your head to massage your scalp gently. This felt right. For the first time ever in memory, you trusted him. How strange it was to be needed by another person for something that didn’t involve putting a bullet in someone's head. Such an alien experience.

Time passed late into the night.

Eventually, you sat up in his lap with your body away from his as you stared at each other. The showerhead let loose a drop of water from its nozzle.

Drip.

Alucard backed you against the wall and bent down to claim your lips, to make sure for himself you were unharmed and safe with him. You must have been entranced too. Or possessed, whatever. But your initial instinct wasn’t to flee from this vampire.

Your vision landed on the specks of gore marring his attractive face. Sharp fangs peeked out from behind smooth lips. An image of that twisted monster who promised to do horrid things to you reappeared. He too had dagger-like canines like Alucard’s.

Before your lips met, your eyes widened and your breath hitched, and finally, you shied away from him. He let you go, brushing off the tinge of disappointment.

Much had happened tonight.

He may be a trigger-happy killer, but he can be a patient beast too.

~To be Continued~

Next Chapter: The Currency of the Soul

Notes: Yes this whole time in Alucard’s mind, his creepy stalking was just his way of protecting us from the other night critters he hunted during your rendezvous. He was just having some 'fun' with us while doing so.

He may still believe that what he's feeling is a mixture of obsession and possessiveness, but it's been more than that for awhile.

Now that some "misunderstandings" between us are cleared up and he's in better standing with us, the relationship with our favourite No Life King will escalate! I'm quite excited about the next few chapters!

The queen of the night is a cactus that blooms nocturnally for only one night. The flower is huge and very fragrant. It’s most commonly white and hence also called the “moonflower.” Because of its short flowering time, it is seen as a gentle reminder to cherish the important things in life because they may not last until tomorrow. In some cultures, getting to see this rare flower bloom is very lucky and considered a sacred experience. The queen of the night attracts pollinators such as bats and produces dragon fruit.