Disclaimer: Hellsing characters belong to Kouta Hirano and Studio Gonzo.

Author's Notes: This is a post anime set fic (yes, finally I'm writing one of those, despite the manga being far superior) with several manga elements (Yumiko and Heinkel in future chapters). About pairings, there's probably none. Tension will be around as the anime but I don't have plans to anything explicit yet. Anyway, criticism is welcome, keep in mind this is only the prologue.

Special thanks: To keelin who edited this chapter.

Nothing but Shadows

Prologue

- As dawn arises

Spun, turned the corner, ran. Spun, turned the corner, ran. Spun, turned the corner, ran.

The reflexes were automatic after hours and hours of the same motion. Her articulations were instructed to keep going and to never look back. No matter how tempting it was, if she stopped, if she dared to peer over her shoulder to watch her persecutor, she would be dead. Seras Victoria had placed the stakes too high in the unspoken bet.

She paused a second to draw breath, inhaling deeply the oxygen to fill her dead lungs, before renewing her stroll. Seras was fully aware that she no longer needed to breathe but she wanted to, anyway. Such human acts made her feel less a monster than she had become.

Seras froze her steps, facing a dead end; trapped as a rat inside the silver labyrinth. Everything holy, every object, burnt to her touch.

Ticktock, ticktock, the hands of the antique clock hidden in a corner pointed to twelve. The bells tolled announcing the Witching Hour.

Time to die Seras Victoria, they mocked in her head. The Big Bad Wolf had dressed himself as a Holy Man. Grandmother and the Huntsman could not aid Little Red Riding Hood any longer.

What big arms he had!

All the better to capture her!

What big legs he had!

All the better to chase her!

What a loud laugh he had!

All the better to frighten her!

What long knives he had!

All the better to kill her!

Seras trembled at the sound of the cackling and at the self inflicted phobias that her mind played against her. She would not give up, that is what killed people. But - she had learned that even the mighty could fall. Even the wilful could be crushed in their crusades.

Armed only with her stiff upper lip, she braced herself, ready to face Anderson. She could distinguish his long silhouette charging in her direction. His eyes remained hidden behind the glasses. He was preaching something in Latin or Greek. Seras could not care less; languages had never been her forte.

Swallowing loudly, Seras extended her arms, assuming a defensive posture when her foe threw bayonets towards her. Suddenly a wall appeared in front of her, shielding the attack. Seras sighed in relief. She was safe; Anderson would not find her. No one would know where she was.

She tried to retreat. Another wall blocked her way, from her left and right they popped out. And she screamed until there was no strength in her vocal cords as she hit the sides of the box.

Curiosity killed the cat but merely trapped the kitten.

A crystalline liquid poured inside the small cell. Her skin was set aflame by the contact. Seras cried out in pain as the holy water engulfed her system, until it burnt her tongue and lips before she clawed out her eyes, unable to tolerate the intense pain.

Ding Dong. Game over.

Ding Dong. Seras lost.

--------

Seras' eyelids fluttered open and stirred in a violent manner. She checked her body quickly, hands wandered from her face to her legs. The only liquid was the blood splattered on it that had already dried days ago. She sighed, for an instant she could have sworn her heart started to beat again and was pounding out of her chest. Seras had thought that vampires would not be able to dream. She was obviously mistaken - or she was the exception of the rule.

Her arms were shaking; still affected by the nightmare.

Seras leaned her head further on the moistened wall that supported her body as she was convinced that the dream was nothing but the product of her imagination. It's not real, Seras, assured herself, scanning her surroundings full of despair: the dark, murky cell she had occupied for the last few days remained the same. I can't decide which one is worse, reality or my nightmares. Tears menaced to fog her vision, as she recalled what happened not so long ago.

Seras Victoria embraced her legs closely and waited for the night to arrive. She loathed waking as the dawn arose.