The following day I find the courage to mention my strange meeting with the huge dog-like creature to Christopher. Who, to my surprise, didn't seem at all concerned by my tale. He shrugged it off and commented that I was possibly over-stressed. He pointed out many times that animals were not permitted on the property, with the exception of Lola, and that there were plenty of guards and cameras around the place to pick up any abnormal activity or intrusions.

You've been through a lot, Amy. It's all right to be confused sometimes, but I promise you, nothing is going to happen. No one has seen or reported anything. Trust in that.

And so I did, or rather, I tried to. Sometimes I would catch a glimpse of something in the corner of my eye, or a sound as though something was hovering outside the door to my room. I willed myself to ignore it, to trust in Christopher and put it down to my crazy imagination.

Until night time came again and something strange began to happen...

A knock sounded at my door and I pause mid-brush of my teeth, frowning into the mirror in my en-suite bathroom. With the toothbrush still hanging out of my foaming mouth, I walk towards the main door and open it. I half expect to see Christopher on the other side, ready to give me the results for my blood tests this morning. Only…

No one is there.

The hallway stands empty, silent as a grave. Only a few lights on the wall illuminate the area, the rest of the house is in complete darkness.

Odd.

I start to swing the door closed again and it barely connects with the frame when a knock comes again. Louder, more insistent. The sound vibrates through the wooden panel, tingling against my fingertips still hovering on the handle.

I yank it open again, stomach lurching. Yet again there is no one standing on the other side. I am beyond perplexed. What the hell is going on?

Still dressed in my new jeans and a long-sleeved grey shirt, I move out into the corridor, peering down each end. Shadows lurk in some of the corners, but I can see clearly enough to know that there isn't a single soul or being to be seen. I start to step back into the room, only to stop at the sound of a floorboard creaking to my left.

A shiver ripples down my length and caution prickles at my nape. I throw aside my toothbrush and wipe at my mouth. All the while my eyes seek out the source of my unease.

"Hello?" I call out softly, keeping my voice low, very aware of the fact that everyone else in the house is fast asleep in bed.

No answer comes, so I begin to quietly creep down the corridor. I ascend up the short set of steps. The foyer is like a luxurious cave, with magnificent paintings lining the walls. A huge curving staircase leads up towards the first floor of the manor. The marble flooring beneath my feet chills my toes through my socks.

Empty. The entire space was empty, there wasn't anyone around.

I rub at my brow almost laughing at myself. Perhaps I was tired after all? Maybe I was imagining things? I sit on the bottom step of the grand staircase, trying to get a firm grip on my senses. I could have sworn I'd heard something...

"You're going crazy, Amy," I mutter to myself, pushing the hair back from my face with a sigh.

A rush of cool air comes out of nowhere and assaults my back. I stiffen, hearing a sound behind me. A gentle swoosh, followed by a light huff of air.

I rotate my head around to look up towards the top of the stairs, not really expecting to see anything. I shoot up with a start, a shriek clogging in my throat when I see the massive four-legged beast prowling there. Only this wasn't made of stone. It was a real living creature, making its way very slowly down towards me.

Muscles ripple and move under inky fur. A long full tail whips from side to side steadily like that of a cats. A long muzzle lowers, it's golden eyes narrowing on me with the precision of a predator.

"Oh my god..." I breathe, jerking back away from it.

Where had it come from? It seemed to have appeared literally out of nowhere. It looked exactly like how I remembered it from last time. Frightening and magnificent. Deadly yet beautiful, in all its otherworldly glory.

It draws nearer, far too close for comfort. Taking no chances, I start to inch carefully towards the archway that leads back to the lower levels.

A blur of movement penetrates my sight, so fast like a moving train. A large shape leaps down over the bannister, landing with the stealth of a tiger to the floor right in front of me, blocking my escape route.

I jolt to a stop, my entire body tightening, ready to start running should it try to attack me. It's golden eyes sweep over me, almost in a lazy fashion. It's tail flickers back and forth as if… playful?

I tilt my head, taken aback by that. The beast, with intelligence in its sharp gaze, mimics my gesture, inclining its head too.

What the…

"What do you want from me?" I don't know why I ask it such a question. I mean, it's not like the thing can actually answer me. It was the equivalent of asking a goldfish what it wanted for dinner; I feel foolish beyond words.

The creature jerks its head and begins to turn away from me. The small motion appears eerily human-like, as though it was urging me to follow after it.

No, Amy. I shake my head, pinching my arm slightly for clarity. That can't be right, it can't understand you, it's a-

A low growl rumbles through the dimness and I startle, my inner thoughts silenced instantly. The creature, whatever it is, seems to grow impatient with me. Halfway down the steps, its luminous eyes slide back towards me, the silent command lingering there hammers at my mind.

Come...

Was I really going to consider this? Good lord, I actually was. I should have been running for my life, but a thought gnawed at me. It hadn't tried to harm me in any way. Not yet, at least. Nor had it given chase when I'd fled from the maze the other night.

A small dose of relief hits me and I relax somewhat. If it wasn't trying to hunt me then why was it here?

As my mind goes over the possibilities, my legs are moving of their own accord, trailing after its black form. At one point, I even pass by my own doorway. The creature goes left and then takes a right turn, as though it knew exactly where it needed to go.

I kept at a distance, hovering behind it, somewhat wary in case it decides to turn around snap at me. Its huge paws and jaw were nothing to sneer at. Without a doubt, the beast could easily snap me in half with one single bite.

My new companion slips down a narrow passage and I pause there, looking down a steep incline of stone steps. They drop straight down, seeming to venture deep into the earth itself. There is no light waiting at the bottom, only endless darkness. I hesitate, listening for any sign or sound of my furry friend, but there is nothing, only a deafening silence. A gust of wind rushes up at me, whipping at my clothes and hair. Teasing. Whispering.

Come...

I take the first step down, then another one, and then another. Each one is steep and my knees bend trying to climb down them. I reach out and my palm finds a smooth cold wall. I can't see a thing.

As though willed into life by my very thoughts, a soft glow appears, illuminating the room that awaited below. Once I finish my descent I peer around. The room, whatever it is, is long and narrow, with a few softly flickering candelabras mounted on the wall, their flames casting an eerie glow against the aged stone. There are no furnishings, as such, only a long high-backed chair and a small table resting beside it. No décor or paintings line the wall. No lush carpets lay underfoot. Every inch is barren and empty, devoid of life and colour.

"Hey," I call out, my own voice rebounding like a shriek to my own ears. I blow a light shaky whistle, searching for a shape amongst the gloom. "Here girl… or boy… whatever you may be." I proceed further into the space, shivering from the iciness of it. "Where did you go?"

Unease nudges at me, insistent that I take heed. There were no doors or exits, except for the one behind me. There was no other way in or out. So where had it gone? The thought makes my skin prickle in warning.

I start to turn, keen to leave, but then my gaze falls upon the tall throne-like chair. A sense of deja-vu hits me, hard. Although it wasn't exactly the same, the size and design of it reminded me of one I knew very well. Of a time when I would kneel beside a set of boots, a smooth hand stroking at my hair.

"The world has abandoned you, ma belle. It has discarded you, measured your human life and found it worth absolutely nothing. Only death and misery."

I approach it, unable to resist. I stare at it, bulldozed with a horrible sense of longing that I found as distasteful as dirt in my mouth.

I shake my head, fighting it. No. I wasn't that person any more. I wasn't a blinded child or under the thrall of another. I was me. Myself. Completely and utterly.

My focus slides away, trailing across the bleak floor before coming to a halt upon something in the corner. A large rectangular box of some kind. I walk towards it, intrigued one moment and in the next stunned. No, it wasn't a box. It was a coffin. Its wide and long shape lay horizontal against the ground, huge in size, seemingly made for a giant. The smooth darkened wood reflects some of the candlelight, giving focus to some sort of lettering engraved upon the front.

Curiosity wins and I lean in to read it.

"Bird of the Hermes is my name," I slowly read it aloud. "Eating my own wings to maketh me tame."

What did that mean? Did it belong to the blonde woman, Seras Victoria? Or perhaps… Alucard?

I shiver, leaning back away from it as though it might bite me if I got too close. Mixed emotions surge through me. For many years Lucius had made me lay at his side in his own coffin; him, a full-grown male vampire, and me, nothing more than a child. In the darkness I would feel him against me, the chains around my wrists rattling as I fidgeted, frightened, not daring to close my eyes to sleep. Each time I would fear the worst; that he'd attack me in such enclosed space and I would be helpless, never to awaken again. At the same time, it was the safest place to be in the world. Safe against the world he had so determinedly said had abandoned me.

Not many would dare to touch a vampire's bed; it was absolute law amongst their kind. To do so was a great disrespect and at risk to your own life, undead or not.

"Amy?"

I give a small shriek, spinning to find the owner of that soft, feminine voice standing directly behind me. Seras' red eyes delve into me, wide and clearly surprised to see me. The fabric of her uniform clings to her like a second skin. Her fair fringe moves as she tilts her head at me in disbelief.

"Christ!," I breathe, my heart hammering. I place a hand there, willing it to calm. I'm almost certain she can hear it. "You scared me."

"What are you doing down here?" She moves closer, crimson eyes sliding around the room as though searching for something. Not afraid, per se, but alert. Expectant.

"I..." I begin and then falter.

'I was following this huge ghost-dog and it led me here'...Yeah, I doubt she'd believe you, Amy.

"I'm sorry, I got lost," I say, keeping my expression empty.

I notice hers turns to one of uncertainty and then she motions for me to go to her. "Oh erm… well, that's Ok. Don't worry. I can help you back to your room, it's not a problem." Her usually light tone is tight. "I'm surprised that you manage to find your way all the way down here. You should be more careful, these sections tend to be rigged with traps for intruders. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

Wait, what? Traps? I blink at her, confused. I hadn't come across any of them. Not one.

"It's a rule that Sir Integra is very particular about," Seras says, turning away from me, walking towards the stairs. I follow after her, catching her faintly muttered words. "… and he doesn't really like people being in here either."

Who was she talking about?

"This part of the house belongs to my master." She rubs at the back of her neck, smiling awkwardly. "He erm… doesn't exactly like people invading his space. He's a very solitary and private creature."

Alucard. I nod, the puzzle pieces slotting into place. So I had been right then? The coffin did belong to him after all and these were his personal rooms. The revelation, for some reason, sent a slight trickle of wariness through me. No wonder it was so cold and empty down here. It was more like a crypt.

I'm broken out of my wanderings by Seras ushering me towards the staircase. Once we reach the top, back to the safety of the manor again, I am hit with a strange wave of relief.

"Why are you awake? Can't you sleep?" Seras asks, walking at my side as we venture further down the corridor.

"No." I pause, quickly correcting myself. I didn't want her to think I had been purposefully snooping around. "I mean, yes. I was trying to find my way to the library and forgot where it was."

"It's easily done." She smiles, leading the way. We draw to a stop before my room, the door still slightly ajar. "I know how it is. When I first came to Hellsing it took me a while to adjust and remember where everything was as well."

I nod, crossing the threshold into my sanctuary before turning to offer her a shy smile. "Thank you, for walking me back."

"You're welcome and good night." She waves at me and the simple gesture makes her appear remarkable human.

I offer a short wave in return and then close the door. I lean back against it, thinking deeply. My eyes scan the shadows, searching, expecting something to be there, only there wasn't. I was completely alone.

The creature... Where was it now? Once again, it had disappeared out of nowhere. Maybe it really was a ghost? Perhaps some kind of terrifying spirit animal from hell come to pester me. And maybe that was why no else could see it? There were so many possibilities and I had so many questions. My curiosity was like a poison threading through me, needing answers.

Despite my growing unease, deep down, I secretly hoped that it would return again tomorrow.

I wanted to see it again.