"Years later, in another place, he steps out of the dark and speaks to me. He whispers: 'I'll tell you the ultimate secret of magic. Any cunt could do it.'"
-Alan Moore, "Snakes and ladders"
Beyond the lines of reality
By Valkyrie Skye
The skies of London seemed to mirror the colors of the streets, gray and dark. The color seemed to have been leeched from every brick and cement of the buildings. The bright colors that lingered in the buildings and cars seemed to have lost their intensity within the gray atmosphere. Evidently, the colors of the streets seem to mimic the feelings that lingered inside young Integral Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing. Today is Sunday and church services have just ended. Integra closed her wool coat and grabbed her umbrella, walking side by side with her retainer Walter C. Dollnez. They both walked towards the exit when at the threshold, the reverend gently laid his hand on the young girl's shoulder "Miss Hellsing."
She looked up immediately, ice blue eyes staring at the reverends own pair, cold and calculating against warm and loving. The reverend bit his tongue, as he knew the origins of her current demeanor. "Miss Hellsing, allow me to express my deepest apologies on your father's passing."
"Thank you Reverend Rowley, but your apologies were well expressed at the day of the funeral."
He smiled and chuckled lightly "Indeed. Well, I still felt it was needed. You know my wife; she runs an after-school church youth center. Two hours of bible study, group interactions and activities and snacks. If you like, maybe I could sign you up?"
Integra gave a small smile "Thank you Reverend, but that's not needed. Fairly recently, I took up another activity that requires much of my time."
"Well that's good. I suppose anything is good so long as it derives your attention away from what happened recently."
The young girl smirked inwardly in disdain of this man's ignorance. If anything, her new activity brings more attention to her father's passing than away from it. It also brings more focus into a world that goes bump in the night. Fairytales of creatures and monsters to scare the children into obedience were very real and they lurk in the shadows and what's worst is that they are patient. They can wait and their numbers are unknown. But this man of the cloth would not know this. As far as he knows, demons and monster are in another world far away from us and protection comes in the form of a cross.
"I'll see you next week Reverend. Good day." She said quietly.
"Good day Miss Hellsing."
Integra walked onto the steps when Walter informed her that he'd be bringing the car around. She barely considered it as she nodded her approval. When he left she dreaded the notion of home. With all this thinking of monsters and demons, she thought of one close to her. Hidden in the walls and in mirrors, in the shadows of dark corners and behind her back. Her monster was everywhere she was and wasn't and protection from him comes from the form of a magical contract that was made since the days of her great grandfather.
Magic. Demons. Monsters. It's all bollocks. Fantasy. It was suppose to be a lie. It was suppose to be something you eventually grow out of and never believe in again, crossing over to the side of harsh, cold reality. Everything could be explained, could be solved through science and math. Magic did not exist it was not suppose to.
Integra felt very cheated. How do you turn back into reality after you have crossed over into the world of the unexplained?
"BUGGER OFF, YA FUCKER! Your beer taste like cat piss anyways!" yelled a man in a beige trench coat. He rushed out of a pub; the expression in his worn face was that of anger and disappointment.
The bartender stepped out "Sod off, John! I had enough of yer shit for one day!"
The man named John took out a cigarette and placed it between dry lips. Bringing a light towards the cigarette, he muttered, "You aren't the only one, pal-OOF"
He crashed into the little girl and due to his height; she went crashing into the ground, rear first. "OW! You bloody idiot! Why don't you watch where you're going!" she yelled making her sound undignified.
"Christ! Sorry lass." He said trying to take her hand. When John had a hold, she pulled away hastily as if to say his hands were too marred to hold her own. Integra picked herself up and fixed her glasses and when adjusted, she eyed the man more closely. His style was basic, a beige trench coat opened wide enough to see the red tie and the white button up dress shirt, regular khaki colored slacks and comfortable dress shoes to top it all off. He would look fine if his dress and his face didn't carry that same tired, worn out appearance.
"Are you alright, love?"
"I'm fine but you sir, you should know about paying attention to your course. I was right in your path, you had no excuse to crash into me like that." She said her voice was tight like a parent reprimanding a wayward child.
John's blond eyebrow arched slightly, his lips puckered a little "Aren't you the little uptight schoolmarm?" he said, finishing out with lighting his cigarette. He inhaled a deep puff and let it loose "Why do I get the feeling that you, my young lass, are not like other little girls?"
Integra scowled "I do not talk to perverts like you. Now leave me alone before you are in serious trouble."
She turned her head straight ahead, away from John. The man on the other hand seemed to look into Integra as if he was reading a difficult reading passage. John titled his head slightly and looked at the girl with eyes scrunched up and lips pressed together.
After a few lengthy seconds, Integra turned her head with much speed, fed up with the strange man's behavior "I told you to go away!"
Another puff "I'm sorry to hear about your old man. He was some talk amongst my circles"
Integra heart almost stopped. Eyes widen like saucers and her lips slacked just slightly. "Who the hell are you?"
The man shrugged and took another puff of his cigarette "Depends on whom you ask. If you want to know my real name it depends on how well enough I know and trust you."
Anger crossed the young girl's face "You mentioned my father. You must know a little bit about my family and knowing that, that warrants enough to know that your trust in me is sound." She said calmly.
He shrugged again "Your family's name is one thing, but its you I need to trust."
"Why are you being so difficult with your name?"
"Because, girl. Names are power. Names can bring you praise or trouble. You never tell anyone your real name lest you want them to hold power over you."
Integra rolled her eyes "Oh rubbish"
The man crushed out his spent cigarette and looked back at the girl again "Vampires fear the name Hellsing. To command fear by simply uttering your family's name… that powerful, child."
"STOP TEASING ME!" she yelled out not caring who stares at her "Stop it! I demand for you tell me your name this instant!"
He sighed, she went through so much and he knew damn well she wasn't much harm to him "John Constantine. Now pipe down before someone thinks I'm trying to take ya or something."
"John Constantine" she whispered in relief. "Integra Wingates Fairbrook Hellsing"
"Right then, good stuff." Then he extended a hand "Pleasure to meet ya, Integra"
The young girl looked at the hand, still fashioning it as if it were diseased. She raised her blur orbs at him again and down at the hand and shook it. When the two released their hold, Integra pushed her hands in her coat pockets and eyed him again. "So tell me, how did you know about my father?" Integra questioned taking a more investigative tone.
"I didn't say I knew him, I said I knew of him. He was big talk in my set of people"
"Your set? Do you hunt vampires as well?" she asked. Integra figured that putting in the word 'vampire' made her look foolish if he didn't know what she was talking about.
"Well no, that's not entirely me crowd but vampire 'unters and vampires themselves, well, they're part of me little special world. I've met many a bloodsuckers, they're an interesting lot. 'sppose they have plenty a years under their belt to shape their personality or whatever. Hell of a lot more interestin' than most humans I met, that's fer damn sure." Then he stopped himself. He looked at Integra and she had this look like if she was on a road traveling, she'd like to know where she's going. Or rather where he was going. John realized he's rambling and possibly boring this girl to death. "Ahem, sorry."
"Quite alright." She said. He was not like ordinary perverts, the type she hears about on the telly. Strange men who trick kids with candy or toys or cute animals and talk like kids to lure them into their trap. This man, John Constantine, he spoke to her like her father spoke to her, like an adult. No patronizing tones or condescending languages. This man was also like her father in that he was undeniably charming. His presence was influential despite his very worn out clothes and face.
"Well in any case, your father was something else. Sad to know he's gone." Then he turned a foot and walked off to another direction. Integra was instantly alarmed.
"Where are you going?"
"Hm? Ah, I have bit of a party to head off to. Not the normal, food-drink-bullshittin' around-with-friends type. It's one of those "status" parties."
Integra's eyebrows bunched together in confusion "You don't strike me as one for those parties."
"It's good to make friends in high places. Saves ya a lot of trouble, especially in my line of work." John paused "You can come with if ya like."
The girl shook her head and smiled slightly "I'm well aware of those parties. I don't think I'll be missing anything if I don't attend this one."
He shoved his hands in his pockets "These are special people, lass with more power than the Queen herself."
The young girl's breath caught in her throat. How can anyone be as powerful than the Queen? Was he telling the truth? And where was Walter with the car? She looked around the streets again. She frowned; something was very, very off.
There are no people or cars in the streets.
Where is everybody? Integra knew the streets were filled with people and cars and now, it seems like London is a ghost town. The only living souls are her and John. She turned to him "What happened to everybody?" she asked with concern in her voice.
"Damned if I knew. People got places to be or maybe we've stepped into some other reality. Shit like that happens sometime. I'm rather used to it, really." He said nonchalantly.
His eyes, Integra noticed, were blue however it is not the ordinary blue of a person's eyes but a different blue. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She tried to find the color but it's like catching an elusive butterfly, just when think you have it in your hands it flies away somehow. She hears someone talking and realized it was her and it was in her head.
Come Integra…
His eyes were more than the fathoms of the oceans depth.
Come to the world…
It was more than the artic ice on each end of the world.
Little girls like you are wanted…
And it held more secrets than what is really shown.
Come to the world were nothing and anything is possible…
Dangerous secrets. Secrets you can never turn your back on.
Go with the jester…
Secrets with a heavy price if she took the time to know it.
Go with the liar…
All in those unusual blue eyes.
And watch your back.
There's so much to say about the monster that lays in repose underneath the Hellsing Mansion. In the vampire circles, he is living idol. In the mortal circles, he is a fictional creature of legend and a nightmare children can only dream of. In his living days, he terrorized his people, and in his undead days he terrorized anyone he wished, seduced many women, and sired only a few worthy enough to be his fledgling. He lived and reigned and died. He lives as an undead and free, he was imprisoned and now he is enslaved. Forever tied to the Hellsing family, under magic shackles and chains and Hellsing blood.
The creature is Alucard and in daylight hours, he sleeps.
But out of habit, he always sleeps lightly. His young woman-child master is not home and it comforts him to feel her presence within him. When in home or away, the master and her preternatural slave are linked. A feeling within the monster that resembles much like a burning flame meant that his master is close and is all right. However this power is limited. The farther she is, the less he feels her presence. So in an alarming start, he woke up in the darkness of his underground dwelling.
Integra is gone.
How can such a strong burning presence disappear as if it was burnt out quickly and rapidly?
This disturbs Alucard greatly.
TBC
this is part one of a two part story. If i get some feedback, i'll put part two, otherwise, what's the point? oh and Hellsing and Hellblazer do not belong to me. One belongs to Kohta Hirano and the other to DC/Vertigo and although you won't see it in legal documents anymore, Alan Moore.
thanks
-V