Night Warriors

The forest was dark. The full moon shone brightly overhead. And there he was, in the middle of the forest, waiting...

Then, he heard it...the crunching of twigs. Someone was approaching. He fingered the hilt of his sword, prepared to draw it if necessary.

A lone figure stepped into the clearing. Her pale-ish skin glowed under the moon, and her hair shone. Her eyes were mysterious and enchanting, practically dancing with life. She wore a beautiful black dress that exposed her slender shoulders. She held out her hand...her eyes seemed to call to him, begging him to come while not speaking a word.
She smiled, and he began to walk towards her. It was if she had him under a spell...

Van Helsing sat straight up in his bed. His tiny cell of a room was dark. Outside, a clock chimed out that it was six A.M.

This was a familiar dream for him. And yet...he had no idea who the mysterious woman was. All he knew was that every time he tried approaching her, he would wake up...and the small, triangle-shaped scars on his back always hurt when he woke up from that dream.

"First decent night of sleep in no-one-knows-how-many-days and I have that dream," he muttered to nobody. He sighed, then laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

At least it wasn't that dream about Anna, he thought miserably to himself. It had been nearly seven months since Anna's death, but Van Helsing still thought about her every day. And, in his dreams, all he ever saw was her last moments before her death.

Someone knocked on the door. Van Helsing stood up, walked over, and opened the door to find an unfamiliar friar outside his door.

"Monsieur Van Helsing?" the friar asked, his voice carrying a thick French accent. "Cardinal Jinette...he wishes to see you."

Van Helsing sighed on the inside. What could Jinette possibly want now? Van Helsing had just gotten back from his last assignment less than nine hours ago.

"I'll be there in a little while," he said.

"He wants to see you now," the friar responded.

---

As always, Cardinal Jinette was in his little office, behind his desk. The door had been left open, so Van Helsing saw no need to knock. Cardinal Jinette looked up as Van Helsing entered the room.

"It is about time," he commented rudely, laying his pen down.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Van Helsing shot back sarcastically.

"Anyways...we have another assignment for you."

"Already?" Van Helsing asked in a mix of surprise and a little frustration. "I just returned from an assignment."

Cardinal Jinette either didn't notice that fact, or he didn't care, for he continued to speak, "It is a simple assignment, really...a small village in South France has been terrorized by a vampire for nearly two months. Only one vampire...can you handle it?"

Van Helsing gave a grunt. This was just like Jinette, sending him to take care of creatures, claiming he was "answering God's call for his life". All he was really doing was collecting the trash of the world.

However, Jinette took this grunt as a yes. "Very good, then. Carl should be ready with your equipment."

Van Helsing took that as his dismissal, and left Cardinal Jinette's office.

---

As always, Carl was down in his little corner in the armory. And, as always, he was tinkering with something when Van Helsing found him.

"Ah, good morning Van Helsing!" Carl squeaked cheerfully.

"I fail to see what's so good about it," Van Helsing replied less-than-cheerfully. "But good morning to you too, Carl."

"Another assignment?" Carl asked. A glare from Van Helsing was all he got for a response.

"Another vampire?" This time, Carl actually got a curt nod from the sullen monster-hunter.

He grabbed a bag and began to load it full of garlic, holy water, crucifixes, and stakes.

A smile came from Van Helsing. "No need to pack half the armory, Carl...it's only one vampire."

"Oh," Carl said sheepishly as he began to unload some of the things from the bag. "Do you still have your crossbow?"

Van Helsing nodded, holding it up for Carl to see. Carl nodded, then continued to pack. Within minutes, he was done, and he slung the bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Carl," Van Helsing said. "I'm going alone this time."

With an embarrassed grin, Carl handed the bag to Van Helsing. They said their good-byes, then Van Helsing shouldered his crossbow and left the armory through the secret staircase.