Night Warriors

Two Weeks Later

Van Helsing, Catherine, and Carl quietly approached the forests on the edge of town. A full moon gave them enough light to see by as they walked boldly into the dense trees. Or, rather, Catherine and Van Helsing walked boldly; Carl, on the other hand, was visibly shaking from head to toe.

"Van Helsing..." he whimpered loudly.

"Keep your voice down, Carl," Van Helsing warned as he braced his crossbow, now loaded with silver-tipped arrows, over his shoulder. "We're as good as dead if they hear us..."

"B-But I t-thought I-I was only i-in charge o-of the b-b-books," Carl whimpered. "I-I didn't t-think I w-was actually g-going out into the f-field! I thought w-was why C-Catherine was w-with you..."

"Oh, come on Carl, where's your sense of adventure?" Catherine asked as she too braced her crossbow over her shoulder. "You'll be all right, I promise. We know what we're doing...don't we, Van Helsing?"

Van Helsing nodded as he led the group deeper into the forest. The dirt path beneath their feet became more twisted and wilder the further into the woods they traveled. Finally, it split into two paths, both leading in opposite directions. Van Helsing brought the group to a stop where the path split.

"Which way do we go?" Catherine asked, stepping up next to him and glancing down both paths.

"I'm not sure," he responded. "Either way could lead us there..."

"Then we split up," Catherine said logically. "You and Carl take one path, I'll take the other."

"You're all right by yourself?" Van Helsing asked as Catherine turned to take the right-hand path.

Catherine nodded. "I'll be fine. Anything gives me hell-" She shifted her crossbow slightly. "-And I'll give it hell..."

She turned and strode down the right-hand path. Van Helsing watched her until she disappeared from view, then, he turned and began down the left-hand path, Carl right behind him.

---

To her surprise, half an hour passed with no sign of werewolves. Catherine continued deeper into the forest, finally emerging in a clearing. She glanced around warily, then sat at the base of a tree, setting her crossbow next to her. She leaned her head back so it was resting against the tree's trunk and closed her eyes.

A rustle of leaves and heavy footfalls nearby reached her ears. Her eyes snapped open, and she was on her feet in an instant, crossbow raised and ready to fire.

She spun in a tight circle, taking in her surroundings...but she was still all alone. She sighed, then lowered her crossbow.

I must be paranoid... Catherine thought.

Suddenly, she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. She stiffened, turned slowly, and opened her mouth to scream...

But that scream never came.

---

Deep in the forest, Van Helsing set his crossbow aside and leaned against a tree trunk, crossing his arms across his chest as he did. Carl was a few yards away or so away, examining a footprint he had seen on the ground that looked suspicious...

It had been maybe an hour since they had left Catherine at the split in the path, and he was starting to get a little nervous.

While he had no doubt in Catherine's ability, he was worried. Werewolves were no laughing matter when it came to fighting them.

What if Catherine's in over her head? What if she's trying to fight a werewolf by herself-? Van Helsing shook his head. No...Catherine will be all right...

Van Helsing's ears, which had been tuned into his surroundings, picked up the sound of
footsteps nearby. They sounded rather clumsy, as if whatever was approaching was staggering around.

He reached for his crossbow, and, he had it up and ready to fire just as Catherine came staggering through the trees.

Van Helsing raised his eyebrows in surprise at his partner's appearance. Her face was smeared with something that looked suspiciously like blood. Her clothes were ripped, and they also appeared to be stained with blood. Her right arm was wrapped across her stomach, her right hand, also covered in blood, clutching her left side. Her left arm hung at her side, essentially dragging her crossbow. She was out-of-breath and panting heavily. She looked as if she had...gotten in a fight...

"Catherine, what happened to you?" he asked as she stumbled towards him.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she assured him. But, given her appearance, Van Helsing didn't really believe her.

"Catherine, I don't think you're fine..." He took a step towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder. However, she pulled away roughly.

"I told you, I'm fine!" she snapped. She turned and started back towards the direction they had come from. However, she hadn't taken more than two steps when she stumbled, fell to her knees, then collapsed to the ground, twisting and landing on her back as she did. Van Helsing hurried over, only to be met by a shocking sight.

Catherine's arm no longer covered her stomach, revealing a huge rip in her corset and blouse right across her stomach. Beneath the rip, all that was visible was blood, a strange dark red color. There was also a large gash on her right arm, running from her wrist to her elbow. Van Helsing realized that those wounds must've been the reason she'd kept her arm across her stomach...keeping them carefully hidden.

He swore under his breath. Why had she lied and said she was fine? Clearly, she really wasn't...

A whimper caught his attention. It had come from Catherine. He saw tears sparkling in her eyes and more trickling down her cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry, Gabriel..." she whispered. "I...I shouldn't...have lied..." She gave a small gasp. "Oh, God...it hurts..."

"What happened?"

"A...a w-werewolf...He snuck up on me..."A shaky grin crossed her face. "That m-means we
found them, t-though...or at l-least one..."

Van Helsing nodded, then swore under his breath again. He had been trying to stop Catherine's bleeding, or at least slow it, for a few minutes now, but it hadn't even begun to slow.

"Carl!" Van Helsing called. "Come here! Now!"

Carl hurried over, his robes rustling, and he gave a horrified gasp when he saw the extent of Catherine's injuries. "Oh, my God!"

Van Helsing nodded. "I know...we need to get her back to Strenotia...but first we need to deal with all the blood..."

There was a loud ripping noise, and Carl handed Van Helsing a piece of brown cloth that looked suspiciously like it had come from his robes. Sure enough, the ends of Carl's robes were ripped jaggedly in one place.

A few minutes later, Catherine's wounds had been temporarily bandaged. However, Catherine herself was unconscious and in too bad of shape to walk all the way back to Strenotia. So, Van Helsing gently picked her up, Carl grabbed their equipment, and they both headed back towards Strenotia.