Midian Evolution

The riverside seemed such a good place to pick up scum.

I threaded my left arm through Master’s, and conquered my basic aversion to Anderson well enough to give him my right one. He, too, shuddered, but allowed the contact. Master had made him smaller before we left, and a lot younger-looking, so he fit in well enough. He looked like he could be my brother.

“I smell prey,” I said, catching a pulse of blood, lust, and covetousness from behind. I even felt the taint of the mind behind all the hormones and sheer want. He was a child predator, all right, and sorely in need of a fix. I suited what he liked.

“He isn’t far,” Master assured, leaning in to drag his cheek against mine. The smooth-to-smooth contact made me weak in the knees. “Keep walking. The soiled priest and I will break off in a moment, seemingly distracted by these vendors set up alongside the waterfront.”

“How can ye tell he’s what ye seek?” Anderson swallowed hard, and his pulse raced.

“I can just smell it,” I said, holding onto him tighter. “Concentrate, Angel Dust, and scent his want.”

We walked into the throng of vendors and buyers. At the moment Master let go of me, Anderson gripped me harder. I looked up at him, startled. “What’s wrong?” I asked while Master hovered close, watching.

“I…” Anderson gritted his teeth. Suddenly, he let me go and gave me his back. Joining my master, they both bled into the crowd. Alucard’s amused, soft chuckle sounded in my head.

He forgot you didn’t need protecting, he explained. Despite knowing what you are, he can’t help but respond to your physical youth. He was momentarily afraid for you, Sotia Mea. Anderson took his work with children and his orphanage very seriously. His love of little ones is what got him excommunicated, remember? He didn’t want Maxwell using his charges as fodder for the Regenerist program.

Then, let him watch, I sent back grimly. I didn’t have the patience to coddle the man right now. I was hungry. I needed blood. I needed hot, fresh, evil blood that I could let slide down my throat without a twinge on conscience. I’m going to eat the man that follows me. Anderson should understand what we are, Master.

I understand and agree, Sotia Mea, Alucard said. But, forgive the priest for hanging on to what he understands; by that weakness, we conquer him and bring him to our side.

I’m too hungry for that!

Master’s faint disappointment hit me harder than any blow. He sighed inside me. Sotia Mea, remember what I taught you. Never lose your surroundings, your vulnerability in the anticipation or enjoyment of a kill. Consider the bigger picture. Your hunger will always be with you. Attend the higher agenda.

I remembered how he’d shoved me off of a man to remind me of this very lesson. Shame filled me. I felt tears starting in my eyes, brought on by failing him. I’m sorry, Master, I said. Forgive me.

Another sigh. Seras, he whispered. You’re an exceptional vampire, but you’re still a very new vampire. Take my lesson and go on. I won’t see you any less for having the bloodlust take you. I welcome it, in fact, for it proves to me you’re strong. Another sigh. Let go, Sotie; enjoy the kill. Drink.

Spurred by his sanction, I turned to face the man coming down the sparsely populated embankment. He was neat, a businessman, to all appearances without censure. Squeaky-clean.

“Hi,” I said, affecting shyness.

“Hello.” The man walked close, but not too close, coming to stand within a respectable distance but still pushing the envelope within personal boundaries. “Where did your companions go, little girl?”

“Oh, they went to look at the wares.” I sat down on the very rock Master and I had sat on to wait the first time I hunted, letting my legs dangle and swing. “I hope they bring me back a sweet.”

“I have some mints,” the man offered, reaching into his vest pocket.

As soon as he unwrapped the plastic, I smelled something strange. The creep drugged his candy. He’d done this before. Who knew how many little girls he’d abducted and molested? Well, he targeted his last.

“I’m not supposed to take candy from people I don’t know,” I said primly, playing the game. Master and Anderson had moved underneath the bridge. I could feel them watching. “My brother won’t like it if he comes back and sees me talking to you. My boyfriend won’t like it, either.”

“But, I’m harmless.” The man smiled at me. He offered a mint. “Go on, little girl, have a piece.”

“Uh-uh,” I shook my head. “Vlad and Alex would throw fits.”

“Vlad? He’s the one dressed a lot like you?” The man put his candy back and cast a glance around to make sure we were still alone. “How old are you three?”

Good god. The man thought he could get all of us.

“I’m fourteen, Vlad’s fifteen, and Alex is sixteen.” I swung my legs, and his eyes were drawn to them greedily. “We skipped our music lessons, but don’t tell anyone.”

“I wondered why such young people were out alone at night.” The man came a little closer. He was enjoying this, I could tell by the gleam in his eyes. “You wanted to go shopping and hang out in an exciting area of the city, eh?”

I caught a flash in my mind of a screaming girl, this man on top of her. Sweating and grunting, he raped her. The vision ended as quickly as it had started, leaving me mortified and livid. The scum was remembering his last victim, excited by the prospect of getting me, too.

“What’s wrong?” he asked me.

I smiled. “Oh, nothing,” I said in a sing-song voice, though I felt I’d started to tremble. “Would you like to meet my brother and boyfriend? We could hang out together.”

“I’d really like that,” the man answered. “My name’s Raymond.”

“I’m Seras.” I toyed with my hair a bit.

“That’s a pretty name.”

Master, I’m bringing him under the bridge.

You want Anderson and I to get a closer look? Master chuckled.

This one raped and killed an eight year old girl. I want his death to take a long time.

“Thanks, Raymond. Come on, I think they went under the bridge; Vlad likes to spray paint.”

“A naughty boy, eh?” Raymond laughed shortly, as if amused at that idea.

I nodded. “Vlad’s always in trouble.”

We started walking. I smiled up at my disgusting companion. “You know, Vlad and Alex will probably let me have some of your candy if you give it to all of us. You wouldn’t have a flask or something on you?”

“I’m always ready to share.” Smugness just radiated off the animal. Now he thought he could drug us all in one fell swoop. He thought he’d have three playthings instead of just one.

Master and Alex stood together, watching us approach. I put my arm on Raymond and smiled at them. “This is Raymond. He has something to share with us.”

“Really?” Master smiled.

Raymond brought out the tainted candy.

We could take him back to Hellsing, Sotie, if you want to draw this out awhile, Master offered while taking what Raymond presented.

Sir Integra won’t mind?

Anderson also took a piece of candy. He smelled it, and I saw his green eyes go flat with disgust.

Sir Integra won’t care. She won’t even notice. We’ll destroy the corpse when you’re finished.

All right, then. Let’s take him with us.

Raymond’s eyes gleamed with delight when my master and I each took one of his hands. “What’s this?” he asked. “You two in the mood for some adult fun?”

Anderson began to chuckle. It was such an evil sound it made the hair go up on my nape. Even Master cast him an appraising look.

Raymond began to look uneasy. His eyes darted back and forth a few times between all of us. “What’s he laughing about, Seras?” he asked me.

“Who knows what priests find amusing?” I said. Master had already started to transport us. He took Anderson’s shoulder and made him stand closer.

“Priest? He’s just a kid playing dress-up, like you and Vlad,” Raymond protested.

I smiled, showing Raymond my exceptional teeth. “You’re right; he’s an ex-priest. A sanctioned priest couldn’t run with vampires.”

Raymond didn’t have time to react before we all stood in Master’s quarters. Alucard gave us back our forms, his making him grow as he strode to his throne chair.

You might let the paladin play with him a little, too, Sotia Mea, he said. I’m quite encouraged by his signs of adaptability.

Yes, Master. I’ll take some blood first, though.

Yes, do that. Anderson won’t leave enough inside the body. Master sat down, opened a bottle of wine, and poured.

“What the fuck?” Raymond tried to jerk away from me. “How the hell did we get here?”

“Devil-aligned darkness, that’s how,” Anderson took the only other chair, the one meant for me when I visited. “They picked you out as a child molester. You’re food for vampires.”

Master poured a glass for Anderson, too. The two men adopted similar poses, one leg thrown over the knee of the other, glasses in hand.

A show for them, but dinner and a show for me. Fine.

“There’s no need to pretend innocence,” I said to my meal, backing him up slowly toward a wall. “I can see into your mind, you filth. How old was she? Eight? Did you give her the drugged candy beforehand?”

“I…I…”

Raymond attempted to run past me. I snagged him before he could travel far, and slammed him down onto the floor. “You sicken me.” I wrenched his hair back while holding him down with a knee to his spine. “All you’re good for is dinner.”

Sotie, it excites me so much to see you like this.

“She really targets pedophiles,” Anderson murmured. He didn’t direct his words at anyone in particular, nor did he really ask a question, but his interest seemed plain enough. “Why?”

“My Sotie needed a reason to kill humans,” Master said while I continued to bend Raymond into an unlikely position. “She hangs on to her dwindling humanity.”

I cast a glance at my audience. Those two certainly looked cozy, sitting there drinking wine while I displaced all of Raymond’s vertebrae one by one. The blackness of the killing frenzy started settling behind my eyes, prompted by the wet, snapping and popping under my hands and all the lovely shrieking noises.

You seem to favor ruining the spines of your prey, Master mused.

I ignored him and wrenched Raymond’s hands behind his mangled back. He screamed, flopping like a landed carp. His tainted candy rolled onto the floor, along with the detritus living people carried in their pockets.

“How many?” Anderson asked. “How many has she killed?”

“This is only her second, outside of the freak hunting we do for Hellsing,” Master informed.

I found a small pocketknife in all the mess. Using my hair to bind Raymond down, I picked up the knife and opened it. Serrated blade. The moment I touched it I got the impression of it being used to cut little girls. I hadn’t felt my retro-cognitive psychometry since Master and I visited that Scottish castle.

“Please, god, let me go!” Raymond shouted, but none of us paid any attention.

I took off one of his fingers and drank from the bleeding stump, tasting sweet terror and pain in his blood. I could drink from him a long time this way, and I felt tempted to, but I hadn’t hurt him enough. I summoned one of Master’s empty wine glasses and filled it before sending it back.

Thank you, Sotie.

I barely heard him. Knowing he wouldn’t mind if I didn’t pay strict attention to him, I put my focus back on Raymond. The man’s sniveling and tears disgusted me. His little victims had cried, too, but he’d just enjoyed himself. I was the higher predator now, and I’d enjoy myself much more than he ever had.

I flipped him onto his back. He screeched and went rigid. I heard one of his broken vertebrae saw through a nerve, and his left arm went useless. Drawing back, I punched him in the face, stomach and groin. Blood flew, splattering Master’s already stippled walls.

Raymond fainted.

I couldn’t have that.

I slapped my prey awake, and all the while I sent hot, mental seduction to him. In moments he had an erection, which was what I wanted. Had to have full length of it before I cut it off.

Good, Seras, good, Master praised. You were paying attention when I toyed with Sir Islands and his convict.

Master’s praise was the most potent aphrodisiac. The she-beast in my chest began to uncurl and writhe. I felt hot. My fingernails grew into claws and my teeth extended past my lips. My hair grew and grew, lashing out around me as if in a wind storm.
I shredded Raymond’s clothing, leaving him naked. Just the sight of that hateful, child-plundering dick in front of me made my crazy for the kill. I didn’t want to play anymore.

Master, I can’t draw this out!

There’s no reason for you to, Seras. You’re hungry, and this worm can never actually feel all the pain you think he’s due.

“Why is she hesitating?” Anderson asked quietly. His voice, subdued and barely audible, nevertheless resonated in my head, reminding me of what I wanted him to see. I bent my head and tried to control myself.

“My Sotie wants to punish her prey, but her hunger makes it difficult,” Alucard replied in an equally low voice. “You can’t know, paladin, the intense desires of a Midian. All of our senses are acute, our appetites an on-going famine. It’s worse for Seras, because she won’t kill randomly to satisfy herself.” Master drank of his wine and the blood I sent him, smiling at the fallen priest. “But, isn’t she glorious in her struggle?”

My master, the tempter and the downfall of many, chatting with a fallen priest as if they sat to tea…

I smiled and used my fingernails to sever Raymond’s balls. He screamed so long and loud I heard it as a song. But, his child victims hadn’t been allowed to do much screaming, so I stuffed his bleeding sexual organs in his mouth. In the next swipe I took off his cock.

Ahh, Sotie. You know, if you focus, you can keep it from wilting…

I took that idea and made it work, rolling Raymond onto his stomach again and ramming his own dick up his ass.

“Sweet Mother Mary,” I heard Anderson rumble. But, I didn’t hear much disgust.

I sank my teeth into Raymond and drank until he bled white. His blood tasted like liquid gold, swamped with all his agony and terror.

Drunk with power and satiation, I rose up and stretched. Instead of letting my claws retract and my hair fall back to normal, I took a long moment to admire myself. I licked leftover blood from my hands as a cat bathes itself, then sucked my nails one by one until none of the glorious taste remained.

My eyes fell on Alucard. The she-beast inside me purred at the sight of him. The sound left my soul, generated in my chest and poured from the back of my throat. His eyes half-lidded as he listened to me, and when he raised his glass of wine I saw him shiver in delight.

I next looked at Anderson. His heart slammed inside his chest as our eyes met. “I meant to share,” I told him. “But, I forgot.” I felt terribly wicked, gloriously without conscience or care. “Next time, I’ll remember you like to play, too.”

My master chuckled in appreciation. He clapped his hands together and Raymond’s body erupted into flames, leaving nothing but greasy ash in seconds. “Man’s timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,” he intoned richly, “for the Woman that God gave him isn’t his to give away.”

That sounded like a poem…

Apt.

I left the two men, intent on getting a bath in my lovely tub. Being a killer was one thing, but a girl still had girly things to do…

*Alucard is quoting The Female of the Species, by Rudyard Kipling* http://www.potw.org/archive/potw96.html