VAN HELSING 2: THE DEMON'S RISING

Anna sat up in the trees watching Van Helsing sit down with his back against a mighty oak. Furie was off doing who knows what, and the others were asleep by the fire. As Anna watched her love, she noticed something different. Although Van Helsing appeared the same on the outside, she could tell that something was wrong. After a moment of considering, she soon saw what it was and felt guilt.

Even months after his assignment in Transylvania, Van Helsing still loved Anna. He had a certain air around him that hid his feelings from the rest of the world. His life was now simply nothing more than his work, almost as if he never wanted to register emotion again.

"Why? Why can't you just let me go?" Anna asked aloud to no one. She felt his pain, for she was going through her own as she hid herself.

"He loves you, Anna. You can't change that." came a voice. The princess turned to see Furie, once again in her black cloak and pants instead of the torn dress.

"How long have you been there?" Anna asked.

"Not long." Furie replied with a shrug. She soon made her way to Anna and sat down, looking up at the sky through the tree's branches.

"There's not a lot to look at. It's only a bunch of stars." Anna said, soon finding herself looking up as well.

"That's your opinion. Sometimes I wish I was up there." Furie said.

"Why? You have a job, Furie. One you assigned to yourself. Don't you want to fulfill it?"

Furie turned to her. "You've got no idea what it's like being me. I want to finish my task, but I also know that the longer I stay in this world, the longer I plague mankind. Have you ever felt that way? The longing to end your life so that others won't have to endure the pain you give them?" she finished with a small bit of emotion in the last few words.

Anna wanted to say that she had, but truth be told, she hadn't. When her family hunted Dracula, she never seemed to be a burden. Her people didn't appear to mind her source of attracting trouble with Dracula's brides or the vampire himself.

"I suppose I haven't." she said.

"That's what I thought." Furie said.

"However, I do know what we both share." Anna said, returning her gaze to the stars.

"How so?" Furie asked, also watching the night sky.

"We both carry a burden no less than the other." Anna answered. "Yours is to destroy the people who turned you into an archdemon, and mine is to make sure Van Helsing stays alive."

Furie considered this. "I suppose you're right." she said with a smile. "Maybe if we survive, you and I could find a way to bring you back." she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I may not know what it's like being a shape-shifting ghost, but I do know what it feels like to dream of being human again." Furie said. "There's another thing we have in common. We both want to be free of being what we are."

The two soon realized that as they carried the conversation through, they acted not like women who were both on a dangerous mission, but as two regular girls. They laughed, they spoke about each other, and shared secrets. It was almost like they were sisters.

Van Helsing could see Furie's shadow in the tree. He wondered what she was up to, but didn't want to bother her, lest she remained angry at him. He soon got up to tend to the fire, but was held back and pulled behind the tree.

Anna heard the noise and changed into Shadow. Furie pulled her dual-blades. They didn't realize who was there until two people crept up from behind and grabbed them. Shadow was stuffed in a bag and Furie was tied up and forced into a line where her freinds who also had demons behind them. It didn't take long for more or them to appear behind Furie. Before them stood Amelia and William, who grabbed the bag that held Shadow.

"That's surprising to see you. Our brother spoke so much about you." Amelia said when she opened the bag. She then saw Van Helsing, struggling to break free. William grabbed him and pulled him next to them. With a nod from his head, swords appeared at his friend's throats.

"Come with us, and they'll be spared." Amelia said.

"Van Helsing, no!" Furie cried. She watched as Van Helsing slowly nodded. She kicked, she tried to light a fire in her hands, only to get a slap in the face by the man holding her.

"We take the three." William said, and soon Carl was at his side. Another nod from William caused the men to strike their prisoners in the head, knocking them out. Van Helsing bowed his head as he was half-dragged, half-shoved into the night...

"Furie, wake up!" intruded the black abyss of unconsciousness that Furie fell into. Her head throbbed in pain as she got up. She looked into the eyes of Antonio as he helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Where's Van Helsing?" Furie asked, ignoring Antonio's question.

He took while to answer, as though he was pondering what to say. "They took him." he whispered. Furie's mind went blank. Her anger towards Amelia and William grew. She felt her fists clench, but it didn't do much good, for the grass about her was now on fire.

Antonio's eyes grew wide. "Furie..."

"WHAT?" Furie yelled, enraged. She then noticed how hoarse and low her voice was. It was almost a growl. She looked down at herself and her eyes went wide. Her hands had become claws. Her black cloak was now a mass of black fur. She bore a smile when she saw what she had become.

"AAH!!!!! WEREWOLF!" came a cry. Furie turned to see Millie and Tom, huddled against each other. Furie laughed, changing back to normal.

"I think I just found out my other power." she said. With her newfound strength, she felt power surge through her veins.

"I going to find Van Helsing." she said.

"You're crazy!" Antonio said. "They'll kill you! You don't even know where they are! They probably left to another fortress by now!"

Furie then had an idea. She changed into a werewolf again and focused. It took a while, but she soon found the scent she was looking for.

"I'll track them down easily!" she said as she changed back. "If anyone wants to save the world and hopefully acquire a way into salvation, come with me." she said.

At first it seemed no one would cross, until Millie rolled her eyes and went right next to her. Tom came next, ruffling Furie's hair. Antonio seemed to back up for a moment, then saw Furie's determination. Her eyes were flames, blazing with a fury unlike anything he'd ever seen. He soon found himself next to her.

"It ends here!" Furie yelled...

Meanwhile, Van Helsing was having his own problems. After walking throughout the night, he felt a little more than weary. He barely noticed where they were going until he felt a wooden bridge below his feet. He looked down and saw a massive pool of water, filled with a strange black liquid. His mind raced back to what Antonio told them about it.

That's their blood. Van Helsing thought. Please Furie, don't come here. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the fortress in front of him. It was larger than anything he'd ever seen. Soon, the massive door opened, revealing a large hallway. Amelia and William opened one of the doors, which lead to a set of stone stairs. They motioned Van Helsing to climb down them. The monster hunter did not object. As he went down the stairs, he heard the voices from the lower level. When he reached the bottom, he saw what appeared to be a dungeon. Cells lined the walls, people screaming from the inside. They looked like they had been in there for years. He soon found himself inside one of his own, Carl shoved in next to him. A guard let Shadow loose from her bag and into her own cell.

"Why would Shadow get her own cell?" Carl wondered.

"I'm not sure." Van Helsing said.

"We don't know much of Amelia and William's ways of running things. But we have to get used to it." came a voice. The two men whirled to see a boy inside a cell next to him. He looked no more than fifteen, with light brown hair and dark eyes. His parents were huddled in the corner. The father had gray hair and the same dark eyes as the boy. The mother had light brown hair and bright blue eyes. Something about those eyes seemed familiar...

"I'm Collin." the boy said. "We've been in here for five years."

"What's it like in here?" Van Helsing asked.

"Like you're in the Devil's lair itself." Collin replied. "Cruel, frightening, and you're unaware of your family that you left behind."

"Who did you leave behind?"

The boy turned to him, sadness in his eyes. "My adoptive brother and my sister..."

"Who were they?"

"I doubt you might know them."

"Yet I might."

"Their names were Gabriel and Victoria." Collin said. Van Helsing soon remembered Furie's chain.

"Did Gabriel have a chain around his neck that said his name?"

"Yes. Why? Have you seen him?" Collin's eyes brightened.

"No, but I think I might have seen Victoria. Does she have brown hair and blue eyes?"

"Yes! She should be twelve now. She'll be thirteen soon."

"Has she been turned into an archdemon?"

Collin shuddered softly. "How do you know?"

"I've seen her! She can't remember her past at all, not even her name! She goes by Furie."

"You're serious? Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Van Helsing." he replied. Collin's eyes grew wide. Even his parents seemed to hear his name. But before they could say anything, a guard had grabbed Van Helsing's arm and pulled him out of the dungeon. Collin's family began screaming out to him. Shadow went ballistic in her cage, tying to slip through the holes through the cell. But it was too late. Van Helsing was gone, leaving to bring back the one person he never thought he would ever see again.

We failed. I failed you... Anna thought...

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