17. Hellsing
HELLSING
T he rain hit the roof like the devil himself was beating down, trying to break in. Which wasn't far from the truth around these parts. It was cold, and relentless, a bit different than the hurricane storms we had in New Orleans. Each drop pounded harder than the last, mixing with the wind that howled through the huge redwood trees outside the Royal Bastards MC clubhouse.
The air smelled of wet asphalt and old wood, and my boots squished in the mud as I trudged up to the door. I could feel every inch of my skin soaked through, clothes sticking to me like a second skin. But the rain wasn't what had me shivering. No, it was something else. A weight. A pull. I could sense death nearby—lingering in the air, creeping under my skin like ice.
Saddle opened the door just as I reached for the handle, his eyes narrowing when he saw me standing there like a drowned rat. "Hellsing?" His deep voice rumbled over the sound of the storm, more confused than pissed. "What the hell are you doin' out here, son?"
I shoved past him, not even caring about the water pooling beneath my feet on the hardwood. "Virgil—" My voice cracked like thunder, barely keeping it together as I stumbled inside. The warmth of the clubhouse didn't even register. My mind was racing too fast, thoughts colliding, each one screaming to be heard.
"Hey, who brought you?"
"I came on my own."
"How?"
"I had enough money for a flight and a car into Port Townsend. I had to walk up the rest of the mountain."
"Holy shit, that's nearly ten miles, in this storm." Saddle shut the door and put an arm around me, guiding me further inside.
"Where's Virgil? He's in trouble. I know he's in trouble."
"How do you know that, son?"
"I can feel it. I just know it," I whispered.
"Everything is fine," Brim said as he watched me from is perch on the stool by the bar.
I grabbed Saddle's arm. "Virgil asked me to tell him when I found something. He told me not to go after it myself, but I did. I fucking did," I shook my head remembering what I had done.
"It ridiculed me. Said I'd never be able to save anyone."
"Who did?" Saddle asked.
"A demon. A shapeshifting demon."
"Whoa," Brim uttered.
"But I did, I was strong enough. I did save someone. But not before the demon confessed that something worse was coming after Virgil and me. And that death was lurking, waiting."
Saddle glanced over at Brim, a quiet exchange between them. Brim spoke first. "You're just exhausted, kid. How 'bout we get some food into you?"
"Something is really wrong in here! Can't you sense it?" I asked them. "It's like you can't breathe."
Saddle crossed his arms as he exchanged looks with the other brothers I'd met down in Louisiana. Guardian, Grim, all of them watching me like I'd just grown a second head. But before anyone could say anything, before I could even get the words out, Virgil walked in. And behind him—a woman I didn't recognize.
My stomach dropped.
"Hellsing? What the hell you doing here?" Virgil asked, concerned.
I could barely breathe as the room seemed to tilt around me. I took a step back, nearly tripping over my own feet. My finger trembled, pointing at her. "That thing… it's not human."
The air in the clubhouse thickened, the tension cutting through the sound of the storm raging outside. Virgil's brow furrowed, his gaze shifting between me and her. "What the hell are you talkin' about, Hellsing? I exorcized the demon out of her. I felt it leave her soul. She's fine."
"No!" I shook my head, my whole body trembling. "She's not right. There's something wrong with her!"
I couldn't look away from her—couldn't stop seeing the shadow that clung to her like a second skin. It wasn't just the fear from my premonitions anymore. It was real, tangible. That shadow loomed around her, twisted, grim, and behind it, I could see hollow eyes, empty, watching us all with an eerie calm. A scythe gleamed in the dim lights of the clubhouse. Death had claimed her. I could feel it.
I ran to Virgil, grabbing his jacket, my voice raw with desperation. "You have to get away from her! Can't you see it?"
Virgil shoved me into a chair, firm but still calm, like I was the one losing it. "What's goin' on with you, Hellsing? You're talkin' nonsense."
"You can't see it?" I rasped, looking around the room, hoping one of them— any of them—would back me up. But all I saw were confused, questioning eyes. "I'm the only one… I'm the only one who can see it."
I saw it in my dreams, too—night after night, the same damn thing. Virgil, torn apart, piece by piece, while she stood over him, hollow-eyed, smiling down at him in fake adoration.
"You told me," I muttered, my voice low, barely a whisper. "You told me to tell you if I saw anything. I'm tellin' you now. I've been seein' things… dreams, premonitions. Horrible things. Where she … kills you."
Virgil crouched in front of me, his face softening, concern creeping into his eyes. "Calm down, kid? You look like you're about to pass out."
I shook my head, my eyes flicking back to Barythaya. "She's not who you think she is. That thing… it's not her."
Virgil's expression hardened as he glanced at her, his voice low. "Go back to the bedroom, I'll handle this."
She smiled—cold, calculated. "I can help him, Virgil. Maybe he just needs a woman's touch." Her voice was too sweet, too rehearsed.
" Go, " Virgil snapped, sharper this time.
For the briefest second, her smile faltered before she turned and walked back toward the hallway. But the shadow stayed. It clung to her like smoke, disappearing into the darkness after her.
Virgil grabbed my arm, pulling me up from the chair, dragging me toward the back of the clubhouse, away from everyone. "What the fuck are you doin' here, kid?" His voice was low, tired. He shoved me into a small room, flicking the light on.
"You told me to reach out if I heard anything," I said, trying to catch my breath. "There's something wrong with her. I can feel it, Virgil. Death is in her."
Virgil's jaw tightened, and he rubbed a hand over his face, looking more exhausted than I'd ever seen him. "I know."
My heart stopped. "You know?"
He slumped into a chair, running a hand through his hair. "Death took over her body. I've been tryin' to figure out how the hell to fix it."
I stood there, numb, my mind reeling. "What are you going to do?"
Virgil looked up, his eyes dark, filled with something I hadn't seen before. "I don't fucking know, Hellsing."
Silence hung heavy between us, the storm outside pounding against the walls of the clubhouse. I could hear the wind howling, lightning crackling in the distance. It felt like the whole world was coming apart.
"I've been seein' things," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Premonitions… but worse. I'm not just seein' them anymore, Virgil. I'm walking between worlds. Sometimes I can feel them. Demons, spirits… they know I can see them. And they're waiting."
Virgil's face shifted, his eyes narrowing. "You see them? You can walk between worlds?"
I nodded, my hands shaking. "It's not just demons. It's everything. The dead, the in-between. And every time, it feels like I'm closer to not comin' back."
Virgil's jaw clenched. "There was a priest, years ago… he could do what you're talking about. Walked between worlds. He taught me a lot. But he got too close one day. Never came back."
The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. "I'm not gonna let that happen to you," he said, his voice firm. "You need to leave."
"I'm here to help you."
"You can't!" He shouted. "You, as well as I know, that neither of us is strong enough to exorcize death."
I swallowed hard, the cold dread pooling in my stomach. "Exorcize Death? How the hell do we do that?"
Virgil stared at me, his eyes hard, determined. "I don't know. But I'm going to figure this out alone."
"You know I can help you. Let me stay," I begged him.
"I'm already dead, kid, and halfway to hell. You don't have to follow me."
I shook my head. "You don't understand. I've already been there."
The storm raged outside, and as he looked at me, a flicker of realization surged in his eyes. He had no choice. I was his way in, and we were both walking a thin line between life and death. The only way out was through the darkness.