Loving A Monster (Van Helsing)

Fourteen || Biting Cold

Every step echoed off the stone cold walls of the damp castle, like a constant heartbeat as the three heroes followed after Igor. Anna was pushing Igor forward, pincers still in hand while Carl followed, mumbling under his breath. Shade had fallen behind so that she could watch their backs from an surprise attack. She had begun to feel the itching of the full moon, the werewolf in her dancing under her skin in a desperate attempt to find a relief, to break through the control she had built over all these years. It made her mind wander to Van Helsing, he must have found Dracula by now, must be feeling the effects of the moons pull against his humanity. Was he in pain? Was he even alive?

She shook her head, not wanting to even think about losing the man she had ever loved, it was hard enough letting him go on his own. Suddenly,she bumped into Carl's back, snapping back into the present, only to see that the small group had come to a stop outside of a open room. The gate was lifted, the room dimly lit by candles that had nearly burnt down to the last of their wicks. Nestled in the centre room was a clear glass ball atop a pedestal, filled with what looked like water and a single syringe, holding the cure Igor has told them about. Igor is the first to try and step into the room, yet a hand shoots out to grip his arm and pull him back towards the group, causing him to stumble and look at Anna.

"I'll go first."

Igor gives the woman a nasty look, one that is returned by the Romanian princess Anna before she enters the tower, on alert as her eyes dart around the room, heading for the syringe. Despite the windows being barred shut, there is no other entrance, which means she wouldn't be able to make an easy escape if she was suddenly ambushed. Shade was next to enter, acting as a guard for Anna, despite her dislike for the other woman. The blue haired female sniffed the air, sensing nothing but them. She clicked her tongue at Anna to get her attention, offering the other a reassuring nod that it was safe for her to go for the orb.

Carl watched them both with great interest, sadly allowing Igor to sneak behind him, using his heal to kick the Friar into the room. The gleeful cackling of the grotesque man and the surprised yelp of their friend caused the two woman to spin around, watching as Carl stumbled into the room and fell to the hard stone floor. 

 "Stay as long as you like." He wheezes, pulling a lever on the wall that they seem to have missed, a metal grate crashing down to trap them in the closed off space. "Bye-bye!"

They all watched him skip away from their now prison, Shade moving to help Carl back to his feet, allowing him to dust himself off. For a moment, they stare at the door, each wondering on how they could have let their guards down around someone who would clearly betray them. With a shake of her head, Shade turned towards the syringe, followed by Carl and Anna as they stepped up to it, examining it closely.

"Well now what? Do we just grab it?" Shade voiced, looking between her companions.

"Go ahead, grab it." Anna urged Carl, probably hoping that a holy man wouldn't get hurt by any possibly curses that the sphere had.

!You go ahead and grab it. Ifthere's one thing I've learned,it's never be the first one tostick your hand into a viscousmaterial." Carl retorted, earning a knowing laugh from Shade.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Shade's neck stood on end, coldness rolling over her as a shiver snaked down the length of her spine.

"Smart boy." A sickly sweet voice piping up behind them.  

Carl practically jumps out of his skin, bumping into Shade as he tried to scramble away from the vampire, while the hunter turned sharply, letting out a low growl. Anna grabs Carl andjerks him further away from Aleera, pushing him behind the huge jar as some form of extra protection.