What the actual fuck. I fell back, my head landing back on the pillow, my phone falling out of my hand onto the duvet with a soft 'thump'. What the actual fuck. I really thought Alucard would catch a break this season and of course I couldn't have been more wrong. So, so wrong. On so many levels. I loved tortured characters as much as the next fangirl but this... Even Hector got the better deal out of the two. And he's a vampire's pet now.

I groaned, realizing it could be another year before I knew what would happen. Hopefully Sypha and Trevor took a much needed trip back to visit their friend before he became his father. I didn't hold out much hope. The seasons just seemed to get more brutal each time.

I picked up my phone and checked the time. Oof, two in the morning. I had to be up in five hours to go to work. I groaned again. Honestly, I would rather go through the torture of watching season three again than the torture of working in that understaffed hellhole. Maybe I should call in sick? Was death by feels a valid excuse? It should be.

I threw my phone onto the floor. It didn't even make a sound as it hit the soft carpet. Slipping my body underneath the warm blankets, I thought of Alucard, replaying that broken moment where he wept for a second time. Alone. I understood how that felt. The isolation, with no shoulder to cry on. I always admired narratives that seemed to know the deepest and darkest parts of me, like there were people out there who understood. I had yet to meet any but at least there was hope.

I closed my eyes, heavy now with sleep and I could have sworn a saw sparks of pink and turquoise but as I fell into the darkness of sleep.

…

I woke falling. I yelped as I hit a branch, it snapping and letting me fall and break another. And another. And another. I hit the ground painfully on my side. No doubt I would be black and blue within the hour. The sunlight stung my eyes, my brain feeling like it was fizzing. What the hell? I didn't have any other words for it than that.

I was lying in a forest, the leaves lush with leaves. I could hear the flow of a stream or river somewhere and the rustle of the leaves in the breeze. I might have enjoyed the sight of my surroundings if I hadn't just been in my bed not so long ago. Where the bloody hell was I? How did I get here? I tried to think who would want to pull a prank on me but no one came to mind who would go this far. Actually that was a lie, Lenny would but he was on holidays with his girlfriend right now so he couldn't have. I peered down at myself. I was still in the pajama shorts and tank top I had fallen asleep in. I felt my face with the tips of my fingers. Yep. Still the same enormous nose. There was no mistaking that. I pinched myself. Definitely felt that, so this wasn't one of those 'and it was all a dream' scenarios like the ones I had read in books. It was a crappy ending but I would rather that now than the reality I was being faced with.

I looked around again then stood up and looked again. I looked up, trying to see if there were any buildings past the tree line and I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the grass. I saw what could only be described as what a spooky castle and alien ship baby would look like. The colossal structure rode high into the sky, is eerie structure taking away some of the peacefulness of the landscape. I couldn't shape the feeling that I had seen something like it before. Other than that the forest offered no signs of life so despite my better judgement I headed towards the structure, curiosity and my debilitating need for clarity keeping my steps steady.

I wrapped my arms around myself, the slight breeze raising goose bumps on my exposed skin. If this didn't turn out to be some sort of drug concocted illusion, I swore this would be the last time I wore such light clothing to bed. If I was going to land in a forest, I wanted to be warm. I would also at least wear socks. I glanced down at my bare feet, the grass tickling my toes.

I eventually broke through the line of trees and out into open space, the horror space craft fully visibly. I screamed.

There was a giant doorway and at the bottom of the steps on either side were two bodies, a young man and woman skewered on spikes, their white garments ruffling in the breeze. I fell to my knees and covered my mouth with a hand, my body trembling uncontrollably. The point of the stakes shot out of their mouths, their blood still fresh and dripping from the slices across their throats. It had fallen and stained the earth beneath them.

What had done this to them? And why despite the unending horror I was feeling, did this scene look so familiar?
It didn't matter. Even I could put two and two together and know that this was not a place I would be finding help in. I scrambled to my feet, turning and stopping myself from running myself through on the long blade that hovered in front of me.

"Who are you?" growled a voice from the treeline, a figure moving from the shadow of the woods. A tall man with flowing golden hair and golden eyes appeared, a scowl on his pale face, his fangs glistening dangerously-

Wait, FANGS?!

"Please…" I said because what else could I say with the point of a blade that was probably longer than I was tall one sharp intake of breath away from skewering my throat. What could I, a girl in her light pjs do against a guy who was giving off some serious vampire vibes. Not the pretty Twilight kind, though he was quite beautiful. More the 'one wrong word and you'll end up on a pike' kind of vampire. The Dracula kind…

Everything suddenly clicked. The weird alien castle, the two dead bodies and now this vaguely familiar man. But…there was just no way.

"Alucard," I said without thinking and the point of the blade pressed on my throat. I could feel the sting as it pierced my skin and the blood that slowly rolled down my neck. This was dangerous.

"How do you know my name?" Alucard hissed, his brows creasing more, his fangs looking more and more threatening the closer he moved towards me. I tried to think. I couldn't tell him, "Yeah I know because I watch the show all the time, no biggie!" That would no doubt go down terribly, probably resulting in my death.

"Answer me," Alucard growled, his face so close to mine, his fangs feeling dangerously close to my throat.

"You defeated Dracula, didn't you?" I said, the words out before I could think them through.

"Yes," Alucard replied no less threatening.

"I-I heard of you. I heard that you stayed here," I bullshitted, trying to wrack my brain for any scrap of information I could remember from the show. I knew I should have watched the first two seasons before jumping into the third.

"From who?" he questioned, obviously not believing me.

"Just some travelers."

"That's unlikely."

I didn't deny him. I couldn't bullshit a college essay never mind a reason for my life to be spared.

"Please." I said again, tears filling the corners of my eyes.

"I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here. Please, I'll leave. I don't want to die."

Alucard visibly appeared to soften at my plea for mercy. The sword drew away from me, and instead went to hover behind him, point down to the ground.

"What is your name?" he asked, his voice softer but still holding its edge.

"Wren," I said, my voice trembling while my cheeks turned red. I hated my name. I put a hand to my throat to staunch the bleeding. The movement caught Alucard's attention and I saw something flash in his eyes. Guilt maybe? It was there and gone too quickly for me to tell.

"I'm not going to kill you, Wren," Alucard said eventually and on instinct I turned to look at the two speared on pikes. Sumi and Taka. I realized that who I was facing was the broken Alucard, the one who would probably kill me if I so much as put a foot out of line.

Alucard followed my gaze and said with anger but sadness, "They left me no choice."

I knew that. But I also know that what Sumi and Taka had done to him had taken a toll. Alucard was more like his father after that, resorting to his old violent ways. I didn't know if I could trust his words. Trust was already an issue for me. But Alucard didn't know that I knew what happened. I needed to pretend I was none the wiser.

I nodded, keeping my eyes to the ground. A strong wind blew through and I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Which is a terrible idea when you have a hand covered in blood. I smeared it on my arm. The stickiness of it made me feel ill.

I could feel Alucard's eyes burn into me, like he was studying me. Trying to find a threat in me no doubt. Good luck with that.

"Come inside. There are clothes you can take," he said, not waiting for my reply before walking towards the grand wooden doors his long sword zipping ahead of him. I hesitated, thinking about running but deciding against it. He'd catch me and kill me before I knew what was happening.

I followed after him, walking past Taka and Sui's corpses. I wanted to vomit. Their eyes were gone and their blood was everywhere. I walked quickly by, feeling my heart beat with panic and into the darkness of Dracula's castle.