• Chapter One: Fetal

    Age Four.

    Today was the first day of kindergarten. He awoke and instantly hopped out of his bed, tossing the Power Rangers bedspread on the blue carpet floor. He ran to his parents room and knocked on the door eagerly, awaiting the first moment in his coming school years. The little boy was about knee high, messy jet black hair, and glistening brown eyes. He was more asleep than awake, but nothing could prevent his ambition, not even father time.

    After a few minutes he became restless. Now he knocked a little harder, shaking with anticipation. A few more seconds passed until finally he heard a loud clanking sound, like something had been dropped onto the floor. He could hear movement-sluggish movement- and then the door slowly reeled open opened.

    "What is it Alucard?" The woman standing on the opposite side of the door asked the little boy. Her words were slurred, and she rubbed her eyes a few times while waiting for an answer to her rude awakening.

    "Mommy, it’s time for school!!" Alucard responded excitedly, mispronouncing several of the words. He was not yet an adept speaker. Nonetheless he could hardly contain his growing restlessness.

    "That’s not for another..," She checked the wall clock. "Six hours! Now go back to bed sweetie."

    'Six hours? That's a long time to wait...' He thought in his ever-expanding mind. What could he do to pass the time? It was impossible for sleep to over take him once again...so now what?

    Alucard walked back to his room, his energy sullied with depression. He lay in his bed thinking of how school would be. His first day; He couldn't wait. At some point within the middle of his thinking, Alucard fell back into peaceful slumber. He was curled in a ball with his thumb in his mouth and his arm wrapped around a blue pillow.

    A loud sound cracked through the infant’s ears and his eyes snapped open. It was still dark out,-something he had not taken care to notice before- so why would he be awoken...especially like this? Alucard looked about, but was frozen in both vexation and slight fear. He was about to sit up when he heard another ear splitting sound. Afterwards, he heard two deep voices coming from outside of his room, in the direction of his parents room. Alucard waited until it would get silent again.

    Soon the young boy heard rushed footsteps charge into soundlessness, as if the feet that caused the sounds were leaving. He heard the sound of an opening window and then the house became silent once more. Would Alucard risk getting up now? He was still in fear of what the sounds were, and to whom the deep voices belonged.

    Finally Alucard decided to get up. His legs were trembling under the weight of his small frame. The boy took slow, easy steps to make as little noise as possible. After a while of this he finally reached his parents door. It was wide open, and a slight draft spilled through. As the small child peeked his head into the room, his mind twisted and contorted inside his skull. The view he saw was too graphic for his mind.

    His father lay dead against the wall, a bullet hole through his skull and blood still gushing down over his face and his open eyes. His mother lay on the floor face down with her head towards the open door where Alucard stood. His motor skills seemed to vanish and his mind was shot with emptiness. Then, suddenly, there was movement. His mother began to tremble slightly. Maybe she had survived after all!

    Alucard’s eyes widened with gruesome fear as his mother lifted her head and upper torso. A bullet wound was at her throat, and blood was spilling out freely from the gaping hole, and her mouth. It seemed she was trying to speak, but only gargled sounds and blood chunks emitted from her mouth and throat. The look in her eyes was terrifying and pained, as if she were suffering a great deal. Seconds later, her head slammed down onto the blood stained floor and her body became still.

    As a child, Alucard had died. His eagerness, his anticipation, his joy, his thoughtfulness, his kindness, and every aspect that drove him to be an innocent child had died. He was now a near empty shell, home to only madness, grief, and pure insanity. Though this was yet to be assumed, for he fell out of consciousness and onto the floor; a pained, twisted look about his small face.

    Chapter Two: Malice

    Age Six.

    Looking out the window, the young boy known as Alucard remained motionless. He hadn't moved since that night two years before. He now lived in an orphanage, sitting in a chair in front of a large window. He never moved, never sneezed, never blinked, and never even seemed to breathe...yet he was still alive. Most kids knew not to go around him, for the look about his face was always the cause of their nightmares. An insane, distorted look.

    One day, a new orphan was brought to the orphanage. He was a curious little boy named Charley, and didn't know that he should stray away from Alucard. Being so curious, he walked up to the twisted one in the chair and stood beside him. The face on Alucard had not sent the boy away, surprisingly. Charley was persistent in asking childish questions, but the lifeless shell of Alucard never moved. Growing angry, as normal little boys do, Charley slapped Alucard across the face to see if he would make any notion to move. A grave mistake.

    Slowly, Alucard's head began to turn to the boy’s direction. His face grew more distorted and evil as his neck cracked and popped, grinding on its many bones. As his eyes met with Charley's , Alucard launched forwards and pinned the boy to the ground. His teeth were bared, and he was screaming horribly. Charley too, was screaming, but out of pain and fear. Alucard stabbed his thumbs into the Charley's eyeballs, pressing them hard and squishing them against the back of the boy's eye sockets.

    One of the workers at the building tore Alucard away from the bleeding, and now blind boy. Once he was picked up, the sadistic child growled, bearing extended canine fangs. He then licked the blood from one of his thumbs before he was tied to a chair tightly.

    Age Eleven.

    A child, now of eleven years, sentenced to an institute where he can carefully be watched over by qualified nurses, was named Alucard. His mind had not come to terms with the horrific night seven long years ago. Medicals still insisted that his subconscious has forced him into a state of hollowness that can never be filled. Once a young mind is contorted, there is no cure, and no solve. Yet, since the child had no home, no known relatives, and no Care service legally allowed to remove him from the premises, the institution was forced to watch over him. It wasn’t a difficult job. The frightening little child simply sat in his chair, entirely upright, hands sternly on the arms of the chair, and facing the solid white corner in the far end of the room blankly. None of the nurses had ever seen him move, not even to the spot where he sat day after day. When he arrived, he was placed on the bed that was now never used. Most think he moved during the night out of fear of being forced to stay on the bed. It was a conclusion met more easily than any other.

    “Breakfast time, child.” An elderly nurse sang as she placed a TV dinner tray over him with a bowl of chicken-pot-pie. The aroma was enticing, and the steam from the hot soup flowed through Alucard’s nostrils. At least this was a sign that the horrid little child still breathed. Perhaps it was a negative sign, meaning he wouldn’t die of suffocation, and the nurses would have to look after him for years to come. He was a horrifying addition to the room, and made all who entered feel a heavy discomfort.

    The boy gave no response at all. He never did. In fact, Alucard had never finished, or touched for that matter, a single piece of food or water since he had arrived. It was baffling, and even more unsettling, to wonder how he was alive. Since the institute was fairly new, and structured in brick, rats and any other kind of vermin were out of the question. It was just a case unsolved, and a case no one wanted to solve.

    Later that night, after the nurse had taken away the uneaten food with a grimace, the room was once again empty, and nearly pitch black, save for the blue glow from the moon that entered through the window. Alucard stood from his chair, his bones cracking and popping loudly from a day without motion. The boy allowed himself many rotations of his body to pop bones that didn’t crack by themselves. Alucard walked to his window and peered outside. He was three stories into the air, and had a view that gave him a distance to look over. He did this every night, reminding himself that the nighttime was a time he could trust, and the daytime –especially the morning- was a time that he should never again take lightly.
    After six straight hours of staring out of his third story window, the boy sat back in his chair, facing the corner, his eyes open, and unblinking.

    “Oh, my GOD!” The elderly nurse cried out in a true seizure of despair and fear. She had come into Alucard’s room at seven AM as usual to bring him a breakfast he wouldn’t eat, but instead came to find something that would cause her heart attack.

    Alucard was no longer facing the corner with a blank look upon his young face. He was turned entirely around so that he faced outwards from the corner, but he and his chair were mounted upon the ceiling of the institution room. His face was no longer bare, but harbored a sinister smile that seemed so surreal that it would come from the mind of a man good with clay moldings. The nurse who had witnessed this unholy scene now lay, heaving and grasping for a heart that would soon refuse to beat, her worst nightmares bested. Her voice was no longer, for fear had taken her in. She, instead, attempted to claw out her own eyes with the hand that wasn’t attempting to re-animate her slowing organ. Instead of screaming, she groaned horrifically as a mentally handicapped patient would. All the while, the boy simply sat there, as if gravity pulled the opposite direction, with the same paranormal smile on his young face, watching her die slowly.

    Chapter Three: Asylum

    The malicious young child changed locations several times since the murdering of his parents. Due to the tragic trail of bodies the boy left in his wake, no renowned institution would have him within its walls. Yet, thanks to America’s strict Humane Society laws, Alucard had to go somewhere and the only building willing to accept him was a mental hospital some place in the South East; An asylum, if the public still called it that. Yet, to Alucard, it was just another box.

    The men who brought Alucard to his padded-cell lacked any sort of compassion. He was light, and the large men dragged him about like a rag doll. Of course, Alucard could do nothing. He was wrapped tightly in a vest that anyone would recognize. The kind of vest the human mind automatically connected to an asylum.

    Upon arriving at the thick, dark-wooded cell door, one man reached out with a bulky arm and grasped the steel door-handle and pulled hard. With a rough scraping sound and the loud grinding of joints, the door swung open. The opposing side of the door was covered with a cream-colored padding. As the same large man flipped on the light switch located outside the cell, the inside came into a pale, yellow-hued view. The cell was covered entirely with the creamy padding. That was all for interior décor. It was an empty cell; one that Alucard would be getting very accustomed to in the years to come.

    Both men tossed the young boy into the room and shut the light off without a word. The silent man who cut the light gave a pompous grin as he began to close the door. However, his expression faded once he looked back into the pitch-black cell. Although he forced his mind to keep from sending him incredulous thoughts, the bulky transporter nearly believed that he saw two glowing red orbs floating in mid-air. Without further hesitation, he slammed the cell door shut, and the sound of another grinding noise filled the air as a dead-bolt was returned into it's locked position. There was absolutely no escape from this new-found Hell. There was only a narrow view of the future, and that future was bleak for young Alucard.

    Daybreak

    Alucard did not sleep. He didn’t need to move anymore, either, now that he had no three-story view to look out of. Instead, he slipped away to the inner confides of his destroyed mind. Where he could only be engulfed with the horrible actions he had caused at each place he was taken to. He was far too young to ever think up such actions alone, but he’d watched scenes from horror films his parents would watch when they believed him to be asleep. He would sneak to the bathroom at night when he had to go, but stopped to see what his parents were doing as a comfort issue. Most of the time, they had left their door open, which allowed the child to peer through and see the TV. Once he saw a scene too graphic, he would run to his room and hide for the night without his parents being any the wiser.

    In Alucard’s state of mentality he’d used what frightened him most when he became too emotional over something. What surprised him was the fact that he could perform the action without hesitation or limitations. It was as if he could do whatever he wanted.

    Age Thirteen.

    “Young man…,” A voice spoke out in a soft melody. “Young man, can you hear me?” It was a female, speaking to someone. Whom? “I’m going to be looking out for you…Would you like that?” The voice continued speaking.

    A bright light flashed over Alucard’s eyelids. Slowly, he opened his soft, blue eyes to see a female figure standing as a silhouette in the doorway of his padded room. She was speaking to him. He hadn’t spoken in so long, he didn’t know if he could. He didn’t know if he wanted to. Alucard blinked several times, trying to adjust his sensitive eyes to the light beyond the woman.

    “I’m taking you with me, young man. You’re going to have a new home.” She spoke softly to the clueless boy in his cell.

    Alucard remembered that word. Home. His mother called their house a home. She said love was the basket to him, the egg, and the home was the straw that protected the egg from falling out of the basket. Was Home supposed to be like his had been? Was it supposed to end the way that it did? Home. He didn’t want to go Home.

    “Come now, little one. Come with me, and I’ll fix you something hot and delicious,” The woman cooed, trying to coax Alucard from his cell. “I’ll cook you a nice, juicy steak, if only you’ll come with me.”

    Steak. Alucard liked steak. Every Friday, his father would grill the hefty meat outside of the house, in the back yard. No matter how strong the wind blew in the opposite direction, the over-powering scent of cooking steak would always seep into the entire house, making Alucard’s mouth water. Maybe he would follow this woman. Maybe, he would have some steak.

    Slowly rising to his feet, Alucard took a few cautious steps toward the doorway.

    “Good, I see you’re hungry. Let’s go cook us something wonderful!” The silhouette exclaimed in a more friendly expression.

    Chapter Four: Rare

    After being stripped of his strait-jacket, Alucard was escorted out of the ‘institution’ by one of the two large men whom had brought him there in the first place. This was the man who had not seen the red glow in the cell. He wore a name-plate just under his badge. The name plate read: James S. Gate.

    “I don’t live far from here, so I hope you’ll enjoy the little ride while you can. It must have been ages since you last breathed in fresh air!” The woman nudged Alucard’s shoulder with her elbow. The boy looked up at her, his eyes almost watering from the bright bulbs over head. She was an elderly woman. Her face was creased with smile wrinkles. She almost reminded him of his grandmother, whom he had only seen twice in his life. He remembered she was very kind to him both times. Just like his grandmother, this woman wore her gray hair back in a neat bun. She didn’t wear any earrings, but had an eerie scar that drew downwards just below her left earlobe about an inch. Aside from those details, she wore a cream-colored dress that just reached to her shins, and pale yellow slip-ons.

    “I’ll take it from here, young man.” The elderly woman patted the man on his over-sized shoulder to dismiss him. The man didn’t seem to know if he was supposed to let her take it from there. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and walked off in the opposite direction. “Simple man.” She spoke under her breath.

    Forty Five minutes later.

    Upon opening the front door of that small, tan house, the scent of lavender and brownies spilled out through the doorway. The scent almost knocked Alucard on his rear, for he hadn’t experienced such a filling smell since he was four. His eyes became a little teary as he reminisced for a brief second, yet no emotion played out on his face.

    “Come, let’s get you inside and bathe you!” The woman exclaimed. She told Alucard her name on the trip; Mrs. Sandiwal. She appeared to be a gently humored woman, acting very kind to Alucard. She didn’t ask him questions, nor expect him to ask any of his own. Instead, she had talked about the home, what was for dinner, where he would be sleeping, and that they would be going to church in the morning.

    Once inside, Alucard noticed the living room. The walls were colored in a dark, wood-like brown, and the carpet was possibly once white. Years of traveling across it wore it down and gave it a yellow tint. The furniture looked just as old. A couch was placed on the wall opposite of Alucard, sewn with plaid squares of yellows and browns. A few arm chairs decorated the room with the same fabrics. In the center was a table that stood about knee high, several magazines stacked neatly on top of the glass table-top. There was no TV, and only four windows to provide light to the room. Of course, it was dusk, so the room was hardly illuminated. Alucard almost felt comfortable with this room, at this time of day, thus far.

    Alucard followed Mrs. Sandiwal past the doorway beside the old couch to the kitchen. It looked like a typical kitchen, without a connected dining room. All of the cupboards and counters were dark wood, and the linoleum floor was also worn down to a yellow color. To the right was a staircase, up which Mrs. Sandiwal led him. From here, he faced a long hallway that ended with a large white door –probably the only object in the house that was still the color it began as.

    “This way, dear,” Mrs. Sandiwal directed to the first door on his right. It hung open enough for Alucard to peer inside. He noticed that the wall he could see from this angle was powder blue, and had white trim at the top. She nudged him towards the room, and he entered reluctantly. The rest of the room was coated with the same paint. It was small, having enough space for about a body and a half at one time. The toilet was positioned beside the sink, and a mirror hung above that. On the opposite side of the toilet was a bathtub. It also had a shower head above it that looked a bit rusty.

    “One moment.” Mrs. Sandiwal left the doorway for a moment, returning with a dark blue towel and a pair of new clothes, neatly folded on top. She placed them on top of the toilet lid and began to work the water for a bath. Once the tub was running, and the water was warm, she exited the bathroom. “Turn off the water once it gets full enough, ok dear? I’ll be downstairs making us something to eat!” With that, she closed the door and her footsteps faded off.

    Alucard stood in the center of the bathroom, the light from the window fading even more, now that some time had elapsed since his arrival. He didn’t mind. He could see perfectly with or without most light. He assumed that sitting in the darkness all day and night was the reason for his sensitive eyes.

    Taking a step forward, the boy turned to the mirror. He could see himself clearly, but at first didn’t believe. The last time he looked into a mirror, he was four years old, and now, although he himself didn’t remember, he was thirteen. The young man looking back at him had long, filthy black hair, hallow eyes, and thin black eyebrows. His face was still smooth, but his cheeks were dramatically thinner than his younger age. As for his height, he couldn’t remember how high he stood before.

    Looking away quickly, Alucard turned to the bath water. He hadn’t remembered the feeling of warm water until now. He ached to settle down within it. He wished his mother could have been the one to prepare the bath. She would always help him wash, and then be ready with a towel when he was clean.

    Alucard began to remove his old clothing. He had been changed only twice since the murdering of his parents. When he moved to the mental hospital, he was changed into the typical patient dress, and when he was taken to his previous location, they gave him over-sized, light blue cotton pants and a strait-jacket with a white shirt beneath. After successfully removing his clothing he dipped his right foot into the warm water. After being certain that it was exactly the same feeling he remembered when he was young, he climbed in all the way, lying back in the tub so that everything but his head was covered with water. Now that the bath water was high enough, he spun the knob with his foot until the water shut off.

    The clothes that Mrs. Sandiwal prepared for him fit perfectly. It took him several tries to get the shirt on correctly, but the underwear and pants fell into place as he remembered. He wore a white cotton shirt, blue boxer-briefs –which was just a bit different from what he used to wear-, and khaki shorts that reached right to his knees. As he stared at himself in the mirror, completely clean and dressed, he grew fond of his appearance. Of course, he still moved clumsily like a regular four year old. Alucard, for the first time since he became ‘insane’, couldn’t hold back a grin. Of course, he didn’t watch himself grin, so he didn’t see his own, unnaturally extended, canine teeth.

    “There you are!” Mrs. Sandiwal exclaimed as Alucard came down from the stairs in an odd motion. “I hope you got behind your ears and so on.” She pulled a chair for him and directed for him to sit. He did so, knowing that he would soon be faced with the savory flavor of steak. The only substance he’d even wanted to try in years. Now that he was thinking about eating, he suddenly realized he was insatiably hungry. He had not eaten a single slice of food in nine years.

    After stepping outside for a moment, Mrs. Sandiwal re-entered the house with a large plate with about five full steaks stacked on top of one another. “I had no idea what you liked, whether it be medium-rare, or well-done, so I simply made all of them to be sure. A small expense to learn something new about my new guest!” she explained, setting the large plate down in the center of the table. First, she held up the well-done steak and forced him to take a bite. Nothing but the taste of burnt material filled his mouth, and he shook his head and spat the hardly-chewed meat into his napkin. Next, she tried the medium-well. It, too, was dislikable. Finally, she placed a piece of the rare steak on his plate. He pressed his fork into the steak as he had been taught by his parents and raised the nearly-raw meat to his lips. The scent alone drove him to want to devour it instantly. Quickly, he engulfed the piece and swallowed after just a few chomps of his jaw. Instantly, he felt a sense of energy return to him as the piece of meat fell to his empty stomach. This was the steak he wanted. “More.” Alucard demanded. His first word since the age of four.

    The elderly woman smiled heartily as she slid the steak onto his plate. It was so rare that the blood practically seeped out of it. For some reason, Alucard loved it. She didn’t mind. She wanted him to eat something good, and enjoy his stay.

    The young boy wasn’t at all mannerly while he feasted upon his dinner. He gorged himself like never before, swallowing the juicy meat nearly as soon as it touched his tongue. He found, after several repetitive swallows, that he greatly enjoyed sucking the blood from the steak before swallowing. In fact, he soon found that he didn’t want the meat at all.

    Chapter Five: Iron

    The rest of dinner went in a hushed silence. Mrs. Sandiwal could tell that Alucard was a bit animalistic with his food, and decided it best not to disturb a boy who had such desire to eat. However, while he ate, she noticed subtle changes in his appearance. His complexion began to look less pale and more milk-like. She knew he had been lacking sun, but how little did those workers at the asylum give him? Lucky for Alucard, he was with her now, and she would take care of him.

    After sucking every last bit of blood from his steak, Alucard swallowed the remains to ensure he wasn’t missing a drop. He felt entirely stronger and energized. He hadn’t felt so good as long as he could remember, and for the first time in several years, he believed his stomach could hold no more. “T-thank you.” He said clumsily to Mrs. Sandiwal. After eating so much, he was now in a relatively good mood to use manners.

    “No thanks necessary, dear. It was my pleasure to feed such a skinny boy like you!” Mrs. Sandiwal replied, smiling warmly. “Now, it’s time for you to go on to bed! I’ll show you to your room.”

    After following Mrs. Sandiwal up the stairs again, Alucard was brought to the door directly across from the bathroom. This door was dark brown, but looked newer than the rest of the house. After she twisted the knob and pushed the door open, a strong scent of air freshener swept over him -the scent of cinnamon and apples. The air didn’t match the room one bit. The walls were colored a dark blue with light blue crowning. The roof was also light blue. As Alucard stepped inside, he noticed a black fan adorned the center of the room. Below, a single-sized bed was placed off to the right wall with a short, light brown side-table placed by the headboard. To the left, in the direction of the kitchen, there was a desk with a small lamp sitting on top. The lamp had a thin gray shade that allowed just enough light so that the room was well enough lit for reading. Although the day had become night since his arrival, it was impossible to tell since the single window of the room was covered with curtains.

    “Come over here to your new bed, child. Let’s get you tucked in for the night.” Mrs. Sandiwal ordered. She was standing by the foot of the bed, peeling the covers back so he could climb in. Alucard didn’t know if he was comfortable enough to dare. Mrs. Sandiwal could sense his hesitation. “Don’t worry sweetheart. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

    Against his ‘newer’ instincts, Alucard felt a sense of relief wash over him, as if his mother were going to sit and wait for him to fall asleep like she would when he was little. He knew his mother could not do so now. She was gone somewhere. She was forever asleep.

    Alucard climbed into the bed slowly and laid down, straight as a board. Mrs. Sandiwal placed the chilly covers over him gently. She then kissed his head and sat down on the bed, by his feet.

    “When I was your age, my mother would tuck me in at night, just like this. She was thirty two when she died. I was only seven at the time. My father was a prestigious man, and he loved us like a man should love his family. But, when mother died,” Mrs. Sandiwal paused, sighing softly. “When mother died, he broke down. He became a shell of the man he once was. I was taken away to an orphanage. Needless to say, I missed them greatly. I still do. Once I turned eighteen, I tried to find my father. When I finally did, he had been dead for eight years. Overdose, you see.”

    Although Alucard had no compassion for this woman, he was saddened by her tale. It wasn’t the bedtime story he had been expecting. In fact, he was feeling emptier than before he had engulfed his dinner, but he felt as though Mrs. Sandiwal was just like him.

    “I know how you feel.” Mrs. Sandiwal said abruptly. She leaned over him and touched her old, worn hands to his forehead gently. “I know how it feels to be without parents. Just know that I’ll always be here for you now. Finding you was a sign from God. He told me that you needed someone, and that I needed someone like you.”

    With that last, ending speech, she kissed his forehead where her hand had been and walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind her. Once again, Alucard was left in dark, quite silence. Except now, he didn’t feel quite so alone. Mrs. Sandiwal’s words touched a part of his entity that had long been lost. He didn’t understand these feelings. He just knew he was happy.

    Over the next Four years, Alucard lived with Mrs. Sandiwal. She was a brilliant woman who brought him nearly up to date with his age in the matter of intellect and speech. Alucard loved to listen to her many stories at night, even though he still didn’t sleep afterwards. Mrs. Sandiwal would cook for him every night. She made sure whatever meat she grilled was as rare as Alucard could take. In fact, often times Alucard would only ask her to heat the meat in the microwave so that it was warm, but not cooked. She found that after experimentation, the boy didn’t become ill no matter how raw the steak or chicken was. Instead of worrying, she believed the boy to be special.

    Age Seventeen

    “Alucard, it’s time for your lesson!” Mrs. Sandiwal called out to the enthusiastic teenager. Alucard was shoveling weeds he had picked into the garbage out back; work which he usually did at night. He turned around to view the old woman. His face was much thinner now, and his hair had grown down around his mid-back. Naturally, his eyebrows had not thickened any, and his eyes were still a smooth brown, but he had the distinct look of a near-adult. His body no longer looked clumsy and thin. In fact, the tone of his muscles was quite defined.

    “Yes ma’am.” Alucard replied before jogging up to the house. He approached her, and leaned down to kiss her forehead lightly. The young man had grown taller than her in the years past. “I’m going to get changed, and then I’ll return.”

    “Hurry, child, dinner will need cooking soon!” Mrs. Sandiwal added as he dashed nimbly up the stairs. She had grown fond of his attitude; although it was greatly separate to the one he had when they first met. She remembered that day. To her, it was a day of fate.

    On the day Mrs. Sandiwal met Alucard, she had done everything as she usually would. She went to buy groceries, made a stop at the bank, and then stopped on the way home to buy a fresh, hot batch of boiled peanuts. The man who sold her the salty treats was the father of a rather large man, named James, who worked at the asylum where Alucard was kept. The peanut salesman, whom everyone called Roofus, spoke of a terrible event that was to take place that very night. Roofus said that his only son would have to escort a patient to the nurses, and force the patient to be injected with a substance that was meant to kill. “You see, they were running out of room, that asylum. They had done plenty of law-breakin’ so they were fit to do so once more.” Roofus had said.

    “I apologize for the wait,” Alucard spoke as he returned from his room. Mrs. Sandiwal realized that she had been day-dreaming the entire time he was absent. She chuckled at herself and began to prepare for the lesson. “Shall we?” Alucard asked as he sat down in his usual chair.

    “Indeed we shall.” Mrs. Sandiwal replied, placing down a heavy packet of papers. Today was Anatomy and Physiology, and Alucard seemed to be very pleased to know his favorite subject was awaiting him. “First things first…”

    After the lesson, Mrs. Sandiwal returned to her enjoyment of cooking dinner. Alucard noted how she loved to create delicious foods, and simply marveled over being complemented on her culinary intuition. He took to doing this often, so to see her wonderful smile.

    “Call me down for dinner?” Alucard asked, bounding up the stairs without an answer. He was looking forward to reading. Since his days in his new home, Mrs. Sandiwal presented him with several hard-cover publishing’s. His latest book had a lot to do with anarchy, surprisingly; for Mrs. Sandiwal was a firm Christian. However, she always said “The only book that needs to be believed is the good one.”

    As dinner progressed, Alucard was nearly full when Mrs. Sandiwal spoke. “Alucard, I need to speak with you about something,” Her tone was solemn and her eyes looked sullen and weary. It was obvious that some topic was eating away at her. “You’re almost eighteen, my boy, and I think you are prepared to live on your own. I just don’t yet know where you’ll be going.”

    The words Mrs. Sandiwal chose impacted Alucard strongly. He felt his heart become heavy as he contemplated her meaning. “You mean, I have to leave?”

    “You are a young man now, and your birthday is almost here. I won’t let you cater to an old woman’s needs all your life.” Mrs. Sandiwal replied earnestly. The hurt in her eyes spilled her soul.

    “You brought me here. You cared for me. I have every right to devote my life to your wellbeing!” Alucard retaliated. “How can you tear me away from the home I love?!”

    “Now, Alucard, I know you’re upset.”

    “Upset?! I don’t understand why I must leave! I’ll gladly change if you need me to! I can do more, or less, or something!” Alucard became ridiculously outraged. The only feeling that surrounded his mind was that of being torn away once more. He was going to be alone again. He was going to be abandoned, and left in the dark once more.

    “I think you’re overreacting, dear!” Mrs. Sandiwal tried to calm Alucard down, not understanding his unnecessary actions. She had never before seen him act in such a peculiar way. Of course, she knew she had to stand strong. He was becoming a man, and she hadn’t spent so many years teaching him for no reason at all.

    “I’ve heard enough!” Alucard shouted angrily as he stood from his chair with such hostility that the wooden seat clattered to the ground. He then marched off hotly to his room and slammed the door shut. Mrs. Sandiwal sat there in silence.

    “Give it time, you old fool. He’ll come around.” Mrs. Sandiwal spoke to herself, trying not to give in to his feelings. She knew what she was doing was right.

    Later, around the time she usually tucked Alucard in, Mrs. Sandiwal knocked on the boy’s door. He didn’t answer. Knowing that he was awake, she entered his room slowly. Alucard was sitting at his desk, reading by lamp light. She could tell by his hunched over stature that he was reading to control his emotions. “Alucard,” She spoke out gently.

    “If you want me to go, then I shall.” Alucard interrupted, sighing deeply. It seemed, in the small amount of time he was given, he had succumbed to her wishes. “You will help me, wont you?”

    “I know a wonderful man who will find you a place. I will visit you often as you will visit me.” She replied, smiling gently, although he could not see her face. He was a remarkable young man, able to adjust to incredible odds. At least, that is what she had come to know of him since their first meeting.

    “Then I’ll pack my things tonight.” Alucard replied, shutting his book and placing it on the desktop softly.

    “I’ll leave you to it. Goodnight, Alucard.”

    “Goodnight, Mother.”

    The very next day, the two of them met a man named Almon. He was an odd fellow, with a hefty gut and a very large, brown beard. Almon was in high spirits when Alucard and Mrs. Sandiwal arrived. The large man bowed to Mrs. Sandiwal and nodded curtly to Alucard.

    “This the boy?” Almon addressed Mrs. Sandiwal with a large grin. He was missing a canine tooth. “Good to meet ya, child. My name’s Almon, and I’ll be findin’ you a place. Don’t worry, I’m not as cheap and fool hearty as I look.”

    “Almon is a wonderful property salesman.” Mrs. Sandiwal praised the unsightly man with a warm smile. He didn’t at all look the part of a salesman. He didn’t even look the part of an American. Alucard assumed he was Irish.

    “I’ve arranged a place for ya here,” Almon spoke to Alucard. He gestured his large arms to a small building behind him. It was surrounded by lush grass. “This neighborhood’s a wonderful place for a newcomer to home ownin’. There’s a large creek that cuts into the back yard, but it’s a magnificent sight to see, mind you.”

    Alucard nodded as though he cared. He just wanted to get settled in and prepare his life for this new obstacle. He gritted his teeth and allowed the heavy set man to lead him through the house and get to the details.

    After the tour was over, Mrs. Sandiwal nodded to Almon and handed him a slip of paper. The first payment of the house.

    “Now, Alucard, I’ll be helping you out with payments for as long as you need, dear, but eventually you’ll need to find a job.” Mrs. Sandiwal warned him. As if he wanted to hear that at the moment.

    “Alright, I’ll be off then.” Almon said before shaking Mrs. Sandiwal’s hand and patting Alucard on the back a bit harder than he should have. He then heaved himself into a large truck and left the two of them in peace. The neighborhood was very quiet.

    “Now, let’s take in your things and then I’ll cook you dinner in your new home!” Mrs. Sandiwal exclaimed happily. Alucard lacked the mutual feeling.

    That night, after having unpacked most of his things –he didn’t have many possessions in the first place- and eating dinner, Alucard kissed Mrs. Sandiwal on the cheek as she left off for her own home. She promised to be back again tomorrow early in the morning. Luckily, Almon was able to find a place that was only a few blocks from where Mrs. Sandiwal lived.

    At nine thirty in the morning, Alucard finally closed the book he had been reading all night. He set it down on his new desk and sighed. He had arranged his new room to almost perfectly match his old one in Mrs. Sandiwal’s house. The only difference was that the walls were colored dark red and the floor was wooden. Otherwise, the two rooms were nearly identical.

    Once he looked at the clock, Alucard narrowed his tired brown eyes curiously. Mrs. Sandiwal should have been here by now. She was always accustomed to rising with the sun. This worried Alucard a bit, for he had never seen her act out of habit like this. Perhaps now that he was gone, she was back to doing whatever it was that she did before he came. Perhaps she has forgotten about him. No, that couldn’t be right. She cared for him as though he were her son. He was certain.

    Alucard knew how to operate a telephone, but never bothered to remember Mrs. Sandiwal’s number. He found himself lost as he looked through the phonebook that was placed right beside the telephone. He tossed it to the ground after a fruitless attempt at finding the number he sought. After a long sigh, he decided he would take a small hike to her house. He wanted to know why she was late.

    After dressing himself properly, Alucard left his house without locking the door and jogged through the neighborhood to Mrs. Sandiwal’s. Finally, after about twenty minutes of restless jogging, -to which Alucard himself was surprised to find he didn’t need a break-, he reached his previous home. The Oldsmobile car was still parked beside the house, which meant that Mrs. Sandiwal had not yet left. At least he knew she was home.

    Alucard twisted the handle to the front door and found it unlocked. He swung the door ajar and stepped inside. His line of vision allowed him to see directly into the kitchen, where his beloved Mrs. Sandiwal was cast upon the floor in a puddle of her own blood, dressed neatly with her car keys in hand. The flashback of his parents infiltrated his mind at once and he cringed helplessly as tears welled into his eyes. “M-mother..,” Alucard gasped, his voice betraying him as he stared at the limp body of his only family. He fell to his knees and choked out a mournful noise as tears splattered to the carpet. How could this be possible?