Chapter 3 - Dreams in Darkness

On the rooftops of Havenfell, one dark, gloomy night, Elsa Nordholm and four of her companions, Kristoff, Lena, Fareeha and Eugene, all raced across the darkened area of the city, heading to a location that Fareeha had alerted to them about.

According to Fareeha's informant, there was apparently some vampire activity going on near a warehouse by the city docks, something Elsa was keen to sort out. Any blow to Anna and her clan would be a good payback in her book.

This was her first night of action in several nights, and she was rearing for a fight. Her bullets had been freshly dipped in holy water and her sword had been sharpened, ready to stake her enemies through the heart for a finishing blow.

Eventually, the group dropped on top of a large building, with a glass skylight next to them. As the group gathered together, Elsa looked at Fareeha.

"You sure your tip was right, Fareeha?" Elsa wondered, checking to her ammo count as the group prepared to drop in when Elsa gave the signal.

Fareeha nodded, the Arabian girl reaching into her pocket to look at a note she had written down. "Yup, this is the place alright. According to what my informant said, some lesser vampire clan was supposed to be meeting with someone from Anna's group tonight. Something about making an alliance."

"Well, we can't have Elsa's crazy sister having more friends can we," Lena remarked. "Um... no offence, Elsa."

"None taken, Lena," Elsa responded. She was trying her best not to feel emotional tonight, wanting to focus more on her mission.

Eugene folded his arms, smirking with pride. "So... what's the plan here, guys? Or is it the usual leave Elsa to kick butt and we follow along kinda deal?"

"That's how we usually roll with it," Kristoff stated. "She's our leader after all."

"Guys, just because I boss you around sometimes doesn't make me your actual boss," Elsa pointed out. "We're all equals here in this group."

"Yet you're bossing us around now," Kristoff replied, smirking at his friend.

"He's got a point," Lena added. "Maybe we gotta start coming up with ranks for all of us. How does Captain sound to you, Elsa?"

"Can we just focus!" Fareeha snapped. "There are probably vamps right in that warehouse, and we gotta go and stake them before they start hurting people."

Elsa sighed. "Fareeha's right, stay focused people." She then moved towards the skylight and prepared to look through the pane of glass, but before she could, she felt a great pain flare in her still bandaged forearm that Anna had bitten into a few nights before. "Ahhh!"

Heading to Elsa's side, Lena held her friend softly. "You alright, love?"

"I'm fine. I think... I think my arm is still healing a little after the other night is all," Elsa assured her friend before she glanced at her wrist, still seeing the dried blood on her bandage. It may have been hurting like hell, but she would bear the pain. "Don't worry about me... I can handle this."

"Hey, if you need to sit this one out, I can take charge," Fareeha offered. "I did get the tip about this after all."

"And let you guys have all the fun?" Elsa then said, a playful smirk forming on her cheeks. "Not a chance. I've been sitting on my ass for three nights. It's time I got back on the job."

"Speaking of the job," Eugene chimed in, looking down through the pane of glass. "Looks like we got some action going on down here." He then pointed through the skylight, and the other hunters gathered around, staring as they watched.

Down in the warehouse, a skinny, frail-looking man who didn't look human at all, looking more like some sort of bestial, bat-like creature, walked into the room, a long cloak wrapped around his body. Joining him were a few of similar looking creatures, all humanoid and bearing sharp fangs.

"Those guys look nasty," Kristoff admitted.

"Looks like they're late stage vamps," Elsa stated. "They've been giving into their bloodlust so much, they've devolved into monsters."

"They're gonna be tough," Fareeha then said. "But we're tougher."

Then Elsa and her friends noticed another figure entering the warehouse. He was taller, very human-looking vampire, with dark skin, black hair and blood red eyes. He was wearing a long, grey and red coat and he had gloves that looked very much like claws.

Elsa then scowled, recognising this man greatly. "It's Gabriel... he's Anna's right-hand man."

"How dangerous is he?" Kristoff asked.

"Probably the most dangerous bastard you'll ever meet," Elsa expressed. "This is getting quite dangerous guys. We might need to pull out of this one."

"No way!" Lena denied. "We've not shied away from a fight before. We can take those bat-freaks and that clown with the goatee."

Thinking for a moment, Elsa wondered what would be the best cause of action. She was injured, probably going to face a horde of monster vampires and the most dangerous vampire she had ever fought, all while trying to keep her friends safe... this was going to be tricky, but if they could take out Gabriel, it would be a serious blow to Anna.

"Alright," Elsa agreed. "We'll stick to the plan. Go in on my signal and kick some ass, but leave Gabriel to me, okay?"

"You got it, boss lady," Eugene chirped, as the others nodded.

Elsa then pressed her ear to the window pane, trying to make out what Gabriel and the other vampires were talking about in there. Their voices were a little muffled, but they were still able to be heard.

Down in the warehouse, Gabriel approached the largest of the monstrous vampires, a determined scowl on his face. Despite the difference in size, he was much more powerful than these beasts and knew that they deserved to fear him.

Standing at an equal distance from the largest vampire, he watched as the tall, bat monster strode up to him, before bowing in respect. He smirked, glad to know that even when he served Anna, his power was still respected by the other vampire clans.

"Lord Reyes," The beast said, in a voice that sounded rasping and grating. "My brothers and sisters humbly pledge to join your alliance. Together, I know we will show our superiority to the wretched humans who infest our land."

"I have heard of your clan's great power, Langstrom," Gabriel responded. "You assure me that you will not try to betray me?"

"Of course not sire," Langstrom rasped, still bowing before Gabriel. "None of us would dare betray a herald of the king himself."

"Good, now that the show of loyalty is out of the way, we can move onto more important matters," Gabriel stated. "Like the group of vampire hunters who have been a thorn in my mistress's side for too long. With you on our side, we can crush them once and for all." He then clenched his clawed fist.

Suddenly, the skylight of the warehouse crashed open, glass raining down on the floor. Dropping down from the ceiling, Elsa and her friends landed on the ground, pulling out their weapons, with stern, determined looks on their faces.

"Sorry to crash the party," Kristoff remarked, pulling out his sword.

Langstrom gasped, screeching in panic. "You said we weren't gonna be disturbed!"

"Looks like I was wrong," Gabriel mused. "Get them!"

At least five of the bat monsters joined Langstrom, as the head vampire screeched with rage. The group of monsters then charged towards Elsa and the others, their arms outstretched into long, slender talons.

Elsa and her friends engaged the beasts, trying their best to outmatch them despite the monsters being obviously fairly larger than then. Elsa and Kristoff took charge of one of the monsters, Kristoff trying to press his sword against it as the beast pinned him down.

Gulping, Kristoff tried his best to stop the monster from biting his head off with its large, piercing fangs. "Hey, big guy! I hate to tell you this, but I'll probably give you indigestion."

The monster didn't really respond, still continuing to press Kristoff, snarling and screeching at him, ready to tear the flesh from his very bones. Before Kristoff could be eaten, however, Elsa's sword pierced him straight through the heart.

Letting out a dying wail, the monster flopped off Kristoff's body, Elsa rushing to her friend's side and helping him to his feet.

"Thanks for that," Kristoff replied, wiping the blood from his tunic. "God, this is a messy business."

"Save the complaining for later," Elsa told him. "We got vamps to fight."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Lena, Fareeha and Eugene were being surrounded by a group of the monster vampires, Lena bearing her twin pistols, Eugene with his sword and Fareeha holding her twin scimitars in front of her.

The monsters then charged, and the trio split up. Lena twirled in the air like a gymnast, firing bullets into the stomachs of the vampires. Fareeha sliced the arm of one of the bat creatures, stabbing it through the chest with her blades, while Eugene decapitated it.

"There's a lot of these buggers," Lena remarked, shooting one of the creatures right in the face. "They're tough to take down." Suddenly, Lena was punched in the gut by one of the monsters, thrown to the floor. Lena gasped, trying to reach her weapons, but the beast charged at her.

In the nick of time, Fareeha leapt in, stabbing the monster from behind and letting it drop dead, before brawling with two other monsters. Thankfully, Lena had gotten to her pistols and downed the two beasts with a pair of headshots.

"Thanks for the save, Love!" Lena chirped, before all three of them met up with Kristoff, who was duelling with two of the other monsters.

As Kristoff stabbed one in the stomach, Fareeha and Eugene took care of the other one. With that last vampire dropping dead, the four hunters high fived one another. "That's the last one!" Kristoff cheered.

"Guess again, human!" Langstrom scowled, leaping in front of them. "You may have murdered by siblings, but I shall not be beaten!"

Fareeha pulled out her blades, smirking. "Guess again ugly."

Back with Elsa, she had cornered Gabriel, having pulled out her sword to duel him. She remembered the last time she had fought him, when he had left a nasty scar on her stomach that she still had to this day. As she held out her weapon, she eyed him cautiously.

Gabriel held out his hands, a pair of demonic-looking, sharp-edged swords appearing in them, long and curved. As he held out his weapons, he glared at Elsa with malicious intent in his deep, red eyes. He didn't know how Elsa had tracked him to this place, but he would gladly put the blonde out of her misery.

"Looks like we meet again, Elsa," Gabriel said coyly, goading his opponent. "How's the arm feeling?"

"Never mind me," Elsa retorted. "I see you're still doing my sister's dirty work. Isn't it ironic? How the master has become the errand boy?"

Roaring with rage, Gabriel charged at Elsa, slashing his twin swords at her. Elsa blocked the attack, pressing back with her own blade. She gritted her teeth, trying to counter Gabriel's immense strength. The two held in a blade lock for some time, before Elsa pushed back.

Scowling, Gabriel used his magic to morph one of his swords into a shotgun and started to fire at Elsa, the blonde ducking for cover behind a few boxes, which Gabriel promptly blasted apart.

Sighing, Elsa got up and pulled out her gun, holding it front of her. "Don't make a move, Gabriel."

The vampire cackled. "Looks like we're at a stalemate."

"I'm warning you," Elsa scowled. "Don't make me... make me..." Suddenly, Elsa felt her hand, feeling very light-headed. The room started to spin and Elsa felt very dizzy, spinning around for a few seconds before dropping down on the floor.

Gabriel was amazed, but chuckled. "It seems this time, I'll be finishing the job." He then held his gun up to Elsa's head, smirking. "Goodbye, Elsa. I'll be sure to tell Anna you died a painful death."

From across the room, Lena noticed Elsa's predicament. "NO!" She cried, before leaping away from her friend's current battle with the final monster. Racing across the room, she tossed her dagger out from her side, knocking Gabriel's gun from his hand.

Glaring at Lena, Gabriel realised that he was beaten. "I'll get you back for that," he grumbled, before he disappeared in a cloud of red mist.

Fareeha stabbed her two blades into Langstrom's chest, as she and the others then noticed Elsa's plight. "Elsa!" She cried, as the others rushed to Elsa's aid.

Elsa was lying down on the ground, groaning in pain as her vision became blurred. As Kristoff rested her head on his lap and Lena took her pulse, she closed her eyes falling into a deep sleep.

"Elsa!" Lena exclaimed, shaking her friend a little. "Come on, love, snap out of it!"

"She needs to get to Angela," Fareeha stated. "And fast!"

xXx

Meanwhile, in her large manor on the other side of the city, Anna was in her study, enjoying one of her favourite hobbies, playing the violin. It was one of the few things from her past that she still enjoyed doing now. It soothed her soul-or it would, if she still had one.

She sighed softly, letting her thoughts flow with the melody being made by the strings of her instrument. Music was a beautiful thing, it truly was. As she played this favourite tune of hers, a warm smile crept onto her cheeks. In her heart, she was dedicating this song to Elsa, who would no doubt be thinking of her tonight.

Her plan had gone perfectly so far and with the full moon in the sky, she knew for a fact that her little game was almost over. Not long know and Elsa would be just like her, a monster of the night.

Just as the final note dropped on her song, Anna looked over her shoulder, seeing the familiar red mist of her servant form in the room and the shape of Gabriel appearing before her, torn up slightly from his recent scuffle with Elsa's friends.

"Seems like you've had a rough night, Gabriel," Anna remarked, smirking with her fang poking from her upper lip.

Gabriel merely scowled, trying his best to look away. He was angry that the hunters had discovered his meeting with Langstrom's clan. Now Langstrom and many of his elite had been wiped out, one of their aces in the hole having been taken out of the fight.

"My meeting was... interrupted," He stated, cold and vicious, trying to lack any emotion.

Anna chuckled, putting down her violin and pouring herself a drink of bloodwine. "I know. Shame about the monsters but... you know how these things are."

"Mistress!" Gabriel growled. "Langstrom was going to our secret weapon against the hunters. I had it all planned out that I would send his entire clan on Elsa Nordholm and wipe her and those hunters out! This could have been the edge we needed!"

"Yes, but not the one I wanted," Anna remarked.

The male vampire's eyes widened. "Wait... you didn't... Mistress?"

Nodding, Anna sipped her bloodwine again, sighing with content. "Yes, I had one of my thralls tip off the Arabian girl in the hunters about your meeting. I needed to get Elsa out tonight so my plan could unfold... and that we could keep her around a while longer."

Gabriel gasped in disbelief. "But... why?! Why did you let this get compromised?! Those hunters are nothing more than pests to be dealt with!"

"Because you fool," Anna spat, her hand glowing with demonic power. "I am in command here!" She then pushed out her hand and Gabriel was lifted into the air, his whole body glowing thanks to Anna's telekinesis.

Anna drew Gabriel closer to her, her eyes narrowing in anger. "Listen to me very carefully," she said, her voice dangerously low. "If Elsa is going to die, then it'll be by my hand, and when I decide that it's time. Have I made myself clear?"

Her servant choked a little before replying, growling at his former apprentice's great power. "Yes... my mistress."

With a flick of her wrist, Gabriel dropped to the floor and panted heavily, as Anna poured him a drink. Smiling like a young girl, she looked over at the man as he got to his feet and composed himself. It felt good to have such loyalty from her minions.

Reaching out her hand with the glass in it, she gave Gabriel a cheerful expression. "Now... have a drink. You've had a long night, my old master."

Gabriel took the glass and sipped from it, the blood restoring most of his strength. "You're insane... just be glad I made a promise to my own master to keep you alive."

Anna just giggled. "Insane isn't the term I'd use. I prefer 'creatively homicidal.'"

The male vampire merely growled with disapproval, leaving the room to return to his chamber. He'd had enough of Anna for one night.

Smiling, Anna walked over to her violin, picking it up and the bow and placing it upon her shoulder. "Now where was I... ah yes, a requiem to you, my beloved sister." She sighed and began to play her tune again, letting her siren's song echo across the halls of the manor.

xXx

Back at the hunter's guild, Elsa had been brought to her room to rest after her strange fainting during the battle that night. Her breathing was faint and her body was hot with a fever. As she lay on her bed, groaning and moaning in drowsiness, her friends stood outisde, powerless to do anything.

"It's poison alright," Angela noted, staring at Elsa from the doorway, knowing that even with her medical knowledge, there was no way she could probably take care of Elsa. "The symptoms are there all right. Faintness, loss of consciousness, the fever."

"There's an antidote right?" Lena wondered. "I mean, there's gotta be... We can't just let Elsa die!"

Angela sighed. "Normally, we'd be able to find the antidote, but we're not even sure what this poison is or even if it has an antidote we can administer... the best we can do is to let the venom run it's course and hope that Elsa's body fights it as much as it can."

"Damn it..." Lena swore. "I bet that bitch sister of hers has something to do with this again. First, she beats the shit out of her, then she poisons her... glad I'm an only child."

Fareeha put her hand on Lena's shoulder, smiling softly. "Give it time, Lena. Elsa's the most badass out all of us. She can fight this."

"I hope so..." Lena expressed, before the three women stared into Elsa's room, watching the blonde toss and turn on her bed. As they took their leave they made sure to shut the door, to give Elsa her privacy, letting her rest in peace.

But Elsa didn't rest, not one bit. Her whole body was in so much pain, pain so intense that Elsa would gladly die if it meant never having to bear it again.

The heat she was feeling was also very unbearable. It was as if Elsa was inside of an oven, being cooked in her own flesh. Sweat dripped from her head as she tried to get comfortable on the pillow, a sharp noise ringing in her ears. Her experience was of absolute agony.

As she continued to roll and contort on the bed, her fever grew worse and worse. Her body temperature was far above normal, something raging and burning deep inside of her chest. Sweat coated every inch of her skin and her whole body ached, as if all her bones were about to snap inside and leave her just a weak bag of flesh and blood.

"Make it stop..." Elsa groaned, begging to a higher power. "Please... god, make it stop..." She whined as her back contorted again.

The room spun again and the fever took its toll on her, as she slipped into a state of unconsciousness, her whole form soon going limp. Reality became a blur as a feverish dream overtook Elsa. When her vision cleared, Elsa found herself in a rather peculiar place.

She was no longer in her bedroom in the guild quarters. No, now Elsa was in what appeared to be a great ballroom, where some sort of party was being held. There were people dancing, drinking, generally being happy. It felt so surreal.

What was more surreal was the fact that Elsa had been in this very room before. Years ago, when she was a young girl. This was where she and Anna had grown up together, there was no doubt about that. Why was she here?

Suddenly, a voice called to Elsa from behind. "Elsa?" The blonde's eyes perked. That voice... could it be? It was. As Elsa turned around, she saw the familiar sight of Anna, much different than how Elsa currently knew her.

No, this Anna was far younger and far more beautiful than the Anna that Elsa knew now. She had a much more human looking skin tone, no magical disguise or any makeup, just pure, normal coloured human flesh. Her freckles were much more noticeable and her eyes were a beautiful teal. She was wearing a beautiful green ball gown with shoulder straps and her now-longer hair was done up in a bun.

Elsa then looked down, seeing that she was in a similar sort of dress, a teal and purple gown with long gloves. What was this supposed to be?

Stepping forward, Anna smiled, beaming with a grin Elsa hadn't seen in so many long years. She'd missed that so much, but what was going on here? "Anna? What... what's happening?"

"Surprise!" Anna cheered. "I threw you a party! Congrats on being a year older, sis!" She then gave Elsa a small peck on the cheek.

Yes... this was her birthday. Elsa's birthday, one of the many she had shared with Anna over the years. "T-thank you... you're too kind to me Anna," Elsa expressed, as she took Anna's hands. Even if this was only her mind, Elsa wanted nothing more than for things to be as they once were.

Staring into each other's eyes, the two sisters then started to waltz together in the ballroom, a loving pair of beautiful princesses, embraced in a bond of pure adoration for one another. Elsa reached over and stroked Anna's cheek, feeling the warmth through her glove.

Soon, they stopped by a window, the stars in their background. This was the most beautiful moment of Elsa's life, even if it was her imagination playing a trick. Elsa had given into this illusion. Her wildest dreams had been made real.

Moving over to Elsa, Anna smiled, her eyes glowing a soft blue hue. "You've wanted this haven't you, to be with me like this."

"Yes..." Elsa expressed, tears welling up in her eyes. "When you got turned... when I lost you all those years ago, I thought this moment would never come."

"But it has come, Elsa," Anna told her, cupping her cheeks. "We can be like this forever, just say the words and I'm yours."

Elsa blushed softly. Was she really going to admit this? Those feelings she had buried so many years ago, the feelings that had long since been put beside her when Anna became a vampire. No... she couldn't. Not like this, not to this... illusion.

But Anna didn't mind Elsa's silence. She merely moved closer, closing the gap between them. "Then I'll say it for you, Elsa... I love you."

"I... love you too..." Elsa whispered back, as Anna then pressed her lips to hers, kissing her softly. Elsa kissed back, crying her eyes out. Yes, she loved her sister. Finally, the secret was out and she had made peace with all those forgotten feelings.

Pulling out of the kiss, Elsa hugged Anna tightly, crying softly. All of those emotions, those sensations she'd repressed for so many years... she could finally let them go. She could let it all go without a care in the world. Holding Anna close, Elsa smiled.

"Is this what you truly want?" Anna asked Elsa, holding her tightly. "You know this isn't real or can ever be real right?"

"I don't care," Elsa stated. "I love you Anna. I've loved you since we were but little kids. I watched you grow into such a beautiful woman. You were the one who always put a smile on my face. I let fate take you from me once... I won't let it happen again."

"Too bad," a demonic voice then cackled. "Because fate already dealt its hand!"

Elsa gasped, pulling back from her embrace with Anna to discover, to her shock and horror, that everything had now changed. Now, she and Anna looked like their usual selves, hunter and vampire respectively. Anna's eyes glowed red, while hers glowed blue.

Reaching for her sword, Elsa pulled out her blade, letting it clash with a red blade of dark energy made by her sister. Anna cackled, grinning in delight.

"Admit it Elsa!" Anna snarled. "I'm your worst failure! You failed as a sister, Elsa and I'm living proof of your guilt!"

"No!" Elsa shouted, slashing back at Anna, knocking her back. She was crying profusely, wanting this nightmare to end.

Stepping back, Anna then started to laugh, a deep, demonic cackle that could only come from the devil himself. Elsa watched as Anna's shape began to change, as she took the form of a giant, black scaled, winged beast, that looked like a cross between a dragon and a bat.

Elsa tried to flee, but the monster opened its mouth, sucking everything in like a massive tornado. Trying to grab onto the ground, Elsa found it was no use, as she was pulled into the vortex, right into the creature's gaping maw.

The blonde then shot out of her bed, screaming as she was brought from her nightmare by the pain wracking her body. She fell to the floor of her quarters, the memory of her dream and everything else becoming pretty much a blur to her.

With the aches and the pains growing stronger, Elsa was sure she was going to die. She clutched her stomach, gasping for air. What was happening to her body? Was she tearing herself apart from the inside out, organ by organ?

"What's... what's happening to me...?!" Elsa screamed, as she planted on all fours. "Oh god... fuck, make it stop... Make it... AAGGGGGHHHHHhHHHHHH!"

Her eyes glowed a deep white as she let out a bestial sounding roar. The noises of tearing and shredding were heard as her body started to grow larger and bulkier, bones and muscle increasing in size beyond that of a normal human.

Scraping along the floor, Elsa's hands and feet grew longer and wide, her soft, delicate fingernails growing into sharp, vicious claws. Her face started to contort, growing longer and thinner into a snout, her mouth growing to fill with rows of razor-like teeth.

Elsa's shirt tore open, as her spine started to poke out of her back, long bony spines extending up into the air. Finally, Elsa's entire body was covered in platinum blonde fur and a long tail sprung from her rear section. Tearing off the last of her clothes, Elsa let out a monstrous howl.

She was Elsa Nordholm no longer... now she was not even a human being. Now... Elsa was a werewolf, her transformation finally complete.

xXx

Author's note: Happy Halloween everyone! I wanted to put out these next two chapters today, mainly because hey, it's the season and all that jazz. Anyhoo, there are a few easter eggs I'd like to point out. Namely, the bat-vampire's leader is named after Man-Bat from Batman. Gabriel is based on a mix of his Dracula skin and his Soldier 24 skin (albeit a dark fantasy version of it). Elsa's transformation is heavily based on the comic Matty made, and the dream sequence was his idea.

See you in a bit!