Work Text:
Arrète!
C’est ici l’empire de la mort
After the skal epidemic in London was resolved, the Guard of Priwen returned to its usual activity. But the seed of doubt had been planted in Geoffrey McCullum's head. The leech doctor had spared him. And while he initially thought it as an attempt to keep the masquerade of civility, he quickly realized there was more that what met the eye.
After the confrontation at the hospital attic, he ordered his men to keep a distance from him. Not because the leech had earned his favour, but because Geoffrey didn't want to endanger his men more than what was necessary. And as it turned out, the leech doctor didn't harm any of his men anymore. In fact, he had assisted many of them, according to their testimonies.
The leech doctor was a mystery to Geoffrey. He kept himself fed, Geoffrey could see it in his eyes, but from what he had been able to gather, only violent gang members and abusive people had ended between his fangs. A leech with morality, or so it would seem.
When Geoffrey left London, he stopped hearing anything about him altogether. But his shadow still haunted him. A smidge of hesitation whenever he drove a stake through a leech's heart. An afterimage of the leech doctor's facade of regret in his voice and face whenever Geoffrey drank to forget. That, alongside his aging body, made him consider naming a successor and retiring from the Guard.
But what purpose would he have in his life then? He had dedicated all his time and efforts into the Guard. It was his home, his family. It was probably best if he died defending their cause until the very last moment. Yes, he finally thought with a sigh, that's how he wanted to go.
Paris was beyond their usual territory. Continental Europe had its own vampire hunting associations. Bad news had reached Priwen's ears of a particularly violent nest of leeches in the capital of France, one that had decimated the local hunters. With the current state of calm among the Isles, Geoffrey decided to bring part of his forces to exterminate the pests.
It was a hot summer season. The longer days and shorter nights played to the Guard's advantage. The leeches were of the fancy kind, Ekons, as they called themselves. The most dangerous kind, and after murdering and injuring his men on the first nights, Geoffrey decided it was best to organize a better strategy.
After thorough scouting, Priwen was able to find out that the leeches had set up base at the Paris Catacombs. A sprawling and labyrinthian set of tunnels beneath the city of lights. A perfect hiding spot for beasts that thrive in the darkness. But also a perfect location for a siege. He scattered his men all across Paris, blocking every entrance to the catacombs. If the leeches couldn't leave, they'd end up starving and weakening. And then Priwen would strike.
The plan seemed to work. Desperate leeches would attack each other for prey, or simply work in solitary, making them pleasantly easy to pluck out. Everything was going well until the vampire activity ceased all of a sudden.
Something was off. According to reports, there were still many leeches remaining in the catacombs. But they had stopped coming out. Geoffrey feared they had reorganized and were planning a counterattack. If that was the case, the best course of action was to stop them before then. Send a team into the catacombs.
Geoffrey readjusted the scarf around his neck and massaged his aching joints. He wasn't getting any younger. On the other hand, O'Connell was young, full of potential and ideas on how to improve Priwen. He would make a great successor.
"Remember," Geoffrey told him. "If we're not back by sunrise, move the men away and reorganize. Priwen shall prevail."
O'Connell nodded, his somber expression accentuated by the torchlight.
"Priwen shall prevail."
Geoffrey's heart thrummed loudly against his chest. He hadn't been this nervous since his first year at the Guard. Or since that fight his brain refused to forget.
The catacombs were dark, damp and silent. They walked past rooms piled up with old bones. Gang members and rebellious teenagers had written their names and vacuous messages on the walls. They became more sparse as they ventured deeper. They had brought plenty of fuel for the lamps, but it didn't seem enough as minutes trickled down beyond their awareness. They had Finnegan with his miraculous memory on map duty, writing down every twist and turn and every undocumented passage they encountered. When they stopped to take a breather and looked down at the paper, they realized the way back would not be easy. How many metres underground were they at that point?
They didn't find the first sign of leeches until an eternity later. The stench of decomposition led them to a chamber of rotting bodies. All of them drained of any blood.
"Lord save us!" Someone prayed behind Geoffrey, who was silently cursing. How many innocent lives had they taken?
Along the path, they stumbled upon more chambers with the same harrowing sight. Some were older than others, judging by the state of the decaying bodies.
Then they found the hole.
It had a sturdy rope hanging down the shaft. Someone had gone in and out of it many times. It went deep. A torch was thrown down, and it faded away with a splashing sound. As Geoffrey gripped the rope, he noticed the dried up blood staining it.
"We should go back." Pleaded Johnson, the youngest in the team. "We're going to die down there."
Everyone but Geoffrey agreed. They were so close, the lead hunter thought, he could sense it.
"You wait here. If I don't return in ten minutes, go back to O'Connell and inform him of what we've found."
"Do you have a death wish?" Harrison retorted back. He was a couple years older than Geoffrey, and a trusted soldier as well as a food friend. He had seen Geoffrey behave recklessly many a time, but this took the cake. The hunter had become more careless ever since he had named his successor, and Harrison hated seeing the man slowly fading into a shadow of his former self.
"I'll go with you." Harrison decided, and determined but glassy blue eyes told him he had made the right choice. Geoffrey truly didn't want to die alone in a leech infested tunnel.
They descended to a surprisingly large room. Water reached their knees, and the ground below seemed to be made of soft mud. Geoffrey almost fired a gun when something touched his calf. A dead body had floated towards them.
"This is a leech." Geoffrey whispered.
And as they progressed further to the end of the chamber, more bodies became visible. All from leeches.
"This isn't right."
A set of stairs greeted them at the end. They went upwards and away from the muddy waters. It would have been a relief had it not been for the blood smearing the walls. The sickly smell of rust filled the air.
The following room was the perfect picture of a massacre. About a dozen of leeches had been drained, torn apart and scattered around.
"Dear Lord." Geoffrey muttered. "Something has been killing these leeches."
"I don't like this one bit." Harrison replied. "This isn't the work of hunters. This is the work of a beast."
Geoffrey walked further in. The corridor seemed to expand into a set of tunnels all over again. Almost as if the catacombs reached into the depths of hell itself.
He twisted a foot to turn around and leave when he heard the groan. It sounded eerily human. Something about it tugged at him, dared him to investigate.
"Geoffrey." Harrison called as the other hunter ventured deeper.
But he didn't look back. The figure propped against the wall was taking form. A very familial one.
"You." Was all he could say when icy, dead eyes met his.
He hadn't changed one bit. The leech doctor's image had been frozen in time, preserved as an unnatural creature of vile instincts. The many tears in his tailored suit and open gashes that refused to heal told Geoffrey that he had found him at his most vulnerable.
"McCullum? How?" The usual smooth baritone was breathy and weak. "You must leave. They will come for you."
Geoffrey's left hand danced around the hilt of his sword.
"Who? What happened here?"
He would get his answers. And then he would finally settle his score with the doctor.
"I can't protect you. There are too many."
"I don't need to be protected! Tell me what's going on!" Geoffrey growled, still whispering.
There was no time to reply, as a puff of smoke manifested beside them, and lunged towards Geoffrey. His sword hit flesh at the same time the leech stumbled forward. The leech doctor had gripped the other leech's leg with an inhuman claw at the right moment, and was now draining him as he struggled away from the blade piercing his torso. Eventually, he went limp.
Harrison was now at Geoffrey's side, rifle in hand. He was pointing it at the doctor, who was now reinvigorated enough to stand up. The chance to eliminate him had come and gone.
"Get out of here, there are more coming!"
Geoffrey grabbed the rifle muzzle. Not that it posed any immediate danger to such a powerful leech.
"Are you the one who's been killing them?"
No answer came when another leech lunged forward, and the doctor struck back with his monstrous claws. The tunnel was narrow enough for him to block all incoming attacks towards the hunters.
"You must leave. Now!"
Before Geoffrey could protest, Harrison pulled him away. All semblance of stealth was gone when they ran upstairs and into the water pool.
"Shit!" Harrison misstepped and tumbled down. The lamp fell into the water. They were now surrounded by absolute darkness.
Both men called out to the rest of his teammates. Instead of their voices, they heard a splash and a series of grunts. How much time had passed? Geoffrey wondered, and guessed they had already left to the surface. At least they would have the chance to return to safety.
"So this is how it ends?" Asked Harrison with a nervous chuckle. "I always knew I would be killed by some leech, but never in a place like this."
Geoffrey swing his sword against the water. Cold droplets reached his face.
"Damnit!" He shouted. "Come here! I won't die without a fight!"
Something moved towards them at breakneck speed. A shot rang out. The momentary flash showed Geoffrey a picture of Harrison being ripped by a leech. His screams almost brought Geoffrey to tears. No matter how much he lied to himself, he wasn't ready to go.
Something gripped the neck of his jacket, and Geoffrey feared the worst. But then he was suddenly on dry ground, and extremely dizzy.
"Can you stand up?" Asked a familiar baritone. "I can lead you back to the surface."
Geoffrey slapped away the hands holding him.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I'm not the monster you think I am, McCullum. Now let me lead you out of here."
Geoffrey clenched his jaw and swallowed his pride. And eerily cold hand held his and firmly but gently pulled him away. The leech doctor gave him directions for every turn and step in the way, but they still moved too slow in comparison to the shuffling chasing them not that far behind.
"Do you trust me? What am I saying, of course you don't."
The doctor suddenly stopped. Geoffrey bumped against his back.
"What are you scheming?"
The hunter allowed himself to be led to an old ossuary. Brittle bones crackled under their footsteps.
"Wait here. I will be back soon."
"What? No!" Geoffrey protested but got no reply. Only the clicking of bones and the distant sounds of a fight. "Reid!'
The waiting was the worst part. Then the sounds of fighting ceased, and Geoffrey prayed that the doctor had been the one victorious.
"I'm back. I'm here." His relaxing voice returned, as well as the grip on his hand.
Geoffrey heard him limp for a few seconds before the broken limb mended itself. As powerful a leech as he was, the doctor was growing exhausted.
"Dawn is coming. It will all end soon."
As uplifting as those words were, they didn't stop Geoffrey from wheezing and panting. Walking and running all night long had taken a toll on him. He felt the walls closing in all around. His eyes ached for light.
Both men stopped and kneeled down. This time Geoffrey didn't push away the hand on his shoulder.
"Take your time. We're almost there."
"How? After all these years. How are you still so human?"
A sigh.
"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. Some nights I wonder why I keep trying. Then I remember why I must keep going. I do not enjoy this state of being, McCullum. And I'm looking for the way to cure it, however many years it takes."
Geoffrey found himself replying before a second thought.
"If there's anyone who can, it will be you."
“Thank you” The doctor replied with genuine appreciation.
They kept walking at a slower pace. It felt like an eternity that Geoffrey had been stuck under the surface. Eventually, Reid stopped, this time in a more careful manner.
“I have bad news.” He spoke. “I lost track of where the exit is.”
“Are you kidding me?” Geoffrey had to suppress a shout.
“When I entered the catacombs, remembering my way wasn’t a matter of life and death.”
Geoffrey leant against the wall.
“This is what I get for trusting you.”
He was beyond exhausted. Everytime he blinked, he could feel himself at the verge of falling asleep.
“It is morning already. Let us find a place to rest.” The doctor offered.
“So you can bite me while I sleep? Of course, why not?”
“Don’t worry. If that comes to happen, I will make sure to nibble you with utmost care.”
He gently pushed Geoffrey down on the floor. It was cold and hard, but there was nothing better. To make himself more comfortable, he untied his scarf and used it as a pillow.
“How comforting.” Geoffrey retorted.
The doctor huffed in amusement. He took off his coat and placed it atop the hunter, who didn’t complain. Geoffrey’s last thought before falling asleep was about how it smelled of him.
He was awoken by a soft shake. When he opened his eyes and only saw darkness, the memories of the previous night flooded in like a river overflowing. He was aching, hungry and thirsty and still trapped in a nest of leeches. And his only chance of survival was by trusting a leech itself.
“Can you stand up?” Said leech asked. “Good. Let me know when you’re ready.”
Geoffrey found himself instinctively searching for Reid’s hand. Despite the cold and unnatural feeling, it offered him support. Or perhaps he was losing his mind.
The many twists and turns they went through confused Geoffrey further. He couldn’t tell up from down anymore. They could have been going further down and he would be none the wiser. He was starting to wonder if he would truly see the light of day again.
Suddenly Reid slammed him against the wall. He covered his mouth before he could protest.
“Stay silent.” He whispered in his ear. “There are Ekons nearby.”
Geoffrey nodded. Reid loosened his hold.
“I have a plan.” The doctor continued. “But it’s extremely dangerous. We might be able to find the exit following them.”
Geoffrey gripped his sword and nodded again. They hurried the pace, going as fast as they could without making noise. They twisted and turned again and again, stopped abruptly and sprinted. The more they walked, the fresher the air seemed to become. It gave Geoffrey the energy to keep going.
Then the pile of bones collapsed. Geoffrey hadn’t touched it, and he doubted Reid had either. But it fell anyways, alerting all the leeches in the area. The hunter unsheathed his sword. Something was coming, fast.
Geoffrey was pushed against a wall. Something grazed his jacket. There was a grunt and the shattering of bones. By the many sounds he could hear, Reid was fighting more than one leech. They tried to get to Geoffrey, who was blindly swinging his sword in an attempt at self defense. As strong the leech doctor was, there was only so much he could do at the same time. Thankfully, the hunter only got a few slashes.
“Protecting a hunter?” A leech spat out. “You truly are a traitor of your kind.”
Reid screamed. Someone gurgled. More bones breaking. Then silence.
Geoffrey lowered his weapon. He focused on the sounds around him. Water dripping, distant cries, bones shuffling.
“Reid?” No response.
Had he run away after seeing he’d lose the battle? Had he finally stopped playing games decided to leave him to die? he refused to believe that. If that was the truth, then all hope was lost.
“Jonathan?” He asked again, masking the fear that had invaded every inch of his body.
A cold hand grabbed his cheek while another took hold of his shoulder. They pulled Geoffrey in opposite directions, leaving his neck exposed. Geoffrey swung and pierced flesh. The leech let him go with a hiss, but soon after lunged again and pinned him against the ground. Shattered bones stabbed him in the back like tiny needles.
“No!” Geoffrey heard Jonathan shout.
Sharp fangs pierced the hunter’s neck. His sword was ripped out of his grasp. Geoffrey kicked and punched, but the weight wasn’t off of him until he felt himself weakened by the loss of blood. He sat up, touched the ground to find his sword and instead found a sharpened bone. He wasn’t going to die. He wasn’t going to die!
Something pierced his abdomen. Geoffrey pulled the sword out. His hands were soaked in a warm, sticky fluid.
"Fuck." He was going to die.
Everything was a blur. Someone held him. Hands pushed on his stomach but couldn't stop the blood.
"I'm sorry." Cried Jonathan.
"No..." Begged Geoffrey. "Not like this."
"I'm sorry Geoffrey. I'm sorry for what I'm going to do."
Something warm reached Geoffrey's lips. He let it trickle down into his mouth. It was pungent, metallic, yet oh so flavourful. He knew what it was, but he didn't stop it.
"I'm sorry." Was the last he could hear before everything faded into nothingness.