The sun was beginning to rise, casting its first golden rays across the ruins of the Van Hellsing estate. The once proud and ancient home was now nothing more than a smoldering graveyard of broken wood and bloodstained stone. Amidst the debris, Andy Van Hellsing knelt by his parents’ bodies, his mind spinning from the trauma of the night. His eyes were swollen from crying, but the tears had long since dried, leaving only a deep, hollow ache inside him.
The silence around him was oppressive. The vampires had vanished with the night, leaving only death in their wake. Or so Andy thought.
As the soft light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, a rustle came from the shadows. Andy didn’t notice it at first, his gaze fixed on the horizon, his father’s sword lying limply in his hands. But the sound grew louder, and then a low, raspy voice broke the silence.
“You… you’re still here?” The voice sent a shiver down Andy’s spine. He jerked his head up, scanning the shadows. Emerging from the remnants of the destroyed estate was a lone figure—one of the vampires, badly wounded but still alive.
Andy scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding. The vampire, limping and clutching his side, bared his fangs in a painful grin. His eyes, bloodshot and hungry, locked onto Andy with a predatory glint.
"Not all of us fled when the sun rose," the vampire rasped, his voice thick with venom. "And now I see... the bloodline of Van Hellsing continues in you, boy."
Andy staggered backward, clutching the sword in his trembling hands. His mind raced—he had no strength left to fight, no chance of survival if the vampire attacked. He was still just a child.
The vampire's steps were slow, his body showing signs of the brutal fight from the night before. Burn marks and cuts marred his pale skin, his left arm hanging limp. But despite his injuries, the gleam in his eyes told Andy he still had enough strength to finish what the others had started.
“What do you want?” Andy stammered, his voice hoarse.
The vampire chuckled, a sickening sound. “What do I want? I want to live. But more than that… I want revenge for my fallen brethren. Your family killed countless of us over the centuries. Tonight, they finally paid the price.”
Andy’s grip on the sword tightened. “You’ll die with the sun. You can’t survive the daylight.”
The vampire sneered. “Maybe not. But before I burn, I’ll make sure you don’t live to see another sunset.” He took a step closer, baring his fangs. “Unless…”
Andy narrowed his eyes, stepping back, his muscles tense. “Unless what?”
The vampire stopped, tilting his head, his eyes narrowing with cruel intent. “Unless you join us. The Van Hellsing blood is strong—your strength could rival ours. I can make you one of us… a hunter no more, but a predator.”
Andy’s heart raced. He didn’t understand fully what the vampire was suggesting, but the offer sounded like poison. Yet, in his weakened state, facing death at the hands of a creature like this, his options were limited. His body screamed in exhaustion, his soul crushed by grief. He wasn’t ready for this, for any of it.
Seeing the hesitation, the vampire moved quicker, faster than Andy expected. In the blink of an eye, he was upon him, his cold fingers wrapping around Andy’s throat. “Think about it, boy. Your family is gone. You’re alone. Weak. But with my gift, you can be something more. You’ll have power beyond anything your father could’ve taught you.”
Andy struggled in the vampire’s grasp, his mind racing. But before he could make sense of anything, the vampire acted. His fangs pierced Andy’s neck, sinking deep into his flesh. Andy’s scream echoed through the ruins as a burning sensation spread from the bite, his vision going dark for a moment as the vampire drained his blood.
"Feel that?" the vampire hissed between gulps of Andy’s blood. "That's power... the power to survive."
Andy could barely think, the pain overwhelming him. He thought it would all end right there, that he would die just like his parents had. But then the vampire did something unexpected. He bit into his own wrist and forced the bleeding wound to Andy’s mouth.
"Drink," the vampire commanded. "Drink, and rise anew."
Andy struggled, tried to push him away, but his strength was fading fast. The vampire’s blood dripped into his mouth, hot and bitter. Unwillingly, Andy swallowed.
The moment the vampire’s blood entered his system, a violent shock ripped through Andy’s body. His vision blurred, and his heart thundered in his chest. He could feel his veins burning, his muscles tightening as if his body was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.
“Good,” the vampire whispered, his voice growing weaker as the sun began to rise. “You will be the one to carry on our legacy now.”
But as the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon, the vampire’s body began to smolder. His skin sizzled and blackened under the light, his grip on Andy weakening. He shrieked in agony as his body started to disintegrate.
“You… you’ll see…” the vampire wheezed, his voice barely a whisper now as his form crumbled into ash. “You’ll be one of us…”
With a final, piercing scream, the vampire was consumed by the sunlight, his body turning to dust and scattering in the wind.
Andy collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His entire body felt like it was on fire, his senses overwhelmed with the pain and the alien sensation of something new coursing through his blood. The sun was fully up now, its warm rays bathing the ruins in light, but Andy wasn’t burning.
He looked down at his hands, expecting to see them blackening like the vampire’s had. But nothing happened. The sunlight didn’t hurt him. In fact, it felt… comforting. Rejuvenating, even.
Andy’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. The vampire had turned him, but… into what? He wasn’t burning in the sun like they did. He still felt human, but something was different. His senses were sharper. His strength felt renewed, even though his body was still bruised and battered.
“Am I… a vampire?” Andy whispered to himself, his voice shaking.
But no. He couldn’t be. Not fully, at least. The sun should have killed him if that were the case. Instead, he stood there, unharmed, in the light of day. Something was different. He was no longer just human, but he wasn’t entirely vampire either.
He was something in between. Something… more.
Andy slowly rose to his feet, the weight of his father’s sword heavy in his hand. His family was gone. His home destroyed. But now, a new purpose began to form in his mind. He would hunt down the creatures that had taken everything from him. But now, he wouldn’t just be a Van Hellsing hunting monsters.
He was a monster, too.
A hybrid. Something new. Something powerful.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Andy’s eyes gleamed with a renewed sense of purpose. He would avenge his family. He would hunt the creatures of the night. And now, with the blood of both human and vampire coursing through his veins, he would become the ultimate predator.
The hunt had just begun.
