(4th of June, 1999)

2:00 PM

Nathan clutched the writhing eye in his fist. Squeezing it by the tendrils as it flopped around. The Hellsing descendant inched his fingers upwards towards its optic nerve as he stared directly into the Seeker’s eye. The whole world drained of color as he stared into this… this—thing. Black & White behind the draining color of the world.

Where are you!?

Nathan screamed this with his thoughts, getting straight to business. Talking directly to the main Seeker. The “Survivor” of a bygone era. He knew that it could see him. He knew it had “eyes” everywhere. Kimberly watching as the dark world around her felt suffocating. As Nathan had his mental interrogation, she had a revelation. A man standing across the room from them. A dark, balding silhouette of a man.

“Father..?” She whispered as Nathan looked at her for a moment. Not having the time to acknowledge this he kept up his efforts.

Where? Where!?

Finally it answered.

North… North. Come and find me…

It said…

Where North? I want details!

It responded.

Search. Search and you will find me… The spectral voice laughed. Good luck… bastard descendant. You’re disgusting legacy will finally end. Your destiny fulfilled. I see that now. I SEE EVERYTHING! It laughed some more.

Nathan growled. He threw the creature to the ground as the color returned to their world. Kimberly’s vision disappearing. Nathan thrust a knife into the Seeker as liquid squirted from its shiny, opulent, yet gross form. Nathan standing triumphantly before looking around the cabin. He took note of the dead couple. Despite being monsters, they still belonged to genuine people. Innocent people. “We need to bury them…” Nathan said.

A couple hours had passed as Kimberly and Nathan got done burying the couple. Both of them were sweating as the sun was posted at its highest point in the sky. Nathan pulled out a golden cross before saying a prayer for them. "Requiescat in pace." He prayed as he crossed his chest with the holy relic.

Kimberly wasn’t super religious, so she didn’t partake in the prayer. But not wanting to disrespect him or the couple she decided to give a moment of silence. After a moment she broke her silence. “I’m going to go clean up a bit. I hate to say it, but we’ll probably have to stay here tonight…” She said.

She began walking inside when Nathan stopped her. “Wait.” He said. One simple word.

She stopped and turned to face him.

“I- I have to ask you. Back when I was getting information from the Seeker. When we were staring into the cosmic abyss. You said, father… What happened between you and your old man?” He asked.

“…” Kimberly started to feel uncomfortable. She hadn’t thought about her father in ages but then… there he was. There he had been for the past week. He’d started being everywhere she went all of a sudden. But despite that. Despite being a nightmare she couldn’t escape. She hugged herself tightly. Looked off into the dirt with a disassociated look. And said “What makes you think there’s something that happened?”

“Oh please Kimberly. We were staring hell in the eye, and you had a vision about your dad. If that doesn’t scream daddy issues, I don’t know what does.” He said with a hint of snark.

“I don’t… have “daddy” issues.” She said seemingly upset. “My father isn’t an issue anymore.” She told him. Implying the worst, or the best depending on who you ask.

“He died…” He said. Understanding what she meant. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She said bluntly. Finally looking him in the eye she said “He was a monster. He used to beat me and my Mother, and one day it all came to a head…” She swallowed with a shiver. Having a hard time saying this next part. “And he killed my mom…. He died in prison a few years later. I had to officiate his funeral…”

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Nathan looked off into the distance. Unable to make eye contact with her all of a sudden. He drove his shovel into the dirt and leaned up against it. Wiping the sweat from his brow. He took a deep breath then said. “I’m sorry.”

Kimberly stared into the dirt yet again. “Save your sorry for someone else. What do you know about it?” She said angrily gripping her hands. “You don’t know what it’s like. I had to bury my mother. I was forced to bury my father. And now I’ve lost my whole world. My friends. My community. My partner Frank… likely dead as well. Leaving his kids behind just like every other deadbeat dad…” She said, not truly believing that last part. “What…”

Kimberly stopped talking. She didn’t want to speak on it. She didn’t believe that Nathan could truly understand or empathize with her. He even considered not saying anything at all. But he knew that wasn’t the right choice. He’d done the same as they left Small Pines behind, but that was then. It was fresh but now… now seemed like time.

“I was raised by my grandfather.” He said. “My whole life I was trained to be this… this… whatever the fuck I am now. Other kids made fun of me. Called me a freak, called my grandpa a quack.” He said as Kimberly finally looked him in the eye. With a softer expression this time.

“A ‘quack’ they said. I mean who says that its so stupid!” Nathan chuckled a bit, albeit in a sort of melancholic way. “And the worst part was… I agreed with them. I never believed a single story my grandfather told me. Every word out of his mouth was ‘quack’ ‘quack’ ‘quack’ blah-blah-blah.” He said as he gestured with his hands as if a duck were actually quacking. And then… “And then it happened. The visions. The headaches… it was just as my grandfather said. Of course he’s dead now so. So it was up to me.”

Kimberly felt a shiver and suddenly it all clicked with her. It clicked as to how she’s been speaking to Nathan. It clicked that she’d dumped some of her trauma before treating him like he couldn’t possibly understand what she was going through. She treated him like a killer, like a monster despite him being anything but. And then it clicked that he had the courtesy to let her grieve her town without any unnecessary input. And she knew that deep. Deep in her mind, she might be the real monster.

“I came into town and… the first thing I did was a fuck up. I had heard the stories from grandpa that drinking liquor prevents possession. So I drank. And then I kept drinking. More. A little more and then… I was ready to move.” He said as his voice began to crack. “Then as I was about to enter the woods and end this evil once and for all… there were children.”

Kimberly’s eyes widened. Daniel and Ricky…

“I stumbled over to them, drunk and practically pissing myself. Tried to stop them, but I think they thought… that I was chasing them. They ran into the woods and I… I fell over in a drunken stupor outside of the forest. Like a failure I let those boys die- NO. I got them killed. And I got all of Small Pines killed. All because I couldn’t live up to my families legacy…”

Kimberly felt saddened by his story. She wondered if this might be how Frank felt considering how hard he tried to course correct his behavior after the fact. But whatever the case she knew that Nathan had laid it all out to bare. Now it was her turn. After all that was why Nathan had opened up. To empathize.

“I… I hated my dad but… I wish I could just talk to him one more time.” She said.

“What would you say?” Nathan asked.

Kimberly took a deep breath. “I’d ask him why. And I’d forgive him.” She said. Thinking on it for a moment. “I’d let go of all that pain once and for all. I don’t want to live with that pain anymore…”

9:00 PM

It was late and the two had cleaned up the cabin for a nights stay. They needed to rest and stock up knowing they were going to have to trek back to the truck in the morning and continue North. Nathan found some tomato sauce and supplies to make lasagna. He held up the jar with a wide goofy look as if he were saying Lasagna? Huh? What do you think? Kimberly smiled and shook her head.

“Do you know how to cook?”

Nathan bolstered. “Do I know how to cook you ask! You bet your ass I do. Home economics was kind to me. And my grandfather owned a distillery.” He bragged.

“Brewing isn’t cooking…” Kimberly said.

Nathan flipped his hair out of his blue eyes. “Tomato Tomoto.” He said bluntly. “And come on Brewing? I’m talking about the hard stuff.” He said as he popped the jar open.

The two then began cooking the lasagna and spattering tomato sauce all over the counter by accident as they prepped the cookware. They threw on the radio and listened to music as they worked. Dancing and spoon feeding a bit of sauce with cooked seasoned beef. Just having fun with it. After laying their hearts bare they just felt as if a weight had been lifted.

After eating they decided to sleep in the same room for safeties sake. Kimberly tossed and turned in the bed as Nathan stayed on the floor. But it was odd for her. This was that couples bed. This is where they slept every night. And now they were buried outside… it didn’t feel right. Finally she grabbed the covers and slipped out of the bed and onto the floor. Nestling up against Nathan on the hardwood floor.

This startled Nathan awake. He’d been having a nightmare anyway, so he didn’t mind. But what he felt next surprised him. She was naked. Kimberly waited and Nathan didn’t make a move. She finally threw her covers over his and pulled his up out from under him. So she could get skin to skin contact. Her perky breasts pressing up against his muscular figure. She kissed his back with a peck as his tension dispersed.

Finally he rolled to the other side to meet her face to face. He leaned in and as he did his lips met hers. Tongue was exchanged. Then they held each other. Kissing further. She then laid on her back to expose everything to him. Her curly hair, fair skin, her body was ripe for the taking. He climbed on top then took charge of the situation. Making love to her as the Northern lights shone through the window….