Demon hunters’ life force is invisible to demons, so if they can hide from our other, more heightened senses, they can find us unprepared. These must be novices; their movements are heavy, and their talking is far too loud. I almost feel bad for them, being sent after me when they’re so clearly out of their depth.
Turning the corner, one of them whispers, “Could you be wrong? He just looks like a normal dude.”
The other answers, “No way. As soon as it landed in the city, all the alarms started going off. We couldn’t get a read on it until about an hour ago, when the compass finally stopped spinning and pointed in one direction.”
A compass?It would appear the mortalsandthe warlocks have come a long way in just a few centuries. If Bel’s was any indication, firearms have developed a lot while I was away too. She mentioned that everyone carries one now. I’d rather not be hit with one if I can help it, especially one that’s possibly been enhanced by magic.
I hide within the shadows and watch them saunter down the alleyway.So much confidence for only being two of them.I notice too that they’re wearing badges with their names on them, along with clothing similar to the law enforcement I just tore to pieces.ParkerandHarrison.Wearing badges on a stealth mission seems counterintuitive to me, but perhaps masquerading as officers allows them more freedom with their movements and weaponry.
I step into the light behind them, standing in the way of their only exit, “Hello, friends. Can I do something for you?” They spin around, and sure enough, two terribly large firearms snap up and point vaguely in my direction.
One of them instantly starts firing wildly, shattering a nearby window, while the other tells him tocalm the fuck down and aim, dumbass!
I have to stifle a laugh. It’s as if they sent children after me. Have the demons become so docile in the centuries that the hunters are so complacent? These imbeciles don’t stand a chance—
FUCK!One of them actually managed to hit my shoulder, and the monster inside me fights to escape. Another shot buries in my thigh before I can even think to run. I sink down on one knee.What is in those bullets?I can feel myself becoming sluggish, hit with the realization that they must have laced their weapons with some kind of intoxicant.
They cannot catch me. I won’t go back.
Letting the demon loose is as natural as breathing, and within seconds I’ve shredded through the clothes given to me.I have to kill them both and get away from here before I’m too addled.Trying to fight off the fatigue, I leap and rip an arm off the one with the terrible aim, letting his agonized screams pierce the night. The surrounding city is so loud it’ll only add to the cacophony of sound around us. The other one is shouting for him but doesn’t have the sense to stop shooting as I grab what’s left of his whimpering friend.
I am a resourceful demon, so I’ll happily use a human as a shield, and I do. Once the man realizes that he’s killed his comrade and slows his shots, I throw the corpse at him, shaking some of the blood from my hands as I do so.Hunters’ blood smells vile.
He drops his firearm while attempting to catch his fallen friend, and they both topple to the ground. As they collide with the terrain beneath them, the still-breathing one ricochets off the ground with a satisfying*thunk* *thunk*.
As I stalk over and peer down at them, the smell of urine soaks the air.Is that from the corpse or from the soon-to-be corpse? Likely both.I laugh while I watch him attempt to push what’s left of his buddy off so he may flee.
I take a step back and lean against the wall, feigning nonchalance and hoping it’s believable. I’m not entirely sure I could chase him in my current state, “If you run, your death will be far more painful. Tell me what I wish to know, and I’ll make it quick.” Nonetheless, he attempts to escape on a very clearly broken ankle. It takes nearly all my effort to take a few steps, grab him around the neck and turn him towards me, “How did you find me?”
He spits in my face, followed by some sputtering of an old prayer in Latin. I sigh and squeeze his neck a bit tighter, knowing I’m nearly out of time to deal with this, “You said something about a compass? Hmm? Sound familiar?”
With great struggle, he responds, “You should be in Vankhala, foul demon.”
“Perhaps, but that doesn’t answer any of my questions,” I do not have the patience for this, “I will give you one more chance to earn a swift death. You could not locate me when I first arrived. Why?”
“Don’t know,” he chokes out, so I loosen my grip, “Every alarm in the compound went off and the compass started spinning like crazy.”
“Where is this compound?” I ask.
“I don’t know, man. They blindfold us going in and out, can’t risk shit like this happening,” he sputters, the fear finally overtaking him. Keeping my eyes trained on him when I feel this drowsy is difficult, but I don’t think he notices.
“Tell me more about the compass,” I demand.
“It spun like fuckingcrazywhen all the alarms went off, okay? About an hour ago, it stopped spinning and pointed in one direction. Then it started spinning again and we were likefuck man, then it gave us a heading again,” he takes a heaving breath, “So we had to scramble to get out of there before we lost the advantage we had. The big guys strapped us up, blindfolded us and dropped us off like 20 minutes later, sayinggood luck!”
“Your superiors just dropped you off and left you here?” he nods.They’re just throwing these children to the dogs.Usually, I’d hate to kill someone so young, but this little fuck shot me first, so I tell him, “Thank you,” and snap his neck.
I’m a demon of my word, after all.
Digging through their belongings, I find the compass of which they spoke and stuff it in my pocket. They can keep their weapons and their silly outfits.I could use those boots, though. They’ll need a good cleaning, but that’s nothing.I collect my prizes, knowing I’ll need to eat and rest before I can repair or clean any of them. Part of me dreads entering Bel’s home covered in blood again, both mine, the color of my skin, as well as the deep scarlet of theirs, but needs must.
Wondering to myself what to do with their bodies as I lean against the wall, I notice what I’m almost certain is a trash receptacle. I carefully lift them into it, refusing to breathe in lest I inhale some of the disgusting smells emanating from it. I wish I could have just eaten them; it would make things easier, but hunters taste horrible, and it wouldn’t help anyway.
As I shrink into my human body, I can’t help but think maybe Bel is the reason for their tool’s malfunction. We are bound for protection, and while these hunters hadn’t been much of a threat, their magic-laden bullets are still working to slow me down. Having a human that masks me from hunters could certainly come in handy.
Throwing my new boots on, I use the wall as a support, hiding in the shadows of each building, slowly making my way back to her. I’ll just have a snack and get some rest, then I’ll be good as new. I’m able to blend into the walls, going completely unnoticed. If nothing else, humankind’s reliance on technology makes it easy to move around them. The constant beeps and buzzing tell me exactly where every being is and helps me avoid them.
What feels like an eternity later, I use the last dregs of my power to let myself into Bel’s home, ready to collapse. As I enter, I spot my little sacrifice sound asleep, snoringveryloudly. The bottle on the table in front of her smells similar to the humans wandering around outside. I spot something small and silver in her loose grip—is that a—darling girl, that sharp little thing will not protect you from me.I give her a mock pout, though she’s not conscious to see it. Gently, I extract the knife from her grip to ensure she does not accidentally harm herself with it.
