It was the middle of the night. The large house was silent and the night was peaceful. The wind was still and the air was cool; the night seemed to be perfect for sleep. The soft blankets were soothing as the three-year-old stirred in her little bed, restless. No matter how sweet the air was or how smooth the sheets were, Sarah shuffled with an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Sitting up in her bed, a bead of cold sweat ran down her face. Sarah's chubby feet tickled the floor as she scrambled out of her bed and rapidly pushed her door open, stumbling out into the hallway. She rushed towards the stairway, looking down to see her father reaching down to pick up his duffel bag from the floor. She watched her dad pick up his bag as he swung it over his shoulder.

"Dad! Don't go!" Sarah cried from the top of the staircase. David's head shot up, looking at the young girl he was proud to call his own. He smiled at her, happy to see his daughter as she waddled down the stairs. Her chubby legs were barely able to carry her weight. When she reached the bottom, David picked her up and held her on his hip, smiling down at her as her fists clenched his shirt.

"What are you doing up?" David asked, not expecting an answer. "You should be asleep." He put down his bag and quietly carried his child back to her room, careful not to wake his wife. "I'll be back in the morning. Be good for Mommy, okay?" David said as he tucked Sarah back into her bed.

"Okay, Daddy," she said with a smile. "Are you off to fight monsters again?" she asked innocently, imagining the monsters under the bed and inside her closet. David nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Something like that." David got up as Sarah closed her eyes. "I'll see you soon," he whispered, quietly closing her bedroom door before heading back downstairs. Before he reached the door, he lifted the 'Welcome' mat to make sure the demon trap he had drawn was still intact. With a bitter smile, he thought about his daughter and what he would be leaving behind. He grabbed his bag and threw it into his Jeep before silently driving away, planning to be back by late morning.

•※•

David hopped out of his car at dawn. The sun was a dark shade of pink as it rose from the horizon in the early hours of the morning. He walked on the gravel road, admiring the yellow flowers that lined the edge of the path, leading towards the centre of the crossroads. Sighing heavily, David dug a small hole and placed a tin filled with the specific items needed to summon a demon in it before pushing dirt over it with his foot. He licked his lips, stepping a few steps back from the freshly covered hole, searching for a figure in the distance.

"A hunter?" a seductive voice said from behind him. David spun around to see a young girl in a red dress smirking at him. "Now why would I help a hunter?" The demon blinked and her eyes turned black. David didn't flinch like she expected, he stood his ground.

"'Cause a soul's a soul," David stated calmly. The demon smirked.

"That it is. What do you need?" The demon smiled, flashing her pearly white teeth. David stepped closer to her, his hands cupped together behind his back.

"Protection," David ordered. The demon laughed mockingly.

"I don't see why you'd need that. Didn't you listen to your doctor-"

"Protection for my family. Protection from you," David barked, rolling his eyes at her misunderstood idea of protection. The demon smirked to herself looking over him.

"I don't think so," she sassed. David shrugged and smiled.

"A soul's a soul. I mean, how often do you get a hunter down there?" There was a silence as David stared at the demon, turning and threatening to leave. She stood there, looking at him with an evil glare in her eyes.

"I can give you a knife–"

"I have knives."

"If you let me finish! I can give you a Demon Knife. The Knife of Kurds. One of the only knives able to kill a demon." With a snap of her fingers, it appeared in her delicately deceiving hand. David's eyes snapped to the knife with interest and tried to get a better look at the symbols engraved into the metal, wondering if it was worth his soul. It looked like no other knife he had ever seen but David had always been better with a gun-his wife was more of a knife person.

"No. That's not enough." The demon snarled at him and looked deeply into his brown eyes, searching for something. A weakness, a spark of happiness, a glimpse of hope that she could encourage in order for him to take the offer.

"You have a little girl. What a precious, innocent little thing, tucked in her bed. She has no idea, does she? What you do, that you're here?" David stayed silent and the demon smirked. "And I bet you don't plan on telling her, at least that what your wife wants, right? But you know there no stopping it, it's a curse. She was doomed the second you first laid eyes on her." The demon smirked, seeing the anger in his eyes. "How about I give you a spell. A promise, if you will, that your child-'til the day she dies-will be protected from demons." The demon smirked again, knowing she was offering a deal he couldn't refuse. "That includes hellhounds."

"That and the knife and we have a deal," David demanded.

"Now, now, don't be too hasty." David stood still, crossing his arms making up his mind. "You hunters are so hard headed. Fine, the knife and the spell." With that, the demon marched towards David and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, placing the knife in his hands before he could change his mind. Boss would be happy with a hunter.

Quickly, David pushed away and with a fast motion, and with a merciless and violent swing, he stabbed the demon in her chest before she could disappear. He watched as her eyes glowed orange and she fell to the ground, limp, her body falling from the knife's grip. Surprised, he looked at the bloodied knife and smiled.

"Humph. I didn't think you'd be that stupid." With that, he strolled back to his car and drove back to his white picket fenced home where his family waited for him with his loving wife and innocent daughter, with whom he wished to live a demon-free life.