Hello my friends! Before you start reading, I'd like to point out that this story is in fact a spin-off from one of my earlier fanfics, the 'Into The Darkness' series. It's not entirely necessary to read these fanfics first, but it may help you to understand some things in this story. Also, I'd like to give a shout out to my dear friend Baekho0123, she's been a great help to me while I tried to figure out the plot for the story. I couldn't have done this without her help. Thanks girl, you are awesome~!
Chapter 1
The Demonic Sisters
A strong gust of wind caused the rain to hit the windows of the stores in the empty street, accompanied by a rather unpleasant kind of cold. With this kind of weather, you'd almost forget that it was actually summer, but right now it kind of felt like autumn had already arrived. Finn Bálor let out a slightly annoyed, shivering groan and pulled the zipper of his black, leather jacket up, fully closing his jacket. After that, he took a few seconds to fix his jacket's collar, making sure the cold and rain wouldn't get to his neck.
'Ugh... damn it...' he mumbled, his Irish accent clear as day.
You had to be a fool with nothing better to do if you went outside in the night in the middle of the rain. If you didn't have any real reason to go out with this weather, the best thing for any person to do was of course to stay inside, relax on the couch with a hot cup of tea and perhaps enjoy some show on TV... but Finn had never thought of that whenever he went out at night. No, there was no time for staying inside. Because when night fell, he had to go to work. And that kind of work was everything but normal.
Finn Bálor was a demon hunter.
If you would ask a person who was skeptical about the existence of demons or any other kind of supernatural being for that matter, they would naturally deny such a ridiculous thought like that. Humans are the only real thing, there would be no way in hell our world could be inhabited by paranormal creatures. They were merely fiction, characters in old myths and horror stories. Finn couldn't disagree more with people like that. For many years, he had encountered many demons, some of them benevolent, but most of them malicious. And it were the demons who wished to do harm to humanity that Finn had to eliminate. He had studied demons, knew about their different kinds of powers, the kinds of demons that there were out there; and oh yes, there were many demons who dared to blend in with the humans, waiting for their right moment to strike. It was Finn's task, his life goal, to protect humanity against supernatural evil. If people were so grateful for him saving their lives, they would often offer money, which Finn would rarely accept. Money was the last thing on his mind while protecting humanity.
The demon hunter had worked on many cases during his career and tonight there weren't any reasons to stay inside for tonight; another case was waiting to be solved.
During the past couple of months, a couple of men had gone missing in this city. Sure, every now and then people are unfortunate enough to go missing, but the number of men disappearing without a single trace in such a short time was enough to catch Finn's attention. There was something about this case that didn't quite feel... normal. With a bit of help from a close friend of him who worked at the police in this city, Finn was able to find out that all of the missing men were last seen in a strip club that had been recently opened in the center of the city. It was that same friend who shared that same thought the demon hunter; this case was a bit too strange. Of course the police had been searching around for a clue that could lead them to the missing men at the strip club, but nothing had been ever found, as if they had simply disappeared into thin air once they would set foot into that damn club. And that's when Finn came in. After a bit of investigating, he found out who the owners of the club really were. Tonight was the night he was finally going to confront them.
The demon hunter saw a red glow lightening up the wet street and sidewalk in the distance. That glow was coming from a huge neon light attached to a building that was established right on a corner, which would most likely lead to an alley. Music could be faintly heard; there was no doubt that it was coming from inside the building.
'The Bella Club...' Finn mumbled when he read the text the red neon light spelled out as soon as he got closer. 'What do ya have to hide for me?'
Finn was convinced that the answers to this strange case were hidden right here, inside this strip club. He was going to get them, one way or another. The demon hunter turned around the corner, assuming that the entrance to the club was there. And he was right about that; the entrance was located in the alley, where he was greeted with the smell of garbage and the sound of rain dripping down the iron frames of the ladders that lead to the other buildings' fire escapes and the downspouts. Just as Finn entered the alley, he saw a skinny stray cat scavenging through some torn open garbage bags in an attempt to find a scrap of food. As soon as the hungry animal spotted him, it ceased its search and quickly took off, disappearing into the darkness of the alley. The front door of the strip club was made of metal and had a small hatch. Finn knocked on it three times, hoping the bouncer could hear him despite the loud music. It didn't last long before the hatch was opened, exposing a pair of eyes glaring right at him.
'You again?' the deep voice of a man asked behind the door. 'What do you want?'
'I'm here for business.' Finn answered. 'Could ya let me in?'
For a little moment, the bouncer didn't say anything, as if he was considering whether he should let this man, who had been visiting the strip club a few times without paying any money to the girls in there, enter the building. Then the hatch suddenly closed and few clicks could be heard. The door opened with a loud creak, but the bouncer who was now standing in the doorway refused to stop glaring at Finn.
'Fine. Get in.'
As soon as Finn entered the strip club, he was greeted with loud techno music, the smell of cheap beer and the shattered dreams of all the strippers who worked at Club Bella. Spotlights were aimed at the girls on the various stages, who were clad in the most revealing outfits and dancing around the poles as erotically as they could, hoping they would be able to collect as much money as possible by the end of the night. The interior of Club Bella consisted mostly of different shades of pink and red, but it didn't soothe the humiliating feelings some of those strippers must've felt. Numerous men were gathered around the stages, cheering the girls on and throwing dollar bills at them. A wolf whistle could occasionally be heard. Finn couldn't help but hope for these girls that they all could find a better job in the future. But now there wasn't any time to think about that; he had some 'business' to discuss with the owners. He headed straight to the bar, where some of the men visiting the strip club decided to sit down to have a drink before continuing to gawk at all the flesh. The demon hunter sat down at the bar and immediately noticed the bartender, a man in his early fifties, filling up a glass with beer.
'Hey, you over there.' Finn said, his voice loud enough to be heard over the music. The bartender heard him and put down the glass of beer.
'Good evening, pal. What do you want to drink?'
Finn shook his head. 'No drink for me, thanks. I need to talk to the owners of the club. It's for business.'
'Business, you say?' the bartender asked, slightly frowning. 'Alright... hold on a moment.' He fetched a walky talky from the pocket of his beer-stained jeans, pressed a button and held it close to his ear. So far it surprised Finn how easy the security from this club could be fooled; were they perhaps unaware of the owners' true identities?
'Hey, Ms. Nikki?' the bartender said, covering his ear with his hand. 'I've got some guy over here who says he has business with you and your sister? Is it okay if I let him in?' He listened to what was said on the other side of the walky talky and briefly nodded. 'Okay then. I got that.' The bartender put away his walky talky and looked at Finn. 'Their office is in the back of the club.' he said, pointing to his right. 'The door is open.'
'Thanks.'
Finn got up from his seat and walked to the back. This was it, this was the moment. There was no way in hell the owners could deny the involvement in the case of the missing men, he could sense it if they were lying; it was a special kind of talent for most people.
The door was indeed open, like the bartender told him. As soon as Finn opened the door, he somehow expected an ambush, the final part of making him believe that the security was so easy to trick... but it didn't happen. But ambush or not, it didn't mean that Finn should let his guards down. The lifestyle of a demon hunter was not only dangerous... but also unpredictable.
The interior of the backroom looked luxurious, nearly calming even. The walls were decorated with a dark red wallpaper with elegant designs, the carpet was dark grey. A large, C-shaped aquarium was placed behind the large black leather sofa, where colorful, tropical fishes swam around in the clear water. A wooden desk was put way in the back of the room with piles of paperwork on it. A gorgeous-looking young woman with long brown hair and red lips, who was sitting behind the desk, notices Finn entering the backroom and got up. But it was not only her who noticed him; the same went for her twin sister, who had been lazily lounging on the sofa.
'Well, I'll be damned...' the woman said with a smirk. 'Look at here, Brie. If it isn't Finn Bálor, the Bastard Demon.'
It was a nickname that Finn had heard many times, but there was no way he could ever get rid of it... that was because it was the truth. It was written all over his aura, for every demon to see.
Finn Bálor was not entirely human; and he was hated by many for that.
'What do you want here?' Brie asked, getting up from the sofa. 'Don't you have better things to do? Or are you tired of betraying your own kind?'
'We need to talk, Nikki and Brie.' Finn said, ignoring the insult. 'And I'm pretty sure ya know what it's about.'
The two sisters briefly glanced at each other and didn't say anything, as if they considering to talk to him. Then they both glanced back at the demon hunter, with a rather arrogant smirk on their faces. 'Okay then... we will talk.' Nikki said. 'But close the door, will you? Nobody likes eavesdroppers, you know...'
Finn nodded and closed the door behind him with the soft click, immediately slightly muting the music back in the club. As soon as the door was closed, Nikki got up and walked towards the demon hunter, the smirk not ever leaving her face. Brie got up from the sofa and joined her twin sister.
'Well then, let's get started.' Nikki said. 'I hope you're not going to waste our time with this.'
'Oh, ya don't have to worry about that.' Finn answered. 'I am going to assume that this is going to interest ya two a lot.'
'Really?' Brie asked. 'Tell us.'
'I'm pretty sure you have heard the news of all those men who have gone missing lately. Most of them were married, even had children... but the most interesting part is... before they all vanished, they were last seen in this strip club. And I know for a fact that the two owners of this club are in fact demons...' Finn glared at the twins. 'So tell me, ya two... what have you done to them?'
Amused chuckled escaped past the lips of the twins. 'Come on now, Finn.' Nikki said. 'Do you honestly think we have something to do with this? I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are wrong. All wrong. You don't know what really happened. Those men could've finally realized that their lives were one big failure when they were here and decided to take off, you don't know what could've-'
'Bullshite!' Finn hissed, interrupting the female demon. The smirks almost immediately disappeared from the demonic sisters' faces, realizing that he had seen right through the lie. 'Ye're lyin', Nikki. Don't try to deny it. I can see it in your aura that ye're lyin', there's no way you can lie yourself or your sister out of this. Now listen to me and listen to me good... I'm giving ya a chance here. Ya two better stop with what ye're doin' and get the hell out of this city while you can. Hell, ya can even go back to the Demon Realm if ya want to, but if ya dare to make any more victims, I'll be comin' back for ya... and I won't give ya a warning next time. Got it?'
Nikki and Brie stared at Finn, completely speechless. The demon hunter turned around and headed back to the door, assuming that his warning would get through the twins' heads. There were only rare chances where he would give demons a chance to stop with their practices and turn their lives around, even offering them the chance to go back to their home world, the Demon Realm. Hopefully the sisters would be wise enough to makes that decision.
But before the demon hunter could touch the doorknob, a huge weight could be felt charging into his back and pinning him down to the ground with a painful thud. Before Finn could fight back, he was turned around on his back and once again held down by two pairs of arms. Big grins were displayed on the twins' faces, along with a sinister look in their eyes; Finn quickly realized that being given a chance to stop meant nothing to them.
'Do you really think we can let you leave, you stupid freak?' Brie said. 'We are not idiots, you know!'
'Yes, we have consumed the life forces of those men when we lured them into our office, but don't forget that we're just like those stupid humans you love so much, Finn.' Nikki said. 'We are just trying to come around. But unfortunately for you, you already know too much. And that's why me and my dear sister think it's better to get rid of you. But don't worry, if you don't struggle too much, your death is going to be quick and painless... and I think we're also doing all the other demons out there a huge favor by killing you!'
No... they were wrong... he was not going to be the one who was going to die tonight.
These dark powers had been hiding inside Finn's body for as long as he could remember; this was the right time to put them to good use. He allowed all the energy he had to flow to his arms, rapidly multiplying his strength. It was crashing through his veins, he could clearly feel it. He knew that his skin was coloring pitch black and his veins blood red as he was controlling his powers. With a loud roar, Finn broke free and shoved Nikki and Bella off of him with an incredible superhuman strength, sending the twins flying through the room and crashing into the aquarium. Glass shattered into many tiny pieces as the water flowed out, taking the unfortunate fishes along with it. Nikki and Brie landed on the ground, the water soaking their clothes.
'Why you, you...' Brie growled furiously. 'You... fucking freak!'
Letting out an infuriated scream, Brie charged right at the demon hunter, red energy crackling around her fists. But unfortunately she wasn't fast enough to reach him before he could pull out his pistol, loaded with bullets crafted from rock salt. Finn aimed his pistol right at Brie and fired, launching a bullet right to her head. Bullets made from rock salt would only weaken a demon if it was fired somewhere else on another spot on the body... but no demon has ever survived a bullet to the head. The bullet pierced right through Brie's skull, instantly killing her. She dropped to the ground; it lasted less than two seconds before a small blood of blood formed around her head.
'No!' Nikki screamed in horror. 'Brie!' With her eyes practically radiating with hatred, she glared at Finn. 'She was my sister! You'll pay for this! I'll kill you! I'm going to fucking kill you!'
Just like her now-deceased sister did, Nikki charged at Finn, ready to rip his throat out as soon as she got him. But Finn wasn't going to make it that easy to her. With his hand now transformed into a black claw with razor sharp fingernails, he charged right at Nikki.
He was not going to be the one dying tonight.
Finn rammed his entire arm through Nikki's chest, his claw clenched around her heart. The female demon widened her eyes in shock as blood spurted out of her mouth. Her broken ribcage made a sickening crunching noise as the demon hunter pulled his arm back out, still holding Nikki's heart before dropping it on the floor. The female demon emitted a soft, shivering breath before collapsing onto the floor, joining her sister.
It now was completely quiet in the backroom, if you would ignore the muffled techno music outside. A shiver ran over Finn's spine as he could feel his inhuman powers flowing away from the veins in his arms, returning to the source that was settled near his heart.
Time to get out of this damn mess.
Walking through the club with a bloody arm would catch anybody's attention for sure. Finn suddenly spotted a small window behind the desk, it looked like it was just big enough for him to crawl through. Dearly hoping that the gunshot hadn't alarmed anyone outside, Finn opened the window and managed to squeeze himself through it, smearing blood on the frame as he did so. Raindrops immediately fell on his head and jacket when he got outside. The demon hunter got up on his feet and let out a sigh.
Looks like it was safe to assume what really happened to those men... it was a damn shame that he couldn't find out where the bodies were.
As Finn entered the dark alley and walked away from the strip club, he suddenly realized that he promised his friend who worked at the police that he would try to keep the demonic sisters alive.
'Damn it... sorry, Dolph.' he mumbled, leaving the Bella Club behind him.
