Another day, another monster. Some days I really hated being a hunter. Why couldn't my parents have been doctors, lawyers, anything other than hunters? No, I loved my parents and my life is all mine and I guess I wouldn't have it any other way now. My name is Laney Steele and this is my life. I know you've heard of other hunters and their stories, mine is a little of the same and a little different too. My father and mother were both born into families of hunters. That was all they knew and all they did. When I was born, which was a surprise by the way, they decided they would still hunt but they would make sure I had a normal life. Another hunter who was injured and no longer actively hunting took care of me. Her name was Elaine and I loved her almost like my mother. My mother Shannon was a wonderful woman and tried to spend as much time with me as she could, however a hunter's life seldom happened in one particular locale. My mom and dad spent my youth more away than present. I missed them terribly but I understood this was the way it was. My parents worked "out of town" and I only got to see them on some weekends and some holidays. Elaine decided the best way to explain it to not arouse suspicions, was that they were in the military. I wasn't aware of the lie until I was about 9 and I started to notice things that didn't make sense from a military perspective. I had friends in school with a parent in the military and the things they described didn't align with what I knew to be true in my house with my family. I was luckily smart enough to keep my mouth shut and kept paying attention trying to figure out what the deal really was.
When I was 13 I got a call from my mom saying my dad had been hurt and we would have to go see him at the hospital. Elaine and I packed up the car and drove for 3 hours to get there. My dad was unconscious, laying in a bed covered in bandages and thin cotton sheets. His eyes were ringed in bruises and swollen until he was hardly recognizable. My mother was sitting by his hospital bed, holding his hand, only illuminated by the cruel light of the monitors and the not so steady, slow beat of his heart. The sounds in that room were frightening and I had no idea what to expect. I stayed in that hospital for four days and nights straight, just waiting for him to wake up to see me. I had been rebelling lately and Elaine had her hands full with me. I was mad at everyone for being parentless and all of the typical teenage angst. I prayed to any god that would listen that I would be a good girl if my dad got better. Finally on the fourth day he opened his eyes for the first time and I thought my prayers were answered. Turns out they were only answered temporarily. About a month later, in true not hunter fashion, my parents were killed in a car accident. They were driving to the store to get supplies before they left town again and were hit head on by a semi and killed.
The next two years were filled with more anger, bad decisions, a couple juvenile detention centers, and finally a long sit down with Elaine. Counseling should probably have been involved, but hey…that's not how we do things. I had been out all night and tried sneaking in drunk at 3am. I'm sure I smelled like I smoked an ounce and rolled in a liquor bottle. Elaine met me at the door, didn't yell or say anything except, "Go to bed and I'll see you in the morning." The next day when I got up I dressed and when I got to the bottom of the stairs and she was there waiting for me. She told me to sit down that we needed to have a talk. I presumed she had had enough of my crap and wanted me out. I was almost 16 at this point and figured, why not? I could make a go of it on my own. Instead she wanted to tell me a story. She wanted to let me know who my parents really were, what they did and everything I didn't know. I think she wanted to try the scare you straight gimmick. Who knows, but telling a 15 year old that monsters are real sounded like craziness. I laughed at first and then I thought the old bat was probably losing her marbles. In the end she showed me my mom's journal and gave me their trunk they always took with them when they went out of town.
As I started to read through my mom's journal and before I realized I had been at it for hours. Not all of her journal was about hunting. It started during her childhood and talked of her parents being hunters. My grandparents who I had never met and heard very little about were these things I couldn't fathom. I looked through the trunk and found not only supplies but other books on demons, werewolves, things I had never heard of but was immediately terrified. When I was done I went back to Elaine to talk about my parents and ask about hunters to get some more information. We talked and I started to understand how important my parents were. I imagined all the people they saved. But I also understood they wanted to protect me from a life of things that go bump in the night and eventual misery and death. Getting some answers made me decide to change and not be such the little witch I was being. I behaved as much as a teenager can. I still dated bad boys, for a while. I still drank some and did typical things but I stopped getting in trouble. I started thinking I should make something of myself so my parents' desires would be kept.
The rest of school and home was pretty benign. I worked some jobs, did my school work. I was always good in school now I just went more often and actually applied myself a little more. I graduated in the top ten of my class and then had to decide what to do about college. I was undecided. There were so many things I wanted to do and I couldn't decide what path to take. I started college and took beginning classes and some electives until I could really make up my mind. Finally I decided on becoming a nurse. I always remembered those people that took care of my father in the hospital with fondness. I figured it was a noble profession and I could help people. I lived at home with Elaine to save on money and not take out too many loans. I worked at a nursing home at night and went to school during the day. Nothing extravagant during college. I made my grades and did well enough that instructors liked me and I graduated with honors.
I worked in a hospital. As a baby nurse I worked on a med/surg floor to get some experience and eventually moved up to ICU/ER. I loved my job. I learned something every day. Some days I made a real difference and other days it was being a glorified waitress but I loved what I did. I rented my own apartment and worked my ass off. I was always the one picking up shifts and spending the night in the hospital. I finally found not only something I was good at but something I was passionate about. I tried to date but really I never had the time or energy. When I was off I visited Elaine, and that was really it. I loved Elaine now that I was an adult doing adult things. We had so many conversations I could never have imagined as a child. She began talking with other hunters and helping them out when they were in the area. I got to meet a few of them and got to hear some great stories about my parents from the ones who knew them. Though I loved my life I still wondered what it was like to be a hunter and how that life would have been for me. I know my parents wanted me away from it but I just wanted to know.
Eventually I got a call from Elaine when a hunter was in the area and injured. He had been shot, I didn't ask by what, and though it was a flesh wound going to the ER would bring police and investigation. So she called me and I went to her house to take care of the wound. The hunter's name was Buford and he was shot in the leg, just a through and through but it needed cleaned well and dressed. I always had spare antibiotics at the apartment just in case so I took those with me and gave them to him. He was nice enough, a little gruff but hey if I was shot I probably would be too. He was cleaned up and ready to go in no time. I gave him the antibiotics for the road and off he went. I have to say after this first encounter I felt even more helpful than some days at the hospital. I was not only helping someone, I was helping someone who saves people. I went home that night and couldn't sleep. I thought there's got to be a way to help more hunters, there has to. I was so excited the next day after my shift I went straight to Elaine's thinking we could brainstorm and think of some way I could help. I was sooo wrong on that one. As soon as the thought was out of my mouth she practically forbid it, saying it was going against my parent's wishes. I was floored, how could helping people be a bad thing? It wasn't like I was going after the monsters I just wanted to help those that did.
I decided that I couldn't do much without her help. I didn't know any hunters personally and I had no contacts. There was no way to help if I couldn't let anyone know I wanted to. So I began to bide my time and wait for an opportunity to make some contacts. Elaine was having none of that, she kept me far away anytime a hunter was in town after that. I can only guess that no one really needed my help in that time. Gradually I started to forget about my dream and drifted back into my comfortable routine of work, work and more work. Then about a year later Elaine started getting sick. It started as a cough she couldn't shake and then she lost weight and started looking unwell. I tried to get her to go to the doctor which she refused, always having an explanation of why she looked unwell. Then after work on a Saturday I stopped and found her face down on her kitchen floor. She was diaphoretic and was breathing very slow and shallow. I immediately called 911 and an ambulance arrived and transported her to my hospital. Of course they ran bloodwork, xrays, ekg, the works. Finally Dr. Svenson came in and told us, she had lung cancer. It had already spread throughout her body and they weren't sure how much time she had left. I was devastated. I was already alone in this world save for her and now she was leaving too.
I pushed all my feelings and emotions down and decided to focus on what I knew, being a nurse. I coordinated with the doctors and got all the information straight to discuss what she wanted to do. As soon as I sat down in the chair I knew what she had decided. I loved this woman my whole life and probably knew before I sat down, but I had to hope for a miracle. We discussed all of her test results, her options and what the future may hold. In the end, she decided to enjoy whatever time she had left and that when her time was up she was okay with that. I cried with her and we hugged tight, and then I took her home. All of the doctors were giving their most hopeful looks and recommending trying something to prolong what time she had. At the end of the day we were back at her home with some pain medication and some phone numbers in case we needed anything. I still can't go on about her final days. She lasted another 8 months with me. I took vacation time I had saved and hunters came by almost every day. She had helped them and kept information for them in case she could help even though she was retired. I met a lot of really great people who I think loved Elaine almost as much as I did. When she passed away about 20 hunters showed up and she was cremated the way hunters are supposed to be I guess. In the end her will left me her house, all its belongings and a rather substantial sum of money she had been saving that I never even knew existed. For days after her death hunters stayed at the house to give their respects and help me through some trying times. I went back to work and things more or less got back to normal.