Chapter 4

About a year after she started using the gloves to help others, she ran into trouble. She had fought many monsters in her travels with and without Rufus, but she couldn't believe her eyes when she faced this new type of monster. She was used to being hunted for the gloves, she got used to keeping on the run, nothing about that was new. She believed it was worth it if it meant she could help people. This time she faced off with something that appeared to be human but after she wouldn't give them the gloves, they dropped something out of their sleeve. It looked like a silver dagger and when she asked them what they called it they answered with, "It's an angel blade, ignorant human." She charged for them after that, they clearly underestimated her skills in battle. She easily overpowered the man and when she stabbed him with her knife in his chest, he barely flinched. She was shocked by this and he took control. He stabbed her in the shoulder, and she released him with a gasp of pain. She brushed it off in seconds and he was coming after her again. She dropped her knife and tried to shoot him, but it barely made him hesitate. She fought him with her bare hands and got hold of his blade. She stabbed him in the neck and his eyes and mouth lit up with a bright white light. She stared it down in horror, never looking away. He fell to the ground with a thud and there was some black thing stained on the ground around him. She took a step back to take in the whole picture. She saw the wing design in what seemed like a shadow and started putting two and two together.

She had just killed an angel.

Angels are real.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

Her hand went to her mouth as she gasped. She had heard about angels of course, but she had grown into an atheist household. She knew monsters were real, but she never gave the good guys much thought. She figured there was evil in the world but if there was also good then why was the evil overwhelming? She looked down at the lifeless angel she just slaughtered and gave it another thought. Maybe the angels weren't good, maybe they were evil too.

She almost wanted to use the gloves on the man lying before her but quickly brushed that thought away, he would just try to kill her again. She scurried off to her car and started to drive.

She was breathing heavy and focusing on the road, well at least trying to. She found herself distracted by what she saw and then would jerk the car back in the lane when she slid a bit off.

She needed help.

She needed Rufus.

She quickly shoved that thought out of her mind, because she couldn't go to him even if she knew where he was. Of course, she had an idea since she knew where Bobby lived. Rufus was never too far from there and even if he was, he'd show up eventually. She thought about what Bobby would do if she showed up at his door. They didn't exactly leave on the best terms, him having kicked her out. She knew something had went down between him and Rufus when they argued upstairs away from her for more than an hour. In that time, she really took in Bobby's whole living arrangement. He lived in a big, old, dusty house by himself. He clearly was tapped into many hunters by all the lore he had and the phones that were labeled 'FBI' and 'U.S. Marshall' among others. He was kind of ground zero for the whole hunting operation, so maybe he wouldn't mind helping her out. She started driving towards Bobby's place. She didn't even give it a second thought.

She needed guidance.

She glanced over at the box that held the gloves and cursed it silently. She wanted to know what the symbols meant on it, she researched it as much as she could before hitting a wall. That was months ago though and the curiosity crept back on her.

A night's drive later she pulled slowly it's Bobby's property. She quieted the engine and heard a burst of laughter come from the inside. She had parked about fifty feet away from his house, not sure how he'd take to seeing her and as she got closer the laughing and talking grew louder. The house looked warm and cozy with the lights on and there was clearly at least three people inside. She peered inside, keeping hidden and saw Bobby standing in front of an unlit fireplace. He held a beer in his right hand and rested his left arm on the mantle. She was smiling and talking to someone. She tilted her head to see Rufus. They clinked their bottles and drank to something. There was a commotion and suddenly the window was blocked. Someone stood in front of it and she knew she was busted. She was tempted to run, but instead froze. They moved from the window and walked towards Bobby and Rufus. They also had a beer in their hand and hadn't been facing her when they were by the window. They hadn't seen her. She was safe. They were well built with short brown hair and they wore a jacket over a flannel shirt that hung open in front of their shirt. So many layers. They also walked with their knees slightly bent outwards, kind of like the position someone takes when they're riding a horse. He was attractive in a ruggedly handsome way. If you're into that. Which she was. She chuckled to herself before she heard a voice come up from near the steps. She jolted up and went back to her car. She sat there for a good twenty minutes, listening closely to their voices, not recognizing what they were saying but knowing when Rufus and Bobby were speaking. She missed them. She missed just hanging out with people some place warm and some place that felt like home.

She didn't always think about her family, in the two years Rufus took her under his wing, he had become more of a father than her actual father had been. She never really felt a real connection to her dad even growing up. She always felt a distance between them. She was much closer to her mom and felt a ping of sadness well up in her chest when she thought of her.

She started the car and slowly pulled away, she couldn't help but beg the universe to send someone out of that house to beg her to come inside. She wanted to be wanted.

She pulled into a motel that was in town, not far from Bobby's.

She decided that tomorrow was a fresh start, she would dive back into hunting, the life she knew she was made for. For now, though, she would watch crappy TV and order some pizza. She needed the night off and she deserved it.

She glanced at the box that held the gloves, rolled her eyes and shoved it under the bed.

That was tomorrow's problem. For now, she was a regular person, watching regular TV (opposed to watching the news looking for another job), eating regular food.

She let herself feel everything she had shoved aside for years.

She thought about her parents first. She felt sad for a moment but that led to rage. She was angry with them for not telling her what they really did. She was angry that they created all those new monsters. She was mostly angry with them, she realized, because they weren't around for her to yelled at.

She then led her mind to all the people who've died because of those monsters. She knew that she didn't create them, but with her parents gone, she was left with the responsibility. This kept her to keep working. She knew everyday she took off could be letting someone die. Every day was crucial with this job and she didn't plan on wasting any one of them.

Of course, this led to thinking of Rufus. She missed his company and his wit. He was always quick with a comeback and he was a genius when it came to anything. He knew random facts about anything she wanted to know and when he was stuck, he knew when to ask for help. He's a stubborn jerk but she could always get him to break. He had a soft spot for her. He looked at her like his own daughter, and she knew it was extremely difficult for them both to say their good byes.

She wondered briefly about her recurring visions and now being approached and attacked by an angel. Were they after her? Why did they want the gloves? Would they kill her for it? She had a lot of questions with no answers.

But that was tomorrow's problem.