Chapter IX: Random Acts of Violence
Twilight set on the city the following evening as Dante made his way into the boarding house again, after spending another day mostly wasting time around the city. He'd been looking for trouble in the form of Bloodgoyles or better yet, that Chernobog creature, with no success. But he had made an interesting observation: that park was right in the middle of what one could define as the 'city center' or the living heart of the city, and many occurrences of violence and murder had happened not only in, but also around the park. It was almost like whatever was going on in the city was slowly taking over it in a steady, obscure pace. He removed his coat and hung it over his arm as he made for the stairs, briefly waving to Roy as he passed and trudged across the hardwood floor.
Roy, who was sweeping the floor in the lobby, returned the greeting with a nod. "Hey son," he said then chuckled. "Still no retaliation? I'm surprised that she hasn't cursed your butt into Kingdom Come yet."
Dante just smiled widely, as if he knew something Roy didn't and went up the stairs. Tess had avoided him like the plague for the rest of yesterday and besides one foray into the kitchen and one visit to her grandmother, she hadn't been out of her room much.
He didn't think much of it, expecting she'd get over it eventually, but he did have something interesting to talk about. He'd found another madman on a murder rampage in the industrial area of the city and killed him after prodding him a little to see if he was anything like the first one. Apparently he had not killed many when Dante found him, since he looked relatively human still, and had been looming over the body of a vagrant in an alley. But the moment Dante confronted him, his underlying demonic nature seemed to just accelerate, as if Dante's presence had suddenly lit its fuse. He had gone down easily, and Dante was left with the added satisfaction of having very likely prevented a more extended bloodbath.
He passed Tess' door and pounded his fist on it, but didn't stop. He just wanted to annoy her and get her attention. Maybe even to see whether she was going to start changing. He went to his room, threw his coat on the bed, changed into a clean shirt and a bomber jacket, then pulled the door shut again. When he passed Tess' door again, he knocked a second time but again did not stop. He walked back down the stairs to Roy.
"Seen her at all today?" he asked.
"Hmm, not really," Roy replied, stopping his sweeping. "She took off after you did. Got back a while ago…and right now, she's just behind you."
Dante whipped straight around to come almost face to face with the red-head, who'd gotten in the house while he was upstairs and now came from the kitchen.
She had a discontent look on her face. "If you knock on my door again like that, I'm gonna break it over your head," she told him dryly.
She looked pretty different. Her hair was short to her chin now, a stark difference that made her face look narrower and stand out more and brought attention to her eyes a lot. She was wearing low-rise pair jeans, a deep purple shirt and a black tank top over it with a heart cracked in two and sewn together, lying in a puddle of blood and the words 'I Break Hearts' under it.
Dante winced a little at her cold expression and shrugged his shoulders, feigning a look of ignorance on his face. He scratched the back of his head. "Looks like you're not completely pissed at me, since I'm not dead yet," he said, a bit amused. She looked pretty different with that haircut. Almost more mature and adult.
Tess crossed her arms over her chest. "I was last night, but now that I fixed my hair up a little, it doesn't look that bad. I wouldn't have cut it if you hadn't pissed me off, so I hate to admit that I have you thank for the change," she said, raising her eyebrow and smirking. She seemed to have forgiven him, for the most, but wasn't switching back to friendly yet.
Roy tilt his head to the side, staring. "I'll need some time to get used to that look," he cackled and nudged Dante. "Don't you think she looks like an angry vixen ready to bite your head off like that?"
"She is a rabid shrew anyway. It's not much of a change. She still can't bite my head off," Dante smirked mischievously at her, giving her a teasing look that just spelled 'Nah-nah nah nah-nah!'
Tess just rolled her eyes. Roy smirked and made for the basement. "Anyway, looks like you two are heading out or something. Have fun and try to not get killed!" he called behind him. "Or kill each other!"
Dante looked in the old-timer's direction, then back at Tess. "What do you suppose he meant by that?"
"He means that every time you and I step out the front door, we get in trouble," she said dryly, then paused. "Do you want to go for a pizza? Roy is too busy and I'm not in the mood to cook," she added suddenly.
Dante realized how hungry he was when she mentioned pizza and nodded eagerly with wide eyes, making her chuckle at his look. "What'd he mean by 'Don't get killed' anyway? What's he take us for, babies?" he added with a small cringe.
"He's not an idiot, Dante," Tess said, picking up her coat. It was black, made out of cotton and wool fabric, and reached down to her thighs as she buttoned it up. "He knows what we're up to all the time. In fact, I'm surprised he's letting us go out and about after what happened at the park. I expected him to start stalking us to keep an eye on us, but he hasn't. I'd have sensed him if he had."
"Heh, seriously? Doesn't he know how to get around your freaky radar?" and before she could answer, he asked another question. "So where are you taking me?"
In a gesture of rare courtesy, Dante held the door open for Tess to walk through. Tess smirked as she walked out. "He's tried. But I always find him out. And there's a pizza joint around here that isn't as dingy as other places. Its food is actually edible."
Dante followed closely behind, smiling wide. Finally, after a day's worth of tracking down demons, he was finally able to relax and enjoy a meal. He didn't plan on discussing what he'd seen with Tess until later. "Edible is all I need right now," he said, as his stomach made an angry growl and Dante could have sworn he heard it say 'Feed me!'
"Yeah, me too," Tess sighed. She tucked some of her short hair behind her ear, walking along the street, not looking like she was in much of a talking mood.
Dante watched her and thought he sensed some tension beneath her calmness. His instant reaction was to question it. "Alright, what's wrong, Twig?" he said, stuffing his hands in his jacket's pockets.
She didn't stop or look back, just kept on walking, her hands in her pockets too. "Does there always have to be something wrong with me? Can't I just be, you know, not in the mood to talk to you?"
"No. If you're not talking, something's wrong. That's always the way with you so far, and I doubt a haircut changed that. Now spill," he said, stopping in his tracks and refusing to move until she told him what was going on.
She stopped too and twirled some of her hair around her finger. "And why are you so interested in knowing?" she asked pointedly, giving him a look over her shoulder.
Caught off-guard by that look, Dante instantly went on the defensive, not quite sure why. "I just don't want you throwing another of your tantrums at random. Better to know what to keep away from."
Tess chuckled. "It's nothing. Grams bitched me, again. She hates my hair, big surprise. She says you're an awful influence and for once in our lives…I agree."
Dante raised an eyebrow. "Dunno about that, I've known nothing but trouble since I came here."
"You like trouble, don't pretend it bothers you," she said dryly. "Anyway, I'm done being held back by my issues. That's all. But…you haven't given me your opinion about my hair. It was your doing anyway," she said and turned to face him with a sly smirk. "Well?"
He fell for the subject change. "You want my opinion?" he asked, taking a step forward and raising an eyebrow. "You really want my opinion?"
She tilted her head to the side with a 'd'uuh' look. "Why else would I ask?"
Dante raised an eyebrow and shrugged, looking down first, then back to her. "You look like you're twelve now," he lied. "It's an improvement, but there's still room for more. Haircut alone ain't gonna make you any prettier, you better work on that temper of yours."
Tess just sighed, losing her smirk. She shook her head, looking down. "You really don't know how to talk to a girl," she concluded, turning back around and walked down the street.
"Hey, I'm not trying to impress you," Dante retorted, snidely. "You already love me, so why bother?" He smiled wide, knowing he was getting under her skin. His stomach gave another command for food and he cringed. Tess twitched a little, but she kept walking. She seemed to be getting used to his mocking, but that didn't mean she could outright ignore it.
"Well, I guess that since you love me too, you must like it anyway," she said shoving her hands in her jeans' pockets.
Dante maintained his devilish smile. Throw his words at him, dare she? "I never said I loved you, Twig. I kissed you because I wanted a muffin! And you have yet to give me one," he said, jabbing his index finger towards her. "You owe me a muffin, damn it!"
Tess rolled her eyes with an amused chuckle. "Fine, you big baby, I'll buy you one at the pizza diner," she said, her hands fidgeting in her pockets. She kept smiling and walking, without turning. "And thanks for the compliment on my baking."
Dante looked to the side, still smiling. "It's a shame you don't look as good as you bake."
She stopped beside a street lamp, her hands still in her pockets, still grinning. Now he wasn't just teasing her; she was playing along for fun. "And how should I look, to reach your standards, hmm? Like some Playboy bimbo with boobs bigger than her head? No thank you."
Dante made a sour face. "Ugh, no! Playboy girls are so fake, like blow-up dolls," he said, making a face like he wanted to throw up. "Me, I like girls with a nice, natural figure. Boobs aren't a problem, but I like a nice butt!" he said, making a gesture like he was outlining a woman's figure, and smiled wide, hoping to get Tess to blush some. And surely, she did!
Her face faintly colored. "Wow, no comment there. Pity I don't fit into that since I'm so thin, eh?" she said, sarcastic.
Dante looked at her again. "Pity for you, maybe. I, on the other hand, don't care so much. Where do you think I go all day when I'm not with you?" he asked cheekily, placing his hands behind his head as if he was lying down and relaxing. He was probably pushing it, but she didn't seem to mind.
Tess just stared at him, with a 'you can't be serious' look on her face, looking slightly put off. She just rolled her eyes, shrugged and was about to retort when she trailed off, losing the smirk and her gaze fixing on something behind Dante. He noticed and looked over his shoulder.
There was a group of people coming their way, about a dozen of them, all wearing black or dark-colored clothes, mostly baggy pants and hooded sweatshirts, jackets, overcoats and hats or beanies, so that they all appeared to be wearing the same, or at least a similar kind of 'uniform'. They walked down the street in a mob, without talking. Their slow and steady, suspicious gate was a little unnerving; they walked with determination and their slow confidence showed no fear. They seemed to be heading directly for the two teenagers.
Dante shrugged, thinking it was nothing worth noticing and motioned to walk on. After he got a few steps ahead, he looked back at Tess, who was lagging behind.
"C'mon, slowpoke!"
Tess backed up against him a bit and this time, she was clearly rather worried. "Fannysmackers" she said quietly. She sounded like it both scared and disturbed her.
Dante raised an eyebrow and looked back ahead of him. Another mob of similar people were coming down that side too. They were flanked. Dante bowed up an eyebrow, wondering why they'd make her feel so distressed.
"Fannysmackers?" he quipped.
"Local slang for these delinquents. They're bored teenagers, thrill-seekers and trouble-makers, all rolled in one. They roam the streets and randomly beat up people for no reason. Just for fun or whatever twisted idea they have in their heads. They don't care who their victim is. If they decide to beat someone up, they go for it. It's been happening for a while, almost the same as the crazy dudes' violence sprees," she said, sounding disturbed. "Aw shit, they're flanking us, I think we're being targeted," she muttered, frowning.
Dante smirked, shook his head and stepped closer to Tess. "Relax. If I can fight off demons, a bunch of humans can't be much trouble." His voice was a mumble as he reached behind his back to draw Ebony from the back of his pants. "Just don't use your witchcraft, Twig, you don't want to scare them witless, do you?" he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Unless you're scared."
Tess jerked her head to look at him and hissed: "I'm not scared of them. And don't use that gun! They're just people! You can't kill them!" she said, grabbing his arm to make him put the gun away.
Dante obeyed but only to an extent. He was never intending to shoot humans for the kill, not unless another life depended on it and there was nothing else he could do. He pushed his gun back in the rim of his pants, but never promised not to use them. Meanwhile the two groups had flanked them for good. They stopped, a mere few paces away from them, almost surrounding them. They turned out to be a mish-mash of young people of various ages, from as young as thirteen to as old as twenty-four, of both sexes. But the majority of them were boys between sixteen and twenty. One of them stepped ahead of the rest, with a smug grin. He pulled down his hood, showing brown hair dyed blond and combed in spikes and muddy-brown eyes. He was barely taller than Tess but he couldn't be older than nineteen.
"Well, well, look who we just found: The Wicked Bitch of the West Side. Long time no see, hun," he said with a mocking chuckle, looking straight at Tess.
Although she seemed to acknowledge him as well, Tess gave him the kind of look she'd direct at a rat. "Dean," she replied, with fake pleasantry. "Been a while, hasn't it? You still stink of weed even from 5 feet away."
As this Dean character neared, Dante thought he could smell something on him too. It wasn't weed, either. It was blood. Faint, but there, he could smell it drying on his clothes. Maybe Tess was right and this group was more dangerous than it seemed.
He tensed, both defensively but also in anger. Threaten us and call my girl a bitch? he thought, surprising himself. He twitched, checking himself and not letting his arm pull the gun out and blow this idiot's head to pieces. Get it together! he ordered himself. Tess isn't your girl, what the hell are you thinking? Don't stoop down to their level, you moron!
Dean paid no attention to Tess' comment or to Dante's faint glare and just kept smirking widely. The presence of his accompanying mob obviously gave him a sense of security in numbers.
"Yeah, what's it really been, two years? Your old uncle kicked me out just because we were having some fun in the house," Dean chuckled.
"Oh, all that shit you snort all the time must've messed your head. We kicked you out because you tried to turn the building into your personal whorehouse and junkie-yard," Tess replied sarcastically. "If I remember correctly, it was just too many call-girls, too much booze and too much bullshit that got you kicked out."
Dante smirked a little, but kept watching Dean who eyed them up in turn. "You're still an arrogant little bitch, Tess. And my, my, your taste in boys sure has changed. I didn't think you were into 'pretty boys' or I'd have done my hair emo and put on a pimp coat to waltz into your pants. Unless he's just another tenant in that dump of your old granny's and you're duping him around."
Slight snickers and chuckles came from the rest of the mob, along with a few nudging elbows. One of them laughed audibly and added a 'decorative' comment, insulting Dante particularly.
"Just get lost," Tess hissed back, losing her temper again. "You brought it all on yourself. If you weren't so busy getting high all the time you might've realized. And he's not my boyfriend if that's what your puny brain is trying to spell out. But you know what? He's ten times a better company than you were-and he doesn't need to try so hard."
Some people from the mob let taunting whistles and small cheers at the girl's sly reply, while others chuckled at Dean, who bore the last comment with a silent, intimidating look. It switched back to an arrogant smile. "Hah! You never change, Tess," Dean chuckled. "Newsflash, princess, you're in my turf now and boy, do I owe you just desserts!"
"Oh, I'm scared. What are you going to do, huh? Beat me to a pulp like you've done to other people? Think you can even handle me?" she challenged him, getting in Dean's face as the mob stirred and began to coax Dean into picking a real fight with her.
Before this would escalate into a nasty thing, Dante put his hand up on her shoulder, pulled her back gently and walked past her. He got between Dean and Tess, looking down at him with a cold stare. "You've said enough. Pisses me off when someone's got a bigger mouth than me," he said in a quiet, threatening tone. A sarcastic smirk of pity was on the edge of appearing on his face.
Dean looked up at Dante, raising an eyebrow. He didn't seem concerned, neither by Dante's stature, nor his threat. "Ooooh, we got ourselves a hero here," he chuckled, as others of the group snickered again. "Look, Shining Armor, you must be stupid, or completely nuts. You wanna take a fall for a chick, at least pick a girl that's worth getting messed up for."
Dante smirked, amused. "Aw, don't you sound pissed," he mocked in return. "You're so pissed because you couldn't even impress her," he chuckled. "Let's see what you got then. Why not take on the 'hero'? Everyone loves to see the hero fall, after all."
Tess remained quiet, probably surprised, at him stepping up. Probably embarrassed too and he nearly smirked when she hissed "Don't talk like I'm not present!" at him.
"Okay, 'hero'," Dean said, popping his knuckles hard.
Before either of the two could react, the entire mob surrounded them tightly as if obeying some subtle sign Dean made and fell upon them like a pack of hungry wolves. Dean pulled out a knuckle-duster from his shirt's pocket and rammed his fist into Dante's face, while the rest of the bunch closed in, allowing no escape. Dante felt his head snap back as he failed to dodge or parry the hit from sheer surprise. The next thing he knew he was the subject of some of the most violent punching, shoving and kicking that he'd ever seen humans do, and as his head reeled back, he saw a few stones, broken bottles and knives making appearances.
He reeled back though and dodged another swing that swept by, missing his head by inches. In the instant it took him to twist out of the tight spot he was, he saw Tess parry a few hits, cripple a guy with a nasty kick to the jewels and then get knocked onto the ground by a kick from the side that made her stumble back and trip onto the side of the pavement, ending on the ground. Dante grunted quietly, parrying another blow by Dean and then knocked the dumbass back with a blow to the chest. He dodged a few more of these fannysmackers and shoved his way towards Tess.
He felt anger boiling over when he saw someone keeping her pressed down with their foot on the side of her head, rubbing her face against the snow, while another fannysmacker was ready to kick her again. She was trying to throw them off, but with her head pinned down, she couldn't even see. Dante was there in an instant; he pulled his fist back and drove it harshly into the chest of the one who had his foot on Tess' head, knocking him backwards. Another one was knocked flat on his back right after the first, writhing and clutching his crotch when Tess jerked her foot and kicked his loins hard, adding an audible curse to top it off.
Dante forcefully pulled Tess on to him when she tried to stand and collapsed over her, making her stay down and protected her with himself, even as she blurted a surprised gasp. Their resistance had only made the mob more eager to hurt them and he knew he could bear their increased aggression better than she would. Fists, knees, feet and not a few weapons came pummeling down on him but he didn't care, more concerned with shielding Tess and he wrapped his arms around her. A stone clonking against his head hard with a rough sound and drawing blood, was the last straw. Now at knee level with the mob, Dante drew his guns from under his coat and fired off a few rounds, mostly warning shots at first, hoping the gunfire would make them back off.
After the first two shots, the next few bullets pierced leg-flesh and popped a few knees. He didn't intend to have any mercy for these idiots, although he didn't want to kill anyone. Meanwhile, Tess covered her ears as soon as he began firing. From such a close range the sound was deafening. All the while she was uttering protestations at being unable to help, shouting at the mob to stop even though she knew it was futile.
Most of the fannysmackers backed off in a hurry as soon as they realized that the loud sounds were gunshots. Two or three of them fell on their knees or backsides, gripping their wounded legs and groaning in pain. A couple others backed off, limping with blood streaming down from the gunshot wounds and most of those unscathed were fleeing.
Dean had barely missed being shot in the knee, shoving someone else in front of him to take a hit. "Y-you sonofa-!" he bellowed.
Tess finally had enough of being covered like some damsel in distress and shoved Dante off her when they got some breathing room. She then swung her leg and kicked into at face of one of the fannysmackers, who was crouched down, too close to her for comfort, who hadn't been hit. A crack was heard from his nose as his head whipped back with a spurt of blood and he toppled over backwards.
Dante smirked. For a girl, she sure kicked harder than she punched.
"You maniac!" she called to Dante. "Do you want to get killed! This is not a time to play hero! You are so not going to try to save my ass by taking all the hits yourself and give me a guilt-trip!"
Dante couldn't help a chuckle even in all that mess they were in. So she did care about him! Tess rammed another kick to the ankles of another guy, making him trip and fall onto one of his fellows, before she pushed Dante off herself with a shove. Still knelt, the shove knocked Dante on his bum, but he didn't drop his guns. Instead, he put them away and knocked someone over by tripping them and jumped up. Most of the gang was running away and retreating into alleys. A couple were still around, encouraged by Dean, who audibly cursed the 'deserters'. Tess was standing behind Dante, panting from the effort. The last person she had hit lay on his back, groaning and holding his throat, where the girl had smacked her foot down on it after knocking him down.
"Had enough, asshole?" Dante taunted Dean. "I can still take you on," he chuckled, a bit malevolently.
Dean glared back, twitching. "You…you fucking little shit!"
In the excitement of the fight, Dante had missed it, but as things came to a pause, he realized that something was wrong. It was subtle at first, then spread abruptly, like a knife cutting through time. It crept up on them, taking everyone by surprise. Everything grew silent and the air felt heavy and gritty all of a sudden. It was like a bubble surrounding them that blocked off every sound. Without reason, the sky darkened out, even if for a mere moment and it seemed like shadows cast over by a mass of clouds rushing overhead passed over them.
He heard Tess' gasp and turned to see her eyes widen and she stumbled, as if something had hit her and looked like she'd stumble. Putting out her hand she grabbed onto his arm and he turned to support her while her other hand reached for her face and pressed against it as she mumbled. She seemed to be in pain and groaned weakly. "This…this feeling-again!"
Dante too felt whatever it was that passed over them and froze up for a moment, his eyes wide. He ignored the gang's presence, focusing on what had swept over them. He knew that feeling. Demons were the last thing they needed right now. Tess' 'fit' looked bad and the cause could be nothing but that feeling he got. Not knowing how that affected her, he pulled her out of the immediate fray, his arm passing over her midsection protectively.
He cast wary glances at the remnants of the mob; they were pulling themselves together, seemingly in a bit of a state of shock from the sudden change in the air. Whatever it was, it had been so strong that even these foolish humans had felt it.
Dante gave Tess a soft shake, speaking with a calm determination. "Tess. Tess, look at me!"
It was useless, because she looked dazed and lost in her own world. Her eyes were wide and empty. Glancing back at the mob, he noticed many of them had a similar dizzy and disoriented look. Something was happening here, but he had no idea what. Interestingly though, unlike the fannysmackers, Tess seemed to be resisting it, whatever it was. When the swarming shadows passed over, fleeing to unknown direction, and the dark dissipated, Dante felt a remaining trace of the aura that had passed over them behind him. Those humans he faced just a moment ago were the source now. Dean and the other people still around seemed shaken as if they had felt something pass. All of them had faces contorted in pain, anguish and…a pure, insane anger.
The faintest of traces of demonic influence was coming from them, even though they still looked normal. Dante raised an eyebrow. This looked and felt disturbingly familiar. The last crazy madman he'd seen, who was turning into a demon had given him a similar sensation; and now this.
What was going on in this city?
Tess suddenly looked up, panting, eyes wide. "S-something…passed!" she panted, grasping at the sleeve of Dante's jacket in anguish. "It-it hungers!" she said, shaking her head. "My head hurts." For a moment it looked like she was recovering from her shock and looked at the people around them, also recovering from their daze. "Oh no, Dante, their auras, they're-"
Dante replied in a frustrated tone. "I know. They've gone crazy. I can feel a demonic presence with them; it's like those damn nutcases! Where'd that thing come from?"
"I-I don't know," she said in a shaky voice as she ran her hand over her face.
She then looked over her side and shrieked, shoving Dante aside as Dean came up behind them both and raised a switchblade over his head, swinging it down where Dante stood, and it struck the wall right next to Tess' head, who gasped in terror at how close it had come.
Dante drew one of his guns and as he did, beat the side of Dean's face with the butt, knocking him backwards. "Do me a favor," he grunted to Tess. "If it means your life, don't save mine!"
He lunged forward at Dean, swinging at his face this time. Dean was hit by the half-demon's fist and stumbled backwards, with blood dripping from his mouth, just as another person grabbed Dante from under the armpits, trying to incapacitate him and stop him from moving; then a third person came on him as well to slow him down and punched Dante's stomach with another knuckleduster. That punch was inhumanly strong and any air in his lungs was forced out and Dante coughed and gasped. There was no doubt in his mind now: That was unmistakably demonic aura behind that blow. Whatever had been happening to those madmen they had seen previously, was definitely happening to these guys too.
He caught glimpse of Tess attempting to go help him but a girl among the gang grabbed her by the hair and she yelped in pain. She grabbed and twisted the arm of the girl that caught her, her nails digging into their skin as she did so. The hostile girl screamed and let go of her hair and the two girls locked hands and grappled it out while another guy lingered, with a broken bottle in hand, as if trying to decide which of the two girls to hit.
Dean recovered from the earlier attack and was now walking toward Dante with the switchblade in hand. Dante felt the rush of demonic nature well up and his eyes glowed a faint red. The amulet around his neck pulsated softly and he struggled to free himself from the gang's grip. The two people holding him though were holding him down with vice-grip like clutches, holding him under the armpits and behind the head that forced his elbows to bend and hold his hands up, making him drop Ivory, which landed on the pavement with a clatter. It was a bit humiliating and very frustrating.
Dean didn't say anything as he approached and but for a completely twisted and paranoid grin that moved up his face, his look was devoid of any emotion. He jerked his hand and stabbed Dante right over the lung.
Tess saw this from the headlock the other girl had subjected her to after overpowering her -the other girl was taller than her and stronger- while the guy with the broken bottle was approaching, as if to hit her with the bottle. "No! Dante!" she screamed, seeing him get stabbed.
She threw her weight back, against her captor, folded her legs to her chest and kicked hard. She hit the guy with the bottle in the chest, with both feet, knocking him backwards and the force pushed her and the other girl back too. The girl seemed to be losing her footing from that abrupt shove and Tess was trying to throw her off herself by thrashing around and flailing her legs as hard as she could.
Dante groaned the knife carved a painful path through his chest. He winced a bit and then let a grunt as his tormentor twisted the blade sadistically, making him groan and spilling blood. As Dean went to back off in order to deliver another stab, Dante threw himself back and kicked as hard as he could, hitting Dean's chest and sending him flying to land on his ass some feet away. Dante then hung his head and jerked it back, smacking the back of his head into the face of the guy behind him. He felt a crack and the man's grip loosened. With a couple more thrashes, he was free.
He pulled the knife out his chest, held the bloodied end and threw it at Dean, aiming for a limb. Dante was angry beyond belief, but he still had enough self-control to not want to kill the poor bastard if he was indeed controlled. The knife hit Dean's knee with a hair-rising sound and he screamed in pain. He then rammed his fist into the face of one of the guys that had restrained him, knocking him flat on his back, out cold for good. Blood was streaming from his broken nose.
Meanwhile Tess finally got loose from the girl's hold. She yanked her head forward in a decisive move, leaving some hair in the girl's hand; she ducked forward, placing her hands on the ground and kicked up with her feet, smacking the girl in the jaw, before standing straight again and the other girl fell flat on her back with a shout. Tess furnished her with a kick to the face that knocked her out cold. Then she dodged the guy who held the bottle, spinning quickly and getting behind him. She hit the small of his back with a kick then swept up a rock and hit him on the back of his head, and he dropped to his knees.
Dante was surprised by the last guy that had been holding him earlier, who proceeded to ram his shoulder into Dante, hitting the spot where the knife stabbed into and revealing a brass knuckleduster on his fist, which he directed to Dante's jaw. It snapped from the hit and a chunk of skin went missing, too. The slayer stumbled back and drew his guns, planting a bullet in each of the maniac's open palms before lunging forward and smacking the butt of Ivory against the guy's cheekbone, who spun around awkwardly and landed flat on his face, where he lay groaning, weakly crawling backwards on his bleeding arms.
He turned and saw Tess, having taken out the last of her attackers, made for him and passed by Dean, who was still crouched. He suddenly let an inhuman screech and grabbed her ankle, knocking her on her knees and dragged her in his direction. His eyes were turning yellow and he grinned even more maniacally.
She screamed, probably more from the shock of the intense demon essence coming from Dean than the fall, her eyes wide at the realization that the fannysmacker was rapidly assimilating into a demon. Even Dante could tell he was going faster than any of the others would, as if he was willingly giving in to this change. The creature dragged her closer and Tess rammed an open-palm punch to his chin to keep his face away from her.
Dante put away his guns then punched his own jaw on the opposite side. A bone-shattering crack ran through the street as the jaw set back in place, and Dante held his chin, grunting in pain for a moment before walking over to Tess. He only took a moment to take out one last idiot that thought of stopping him, by raising his arm and simply letting the fool ram his head against the stone-hard muscle of his arm.
Dumbasses, he thought negligently. And why the hell isn't she using that fire thing of hers—do I have to save her all the time? he went on in his head, surprised to realize he really didn't mind doing so—this one time. Oh, he's probably too close to her. She'd burn herself too.
With Dean's attention on Tess, having pinned her down while she resisted with flails and kicks, Dante made to punt the gang leader's head. He charged at full speed and reared back his left leg. Dean didn't notice him until it was too late. He looked up at Dante with eyes completely yellow now and his mad grin insisted even as a mighty kick landed on his face with a loud sound of shattering bones. His grip on Tess loosened and he got knocked backwards, on his back, screaming hoarsely. He lay there for a moment, then suddenly jumped back up onto his feet, hunched and panting, and still grinning in a crazy manner, while crackling sounds came from his hands, as his joints swelled and contorted while his nails rapidly grew into claws, and his jaw dislocated completely as his teeth swelled into ugly maws.
Dante serenely helped Tess up to her feet and gently pushed her behind him, drawing his guns again. He spoke in a confident, dark tone. "Stay behind me. Don't do anything stupid."
Tess just nodded in compliance, for once, her mouth slightly open in shock, while she noticed that besides Dean, most of the other fannysmackers had now scattered, or lay on their backs, out of it. Any demonic aura from them had been gone.
"This is insane…" she muttered.
Dean cackled, eyes and face gone mad and suddenly he dashed for Dante, quite literally pouncing onto him and stabbing the claws of one hand into his shoulder, while pulling back his other arm to deliver another blow.
Dante howled in pain as the demon's claws penetrated his skin. Poison? he thought as a hot pain spread from that wound. As the dark entity formerly known as Dean reared back his other hand, Dante chuckled, digging the barrel of Ebony into his diaphragm.
"Later" he said angrily, and pulled the trigger, sending several bullets to blast through Dean's lower chest.
The demon let a screechy howl and was knocked back by the force, threw his head back, and fell onto its back, thrashing around madly. Just as he seemed to settle he let another screech, his skin turning completely gray and scaly as he leaped at them again. But a burst of fire caught him in midair, knocked him back again, scorched and burned to the bone, onto the ground. A wispy black entity rose up rapidly from the burned remains and dissolved into the air.
Dante looked to his side to see Tess' arm held up; she had caused the last burst of fire that finished it off, and was panting briefly, still in shock. "Sorry. I couldn't bear seeing you get hurt more," she muttered in a small voice while glancing at the remains of Dean "I never liked him anyway," she added, combing her hair off her face, frustrated.
Dante just chuckled, putting his guns away and grabbing her hand. They made a mad dash away from the scene of the battle. Dante was concerned someone might happen upon them or the rest of the gang might return and he wasn't in the mood to deal with that stuff. She followed without a problem and they only stopped when they turned a corner a good few blocks away from the scene. They stopped, panting, and Dante dropped against a wall, breathing heavy and relaxed.
"Didn't like seeing me hurt, huh? I knew you loved me," he half-teased.
Tess stopped with her hands on her knees beside him, blushing slightly and trying to hide it. "No. But I-I like you" she said with a pause.
Dante tilt his head back. "No worries. Wouldn't have done it if I hadn't taken a liking to you," he said, standing straight and grunting.
Most of his wounds were gone and his clothes didn't even look worse for wear much. Just his shoulder was sore and he rubbed and flexed it as he started walking away with Tess after she stood straight too.
She kept looking at the ground, embarrassed. "Thanks for that too. It's…good to know that someone doesn't think I'm so much of a shrew," she blurted, her hand coming up to pester some of her hair, slowly twining a strand of hair around her finger. She looked at his shoulder guiltily. "Do you wanna go back? Roy, he could-" she suggested.
Dante smirked at her, still rubbing his shoulder. His shirt was a little blood-stained under the jacket, but the wound had stopped bleeding. Whatever was on the demon's claws had left behind some killer pain, though.
"Nah. Let's get something to eat first. That just made me hungrier," he said. Worried about me, aren't we? You look so damn different when you're not picking a fight, he thought.
She stared back at him, a bit concerned and a bit bewildered, but shrugged it off. "Okay, if you say so." she said, glancing back while walking, at the fallen people who lay there groaning and especially what had been Dean before he turned into a demon. She frowned, and then her look changed to concerned.
"I can't believe seeing that idiot die like that doesn't make me flip. I thought I'd freak out but all I can think of is…he deserved that, stupid bastard," she blurted. "Oh wow, I'm starting to sound like you."
Dante laughed. "Good! So where'd you know that idiot from, anyway?"
"He used to live in the building, like you, couple years ago, with some friends of his. Only they caused more trouble in the end. I kinda liked him when he first came in. He made me laugh. But then I saw what kind of an idiot he really was and all his antics stopped being funny," she replied, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I was serious about the whorehouse bit, he was awful."
"Did he really try to get in your pants?"
She blushed a little bit. "Not sure, I wasn't paying any attention to that kind of stuff at the time. I think so, though. Why?"
"What a loser," Dante chuckled, following closely behind Tess. His shoulder was finally fully healed, and a lot of the pain had gone. "Where'd you learn all those flips and stunts, by the way?"
"Oh, that stuff… Roy taught me little bit," she admitted, a little bit proud but still modestly shy. "He decided that if I wouldn't let him follow me everywhere, he might as well teach me how to watch my back. I think he mostly did it just to end the fights we had every time I caught him following."
"Roy taught you? Didn't think he'd want you getting into that sorta thing. Gotta give the old bat some credit, you did pretty good, for a girl," Dante said, smirking.
"I suppose I have a knack for this stuff, that's all," she replied, blushing a little from the compliment. "I'm far from perfect. I'm glad you proved that you're not such a caveman after all, back there," she added slyly and he smirked.
"Yeah, I'm a real knight in shining armor, aren't I," he chuckled.
They finally made it to their original destination; the pizza restaurant looked pretty dignified and not entirely dingy, yet it was obviously a cheap diner. However, they both stepped inside with a measure of cheerfulness and Dante even joked that this was the reward for prevailing over that gang. It made Tess chuckle and he felt pretty good about seeing her laugh.