Hunter
Hey, guys. I know I failed my challenge, but I'm back with some new ideas…and a new computer, unfortunately. My old one died on me, so I've spent the past little while transferring files and uploading games onto my new one. It's a beauty, but a bit temperamental.
I just want to answer a few reviews, just to clarify some things.
7HockeyStarVampireObsessed7 - You're so close! I'll give you a virtual cookie anyway, just because I love you.
ixdookiie - Edward was a teenager when he was sick.
Dark-n-Twisty - Aw! You guessed!
ScRaBbLe1 - Oh, I hope your rib is feeling better. And, yes, you're right. It does hurt Bella when she holds back her power, and sometimes she gets nosebleeds if she overexerts herself, like she did against James. Like any part of the human body, if you go beyond your brain's limits, you can damage it. At least in terms of using psychic powers.
Airamcullen - Good advice, I'll be sure to work on that a little more from now on.
..S - Whoa! Calm down, honey! Sorry to say, but I need Edward out of the way for a few months. (Cowers) Please don't hurt me! He'll be back, I swear!
WarriorDarkAngel - I like you.
By the way, do you guys like the journal excerpts at the beginning of the chapters? If you don't, please be patient. They serve a very important purpose.
Anyway, I'll continue on with Hunter.
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Renée Colt: Journal Excerpt, January 24th, 2010
This is the hardest entry I've ever written. I can't say how lucid it will be, but I have to let it out.
Three days ago I went to visit Ellen Harvelle. I hadn't seen her in a while, and from her reaction, she was probably happy about that. When I stepped into the Roadhouse, Phil trailing behind me like a lost puppy, she damn-near went for her gun.
The Roadhouse is a pretty good bar for Hunters to meet. I've always liked it. My parents used to bring me here when Ellen's folks ran it. Ellen and I were as close as Jo and Bella are. Were.
The bar was closed when we got there. Jo was in the back, scrubbing out empties and doing dishes. She looked up when she heard us walk in, and gave me a pitying look. I looked away quickly.
Seeing her brought back memories. Once, when Bella was fifteen and Jo was nineteen, the two of them decided to go Hunting together. They went searching for a wendigo, and the damn thing nearly killed Bella. From what they told me, it went after Jo, but Bella wouldn't let it hurt her. She jumped right in front of Jo and took a blow to the stomach that nearly ruptured her spleen. Jo managed to finish it off and dragged Bella back to the Roadhouse. Amazingly, Bella was on her feet the next day, but Ellen really let Jo have it.
After that, Jo seemed a little more cautious, but Bella was the same. Still ready to sacrifice herself to save someone at the drop of a hat. Sometimes I wish she was more selfish. Maybe then she wouldn't be-
I'm going off topic.
Back at the Roadhouse, I scanned for any threats like a good Hunter. There was a motionless lump of a person lying on the pool table. It smelled strongly of whisky.
We walked up to the bar counter. Ellen had probably been wiping off some crumbs from yesterday's dinner crowd. I told her I was working a demon case nearby, and asked her to look after Phil.
The kid gulped when she turned her dark brown eyes on him, but to his credit, he didn't back down. He stuck his hand out and introduced himself. "Doctor Phil Dwyer."
Ellen gave him a suspicious look, but shook his hand. "Doctor?" she asked.
Phil blushed a little. "Well…almost. I quit school a couple weeks ago."
She smiled in response. "A college- boy?"
"Yes, ma'am," Phil responded.
Ellen shook her head and glanced at me. "How long do you expect to be gone?"
"A few days at the most. It's pretty cut and dry."
"And you want me to keep an eye on him?"
I shrugged. "Let him bus tables if you want. He worked his way through college. He knows how to put in an honest day's work. Maybe get Jo to teach him a few tricks of the trade."
She tilted her head to the side and really looked at me. "How are you, Renée?"
I pressed my lips together. "As good as I can be."
"You're not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?"
And make Bella's sacrifice meaningless? "No more than usual."
She looked away, maybe seeing something on my face that scared her. What was it? Was she seeing a future without Jo? Seeing her eyes turn hollow and her face become lined with grief. I must've been quite a sight. I've lost weight, and I've never been too big to begin with. Hell, without makeup, I probably look like a skull.
God, I need some sunlight. When was the last time I was out during the daytime?
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on him." She turned abruptly to Phil. "Get Ash to tell you where the broom closet is. You can scrub the floors before the morning crowd gets here. Try not to stick your nose into their conversations, but keep your ears peeled for any decent info. My advice, don't make eye contact. If any fights break out, you just let me and Jo handle it."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, automatically turning away. Then he paused mid-step and looked back at her sheepishly. "Uh, sorry, who's Ash?"
Ellen startled him by yelling, "ASH!"
On the pool table to my right, I saw the motionless lump suddenly sit up. "Whaah?" it slurred, and I recognized Ash.
Ash was a good kid. Got into fights a lot, and was lazy as hell, but Bella liked him, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. He was useful, at least. A wizard with any type of computer system, and a pretty good cook too.
Once Phil was set, I took off. It took me about an hour to get to Lexington, where the demon activity had spiked. It didn't take too long to locate the smoke-bitch. It was possessing some pretty waitress. I had a hard time looking at her. She was probably only seventeen, with brown hair and eyes. She looked like Bella.
You can't show weakness around demons. They latch onto that with shocking ease. Within five minutes of me catching her, with the help of a hidden Devil's Trap under a rug, the demon started talking.
"So, you're the famous Renée Colt everybody talks about." The demon grinned viciously when I glanced up from my Book of Exorcisms. "Oh, demon's talk, babe. I've heard some stories about you." She crossed her arms, still sneering.
I ignored her, focussed on finding the right page. This demon was tougher than usual, so I had to pull out the big guns.
Come to think of it, a lot of these pests are getting tougher.
"Hell, Bella can't go one day without screaming for you to help her."
I froze, and nearly dropped the BoE.
The demon laughed. "She's really something, your little girl. Alastair's having so much fun with her." She shifted so that her hand rested on her hip. Her black eyes bored into mine. "Never seen anything like her. You should be proud."
"Shut up," I whispered, unable to speak any louder. I felt like someone had jammed a knife into my stomach.
"People talk about hell," she continued. "But it's just a word. Doesn't even come close to describing the real thing."
"You shut your mouth, bitch!" I managed to yell.
The demon only smiled at me. "If you could see your baby girl, hear the sounds she makes when she can't even scream…"
I nearly attacked her, but held myself in check. That was what she wanted. Instead, I finished the exorcism and got out of there. Her screams had attracted some attention, so I had to leave.
It took me a few hours before I managed to get back to the Roadhouse. I had to keep pulling over to throw up.
What's happening to my little girl?
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Bella's POV
Edward dropped me off at home. His face was pensive. I tried to make him laugh, remarking that only I could get attacked by vampires twice in one year. Thrice if you counted Alexander.
Maybe mentioning the dead vampire wasn't a good idea. It only seemed to make Edward more distant.
His behaviour wasn't the only thing making me nervous. Abby's warning reverberated around inside my head.
I wanted to tell you that you should be careful.
They aren't done with you.
Nobody has a bloody clue what's going on, but something is definitely coming.
I was extra paranoid that night. I double-checked every salt line and sketched out a few more protective sigils. I got my Jericho 941 F 9 mm semi-automatic pistol out of the Impala and stuck it under my bed. I wasn't stupid enough to put it under my pillow. I'd heard stories about people who blew their own heads off by doing that. Besides, that was where I kept my knife.
I finally managed to get to sleep around midnight, but only after walking around my house a few times to make sure nothing was watching me from the shadows. Sometimes Edward hung around outside my window, but I generally discouraged that behaviour. Usually with knives.
Before I got into bed, though, I remembered to hang up Jacob's gift near my bed. I stared at the dream catcher, feeling unreasonably anxious.
I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was watching me.
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Azazel's POV
The child was growing stronger.
She was so beautiful. Not just physically, of course, though most human males found her attractive. It was the dark power emanating from within her that I found truly exquisite.
Without a doubt, she was everything I'd hoped for. Soon, I would show her exactly what she was capable of.
It was almost time.
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Bella's POV
I managed to sleep without nightmares.
Usually they would wake me up before sunrise, but on Tuesday, the day after my first real birthday party was ruined, I didn't wake up until more than an hour after school started.
Adrenaline rushed through me as I checked my watch. Why had Edward let me sleep in? Even if I didn't like him skulking around my house at night, surely Alice would have let him know I needed a wakeup call.
"Dammit, dammit. This just isn't my week," I muttered, scurrying to find something to wear. Checking the clock again – was it really almost 10:00 o'clock? – I dropped an F-bomb and threw my hands in the air.
"You know what?" I lamented to my empty room, "I think nearly getting eaten by a vampire earns me a day off from school." With that, I laid back down on my bed in a huff and closed my eyes.
It only took me ten seconds to figure out that I wasn't getting back to sleep any time soon, so I hauled myself out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. Since I wasn't on a time limit, I decided to make an egg on toast. I was sick of cold cereal anyway.
Once the eggs were in the frying pan and the bread was in the toaster, I strolled into the living room and turned on the television.
A blond boy, about my age, stared at me from the screen. Beside his picture were his stats. Height – 5'9", Weight – 160 pounds, Hair – Dark Blond, Eyes – Brown, No usual markings or tattoos. He was handsome, though.
I looked at his face, listening as the newscaster said his name; Riley Biers. Did I know him? He didn't look familiar, but I felt I should have. As I listened, I learned that he had gone missing more than two months ago, and that his parents were desperate for answers.
I tucked his name into the corner of my mind. Perhaps I would look into him.
I got back to the kitchen just in time to rescue my breakfast. The eggs were a little crispy, but otherwise it was a good meal. After I dropped the dishes into the sink – making a mental note to force Edward to do the dishes to make up for letting me sleep in – I marched up to my room and pulled out Ash's laptop.
I'd gone through every article a dozen times, but I still couldn't find the connection. Whatever Ash had noticed about these people, I was clueless.
I sighed and leaned my head on my hand as I once again stared at the picture of the formerly infertile couple holding up their twins boys. The proud parents were Jim and Holly Beckett.
Everybody looks so happy, I thought wistfully. Even the babies look happy.
Hold on. Back up a minute. Babies.
My heart started thudding. I minimized the article I'd been looking at and opened another. "Former Paraplegic Runs Marathon!" it announced. I was only interested in one thing though. I stared at the photo next to the opening paragraph, and sure enough, there was Mr. Carey, cradling his newborn son in his arms.
Tom Carey, holding Baby Scott, the caption read. Scott Carey would be about eighteen by now, judging from the date of the article.
I minimized it, my hands shaking as I clicked on the next one; "Terminal Cancer Patient Cured!" I felt my mouth go dry as I saw the picture. There were no babies in this one, but I still felt my stomach leap into my throat.
Joe Wilson embraces his pregnant wife, Emily.
I scanned the article and found the paragraph I'd read a dozen times before. "I'm just so happy that I get to see my child grow up. That's the greatest thing about being alive right now."
I didn't bother looking through the other articles. I knew what I'd see.
"Oh, god, it's the kids."
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the wall. My mind wouldn't stop racing. I was going over facts.
Fact #1 No demon would perform any type of service to a human unless it was getting something in return. Usually the human's soul.
Fact #2 None of the people in these articles had died at the right time for these to be standard crossroads deals.
Fact #3 All of the children in the photos were around the same age.
That really got me going. I exited out of every article and went online, searching for any information about the children I already knew about. Then I went through the other articles and located the rest. There were only a few of them. Eight, in total, but something told me that there were a lot more.
I fished around until I found Holly Beckett's Facebook page. Or rather Holly Gallagher's page. Apparently, the happy Beckett couple had divorced less than a year after the article was written, each taking one of the boys and pretty much cutting off all communication between them and each other.
I made this assumption by the fact that Holly failed to even mention she had two sons. The only things I found about the one she did write about, Andy, was that he had quit school the previous year and now lived in a van. There was a picture of said van below her rants of how impossible teenagers were nowadays.
It. Was. Awesome.
I found myself gazing in awe at the vehicle. It was dark blue, with a totally retro painting on the side. It was of a barbarian queen, decked out in armour, holding a sword up in the air as if she were charging off into battle, and she was riding a polar bear.
"Andy Gallagher, you are my new hero," I murmured to myself.
Then I got back to work.
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A knock on the door startled me. I glanced at my watch. It was after 2:00, which meant school was over for my vampire boyfriend. I shut the laptop off and bolted downstairs, torn between yelling at him for letting me sleep in and telling him my new findings on the Demon Deal case.
It had something to do with the kids. I was sure of it. Every instinct I had told me I was right.
But when I opened the door, all my plans went out the window.
There he was, looking perfect as always, decked out in a black shirt and jacket with matching pants. It looked like he was all made up for a funeral.
"What's wrong?" I asked hesitantly, searching his face for any clue as to why he looked so miserable.
He didn't answer. "Come take a walk with me," he said instead, turning around and heading for the woods that lined the back of my house.
I stared at his retreating back, feeling anxious again. Grabbing my leather jacket, I rushed to catch up with him.
We walked in silence for what seemed like forever. I began to recognize the terrain. We were out near Waylon's place, in the clearing where Edward had first shown me what his skin looked like in the sunlight. It was getting dark out though, so it was safe for him to stand out in the open.
He turned around slowly, but didn't look at me. "We have to leave Forks," he confessed, sounding as though the words were painful.
I blinked at him. For some reason, this wasn't a surprise.
"Why?" I asked breathlessly.
He sighed heavily. "Carlisle's supposed to be ten years older than he looks. People are starting to notice."
I tried to see if he was lying, looking for any tell, but his face was smooth, not confident, but set…determined.
"When you say we," I couldn't finish my sentence. All thoughts of demons and psychic powers and Hunting leapt from my mind at the thought of being left alone.
"I mean my family and myself," he answered reluctantly.
I felt my panic start to rise. "Okay," I said. "I'll come with you."
"You can't, Bella. Where we're going…It's not the right place for you."
"Don't be ridiculous." I wanted to sound angry, but it just sounded like I was begging. "You're the very best part of my life. Come on, Edward, I love you! I don't care about what happened with Jasper. Hell, you saw. I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, but Bella, what if one day you're not quick enough? What if he had killed you? Do you really want to risk dying just for me?"
Boldly I stepped closer to him. "Then change me."
He looked as though he'd been struck. He mouth dropped open in horror. "No!" he said disgustedly.
"Why not?" I took another step closer to him. "You said so yourself. I might not be quick enough to stop him next time, but if you change me…make me immortal…" I felt myself start to tremble. Even my voice shook. "I don't care if it hurts. You'll have eternity to make it up to me."
With a start, I realized that I'd just repeated what Alexander, the vampire from Seattle, had said to me.
"Bella," he said, and he sounded more serious than I'd ever heard. "I am not going to turn you into a vampire."
"Why not!" I yelled, suddenly furious, and then a thought stuck me. "This is about my soul, isn't it? Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you. It's yours already!"
I stopped talking, bit my lip, and felt tears start to run down my face. I hated it, feeling weak like this. Why wasn't he saying anything?
"Bella, I don't want your soul. And I don't want you."
The tears froze on my face like icicles. My stomach clenched. My hands loosened and I realized I'd been digging my nails into my palms only when I felt the distant sting as blood rushed to the pinched skin. I wasn't bleeding, thank god, but the pain only made it harder to think.
"You…don't…want…me?" I asked haltingly, afraid of the answer. I searched his face again, trying to see the lie, but there was nothing – no sign of falsehood – and I felt my heart start to break.
He looked away into the trees as he spoke again. "Of course, I'll always love you…in a way. But what happened last night made me realize that I have to have priorities. I can't put you above my family. I care for them too much, and if I stay here with you, or if you come with us, I fear it will push them away." He looked back, "I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry. But I can't allow that to happen."
Some part of me wanted to scream, the part that still remembered hell, the part that only knew pain and suffering. My trembling ceased, I felt more in control of my emotions. The tears that rolled down my cheeks felt like acid, but I ignored the pain. I ignored everything except for his face, because I knew this might be the last time I would ever see him.
So I nodded stiffly, and stared at the ground. "I understand." And I did understand. As Renée always said, Family comes first.
I don't even have a family anymore.
Edward's melodic voice drifted into my ears. "I have to go now, but Bella, please promise me one thing."
I looked back up at him wordlessly, and waited for him to continue.
When he was certain I was listening, he spoke. "Don't do anything reckless. Just…try to be safe. Live the life I'll never have. Do it for Renée."
That-that asshole! I thought with sudden, immense fury. Did he really just invoke the name of my dead mother to make me do what he wants?
I didn't say that out loud, nor did I let my anger show. I only nodded again.
He stepped closer to me, and I felt my heart accelerate.
If he kisses me now, I'll stab him. I thought, still furious. I swear on all that is holy, I will stab the bastard!
But he only leaned over me and pressed his lips to my forehead.
And then he was gone.
And I was alone.
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Edward's POV
I'm doing the right thing. I'm doing the right thing. She deserves better than me. I'm doing the right thing...
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Bella's POV
I stayed in the woods until the sunlight disappeared. It was a clear night. The moon was out, and I soaked in its dark light.
The only sound in the darkness was my breathing, and even that was softer than a whisper.
Edward was gone.
A sob tried to make its way past my lips, but I held it back firmly.
I was a Hunter. A warrior against monsters and nightmares. And I was the best.
I was also in pain. And that was why someone managed to get the drop on me.
I had just enough time to suck in a breath before I found myself slammed up against a tree, a knife at my throat.
Jo's warning flooded back into my head as I stared into Kubrick's pale blue eyes. His blond hair looked almost white under the moonlight.
Dammit! Why hadn't I noticed him?
Kubrick wasn't alone. I noticed Creedy behind him, smirking at me. His dark hair and eyes made him almost invisible in the shadows under the trees.
"Well, what do you know?" Kubrick asked tauntingly. "We caught ourselves a hell spawn."
I glared at him, not in the mood for games. "Put the knife down, Kubrick, before you get hurt."
"I don't think so, little lady. Your mommy's not around to protect you anymore," he answered, smirking at me as he pressed the knife closer to my throat.
Something wasn't right. Kubrick was a psycho, yeah, but he was an efficient psycho. He pretty much had me at his mercy, so why wasn't he finishing me off? I was in no position to fight back. Not when, with a flick of his wrist, he could slice open my throat and leave me bleeding on the forest floor. And he knew that I would try to fight back, that I was not some weak little girl he could push around. The more he talked, the longer I had to think up an escape plan.
Unless it wasn't Kubrick.
My anxiety spiked as I looked at him. There was something about the way he moved that reminded me of…
And then I got it.
"Christo!" I hissed, and both of them flinched in pain. Their eyes turned black as they lost hold of their disguises.
The demon inside Kubrick slammed me against the tree with more force. "Now that wasn't very nice," it taunted in a low, smooth voice.
"What the hell do you want?" I demanded, struggling to get away. The demon pressed the knife against my neck again and I stopped moving.
"Oh, it's not what I want," it began. "It's my boss who wants to see you." It grinned sadistically.
"Who? Azazel?" I asked, pulling out my trump card. I watched with some satisfaction as the demons snarled in surprise.
"How do you know that name?" Demon Kubrick demanded, leaning into my face until I nearly gagged from the smell of sulphur wafting into my nose.
I didn't get a chance to answer, because the next thing I knew, someone else appeared in the clearing.
I caught a glimpse of blond hair resting on top of a small, slim figure before I found myself thrown to the ground. I rolled to me feet, ready to fight, and then I heard the sound of a knife cutting through air. I glanced toward to sound a saw a girl. She was a few years older than me. She wore jeans with a knife holster on the side of her right leg, and a green army jacket over a camouflage t-shirt.
With near perfect dexterity, she arched the glimmering knife at Demon Creedy and sliced cleanly across its throat. There was a sound like boiling water and a bright yellow light filled the broken skin. I stared in shock as the body fell to the ground, dead.
Demon Kubrick snarled at her. "You!" Its fist shot out and pounded the strange girl on the cheek. She spun into the blow and turned around in a complete circle until she faced it again. The demon held up its knife threateningly, daring her to attack, so I grabbed its arm and smacked its chin hard enough to send it flying. As it stumbled toward her she jammed the knife into its chest.
Demon Kubrick arched back and I saw the yellow light in its mouth as well as its wound.
Wisps of grey smoke curled up from their mouths, but the demons didn't emerge.
I looked up at the strange girl with a mixture of awe and suspicion. That knife of hers, it had killed demons. The only thing I'd ever heard could do that was the Colt.
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.
The girl shrugged. "I'm the girl who just saved your ass."
I lifted my chin defiantly. "Well, I just saved yours."
She smirked. "Touché." She stepped over the corpses, getting closer to me.
I took a step back and she stopped. "I'm not going to hurt you, Bella."
"How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you, but this isn't a good place to talk. There could be more of them." She motioned to the fallen Hunters.
I looked around, searching for any sign of activity in the dark forest. My instincts were on high alert. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. I felt ready to fight.
Satisfied that we were alone, I looked back at her. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are."
The girl sighed and dipped her head. I felt the air shift and took another step back as she looked back up.
Her eyes were black.
"My name's Ruby."
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And that's a wrap. I made this chapter longer than most because I wanted to reward you guys for your patience. I have to go now. My computer's battery is going to die if I don't hurry up. Tell me if you find any errors. I rushed this a little.
I promise the next update will be quicker. Bye.