Chapter Five:
The Red Ghost
Disclaimer: I don't own WHR and everybody knows this. I do own this story and everybody knows that. So don't steal, please.
Amon stared up at the five-story parking garage with cold, dark eyes; his jacket whipping around him in the wind. As far as he could tell, the structure was totally deserted.
Michael, you better be right about this... Amon thought bitterly as he continued to gaze upward at the third floor. Soft footsteps came up from Amon's rear; careful to stop a couple of feet away from him.
"Is this the place Michael was telling us about?" Eri asked quietly from behind her partner, getting a nod from him.
"If he was correct, the killing happened just around 11:30 on the third floor." Amon paused, pointing his index finger far above his head to show Eri the exact spot.
"Just there." He finished, bringing his hand down.
Eri nodded, looking to the back of Amon's head.
"So, are we going in?" She inquired, the wind causing her auburn-hair to float gently around her face.
Amon nodded once before finally head for the entrance. Eri followed close behind; her high-heeled boots making a "Tak! Tak! Tak!" noise against the pavement of the sidewalk.
The two of them entered the bottom floor of the garage quietly, trying their best to watch each other's backs and their own at the same time. The wind outside blew through the cracks in the stone walls, making a howling noise sift through the darkness of the building.
Eri pulled out a large pistol with the initials E.S. written on the side out of the pocket of her long, red trenchcoat. Then, sneaking a peek over at Amon, gestured that he should probably do the same.
Putting on his best 'Big Bastard on Campus' expression, Amon fumbled around in the depths of his jacket pockets until he finally located his own gun and pulled it out.
Then, moving almost like two shadows in the night, the both of them snuck quietly to the stairs that would take them up to the second floor.
As they were ascending between between levels, Eri glanced over at her partner with a thoughtful look upon her face. She then finally voiced the question that had been going through her mind ever since they left their headquarters.
"Hey, Amon. Was there a reason behind you chucking Michael's radio across the room this morning?" She inquired quietly.
Amon, who had gone a few steps ahead, stopped and turned slowly to face her. Eri nearly gasped when she saw the look he was giving her.
"You know, you get those alot..." She said softly, making a small gesture at the expression on his face, which was a very angry one. "Don't you have any other ones...like happy? Or sad, maybe...?" She trailed off, a sheepish smile spreading across her lips.
A low growl came from deep within Amon's throat, startling Eri out of her wits. It was clear she had been touching on a very personal subject...at least in his book.
"Or you can just keep that glare you have on right now. It really suits you, actually." She said quickly, a blush appearing on her tanned cheeks. Amon let out a huff and turned away from her.
"What I do is none of your affair. Even if it is questionable." He told her in his characteristically deep voice. Then, with his coat billowing out behind him, the hunter continued up the stairs.
Eri watched him head up the next flight before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"That's the last time I'll be asking him a simple question." She said to herself before trotting up the stairs after her extremely moody partner.
Amon stepped from the stairs and on to the floor of the third level of the parking garage. His gun was raised instictively, ready to fire at anything that might be even remotely dangerous.
Eri came up behind him a few seconds later. She, too, had her gun pointing out in front her.
The two of them looked around the area with extreme carefulness; anxiety gripping their throats. It was deathly quite. If they had listened hard enough, they could have probably heard the mice that lived in the walls scurrying about.
Amon, keeping his eyes open for anything unusual, gave a side-glance over to Eri.
"See anything?" He asked softly, though it seemed has if his statement had been shouted, considering how quiet it was in there. Eri shook her head; auburn hair bouncing with the movement.
"No. Nothing." She answered. She gasped suddenly and pointed her gun into the far corner of the room.
"There's someone over there!" She whispered loudly, quickly getting Amon's attention. Both had their guns facing that side of the room. A car was parked in the way, so basically their veiw of the shadowed corner was blocked.
It was then Amon heard it. A soft, sniffling noise. Someone was crying.
Smoothly gesturing for Eri to follow him, Amon then proceed to make his way over to the green Honda Civic that was sheilding the distressed being from their veiw.
The sniffing got louder the closer they got. Then, just as they reached the car's bumper, it stopped.
Carefully placing his large hand on the car to steady himself, Amon peeked around the back-right fender and into the dark corner of the garage. He gasped when he saw a small, blonde-haired girl no older than five sitting with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She seemed to be trying her best to look smaller.
Making sure to put away his gun before he went anywhere near the girl, Amon walked around the edge of the car and stopped right in front of her. His foosteps catching her attention, the small child looked up at him and gasped.
"A-are you going to hurt me?" She asked in a high-pitched voice that suggested she had been here all night. Amon stared down at her with his usual seriousness before his features unexpectedly softened.
"No. What would give you an idea like that?" He asked almost kindly, stooping down in front of the little girl. As an answer to his question, she sniffed.
"Well...because that tall, red-haired man hurt my daddy. So, I was afraid he'd come back and hurt me, too." She explained. Amon raised an eyebrow. She could communicate with older people well, considering her age.
"What did this man look like?" He asked her gently, taking her cold hands into his gloved ones. The girl sniffed again, lowering her gaze from Amon's.
"He had long, red hair and pink eyes. He was really white and had on old, moldy cloths." She paused, trying to think of something else to describe the man. "Oh! And he had black pencil around his eyes!" She said excitedly, gaining strength from being in another person's presence.
Amon's eyebrows furrowed and he gazed up at Eri, who shrugged. Then, turning back to the girl, the hunter gently pulled her to her feet, though he stayed crouched.
"What's your name?" He inquired politely. The girl smiled a large, toothy grin.
"Shitari Memoro. Who are you two?" She said, looking from Amon to Eri and back.
The two partners took a chance at glancing at each other. Both had the same thought running through they're minds.
Poor kid
"Well, I'm Eri. And this is Amon. We're from the Witches Protection Program. Are you a little witch, Shitari?" Eri asked good-naturedly, ignoring the angered looks she was recieving from Amon.
Shitari smiled for a second before letting it drop. She shook her head and gazed down at her feet again.
"My daddy never told me to tell any one." She said quietly. Amon raised an eyebrow before finally standing straight.
"Listen, why don't you come with us, seeing as you can't stay here alone." He said, smirking in amusement when Shitari nodded quickly in agreement. He then turned to Eri.
"Take her back to the car and wait for me there. I'm going to take a quick look around." He told her.
Eri nodded and pushed around Amon with the force of a protective mother Grizzly Bear. She then hefted the child up into her arms and turned to face her partner.
"Let me know if you find anything." She said before walking past him.
Amon listened to her footsteps. He then trained his ears to pinpoint any other sounds. There was a trickle of water coming from somewhere. The soft thrum of people walking on the streets below. The wicked laughter of man nearby...
Amon's dark eyes widened and he spun around; pulling his gun back out in the process.
"Get down!" He shouted to Eri, who was already way ahead of him in that department. She had just been able to squeeze herself and Shitari under a large truck when a red blur whizzed by and headed for Amon.
The hunter watched as the streak of color made a beeline for him, causing cars to overturn as it went.
Amon ran out from behind the Honda Civic for safety reasons and dove to the ground so that the blur of red would not slam into him. It hardly mattered though, since it stopped just above him and hung there.
A gasp came from under the truck where Shitari and Eri were hiding.
"It's him!" The child cried out, cuddling up to Eri's side as if trying to hide herself.
Amon gazed up at the being hovering above him. He was a rather strange man. His long, red hair ended at about the back of his knees. His cloths were old-fashioned and looked to be from around Shakespeare's time. A moldy smell was lingering in the air around him, causing Amon to hold his breath so he would not gag.
The star hunter then raised his eyes a little higher. Sure enough, around the man's eyes was an excess of black mascara. Amon stared at him, too speechless to move.
"W-who are you?" He stuttered, which was a little unusual for him. The man sneered, throwing his hair behind his shoulder. Then, raising a clawed hand, he snapped his his index finger and thumb together.
All of the overturned cars that the now obvious witch had knocked over came to life. All of the radios turned on and switched to the same stations. A song that Amon had never heard before began to play over all of the speakers. It sounded American and was starting out slow.
How can you see into my eyes
Like open doors
Leading you down into my core
Where I've become so numb...
The music began to speed up with a rock type rythem. All of the cars began to vibrate with the beat of the song.
Without a soul
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find there and lead
It back home...
The music paused, as if waiting for something. Amon looked up at the red-haired witch.
"Well!?" He snapped, now sounding more like the Amon Eri knew. The witch, still hovering above the hunter, just grinned wider before he finally answered in a voice that sounded like lava running downhill just after a volcano erupted.
"I am Akamu, the Devil's messanger..." He said ruefully, snapping his fingers a second time so that the music blasted out all of the cars' radio speakers at full volume.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I've become...
Amon covered his ears as the music filled them with its throbbing rythem. The witch, Akamu, chuckled acidly.
"What's the matter, Romeo? A little music too much for you?" He asked, hovering down so that he stood over Amon's body. Amon opened his recently closed eyes and stared up at Akamu, though he kept his ears covered.
Why would he call me that? He thought to himself as he pried his hands away from his head and pointed his gun right at the witch's chest.
"Sayonara." He whispered before pulling the trigger.
Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life...
The bullet fired out of the gun, coming within inches of Akamu's chest. Just as it began to pierce his skin, the metal melted and the silverish-black goo that it became fell to the floor with a mushy sound. Amon's eyes widened with a rare fear.
"What...?" He whispered to himself, gasping out loud when he felt his body being lifted from the ground. Akamu leered at him when they were eye level. And boy, could he leer well.
"Amon!" Eri cried, crawling out from under the truck.
Shitari, afraid to be left alone with the truck vibrating above her head, began to follow after the older woman. Eri quickly turned and held the small girl back with one hand while the other fished through her jacket pockets in search of her pistol.
"Stay here. It's safer." She said, finally locating her gun. Smiling reassuringly at Shitari, Eri loaded her weapon and ran out from their hiding place.
"Hey, Red! Try picking on someone of your own sex!" She yelled, firing a round of bullets in Akamu's driection.
The red-haired witch turned to face Eri, still holding Amon up in the air with one hand. Then, with one sweep of his other hand, he destroyed all of the bullets heading towards him.
Eri's eyes widened, her gun clicking to signal that it was empty.
"Impossible..." She breathed before finding herself being thrown against the opposite wall. She gasped out in pain, immeadiately grabbing on to her left shoulder as it began to throb.
Akamu chuckled with an air of importance.
"Next time, wench, stay off of my case." He whispered icely before turning back to Amon, who was still hanging in midair. Akamu smiled, snapping his fingers once again so that the music came blasting back on.
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save from the nothing I've become...
Amon screamed as an invisable force began scratching something into his forehead; his senses going into overdrive with the pain it was causing.
Akamu grinned cruelly at Amon's plight. He flexed his claws as the poor hunter continued to moan in pain.
"What's wrong, Romeo? A little pain never hurt any one." He inquired innocently, as the song contined to play on the radios.
(Bring me to life)
I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside
Bring me to life...
Amon opened his eyes, his vision blurred with all of his pain
"Why the hell do you keep calling me that?" He shouted above the loud music, getting another grin from Akamu.
The witch grinned, waving a hand so that the music was cut off. All of the cars stopped vibrating. Everthing was quiet again.
"You mean...you don't even remember your Juliet? Shame on you, Romeo." Akamu taunted, shaking a finger in Amon's direction. "For she sure remembers you..."
Amon's eyes widened.
Robin...
"What have you done...? What have you to Robin!?" Amon shouted at the red-haired witch, determined to find out some answers. Akamu only chuckled, snapping his fingers for the last time.
"I've done nothing to the fair Juliet. At least I haven't yet." He said viciously as another song turned up on the radio.
Amon's eyes began tear up when he heard the music begin to play.
(When this began)
I had nothin' to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me...
"No! NO!" Amon cried out, somehow bringing his hands up to cover his ears. "Robin!"
Akamu leered. He then suddenly lashed out his claws and grabbed on to the hunter's neck. Amon let out a gag, his eyes watering with the sudden lack of air.
The red-haired witch grinned as he brought up his other hand and prepared for the final strike.
"Sayonara, Romeo." He said softly, rearing back his sharp nails.
Amon stared at him for a second before closing his eyes. An image of Robin appeared in the blackness behind his eyelids. She was crying and calling his name. Calling his name...
Akamu's claws never came. Amon reopened his eyes. The witch's right hand was being held back by what seemed to be an unseen force. Peeking around the man's long, red hair, the hunter gasped when he saw Shitari standing a couple of feet behind him with her arms raised. She was speaking to Akamu.
"I may have not been able to save my daddy, but I am not going to let you hurt them!" The child cried out, letting out a psychic wave and blowing the other witch against the wall.
Letting out a gravelly cry, Akamu hit the wall on the far side of the room and landed on the roof of the Honda Civic. Caving in with the sudden weight, the little green car's alarm began going off.
Amon fell to the ground with a soft grunt. Groaning painfully, he raised his head to look at Shitari, who was now running over to him.
The girl leaned over Amon for a second before smiling and embracing him around the neck.
"Oh, you're alright! I knew you would be!" She cried. Amon blinked, a smile slowly appearing on his lips in his amusement.
Eri crawled over to where the other two were. She was gently dragging her arm behind her. Her pistol was nowhere in sight. Sitting down next to Amon's body, she looked at him and stared into his eyes.
"Are you alright?" She asked, getting back a nod.
Looking over at the Honda, Amon clenched his teeth when he saw the red-haired witch Akamu had disappeared.
"Shit..." He moaned as he tried to sit up. Eri gave him a silencing glare, jerking her head over at Shirtari.
Amon rolled his eyes, though it went unnoticed by his auburn-haired partner. Then, grunting with the effort, the dark-haired man stood up on his feet. He wobbled a bit, but that didn't stop him from heading towards the stairs at a run.
"Amon! Where are you going!?" Eri shouted, standing up with the help of Shitari. Amon quickly skidded to a stop and turned to face her.
"Come on! We don't have much time. I need to get back to headquaters." He commanded firmly, beginning to turn away. Eri's eyebrows furrowed. Why was he in such a hurry? He seemed incredibly tense.
"What for? It's not like that sorry excuse for a male witch is going to head over there..." She said, gasping when she saw blood trailing down Amon's face when he turned to gaze her a second time.
"Amon...your face..." She whispered, reaching out for him as if to touch it. She was surprised when he jerked his head back. It was as if her fingers were electrified and he was trying to avoid being shocked.
"It's nothing. It can be fixed." He snapped stubbornly, turning once again to head for the stairs. Eri stared after him, slowly lowering her hand. She was in a daze. Her partner was just so confusing at times.
"And who's Robin?" She asked herself as she grabbed on to Shitari's small hand. Just as they were heading down to the second level, Eri turned to the tiny child next to her and smiled.
"Thank-you. You saved our lives." She whispered.
Shitari only smiled her characteristically toothy grin. Eri knew it was her way of saying "don't mention it."
Me: Cool chapter. Me like very much! :)
Joisu: Yes, Amon and Robin will eventually get back together, but I can't tell you when. That would spoil the story. :) I'm sorry.
Bravedragon: I'm glad you like my story. :)
Amon's Angel of the Darkness: Ooo, I want to read your story! :) It sound interesting. Actually, I would probably be in Heaven if Amon decided to chase after me. Even if it is with Orbo/real/blank/plastic/rubber bullets. Oo I bet I could multitask. Tries typing while Amon has me in a headlock
Amon: Take it back!! Tell everybody that you don't think I'm cute!!
I'm such a freak...