Chapter two: the sky

Sorry this chapter might be a tiiiiny bit boring. And thanks to my reviewers you guys are great! Really keeps me going knowing that people like my stuff. 3

Twin motorcycles tore through the dirt roads, a streak of red and a streak of blue.

A helmet-less rider donned in red hooting as he recklessly raced past, the second simply trying to keep up.

Finally they arrived in a small town, the atmosphere was hazy and a mist was setting in.

"This place feels sickly." Nero commented, revving up red queen.

"The client's in the bar, they said they'd treat us and give us the full rundown." Dante put the motorcycle's keys in his pocket.

The two trudged up to a dimly lit cluster of buildings, among these was a place that stood out the most, Slade's Tavern. It was the only place live with activity in the dimly lit town.

Dante opened the door; they two hunters were bombarded with the stench of puke, alcohol and sweaty drunks.

Dante approached the bartender, a man appearing to be in his early thirties. Steel blue eyes with an intense glare he had a firmly set nose, jet black hair which was tied back and reached just past the shoulder blades. He had medium build, probably from hauling drunks around all the time.

"The names Slade…" he beckoned to the new arrivals "…and you're…?"

"Tony, Tony Redgrave." Dante sometimes used the false name it was better than revealing yourself to people who may have a motive to get to you.

Nero followed suit "Just call me Dean." The youth mentally smacked himself of all the bloody names, he had to choose one so freaking…obvious.

Slade continued, seemingly unaware of the supernatural reference "Well the person who called you is at table three…" he paused "…We just call him Twitch."

There was a youth, he had a simple hoodie, it was grey with the image of a skull of the front Dante suspected that it was once a white hoodie but what could he say. His pants, which were tattered jeans, they appeared to be old aged and used vigorously over the years. His messy short ash blond hair only added to the hobo-esque aura about him. He was peculiar; his body jerked occasionally, not quite shaking but close enough to remind one of that action. Murky brown eyes darted from side to side; he appeared as an emotional wreck.

Dante sat across from him, eyeing the boy with a humorous expression on his face.

Nero simply stood, not really feeling like sitting down.

"So…" Dante started "You're Shawn?"

The youth nodded, his eyes eying the devil hunter's unusual apparel and the "tools of the trade" he carried. Dante leaned back placing his feet on the table.

"I'm afraid…" He whimpered hugging his knees closely to his chest

"FEET OFF THE FURNITURE FUCKER!" Slade called from the other side of the room.

Dante grunted, placing his feet back onto the floor, Nero rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, figured that from what you said on the phone. So what exactly is it?"

"…The sky, it's…falling." Shawn's eyes traveled to meet Dante's, they revealed the extent of his tiredness, sleep deprivation was evident but they still that he was dead serious.

Nero eyed the boy, unsure of whether or not to be skeptical.

Shawn glanced down, staring at his canvas shoes, the shoes encrusted with mud and laces that had gone from white to brown.

"…Well I'll rephrase that, it's more the sky is in a state of…flux." His voice quavered, it was a few octaves higher then it should have been it was the fear that made it that way.

"Flux?" Dante was interested in this

"Yes." Shawn replied unable to keep his voice at its natural level "It turns red then black and then there's…a…snake."

"A snake?"

"In a sense, but that's…not the end of it." he continued "No one…with this…can leave the town…" he lifted his shirt, revealing a peculiar mark, it appeared to look like a birth mark, and the shape appeared to resemble the Ouroboros, the snake that devoured its own tail.

"Cryptic…" Dante replied back casually, Nero sat down; he felt that the conversation may be longer than he anticipated.

"We call it the wave…" his voice lowered "…its t-terrifying…"

"Why would you call it that?" Dante questioned raising an eyebrow

"Because, when it happens all clocks stop…like there's an extra uncounted time in-between the hour…then there's the feeling, it hits hard it's like dread, guilt and fear hit you over and over…"

"Great…" Dante grimaced; this was going to be fun He thought sarcastically.

"I'll pay anything you want, Just…take it away. Have my house…my bank account…anything!" his hands shook, his expression changed from terror to pleading.

"I'll take care of it; just give me whatever you want at the end. I don't care."

Nero glanced at Dante, who was getting up from his seat at the table and did the same.

It was only fifteen minutes later, Slade had served Dante a strawberry sundae, and Nero took a glass of water.

Nero bored with the town already took to watching his glass of water playing with the ice, watching it bob around after hitting it with his straw.

Then there was a noise, Nero turned trying to pin its source, it wasn't human or mechanical it was just the same tone. Dante ignored it choosing rather to enjoy the sundae.

Nero noticed the occupants of the bar, getting low and hiding beneath furniture, people clearing the streets and shops locking and barricading entryways.

Shawn among the people laying close to the floor was quivering in fear more than the others, clutching the cross that hung from his neck, his eyes were screwed shut and he was murmuring to himself.

Slade himself had turned completely serious, making sure all entries were blocked.

Nero then felt something, the thing that Shawn described earlier, he was bombarded with emotions, ones that were not his own, it was a painful experience emotionally, he fell to the ground, incapacitated by it. This is what was described, Dante was seemingly unfazed, and Nero sometimes couldn't understand how resilient he was.

It stopped; he felt like he had just been hit by a massive tidal wave and buffeted under the water it truly deserved it name. He got up he and Dante were the only two standing, the human occupants remained on the floor, quivering.

Then Nero saw through a shoddily boarded up window why, outside was terrifying, the sky fluctuated between shades of red and blacks finally settling on a pattern that resembled and snake knotted in of it, but no head or tail was visible to complete it.

What Nero saw next was the real terror.

Demons, however these did not resemble the scarecrows that Nero had once faced, these presented a more sickly feeling, like pestilence embodied.

Wounds dotted their surface pussy tears decorated them, like hounds they traveled together Dalmatians of terror, they limped around, bipedal. orifices agape in place of what would be mouth, serrated teeth uneven and out of place. Without eyes they wandered senselessly teetering with limbs that faced all sorts of directions.

Dante rose from his seat and to the horror of everyone else as he ventured outside, Nero following him closely.

Dante Struck one in what would considered to be a face with ifrit, the stench of diseased charred flash wafted in the air, the beast was felled, but there were plenty to take it's place.

Nero charged forward grabbing one by the leg with the devil bringer, he threw it at a cluster of three in front of him, and the impact pushed them backwards.

He streaked forward with Red queen, it flared up on contact with the foul beasts, and they fell to the ground supposedly dead.

Dante was enjoying himself; he was in the air now ebony and ivory in hand executing a rainstorm, producing many holes in the creatures until they resembled Swiss cheese.

After delivering death blows to all the beasts the two hunters stood still, surveying the area.

Dante scratched the back of his head "What the hell was that?"

Nero shrugged "At least we beat them, Right?"

"I suppose you could say that." Dante watched as remaining flesh crawled away, attempting to escape his presence.

Dante shot them with ebony and ivory, a barrage of never ending bullets struck the now squirming remains which shriveled up and dissipated.

The two returned to the tavern, the occupants were wide eyed.

"I think…" Slade's voice was quivering "…When you guys are done, everything's on the house."

Dante grinned the idea of free sundaes was very, very alluring.

It was moments later when the second wave came; Nero was caught off guard and collapsed.

He small yelp escaped him; he rolled around on the floor until it ended.

He got up, his head was throbbing, and he supposed he'd get accustomed to things like this eventually, but for now he would have to deal.

"Kid, what time is it?" Dante asked Nero

Nero glanced at the watch 11:22, but they had arrived 11:03, there was an unexplained time lapse.

They would have to figure everything out during the next wave; this was serious business the stuff that Dante lived for. None of the mercenary crap it was all cryptic demonic business, Dante's business.

"Have you guys booked a place to stay anywhere?" Slade said wiping a glass with a clean rag, and pouring some beer into it, he slid it down the table to a particularly fat drunk who took it happily.

"No not really, with my type of job there's little need to sleep."

"I have a spare room upstairs; it's free for you guys, one bed though."

Dante looked at Nero who seemed as though he might pass out.

"I'll take it; the kid might need his rest."

Nero scoffed, he was being treated like a minor "I'm not a child with a curfew!"

"You are now." Dante answered back

Nero stopped, was that…affection? Or just his sense of humor? It was difficult to tell.

Slade led them upstairs, directing them to a small room

"Here it is, hasn't been used for a while" He chuckled, tapping the door frame.

This was a child's room, painted blue, toy cars and electronics were dusty from lack of use.

"I'm going to go down stairs now, make yourselves comfortable, there's a cupboard in the hall filled with extra blankets." Dante remained quiet until Slade's footsteps could no longer be heard.

Nero picked up the nearest electronic, it was a game boy advance; the cartridge contained a remake of the Tetris game.

"Put it down, Nero."

"Fine." Nero pouted; he rarely got to play with electronics, but he placed it back onto the bedside table "I'm going to sleep." Nero rolled on his side and covered his head with the bed sheets.

Dante sat against the wall; his hair shone under the moonlight which peeped through the windows while he played with some of the nearby toys quietly, the son of Sparda was bored.

Chapter end

Sorry it was probably boring but it had to be typed to continue the story. I promise to make it better. Monster design was lacking and lol wtf was I thinking with "Dalmatians."