A/N: Guys, seriously, read this please?
Eternaldark, though I was a bit stung by your review (which is normal I guess, it was the first meaningful criticism I've gotten in a review), I agree. I can't say I have very much experience with writing human fics. If you look at my profile you'll see that I've had much more luck writing Warriors and Lion King fictions, which are both based on cats, my specialty, weird as it may sound… Truth this, this fic has become everything that I've feared it would be. Rushed.
So, I'm going to do my best to dedicate this chapter (and maybe the next) to showing how exactly all the characters are reacting to everything. Development. I think. Oh, geez. I'm going to fail so hard.
Elliot sat in the staff lounge, contemplating the events of the last three days. She had never asked for this. To suddenly be thrown into something bigger than all of them combined. She had never even wanted to become a hunter, but all that had changed when her boyfriend Shawn was murdered by a crazed demon three years ago. Sure, she had gotten over it, but she didn't want to see it happen to anyone else.
She had underwent a year and a half of training at a small, isolated camp in a forest that didn't even have a name. It had taken her forever to even learn that there was even a training camp for such things. She had almost hoped she would be some cool demon hunter missionary or whatever that roamed the country killing evil stuff, like all those sexy people on TV. Wishful thinking. She snorted to herself. The training had been damn hard, and even though it succeeded in making her an at least decent hunter, it had failed to change anything about her nutty personality and behavior. Her instructors had been disappointed.
Her family? She told them she was going to hetero camp, and they never brought it up again. Now, they believed she was a doctor. Or more specifically, an intern.
She sighed, pulling her legs up onto the couch, resting her chin on them. Even though her job in medicine was supposed to be a cover-up for her real line of work, she took it seriously. They all did. People could die because of them in both of their careers. That is, if demon hunting even was a career. She guessed it wasn't. The government didn't even have a clue they existed. And if they did, then they most likely just thought they were just nutcases.
She sighed again. If they really did decide to go through with what JD had said, then they probably were insane. The guy was a demon, how could they even consider trusting him? Who was to say that he wasn't lying? Were they under some kind of trance or something? Frick-on-a-stick, who was there to say that the Four even ever existed? She didn't understand how they could trust him so easily. Yeah, he seemed like a friendly, silly guy, but demons were good liars. They could tell a fib while looking you straight in the eye.
But, JD… he couldn't. You could always tell when he was uncomfortable because he wouldn't dare look you in the face. One of the lessons drilled into her brain from her training years echoed in her mind.
"It is extremely rare, but sometimes Lucifer chooses a human to be converted into a demon, if they have enough potential, making them one hundred percent malicious and black-hearted as any other of his servants. Unless they have some humanity left in them…"
Elliot's face brightened. Holy crap, how had she not seen it before? It was so obvious. Now she knew why the others had been so sure.
Turk leaned against the nurse's station, letting out a puff of air as his wife massaged his shoulders. A crash cart was wheeled unbelievably fast past them, and Carla bit her lip, before trying to smile. Another death. She didn't even hope that the person might make it. There had been many, many deaths the last month, in fact, that had been the sixth person that day to crash.
She didn't dare read the newspaper anymore. The obituary was always on the front page, nearly half of the names ones she recognized. Patients she had known. Her forced smile looked rueful, against her best efforts. She didn't know why so many people around the world were dying all of a sudden. Some said it was an epidemic, but nobody had any clue what the illness was. It didn't even seem like any illness. More like an attack.
It was always the same. Someone would find the slashed and massacred body of someone, as if attacked by an animal, and rush them to the hospital. They could be saved, the wounds weren't that horrible, or fatal. The doctors were doing nothing wrong.
Yet it somehow ended up fatal anyway. They just died, no explanation given, no logical reason. Like some kind of curse. But Carla doubted it. There were no supernatural beings she had ever heard of powerful enough to cast such a curse. Except for Lucifer, but even he would require help, help that none could give him. He wasn't the King of Hell for nothing, he made himself leader all on his own simply by being strongest.
Giving up on feigning happiness, Carla rested her head on her husband's shoulder, and he gave no protest.
Carla had taken up demon hunting after her brother Marco was attacked in the night by a malevolent spirit. Nobody knew of her secret profession besides her husband, brother and two-- no, three friends. Turk, Marco, Perry, Elliot and now, JD. She had met Turk, Elliot, and Perry at training camp.
Turk and Elliot had both been students alongside her, but guess what role Perry had to play? That's right. Instructor. Not pleasant.
Turk himself had never really had any reason to get into hunting. He just heard of it one day and found it interesting. He used to have half a mind to just give up on it during camp since he really didn't seem to get anywhere, the lessons flying well over his head. But then he met Carla, and all that changed. He pushed himself just to impress her, and was even given a compliment from the big Coxer himself. Once. But that was enough for the other instructors to pass him, Perry being quite well-known and respected among the hunter community.
A few months later, Turk and Carla had married, Perry their best man. Though, now that Turk had met JD, he knew that if he had met the raven before then, he would have been his best man. The two had clicked instantly, practically the best of friends over only three days. They knew almost everything about the other already.
The word almost is used because while JD almost knew everything about Turk off the top of his head, there were still plenty of mysteries surrounding him that none of the group knew. They knew he was the Last (though technically, from what he'd told them, he wasn't really the Last), and that they were meant to do this, whatever it was, but besides that… nothing.
Inwardly telling himself to remember to confront the demon about it, Turk let himself and his wife doze.
The wind breezed through his curly fiery red hair, and he slumped down to the ground, sitting Indian-style. He was on the roof of the hospital, the clear blue sky looking lovely above him, but he took no notice whatsoever. So many deaths, too much for him to handle. He had barely been able to pull through it the last time a patient died while under his care.
Perry buried his face in his hands. At this rate, he wasn't going to make it.
But then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn't even bother to look up, he knew who it was.
"Newbie." He acknowledged grudgingly. There was a history behind that nickname, a recent one. Just that morning, Perry had taken him golfing. Partially because Carla threatened to yell at him at random times in Spanish if he didn't, and partially because he-- wanted--…
Oh, screw it. He wanted to finally have him alone. There. That wasn't so hard, was it?
The little girl had no clue what golfing was. "What, you know Blue's Clues, Teletubbies and Bear's Big Blue House but not golfing, Sandra?" Perry had joked halfheartedly, giving him a look of mock disbelief. JD pouted. He wasn't even exaggerating. The girl sported a full-on pout.
God help me, Perry thought, mildly disgusted with himself, I thought it was cute.
So, Perry had called him a 'Newbie at golfing' and it had stuck. Cindy didn't really seem to care in the least, though. Perry would almost say that he liked it.
JD sat down beside him, but neither said nothing for a long while. But then JD broke the silence. "All of the deaths is Lucifer's doing." He deadpanned.
Perry froze. "…What?" He asked finally, his jaw hanging slack for a second, before catching himself and, raising his head to look at the raven, watched him with a questionable expression.
JD's usually bright eyes had a certain darkness in them now, as his ice blue gaze bore into Perry's highly contrasting dark blue ones, he elaborated, "Remember when I said that if you guys didn't do what you were meant to do, that you'd all die within the next thirty years? Yeah, well, this is what I was talking about. He's sending his minions to first kill off all of the truly devout religious people, and it'll just go down from there. He's been stalling for such a long time because he's been too busy readying his armies."
Perry sat, quiet, letting all of it sink in. Well, damn. He guessed they really were meant for this. He had had his doubts before, but… he let the thought trail off. He had no problem with saving humanity, really, he just didn't particularly want to die doing it.
JD's voice broke his thoughts. "I wasn't always a demon, you know. I had a family too. In fact, my big brother Dan was one of the Others." He smiled slightly. Perry didn't say anything, so JD continued, "The other two were Jordan and her brother Ben. All four of us used to be human, our families murdered just so Lucifer, the old silver-haired bastard, could make us join his ranks. It's not like we had a choice, and I'm not proud of the things he made me do while under his command…" JD trailed off, his expression hardening.
But his face relaxed as he went on, "Jordan was… well, she was kind of a bitch. I think you two would get along well," he joked, and Perry couldn't help but roll his eyes out of impulse. "But she'd help you when it really mattered, while pretending she didn't give a damn which was bullshit." His grin was wry. "Reminds me of someone I know."
Perry scowled, but JD knew he didn't mean it.
"Ben was… ecstatic. And funny. He had this camera, that damned camera which he took pictures with at the dumbest of times," he laughed a little. "'Cheese' was the guy's catchphrase." He looked thoughtful. "I think you'd like him, for some reason."
"And you're brother?" Perry couldn't help but ask.
JD smirked a little. "Dan was… an idiot. Had a heart of gold, but still an idiot." He paused. "Kick my ass if he heard that, though." He added.
Perry said nothing. Just stared at the younger-looking man. Demon. Whatever. After a while, JD felt himself getting drowsy, and before long, he looked asleep. Perry was amazed that he could fall asleep in a position that didn't look very comfortable. Wouldn't he want to rest his head on something? His question was answered as JD's head fell against his shoulder, and he stiffened. Hastily glancing around himself, he let a small, genuine smile grace his lips and he relaxed, finally letting himself enjoy the sight of the beautiful sky. Why the hell not? It wasn't like the kid was awake…
JD smiled, the slightest dusting of pink on his cheeks, but it went unseen.
A/N: There, I hope this clears up some things… In the next few chapters, I'm going to try and explain some other things too. Like what that little flashback JD had in the last chapter was. Sound good? Review!