The Hunters: Chapter Four

The Hunters

~04~

The Demon's Eye

This bow looks great!

The sun was just about to set as a pair of teens walked into the city of Blye. The two teenagers, a girl and a boy, walked close together, one walking a little faster than the other. The girl had her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. On one of her ears was a pink string earring. It had three beads strung end to end. Her pink sleeveless shirt was faded from repeated exposure to heat and dust. She wore faded jean shorts. On her feet she had knee high brown boots with brown fur tied to her legs with brown twine.  A brown belt hung on her waist. Four silver double bladed throwing axes hung from her belt. She walked in strides with a guitar case strapped to her back.

“Hey, Ren?” she looked over her shoulder. Her light brown eyes sparkled with joy.

The boy behind her smiled. His black medium length hair was up to his chin. The left side of his face his was covered completely with the way he styled his hair. His right eye was dark brown. He had a smooth face and a sweet smile. The boy, Ren, wore a black sheave less hooded shirt and black fingerless gloves. He wore tan cargo pants and normal tennis shoes. A bow and arrow were slung over his shoulder. On his left hand was a silver ring with three green gems imbedded in it.

“Uh, yeah, Sanya?” he scratched the back of his head.

“How far do you think the Pawn Shop is?” the girl, Sanya, asked her partner.

“Um,” Ren shrugged, “Not sure. I know we won’t make it before dark.”

“Really?” Sanya stopped, “Then what are we going to do?”

Ren pointed to one of the abandoned buildings, “We could camp out here for the night. Besides we wouldn’t want to inconvenience Undertaker by arriving to early.”

“Naaaa!” Sanya groaned, “Do we have to? It looks like a dump.”

Ren shrugged, “I guess we don’t have to but where else will we go? There aren’t any hotels around and staying on the streets seems very dangerous in this type of neighborhood.”

“Hmm,” Sanya placed a finger thoughtfully on her lips, “I have an idea! Let’s stay in that building over there! I mean, we can’t stay out here with all those scary gangs around! Come one, Ren!”

Ren looked on as Sanya walked over to the very building that Ren had just pointed out. He shook his head; his hair shifted slightly but did not reveal his left eye. Even if he came up with the idea first and all the reasons for it Sanya had managed to act like it had been her idea all along. He didn’t mind and simply followed behind his partner.

The building was run down. The front door practically fell off when Sanya tugged at it. It was a small three story hotel. Both Sanya and Ren combed the first two floors of the building for any threats before settling on the third floor. The hallway carpets were dirtied; the once vibrant colors were now soiled with dirt. Sanya and Ren found a room and settled there. Ren played with the light switch but the lights didn’t come on.

“Oh! I really could use a bath!” Sanya ran to the bathroom and tried to turn the shower on. No water came out. The pipes made a strange groaning sound. Sanya sighed, “Figures.”

Ren set down his bow and quiver on one of the beds, “Sounds like the water is turned off. Must be a valve in the basement somewhere.”

Sanya looked at him, “Well then what are you waiting for?”

“You want me to turn the water on now?” Ren asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Sanya rolled her eyes, “You know how long it’s been since I last bathed? Three days! I probably stink six ways to Sunday! Half of Blye can probably smell me!”

“You don’t smell bad to me,” Ren smiled awkwardly.

Sanya waved a hand, “You don’t count. We’ve been partners for a year. We’re immune to each other’s stink. Well, are you going to turn on the water or what?”

“The water’s probably going to be all muddy and cold. Who knows the last time it was turned on or even if the pipes are all still intact,” Ren sat on the corner of the bed.

“You’re point?” Sanya put her hands on her hip and scowled at Ren, “Ren, we both know how this is going to end. Let’s skip the middle steps and end with you going down to turn on the water. Oh, and while your down there could you turn on the lights? Thank you~~”

Ren sighed and got up again. He grabbed his bow and his quiver and headed out into the hallway. Something shifted in the shadows and drew Ren’s attention. He stared down the dark hallway a few moments before making his way to the basement. He used a flashlight that had been strapped to his belt.

As he walked around the first floor he found the basement door. He walked down the steps carefully. It had been several years at least that the hotel had seen any visitors. The flashlight provided enough light for Ren to find the fuse box. He held the flashlight between his teeth as he tried throwing a few switches. For a moment, the lights flickered on and Ren celebrated in a moment of success. But then the lights shut off again leaving him in the dark once again.

Ren shrugged, “Well, I tried. The generator must be shot too.”

He turned and looked around the basement. Ren found the generator. Just his luck it ran on gas which they didn’t have at the moment.

He shrugged casually, “At least I can say I tried.”

There was a sudden noise behind him and Ren looked. The area was clear as far as Ren could tell in the light of the flashlight. He turned and ventured deeper into the basement in search for the water valve. A short while later, Ren found a red wheel attached to a large pipe. He dusted off a sign on the pipe that read ‘Water’. Ren gripped the wheel and attempted to turn it. The wheel wouldn’t move. After years of being stationary, it was almost impossible to move the wheel alone.

He heard a noise behind him and someone gripped his shoulder. Ren jumped and turned to see Sanya standing there. She rolled her eyes.

Ren gave a sigh of relief, “Don’t just sneak up on someone like that! What are you doing here?”

“Good grief! I got bored of waiting. Help me out with this will you!” Sanya walked passed him and gripped the wheel.

Together they pulled at the wheel. The wheel turned slowly despite the team’s best efforts. Suddenly the wheel gave way causing Sanya to fall back and crash on to the ground. Ren ran over to her to see if she was alright. He helped her up. Sanya brushed her hands on her shirt.

“Well, that should do it, right?” she said.

Ren looked at the wheel and smiled, “I guess so. Let’s get out of the basement.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Sanya walked back to the stairs.

Before following, Ren looked over his shoulder. His normal cheery look seemed much more serious. His right eye narrowed in concentration. Slowly he headed off to follow Sanya back up stairs. He was quiet the whole way back to their floor. His eyed were downcast as he followed behind Sanya. When they reached the third floor, Sanya stopped suddenly. Ren looked up.

At the other end of the hallway was a demon. It turned and spotted them. The demon charged at them. Sanya grabbed an ax from her belt and threw it. The ax struck the demon in between the eyes. Two other demons crawled out of a room. Ren drew out his bow and arrow. He pulled back on the string and let an arrow fly. A fraction of a second after the arrow left the bow; Ren pulled another arrow from his quiver and fired another arrow. Both arrows struck the demons in the forehead.

Sanya smiled and looked at Ren, “That was fun!”

Ren looked at her with his good eye, “You call that fun? I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure Chaos wouldn’t have minded,” Sanya started walking to their room.

Ren smiled, “Do I look like Chaos right now?”

“No, but still,” Sanya stated.

The team of two settled down in to the room. Ren sat on the edge of the bed as Sanya took a shower. He took out his bow and polished it. The bow’s grip was a combination of light and dark brown. After the grip, the bow looked more like two silver curved blades. He listened as Sanya complained of how cold the water was. The shower was short, about ten minutes.

“…That was the coldest water I have ever felt! It’s like no one has been in this building for years!” Sanya stepped out of the bathroom. She was already fully clothed.

Ren smiled, “Probably because they haven’t.”

“Now all we need is a washing machine,” Sanya stated casually.

Ren shook his head slowly then stopped suddenly. He looked to the door with his good eye. Sanya noticed and sighed.

“We’re fine. It’s probably just another one of those weak ones any—”

“Shh!” shushed Ren.

Sanya placed her hands on her hips, “What was that?! Hey if you don’t want to talk, fine! Don’t need to shush me!”

“Quiet down!” Ren looked at her, “Listen!”

Sanya crossed her arms and quieted down. She listened for what Ren supposedly was listening to but heard nothing. Right as she was starting to feel stupid and rather annoyed she heard something, the sound of chains being dragged through the hallway. The sound seemed to be getting closer until it stopped just before their door. Sanya sighed loudly not realizing she had been holding her breath.

“See, nothing to worry about. It’s an old hotel. It makes noises.” Sanya laughed nervously.

The first and second bead started to glow on both Sanya’s earring and Ren’s ring. The glow started off dim but started to grow in its intensity.

“Did you check the rest of the rooms on this floor?” Ren asked.

Sanya shook her head, “I thought you did.”

Suddenly, wood splinters sprayed as the door was nearly sliced in two by a heavy two handed axe. Ren grabbed his weapons while Sanya reached for her guitar case. They ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Just as they closed the door, the door leading to the hallway collapsed with a second blow of the unknown creatures axe.

“Ren?” Sanya looked at her partner.

“I know,” Ren closed his eyes.

When his right eye closed, the hair covering the left side of his face parted somewhat. A red eye opened behind the split curtain of hair and a frightening smile spread across Ren’s face. A red circled encircled the hotel giving off an eerie red glow. The sound of chains was suddenly distant. Ren’s right eye remained closed as his left eye looked around the room.

Sanya strapped the guitar case on her back and looked at her partner, “You ready Chaos?”

Chaos smiled, “What sorry demon do I have to kill today?”

“Don’t know,” Sanya grabbed an axe from her belt, “Haven’t seen his ugly mug yet.”

Chaos gaze turned lazily toward the door, “Well, shall we? Ladies first as the saying goes.”

Sanya gripped the handle of the bathroom door and opened it. She stepped out into the hallway of dizzying scenery. They were no longer in the hotel room. They were in the hallway. One side still had rooms with doors pointing every which way. On the other side, the hallway opened up to a dizzying maze of stairs and rooms. Everything was where it shouldn’t have been. On top of that, Sanya looked up and saw the worn out carpet above her and the lighting fixtures on the same plane as her feet. In other words, she was walking on the ceiling…maybe.

“I never get use to this,” Sanya muttered, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Chaos walked up beside her, “I don’t have a problem with it.”

Sanya glared at him, “Of course you don’t.”

Chaos smiled and walked ahead. Sanya tried to breathe deeply and focus on her current plane. She learned from previous experience that if one focused on the plane one should be on, the human brain would basically freak out and force one to faint. Sanya started following Chaos, the only person who knew how this altered stated of reality worked, when there was a sudden noise somewhere.

She looked out across the open space to the other side. One of the doors broke and due to the skewed sense of gravity, the wooden shards hurled toward her. She jumped and twisted her body as she was caught up in another gravity field and landed on her feet on the carpeted ceiling. The wood from the door struck the wall like daggers.

Chaos drew an arrow and fired it where the door had previously been. There was a deafening roar as the arrow struck its target. The demon came out into the open. Its grotesque face was covered in scars and gashes. Its body was monstrous. It held its double bladed axe with ease as it roared at its enemies. A chain shackle ran from its right leg to the base of its massive weapon. Chaos’ arrow struck the demons shoulder but it didn’t seem to faze the thing.

“You know the saying ‘only a mother could love’?” Chaos looked down at Sanya, “Not even a mother could love that hideous face.”

The creature ran along a parallel hallway.

Chaos drew another arrow and fired, “Open the last door!”

Sanya ran down the hallway and reached the door. The doorknob was higher as the door was upside down. She jumped up and landed on her feet. With the door opened she ran through. They were now in the old dining room. Half of the tables were on the ceiling. Another half were on the walls. The floor was covered with doors and windows.

“Okay,” Sanya looked at Chaos, “Plan?”

“I thought it was rather straight forward,” Chaos shrugged, “Kill the demon, get out of here. Unless you still wanted to sleep out here.”

“I didn’t tell you how Ren and I got here!” Sanya glared at him.

Chaos sighed, “Just because Ren and I share eyes doesn’t mean we share ears as well. I can hear what he hears, feel what feels, and smell what he smells. I just can’t see at the same time he does. It’s one of the downsides of sharing a body. Only one person can control it at a time.”

One of the doors barged open. The axe struck the wall just above their heads. The demon pulled himself through the door and stood before them. The demon pulled on the chain dragging back its axe.

“Looks like he’s getting the hang of this,” Chaos smiled.

“Either that or he’s just too stupid to mid the change of scenery,” Sanya took out two axes and charged at the demon.

The demon looked at her and swung his axe. Sanya fell to her knees and bent backwards as the bloodied axe sailed over her. Chaos drew several arrows and fired them at the demons head. Angered the demon looked toward him and ran at him. Chaos turned and ran toward the wall. He ran up the wall as the demon threw the axe getting it lodged into the wall where Chaos had been moments before. Sanya got to her feet and climbed onto the demons back. She took her weapons and lodged them into both sides of the demons neck. The demon screamed in pain. Another arrow struck the demon in the chest.

With a mighty tug, the demon yanked on the chain and the heavy axe flew into its hand. He swung it around. Sanya managed to dive to one side as the deadly weapon neared her. Chaos fired another arrow to draw the demons attention but all it did was anger him even more. It charged at Sanya. The girl rolled out of the way just in time. She took her last ax and held it in her hand as she got to her feet.

The demon turned slowly and growled. Sanya threw the ax with everything she had. The axe struck the demon in the face. It staggered backwards but remained on its feet. Then it reached up an arm and pulled the axe out and dropped it on the ground. Blood flowed down its face but other than the mark there was no sign that the demon was injured.

Out of shock Sanya stepped back and fell. The demon ran at her with axe raised above his head. Sanya crawled back onto a window. Chaos fired an arrow breaking the glass beneath her. The glass broke and she fell. As the axe fell she could see the blade near her as she fell through the window. The weapon got caught inches from Sanya’s face.

Sanya noticed that she was outside the building. She was about three stories up. The exterior maintained its orderly appearance. Gravity grabbed Sanya and pulled her to the ground. She looked around franticly for a way to slow her fall. For a fraction of a second Sanya thought she was a shadow cross a window. A door on ground level opened. Sanya got caught in the gravity pull of whatever room the door belonged to. She fell through the door. She crashed onto a bed. The door closed behind her.

She groaned in pain. Then she unslung the guitar case from her back an opened it. She pulled out a sniper rifle and assembled it. Sanya grabbed the empty case and looked around. She needed to get back to her partner.  A door opened slightly and Sanya turned.

“Who’s there!?” she aimed the gun with rifle with a steady hand.

When no response came, Sanya glanced over at her earing. None of the spheres were glowing. She felt safe that it wasn’t another demon or a vampire. She walked closer and opened the door. She walked into another larger room. A door nearby slammed shut and Sanya chased after the sound. Again she entered the room and a window was opened. She jumped through into a hallway just in time to see a figure dart into another room. Sanya chased after the figure.

“Hey!” Sanya shouted, “I’m a Hunter! I will shoot if you don’t identify yourself!”

She entered the room and felt gravity take her again.

Shortly after Sanya fell through the window, Chaos reached for another arrow only to find that his quiver was empty. He stood on the ceiling of where the demon stood. Chaos was secretly glad the demon wasn’t smart enough to run up the wall to get to him. He twisted the grip and the bow came apart. The string snapped and now he had dual scimitars. He jumped down. The demon roared at him. Chaos pointed on of his blades down. Upon impact, the blade pierced through the demons mouth cutting the roar short. He plunged the other blade into the demons stomach. The demon grabbed him behind the neck and threw Chaos into a wall.

Chaos hit the wall hard. He lost consciousness, his black hair covering his vision. The moment Chaos’ red eye close, Ren’s opened. He woke up as the demon charged at him. Knowing only vaguely what had accrued while he was only semi-conscious he was quick to action. He looked around. Sanya’s dropped axe was within reach. Ren jumped out of the way of the charge and grabbed the axe and threw it back at the demon. It struck him in the shoulder.

Because Chaos was no longer in control, the hotel started taking on its normal inside appearance. The red ring outside the hotel disappeared. Ren started to loose traction as gravity tried to figure out which direction it was supposed to pull once more. He was pulled to the center of the room as tables and chairs sailed past him. The demon also started to float and spin. A table struck the demon throwing the axe from its hand. The blade flew past Ren narrowly missing him. Ren grabbed on to the chain as a measure of some stability.

Sanya was swept off her feet similar to Ren in the dining room. She closed her eyes a moment as an attempt to sooth her stomach. Gravity took hold for a moment and pulled her though a door that led to another room with warring gravity. She shot at a window when she realized that that was the direction the pull wanted her to go at the moment. Sanya fell through the window, only getting a small scratch on her leg. Again she fell through a sliding door and found herself in the dining room again. A chair crashed into the wall beside her.

She looked around for Chaos.

“Look out!” Ren called.

Sanya looked to her right and saw the Demon falling toward her. She aimed her rifle and fired. The bullet hit the demon in the face temporarily blinding him. Sanya turned her body and fired again as he sailed under her. She prepped another shot but she was pulled suddenly. Instead of striking the demon, she hit the chain connecting demon to weapon.

Gravity figured itself out and pulled all three of them down to the floor. Sanya’s gun was tossed from her hand. The Demon landed across from her. He got to his feet quickly and looked at her. Just them his own axe fell on him. Ren crashed not too far away. The demon dissolved into dust. Only the axe remained.

Ren backed against a wall and breathed heavily, “You know, at this point I think we should just head for Undertaker’s place. We can take on a few thugs if we have to.”

Sanya nodded, “Yeah. Best idea I’ve come up with all night. I bet Undertaker has hot water, right?”

----

Undertaker walked casually though the streets. He stopped suddenly, his green eyes looked amused. Ahead of him was Yin. She stood waiting for him.

“You left without me, master, may I ask why?” Yin stated.

Undertaker smiled, “It was just a little chore. I didn’t want to bother you.”

Akaban walked out of an alley way behind Undertaker, “Really then,” he looked uninterested, “You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that dimension ring would you and that Level 4 demon would you?”

“Or the fact that Ren and Sanya just happened to kill a Level 4 demon inside Chaos’ dimension ring?” Yin gaze was unwavering.

“Ren and Sanya? You don’t say. I had no idea they were already in Blye!” Undertaker smiled, “And you said they just killed a demon? I hope they’re okay.”

Throwing Axe!

Undertaker continued walking and walked past Yin, “Come on, now. It’s past both your bed times.”

Akaban narrowed his eyes, “My bed time?”

“Oh, of course,” Undertaker nodded, “I wouldn’t want you to be to sleepy to meet your partner tomorrow.”

“On second thought, I might have a few chores to fun myself,” Akaban started to slip away.

“Now where do you think you’re going?” Undertaker’s voice became clear and stern. His eyes were clearly visible, “If you don’t get your sleep I’ll make sure you can sleep for the rest of eternity.”

Undertaker turned and continued walking. Yin ran up to catch up to him.

Akaban turned to follow behind them. “I wonder if there’s a way to kill him in his sleep,” Akaban muttered to himself.

“There isn’t!” Undertaker called back, “Many have tried and I’m still here! Oh, and you might want to keep your murderous thoughts to yourself next time! I may be older than dirt but I can still hear!”