The Hunters: Paranormal many shots

Fire and Ice

Damien moved through the universe a little differently to the angels. Where they grabbed at the fabric of space and time and seemed to twist it to where and when they needed it, Damien preferred to fly. Despite the angels saying he could move time and space in the same manner, they both currently soared lazily over the icy waters just west of Anchorage. Damien's arms were wrapped gently around her waist and he carried her with seemingly no issue at all. The land would turn inward soon, into the Turnagain Arm, and her hometown, Hope was nestled among the trees on the southern side.

Anxiety tickled down her skin. It had been years since Annie had seen her mum and so much had changed. She had distanced herself when she had thrown her lot in with Jared and Paul; the intention being to protect her from the dangerous new world she had been drawn in to. Fate, however seemed to have other plans. How was she going to tell her mother what had happened? How do you tell someone about the kind of things she had seen?

She was still pondering these questions when the water below gave way to mud and patchy grass, dusted with snow. She looked up to find Hope ahead. Damien began to descend rapidly, sending Annie's insides into a tumble. They nosedived, air rushing through her ears with a roar, and came to a stop a few feet from the ground. He corrected their bodies and placed her feet down. His flight seemed to just end and he landed in a gentle crouch next to her.

The shadowy figure of Shepard drifted out of Damien's body and inspected their surrounds. "Reminds me of Embervale," He said, the slightest hint of fond reminisce playing on his tone.

Damien nodded. "Except I doubt there is a torture facility nearby." He replied, bitterly.

Confused, Annie decided to probe. "Um, what the shit are you two talking about?" She asked.

Shepard floated over to her and placed a warm hand on her head. Memories smashed into her mind with the force of Grond on the gates on Minis Tirith. She saw a cold stone room with a long mirror. In the reflection, Damien's arms were chained to a rusty pipe above his head, cuts and bruises formed a nasty patchwork over his naked skin. Another shift. A man wearing a balaclava cracked a stick over Damien's rib cage. Another shift. What appeared to be the same man ran down a stone corridor, stumbling and falling as he did. Annie saw through Damien's eyes as he stalked after the man, flames spitting angrily from his right hand. Another shift. This time, he walked confusedly down a quiet street. Tall pines and spruce trees formed an emerald wall on either side of him. Another shift. He fell to his knees in front of a big sign that said 'Welcome to Embervale, home of the Fire Spirits.'

Shepard pulled away, leaving Annie breathless. She placed a closed hand over her heart to try and steady its beating. "You need to warn me when you're going to do that," She hissed. "For fuck sake."

Shepard shrugged. "You asked."

Damien waved a hand at them both. "Pay attention," he demanded as he pointed off into the distance. "I think there's some kind of RV park up there and a café."

Annie followed his pointing and saw several large white vehicles and people moving about. "Yeah, that way heads up to Main Street, if I remember correctly."

Damien turned and gave her a big smile. "Well, then, shall we?"

Shepard drifted back into him as he began to jog his way through the mud and grass. Annie sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. Without Damien's warmth, the biting cold had begun to sink into her bones. The clouds above looked fat with the threat of rain.

They trudged out of the grass and onto the gravely road. It opened up into a large, flat area littered with RV's; most of them containing an elderly couple or small family getting set up for lunch. Some of them gave curious looks while many others seemed to shy away from Damien. He clicked his tongue.

"It would seem that humans in your dimension are a little more sensitive to danger," he commented. "In my dimension, very few people are so easily unsettled by my presence."

Annie shrugged. "Maybe," she replied, absently. She was too busy remembering the time she had come fishing here with her dad, before he'd left. She could practically see scrawny five-year old Annie holding the over-sized rod as a salmon tried it's hardest to rip it from her hands. It had succeeded and nearly dragged the rod down-stream. She still remembered the sight of her father running after it, arms flailing wildly as he yelled, "give my rod back you slippery bastard."

She smiled in spite of herself. It was a good memory. One of the few she actually had with her dad, but still a good one. She pushed the thought away and buried it deep inside. Saving it for a rainy day. Damien starred at her with interest, his expression expectant.

"Sorry, did you say something?" She asked.

He rubbed a hand down the back of his neck, probably a nervous habit. "Where did you want to go first?"

Annie sighed and looked down main street. "Let's go straight to my mum's house."

"Where is that?" Damien inquired.

Annie pointed a finger off to the left. "Over that way. If we follow this road, it'll turn left onto A Street then hit Old Hope Road. It's not too far. She runs a café in an old log cabin."

Damien seemed to perk up a bit. "Oh, is it good coffee?"

Annie smiled and straightened her back. "The best in Hope mum always used to say."

Damien smiled. "Let's go get some coffee."

They wandered down the road and Annie couldn't help but notice how little had changed here. It was like time had stood still while all around things were thrown into chaos. They passed the old gift shop. Mr Loddrick still had the same Rusty red ute he'd driven when she was a child. It even had the dent where she and Steve Yard had hit it playing baseball as he'd driven past. He'd pulled over, inspected the dent and laughed it off. "Good arm, young Annie," he'd said.

A little further up, the road turned to the left as she'd said. They made their way down. To their right, a house sat upon Jenga style wooden legs. The front was open and exposed, blocked off by an X of wood, nailed to the frame. The floor frame had been constructed but never filled in. It had been there for as long as she could remember and she'd never known if it was a project left unfinished or a house left half deconstructed. She'd played in there with her friends and even had her first beer there with Steve. She'd have to remember to look him up while she was in town.

Still further up, and again on the right, was a small wooden building. The Hope library. It was very small, containing only the most popular books; as well as some older classics. It also doubled as a second gift shop. To the left of that was a café, one of several in Hope. The town was small enough to only have a few but big enough that they all had enough regulars to survive. There was very little to do in Hope but that was kind of the point. You didn't move here for a busy life.

Annie remembered reading Harry Potter in the reading corner, snuggled up in the bean bag, she'd devoured the books-along with many other good series'. She folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself. She hadn't realized how many fond memories she had of this place. It was making her regret leaving. She enjoyed the thrills of the big city but something about coming home felt right. Maybe it was the peace and quiet, the lack of monsters trying to kill her or even the total absence of angels, but she felt happy and calm. It reminded her of being in Shyra, with Giarn and Kiara. It was slow and still. Was this the life for her? Maybe, after all this was said and done, she'd take Jared up on his offer to move there.

A warm hand pulled her from her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Annie jumped slightly at Damien's touch and nodded quickly. "Ye...yeah, just...thinking."

Damien nodded, his expression solemn. "You have good memories here, don't you?"

Annie looked up at him. "How...?"

Damien tapped the side of his head with an index finger. "I saw them. If I may...do you miss being here?"

Annie sighed, thinking. "I think...I think I miss the simplicity. The way life used to be. Before all of this. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change this for anything, but..."

She paused, unsure of how to finish. "But you're overwhelmed..." Damien finished for her. She nodded then hung her head.

"I just feel like I don't fit in here sometimes."

"I felt that way too, at first. When Shepard first inhabited me I didn't know what to do. The idea of all this power," he looked at his hands. "It was mind boggling. Of course, when I first started off, I was far less powerful than I am now. It took a while to learn how to harness it all. But that's a story for another time." He gave a knowing wink, as if he wasn't actually talking to her.

"How did you cope with it all?"

"Poorly, at first. I made a lot of mistakes, hurt people that probably didn't deserve it. Eventually, I slowed down and listened to Shepard, let him guide me. He taught me control, mindfulness, emotional regulation."

"Really? If I'm being honest, he kinda seems like he doesn't give a shit about anything."

Shepard floated out of Damien. "It would seem that way to the untrained eye," He said, calmly. "Damien and I are a part of a far greater story than that of you and your angels. Our intentions and ideals cannot be lumped in with what you deem to be appropriate. While you think on the scale of consequences over days...weeks...maybe months...we think on a scale of eons. Damien and I will be alive long after your Angels' empire has crumbled to dust and I was here long before they were ever a speck of divine light floating in a cosmic soup. Believe me...I care, just not in the same manner you do."

Damien smiled. As if this was the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. These two had clearly been through a lot together and, although Annie struggled to see it, their bond was unbreakable.

Damien pointed down the road. "Is it much further? I'm quite hungry and dying for some of Hope's best coffee."

"We turn right at the end of this street and it's just on the left," she pointed through a gap in the trees. "You can see it just through there."

Damien squinted and a smile broke across his face. "It really is a log cabin." He sounded like a child in a toy store.

Annie scratched the back of her neck and anxiety began to creep into her. It had been so long since she'd seen her mum and, now that she was here, she wasn't sure in the slightest how she was going to tell her everything. "Uh, yeah...it sure is."

Damien turned to her, his excitement fading into clear concern. "You're worried about how she's going to take in...all of this?" He held out a hand and flames burst into life.

Annie began to swat at them, panic gripping her chest. "Put that shit out...fuck sake." She looked around, eyes darting frantically. "What if someone had seen you?"

Damien extinguished the flames and simply shrugged. "Shall we?" he didn't wait for a response. He strolled past her and cut across the library lawn.

In a way he was right. She was worried about how her mother would react, but mainly to her own recent changes. She could use magic-poorly-and was pretty sure she could now see people's memories simply by touching them; that was something she was going to have to learn to control. She sighed and followed Damien.

She ducked under a tree branch and there it was. A quaint little two-storey cabin, made from log. The lower level stretched out into a porch that surrounded most of the cabin. Small, handmade tables sat here and there; some were full and others were empty. The upper floor was a two-bedroom living space occupied by her mother. A little gravel path led from the front gate to three steps up to the porch. Damien was already in the doorway.

He smiled and waved at someone and Annie caught a glimpse of her mother as she welcomed the new-comer. Damien held up two fingers and pointed back to Annie. Her mother moved into view to see who his guest would be. Her waitress smile dropped into shock then pulled back up into gratitude and joy. She raced down the steps and Annie met her halfway up the path. They threw their arms around each other, tears already turning cold on their cheeks.

A rapid succession of memories flooded Annie's mind as her mother touched her skin. She saw through her mother's eyes as she cried, the night her dad had left them. The images swirled into smoke, replaced by a new, more recent one. This time, she was crying on Annie's bed, a feeling of deep longing twisting in her chest. The images faded and Annie had to brace herself to avoid giving away how unsettled she was. She would have to ask Damien to teach her how to control that. The ability to see memories. Add that to the check list; right under keep learning magic and master the All Sight.

"Annie, my dear," her mother cried as they embraced. "What are you doing here?"

Annie let the tears come and wrapped her arms tighter around her. "I came to see you."

"Oh sweetheart, that's so lovely. It's so good to see you." She pulled away from the hug, still holding her daughter's shoulders and took in her appearance. "You look well."

"I am, mum."

"Well come inside, you must tell me everything you've been up to. I think I still have one of your hoodies upstairs, you must be freezing."

Annie laughed to herself and wiped tears from her eyes. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed her mother until now. It made the idea of ripping her away from everything she knew that much harder.

She followed her mum up the path and into the café where Damien had already found himself a seat and was browsing the menu. Shepard was looming over him, inspecting it also and Annie felt her heart jump into her throat. Her gaze darted around and she realized that nobody was reacting. He really was invisible to everyone else. She sighed and headed over.

"The scone and jam," Shepard was saying as she neared.

"Oh, that looks good," Damien replied, seeming to all nearby to just be a strange man talking to himself.

Her mother came over with a jug of water and two cups. She was grinning from ear to ear. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, honey?" She said.

"Oh, right. Mum, this is Damien, Damien, this is my mum."

Damien smiled. "Does she have a name or should I just call her mum?"

Annie's mum smiled. "Margaret. It's lovely to meet you."

He shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Oh, your hand is very warm. Have you been wearing gloves?"

Damien grinned. "No, I just run a little hot."

Annie's mouth became a tight line. Damien was being very casual about referencing the being he co-existed with. She noticed her leg was bouncing up and down and placed a hand on it to settle.

"So what brings you home, Honey?" Margaret inquired as she filled each a cup.

Annie's heart sank but she managed to force a smile. "Can we talk upstairs? I need to tell you something important."

Margaret stepped back and took in her daughter's posture. The still bouncing leg. The anxiously darting eyes. "Honey, what's wrong?" Her own eyes darted to Damien, who was still inspecting the menu, although he'd already decided on scones and jam.

"Nothing serious. We just need to talk." Her gaze became beseeching. "Please?"

Margaret nodded and placed the jug on the table. She looked back over her shoulder as she untied her apron. "Helen, Love, can you watch the front for a few?"

A lady, about the same age as Annie's mum, came into view with a tray containing two mugs of coffee and a pastry of some kind. "Of course."

"Follow me," she said.

Annie got to her feet and stopped when Damien didn't move. "Oi, you're coming with us. I don't trust you to behave down here."

Damien shrugged and got to his feet. Shepard hovered around him, his indescribable features seeming to make a look of confusion. Could symbiotic immortals pull off WTF? They headed behind the counter, through the kitchen and to a set of stairs. They went up, took a left and entered a small room. Nostalgia smacked Annie in the face like Thor's hammer. The room was unchanged. The IPod she'd left when she'd hurriedly escaped was still sitting on her pillow. Posters from all the metal, punk and depressing emo bands she'd listened to still hung in their places. Her PlayStation 3 had collected a lot of dust and her copy of the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion still rested next to it.

Margaret sighed, wistfully. "I tried not to mess with it, just in case you ever wanted to come home."

Annie wiped a tear from her eyes. Had her mother really spent the time since her departure simply waiting for her to come home? Was she a bad daughter? She thought so, considering she had only returned to take her away from everything she knew. A sudden surge of guilt knotted in her stomach and she felt sick.

Margaret sat down on the bed while Damien started inspecting Annie's collection of comic books. He picked one up. Superman.

"I could fuck him up, you know?" He clicked his fingers. "Like that."

Annie glared at him. "Will you just...shut up...please?"

Damien shrugged and turned back to the comics. Annie flopped down next to her mother and took a deep breath. How should she start? How does one even begin to form the sentences she needed to? Mum, God's real, Hell is real and an inter-dimensional monster that scares the almighty himself is coming to eat our planet for some reason beyond my comprehension. Yeah, not the best way to go about it. Especially since merely talking about it to her non-magicked brain had nearly killed her.

"I..."

She didn't even get two words out before Damien's head snapped towards the roof. The temperature dropped suddenly. Ice began to creep across the windows and walls, cracking and popping as it altered the world around it. Margaret wrapped her arms around herself but got up and rummaged through Annie's old wardrobe. She came out with a baggy black hoodie that said, "Fuck yourself" in big white letters.

"I don't approve of the message, but I know you loved this when you were younger."

Annie took it and put it on. It still smelled vaguely of the bubble-gum perfume she'd worn as a teenager.

Damien had moved to the window and was inspecting the ice, which Margaret only now seemed to have noticed. "What in the...?" She said.

Annie moved over to Damien as a distant memory clawed its way back into her mind. The memory of an icy field. And a woman in white.

"Damien...is...?"

"He's here," Damien replied. 'We've run out of time."

"Whose here?" Margaret inquired. "Why is the temperature dropping so fast?" Her teeth were beginning to chatter now.

Fog rolled into the room. Icy and cloying. It seemed to settle into every empty space, consuming the very senses with it presence. The world outside was going dark and a loud tearing sound split the deathly silence.

Damien appeared out of the fog. His eyes had turned a bright orange, the irises as black as coal. "Get your mother. We're leaving. The World-Eater is here."