Grim Echoes

Chapter 8 - Will

Movement out of the corner of Will's eye drew his attention to a tall tree with three looming figures. Something felt off about them. His uncanny sense that shit was about to hit the fan poked him. More movement. The air, thick with humidity, had a small breeze that carried a familiar scent to his nostrils. Cloves and fresh leaves. His eyes flicked away from the stalking figures to a female with long, dark hair. Her body movements tickled his memory and dick. Wasn't there to deal with whatever was about to go down. He'd been there to track the wolf, but couldn't leave a woman to be raped and murdered. Wouldn't take long. Besides, he didn't sense or smell the fleabag. Will texted his cousin the location and moved.

She must have realized they were about to grab her because she fumbled with her keys just before she got to a car but dropped them. However, unlike most normals instead of trying to pick them up, she ran toward the nearest lit up building. The figures moved fast, too fast for humans.

A toothy smile formed on Will's lips. He loved an impromptu monster beat down. Too quick for her. They got ahead, which let him see their unusually bright eyes and confirmed them as monsters. Like most normals, once they were in front of her, she spun to run in the other direction.

Will inhaled sharply. It was her. How in the nine fucks was it possible? The creatures surrounded her; wanted to play with their prey. Will recognized they were demons. Part of the reason they were easy to destroy was because they always fucked around. He pulled his silver bearded hand axe.

The demons closed in and circled her. She pressed her fists to the sides of her head, closed her eyes, and screamed. All three demons fell to the ground. The fuck? Will sensed Ander beside him but didn't look at him, Ander understood what he expected.

Confused by what happened, but Will didn't pause. Hesitation killed someone or let the monster escape. With the demon prone on the ground, taking its head was simple. The satisfying thunk into its neck silenced any screams it would've had. Will'd trained to take most monsters' heads in one blow with his axe. Decapitation wasn't easy, it required precision and strength; he had both.

"No!" the female's voice carried to his ears.

He spun and found another demon poised to attack. Prick must've been pissed because its claws showed. It didn't bother trying to appear human anymore. Will raised his arm to block, but was thrown back and down from an unseen force. The expression on the demon's face proved its surprise by whatever just happened. They tumbled to the ground, but instinctively Will had tucked and recovered quicker. He pulled his gun as he rolled into a crouch and fired three rounds into the demon.

Although both he and Ander both had suppressors for their weapons, it only reduced noise from gun shots. With his acute hearing, it always stung when he fired. The demon recoiled from the impact of the bullets. Its claws grasped at its chest. Will stood. The hydrostatic bullets would do extra damage when they exited the body, but it was unpredictable, and he never knew where the pressure waves would cause an exit wound or what internal damage would happen. Will heard three more shots from Ander's handgun.

"Lucky for you, soldier, we weren't here for you," the demon hissed in the bizarre singsong with multiple voices Will hated.

Unless a demon was summoned, any they ran into were multiple demons jammed into one body. When demons escaped hell, they had little choice but to travel together. They were incorporeal, that's what Ander called it. Without a body, they were as weak as a shade that'd just passed. If they stayed together, they stood a better chance of possessing and controlling humans.

"Yeah, lucky for you fucktard." Will put three rounds in its skull. The body slumped to the pavement. "If you'd been here for me, you wouldn't just be going home." He hadn't destroyed the demons, but under current circumstances, didn't have time for any rituals or spells. This had been for entertainment. The demons that possessed the meat sack would bleed out and go back to hell, at least till they tried to break out again.

Will moved his eyes to Ander, who gawked at the female. Her eyes latched on Ander before they rolled up into her skull. Fuck. Ander tried to reach her before she passed out, but only kept her head from smacking the asphalt. He scanned the area and grabbed his hand axe before he nodded to Ander and went toward the SUV. From his peripheral, Ander picked up the female.