Hunters and Monsters

1- Hunting

1075 words

Edited 4/20/22

Present day.

Roman and Patton were two very strange young men. Traveling together since they were eighteen, they've been to every state in the country at least twice. Most people have no idea who the two are, but if someone ever did recognize them, there were four reactions that were the most common. Gushing fans, respecting peers, terror and running away, or range and attack-on-sight violence. Most often, it was the last two that the pair experienced the most. Which was problematic.

Roman Prince's face was very popular in the hunter world. He was one of the best hunters in America, having killed everything from unicorns (they're actually evil, turns out) to vampires, to shape shifters and ink demons. 

Patton was Roman's friend, ally, and backup in a fight. He'd been training well under Roman's guidance for the last ten years, ever since that day where he explained everything about his real life to his boisterous friend. 

Currently, they were traveling through the swampy lands of the Florida back country. It was some time around nine pm, the sun almost finishing it's decent on the horizon. They were hunting a ghost and her shape shifting buddy tonight. Hunting had been rather quiet the last few months, which only succeeded in putting the two men more on edge. In their line of work, silence was just the calm before the storm.

It didn't help that there was a full moon in a few days, either.

As Roman crept towards the ghost's voice, he made sure to stay low and downwind of the pair of unnaturals. Shape shifters tended to have good noses for humans, though they don't feast on human flesh like most unnaturals would.

"I know that, George! I'm dead, not an idiot!" The ghost's voice rang out. "I know how to hide from hunters. That one back there was more sneaky than most, give me a break. I'm rusty."

Roman froze in his tracks. Did the ghost know they were they were there? But that was impossible!

"Yes, he truly was a little more... persistent than most. And his friend with the orange hat was a slick one, I'll admit." The raspy voice of the shifter observed. 

Roman silently sighed in relief. Patton most definitely did not wear a bright orange hat on a hunting trip. But that also meant there was more than one hunting group in the area, going after this pair. Interesting...

Roman could see the unnaturals through the tall grass now. The shifter was in dog form, pacing around as the ghost drifted calmly through the grass, its feet not rustling the green plants.

The ghost was of a girl, maybe sixteen years old. Her hair was long and dark, her white dress resembled a nightgown. Probably murdered in her sleep, or died of some sickness. Recently too, for her form to be in such clear detail and definition.

Roman locked eyes with Patton, who was on the other side of the ghost and its friend. Patton nodded, grabbed his knife from it's sheath, and disappeared back onto the foliage. Patton was surprisingly stealthy, with a small build and light steps, and would sometimes even catch Roman off guard when he walked up behind him. 

"Do you think they'll show up?" The ghost whispered to the dog. The dog shrugged and responded.

"Vampires are tricky beings, but these two are even more so than most. I heard the tales of these two specific fanged men. If they do show up, remember to watch your tongue, little girl. And watch out for the shorter one, I hear he's rather touchy."

It unnerved Roman to hear English coming from the mouth of a dog. He always hated shifters, they were just a little too... unnatural for him. And they fought back more than most beasts. But oh, what a turn of events. These two were meeting with vampires? 

"Why are we doing this again. George?" The ghost asked. 

"What, getting cold feet? You know these two are your only hope in crossing over. Don't tell me you're scared to get your happy ending."

Roman hesitated again. The ghost was trying to leave? It was probably stuck here, tethered by something. So it was more of a shade than a ghost. But how could a pair of vampires help unteather a shade?

"I can help you," A voice offered. It wasn't Patton, but sounded human. The other hunters were here.

The ghost whirred around, and the shifter yelped, turning mostly human in its surprise. 

"Sorry, I startled you." The voice said with a small chuckle.

"Where are you? Come out now," The ghost demanded. A head rose form the grass. Another popped up behind him. The second had an orange hat, like the unnaturals mentioned. 

The first man held up his hands, revealing a dagger in his hand. Beanie man didn't move to such casualties. 

"My name is Thomas, and that's Joan." The first man said gently. "I can help you cross over."

The shifter snarled, stepping in between of the ghost and the hunter.  "You lie. Leave her alone, Hunter."

Thomas sighed, dropping his dagger and making everyone but his friend jump. He then lowered his hands slowly. "I'm guessing you were assigned to protect this soul, am I correct?"

The shifter blinked. "How did you-"

"A lot of Protectors travel through this area. But there's one problem; I live around here, and your people respect ownership of lands, right? This would be considered our territory. Now, let me help your friend so you can get out of my state in peace." Thomas demanded.

The shifter hesitated, and Thomas continued.

"It's George, right? Listen, I'm not going to hurt that girl. I promise."

"Maybe you won't, but what about the other two lurking in the shadows?" The shifter retorted, his hands closing into fists. Thomas frowned, which Roman only barely made it out in the dimming light.

"Other hunters?" Thomas asked. "Alright, if there's someone else here, you can come out. I've got this handled." He called out, louder than before.

Roman didn't move at first, but he saw Patton slowly rise up from his place across from him. Sighing, Roman did the same. They were already in too deep to attack or sneak away, so his hands were tied.

Hi, Da Writer here. I'm kind of stuck on which ships I will use for this story, and you comment your favorite ones for me? All ships are welcome, but that doesn't mean I'll use them! Sorry if yours aren't the ones I use.

Peace <3

-Da Writer