Aɳɠҽʅιƈ Hυɳƚɾҽʂʂ σϝ Bʅσσԃ αɳԃ Sƚҽҽʅ

Chapter 20: Dead to Rites

(Another long one, enjoy...)

Before there was the Hunt, before the loss and the bloodshed, before the Archangel of the Swift Hunt...

There was but a young woman, a high schooler by the name of Maria.

She lives out a life like any other human. Experiencing joy and sadness, pain and sickness, love and loneliness. These aspects about her are what Maria goes through every day, the same as every other ordinary person in the world.

And yet, being completely mortal hasn't stopped Maria from being anything but ordinary...

...

[Seven Years Ago]

The final bell rings out, knocking the girl back to reality. Almost like an alarm, interrupting her from daydreaming any longer.

Sucks too, Maria enjoyed watching the sunset from her window seat. That peaceful orange glow was about to make her fall asleep. The universe just loved to spite her in the worst of times.

"...And be sure to study for next week's test, that's all. Class dismissed, everyone!" Her teacher announces. "Enjoy your weekend!"

The sounds of people leaving fill her ears, but Maria doesn't even move an inch. Not when she knows she'll just be canned in the same hallways as everyone else, stuck like a pack of sardines.

Maria blows raspberry, deciding to simply wait out the afterschool rush. Her eyes go back to the window, watching other students get to the building entrance.

Conveniently, it's built on a main road. Allowing for them to get picked up at the curb, if they choose to. Others would rather walk, already very close to some shopping malls to travel by foot.

But Maria decided to just go home. She was running on only caffeine and zero hours of sleep, having to work all of last night at her crap job. It's honestly a miracle Maria made it through the entire day without crashing.

"Goddammit," Maria mutters, swishing the coffee can around only to feel it empty. "My life juice has run dry..."

Already feeling her eyelids getting heavy, Maria scans the classroom. Seeing that everyone has gone home, even her teacher. Taking that as a sign to leave, Maria exits the school.

"How long was I in there?" Maria wonders, not a person in sight. "Man, I must've really spaced out..."

With her backpack slung around her shoulder and her hands stuffed into her uniform pockets, Maria treads outside to the school front. Dragging her feet as she goes, the teenager sees only a few students now. The leftovers from the initial rush, waiting for their family to pick them.

Thank goodness she wasn't stuck in limbo like that. Her eyes go back to the curb, catching the approaching car pulling into the school, exhaling a breath of relief at seeing her ride here.

It's not a hard car to spot, knowing it's something only father would drive...

A black Chevrolet Impala, specifically one from the 67s. Its sleek black finish shining bright in the afternoon light, recently painted over just the week before. Outlined with silver from its chassis to its rims, they were freshly polished and cleaned.

It tells of how much care went into this vehicle, even as old as it is. And how could it not? This was her father's pride and joy, a vintage American muscle car. Driven even back in the day, when her parents weren't divorced and he wasn't pushing the ripe age of sixty.

The six-cylinder engine roars as it pulls into the pick-up zone, before mellowing out into a low purr. Almost like that of a cat, a very old cat. But still a lion at heart...