Demon Hunter

Chapter 33 - Meeting the Vagabond

My immediate response was to defend myself by exerting physical violence.

CRUNCH!

My fist collided with the figure's jaw and it went flying a good few feet away from me.

"OW!" It screamed.

The noise awoke Gruff.

"What's going on? Are we in the afterlife?" He whispered, his eyes wide. He looked around frantically, and then his gaze settled on the injured figure, now lying on the ground and writhing in pain.

"What is it?" He asked me.

"Let's find out," I told him. I sprinted towards the figure, with a now fully awake Gruff trailing behind me, as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Any signs of sleepiness and drowsiness that Gruff had disappeared. He was now on full alert.

As we neared the figure, I got a much better look at it.

To my relief, it wasn't the Vulture at all, nor was it a demon.

It was a man, dressed head to toe in the typical fashion sported by a hobo.

"Please, I mean no harm," he pleaded, "I was just coming to ask for money."

Oh, so he IS a hobo.

"My family, they're all sick at home, oops, I mean on the streets, and my mother, she's dying...I need money to buy them medicine. I need to save my family. I beg you...help me, please..."

"Here's an idea," Gruff said, sarcastically. "Why the hell don't you get a job like a normal person?"

"Gruff!" I scolded him. "That's rude. In this day and age, finding a job in this economy is a rarity."

The poor man shook his head, his face crestfallen. Then he started wiping non-existent tears from his eyes.

"So sorry you had to see me use my fingers to wipe my misery away. I'd rather use fucking tissue but I can't even afford that."

"You could literally just walk into a public bathroom and take tissue," Gruff snapped.

"Gruff! Stop mocking the poor fellow!"

"No, it's OK, he's got a point. He's a smart man."

"You don't need to be smart to know that," Gruff mumbled under his breath, too low for the hobo to hear.

"Anyways..." the hobo continued, "so now that you've listened to my sob story...help a brother out and spare some change? Oops...I meant spare lots of change. In fact, if you can give me...say, something like your car...I'd feel much better. I'd also have a roof over my head. A place to sleep comfortably."

The phone started ringing.

I whipped my head around.

"Yeah, hello police," Gruff said, in an uncaring tone.

"Gruff!" I shouted and tackled him to the floor. The phone flew from his hand and landed right at the hobo's feet.

He bent down to pick it up.

"Umm..."

"Is there a problem, sir?"

"No problem, officers. My butt just dialed the wrong number."

"UGH, make sure it never happens again. Moron. Otherwise we'll arrest you and put you in a prison suit. One with no pockets by the way."

After the line disconnected, the hobo held the phone in his hand for a good few seconds. He stared at it, his expression changing. He was now looking at it, with admiration and a desire to do something to it.