They proceeded to the nearest church to get their knives blessed by a priest and then to the health food store to pick up the ingredients for the concoctions, and during the entire trip, the feeling of being watched never left her once. She tried to ignore it, to push it to the back of her mind, but the hairs on the back of her neck would not flatten and her mind kept screaming at her to seek out the threat.
When they returned to the motel room with all the ingredients, they get to work concocting the mixture that will stun the Lamia long enough for them to burn it if a direct approach doesn't work. They had agreed to perform the incantation and hunt it down that night, not wanting another woman to fall victim to the demon.
While Dean is taking bathroom break, she takes the chance to pop out and get a breath of fresh air. Before she leaves, she makes sure to stuff her knife into the side of her boot and her gun into the back of her pants, hiding the bulge with her jacket. With a hastily scribbled note for Dean, she closes the door behind her and makes her way down the street.
It is a short walk to the convenience store and only a handful of cars pass by her, which is normal at this time due to most having already gone home after work. The sun has started to set and paints the sky in vibrant reds and oranges, the clouds alight in the fading sun.
She reaches the store after a few minutes and pushes the door open, listening to the ding of the bell above the door as she enters. The woman working the counter greets her with a kind smile when she walks in and she returns it in earnest before making her way towards the aisle with the chocolate bars and sweets.
Scanning the shelves, she finds what she came here for within seconds.
She grabs three packets of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups off the shelf and holds them gently in her hand as she walks towards the beverage section, pulling a mineral water out of the fridge. As she is making her way up to the till, she does another sweep of the candy aisle to snatch up a bag of sour gummy worms for Dean.
She pays for the items, taking the change and plastic bag offered to her, and waves farewell to the cashier as she exits the store. Rounding the corner back to the motel, she only gets a few steps down the sidewalk before an odd sensation creeps up her spine, crawling its way over her neck and settling in her hairline.
She sees no one when she takes a cautious look over her shoulder, but she remains on high alert nonetheless, senses heightening as instincts kick in. She forces one foot in front of the other, continuing on her path back to the motel, and resists the urge to break out into a full blown run. If she does that, she knows she'll alert whomever is following her – if there even is someone – and they will probably attack her to stop her from escaping.
Better to just play naïve and hope for the best.
She strolls past a darkened alley, the evening sun barely reaching two feet down the narrow space, when a quite whistle echoes from deep within the cramped walkway. Peering into the shadowy depths, she tries to make out any movements, but all she sees are dumpsters and other forms of junk littered on the ground.
Shaking her head, she pushes herself to resume walking, but finds she is unable to move – the same adrenaline that normally drives her to fight now roots her feet to the ground. She whips around at a sound behind her and comes face to face with a raven-haired young woman.
"Who are you?" she hisses and steps backwards in an attempt to gain some distance, her legs cooperating now, but the woman replicates her movements with predatory grace.
"No one really, just someone who likes to eat." She shrugs while staring at Laine with a deadly gleam in her slanted hazel eyes.
Snaking her right hand behind her, she grasps at her gun hidden there, but before she can pull the weapon free, she is shoved into the alleyway. Hands claw at her shoulders to restrain her against the brick wall, and she can feel bruises forming already.
YOU ARE READING
Born of Chaos and Grace
FantasyDeath and destruction are nothing short of common for Laine Fraser, and if there's one thing she knows, it's that demon hunting runs in her blood. She was raised as a Guardian and forged into the perfect weapon with a sole purpose in mind -- extermi...
