Hunter

VI

Jade started laughing.
"Monsters? Like criminals? Are you serious? You really thought I was actually gonna believe that?! Omigod, is this like a prank show or something? I gotta say,  the way you said it was impressive." She snorted, mimicking him. " ' There are two types of beings in this world.....'. Please, give me a break."
She got up, straightening out her leg. She started walking back to the window.
Aric sprung up, grabbing her wrist. Jade swatted his hand away, glaring at him. "Fun, isn't it? Messing with the girl who just got chased by gangsters."
Aric sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Really? What gave it away?"
He sighed again. "How else would you explain what I did? If you want more proof, just tell me."
"Fine. Make something appear, oh-so-very-trustworthy-one."
He took a few steps back, stretching his hands out. His lips moved but Jade couldn't make out what he was saying.
His hand glowed and a super-sized hammer formed. Its silver surface glittered like diamonds, the leather grip fitting perfectly in Aric's hand.
Jade stared at it, shocked speechless.
This was real. This really, truly was real.
She took a few steps forward, reaching out a hand and brushing a few fingers against its surface.
The metal was dull and cold under her fingertips, and it sent shocks of energy through her.
Aric cocked an eyebrow at her. "Satisfied?"
She nodded, sitting down in front of him.
The hammer disappeared from his hand.
Jade took a breath, swallowing. "You said monsters..... What type of monsters?"
Aric shook his head. "Like actual monsters that are only supposed to exist in fairy tales. Cyclops, werewolves, goblins, you name it. We call them lusus naturae, freaks."
"And you're a......"
"A Hunter."
"So you hunt monsters?"
Aric nodded.
"And you're trained or something? Or are you a regular neighborhood Spider-Man?"
He cracked a smile, shaking his head. "Nah. There are a lot of us, and the older guys teach the younger ones. My cousin- she taught me."
"How did you even make that hammer?"
He held up his wrists, displaying the silver bands on them. "These two bad boys give me whatever I need, weapons, status updates, etc."
Jade rose an eyebrow. "Status update?"
"To see how strong the monster is. Or if," Aric winked, "There's a girl who hasn't met me yet."
Jade shuddered. "That's disgusting. You're a regular playboy, Hunter or not."
Aric shrugged. "Whatever you wanna call me."
Jade thought for a moment.
"So those gangsters that were chasing me...... Were they monsters?"
He looked away. "No. But I don't know why they were chasing you, you seem like a decent human being."
He smiled crookedly, like he had just made a good joke.
"Are the monsters...... Are they like shape shifters?"
Aric nodded. "They can appear as humans most of the time. If they want anyway. They sometimes take people's bodies, but that hasn't happened in a long time. Anyway..... They have gain energy too....so they transform at least once a month and, ah, get someone to eat."
Jade shuddered. "While I was hiding, the men said 'if the mother's got it'.... Can they have kids?"
"Like any other being." Aric rubbed his chin, fidgeting.
"The men wanted to catch me; they had already caught my mother." Angry tears built up behind her eyes.
Aric looked at her seriously, his eyes bright as full moons. "You're safe here, for now. We'll keep moving, I'm not letting them catch you. We'll find your mother, I promise."
Aric studied her carefully, his brow furrowed. He narrowed his eyes. "You're taking all of this awfully calmly."
Jade wrapped her arms around herself, thinking over what happened in the past few hours. "It just...... I don't know. You've proved it, and....." She trailed off.
Aric frowned.
"Aric, who's your cousin? The men ran like little girls when they heard about her."
"Let's just say she's a VIP."
"Then why do you live as a street kid?"
Aric shrugged. "I usually live with her, I just spend more time out in the field." He glanced outside, frowning again.
He stood up, brushing off his black jeans.
He held out a hand to Jade and pulled her up.
She winced as the cut on her thigh stung.
Aric looked at her, his frown deepening.. "Are you sure you don't want me to look at it?"
"No, no, I'm fine."
"Do you trust me?"
The question came so suddenly, it caught Jade by surprise.
She looked at him, his eyes intense and bright.
"We just met."
"Do you?"
Jade rolled her eyes. "We literally just met. Isn't it dangerous to trust someone that much?"
Aric nodded, looking away. "Do you think..... Do you have a place we could crash for the night? I don't think we should stay here for too long."
"We could go to my apartment. It's probably still empty."
He wandered around, picking up some bags. He slung them over his shoulder and turned to face Jade.
"I don't know...... Those gangsters could still be around there."
Jade thought for a moment. "Maybe. But we need somewhere to stay, right? That's our best option right now."
Aric grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. "Didn't know you were so eager, Jade. All you had to was ask."
Jade glared at him. "I am so close to punching you right now."
He held his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. Lead the way."