Linger

Echo

The truck rattles over the uneven road, jarring Echo's coffee, "Dammit!" He curses as he shoves his fingers into his mouth, too focused on his mild burn to notice the sheep slowly making their way across the road.

A loud bark turns his attention to the road, he yelps and slams his foot down on the break, throwing a scalding wave of coffee onto his leg.

He jerks in his seat and yanks at his seat belt, he fumbles with the door handle behind him and falls ungraciously onto the dirt road, landing quite painfully on his butt.

"You ok there boy?" Echo lifts his head up, squinting against the blazing afternoon sun, an older man peers down at him with a look of amusement and curiosity.

"Yeah I'm fine," the old man holds out a rough hand and Echo takes it, "City boy huh?" He dusts off his jeans and looks at the man with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," he answers slowly making the man grin, despite his older appearance the man's teeth are strong and white.

"Looking for something huh? A girl perhaps?" Echo snorts softly and nods, "You could say that, I'm looking for the Dismore household," he reaches inside his jacket and pulls a newspaper clipping from a hidden pocket.

The man takes it from his hand and nods grimly, the color seemed to have been leached from his face, "Ah yes, tragic isn't it? Well you're heading down the right road, just keep heading straight then you'll come to a intersection, you'll wanna turn right," the man passes back the clipping, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his overalls.

"Thanks," Echo nods, tucking the clipping back into his jacket, he studies the man a moment.

"You've heard a lot about this place haven't you?" He asks evenly, leaning back slightly on the heels of his feet, the man nods slowly.

"I used to be their neighbor....but things started getting a bit...weird after the girl's parents died in a car crash," a tired sigh escapes his lips, "That girl, she'd be about seventeen, eighteen maybe, tiny thing, she barely eats and rarely sees the sun," he scratches at a bit of stubble on his chin.

"Doesn't anyone know what's wrong with her? Maybe she's sick," Echo suggests lightly, he's done this a million times before, most people agree to his sick notion, but some people know that it's not some old illness and that's when Echo knows he's on the trail of a monster.

"No, she ain't sick," something glints in the old man's eyes and he suddenly looks twice his age, "Ain't sick at all," he mumbles softly, eyeing the young man before him with a new interest.

"Why you asking?" The man's eyes light up , "You're that boy....the one who hunts creatures right?" He asks stepping forward, hope flaring within his voice.

"Yes sir, but they're not creatures," he smiles, "Thanks for the help, I'll be on my way, don't want to show up when it's dark," Echo climbs up into the cab of his truck, waving at the man before driving away.

---------

The house is fairly new and it's fresh coat of eggshell white glistens like snow under the afternoon sun.

A tire swing hangs from a blooming apple tree and lounging in the shade is a big old dog, a herding dog.

Echo slams the door to his truck closed, watching as the dog lifts his head and eyes him quietly, he can see the canine's wet nose twitching.

"Hey boy," the young man leans down to the dog's eye level and holds out a hand, the dog is up and bounding towards him, excited for some attention.

"Oh you must be Mr. Fairview," A woman had walked around the side of the house carrying a basket filled with corn, she gives Echo a motherly smile as he straightens up and wipes any dirt on his hands onto his jeans.

"Yes ma'm, you can call me Echo," he holds out his hand and is relieved to see that it wasn't that dirty, he is a little shocked to see that the woman's hand is caked in dried mud, "I'm Amy, oh sorry, forgot I had been picking," the woman laughs lightly as she pulls her hand away leaving a dust of mud on his palm.

"Oh it's fine...but isn't it a bit early to be harvesting corn?" Echo questions to which Amy's smile wavers, "Lots of odd things go on around here both good and bad, and if you're as good as every says then I'm sure more good things will be happening soon and the bad will end," she nods at the front door which is left ajar.

"Please come on in," she leads the way up the front steps and holds the door back as he passes, the dog trots in after him, "Ivory is sleeping, she's been a bit sick with a cold lately and I rarely see her now," Amy sets the basket onto a table and gestures for Echo to follow.

"You don't try to get her to come down?" Echo questions as he leans against the door way leading to the kitchen, Amy goes to the sink and begins to scrub the dirt from her skin.

"No, I don't try to get her to do much, I'm afraid of her temper..." The young man tilts his head slightly, hearing the hint of something else she wasn't saying hidden in her voice, 'I'm afraid of IT'

"Amy you didn't tell me we were having company," a large man walks into the kitchen from the back door, grinning ear to ear as he shakes hand with Echo.

"Oh I forgot, Mr. Fairview this is my husband Ethan," the large man's face lights up and he runs a hand through thining blonde hair, "Sorry I'm not cleaned up, I was working on a neighbor's car," the man apologizes.

"It's your home, I'm just here to see about the problem with your...charge," Echo scratches as his chin, feeling a bit more nervous now that he was here.

The house itself felt safe and comforting like any old house, but there was a presence here, a looming dark figure that made the air taste sour and the hairs along his arms prickle.

He glances at the dog who's flattened himself onto the floor beneath the table, his ears perked up despite his resting position, the dog knows it's here too.

A floor board creaks softly and Echo feels warmth shoot up his spine, "Who's this?" He whirls around caught off guard, he can feel the heavy weight of his gun hidden beneath his jacket pressing against his flesh hotly.

He stares into a pair of bright blue eyes cloudy with curiosity, Ivory's hair sweeps down her back in a thick golden curtain, her bangs sweep across her forehad and hide part of her right eye. She's a bit small but it's easy to tell she's not young, the tank top and shorts she's in helps show proof of her maturing body.

Echo suddenly feels self conscious in his plain leather jacket, red shirt and simple black jeans, he runs a hand through his messy dark locks and smile sheepishly as her eyes flicker over his figure.

"Oh sorry Ivory did we wake you?" The girl shakes her head but doesn't move her gaze off him, it's a bit unsettling, like a cat who stares at something you can't see but you know something's there.

"No I got hungry and I heard a voice I didn't know, you're Echo? Strange name," Amy gasps softly behind him and she comes around to give Ivory a stern look, "Ivory is a strange name too," the girl tightens her jaw and crosses her arms.

"You kill demons?" She asks suddenly and the room goes quiet, the dog had moved, he stands at the door trembling, keeping his gaze locked on her, Echo gives a short nod in response and something flickers within the depths of her blue orbs, hope.

"Lots of people claim to kill demons, but you can't actually kill them can you?" Echo releases a long breath, "I can only send them back," he answers.

"Ivory you shouldn't just bombard him with questions he just got here," Amy chides to which the girl's gaze flickers to the woman, she goes quiet, "He's here to get rid of her, I want to know that he can do it,"

"Her?" Ivory's attention returns to him, "Yes, my other self....the demon who lingers over me," her head cocks to the side and her eyes shimmer like water, "You have one too,"

Echo feels the heat again in his back, and he can hear Ethan mutter something to Amy.

"Yes, I have a demon too,"