The Betrayal

Chapter 20 - 'Hunter, Hunted'

After meeting with Luther early in the morning at his house, he told me that his newly appointed spies had picked up new information. Where did he get these spies from and why were they helping him? I was too focused on the mission to care. Aaron and his cult were slowly closing in on our locations and Luther feared a disastrous fight soon. He said we should lie low for a little while, and not to continue with any assassinations. Because I was now living alone, I had to pay my own bills and get my own food. This meant getting money from somewhere other than completing contracts. The only way to get money now was to get a job, so that's what I was going to do next. I found simple work stocking shelves in a nearby local store to my house. This is where I would make my living right now. The boss was really nice and friendly to me as I put as much effort as possible into completing my workload. I didn't get along with many of my colleagues however, as they were lazy and slacked off all the time. The boss didn't like this so he understandably got angry at them, and even I would stay out of his way. The other members didn't like the fact I was treated with respect, and seemed very jealous. Walking home one night I was stopped by a young man dressed like all young teenagers those days. He passed me a note and then hurried off. I thought nothing of it, thinking he was a child playing a game with his friends, but he held his head down so I could not see his face and disappeared before I could question him.

I arrived home, forcing open the emblem seal on the note that I didn't recognise. I flipped it to the back first, noticing small writing. It was my name. The only people who knew my name were dead, except one. It was from Aaron! I immediately dragged out the note inside,

"TO MY LONG LOST RELATIVE" it read, in big red writing. I unfolded it and peered my eyes onto the harrowing writing,

"Gotcha."

I had no time to travel to Luther's house and show him the letter. So, I took it downstairs to analyse it for flakes of skin or DNA particles that could maybe give me clues for where to find the boy who brought me the warning, and eventually lead me to Aaron. But after running it through multiple tests, the results returned nothing. The boy was a phantom, and I needed sleep. I decided to show my master this warning in the morning. A loud banging sound woke me up prematurely however, coming from my front door. I lunged off the bed, throwing my casual t-shirt and shorts on quickly. I hesitantly put my hand around the knob of the door, peering through the hole to see who was here at this strange hour. Before I could properly see the door sprang open, smashing me square in the face, breaking my nose and launching me flying backwards down the corridor.

Two demons appeared inside, one closing the door behind him. I was too dazed from the blow to move, and one was already on me. He threw me into my drawers, on to my table, into my mirror and through my walls. Once he was finished throwing, he beat my broken body senseless, snapping my jaw and fracturing my bones. He left me, dying in a pool of my own blood in the kitchen. He joined the other in smashing my apartment, searching for my underground bunker. But I hadn't given up yet. The last power I gained from the essence of James Bronco was a freakishly good healing factor, and I finally had chance to test it. It took all my might, and it only worked on serious injuries. It wouldn't save me from death, but as the demon left me to die, it had chance to work. I clambered across the ground, sneaking in to my bedroom to activate the bunker door. I rolled down the stairs, still crippled, waiting to fully heal. My bones knitted together in minutes, and my cuts disappeared into small scars. I was finally back to full strength. I grabbed my swords and imagined the living room. I was there, but so were they. We were locked in an endless duel, dodging and striking at each other. I took them both on at the same time, locking my two swords with theirs. I waited for them to slip up and they waited for me to make a mistake. Luckily, one did. He surged the point of his blade to my chest, leaving him open. I connected my blade to his, smacking it to the side. I spun around, bringing my second blade to his neck, cutting it deep. He retreated instantly in a puff of black smoke.

This strike left me open however, and the demon wasn't going to miss his chance. His sliced across my chest deeply, catching me off guard. I had to retreat, I turned my back and fled to my lair. I turned to see if he had grabbed any of my weapons but he anticipated this, putting both hands on my throat and lifting me against the wall. I felt the oxygen escape from my lungs and the consciousness begin to leave my body. I was choking. My eyes flickered around the room, hoping to see something I could use or Luther would come to save me. I flailed my hands, smashing the glass case next to us. I grabbed the nearest glass shard which cut deep in to my hand as I squeezed to pick it up. I slammed it hard into his shoulder, but, like his comrade, he cowardly fled in another thick blast of smoke.