The Hunters: Paranormal many shots

The Brother: part one-Some anxieties

Annie had spent the rest of the day in her room. She fell asleep shortly after the fight with Rahal; her exhaustion getting the better of her. Her eyes flickered open and drifted towards the digital clock on her bed stand. 3:31AM. Urgh. She sat up, dangling her legs off the edge of the bed. She ran a hand through her dishevelled hair and yawned.

She had missed dinner and woken up with a ravenous appetite. She remembered there was some pizza from last night left in the fridge-unless Jared or his siblings had eaten it-and decided that was what the doctor ordered. She threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top, then headed down stairs.

The house was dark and unusually quiet. Normally at this time of night Jared or his brothers still sat around, talking about memories from their significant past, wrestling or eating large amounts of food. Now, the house stood in silence. Annie wandered down the staircase and turned the corner. The kitchen came into view and she discovered an enormous shape sitting at one of the bar stools. Panic set in; was it another creature here to try and kill either her or Jared? She wasn't prepared to take the risk.

She tiptoed down the last few stairs, doing her best to remain silent. At the bottom, she looked around for something to use as a weapon. Her eyes landed on a vase, sitting on the nearby coffee table. It was a pretty thing; vine print wrapped around its glossy surface. Shame she had to break it. She crept over, picked it up-shocked up how heavy it was-and snuck across the room. Her ankles were aching slightly from the effort of creeping, but she wasn't about to give into the pain.

She was inches from the figure; a gigantic hulk of a man, illuminated by the dim hanging light above his head. She could smell his cologne; the faint smell of pine slithered up her nostrils. She needed to make this shot count; if she fucked up, he would probably kill her. Aiming the vase at the curve in the back of his skull, she dashed forwards; swinging the vase in a powerful arc over her head and bought it down hard on his skull. It hit with tremendous force and shattered. Ceramic shards flew away, forming a glimmering cloud of fragments around the mans head. Annie jumped back as she waited for him to slump forward.

The man raised a hand to his head and scratched the top, brushing away the shards he found there. He turned his head, his eyes landing on Annie. A smile crossed his face; not a malicious one, but a genuinely happy grin, one that creased the corners of his brown eyes. He got to his feet, towering over her tiny frame and covered the distance between them with one step. He threw his arms open, and took her in them, dousing her in the scent of pine. Annie stood frozen in place, unsure whether she was shocked or happy. This man's enormous size made her feel oddly safe and something about his demeanour felt like she was being held by an older brother.

"You must be Annie," The man said, his voice vibrating in her chest. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Jared speaks fondly of you."

The man let her go and stood back, smiling down at her. He had a neatly trimmed beard and long, blonde hair. His arms were like thick trunks, but his eyes were gentle and filled with a kindness Annie had never seen before. She took a few steps back and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The man's eyes went wide and he placed a hand to his chest. "Oh, please forgive me. My name is Quinn; I'm Jared's eldest brother."

Annie eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. "You're Quinn? God damn, you're huge. Why are the others so tiny?"

Quinn let out a deep, booming laugh, a sound that seemed to rumble in Annie's ears. "It comes with the job title," He said. "I imagine you're looking for Jared?"

Annie nodded absently, still shocked by the size of this behemoth. Quinn smiled and inclined his head towards the back door. "He's outside with the duck. We make a move against our brother tomorrow and I imagine he's feeling as anxious as the rest of us."