Of Monsters and Demons

Jack's Burger Shack was a pitiful little fast food place on the corner of Eighth and Summer Street. It had been there for years, aging right along with the owner, who was ready to kick the bucket anyways. For Jessica Morgan, this was just the everyday hang out while she researched certain cases. She'd managed to remain around her hometown in Erebor, Washington. The energies there always kept her in business, the town having been named after one in a book. Plenty of ghosts and demons to deal with. Despite being only 23, Jessica's job was becoming rather dull. That was until someone new came to town.

A rather loud, lifted, dark blue truck shook the Burger Shack as it pulled in. A lady Jessica's age jumped (quite literally) out of the truck and entered the restaurant.

"Ma'am, you wouldn't happen to know about the couple of new graves put in at the-" The girl stopped talking when she noticed that nearly everyone was looking at her. After all, these people weren't to fond of newcomers that might cause trouble in there small town. The girl smirked and waved at the people still staring, and turned to the waitress to whom she spoke to a second ago. "I'll just have a coffee, thanks." She walks over to one of the barstools, watching several pairs of eyes following her across the room from her peripherals.

She sat a stool down from Jessica, and paid for her coffee that she probably wouldn't drink. Jessica moved into the seat next to the stranger, causing her to jump.

"Graveyards, you say?" Jessica asked quietly.

The girl laughed. "I'm not crazy. It's just part of a- my job. Census stuff." The lies came easier with experience.

"Its not Census year," Jessica said with a smile.

"Getting a head start, anything wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all. I'm Jessica. My friends call me Jess."

"Taylor. Taylor Pe-trichor. Yeah. Petrichor."

Jess laughed. "You don't have to lie-"

The waitress hands Taylor another cup of coffee, despite her only getting halfway through the first cup. Taylor knocks over a salt shaker when reaching for the cup. She's silently proud of herself.

"I don't believe it!" Jess says, her blue eyes shining. "You're a hunter, aren't you?"

"I knocked over a salt shaker, and you think I hunt deer now?"

"You haven't cleaned it up yet," Jess responded. "You want me to. But look," she said, dusting the salt into her hand. "Could a demon do this?"

"Demons? What the hell are you talking about, demons ain't real." Taylor wouldn't make eye contact with the local girl.

"You've got a knife strapped to your belt, you salt tested me, that key necklace is likely a protection charm, and there's a vial of holy water in your pocket."

Taylor was shocked. "I- uh- stop getting in my personal business, okay?!"

Jessica smiled to herself. Taylor wasn't in the mood to carry the argument further. "You're the one digging up graves?"

"Gotta kill a ghost some kind of way, right?" Jess laughed.

"They like you here. This where you from?"

"Yeah, all twenty three years of my life."

"Ever did any jobs outside the town?"

"Nope. Just a few cases here and there on my own time."

"Work alone?"

"Only hunter for fifty miles 'round, or so I thought."

"It's been years since I had help on a hunt. Would you like to come with me?" Taylor had no idea why she trusted this girl so much.

"You mean help you? Like run away to fight monsters with you?"

"Why not?"