Afterlife || irwin

[ 7 ] 2014

[ 7 ] 2014

-

"We might be brothers, but if you even so much as think of hurting Dempsey, I'll forget about our past bond. I'll forget that we grew up together."

-

When it was all over and done, James had been given him head start to continue being on the run. But James was confident that he and his team of hunters would find the original shifter wherever he may hide. They had been well trained from a very young age to locate and execute their rivals, and James thought a few more months at the most was little time to wait in order to eliminate Jack and Hazel Quimby. Michael fled with them, something that the hunters saw as the ultimate form of betrayal. Not only was he leaving behind his life as a hunter, but he was leaving behind the people he had known as his family for years. He was leaving behind his father, his sister and his friends. James could not understand Michael's reasons for leaving.

"You all have been my family for years and I love you with all my heart." He said to them in a sad voice. His head turned towards Jack and Hazel as he continued, simultaneously reaching out to grab Hazel's hand in his. "But I've found the person who will be my home, the person I want to be with. If my family cannot accept her, I have no other choice but to distance myself from you all."

The other hunters present--all of them had gathered in Australia to take down Jack and Hazel--looked on with tears in their eyes and a bit of resentment. Especially the ones who had known him the longest like James, Naileah, Elaine, Rocky, and Dieter. The two youngest ones and the latest addition to the hunters--Jooyoung and Iva--he had never really interacted with. But others like Dieter he had even spend time with in the garden. The garden was the facility where they had been trained to hunt when they were taken in by Arthur. 

As much as they wanted to fulfill their mission, Dempsey and Paul had been understanding about it. To the point where they had decided to formally back down and continue hunting, but without ever intending to hurt the originals for Michael's sake. The others could not offer him the same kind of loyalty. Michael understood them in some way as well. They wanted to remain loyal to Arthur, who had been a father to them. Arthur was the one who took them in when thy had no one. Had it not been for them, they would still probably some lonely orphans on the streets who could have succumbed to bad habits and bad lives. But thanks to him they felt like they had a purpose in their lives.

As soon as Michael had gone, the hunters and James turned to Paul and Dempsey, their demeanor a much less hostile one than the one they had demonstrated earlier. With a sheepish smile, James scratched the back of his head with one hand and extended the other one for Paul to take. "Look man, no hard feelings, okay? I was just trying to carry out the boss' wishes. You understand right."

Paul took one hesitant look at James' hand. 

The other hunter grimaced, in his mind thinking that Paul wouldn't forgive him. Paul was a bit of an enigma of a person. He was serious, but he was kind. He was prideful, but he was forgiving. He was rough, but he was also gentle. It sometimes depended on the situation, or how he was feeling that day. But Paul knew he had poked his friend right where it would most ache, in his pride. Getting forgiveness from Paul would very likely be more difficult than he thought. But James was surprised when slowly but surely, Paul started to reach for James hand. It was a movement that felt as though everything were moving in slow motion.

James was only surprised when he saw Dempsey step in between them like a flash, pushing Paul's hand out of the way.

"No Paul." She said firmly, looking every bit like a tiny little rag doll in between them. James was six feet tall, while Paul was about six foot one, and they both towered well over her. Still, she was the most intimidating person of the three, and her aura backed her up. Neither of the two boys would dare to challenge her. With her arms crossed over her chest defiantly, she spat an accusation full of venom towards James. "You pushed us down to the ground, your family, and you treated us like dirt. And only now that its all over you want to apologize like words can fix what you did? Paul is too nice and won't tell you what you deserve. But I don't care if you want to hear it or not. We're supposed to be a family. We're supposed to stick together. You went against us."