Hunt

Chapter 4: Tag Team

The rest of the short drive back home was silent. I could tell Julie wanted to talk more. I could see questions swimming around behind her eyes, but she kept them to herself for the time being. As we pull up into the driveway I pull my phone out, finally finishing putting Reyna's number in as Julie hops out of the car. I quickly shoot a text off:

"Hey Reyna, it's Kyle. How does Friday after school sound? Would that work for you?"

I hit send and pocket my phone, following my sister inside. I set my backpack down in my room right as I feel the buzz of a text in my pocket. Expecting Reyna to have replied I was  disappointed to see a different number light up my Lock Screen.

"Kyle, about my little issue. I'm not quite done with it yet. I've been meaning to clean this mess up but I could really use your assistance tonight if you're available. The two of us could easily put this to rest."

I chuckle to myself, "Damnit Nick. You've had this job for how many weeks? And only now you are wanting my help? On a school night nonetheless."

I send a quick reply. "Fine. I'll help. But you owe me for the short notice."

Setting my phone down, I flop back onto my bed. I didn't have any homework that I could think of and my feet were sore. I knew Nick would want to get out there a little before dark, so I still had a couple hours to kill before meeting up.

Laying back on my bed I can't help but reminisce about what lead me to this point. All the events that led me down the rabbit hole of hunting monsters. It's weird enough to meet a teacher outside of school, even more so to slay monsters with one. After my encounter with Heather that night that nearly killed me I kept having the same nightmare over and over; That Julie or anyone else, could experience the same fate I did. Or suffer a worse fate. So I dove headfirst down that twisting and dangerous path, taking what little knowledge I had to anyone I could find who could help. Initially that was Nick, who I had found by pure chance. But once I had whittled down his patience enough he dumped me on a man by the name of Paul Richardson. He was pitched as a so called master of the 'trade.' I was warned at the time that Paul is a little unhinged, but I quickly learned that firsthand when a shotgun was leveled at my head. After we cleared up that little misunderstanding it was relatively smooth sailing. Well... smooth probably isn't the right word.

I think back to having spent my winter vacation feigning working a full time job for studying with Paul. I spent all day going over everything that went bump in the night. Compiling comprehensive records from vampires to wraiths, a complete cram course of the supernatural. Years, possibly decades, worth of knowledge and information was slammed down into my brain in only a couple short weeks time. According to Paul I excelled at it. But considering how much knowledge was thrown at me I'm still surprised any of it stuck. I guess fear is a really good motivator.

Now it's been well over a year since my first introduction into this darker side of the world. I've learned the book backwards and forwards, but my relative lack of practical experience makes being taken seriously a difficulty. Paul's been reluctant to give me my own jobs, so I've had to rely on Nick or the other hunters in the area for my little bits of field experience. I feel like I can handle anything that's thrown my way, but I know deep down that I'm still a rookie, and overconfidence is a cruel killer. That's an ever constant reminder in the back of my head.

As the time for Nick to pick me up rapidly approached I had enough time to brush over my information on ghoul behavior, the creature Nick had been tracking for a good while now. It had been quite some time since I've had to deal with their kind, so a refresher is always a good idea. Especially if I want to make a good impression.

"Often reclusive and solitary, ghouls are a humanoid creature that wear a person's skin to blend into society. Feasting off human flesh..." Blah blah blah, that's the same for many of the creatures on the list. I scour over my notes, most of which I still have memorized at this point. Flipping through the pages a loose photo slides out from further in the notebook, originating from somewhere near the 'L' section of my alphabetized journal.