The Demon's Gift

Untitled Part 10

Part Two

 The week passed quickly, to my surprise. Colton waited to put me on any missions while I focused on rebuilding my strength. In the meantime, he kept looking into the demons being hunted by the outsider. Looked through security footage, and found where the cloaked figure lived. A nice house on the east side. Colton suspected that it was a demon taking over someone who had traded their soul for riches. It was my job to find out.

I couldn't drive, but Colton dropped me off a few blocks away. It was still early, not quite dark yet. I found a tree across the street to perch in, watching. Waiting. The creature was almost certain to come out tonight for another hunt, and I'd follow it.

Except, it didn't. Hours passed, the sky turning pitch black with only a few stars peeking through. Lights in the house were on, in the living room and what seemed to be the bedroom, which opened up to a wide balcony. I was surprised when the shadow moved from what I figured was the couch, turning out the living room light and moving over to the bedroom, and then out to the balcony.

I couldn't miss my chance. I slithered down the side of the tree, running forward once I hit the ground. She, or so I thought, didn't seem to see me. There was a perfectly placed oak tree beside the balcony, and I went to it, starting to climb. I stopped when I was beside the balcony, perfectly within view. She still didn't see me. She stood there, her half tied up brown curls cascading in a wave over and behind her shoulders. Her sweater covered up most of her brown skin, hanging on her elbows and wrapping over the rest of her arms, which were crossed over her chest as she stared out to the city lights beyond.

"Hello," I greeted. She jumped, turning to me abruptly, eyes narrowing as if debating whether or not to kill me then and there. Demons had a certain look in their eyes, something I could pick out even if they were pretending to still be human. I found no trace of it in hers.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, taking a step back. I shrugged.

"Auden. And you are?"

"Calling the cops," she said, and before I knew it I was dragged out of the tree and shoved up against the balcony railing. She never moved.

"How the hell-" I gasped out, panting as I continued to be pressed against the fence. She pulled out her phone. "Shit, no no no, I can explain, I swear." She didn't react to my words. She started dialing. "Look, I'm a hunter! I hunt demons too, okay?"

That stopped her. She pulled the phone away from her ear slightly, even though I heard someone pick up on the other end. After examining me a second, she pulled it down all the way, ending the call. I felt the pressure keeping me in place lift, allowing me to move a bit and slowly stand up, grunting.

"Let's try this again," I muttered, wiping myself off and then holding out my hand. "I'm Auden."

"And I still don't trust you," she replied, her eyebrows lifting as her eyes shifted between me and my hand. I put it down after a minute.

"Alright, that's fair." This was not what I had been trained for. I had been trained for tied down interrogations with forceful tactics to get answers. Trying to get answers out of innocent pretty girls was the last thing I was qualified for. "We have to start somewhere, though. Can I get a name?"

She was hesitant. "Nualily. Why are you here?"

"We knew you were hunting demons, and that you had... abilities. It intrigued us, to say the least."

"We?" Her arms crossed. She started to circle me, slowly.

"I'm part of a group of hunters. Most hunters work in teams. We cover the whole city, there are groups nearby that cover the outskirts."