by Avril Sabine
“To regroup and plan our next step.”
Alyssa, startled by his answer, met his eyes. She found it hard to believe he was her age. He seemed far older. Even his eyes looked like they should belong to a man a good ten to fifteen years older. She wondered what experiences had given him that look. “But… didn’t… the demon-” A shudder coursed through her and she couldn’t continue.
Alex held out the hand that had been holding the car door. “Come inside. You don’t have to see any of my family. There’s a lounge room just off the entrance hall. You can be alone in there.”
Alyssa looked at his hand warily. “How many will be inside?”
“I don’t know. It varies. Usually no more than twenty. But we’ve been known to have three times that many here during large operations. And celebrations.”
Alyssa hesitantly took Alex’s hand and let him draw her out of the car. She was relieved he let her hand go the moment she was out. She adjusted her handbag strap so it lay more comfortably across her chest and shoulder. She was amazed she still had it. Alex took a step away from her. She was glad it was Alex who’d stayed outside with her. He might be more intense than the other two, but she felt safer and relaxed with him. His serious expression made her think he was someone who could be counted on in a crisis. She guessed they all could be, after all, what could be worse than facing demons?
Alex gestured towards the front door. “The lounge room?”
Alyssa nodded. She guessed she had to do something. It wasn’t like she could stand by the car all day. As soon as she nodded, Alex walked to the front door and held it open for her. When she was inside, he opened a door on the right of the entrance hall. She glanced around. There were two closed doors on her left and a door straight ahead. On either side of the front door were racks hung with coats and hats and wooden boxes with a jumble of shoes.
“Allie? Did you want to go somewhere else instead?”
Alyssa quickly shook her head and crossed the off-white tiles to enter the lounge room. A pale brown lounge suite was scattered in the middle of the room with a rustic coffee table and a couple of large footstools. Pictures of what Alyssa guessed were family members hung in groups on the walls and there was a long display cabinet filled with ornaments along one wall. Opposite the door the wall was taken up by floor to ceiling bookcases with glass doors. To her right a large window spilled light into the room.
“Have a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”
Alyssa worried at her lower lip with her teeth. “I can’t. I’ll make a mess of them. I need to wash.”
“They can be cleaned. But if it bothers you, there are throw rugs in the footstools.”
Alyssa felt like asking Alex how dense he was. Her cheeks coloured at the thought of having to ask him to use the toilet. And the blood. She had to get rid of the blood. She continued to worry at her bottom lip.
“The door across from this one in the entrance hall is a bathroom. If you want to have a wash, I’ll organise a change of clothes for you. There’s a bathrobe behind the door you can use and towels in the cupboard just inside the door.”
“Thanks.” Alyssa stepped back into the entrance hall. She was in the bathroom in seconds, the door closed and locked. The off-white and cream colour scheme was in the bathroom too, but they had also added a few touches of gold. When Alyssa saw the bathtub, her eyes watered and she slid to the floor. She rested her head against the door, eyes closed as she desperately tried to hold on a little longer. The pressure of her bladder soon had her rising to her feet to use the toilet.
While she was on her feet, she started to run a bath, grabbed a towel from the cupboard and ditched her handbag, clothes and bandaids in a pile on the floor. She quickly hopped in and closed her eyes, sinking beneath the water. When she came up, she gasped at the colour of the water. She frantically searched for the plug. Her hands trembled so badly she could barely pull it. She watched as the discoloured water slowly drained away. Sitting in the tub as the water continued to run she could only shiver uncontrollably as silent tears ran down her face. She tried to force herself to move, but the sight of the blood coloured water had been too much. She rocked back and forth and tried desperately not to have a complete break down.
A sharp knock on the bathroom door caused fear to rush through her. She turned her head, her eyes glued to the door. She couldn’t move. You’re safe, you idiot. But her limbs remained frozen. Her body didn’t believe her.
“Allie?” When she didn’t answer, Alex asked, “You want me to get Scarlett?”
“No!” The word exploded from her.
“I’ve put clothes in the room next door to the bathroom for you. I’ll be in the lounge room when you’re finished.”
“Okay.” She waited. She strained her ears for the sound of footsteps, but heard none. Surely he wasn’t still out there. She rose shakily to her feet and turned on the shower. She kept sending glances towards the door.
As soon as no more blood showed in the water around her feet, Alyssa turned off the taps and climbed out of the tub. She dried herself, wrapped her hair with the towel and pulled on the bathrobe. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. Her fingers hesitantly touched the bruise from where the demon had struck her. She swallowed hard and looked away, her eyes falling on the closed door. She took one step towards it and froze. Annoyance rushed through her.
You never used to jump at shadows, she reminded herself. That was before I knew they could jump out at me. Well it’s daylight now. The sun obviously scares away shadows. Only the mythical ones. Are you going to let them turn you into a cowering mess? What happened to the girl who was going to haunt Nathan? Are you a little rabbit?
Alyssa groaned and closed her eyes. “Now I’m arguing with myself.” She shook her head and then had to steady the towel she nearly dislodged. “One step at a time.” She picked her boots up off the floor, grabbed her handbag and forced herself to open the bathroom door. The entrance hall was empty. She scurried to the door beside the bathroom and flung it open.
A bedroom with the same colour scheme met her eyes. The only colours other than cream was a pale copper bedspread on the queen-sized bed and the warm tones of the two timber bedside cabinets and the duchess that stood against the wall near the door. As soon as she’d closed and locked the bedroom door, Alyssa picked up the clothes on the bed. Black jeans, black t-shirt, underwear and socks.
As she dressed, she wondered who the clothes belonged to. Scarlett was slightly slimmer and a little taller than her so these clothes couldn’t be hers. Unless they were ones she used to fit. Then she recalled the other sixty or more people that frequented the house. She shrugged. The clothes could belong to anyone. She was just glad she didn’t have to wear her bloodstained ones. But then if these clothes belong to someone else, it brought to mind another question. She quickly towel dried her hair and then returned the towel to the bathroom, ignoring the mess she couldn’t face. She paused by the two boxes of shoes at the front door and reluctantly left her boots leaned up against one of them. As she slung the strap of her bag over her head and put one arm through it she stepped into the lounge room.
“Why do you all wear black?”
Alex rose to his feet and placed the hardcover book he was reading face down on the coffee table. “You’re looking a lot better. How do you feel?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll get you new bandaids.”
Alyssa shook her head. “The cuts have stopped bleeding.”
“Come and sit down and I’ll find you something to eat.”
Alyssa stepped further into the room. “Why do you all wear black clothes?”
Alex stared at her quietly for a moment. “They’re less likely to show up bloodstains.”
“Oh.” Alex stepped forward to take her arm, but she pulled away. “I’m not an invalid.”
“I know.”
She strode to an armchair and sat on the edge of it as she glanced at the book on the coffee table. She froze, her breath dr
awn in sharply when she saw the picture of the demon on the cover. Alex reached for the book. Her hand landed on it first as she tried to tell herself it was only a picture. Not the real thing. She was safe. Her eyes rose to meet his quiet ones.
He stared at her for a moment before he stepped back. “No need to save my place, I’ve read it many times.” He paused. “I’ll get you something to eat.” He left the room before Alyssa could speak.
She picked up the book and closed it to stare at the front cover. ‘Demonology’ by Patrick Hunter. She turned a couple of pages and the inscription caught her eye. “So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will fight without danger in battles- Sun Tzu sixth century BC.” She ran her fingers over the words, ‘know your enemies’.
She closed the book and stared at the demon on the cover. He was different to the one she’d faced. No wings for starters. This one had short horns coming from his shoulder and upper arm, five on each side that became progressively smaller as they went down the arm. They looked more like talons than horns so she wasn’t sure what to call them.
Opening the book again, she turned more pages, stopping at the contents. She frowned at the titles of some of the chapters. Holy Objects, Dangers of Unfulfilled Promises, Weapons and Uses, Temptation, Demon Hierarchy, Binding and Banishing Demons. Her eyes were drawn back to ‘Weapons and Uses’. Now that chapter sounded helpful, the rest, not so much.
“My great-great grandfather wrote it.” Alex entered with a bowl of soup and a glass of water on a tray. He placed it on the coffee table. “Gran asked if she could see you once you’ve eaten.” Alex sat across from her. “She’s actually my great-grandmother.” He fell silent a moment. “Aren’t you going to eat? It won’t taste as good if you let it go cold.”
“I’m not much for soup.”
“At least have a couple of mouthfuls. Gran said it’d be the best thing for your stomach after not eating much recently.”
Alyssa reluctantly put the book beside her and pulled the tray onto her lap. She hesitantly had a mouthful of soup. “It actually tastes okay.”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised. Although I’m sure a big part of it is hunger.” Alex smiled slightly.
“Does it bother you?” Alyssa asked between mouthfuls.
“What?”
“Having to be a demon hunter?”
“You’re wrong. No one’d force that decision on any of us. We’re actually discouraged.”
“Do you all end up hunters anyway?”
Alex shook his head. “Riley’s brother, Blake, isn’t one anymore.”
“What happened?”
There was silence, then Alex spoke, “He decided it wasn’t for him.”
“And you can do that? Just decide not to do it anymore?”
“Yes. We have free will.”
“Why did Riley ask me if I believe in God?”
“Where do demons reside?”
She swallowed her mouthful of soup before she answered. “Hell, I guess.”
“And the opposite of hell?”
“Heaven. So you’re saying that because they’re opposites they can be used against each other?”
“Not quite. More along the lines of calling on the power of heaven to help fight the powers of hell.”
“Does that mean I wouldn’t have been able to win against the demon?”
“It means we must never leave you alone after dark and try and have you in a holy place by then.”
“It… he’s coming back? The demon. Not just Nathan, but both of them?”
Chapter Ten
Alex stared at her for a moment before he nodded. “Yes. Some demons can’t handle the day. You were lucky in some ways he isn’t a minor demon as most of them aren’t bothered by the sun rising.”
“How do we get rid of him?”
“That’s something we have to figure out.”
“What do you mean? He’s a demon. Aren’t you demon hunters?”
“If only it was that simple. Scarlett already tried to banish him. No two demons are the same. I guess you could say they’re all a different sin. They’re called by various methods and they’re all asked to do something different for each person who summons them. We need to know everything you can recall about the summoning. And anything else Nathan might have said that can help us. Do you mind if I bring Gran in here to listen. She’s been fighting demons her entire life.”
“You said she’s your great-grandmother.” At Alex’s nod, Alyssa asked, “Then how old does that make her?”
Alex laughed. “Relatively young if you ask her. She swears she’s a long way off one hundred. We all tell her it’s a sin to lie and she says time is in the eye of the one experiencing it.”
“So she’s nearly a hundred?” Alyssa’s eyes widened.
Alex shrugged. “She’s not saying. And anyone who knows for certain won’t tell those of us who don’t. You mind if I get her now?”
“I guess not.”
Alex took the tray from her as he left the room and Alyssa turned back to the book. She opened to the first page and began to read, determined to know her enemy. She hadn’t gotten far into the book before Alex returned. With him was his gran.
Alyssa’s eyes were drawn to the elderly woman’s left arm and were unable to move from there. The demon mark wound all the way up to nearly her shoulder. The same thin line evenly spaced, even with the wrinkles and skin that sagged in places. It took effort, but she finally managed to drag her eyes away to meet the hazel stare of the old woman. Her grey hair was pulled back from her lined face and plaited. She wore a cross on a thin gold chain and seemed both the oldest woman Alyssa had ever seen as well as completely ageless. Alyssa rose belatedly to her feet, clutching the book in her hands.
“So child, who are you?” The voice was surprisingly strong.
“Alyssa Evans.”
“Do you prefer Alyssa or Allie, child?”
Alyssa shrugged.
“Good. Alyssa is too pretty a name to shorten.” She sent a thin-lipped look towards Alex who shrugged. She turned back to Alyssa. “Call me Gran. Sit down, child. You look like a strong breeze would blow you over.”
And you look like you could stand against a cyclone. Alyssa wished she had the courage to voice her thought.
Gran sat down and waved Alex to a seat, her eyes on Alyssa. “Now, start at the beginning and tell me everything.”
Alyssa’s cheeks grew hot and she sent a quick glance towards Alex.
“Never you mind him. He’s done his share of stupid things,” Gran said.
Alyssa looked towards Alex again. He winked at her and his mouth curved into a fleeting smile. She quickly looked away, her gaze going to her hands that gripped the book. Surely they didn’t expect her to start with the argument she had with her parents and hopping in Nathan’s car. She glanced up at Gran. She sighed. She guessed they did.
Alyssa started hesitantly with frequent glances at Alex to see how he reacted. But he didn’t. When neither Gran nor Alex interrupted with questions, she grew more confident. The only reaction she noticed Alex have was one of his fleeting smiles when she spoke of telling Nathan she’d come back and haunt him. When she reached the end, she fell silent. And waited. She looked down at the book in her hands. And continued to wait. She looked at Alex who leaned back in the armchair he sat in and quietly watched her. Her gaze was then drawn to Gran, who nodded thoughtfully.
Alyssa wanted to demand Gran tell her what she thought. She wanted to shake Alex and ask how he could be so relaxed when the daylight hours were rapidly disappearing. A demon waited for her. She gripped the book tighter.
Gran rose to her feet. “Have a sleep while you can, child. It’ll be a long night.”
When Gran turned to walk from the room, Alyssa leapt to her feet. “That’s it? That’s all you can say? There’s a bloody demon out there waiting for me, and you tell me to sleep. Forget it. I’d be better off on my own.” She strode from the room, the book clutched to h
er chest. She perched on the edge of the shoebox and pulled on her boots and zipped them. “What do you want?” She eyed Alex warily.
“Anger isn’t helpful.”
“And you’re so perfect you never have to deal with pesky human emotions like anger.”
Alex smiled and his solemn expression changed dramatically. He held out his hand. “Come for a walk.”
“What?”
Alex slid his feet into worn sneakers and opened the front door. He let his hand drop. “Come on.”
“You’re mad.” Alyssa shook her head. “I’m out of here. Don’t follow me.” She tugged on the strap of her bag so it sat on her hip, strode out the door and glared at Alex as he fell in beside her.
“How did Nathan react when you told him you were going to come back and haunt him?”
“I don’t understand you.”
“I’m curious. You never said.”
Alyssa stopped at the end of the driveway and turned to face Alex. One hand was on her hip and the other clutched the book to her chest. “I spill all my stupidity to you and all you’re interested in is the reaction of that psychopath?”
“No. But it’ll give me some sort of an indication of how far he’s fallen.”
“It bothered him. He urged me to give my soul to the demon so I couldn’t haunt him. So what does that tell you, oh wise one?”
“You really do have a problem with anger management, don’t you?”
“You didn’t answer my question, Sir Perfect.”
Alex chuckled. He reached out and drew the crimson lock of hair forward. His expression became serious again. “There was a lot of power floating around that clearing. Blood sacrifice, a demon, a soul, anger and an oath. He had reason to be scared. Don’t trap your soul like that Alyssa. It isn’t worth the revenge.”
Alyssa pulled her hair from his fingers. “I’m not going to sit back and let him give me to his demon.”