Demon Hunters

by JKMelby74

  “He was a good man. I only knew him briefly.”

  “He was a good man. He was always so good. And all he gets for his final resting place is a shallow grave right next to my strawberry patch. He deserves more than that! Damn it!” She turned to face me. Her eyes were red and worn. It looked as though a lifetime of pain had caught up with her in that one moment. I knew there was something I could do to make her feel better, but I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t have much experience dealing with mourning. All the most important people in my life had gone before I could chew solid food. I was in uncharted waters, but that didn’t stop me from trying. I put my arms around her and she allowed me to take her in. I could feel her start crying again. Her body shook against mine as the storm of grief raged within her.

  “We can go back. When all this is over, we can go back and give Tyler the resting place he deserves.” I whispered. Her body tensed as I spoke.

  “Thanks,” She stood back from me and wiped her eyes clear. I could see her color coming back. She turned away and stepped away from me. She looked up at the morning sky above us and I could hear the faint sound of her sobbing. I didn’t know what to do. After a few more minutes, she walked back. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, Gwen.” I said again. I felt as though I could have stood there for a thousand years telling her how sorry I was, but that would still not be enough.

  “Don’t. I really don’t think I can talk about this anymore.”

  “Fine.”

  “Good.”

  We headed back for the car and after we belted ourselves in, I gave Gwen one last check. She was just about back to normal. Her eyes were clear again and the stains of her tears had disappeared. She stared straight out the window, looking out at the horizon. I almost said something to break her trance, but thought better of it. I simply put the key in and started the car up and pulled back onto the highway.

  For a long time, Gwen said nothing. She was awake, but didn’t say anything.

  “I was the first one he told.”

  “Told what?”

  “About being a werewolf. He and a couple of friends went on a camping trip up in the mountains. We got word there had been a wild animal attack that evening. There had been two fatalities but the hospital didn’t know who was who, so we had to drive up to find out if Tyler had been one of them. When we got there we found out Tyler was the one survivor. We were sad of course for the others, but we were all so grateful that Tyler was spared. It was too late to drive back, so we stayed overnight. Our parents camped out in the waiting room but the nurse let me stay with Tyler. We were up all night talking. He told me all about the attack. He walked me through the whole thing in so much detail. The next morning they washed him up and we took him home.”

  “That’s when he got bit?”

  “Yes. A couple weeks later there were reports of animal attacks in town. It wasn’t long before Tyler sat me down and told me that it was him. He said the guilt was too much for him but he couldn’t tell our parents. He thought they’d just freak and he was right. I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone. After that he said he was leaving town. He met some people who claimed they could help him. I didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much I could do except wish him luck.”

  “Sounds like you two were real close.”

  “We were.”

  We continued talking. I told her a few stories of some of the more interesting cases I had worked on over the years, which she seemed to find amusing. She shared more of her life story with me and by the time we pulled up to my apartment building, we both knew more about each other than either of us ever had expected to learn.

  Chapter 24

  The Guest

  I showed Gwen around my place. It didn’t take long as I barely had more than two rooms to show her. After I settled her in, I called Ivar and explained the situation to him and asked him to look after Gwen. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. We had the dagger and Jackal knew that he needed it as much as we did. The only difference was he probably would have known what to do with it if he had it. Ivar came knocking at my door.

  “This is my partner, Ivar.” I said to Gwen. She looked up at him and I could feel her blood turn cold.

  “Nice to meet you.” He said.

  “Nice to meet you too, Ivar.” Gwen’s voice shook. She reached her hand out for his. He looked down at her, puzzled. Soon, it dawned on him and he took her hand.

  “Don’t!” I blurted up to Ivar. “Don’t shake. We don’t want you ripping her arm off.” Ivar shook his head and opened his hand, releasing her.

  “What is she doing here?”

  “I couldn’t leave her. They were bound to return. Right now, the safest place for her is with us.”

  “Fine. You have the dagger?” I looked to Gwen and she turned to pick up a large blanket we had wrapped the box in. She opened it up to reveal the dagger.

  “It won’t be long until they find us, I’m sure. Just keep an eye on Gwen until I get back.” I headed for the door, grabbing my gun on the way.

  “Where the Hell do you think you’re going?” Gwen asked.

  “I’m just going to see if I can get some help. Stay put.”

  I drove back to the warehouse where I had first found The Black Flame. It looked as quiet as it did the first day I had broke in. I climbed over the fence and headed for the small metal door in the back. I went in and walked out to the main floor. It didn’t look as though anything had changed since the last time I was there.

  I went over to the break room where Tyler and I had talked. It was as though no one had ever been there. I turned back and nearly fell as I saw the lineup of people in front of me. Their faces were expressionless. Just blank slates. The only person who really caught my eye was a fellow in the middle. He looked new. He had shiny black hair and was quite handsome. He was also the only one wearing a suit. It was black and fit him like a glove. He held his arms behind his back and a seductive smile crossed his face.

  “Jake Corba, correct?”

  “Yes. Who are you?”

  “Dontavius DeMarco. So happy to meet you.” He stepped forward and took my hand into his. His touch was ice cold and he seemed to know that it was. I’ve never been the kind to make snap judgments, but I didn’t like him. He was done up high class, but he seemed like a used car salesman. He was working an angle, I could tell. I just couldn’t say what angle it was.

  “Nice to meet you, Don, but if I may ask again, who the Hell are you?”

  “I’m sorry. The Black Flame’s communications with outsiders leaves something to be desired. I’m the new Grand of this order.” His eyes narrowed as his smile widened.

  “You heard about Tyler?”

  “Sensed it, actually. We have all been shaken by this loss. Tyler was very well respected by all factions. I am honored to take the mantle up after him.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  “Do I detect a tone?” There was a tone, I admit, but I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to say.

  “No. What you all do here is your business. The only problem is my business kind of crosses over with yours now.”

  “What business is that?”

  “I have the dagger. Gwen and I took it with us after Jackal attacked.”

  “Tyler’s sister?”

  “Yes. You know her?”

  “Not personally. Tyler always spoke of her. I was under the impression she was unaware of the Black Flame and its actions.”

  “She is but after Tyler was killed, I had to take her into my protection. Right now, she’s babysitting the dagger. Which brings me to why I’ve come here.”

  “Of course. Where is it?”

  “It’s safe. I came here to find out how to destroy it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know how to destroy it. Is there some kind of trick or spell I need?”

  “As far as I know, there is no way
to destroy the Dagger Of Sira. You’re certainly not going to destroy it by putting it in a fire or smashing it with a rock.” He said with a slight laugh.

  “Tyler was under the strong impression it could be destroyed.”

  “If it can be, I am ignorant of how it would be done.”

  “Fine. I have another question. Do you know anything about something called Venris?” Dontavius’ smile disappeared.

  “Venris? Where did you hear that?”

  “Tyler. It was the last thing he ever said. You know what it means?”

  “It’s a name. A friend of Tyler’s. We don’t talk about Venris here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Before Tyler joined the Black Flame, he was associated with a pack of werewolves.”

  “Where can I find them?” Dontavius slid toward me as though his feet weren’t on the floor. He grabbed me by the arm and pushed me away from the others.

  “They’re all over town, but if it’s Venris you want to see, I can arrange a meeting.” He said in a hushed whisper.

  “How do you know how to reach him?”

  “If you must know, there are times I require his services for certain tasks I need accomplished outside of the parameters of the Black Flame.”

  “Where I can meet this guy?”

  I arrived at the address Dontavius had given me late that night. It was a small street in the middle of Westwood Village. I had told Ivar to continue looking after Gwen despite her pleading to join me. It was a full moon and I wasn’t sure how this little meeting was going to go.

  I found the alley Dontavius told me to turn at. It was dark, but I could see some lights. There were a few small stores in a row at the end of the alley. They looked pretty cheap and I speculated as to how they could stay in business in such a lousy location. There was a small sushi joint stuck right in the middle. I looked inside. It looked warm. Clean hardwood floors and wood paneling on the walls with authentic Japanese decorations liberally spaced on them. An elderly Asian couple stood behind the counter where the sushi was laid out for the customer’s approval. I then noticed a distinct lack of customers.

  I walked in and the couple looked at me, smiling. I hadn’t planned on ordering anything, but I was beginning to feel a little guilty. I stepped up to the counter and picked out a couple rolls and a small bowl of rice to go with it. The man put the food on a tray as the woman took my money. I took the tray and turned toward the dining area and then I saw him.

  Venris was the only one in the joint. He was sitting at a small table in the back, just as I was told he would be. I walked over to him. He didn’t look like I imagined him. He looked young. His jet-black hair was slicked back tightly. His eyes were cool and his face was sharp. He was wearing a white tank top, which showed off his thickly muscled physique. I stopped as I came to his table. He looked up.

  “What?”

  “Venris?” He leaned back in his chair and his eyes ran up and down my body as though he were sizing up his next meal. He lifted one of his boots up and kicked the chair across from him away from the table.

  “Sit.”

  “I wasn’t aware werewolves enjoyed sushi.” He took a colorful item from his plate and popped it into his mouth. He held the fish in his mouth and his eyes closed. A smile stretched across his lips as he savored the raw flesh.

  “It feels so good, you know? It’s a texture thing. I try to enjoy all the sensory sensations of my food. Not many of my brothers care for cold flesh, but I find it to be a nice change of pace. It’s so soft, yet tough at the same time, but I’m sure you didn’t come here to talk about dead things.” He said as he sucked in another meaty roll.

  “Actually, I did. Tyler Thorne.” I didn’t like being so blunt about it, but Venris was kind of pushing my button. I could see from his expression, I had surprised him.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Tyler’s dead.” Venris put his food down.

  “How?”

  “It’s not important.” Venris shot up out of his seat and snatched me by my shoulders.

  “The Hell it’s not!”

  “Does it really matter how he died? The point is he’s dead and your name was the last word he ever spoke. Why is that?” Venris released me and I fell back into my seat.

  “I haven’t talked to him since,”

  “Since what?”

  “Nothing. What makes you think I know why he said my name?”

  “We were attempting to destroy the Dagger of Sira. Do you know anything about it?”

  “The dagger? Yeah. I do.”

  “What?”

  “Why do you want to destroy it?”

  “We were trying to keep someone very bad from coming back. I don’t have time to give you the full story here. I just came for some information. Either you’ll tell me or you won’t. Which is it going to be?”

  “I met Tyler a long time ago. I’d been running solo before that. We joined this pack together and we became close. That’s not normal in most packs. One day he said he wanted to start working toward something,” His voice became distant and thoughtful. “He wanted to make the world better for our kind. He was like that. He would always sermon to me about how we are obligated to do what we can to improve ourselves and the world around us. I don’t know where he picked that crap up. Then those Black Flame guys came nosing around for recruits. He couldn’t sign up fast enough. I told him I’d keep his place in the pack if he changed his mind, but he said he’d never come back. He tried to get me in too, but I’m not what you’d call a joiner. Before he took his vows, though, we went on one last adventure. We traveled across the country, wandering around, seeing what trouble we could get ourselves into. We got into a lot of it.” Venris let out a laugh. He looked over at me. His eyes weren’t cool anymore. They had softened and something in them was broken. Missing.

  “I bet you did.”

  “We met this old witch. She calls herself Demonica. Her real name is Selma Shallows. She uses the name Demonica as a kind of marketing tool for the rubes. Take the dagger to her. She’ll know what to do with it.”

  “How do I find her?”

  “Google it. She’s listed.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Sure,” Venris got up from his seat. He walked past me toward the front door and then stopped. His head tilted toward me. “What happened to Tyler? You know, after?”

  “Buried.”

  “Where?”

  “His sister buried him at her home in a backyard grave. She’ll probably have it moved when all this is over, though.”

  “All right. I think I’ll go pay him a visit. One last adventure.” Venris walked out into the night. A few moments later, I heard the lone howl of wolf. A howl that would have no hope of an answer.

  Chapter 25

  Demonica

  When I got back to the apartment, Gwen was already asleep in my bed and Ivar was standing guard outside the door.

  “Take a rest, big guy.”

  “What did you find out?”

  “We need to find Selma Shallows. Also known as Demonica.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m told she’ll know how to deal with the dagger. The sooner the better too, because it’s only a matter of time before Jackal comes crashing through that door.”

  “I will..” Ivar began.

  “No. I will. I’ll run some searches tonight and we can get a start on this tomorrow.”

  “I could easily do that.”

  “And so could I. You need to get some rest. It doesn’t look like I’ll be getting much myself.”

  “If you are certain.”

  “I am. Go and recharge yourself.” Ivar left and I looked in on Gwen. She was curled up in my sheets. A shaft of moonlight shot through the window and landed right on her face. She looked so peaceful and rested. For someone to just look at her in that instance, they would assume she was at peace when I knew that was far from the truth. Her brother. Her home. Her life. Just more sins to be heaped on my doorstep.
>
  I closed the door quietly and got out my laptop. I ran several searches for Selma Shallows, but there was nothing to be had. I heard a noise from my room. Gwen soon emerged. Her hair was tangled about her head. She was wearing one of my old dress shirts and a pair of sweats. She stumbled slightly as she walked into the room. I could have sworn I felt my heart pound against my ribs.

  “Hi.”

  “I wake you?”

  “No, I couldn’t really sleep. Where were you?”

  “Just out. Getting information.” I turned my attention back to the computer screen. The search I was running under the name Demonica yielded slightly better results. Just one page of links and most of them seemed to lead to the same person.

  “What’s all that?” Gwen asked.

  “Just checking something.”

  “Demonica? Right.”

  “I know. Stupid name, but I guess it’s what the tourists expect.” I clicked one of the links. The screen went black and suddenly a picture popped up. It was a headshot of some crazy looking woman. Her face was thin and wrinkled and she was wearing a pair of glasses with lenses twice as big as her eyes. Her hair looked wiry and hard as it shot out in all directions, forming some kind of old person’s afro with streaks of white, black and gray.

  “She looks insane.”

  “Probably is, but she’s the one we have to see.” I noticed we were on a web site for Demonica’s occult bookstore. It was a poorly done site, but it had the basics. She even had a section where you could make an appointment to see her in person for a reading. I clicked on that link and I was taken to a screen where I could select a time to come and below that was the address. Luckily, she was headquartered near Venice Beach in a little area known in the Occult realm as Devil Town. I then selected a reservation for noon the next day.

  “You’re not serious.”

  “Why not?”

  “How could she know anything about this? She looks like a nut! Who told you she was the one to see about this?”