A Hunter By Any Name

by Sheila Wireman

  After two weeks I had given up on Mr. Brown following me and moved on to my current hunt, well if you could call it a hunt as I had yet to find anyone to hunt. It pissed me off that I had to waste two weeks waiting for him. The next Sabbat was the Lughnasadh on August 1st. I had to find the wizard that was taking girls before then if I hoped to prevent another abduction.

  I spied the wizard that I was trailing coming out of the Undersea Garden and stood up to follow him, thankful I was finally going to be out of the little boy’s splash zone. However, as I got up to leave someone blocked my path which wasn’t unusual because as I said before it was curb to curb people around her. However, when I absent mindedly tried to step to the right to go around him he stepped in front of me.

  That immediately grabbed my attention and my body instantly responded by going on the offensive. My left hand grabbed the sword in the sheath and angled it out away from my boob. My right had grabbed the handle and started to withdraw the sword. I stepped back away from the person in front of me at the same time my eyes started to evaluate my target.

  The eyes that met mine were filled with well-deserved fear. They were also familiar brownish gray ones that belonged to Mr. Brown.

  Shit! Shit! Shit! And crap-ola-on a stick. He had found me. I quickly whipped my gaze back to the wizard I was trailing but thankfully his back was to me and he continued to walk away from us.

  “Shit.” I swore and Mr. Brown. “You really have the worse timing. How did you find me?” I didn’t really wait for or want an answer. Instead I let go of my sword and grabbed his hand. I started marching us down the street in the opposite direction that the wizard I was stalking had gone.

  Even though I had not wanted an answer Mr. Brown started to give me one. “The spell wouldn’t work…” Mr. Brown started to explain before I interrupted him.

  I turned and glared at him. I growled at him a low quiet tone through a tight lipped mouth. “Shut up.” I said emphasizing each word. “We do not discuss things like that in public when I am on the hunt.”

  Mr. Brown had obviously not considered the fact that I might be on a hunt because his eyes went wide and he jerked his head from side to side quickly looking around.

  “Stop that!” I snapped at him again. “No sudden movements. Act normal and follow me.” I growled at him again. We were going in the opposite direction of my car which I had parked along the beach at a state park. We would have to circle back around eventually but I did not want to be following a wizard with a newb in tow.

  In the end it took us a half an hour to circle around through a residential neighborhood and to my car. For Mr. Brown’s sake this was probably a good thing because I was fuming. Mr. Brown must have realized this because he walked quietly beside me. He even returned my fake friendly smiles I gave him a few times when we passed by a group of people. People are always less suspicious of happy strangers. I was anything but happy and was afraid the people around us would pick up on my vibes so I tried extra hard to at least appear happy with Mr. Brown.

  When we finally got to my car I started driving out of town. This was when Mr. Brown finally spoke in a pleasant tone. “How do you know where my truck is?” He asked.

  I just looked at him like he had three horns.

  “My truck is up ahead at a shopping center.” He explained.

  “We are not getting your truck unless you want to get in it and leave and never try to find me again.” I said. But even as I said this I wondered what the hell I was going to do with him. I couldn’t just drop him off with a promise not to find me again. “How did you find me?” I asked him. Once I knew this then I could figure out what the hell I was going to do to him. A Forget Me Spell popped into my head and I started to run down the list of ingredients I would need before I realized he was talking. “Stop. Sorry, I was distracted. Start again.” I commanded him.

  Mr. Brown sighed irritated at my command. However, he must have decided to let it go because he started his story from the beginning again. “The tracking spell didn’t work when I tried it.” He paused and eyed my hair. “Is it because you changed your hair color and got a perm?” He asked me.

  That question floored me. What kind of newb was he? “No.” I said irritably and waited for him to continue with his story.

  After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence he chose to continue his story. “All of your rumored killings seem to be around the oceans. I decided that we were close to the east coast so you probably wouldn’t hunt on the east coast next. You would change coasts and go to the west. So I started driving west. I just payed attention to the signs The Goddess gave me and eventually she led me to you.” Mr. Brown explained.

  “What type of signs?” I asked skeptically.

  “Just little things really.” Mr. Brown paused thinking before he continued. “One time I was at an intersection trying to decide if I should go right or left. Then a rabbit hopped out in the road in front of my car and hopped down the left road a little ways. So I followed the rabbit and went left. Then last night I was in the lobby of a Best Western in Kennewick Washington. This little girl was looking so intently at me for a few seconds. Then she ran over to a rack of brochure on the wall and plucked one off. Then she ran over to me and gave it to me.” Mr. Brown paused again lost in thought before he continued. “The brochure was for the Oregon Undersea Gardens. So I came here.” Mr. Brown shrugged his shoulders conveying how easy it had been for him.

  Damn You Goddess! I swore in my head before I instantly regretted it. I swore all the time and could give a drunken sailor a run for his money but I never ever took The Goddess name in vain. But Shit! Shit! And Double Shit! What the hell was she doing to me? Obviously she wanted him in my life so the Forget Me Spell would not work on Mr. Brown or if it did The Goddess would just find a way to get him back in my life.

  I glanced over at Mr. Brown and studied his appearance. He had a good physique that I could work with. He was trim and somewhat muscular. It shouldn’t be too hard for him to get into the shape I needed. Also, his facial features were plain. His hair could easily be changed. Plus, being a guy we could add or take away facial hair to help disguise him.

  I sighed a loudly as I resigned myself to the fact that I had to keep him.

  Mr. Brown heard me and looked over at me. “So I take it I get to stay with you?” He asked.

  I sighed again. It took me a few seconds before I could bring myself to verbally respond. “Yes,” I growled out.

  Mr. Brown smiled and I wanted to punch him for it. I started making plans and sighed again. I was going to have to abandon the hunt I had started. I had to retrieve my back up cache and then we were leaving right away. I was not even going to go get my items from my sleeping spot. Dang and I had found a really nice sleeping bag at the Salvation Army too. Already Mr. Brown was being a pain in my ass.

  I wondered what his name was and debated on asking him but then decided not to. I didn’t care. He wouldn’t have it for long anyway. Damn it all to hell! I was going to have to let him in on my secrets and how no one could track me. I really hoped The Goddess new what the hell she was doing.

  I looked over at Mr. Brown. He was happily looking out the window and enjoying the ride. We were almost to the shopping center where he said his truck was. “Do you have any weapons in your truck?” I asked him.

  “No, just my sword on me.” He informed me.

  “How about spell supplies?” I asked.

  At that question Mr. Brown got even perkier. “No. Are we going to do a spell?” He asked way too eagerly.

  I just looked at him dumbfounded. “How much experience do you have with spells?” I asked hesitantly, scared of the answer.

  “Just a little. I was just made a full-fledged Arihants last year. Until then all the spells I have done were supervised. I haven’t had any reason to do spells since then.” Mr. Brown informed me with a twinge of regret.

  Okay, I admit it. My mouth literally dropped open at that little tidbit of information. I turned
into the parking lot of the shopping mall.

  “Do you want me to follow you?” Mr. Brown asked, fully expecting me to drop him off at his pickup truck.

  I turned and looked at him with raised eyebrows and a look of disbelief in my eyes showing him how stupid I though the question was. “Who knows where you are?” I asked.

  “No one.” He said.

  “Let me see you phone I asked as I circled the parking lot.” I spotted a truck with Michigan plates. I turned the driving wheel with my left hand to take us to it while I held out my right hand for his phone. He handed it to me. I griped the wheel and phone in my right hand while I pushed the button to roll down the window with my left hand. When I got close to his truck I pitched the phone out the window. I felt a little satisfaction when it hit the hood and shattered. I stepped on the gas and left.

  “What the heck?” Mr. Brown asked me.

  Did he just say heck? I wondered to myself. Oh my god said the 80’s valley girl in my head. He is innocent. I thought and in for one hell of a rude awakening. I wondered if he had ever even seen a dead body because there was no way in hell he had ever killed anyone. Shit! I think that is going to be my new favorite word. Shit, Shit, shitty shit.

  “Let’s set some ground rules.” I said. Then I smiled. This was going to be fun. I was going to rock Mr. Brown’s world and not in a good way. I would worry about the dead bodies and killing later. “I am in charge. You have to do what I say, when I say it and not ask questions. Got it?” I asked and waited for a reply.

  Mr. Brown just stared at me. Okay, it may have been the cliché saying that got to him. So I clarified things for him. “I mean it. My life is literally at stake here not to mention the countless potential victim’s lives. You have to agree to do what I say, when I say it. Maybe you can ask questions. Sometimes. But only when we are not on a hunt.” I paused and waited for his response.

  When I didn’t get a response right away I stole a glance in his direction. Mr. Brown was actually thinking about this! I whipped the car over next to the road. “Agree or out!” I commanded him. “I am NOT playing games.” I glared at him.

  Mr. Brown sighed. “Fine. I agree.” He growled out.

  I debated on pushing the issue but then I thought of the Blood Oath Spell. No, that would be better than any verbal promises. I smiled in satisfaction, well okay maybe it was a slightly evil smile. I had me a newb and he was in for one hell of a ride.