Immortal Hunter

by Kait Ballenger

  “What about the sulfur in the dad’s blood? Did you run that through the database and see what type of demon it came up with?”

  Chris nodded. “Yeah, I did, and there was no match, which means whatever you’re dealing with, it’s something we haven’t seen before.”

  Fuck. That was the last thing David wanted to hear. Pinpointing the type of demon would have given him at least an indication of how to track the monster, not to mention an idea of any special weaponry or specific exorcisms he could use against it.

  “But, lucky for you, I like to go above and beyond,” Chris said, breaking David’s train of thought. “So I took the liberty of running tests not for an exact match but for something similar. And I came up with this.” He jabbed a finger on to a single key on his keyboard. Next to his face on the screen, a profile popped up with the word “Abyzu” flashing at the top.

  David groaned. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I knew it.”

  Chris raised an eyebrow. “What? Do you have something against Abyzus specifically?”

  David shook his head, then let out a long sigh as his fellow hunters all looked toward him. “I was afraid of this. Abyzus are some of the nastiest little bitches to track. This pretty much confirms my theory about the crimes.”

  “What theory?” Damon asked.

  “All of this is just intuition, since we have no evidence, but after examining the scenes, a few things indicated to me that the kids were the focus of the murders. An Abyzu’s usual thing is that it possesses children to fuck with the parents’ minds, and it feeds off the fear. I think something similar is going on here. From some blood I found on a chair at the scene and the positioning of the bodies, the mother tried to save her baby but was tossed aside. My thought is, why not kill her then, if she’s interrupting? The only reason I can think of is that the demon needed the mother alive. I think it was performing some sort of ritual, and was using the parents’ fear and horror as they saw their children murdered in order to fuel its power.”

  “That’s just fuckin’ sick,” Ash said. “Some days I’m thankful I deal with ghosts instead of all those crazy beasts ya’ll work with.”

  “I don’t know, man. Ghosts give me the heebie-jeebies.” Trent shuddered. “I think we’ve all got some bad shit to deal with.”

  Damon looked toward David. “Back on topic. Anything else you want to add?”

  David shook his head. “No, that’s all I have for now. Abyzus like babies—infants, not toddlers—so if this bastard’s similar to an Abyzu, the only way I could possibly track it was if I could somehow monitor all the families in all of Rochester with newborns to twelve-month-olds. There’s no way that’s possible. So basically, I’m fucked.” David fought back the urge to slam his fist on to the control panel.

  “Chris, there has to be something headquarters can do about this, right? I mean, the shit-ton of media attention two dead families are going to draw is going to send every fucking family in the city and the surrounding suburbs into a panic,” Jace said.

  Chris tightened his lips for a moment as if he was thinking. “Which one of you handles the tech stuff for your division? Shane, right?”

  They all nodded.

  “He’s teaching a class at the university this morning. You know, all that smart people shit.” Jace waved his hand in dismissal.

  David rolled his eyes. He and Jace had never seen eye to eye on education. Jace had a natural intelligence he’d always relied on to get by. David had book smarts because he’d forced himself to remain diligent and go to college. Personally, he admired Shane’s super brainy ways and the time he spent teaching.

  “Well, with Shane’s help, I think I have an idea that will allow us to keep an eye on all the families in Rochester that have babies under the age of twelve months,” Chris said.

  Shane was smart, but David had no idea what the hell Chris was getting at. How did he think there was any way to pull this off? “How can we possibly do that?”

  “Easy.” Chris held up his index finger. “One word. Satellite. If I can get Headquarters to agree, we can tap into one of the government’s spy satellites to monitor the families.”

  David shook his head. The idea sounded too far-fetched. “How will we know which families to monitor?”

  Chris smiled. “That’s where Shane comes in. Get him to contact me as soon as possible. He can hack into the local hospitals’ databases, social services...whatever he needs. I know there are women who’ve had their children outside of hospitals with midwives and whatnot, but at least this covers the majority of the possible targets. It’s better than nothing. Get Shane to contact me as soon as possible so we can work out the interface.”

  David opened his mouth to speak, but Damon interrupted. “Once we get everyone identified, how are we going to monitor them?”

  After typing for several seconds, Chris brought up a new image on the monitor, a screen covered in varying shades of red, orange and yellow. “We’ll be able to see the insides of their homes with thermal imaging, since all demons have a high body temperature, especially when they’re possessing someone. There are a couple trainees who owe me a favor. They’ll be able to monitor from here, so none of you will have to sit and stare at a screen for hours at a time. I’ll have them contact you at the first sign of demonic activity.”

  Damon spoke up again. “David will have Shane contact you in the next hour. Thanks, Chris.”

  Jace chuckled. “I don’t know whether this will work or not, but, Chris, if you can pull this off, I’ll personally see to it that David’s grandmother sends you all the coffee cake you can eat for the rest of eternity.”

  Chris grinned. “My pleasure—and I’ll look forward to that coffee cake.”

  Damon reached forward and pressed the button on the control panel that turned off the monitor. Chris’s face disappeared.

  David leaned forward in his seat. “So, what am I supposed to do until then? I have no possible way of tracking this thing, but I can’t just sit on my ass and do nothing. The blood of these families will be on my hands.”

  Ash clicked his tongue. “David, you oughta know better than to blame yourself like I can tell you’re doin’. None of this is your fault. It’s them damn demon fuckers that are doin’ this. Not you. You’re doin’ your best.”

  David couldn’t help but smile at the way any time Ash spoke, any form of “your” sounded more like “yer.” He was grateful for Ash’s support and Chris’s efforts, but he couldn’t help feeling a sense of defeat anyway, knowing that their plan wasn’t foolproof, and any blowback would inevitably land on him. “I know you’re trying, Ash, but nothing you can say, short of telling me you know who the demon’s next victims are and how I can protect them, is going to make me feel better.”

  Ash shrugged. “Figured I might as well give it a try.”

  David sat up and brushed off his negativity. Yeah, the situation sucked harder than a professional porn star, but their plan was better than nothing. “I’ll call Shane and leave him a message.”

  Damon slapped his hand on the table. “Fine. Until Shane’s able to get things worked out with Chris, this meeting’s adjourned.”

  David thought about making a comment that for once no one had stormed out before the meeting’s end but thought better of it. As his fellow hunters headed off, he pulled out his cell phone and prepared to call Shane. He sincerely hoped that Chris’s plan would work and that his grandmother really would need to bake that coffee cake.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  IF THERE WAS one thing Shane hated, it was students who left their cell phones on in the middle of class. No better way to say “I don’t care about school” than answering your phone. The insistent ping indicating an incoming message was only minimally better.

  Shane cleared his throat. “Okay, whose cell phone is it?”

 
The students glanced around the room, looking for the culprit. A freshman girl sitting eagerly in the front row raised her hand and piped up.

  “Dr. Grey, I think the sound came from your messenger bag.”

  Shane looked at the bag on his desk. He pulled out his phone, saw the voicemail icon blinking and realized she was right. He touched the screen and saw that the message was from David. Damn. He faced the class.

  “Five-minute break,” he said.

  The classroom erupted into a roar of chatter as he walked toward the door and stepped outside for a moment. He pressed the Return Call button and waited for David to answer.

  Seconds later, David’s deep voice rumbled from the tiny speaker. “I need your help.”

  Shane had figured as much. Not that he ever minded assisting David, but when did his fellow hunters ever call for a social chat? “I’m in the middle of class right now. What do you need?”

  “I need you to hack into the databases of all the hospitals in the greater Rochester area.”

  Shane’s jaw fell open. “Why the hell would I—”

  “Because it’s our only hope of stopping a baby-killing demon,” David interrupted him. “Chris is gonna explain what to do with the info.”

  Shane let out a long sigh. He always got stuck with the grunt work, didn’t he? He guessed that was what he got for locating to an area with minimal occult activity—not that witches were really that active anywhere anymore—and being the only one with the tech abilities to do the work.

  “I’d really owe you one,” David said.

  “On a scale of one to ten, how important is this?”

  “Ten. There could be another dead family if this plan doesn’t work.”

  Shane paused, thinking ahead and planning his next move. He’d better get back to his office as soon as possible. “Should I call Chris for more information, then?”

  “Yup, you know the drill.”

  “By the way, I haven’t found anything on that symbol you gave me yet. I’ve found some similar markings, but nothing definitive. I’ll keep searching.” He glanced through the small vertical window of the classroom door to check on his students. They hadn’t gotten too restless—yet. “You owe me.”

  David chuckled. “I always do.”

  Shane quickly said goodbye and hung up his phone. He took a deep breath before he returned to the classroom. As soon as he walked in, his students quieted down.

  He grabbed his messenger bag and started shoving his notes and papers inside. “Something’s come up and class is dismissed for today, but don’t think this gets you out of your essay. It’s still due tomorrow.”

  The screeches of chairs being pushed back, followed by the sounds of backpacks and bags opening and closing, filled the room, nearly drowning out the murmur of conversation.

  “Dr. Grey?” a voice called from the back row.

  Oh, God, not her.

  Vera Sanders raised her hand. “Are your office hours for this evening canceled, too?”

  Every logical part of him wanted to say yes, his hours were canceled, but he owed it to his students to at least keep some of his office hours after canceling class. He needed to get to the secure computers at division HQ before he could hack into any databases, but once he was finished he could return to campus. “No, but they’ll begin a little later then usual. I’ll send out an email to the class with the new time,” he said before he could stop himself.

  Shitty decision number one. He knew he probably should have canceled—because of her—but he couldn’t resist. This was going to be a long night.

  * * *

  ALLSÚN YAWNED AND stretched like a cat, allowing her spine to crack into place. She snuggled deeper into the sheets as she cradled her pillow against her like a lover. Speaking of lovers... She rolled over on to her other side, only to find the spot next to her empty. Had David moved back out to the couch at some point after carrying her in here in the middle of the night?

  She kicked off the covers and forced herself to get out of bed despite the pleasurable ache from the night before. Her whole body pulsed with the sweet aftermath of hours of mind-blowing sex.

  She grinned. That had been one crazy night.

  She walked toward the living room and leaned around the corner of the door frame to check the couch.

  No one. Where had David gone?

  Immediately she crossed the living room into the kitchen to search the fridge for a note. Just as she’d suspected—and just like when they’d been dating—David had left a note on the refrigerator, underneath the magnet she’d brought him back from a trip to Ireland: a picture of James Joyce and a quote from Ulysses about the “snotgreen” and “scrotumtightening” Irish Sea. She pulled the note from underneath the magnet and quickly scanned it.

  Allie, went to the EU meeting. Didn’t want to wake you. Be back soon. Keep the door locked. Love, David

  She crumpled up the note and threw it into the waste bin. She checked the clock. Five in the evening. Man, she’d slept the day away, though she had been awake into the wee hours of the morning.

  Looking around the apartment, she contemplated turning on the TV, but the dull ache in her limbs convinced her that resting until David returned didn’t sound so bad. Just as she snuggled back into the comforting nest of David’s bed, she heard the sound of the front door handle being turned.

  She lay there in excited silence, waiting to hear the sound of David’s motorcycle boots clomping across the carpet and into the bedroom, but the door never opened. She propped herself on her elbows to listen as the handle continued to rattle.

  Shite. It wasn’t David.

  As quietly as she could, she slipped from the bed and tiptoed to the front door. She stood on her toes and glanced through the peephole. A slender blonde woman was standing on the other side. All of Allsún’s senses blazed to life. She didn’t need to look the woman in the eye to know she was possessed.

  Double shite. Was this demon after her or David?

  Either way, she needed to act—and fast. The doorknob continued to jiggle as the demon tried to force the handle. No longer bothering to worry about how much noise she was making, Allsún ran into David’s bathroom.

  A ward. She needed something to make a ward.

  She wrenched open the cabinets under the sink and quickly found a can of shaving cream. She popped the cap off and ran to David’s bedroom doorway, praying she remembered all the intricacies of the symbol. She dropped to her knees, shook the container and began to spray the foam on to David’s light beige carpeting. The rattling of the door handle increased, and a loud bang echoed through the apartment as the demon tried to shove its way through the door.

  If only she could remember the combination to David’s lockbox under the bed, at least then she would have some manmade power to back up her Fae abilities. She drew the last symbol on the triangular ward and chucked the can to the side. There was one last bang as the demon kicked in David’s door.

  Shite. Shite. Shite.

  Allsún scrambled backward away from the nearly invisible symbol. The demon charged straight toward her at full speed, falling right into her trap. As soon as it hit the triangle, its whole body slammed backward as if it had hit an invisible brick wall.

  “What the—”

  Allsún picked up the can of shaving cream and shook it at the demon tauntingly. She grinned.

  The demon growled and tried to step through the ward to no avail.

  She couldn’t help it. She was pretty damn proud of herself.

  “So who are you after?” she asked. “Me or David?”

  The demon scowled. No answer.

  Allsún shrugged. “Fine. I see we’ll just have to go ahead and proceed with the exorcism.”

  The demon let out a low feral growl. “You little Fae bitch.”
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  Allsún walked across the room and picked up the potted plant at David’s bedside. She hated to smash it, but David would understand. She needed to be connected with the Earth in order to perform a full-on exorcism like this without any aid but her Fae magic. This would drain her, but it would be worth it. She thought about the poor woman the demon was possessing and hoped there would still be something of her left when this was over.

  Walking back toward the doorway to stand just out of the demon’s reach, Allsún smashed the plant on the floor. The dirt spilled out, covering the carpet in a large dark mound. She had the irrelevant thought that she would have to help David get the stain out. Using one of the shards from the broken terracotta pot, she sliced open the skin of her palm. Pain from the cut shot through her hand, but she ignored the discomfort, pushing forward with the ritual. She mixed her blood with the dirt, chanting the words in the ancient Fae tongue her mother had taught her.

  “What are you doing, you stupid glitter-slinging dirt monkey?” the demon hissed.

  She ignored the insult, continuing with her ritual. A smile crossed her face as the demon’s knees buckled, and it screeched. Already it was feeling the pain of her power. Her chants became melodic, similar to old songs in the Gaelic language of the Irish people, but with slight variations.

  The demon fell to its knees. Veins bulged and pulsated over its entire body, nearly glowing beneath its skin before light flooded its eyes.

  “No, please. Stop!” it screeched.

  Allsún chanted the final words and watched bright white light flood the demon’s body. She brushed the dirt off her hands. “You’re going straight back to hell where you belong.”

  A final pulse shot through the demon, delivering the final blow. The woman’s body crumpled to the floor. Allsún crawled to the woman’s side, pulling her into her lap. After a moment of silence the woman gasped for air, coming to life in her own body again following the exorcism.