by Angela Horn
More men were coming, likely a number much higher than eight. If this was any other job, Joaquin wouldn’t waste time fleeing. He would arm up and slay all takers, but his task today wasn’t about killing. It was about the woman, still running, now just a speck in the horizon.
Joaquin retrieved his belongings from the motel room then hurried to his car. In the distance, puffs of dirt spewed into the air.
As the cavalry approached, Joaquin slammed his door shut and sped toward the woman who was still running full speed. Pulling the car alongside her, he was surprised to find her mumbling to herself.
“Get in the car,” he said.
The woman glanced at him, her pace never slowing. Peering back at the motel where the wisps of dirt grew closer, she jerked to a stop and he followed suit with the car. Joaquin waited as she rushed to the backseat passenger door.
“I knew you’d come,” she said quietly as she climbed in.
Joaquin nodded, taking his first close look at the woman he was apparently tasked to protect. He wasn’t surprised to find her beautiful in a shiny American way. Those few freckles splashed along her nose and cheeks created a strange stirring in him though.
Jamming his foot down on the gas, Joaquin sped into the barren horizon with a touch of hope in his normally dormant heart. He didn’t know who his passenger was or even where they were headed. He did have a purpose now though and one delivered by God Himself. Joaquin’s existence was suddenly bigger than the horror of his past - a concept which made him smile.
Chapter Four
Lila raced the SUV onto the freeway, her eyes on the rearview and not the traffic ahead. Managing to dodge cars even with her mind elsewhere, she sped into the carpool lane before finally slowing the SUV to eighty.
Quickly accepting her savior might be the worst driver in the history of the world, Sophie watched all of the lane changes with horror. Lila then swerved around a family’s minivan, the sole purpose seeming to be to make Sophie carsick.
“You’re going to get us killed or at least pulled over,” Sophie said, glaring at Lila. “Is anyone even following us?”
“LA is infested with bad guys and the vibes in this place are crazy. My gut says we’re being followed, but I can’t see him.”
“Followed by whom? Joaquin?”
“I thought it was some hunter named Roman, but after my vision, I don’t know.”
Lila pressed the gas pedal and took the SUV to a brutal hundred miles per hour. Glancing at Sophie, she smiled casually, obviously loving her passenger’s terror.
“The thing you have to understand is that our world and the human world aren’t the same. It’s like the smackdown at your apartment. Neighbors didn’t hear anything. Cops weren’t called. I made that happen because God let me. He’s letting me drive like this because He knows we need to get out of LA before the villains rain down on us like locusts. If God wants me to slow down, He’ll send me a signal.”
Lila did slow slightly before gunning for the next lane.
“These cars don’t even see us. We’re living in a bubble now, protected from the view of humans. Not from villains or a rogue hunter though. That’s why I’m going to keep speeding until I know we’re safe.”
Sophie frowned at Lila who zig zagged through traffic.
“You just keep doing things until God says no more and you end up dead or in jail? That’s your life plan?”
Smile growing, Lila jerked the car to the right to avoid hitting a semi.
“Life plan? You sound like a human.”
“Yeah, well, I am a human. What do you think you are?”
“How’s that life plan working out for you? You livin’ the dream, darlin’?”
Sophie glared at Lila, wishing for a snappy response, but instead all she could manage was a whine. “My life was fine before you and those villains showed up.”
“Yeah, I was totally sensing how great your life was when you did so little to protect it.”
Crossing her arms, Sophie fumed. She really didn’t need a lecture from a crazy woman.
“Oh, don’t pout. It’s not like I’m wrong. You don’t have a good life because you aren’t living the life God made for you.”
“And you are?”
“Yep. Now, anyway. A year ago, I was like you, living a lie and being really lame at it. I was an awful human. I had a job I not only hated, but didn’t even seem to know how to do well. I had no friends, just work people and acquaintances. My family didn’t live far away, but I didn’t visit them and they didn’t visit me. No falling out, no fighting with them. They just stayed away from me and I stayed away from them like it was all very natural. Except it wasn’t. Nothing about that life was natural for me and I’m assuming you feel the same.”
Sophie thought to her disinterest at losing her latest job, as if she always knew it would happen. She remembered how she paid her coworkers little mind as she walked out and how they showed so little concern for her. What Lila said made sense, but Sophie’s old life, no matter how boring, had been safe.
“You still haven’t answered me about what you think you are, if you’re not human?”
“A hunter and I think you are too. You’ve got a weird vibe coming off you, but other hunters say the same about me. Maybe we’re alike and that’s why you’ll come in handy on this mission? I don’t really want a partner, but God’s will trumps all. So here we are now, partners in crime.”
“And you hunt what exactly?”
Lila ignored the question, instead gunning the SUV toward an open spot between two semis. Once she cut in front of one of them, she smiled.
“Something nasty is coming for us. I feel it crawling up my spine. You feel it too, I’m sure.”
Sophie didn’t feel anything except nauseous and Lila wasn’t helping by talking around the real issue.
“Yeah, I can see how you’re loving this. Since you’ve pretty much kidnapped me for the purpose of helping you, it might make sense if you told me something besides being a human sucks.”
Lila sighed, rolling her head back and forth. “Okay, you’re right. We should dumb this down and get to the meaty center. There are gateways in the human world that lead to hell. These gateways are now open and they allow evil souls to return and jump into the recently deceased,” Lila said then gunned the SUV into another lane.
“Just imagine a guy has a heart attack and flatlines. The real guy’s soul has left his body because he’s meant to die. Instead of the body remaining empty, an evil soul jumps inside. When the doctors bring the guy back, they don’t bring back the original guy.”
“Like possession?”
“No, that’s when a demon shares a body with a human soul. These souls aren’t strong enough to do that. Even weaker than a demon, these villains are still dangerous. Being in hell has made them stronger.”
Lila’s voice drifted as she watched the rearview. Her eyes finally returned to the road and she regained her focus.
“When the devil started sending up the souls to steal human bodies, God created hunters to even out the playing field. It’s our job to kill the bad guys and protect humans. Simple enough, right?”
“Why doesn’t God keep the evil souls from stealing the bodies?”
Lila shrugged. “Why does God let Satan seduce people? I can’t imagine why God does anything He does. In this case, I figure it’s just one of those ‘when life shuts a door, God opens a window’ things. We’re the window, so I’m feeling pretty good about His choice.”
“If God can’t close the gateways, can anyone?”
“What are you dense?” Lila asked, glancing upward with a dark frown. “He can hear you, dummy. Stop with the God can’t do stuff, okay?”
Sophie shared Lila’s frown, but nodded.
“God created a hunter to close the gateways, but he’s dead or missing or whatever. Without Micah, the gateways remain open and we keep killing villains.”
“I had a dream before that evil guy came to my apartment. In my dream, th
ere was a guy and he mentioned Micah.”
“Mentioned him how?”
“Just said that I never trusted him and that was a good thing.”
Shrugging, Lila frowned. “No idea what that’s about. I have weird dreams all of the time and I just try to figure out which ones are important and which ones are gibberish or plants by the enemy.”
Sophie wasn’t in the habit of imagining evil lurking around her. She certainly didn’t want to imagine herself destined to kill anything. Changing the subject, she wanted to focus on something she figured would be Lila’s problem.
“Why did Joaquin go rogue?”
Lila shrugged, whipping the SUV into another lane and throwing Sophie into the armrest.
“Then why are we killing him?”
“Because God showed him to me and I saw despair and violence and then God showed me you.”
“And that’s it?”
“Visions aren’t usually full of details. Much of it is the vibes I get. Like how I sensed he was a big dog and dangerous. I sensed you were like me. Well in that you are likely a hunter and have a weird vibe. I’m not sure we’re anything alike otherwise.”
“Agreed,” Sophie said quickly. “What’s your plan besides speeding down the freeway and trying not to die?”
“We need to find Joaquin and I don’t know exactly where to start. He’s down south, maybe in Texas. I’m just guessing based on my vision and we need something more specific. We’re going to visit Sawyer and Daisy to get some leads.”
“They’re hunters?”
“Yeah, they run a gun shop in Nevada and have a ton of contacts. Sawyer said something about a rogue big dog. If there’s a way to track down Joaquin, he’ll find it.”
“Why do you think Joaquin went evil?” Sophie asked again.
Lila twisted her lips, clearly annoyed by the very idea of rationalizing a rogue hunter’s motives.
“The usual reason is that they want to be human. God won’t let them, so they punish Him by killing hunters. Some hunters go rogue because they feel like God doesn’t care about us like He does humans.”
“Why would they think He doesn’t care?”
“We have no covenant with God, no promise of salvation. We’re just here to do a job.”
“What happens when we die?”
“Don’t know,” Lila said with a shrug. “There’s no Bible for hunters. No operating instructions. We don’t know when we came into being or what will happen when the gateways are closed. Hunters have theories, of course. We become human. We go to Heaven. We just disappear into nothingness. I’d like to think it’s one of the first two. In the end, it doesn’t matter. We’re God’s weapons and we have to do what He says. These rogues are just being big babies about the whole thing and they need to die for that.”
Staring out at the passing cars, Sophie realized she must believe Lila on some level or else she would signal someone for help. The idea of being a hunter wasn’t appealing, but Lila made it sound as if Sophie didn’t have much of a choice.
“How does this hunter thing work?”
“Hunters roll as lone wolves or in packs. The whole dog jargon is big, though I don’t know who started it. All I know is I’m a lone wolf. Most hunters work in packs. A powerful, skilled hunter is called a big dog. If you want to insult a hunter, you call him a Chihuahua if he’s cowardly or a Poodle if he’s prissy. No need to use any other dog references. I personally think the whole dog thing is a bit much. With that said, I’d love to be a big dog.”
Scowling, Sophie eyed Lila. “Isn’t pride a sin?”
“Not even sure we have souls to damn, but yeah I should be careful about that.”
Lila revved the engine as the traffic thinned.
“Do villains work in teams?”
“Sometimes. Normally a villain just takes over the life of the person whose body it’s stolen. Say Carol Jones worked at the bank, lived in the suburbs with a husband and pair of kids, enjoyed speed walking and scrapbooking, then the villain keeps up the image and does its evil deeds on the side. Other villains don’t want to play human, so they go underground. These villains often join forces and kill hunters and do real damage to humans.”
“How can you fight them when there’s just one of you and a bunch of them? Seems like a pack makes sense.”
Lila glanced at Sophie then pushed the car to over a hundred miles per hour, barreling into the quiet night.
“Yeah, but I don’t play well with others. My contribution to the harmony of the world is being on my own.”
“Good move. If we aren’t human, what about our families?”
Lila considered this question. “I really don’t know. I haven’t been a hunter long and I’ve never wondered about such things. I do know I never missed my family after leaving Indy. I just walked away from that life and never looked back with any sense of loss. I know no one in my family is a hunter.
“I personally think God likes to tempt us with a human life we’re not supposed to have. He gives us a family and a normal life. He also lets us feel like we don’t belong in that life and then we have to choose. Maybe it’s just a temptation, like having mates.”
“Huh?”
“Sawyer and Daisy are married. I’ve met a few hunters with mates, but we can’t have children. We aren’t meant to have families, so what’s the point of the distraction? God does it to tempt us, I think. In the end, it doesn’t matter. If God tempts you, you handle it the same way as when the devil tempts you. Ignore it and do the right thing. If you don’t, you’ll end up rogue like Joaquin.”
Once Lila found a speed she liked, Sophie finally let go of the door handle and relaxed in her seat. Studying her savior, Sophie realized Lila loved the danger of being hunted.
“We’re definitely being followed,” she said, bouncing her head to REO Speedwagon on the radio. “This guy isn’t giving up either.”
Sophie glanced back, noticing only a few cars, all at least several miles away.
“How do you know?”
“I can feel it in my gut. Give it time and you’ll feel it too.”
“What do we do?”
“Just keep driving and wait for him to make his move. You shouldn’t stress it. Take a nap and when you get up, we’ll be nearing Nevada.”
“Unless he tries to kill us first.”
“Well, yeah, there’s that. I’m a glass half full kind of hunter though. Just sleep and I’ll wake you, if there’s trouble.”
Hoping to dream about the handsome man on the beach again, Sophie found herself in a helicopter hovering high over the ocean. Next to her, Lila flew the helicopter by swinging it right and left. When Sophie asked if Lila knew how to fly, the woman only smiled and told her to have faith. As soon as the words slipped from Lila’s grinning lips, the helicopter crashed into the water.
Sophie awoke startled and found the sun warming the horizon.
“Hello, sleeping beauty,” Lila said, chewing on licorice.
“Are we almost there?”
“Nope. We’re taking a little detour first.”
Sophie straightened in the seat with a yawn. Studying the location, she quickly realized they were on a side road with nothing significant in any direction. The only object of interest was a compact car a few miles in front of the SUV.
“What are we doing?”
“Hunting.”
“I thought we were in a hurry to find Joaquin and kill him before he causes more havoc?”
Lila glanced at Sophie with a grin. “Scared, huh? I figured you needed some practice before we started taking on big dogs. God apparently felt the same way because He showed me this villain on the freeway about an hour ago.”
“You’ve been following him for an hour?”
“Yeah, I’m waiting for a good spot to kill it.”
“And he’s okay with that?”
Lila grinned, still chewing at the licorice. “It’s not a he. It’s an it and it’s dropping off a body.”
“Did God show y
ou that?”
“No, but why else would a fake Average Joe be out in the boonies on a workday?”
Sophie shifted in the seat, her stomach cramping from the sudden onslaught of angry juices.
“I can’t do this.”
“I’ll do it then. Either way, this villain doesn’t have much time left.”
“What happens to them when they die the second time?”
“Back to hell or destroyed completely. I don’t know and I don’t care. My job description doesn’t include the afterlife.”
Sophie twisted at her fingers. “What if you’re wrong about this guy?”
“No, it’s a villain. I can spot them across a football field. Actually did once,” Lila said with a wink.
“I just mean what if he was evil in his former life and then he got another chance and is living a normal human life? Maybe he wants to be good?”
Lila rolled her eyes, still grinning. “Riddle me this, Sophie, why would Lucifer release a soul who wants to do good? Why waste a vessel on a poor slob who made some bad decisions his first go around? And by bad decisions, I mean things like genocide. Yeah, the villain is evil. They’re all evil.”
“I guess.”
Lila bounced in her seat as the compact car made a turn down a tiny road leading towards a long stretch of nothingness. Sophie had to admit the location was ideal for dumping a body. This realization did little to calm her stomach though.
“Here we go,” Lila muttered as the car pulled to the side of the road.
“But he can see us. Why would he dump a body when people are around?”
“It doesn’t know we’re hunters, so it’ll act like it’s having car trouble. They always play the same game.”
Lila parked the SUV a few yards from the silver compact. A man emerged from the car with a friendly wave at Lila who was exiting the SUV.
The man’s build was slight. With his balding head and average face, he was far from memorable. Sophie noticed immediately something wrong with his face though. It was like one face on top of another, fading back and forth. Not monstrous, as much as unsettling, Sophie still recoiled at the sight of it.