by M A Roth
Daniel
I entered the base needing to get some rest. My arm still hurt and only sleep would heal it.
“Did you have to save Abigail again?” My body tensed at Cathy’s words, I hated how she treated Abigail. I would have snapped her neck in a second, only Abigail would be upset. I really couldn’t understand why she even liked Cathy.
I turned around and gave Cathy a full stare that made her squirm. She was attractive, but her soul was poisoned with bitterness and she wasn’t Abigail.
“No. What are you doing here?” I made my tone sound calm, but my hands itched to reach out and hurt her.
“Great to see you too, Daniel.” She scowled at me before turning on six-inch heels and made her way to the kitchen. She hated rejection and for some unknown reason, seemed to crave my attention. Abigail said she fancied me. I think she craved my attention to piss Abigail off.
I locked my bedroom door behind me and lay down on my unmade bed before closing my eyes and falling asleep.
I woke up feeling better and looked at the clock, it was 1:30 in the morning. I should have been watching her, not sleeping. I dressed quickly and left. It was quiet at the base, everyone there was asleep.
I pushed my bike a bit away from the building before starting it and made the fifteen-minute journey to Abigail’s. I stashed my bike under some bushes, the same place I left it every time and walked to my usual spot. Not many were around tonight. I relaxed against the wall and focused. I could hear her door slam and the pounding of her heart. I raced as the main building door opened and a young guy walked out. I grabbed him before he knew it and pinned him against the wall.
“What are you doing here?” I kept one arm across his throat, letting him know I would crush his windpipe if he forced me. But I didn’t expect the bitter smirk on his face.
“At last we meet, Daniel. I needed to see what made you turn away from the rest of us.” I didn’t let him go.
“So you’re one of mine? Thank God, you’re okay,” I said, but my words were laced with sarcasm.
“God doesn’t exist, but you already know that. Now, get your hands off me.”
I did the opposite; I pushed my arm tight against his throat.
“Keep away from her, or I will kill you.” It wasn’t an idle threat and from the look on his face, he knew it.
“Fine.” The word was barely audible, but I let him go and watched as he sucked in air.
“What did you say to her?” I was worried but hid it from him.
“I just introduced myself.” He smirked again, and I took a threatening step towards him. He raised both hands. “As Blake, the new demon hunter. That’s it, okay? Relax.”
I pushed him hard against the wall. His head bounced back, and he winced with the force.
“Don’t ever tell me to relax.”
His face was red with anger, but I walked away and resumed watching from my spot. He left, his hands balled into fists, throwing glances my way. I needed to get rid of him or he could ruin everything. It was another hour before I heard her going to her bedroom.
Chapter Five
Abigail
I woke with a pounding headache. Really, it was nothing new, yet regret washed over me for drinking too much. Stumbling from my disheveled bed, I almost tripped over the blankets that had woven themselves around me, like a web holding its prey. I fought my way out and kicked the quilts, feeling irritated that this was the way my day was going to start. I began to tidy my room by closing the drawers of my dresser and removing clothes that I had hung on the door of my wardrobe, not actually getting them to their designated place inside it. I let out a groan, giving up and went into the kitchen. When it came into view, I let out another groan while holding my head. A shattered phone, an empty vodka bottle, and a knife. A shiver raced up my spine, alerting me. I did a full three-sixty, but nothing was there. Most times, it meant that a spirit was around, but not that morning; it was the memory of the knife in my hand, almost killing Blake. The biggest question I had was, how the hell did it get there in the first place? I had no recollection of picking it up, but I didn’t have much recollection of anything once half the bottle of vodka filled my stomach last night, until Blake. My head pounded, so I stopped my thought process and retrieved two painkillers. While dropping them into the palm of my hand, I let out another heavy sigh. My hands were coated in dry blood, I hadn’t cleaned them last night. Instead of washing my hands, I looked for a glass, but they were all dirty. Typical. Filling a mug with water, I threw the pills into my mouth and washed them down, before rinsing my hands off under a stream of cold water.
A phone started to ring, making me turn off the tap and dry my hands on the dishtowel. I looked at mine on the floor, it most certainly wasn’t coming from that one, as I knew it would never work again. I followed the sound and ended up in my hallway. A brown envelope had been pushed through the letterbox. Bending down made me dizzy, and I winced in pain. I really hoped the painkillers kicked in soon. My hands weren’t sore anymore but stung from the cold water. I tore open the envelope and flipped open the new, yet identical phone to the one I that lay on the floor in pieces. Not looking at the caller ID, I assumed it was Zee.
“Open the door, and it better be coffee that I smell, sleeping beauty.” Cathy’s scratchy voice made my head throb even more. I held the phone to my chest while opening the door slightly; Cathy barged in, nearly smacking me into the wall. She closed her phone and stuffed it into her long, purple coat pocket. Really, the color was blinding, and the smell of lemons washed past me as she made her way into the kitchen.
“Jesus, Abby, how do you live like this!” she said as I closed the door behind her.
This day was getting worse, and it was only eleven in the morning. I followed the aroma of lemons to my kitchen and slumped down in the chair, placing my head in my hands and looked at Cathy through my fingers.
“Did you say something about coffee?” I asked as nicely as possible.
Cathy flicked her long, red curly hair over her shoulder while shaking her head at me in disgust. “You really need to clean this place up, or I swear, you’ll catch something.”
She picked up a mug that I knew was ringed in coffee stains, holding it by its handle with the tips of her perfectly painted red nails; and let it fall into the sink with a large bang.
“Cathy, please, go easy. My head.”
Her hand went straight to her hip, and I knew I was in for a telling off. “Your head? Have you any idea what you’re putting Zee through?”
That was it, I couldn’t listen to this.
“Leave him out of this.” I stood. Being at a lower level gave me the feeling of being trapped, allowing her to look down at me was not an option; I felt better being at eye level with her. “I mean it,” I warned as her red lips started to move again.
She closed her mouth quickly and continued to make the coffee while, painfully, banging and mumbling about the filth and dirt and how she didn’t even know how I was alive.
I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind of all the stuff that was swimming around in there. The sound of a mug scratching across the table, made me look up at the piping cup of coffee.
I let out a sigh as the first taste of caffeine filled my senses. Cathy sat across from me, holding her mug, but she hadn’t drank from it yet. Maybe she wouldn’t in case she caught something.
Cathy’s face softened, making her blue eyes look large and innocent. This made my body stiffen; I couldn’t do nice Cathy, not now. I loved the bitch. I knew the bitch. She was predictable and annoying, but I couldn’t take nice Cathy. That meant sympathy.
“I was thinking,” she started out gently.
“You really shouldn’t think, Cathy. Leave that to the rest of us,” I said as sweetly as I could. She was like a cat being provoked.
Her whole body arched. Her face became her normal snarl and her eyes turned to slits. I smiled, self-content. That was more like it.
“Fine, get your shit together. Fath
er Peter is waiting for you at the base.” She stood, putting her coat back on. “I’ll be in the car. If you’re not out in ten minutes, I’ll tell Zee and Father Peter about the state of this place and that you’re drinking yourself into the ground.” She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I could hear the pane of glass rattle and held my breath, waiting for the crash to happen, but thankfully it didn’t. The glass had become loose from all the bangs it has endured over all the years. It was something that I must get Zee to take a look at before it ended up on my hall floor. Cathy’s remark about Zee made me grind my teeth. She was always interfering with stuff that she didn’t know or understand. Zee and I, well … it was complicated.
“Bitch,” I mumbled as I stuck my feet into my boots, which I had managed to take off at some stage last night.
I swallowed a large mouthful of coffee, burning my tongue. I went to the bathroom and washed my hands of what was left of the blood. I watched the water turn slightly pink as it swirled down the sinkhole. On the way out, I grabbed my bank card, phone, and keys, locking the door behind me. There was nothing to rob, but I didn’t need any surprises when I returned home.
I climbed into Cathy’s VW Beatle. It was perfect, almost like brand new and the smell of the forest tree air freshener made my head hurt. She turned as I slouched lower, taking in my appearance. Disheveled hair, half of it in its original bun and the other half scattered everywhere, not a scratch of makeup and the same clothes I had slept in. I knew my brown eyes would most likely be bloodshot from all the alcohol consumption.
Cathy’s mouth fell open. “Have you no shame, Abby?” she asked, shaking her head as she jammed the keys in the ignition. She had serious issues with appearances. “People will think you’re homeless,” she continued the whole way on the road, but I zoned her out. She really could talk when she wanted to, and she loved her clothes. But me, I didn’t really give a shit. Once it fit and was comfortable, I didn’t care.
We arrived at the industrial estate and parked at the back of the building that Father Peter owned. It was a plain building with no windows. It looked inconspicuous. A furniture warehouse sat to our left and green fields to our right that still held a steel fencing and a half-built building that someone started and hadn’t finished. More than likely the person had run out of funds. It had been like that for as long as I could remember.
I climbed out as Cathy hit the clicker that locked her car, making the lights flash briefly.
“Did you meet the new guy Blake yet?” I asked.
Instantly, Cathy’s interest heightened. “We have a new guy? Is he cute?” One perfect eyebrow rose high.
“No, he’s not cute. I nearly killed him last night when he arrived at my place.”
Cathy stopped walking. “What? You tried to kill him?”
“No, I had too much to drink and woke up to him standing over me.” I tried to brush it off, already regretting bringing up the conversation.
“What was the new guy doing at your place? Oh, is this why he isn’t cute?” I would have loved to smack her one-track head.
“No, really, he’s all yours and he was checking up on me. Come on, Father Peter is waiting,” I said
“So is Zee,” Cathy threw back in her bitchy voice.
Taking the steel steps two at a time, I pulled the door open and smiled down at Cathy who was only starting her climb in her six-inch red heels. I let the door slam behind me, feeling self-satisfied and walked to the small cubicles that had been erected to divide the large floor into sections.
It was divided into sleeping quarters, a gym, offices, small study rooms, and some parts of the building was left empty, or just for storage of files, dating back to god only knows when. The main room was the kitchen and sitting area that we called the Den. This is where all the noise was coming from, confirming that everyone was there. I pushed open the door and entered, scanning the room quickly.
Father Peter sat beside Zee and Simon, as Blake, the new guy, talked away. The conversation died when they noticed me.
“Please, don’t stop on my account,” I said, as Father Peter stood and hugged me fiercely.
I hadn’t seen him in a while. Guilt and a pang of homesickness set in. He was a good man, one who took me in when I was just eleven. My family died when I was ten. I was taken from foster home to foster home and nobody seemed to want me. Well, once I told them about the things I’ve seen in their homes, I was pushed off quickly to the next set of foster parents.
One day, Father Peter arrived at my foster parents' house, I can’t even remember their names - there were so many of them. He had sat me down and explained that he ran an organization for orphaned children and that it was a special one. One for children with special abilities. His kind face and warm smile made me like him. However, what won me over was when he told me he believed that I could see spirits. The feeling was hard to explain, especially at the age of eleven, after being called a liar my whole life. Now there was someone who believed me. I left with Father Peter and my foster parents didn’t argue for a second. I think they were happy to see me go. I have never looked back since he took me away from that life and gave me a new one.
He leaned back still holding my arms. “Abigail, you look tired.” He sniffed the air around me. “Have you been drinking?” Worry creased his brows.
Cathy plowed into the room, clinking away on her high heels. Her face was flushed from the stairs and she looked pissed at me for not waiting for her. But what did she expect with her attitude?
“A whole bottle of vodka, Father.” She turned to the only other person in the room who she didn’t know, she must have assumed it was Blake, and she was right. “Isn’t that right?”
Chapter Six
Abigail
Everyone looked at Blake, and Zee nearly bored a hole through him.
“Blake?” Father Peter questioned.
“She just had one drink with me. I went over last night to say hi and introduce myself,” he said off handily. So no-one had sent him, he was up to no good. Zee’s blue eyes turned to mine. I didn’t see anger in them now, but a question. I shook my head to let him know we’d talk later.
Cathy, on the other hand, wasn’t giving up. “You must drink out of buckets if it was only one. The bottle was empty and the state of the place ... really, Father, it’s like a bomb scare,” she said, giving me a smirk that was out of Father Peter’s eye range.
I ignored her bitchiness. “Really, I’m fine. It was one drink, just like Blake said.” I turned to Blake, giving him a hard look. “And you know I’m not the tidiest person in the world.” Father Peter nodded, but it wasn’t exactly full of conviction. He just knew it was a losing battle.
“Okay, let’s get started!” he said, sitting on the settee while he turned off the TV.
I turned to Cathy and gave her my best evil smile to let her know I had won.
Cathy wedged herself between Blake and Simon.
“Hi, I’m Cathy, it’s really great to meet you,” she said, sounding almost pleasant. Blake didn’t look that entertained.
“Hi,” he said back.
I almost laughed as a blush rose in Cathy’s cheeks at the outright dismissal.
“We shall get started,” Father Peter said to end all the chit-chat. I sat down on a single armchair across from him and Zee. “Firstly, we have a new addition to the team.” Father Peter gestured to Blake. “Blake was transferred to us, so I expect every one of you to be nice to him and make him feel welcome.” I got the stern look and gave an innocent look back to Father Peter as if to say I am always nice.
“Now, moving on. The rota is up for your teammates for next week. They have been mixed and Steven faxed them here this morning. He was very stern about telling you that you must stick to the Rota.” my stomach tightened; this meant I wouldn’t be with Zee. I just knew by the sympathetic look that Father Peter gave me when he thought the rest weren’t looking. Simon was the first to jump up and race to the pin board. He seemed e
xcited until his eyes roamed across the rota. Simon was our ray of sunshine and with his blond curly hair and easy banter, he was easy to get on with. Once he started to read the rota, his shoulders slumped, but when he turned, he tried to hide his disappointment. “It looks like you’re stuck with me, Father.”
“Read out the rest, Simon,” Father Peter said, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile. He knew Simon loved being with me or Zee, but that rarely happened.
“Cathy, you’re with Daniel.”
Cathy gave me a triumphant smile.
So that left me and Blake.
“Abigail and Blake,” Simon read out just to clarify. I tried to hide my panic, I couldn’t do this without Zee and I didn’t know Blake yet or trust him to protect me. Mostly, the protection was from me.
“So that’s all for now. Daniel and Abigail, can I have a word?” Father Peter stood, and me and Zee followed him as Simon turned on the TV and Cathy tried once again to talk to Blake. We moved down the hallway to Father Peter’s office.
We each took a seat in front of his large mahogany desk, it wasn’t often that he called anyone in there. Being summoned mostly meant you were in big trouble and it came all the way from the Reote in Rome. It was a religious organization that was kept secret. Reote stood for Rid Earth of the Evil. It was funny that they couldn’t be more original, but they were well organized and very dedicated to what they did.
I loved the smell of the office. All the walls were covered by old books, mainly, about religion. The smell of must stuck to everything. A Velux above his desk brought fresh sunlight into the room, making me wince. Normally, it was something I loved about the room, but not today. An old style computer sat on the desk, its window on standby, the swirls of colors making me feel dizzy. I looked away.
