by Casey Lane
His eyes drift across my cheek. “My name is Dorin, and you have a little...” His pale fingers extend, and I lean away.
“Oh, man,” I whined as I wipe it with the side of my arm. It reeked of sulfur and rotting flesh. I hate this part of the job.
The job. This one. Demon hunting.
“That’s what I said,” I spoke through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw.
He sighed. “No you didn’t, you called me Rin, which is totally something you decided to do. I don’t call you Peaches McGee.”
“Peaches?” I snorted with the roll of my eyes. “Seriously?” I cocked my hip out to the side and wagged the gun in his direction.
He sighed with a nonchalant wave of his hand. “It was the first thing that popped into my head.”
I glared at him. “Why can’t I be something cool like Cherry Bomb?”
He nodded. “Okay, yeah, that’s much better.” He lifted the blade in his hand, and the moonlight slid along the smooth metal until it escaped at the tip.
“Right? I mean, I’m a little pissed that you didn’t put any effort into thinking up a nickname for me. Instead, you spit out a crappy name like Peaches; I don’t even like them.”
He scanned the dark sky, and his red eyes landed back on me. “Still, my name is Dorin, you chose to shorten it without my permission, and it’s been far too long since I ate food to remember much about it, but peaches were a delicacy, I’m shocked you hate them.”
“I like cherries, frozen, but you wouldn’t know that, would you?”
He sighed. “Oh, this again.”
I shook my head and inspected my gun. “It’s fine, really, it is. I don’t care if you want to know anything about me.” I muttered.
He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see why my asking means so much to you; I really don’t.”
“Of course you don’t. Why would it matter? We’re just partners, and we never know if we’re going to come back from a job, but whatever, right?” I muttered.
He leaned forward. “I feel like this is about something else.”
I shrugged, disregarding his feelings on the matter. “It fits you better.”
“What fits me?”
“Rin. I mean, Dorin might have been all the rage in year two.”
He bit his lip and released it. His brow furrowed. “It wasn’t year two; I was born in 1428.”
“I can’t imagine not having real toilets,” I said, lifting my chin and concealing a grin with the side of my hand.
He narrowed his eyes, ignoring my jabs. “You don’t even know your name.”
“I don’t mind being called Red, it’s easy and to the point.” I grinned. “And you should like Rin; it’s cool, much cooler than Dorin.”
He adjusted his stance. “Yes, that is something I’ve thought about for the last century.” He tapped his chin. “How do humans perceive me? Am I cool enough? Does my name do me justice?”
“Shut up,” I muttered with a short burst of laughter.
“I take it you missed?” he asked while eyeing my gun.
I scowled at him. For a vampire who seemed devoid of emotion, his sarcasm would rise at the worst times. I swear he lives to torture me.
I turned, waving the gun around in his face. He didn’t flinch, even though it was filled with rounds that were designed to take out the living dead, primarily demons, who had escaped hell and were wreaking havoc on humanity.
I tapped the muzzle of the gun against his chest. Rin’s red eyes remained locked onto mine.
“I don’t miss. You see the black goo on it, right?” I spoke with authority, although this job had proved to be challenging.
His beautiful eyes lifted heavenward. The winged beast cried out and lunged from the top of one building to the next. He pointed his pale finger upward, his skin glowing in the moonlight, making him otherworldly. I won’t lie, I found myself looking at him more and more, and I knew that I shouldn’t because I’m broken, I can feel it in my bones. I’m glad I don’t know why because the hollow feeling in my chest could only mean that whatever brought me here, to this place, doing this job, couldn’t have been good.
“Then what the shit is that?” he asked.
I snorted, and my eyebrow cocked. “What the shit is mine, find your own phrases, Rin.”
“It’s Dorin.” He repeated.
“That’s what I said.” I winked at him.
I rushed along the sidewalk, staring up at the night sky and listening for the beast. I stopped when I heard another cry off in the distance and turned to the right, gripping my gun firmly in my hands. Rin trailed behind, allowing me to hunt. It’s been a year since I became what I am now…a Hellhound, and no, I don’t go through any changes, I don’t have fangs or fur. I still look human, but I’m stronger and faster now. We’re assassins of the supernatural. We fight an invisible battle all around the humans in this city that never sleeps, and they don’t even know it. They have no idea that this battle rages on between heaven and hell, and we Hellhounds are stuck in the middle.
Rin is my partner, or Dorin, as he prefers to be called.
His story is an old one.
He was once called The Red Dragon. I guess Dorin was a great leader of Vlad the Impaler’s army. Yes, Vlad the Impaler, A.K.A, Dracula. So you can kind of guess how Dorin ended up all ‘I vânt to suck your blood.' Although he doesn’t do much sucking, he just drinks it from a fancy wine glass and makes irritating remarks about how I should care more than I do about myself. He says that I’m reckless, and maybe I am, but I prefer the word fearless, because I’ve already died, so what else is there to fear?
He spoke, breaking my train of thought. “I must insist that you use logic this time. Just be careful, Red.”
I stopped and stared at him. “Awe, Rin…are you trying to bond with me?” I placed the gun over my heart and winked at him. “I’m touched. Honestly, I am.” The wind caught my hair and slapped him across the face. He didn’t even blink. I wanted to laugh, but he spoke up before I could.
“I remember when you were clueless. I miss that.”
I blew a bubble and popped it. He grimaced. “You want some?” I asked as I removed the gum from my mouth and held it out to him. I knew he would be disgusted.
“No, I do not.”
I smiled and tossed it back into my mouth. “I remember that. I mean, waking up in purgatory would freak anyone out…well, anyone but you, I guess, or...” I tilted my head. “Come to think of it; I don’t know exactly what happened to you because you’ve never told me.” I walked away from him, and he followed close behind.
“Oh, is this what you’re mad at me about?” he asked.
I paused, refusing to face him. “Listen, if you don’t want to know me then that’s fine. Really, it’s totally cool, but don’t slip in little things like cute nicknames and shit if you don’t.”
“So you do like Peaches?”
“No! I like Cherry Bomb.” I said as I swung around and lifted my gun. He didn’t flinch.
“Do you mind?” He tilted his head. “Dorin, I suggest you move!”
I squeezed the trigger, and the beast took off out of the shadows and disappeared into the night sky. Rin had flashed to the left just in time, narrowly escaping the shots fired.
“Damn it.” I groaned as he looked me over.
“You almost shot me.” He reacted with little emotion.
“I said move; I thought that was enough.”
“Perhaps you should not be in my care.” I studied his somber expression. I hate it when he gets this way; it’s a downer.
“Don’t,” I muttered as I stared up at the sky and squinted, wrinkling my nose.
“Don’t what?” he asked.
I lowered my head and shook it. “That thing you do where you look at me like I’m wounded. I’m not. I’m totally fine, and you can stop trying to make me feel guilty, I hate that, too. You would know that if you paid attention to me at all.” My eyes lifted and locked onto his.
“I do pay atten
…”
I cut him off. “I’m a Hellhound, just like you.”
“Red, history is important; it makes us who we are. You need to embrace yours, and perhaps you’ll remember what happened before you were resurrected. Only you can do this; I can’t help you in this way.”
I lifted my wrist and waved it, showing off the scar. “I think I know exactly what happened. I decided to check out with a razor and ended up here with you guys paying the price.”
He stared at the scar on my wrist. “Every legend has a dark past, including me, including all of us, so yes, perhaps you did do this horrible thing, but you ended up here, with us, fighting for something more and making a difference.”
I laughed. “Legend? Me? No, you…” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “You are a legend, you led a vast army and killed the bad guys, including…” I paused, clearing my throat. “I mean, you did what you had to do, but me? I’m just someone who couldn’t handle living. I was given a second chance. I don’t know why because I don’t feel special at all. The rest of you are unique. I mean you killed Dracula. Gunner, he’s a Roman warrior who kicks some serious ass, and then there’s Ari and Finna, who are Viking royalty, Vikings, Rin…then there’s me.” I lifted my arm and dropped it at my side. “I don’t even know my name and the only clue I have about my life before all of this is the scars on my wrists. So excuse me if I just assume that I’m being punished.”
He lowered his head, and I felt regret. My words had stung him. I sighed. “Hey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything about, you know, Dracula.” I bit my lip and released it. “Finna told me about it, but she didn’t mean anything bad, and I asked, so it’s totally my fault. I was nosey, and I shouldn’t have been, but you hide so much from me, and it’s frustrating.”
His chin lifted, and the shadow receded on his face, exposing his sad eyes.
“We do as we need, not as we want. I had a duty to serve a greater cause, and I made a choice.”
His avoidance was infuriating. I opened up to him, and he came back with one of his trademark quotes. You would think he was vying for a spot on some “best philosophical quotes of all time” list. I wasn’t interested in his ability to teach me how he could rationalize. I wanted a real connection, I longed for it, but he refused to meet me even half way.
I cleared my throat. “Well, all I know is that we have a demon to kill and anything that happened before I ended up like this is irrelevant. I don’t remember anything before I woke up in purgatory. Obviously, I wasn’t having a very good time here, and I decided to check out, and now we’re besties, isn’t that awesome, Rin?” My eyes narrowed. “You know what? We should totally have a mani, pedi day after we bag this piece of shit. Treat ourselves to a little vacation. You know, just get away and enjoy some fun in the sun.” I laughed. Of course, he couldn’t be in the sunlight; it would kill him. Not everything they write about vampires rings true, but that pesky sunlight thing, well, it’ll turn a vamp into crispy bacon.
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. His shaggy black hair whipped around his face as the hot summer wind caught it. He was a good-looking man. His skin was flawless, his lips were full and his jawline chiseled. He had a small scar above his right eye that must have happened in battle before he was turned.
“You die, and I will probably have to train someone new, and that’s a ridiculous waste of my time.”
I shook my head and chuckled. I tapped the gun on the side of my leg. “Because time is something you don’t have enough of.” I retorted.
He didn’t say a word. I laughed.
“You need to work on your bedside manners, old man.”
He cocked his head. “Bedside manners?”
I lifted my finger and shushed him.
“Isn’t that something you would say to a doctor?” he asked.
I shushed him again and waved my hand. I lifted the gun and cupped it with my other hand while narrowing my eyes.
“Medical, correct?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s medical.”
He didn’t move an inch. “What?” I asked him.
“You make a lot of references of this sort.”
“Of what sort, Rin?”
“The medical kind, perhaps you need to dig deeper into the possibility that this may be a bit of your past bubbling up to the surface.”
I let out an irritating sigh. “Rin, listen. It’s been a year since I showed up here and nothing. I don’t remember a damn thing about who I was or what happened to me. All I know is what I do now, and to be honest, I’m cool with it.”
He shook his head. “Nothing good can come from burying the truth, trust me, I’ve fought that demon, and it cost me dearly.”
“Well, at least you were doing your job, unlike you are here with me.”
“You know exactly what I mean, Red. The longer you put this off, the longer you will struggle to fully accept your mission or to understand what role you play in all of this. Surely, you are curious. No Hellhound rises without a purpose.”
I rolled my eyes and refused to talk to him about a past that I couldn’t recall. “Don’t you hear that? I mean honestly, you’re a vampire, don’t you have super freakish hearing or something? Listen.”
“Hear what?” he asked and I cried out as two clawed feet dug into my shoulders and lifted me off of the ground.
“This!” I screamed down at him as my legs swung back and forth. “Damn it, Rin. Help me.”
“Oh.” He said as he jumped straight up into the air and spun, forcing his long black coat to fly out to the side. His leg extended and he caught the creature across the jaw with his size thirteen. The demon screamed in his direction, and he grimaced, covering his nose with the back of his hand as its putrid breath overtook him.
“Oh, that’s disgusting.” He muttered with the wrinkling of his nose.
“Hello! This isn’t the time to complain about the stench.” I yelled as he started to descend.
“You have a weapon! Use it.” Rin yelled as he gracefully landed on the ground and glared up at me.
“I’m not a big fan of this on the job training crap, Rin.”
“Listen, Cherry Bomb, shoot it now. Heart or head, dealer’s choice. End this, and we’ll do the manis thing.”
“You mean mani, Rin! It’s a manicure for our nails.” My voice cracked with aggravation.
He looked down at his hand and extended his fingers. “I don’t see why I need something like that.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not a matter of needing anything; it’s want, you insufferable....”
“May I suggest you kill it before it kills you?” he yelled up to me.
“Yes, yes you can suggest that,” I grumbled.
I lifted the gun and shot off a round and hit the beast in the shoulder and its black flesh started to crack and flake off. I pressed the trigger and shot off two more rounds, striking it in the upper chest and arm. The demon's claws dug into my shoulders. I hissed, and it climbed higher and higher. I squeezed the trigger, and nothing happened, I had exhausted my bullets. The demon cried out in pain as it started to transform. Black flesh lightened in patches to a pasty white, black eyes became blue, indistinguishable facial features began to transform into a males face…human, young, maybe twenty-five at best. One clawed foot changed into a human foot, and I dangled from his other leg as we hovered high above New York City. Finally, he gazed down at me, and I could see the glistening tears on his cheek. It tugged at my heartstrings. I tried to shake it off.
“What’s happening?” he asked in a meek tone. I grit my teeth, wishing that I had aimed better and shot it between the eyes, at least then he would’ve never known that he had turned into this hellish thing. I remember my confusion and fear when I woke up in purgatory after I died, surrounded by thick black woods and hushed whispers. I was terrified. I can’t imagine how he feels now as he hovers in the air, half human, half demonic beast.
“There! Land.” I yelled up at him as I pointed at the top of a b
uilding. He swung from side to side, holding onto me as I moaned. His claws dug into my flesh, tearing through muscle and reaching the bone. I gasped as he approached the top of the building and dropped me before he sputtered ahead and hit the black tarred surface with a thud, finally rolling to a stop. I hurriedly popped the clip out of my gun and slammed another one into it only pausing for one split-second to see the glowing bullets etched with angelic symbols of gold. I cocked it and then hit the ground with my right shoulder. I rolled out of the awkward landing and hissed, swaying on my feet. I reached up and fingered at the gaping wounds in my flesh. My fingers slid along the skintight black leather vest that I was wearing. The blood glistened on the surface of it and dripped down onto my matching pants. The thick soles of my industrial boots were the only thing that allowed me to stop. The white laces winding up the front of each one stood out against the deep black color and were now speckled with my blood. I struggled to remove my coat and let it drop to the ground, and it crumpled at my feet. I turned to face the boy as his black wings trembled behind him. He lay on his back spitting up curdled blood. The bullets had done their job, they were poisoning him, and soon he would be dead. They were designed to kill all supernatural beings, including us if need be.
I stumbled forward, feeling dizzy from the loss of blood until I reached him and had to witness his suffering. My vision blurred. I lifted my gun and took dead aim on his forehead, and he nodded to me. I may be an assassin, but I’m merciful. His whimpering was torturous. He moaned with such agony. “Please.” He whispered through blackened teeth. “Please help me, please.”
My hand trembled, and I swayed on my feet. Flashes of memory consumed my mind.
Laughter, smiling, a gentle hug. I could see a male’s face coming into view and a voice echoing on the wind. It made my whole body tremble as a strange sensation washed over me.
It was a feeling of happiness and relief. I could hear the sounds of the city. There were horns honking and people carrying on as if nothing was wrong. The overpowering feeling of something burning my throat and then warming my stomach.
