“Well, that certainly explains why you made the pact in the first place.” Meredith said before turning and looking up at John. “Well, Slayer, I can’t tell if you’re the luckiest man or not.” She said with a smile before turning around and placing her hands on her hips. “It’ll take me some time to look over what I gathered…” She suddenly sighed heavily. “And I think I’ve put off as much work today as they’ll let me. I’ll get to it as soon as I can, so in the meantime let me show you to your room!” The childlike happiness once again filled her voice. “Follow me!”
Meredith led them out into the hallway and back to the elevators. After summoning one and stepping inside, she reached up and slapped the button for the seventh floor. The machine sprung to life and quickly descended three floors down before coming to an abrupt stop. The seventh floor was much quieter than the fifth had been. The area was well lit and there didn’t seem to be anyone around at all. She led them down a main hallway, and then down another before she pushed all of her weight into the handle of a metal door. It flung open with little effort, revealing a large room within.
There were a few nice looking couches and chairs sitting around the room in front of a wide entertainment center with an even larger TV on top of it. In the corners of the room were what appeared to be old gaming cabinets and arcade tables. Instead of a bedroom, it had the look and feel of a recreation center or something of the sort. John had a feeling in the back of his mind that this was exactly the purpose of the room when no one was staying here.
“You still have this room?” Aerin asked as she walked around examining everything. She had a look of nostalgia on her face as she ran her fingers over some of the cabinets.
“Yep!” Meredith answered. “We use it as a rec room most of the time.” John had hit the nail on the head. “But we’re pretty much full, so the conjoined rooms here are yours.” She suddenly spun around and patted her sides. “Well, I got to get back to work! You two enjoy yourselves!” She said with a wink before skipping out the door.
The door slammed shut and John could feel a sudden tension fill the air. It wasn’t brought on by Meredith’s words; those didn’t have any effect on him, nor was it the fact that they were alone in a room together, as they had been in similar situations many times before. There was a strange feeling and it was coming from Aerin. John turned around and looked at her, and noticed that her gaze suddenly shifted away from his. He didn’t need an expert to tell him that something was wrong.
“Hey, what’s up?” He asked in as calm a voice as he could muster.
“Nothing.” Aerin answered flatly as she flopped down on the couch. She crossed her arms and continued to look away from him, a telltale sign that something was amiss. It was definitely something he had done.
“Hey.” He said as he sat down next to her. “I’m sorry.” He leaned his head back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. His sudden apology had caused her to stop pretending that nothing was the matter and look at him with genuine interest. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.” He sighed before looking back down at her. “I told you I wasn’t mad at you, you know that.”
“I know…” She idly said, not sounding too convinced.
“We’re in this together, right?” He playfully nudged her on the shoulder.
“Yeah, we are.” She sighed as he pushed her. She suddenly stood up from the couch and turned to face one of the doors that were on either side of the room. “I think I’m going to go take a shower.”
“That sounds like a good idea, I think I will too.” John stated as he stood. “By myself, of course.” He quickly clarified.
His remark caused Aerin to chuckle before she disappeared through the door in front of her, leaving John alone in the living room. A smile found its way to his face as he, too, turned to head into his own room. The door opened with little effort and revealed a much smaller room than the one he had come from, though it was still roomy. A large queen size bed dominated the entirety of the room with two nightstands flanking it on either side. There was a dresser and desk on one wall, and another door on the opposite end that lead to a bathroom. At the foot of the bed was John’s duffle bag that he had last seen in the back of the SUV. He bent down to pick it up and sat it on top of the bed before checking the contents inside. Everything looked to be in order, so he moved it to the desk before grabbing a quick change of clothes.
The bathroom was a bit larger than the one he had back at his apartment. All the normal amenities that a bathroom would contain were present: a sink, a toilet, and a shower. The sink was a standard size and was made of some kind of smooth stone. Above it was a fully stocked medicine cabinet that was filled with all sorts of useful items. The toilet was what one would expect; nothing too fancy, just a toilet. The shower was what really caught John’s attention. There were two curtains that hung above the shower, one a soft cream colored fabric that draped over the outside of the shower and another that was a light tan plastic. The inside of the shower was made of the same smooth stone that the sink had been forged from.
John quickly disrobed and stepped inside. The rock was soft to the touch on the walls, but strangely coarse on the floor. His feet had great traction, yet it did not hurt as one would expect. He inspected the controlling dial and lever that would activate the water’s flow and chose an appropriate setting. Warm water instantly poured down onto him from the spout above. John closed his eyes and let the water run all over him as he thought to himself. Meredith and her HUNTER group must do well for themselves if this shower was any indication.
After he had finished his shower, he stepped out and quickly dried off. As he did, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. The muscles in his arms had become slightly more defined than they once had been; all those days training with Aerin were finally paying off. His brown hair had grown just a little longer than the last time he had really paid attention. Two long strands still hung down on either side of his face, refusing to go anywhere lest they be cut; but John had grown accustomed to them by now, and felt that they gave him some form of identity or something of the like. He leaned in closer to the mirror and wiped away the fog that covered it from the heat that emanated from his body. His green eyes looked incredibly tired, seeing this he realized just how tired he actually was. Whether it was the plane ride or the fight during, he didn’t know. After putting on some fresh clothes, he made his way back out into the living room.
Aerin was curled up on the left side of the couch watching TV. Her hair was still wet, shining a darker blonde than usual and she had it draped over her right shoulder. Her upper half was covered by a T-shirt that looked to be a size too big for her. The neck was rather large and the left side dangled over her shoulder. Her legs were completely exposed by the rather small shorts that she wore. Sensing John’s presence in the room, she turned to him and motioned him over to the couch.
Sitting down felt incredibly relaxing to John for some reason; not moving was just what his body needed. The TV was on a news station and the reporter was talking about local events going on within the LA area. The program wasn’t exactly enthralling, but John felt it probably best to be informed on the goings on of the local area. After a while, though, he found himself nodding off. Each time his eyes would fully close he would suddenly snap back to attention. He did this a few more times before Aerin took notice.
“Are you okay?” She asked as she leaned over closer to him.
“Yeah, I’m… I’m just real tired for some reason.” He answered as he rubbed his forehead. There was a slight headache forming just above his eyes.
“You should go lay down then.” Aerin instructed. “I’ll probably be heading that way soon enough anyway.” She added.
“Alright.” Having heard all the words of encouragement he needed, he stood. “See you in the morning then.” He turned and waved his hand. “Night.”
The queen size bed was a lot more comfortable than it looked. The mattress had seemed to be very firm; but once J
ohn lay down on top of it, he found that it was very form fitting. The sheets and pillows that were on the bed were also very soft and fluffy. John quickly found himself drifting towards the brink once more, but this time he didn’t pull himself back. His dreams were a convoluted mess of the recent events that had taken place around him. He saw visions of magic and blades that danced around. It wasn’t a nightmare but a medley of all the events leading to that queen bed he lay on. Eventually his dreams drifted into something that could be considered more the norm.
The next morning a strange smell filled John’s nose. It was familiar, but very much distant. He didn’t know if he had smelled it in his dreams or if it was something bleeding over from waking life. Eventually the smell became so overpowering that his eyes opened and he was torn from the world of his mind. He was surprised, though he had experienced the same scene multiple times before, to see Aerin standing over him. Her left hand was placed on his mattress to stabilize her as she leaned over him and her right hand held something that was covered in a wrapper almost on top of John’s nose. He sniffed at the object and was soon filled with intense hunger.
“Good morning!” Aerin said in a cheerful voice as she pushed the object closer to John.
“Morning.” He returned the greeting as he quickly sat up in the bed. “What’s this?” He asked.
“Breakfast!” She answered with a smile as she handed the object to him. “I already had one, so this one is for you.”
“Oh. Thanks, Aerin.” He said as he took hold of the wrapped mystery. He smelled it once more and had a very good idea what it was. Opening it revealed a fresh, steaming sausage biscuit. “How did you know I liked these?” He asked, taking a large bite out of the biscuit’s side.
“Lucky guess.” Aerin shrugged. “Besides, who doesn’t?” Her reasoning was hard to argue with. “Hurry up and eat and put your clothes on!” Aerin said as she turned around. “Meredith wants to talk to us.”
While the biscuit hung from his mouth, John pulled a pair of pants from his bag and quickly slid them on. He pulled off his T-shirt, carefully making sure not to get any grease on it, and tossed it onto the desk before choosing an appropriate shirt for the day. The weather was supposed to be a little chilly outside, so he put on a thin sweater. After sliding on his shoes, he met up with Aerin by the elevators outside. The lift quickly carried them up to the tenth floor, and from there they made their way over to Meredith’s office.
Meredith had a sour look on her face as she held the large phone to her head. She silently sighed as John and Aerin entered the room before she motioned them to take a seat in front of them. She rolled her eyes as she attempted to end the conversation over the phone. Eventually slamming the phone down onto the receiver with a loud groan. She leaned back into her chair and propped her feet up on the desk just as she had done before.
“Okay, so here’s the deal.” She began, looking to John. “I can fix you. But, it’s going to take some time to figure out just exactly what’s wrong. So you two will have to stay here until I can.” She explained as she dropped her feet down and sat up in her chair. “In the meantime, I want you two to take care of some things for me.”
“I figured you would.” Aerin nodded.
“Seems fair.” John agreed. “What do you want us to do?”
“Right now I have a team downstairs getting ready for a mission.” Meredith stated. “I want you and Aerin to make sure they all come back safe.”
“Sounds easy enough.” John said glanced over to Aerin and she nodded in agreement. “What’s the mission?”
“They’ll fill you in when you get down to the garage.” Meredith said. “Don’t worry; it shouldn’t be anything you two can’t handle.”
“Alright then.” John stood from his chair. “Let’s get down there and see what’s up.” He said to Aerin as he offered to help her up. “We’ll take care of your boys for you.”
“Yeah, just leave them to us.” Aerin chimed in with a smile.
“Oh, wait!” Meredith suddenly called out to them before they could walk out the door. She leaned forward in her chair and opened a drawer on her desk. After fishing around for a moment she retrieved something small. “Take this with you.” She said as she tossed it across the room to John.
“Oh, sure.” John caught the object and began to inspect it. It was a small blue sphere that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. It had two dials on either side of it. One was covered in numbers while the other had odd symbols that John didn’t recognize. As he felt it, he noticed it was warm to the touch. “What is it?”
“It’s a spell.” Meredith answered. “I just need you to test it out for me. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while.” She added. “Also… be careful.”
“Will do.” John said as he pocketed the sphere before turning away and letting the large wooden door shut behind him.
John followed Aerin down the hallway to the elevator. Once inside, he pressed the button with the image of a small car on it. The mechanisms within the lift powered up and the elevator quickly sped down the shaft to the parking garage that waited below. The doors opened to a moderately dim lit concrete room. There were a few SUVs parked close by, similar to the one that John and Aerin had ridden in the day before. John scanned the room and found an SUV out of place over to the right of the elevator. There were four men standing behind it who were loading metal crates into the trunk. As John and Aerin approached, one of the men turned around and noticed them. He quickly finished what he was doing before rushing over to meet them.
“Hey there!” The man spoke with a heavy Australian accent. “You must be our new regional Slayer.”
He held his hand out for John to shake, which John promptly took hold of. His grip was firm and they shook a few times. He stood roughly about John’s height and looked no older than thirty or so. His hair was a light blonde, much lighter than Aerin’s nearly golden hair. His eyes were dark brown and full of enthusiasm. He wore a blue themed military urban camouflage outfit that was covered with pockets that seemed to be full of all sorts of things.
“Yeah, that’s me.” John replied as the man released his hand. “Name’s John.”
“Old Meredith told us all about you, John. I’m Lazarus.” He said before turning to Aerin. “It’s always a pleasure to see you Aerin.”
“It’s good to see you too, Lazarus.” Aerin replied. “Been a while, huh?”
“That it has.” Lazarus said with a sigh. “Alright then, let’s go show you off to the rest of the team.” Lazarus motioned for John to follow him and he was led over to the SUV where the other men were still busy. “Take a breather for a minute, boys.” On his command, the three men ceased their work and turned around to face him. “This here is John.” Lazarus said as he motioned beside him. “He’s our new resident Slayer, the one Meredith told us about. He’ll be watching our backs today, so make sure to watch his.” Lazarus stepped to the left and held his hand toward Aerin. “You all remember Aerin, right? She’ll be assisting as well, so treat her right. That’s an order.”
The three men nodded their heads in agreement as John got a good look at them. Two were white and one was black. Various satchels and pouches hung from their bodies and they stood in a way that radiated military backgrounds. Even though they had been told to take a break, they carried themselves in a way that seemed attentive. Just like Lazarus, they were all three clothed in the same kind of urban camouflage.
The dark skinned man stood just about an inch above John. Just like Vincent, his head was also either shaved or bald, and it reflected a little light from the fluorescent lights overhead. He had an angular jawline and eyes that seemed to strangely sparkle in the light. He suddenly stepped forward and held his hand out to John to shake. John took hold of it and found it to be slightly looser than the way Lazarus had shook, but his shakes were quick and definite.
“Man, sure is good to have another Slayer with us for a change.” He said as he shook. “Name’s Diamond.” He released
John’s hand. “I’m our team’s wheelman, and I don’t mean to brag… but I’m good at what I do.” He said with a smile.
“Yeah, alright.” The tallest of the three suddenly spoke as he approached John. “He can drive, but he can’t shoot for shit.” He spoke in a deep southern accent.
“Yeah, yeah.” Diamond shrugged off the larger man’s insult as he walked back over to the car. “Meredith don’t pay me to shoot.”
“You can call me Hatchet.” He said as he held out his hand. John took hold of it and felt an iron grip tighten around his hand. Quickly, Hatchet released John’s hand and crossed his arms. “I’m the heavy. If it’s big, and you can’t pick it up, it’s my area of expertise.” He added a strange southern twang to the last word.
John could definitely tell what the man said was true. He was nearly seven feet tall and his arms looked to be about as big as tree trunks. Hatchet’s body was huge, and all of it was muscle. His dirty blonde hair was cut into a short crew cut that spiked in the front. His eyes were a dark green, similar to John’s, and had a little scarring around them on his face, possibly from burns. Unlike the others in the group, Hatchet’s camouflage was different. He wore a plain blue T-shirt that was slightly frayed on the ends instead of the camouflage that the others were wearing.
The last member of the group walked up to John and held his hand out. John took hold and found it to be somewhere in between Lazarus and Diamond. He shook John’s hand up and down with precise movements before releasing his grip. He was short, standing just a bit above Aerin, about a head below John. He had black hair that was slicked back, be it from sweat or something else. His eyes were a darker color that John couldn’t really distinguish in the light, but he could tell they were sharp just by looking at them. He wore similar camouflage like the others, but his outfit had a few extra items. Around his neck was a black and white checkerboard scarf that was tattered at the ends and on his chest and waist were dozens of smaller pouches.
Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale Page 11
