Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale

by Nick Cranford

  “Yeah, sure.” He responded. Meredith tossed the box across the table to him.

  “It’s apple.” Meredith mentioned. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “Works for me.” John stabbed the small straw into the foil covered opening and quickly drank it down. It was sweeter than he imagined, and was gone faster than he’d hoped. “So what did you need to see me for?” He asked.

  “Just needed to do another scan.” Meredith answered. “I didn’t get to do a full one the first time, so I need to go over you again. If that’s okay with you.”

  “You won’t hear any objections from me.” John crumpled the empty juice box in his hands and tossed it over to a garbage can beside the desk.

  “Alrighty.” Meredith reached forward and turned the monitor off before climbing down from her chair. She quickly made her way around the desk and John watched her tiny, fluffy form cast small shadows on the wall in the lamp light. “Now hold real still.” She instructed once she had gotten in place.

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Meredith clapped her small hands together and created multiple Cyphers above and around John. Their sudden brightness illuminated the room nearly to the point of hurting John’s eyes. One larger Cypher slowly made its way down as it had before and John could once again feel Meredith peering inside of him. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he tried to once again familiarize himself with the feeling of a magical invader. The strange warm feeling slowly disappeared from him and he sat silently as Meredith did her work.

  “So what did you think of Sammy?” Meredith suddenly broke the silence. “Samuel?” John spoke his best without moving. “He’s definitely something else.”

  “Isn’t he though?” She almost giggled.

  “Is he your Slayer?” John closed his eyes and rested gently against the chair. Another Cypher had appeared just in front of his face, and its blue glow was shining directly into his eyes.

  “Yep!” There was pride in Meredith’s voice. “He’s been with me since…” She suddenly paused; along with her the Cyphers also ceased their slow spin. “Oh gosh, I can’t even remember. He’s been with me just a little longer than I’ve known Aerin.”

  “How long has that been?” John asked.

  “I’ll let her tell you that.” Meredith giggled. “Say, Sammy wasn’t too rough on you?” She asked as she leaned in close to John. “Was he?”

  “N-no.” John stuttered from her sudden close proximity. “He was fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “Good!” She said with a smile. “I was worried he’d be too tough on you.”

  “No, don’t worry about it.” John assured. “We had a good match. If so, I’d like to have another with him. Seems like there’s a lot I could learn.” He said.

  Meredith nodded in agreement with him as she continued her work. The conversation faded away for a while as she continued her scan. After a while John could feel a slight change within him, Meredith’s search had slowed down just a bit. She no longer scanned through him with the quick precision that she had been using earlier. Something seemed to be preoccupying her thoughts. Just before he made a motion to ask her what was on her mind, she suddenly spoke.

  “Hey.” She said, once again breaking the silence. “I was wondering…”

  “What about?” John asked.

  “I was talking to Aerin and she was worried about something. She told me that you didn’t hesitate when you made the pact, not even a little.” There was no hint of childish intent in her voice anymore. It was like when he had first met her in the airport; her personality had changed, though there seemed to be great concern in her voice. “Normally it takes a person a little while to get used to becoming a Slayer, but you took to it instantly.” Meredith paused. “Why?” She asked.

  “Why?” John repeated her question. “I don’t know.” He made a generic response, but could tell that she expected to hear more from him. “There wasn’t much time and it seemed like a good deal.” John thought for a moment. “Besides, I…” He suddenly stopped himself. “What does it matter?”

  “It matters to me.” Meredith said something John hadn’t expected. “I want to know what makes you tick, what makes John who he is.” She said. “There’s any number of things that could be causing your magic block, let’s figure this out together.”

  “I…” John hadn’t expected to hear any of that. He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. “Okay.” He said as he exhaled. “I lived alone in Station, my parents died when I was young. I had to fend for myself since I was a kid, so I got used to being a loner. I…” John stopped again. There was an odd look on his face, something between confusion and pain. His normal cool composure was completely shattered. “Sorry, I’ve never… I’m not used to talking like this.” He explained.

  “It’s okay.” Meredith said calmly. The Cyphers around John vanished and she moved around and climbed up on top of the desk. “Keep going.”

  “Alright.” John nodded. “When I was old enough, I started working. I got a place to live and bought my first car.” He stopped as he remembered something nice. “It was a 69 Dodge Charger; that car was my life.” He said with a smile. “It was a rust bucket, but I fixed it up and got a job as a courier.” John leaned forward and sighed. “It was a good job, even if I was alone. I enjoyed it.” John suddenly stopped as his face changed. “One day I met someone. She… She changed me.” He said. “I enjoyed her company; she enjoyed mine. But then…” John stopped once more. A memory welled up inside of him slowly as he felt his vision get a little blurry. There was a cold, sterile room with an empty bed in the center, sheets folded neatly on the mattress. “Sorry, it’s…”

  “You don’t have to keep going.” Meredith stopped him. “I understand.” She closed her eyes and leaned back on the desk. “Losing someone does things to you.” She stated. “Believe me, I know.” She sighed and leaned forward. “You should head back to your room and get some rest.” She stated as she dropped down from her desk.

  “Are you sure?” John asked.

  “Yeah.” Meredith replied. “Go have some sweet dreams, John.”

  “That sounds like a pretty good idea.” John said as he stood from his seat. He started over toward the door but quickly stopped himself. “Hey, Meredith.” He said.

  “Yeah?” She replied as she climbed up into her chair.

  “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.” Meredith said with a wink.

  Chapter Nine

  John leaned back into the cushion behind his head as he lifted the remote control into the air once more. He held the button down and scrolled from channel to channel in the hopes of finding something of interest that might help pass the time. He sighed and allowed himself to sink just a little farther into the couch beneath him as he realized that there was nothing on TV. Pressing the power button on the remote, he tossed it to the coffee table. With a stretch of his arms, he let out a long yawn as he shifted around. His body felt incredibly tired, even though he had done nothing all day. With the room silent once more, save for the ticking of the clock on the wall, John began to drift in and out as drowsiness took hold of him.

  “You sleeping there, mate?”

  A voice suddenly broke the silence. John opened his eyes to see Lazarus looking down at him from behind the couch, a smile on his face. He hadn’t seen the man since they had parted ways after the battle. Lazarus had a few bandages on his arms where his sleeves had been rolled up, but looked to have recovered well. He wasn’t in the same military garb John had seen him in the other day, but was now dressed casually in a long sleeve black t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. John yawned at the Australian’s question and rolled over away from him slowly. “Not quite…” He mumbled.

  “That’s too bad.” Lazarus remarked before falling silent again. Suddenly he brought his hands down hard onto the back of the couch. The disturbance made John jump, forcing him wide awake. “Say.” Lazarus spoke again. “You know where Aerin ran off to?”

 
; “Went out with Meredith this morning.” John grumbled under his breath as he sat up slowly. “Didn’t say why, just said it was important.” He added. “Why?”

  “That is unfortunate.” Lazarus scratched his chin. “Guess I’ll have to catch her later.” He suddenly clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Least I got you!” He said with a smile.

  “Lazarus what are you talking about?” John was completely lost. “You hungry, mate?” Lazarus asked, ignoring John’s confusion. “A little.” John answered before realizing he was still getting nowhere. “Why?”

  “Let’s go get some lunch.” Lazarus nodded towards the door behind him. “Come on, my treat!”

  John let out a short sigh and shook his head as he stood. Lazarus had interrupted his would be nap, but a free lunch was well worth the disturbance. He stretched his arms and legs briefly before turning and following Lazarus out into the hallway. A quick elevator ride down to the ground floor took them through the lobby and out onto the city streets. A cool wind blew down the road, funneled in through the massive buildings like a wind tunnel. John turned his collar against the cold as he followed along behind Lazarus. The city was alive and bustling with the on goings of day-to-day life. The streets and sidewalks were filled with people moving to and fro. Lazarus led John down the street about a block before crossing over to a park across the way.

  “So why lunch? And why me?” John asked as they walked along.

  “I wanted to thank you for the other day.” Lazarus answered back in as thick of an Australian accent as he always did. “I’d like to say we could’ve handled ourselves, but you really saved our asses.”

  “Don’t thank me too much.” John said, speeding up to walk beside the older man. “Without that spell that Meredith gave me, I don’t think I could’ve taken it down.”

  “Yeah, I know, mate.” Lazarus agreed. “I already had a chat with her.” He stated before suddenly changing his tune. “She played coy like always.”

  “You too?” John asked as he remembered a similar encounter with the small girl.

  “She’s always like that.” Lazarus shoved his hands into his pockets. “All dark and mysterious...” He shook his head and let out a small laugh. “Hell, maybe if I was an Angel I would be too.”

  Lazarus took a right and headed into the park. John followed closely beside him, and as he did he got a good look at the surroundings. It was an odd sight, seeing so many trees in the shadows of a couple dozen massive skyscrapers; but then again, many cities had parks within them, including Station back home. There was a small pond in the center of the park with a wooden bridge that spanned its length. John watched both children and adults alike playing about the park. Some had picnics while others sailed remote controlled boats through the waters, John even spotted a couple of old men playing chess over across the way. Lazarus led John across the wooden bridge before the path took them out the other side of the park.

  “Heard you gave the boss a run for his money the other day.” Lazarus spoke up over the sound of heavy traffic beside them.

  “Samuel?” John responded. “You heard about that?” He asked.

  “Hell yeah, mate!” Lazarus grinned. “Whole building was talking about. Said it was a good fight too, wish I could’ve seen it.”

  “If that’s what you want to call it.” John shrugged, thinking back to his encounter with the Slayer. “He played me though, big time.”

  “Come on now. You can’t expect to beat him on your first try.” Lazarus made an attempt to boost John’s spirit. “Boss man’s been doing this for years now. How long have you been a Slayer?” He asked.

  “I dunno, few weeks now? Getting close to a month, I think.” John thought aloud.

  “Exactly.” Lazarus said. “Can’t expect to take the big man on right out the gate.” He bumped John in the shoulder with his elbow. “You gotta learn how to walk before you can crawl.” Suddenly Lazarus stopped. “Dammit.” He muttered. “You know what I mean.”

  Lazarus’ attempt at cheering him up caused John to let out a small laugh as he shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, I hear you.”

  Lazarus once again turned down another street; but unlike the others, this one was relatively calm. There was little vehicular traffic on the road ahead; instead it was mostly occupied by pedestrians moving about the various shops that lined the lower sections of the massive buildings. Up ahead there was a truck parked almost all the way up onto the curb. There was an awning on one side and a dozen or so plastic tables and chairs next to it. After a quick survey, John could tell that it was a food truck. Lazarus immediately hopped in line and ordered for the both of them. He brought back two paper bags containing the juiciest looking cheeseburgers John had ever laid eyes on. Quickly, they unwrapped their food and began to dig in.

  “So tell me about… yourself, mate.” Lazarus said in between bites. “What’s your story?”

  John swallowed what he was chewing and took a sip from the Styrofoam cup beside him. “Born and raised in Station.” He stated.

  “Never been there.” Lazarus took a drink from his own cup. “Got any family?”

  “Nope.” John answered with a shake of his head. “Parents died when I was a kid.”

  “Raised yourself then?” Lazarus asked after taking another chunk out of his burger.

  “After the city took me in, yeah.” John nodded. “Grew up an orphan, what about you?”

  “Grew up in Sydney, if you couldn’t tell.” Lazarus said with a smile. “Mother died when I was young so my Father raised me.” Lazarus took another drink before sighing. “He was a real piece of work too. When he died, I got some money together and moved to the US. Joined the military, did a few tours, then got picked up by Old Meredith.”

  “So that’s how you became a Hunter?” John asked as he moved to finish the last of his fries.

  “Sure is.” Lazarus nodded. He suddenly leaned forward over the table. “To be honest, I thought it was all a set up.” He spoke softly. “I mean, hell, a little girl came up to me and offered me a job hunting demons.” Lazarus’ voice began to grow louder as he spoke. “How many little girls do you see handing out mercenary work?!”

  John chuckled a bit at the man’s words. “I really couldn’t say.”

  “Well, I signed on and the rest is history.” Lazarus leaned back in his chair once more. He rolled up all of his garbage into a neat little ball and tossed it into the nearest garbage can. “So how did a guy like you end up hooked up with Aerin anyway?”

  “I’d hardly say we’re hooked up.” John rolled his garbage up in a similar fashion. “But, alright.” He tossed his garbage away before leaning back and crossing his arms. “Long story short, she killed me.”

  “She… what?” Lazarus had a very puzzled look on his face.

  “Yep.” John answered flatly. “Blew me and my car to pieces on the night we met.” He stated. “Not on purpose though.” John quickly assured as he could see the confusion on Lazarus’ face. “Just a case of being in the wrong place at the right time.”

  “Christ, mate.” Lazarus took a moment to absorb the information. “So then… you’re dead? He asked, eyeing John up and down slowly.

  “As dead as you can get.” John responded. “Well, probably not, but you get the idea.”

  “Never had the chance to meet a dead guy before.” Lazarus observed as he rubbed his chin.

  “It’s nothing special.” John quickly stated. “From what I gather, she fixed me up and tethered my soul to hers.” He shook his head. “Don’t really know how it works.”

  “Well, as long as it does work. Right?” Lazarus mused.

  “Exactly.” John agreed. “It’s pretty much the same as being alive, only problem is something went wrong and I can’t use magic like I should.”

  “Yeah, I’d heard about that.” Lazarus stated. “Don’t you worry; Old Meredith will fix you right up, mate.”

  “I’m sure she will.” John nodded as he looked around slowly. “It’s just taking a lit
tle while.”

  “Yeah.” Lazarus reached down and pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. “Damn.” He muttered. “Well, mate, it’s been fun but I’ve got to get out of here.” He suddenly stood from his chair and motioned with his thumb. “You remember the way back?”

  “Yeah.” John responded. “Hey, thanks for lunch. If you ever need a hand again, I’ll be glad to help out.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, mate.” Lazarus said as he turned to leave. He held his hand up in a wave as he ran off in a direction they hadn’t come from.

  John sat there for a moment and took in the peaceful atmosphere that the street gave off. Few cars drove past as pedestrians made their way along the sidewalks beside the park. The area was very relaxing and John felt that he could stay there all day, but he needed to head back. He stood from his seat and made his way over toward the food truck once more. The cheeseburger he had eaten was delicious, and he knew a certain Angel that would love to sink her teeth into one. He traded the man inside of the truck a few dollars for a brown paper bag full of cholesterol that was sure to put a smile on Aerin’s face.

  The walk back through the park was fast. John walked along the cobbled pathway as he retraced his steps from earlier. He turned left at the park’s exit and made his way out onto one of the busier streets within Los Angeles. A few blocks down, John could already see the HUNTER building in the distance. It struck him as funny at just how unassuming the building actually looked. From a distance no one would suspect it to be anything more than a simple office building within a sea of others just like it. Despite knowing how they operated, it still struck John as odd at how a company devoted to hunting demons could run right in the center of LA. Not only that, it was strange that so much of spiritual world was something hidden from the public at large. There were so many things that John still had yet to understand.