Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale

by Nick Cranford

  As it raised its claws to bring down on the windshield, John sprang into action. He reached over and pulled the model 1911 pistol from Lazarus' hip. He froze briefly as he examined the weapon, but then something clicked in his mind. John flipped the safety off on the side of the gun and pulled the slide back, chambering a new round. He held the gun close to the windshield and fired three rounds through the glass. They all struck the creature center of mass and it tumbled off the hood and fell underneath the wheel. John slid back into his seat, his ears ringing from the gunshots, and returned the pistol to its holster.

  "Nice." Lazarus praised.

  "Gemini Actual, this is Virgo 1." The radio spoke again. "The front door is clear for now. We'll hold for thirty seconds."

  "Get your asses in here!"

  The Charger shot around the front side of the building toward their destination. In the rear view mirror, John could see hundreds of shadowy figures converging toward them. Lazarus suddenly pulled up on the E-brake and turned the wheel hard. The Charger spun around to the right until it was facing the horde that was bearing down upon them. He dropped the E-brake, threw the car in reverse, and sped backwards. When the two glass doors were close by, Lazarus cut the wheel hard, sending the car heading right for them.

  "Hold on!" Lazarus shouted.

  John pushed his feet against the floor as hard as he could while gripping the door and the console. The glass doors yielded with little effort and they exploded into a million pieces as the car passed through them. Lazarus did his best to hit the brakes, but the vehicle was going too fast. It continued backwards before plowing through the large wooden desk that had been the receptionist's home. Wood splintered and blew apart as the car came to rest within it. John managed to open his eyes long enough to see a black wall appear in front of the door. It raised high into the sky and connected with the others, sealing the building in.

  "Detonation in 3..."

  "2..."

  "1."

  The room shook violently as four detonations resounded around the building. Anything the Charger hadn't knocked over as it tore through the room fell down from the quake that rocked the room back and forth. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped, and the dust began to settle. John forced his door open, pushing parts of what used to be the desk away, as Lazarus did the same. In front of them, John could see someone standing over near where the door had been. It was a man clothed in the same urban camo Lazarus wore. He held a large staff in both hands that was adorned with a jewel of some kind that seemed to glow and pulsate every so often. As John examined him more, he realized he had seen the man before.

  "Yo, Virgo." Lazarus called out as he shut the car door.

  "Barely made it." The man stated.

  "Yeah..." Lazarus rubbed the back of his head as he gazed toward the door. "Thanks for holding it open for us, mate."

  "Not a problem." The man said. "Another few seconds though and I would've had to shut it on you."

  "Glad we got here when we did then." Lazarus shook his head as he surveyed the room. "Say, is the building clear?"

  "Yeah, no one inside but us." The man answered.

  "Great." Lazarus slapped the man on the shoulder before turning his attention toward John. "Come on, John."

  Lazarus patted the hood of the Charger and walked around behind it toward the elevators. John quickly made his way over to Lazarus, who had already summoned the lift. To John's surprise, the doors opened and they stepped inside. Lazarus hit the button for the tenth floor and the doors closed shut as the machine beneath them groaned to life.

  "Hey..." Lazarus said more timid than usual.

  "What's up?" John asked.

  "Sorry about your car, mate."

  "Are you kidding me? That was some sick ass driving you did."

  "You think?" Lazarus sounded relieved as a smile crept up on his face. "Really could work on my parking though." He grinned, eliciting a laugh from John. "We need to find Meredith, find out how bad things are."

  "Right." John agreed.

  The ticker above the door stopped on the number ten, their floor. The doors slid open to reveal a figure standing between them and the large oak doors at the end of the hallway. Before John could react, Lazarus had already drawn his pistol. The next few seconds went by fast. Lazarus raised the gun and fired multiple rounds. John couldn't count how many he had shot, but Lazarus wasn't able to empty the mag. A white blur flew at him at speeds John couldn't keep up with. The object struck Lazarus in the stomach and forced him back against the wall of the elevator. He dropped the pistol and coughed up a shotgun blast of blood onto the white spike that impaled his abdomen.

  John looked at Lazarus and then quickly looked down the hallway at his attacker. She stood the same height as Meredith with hair white as snow. The girl turned to face him, brushing her pale hair from her face. She had a very disinterested expression as she spoke, a glint in her dark eyes.

  "Oops."

  Chapter Fourteen

  John turned quickly to face Lazarus. He was pinned to the wall unable to move as his body was held limp against a chunk of ice in his stomach. The Australian was rapidly losing blood. It dripped out around the chunk of ice in front and ran down the elevator’s wall behind him before pooling together in a crimson colored puddle at his feet. John could see Lazarus’ face turning pale. He made a move to reach for him, but Lazarus used the little strength he could muster to shake his head ever so slightly before pointing to the girl in the hallway before him.

  John turned slowly to face the small girl out in the hall. “You.” He said, stepping out of the elevator. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  "Excuse me?" The girl asked. She looked both confused and offended at his words at the same time.

  "I said." John repeated, deeper this time. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

  The question repeated had carried more weight this time, and seemed to slightly intimidate the small girl, as she took a step backwards.

  "I see." She spoke, recovering instantly as she stood up straight. "I've had many names, but you may call me Irileth, human." She said with a smile.

  "Irileth." John repeated her name. "So it's you." This was the girl Lazarus had mentioned, Meredith's sister.

  "Oh?" Irileth mused. "Does my reputation precede me?" She asked with another brush of her hair, her confidence fully restored.

  "Yeah. It does." John stated.

  "And where do we go from here, then, human?" She asked.

  John glanced back at Lazarus. He was barely hanging on to consciousness. Heavy bags had formed under his eyes as the pool of blood beneath him grew larger. John knew what came next. He took another step forward, approaching Irileth slowly.

  "I'm going to kill you." He stated flatly.

  The door leading to the rooftop at the end of the hallway opened suddenly as a man stepped out. He was tall; easily a head above John, roughly the same size as Samuel, and built like a fighter. His body was covered in a long, dark coat that ran nearly to his knees. It was buttoned in the front and there was a belt across his chest running from his right shoulder down to his left hip. On his back he carried a massive sword, held in place by a dark brown sheath. His hair was black, short and spiked in the front. He came to a stop next to Irileth in the hall and opened his eyes, looking into John’s with two piercing blue irises.

  "What, exactly, does a mere human plan to do against an Angel of the High Order?"

  The pressure coming from the man was intense. John had only ever felt something similar from one other Slayer. The aura the man radiated was both calm and dangerous at the same time. John knew to keep his guard up around this man, for the moment he let it down it would be his end. There was a weight bearing down upon him that he couldn’t quite describe. It was as if he was surrounded on all sides, knocking on death’s door already even though the man had only spoken to him. John closed his eyes, breaking away from the man’s gaze before speaking again, suddenly finding his confidence returning.

>   "An Angel?" John repeated. He looked down at the small girl before him. "No, I know what an Angel is, and she isn’t one." He stated. "And for the record, I'm no mere human."

  John brought his right hand up behind his head and grasped at the hilt of his sword. As it materialized within his hand, an inferno roared up around him. The flames rose up, surrounding his entire body in their embrace. Slowly his body began to change, his street clothes vanishing beneath his protective armor. Once the fire had subsided, a Slayer stood before the duo in the hall. John raised his sword into the air before pointing it square at the girl before him.

  "Oh..." Irileth marveled before turning to the man beside her. "Look, Will! We have a Slayer!"

  "It seems so." The man agreed. "Slayer." He directed at John. "Who is your master?"

  "My master?" John repeated. "I have no master. And even if i did, I'd never tell you."

  "I see." The man said before reaching behind and unsheathing his sword. He raised it toward John. "It seems we are at an impasse. Drawing your blade against my Angel will be your last mistake."

  "We'll see about that." John responded.

  Both Slayers rushed each other, weapons at the ready. John swung his blade horizontally as this Will brought his oversized blade down vertically. Both swords moved through the air at intense speed, ready to repel against each other as their fight would begin; but they would never make contact. There was a sudden rush of wind around John that forced him to close his eyes. It felt as if he stood within a hurricane for a brief moment before he felt his sword freeze. There was a sound that had resonated throughout the hallway, one that was distinct, and one that John knew well. Another sword had been drawn. In a flash, Samuel stood between John and his enemy. He had blocked the crushing blow with his own sword while he had stopped John's blade with his sheath.

  "Sorry I took so long."

  "Samuel?!" Both John and the man before him said in surprise.

  "William." Samuel acknowledged the man in front of him before glancing over to John. "John. I want you to listen carefully, Lazarus needs help. I need you to take him to the medical ward. We're evacuating."

  “Right, okay." John comprehended quickly with a nod. "But, what about you?"

  "Don't worry about me." Samuel assured. "I know how to handle these two."

  "Evacuate?" Irileth said with a laugh. "You think you're going somewhere?" A smile crept up onto her face. "William, you deal with Sammy. I'll take care of the boy."

  The two oak doors at the end of the hallway leading to Meredith's office suddenly swung open violently. Standing inside the office was Meredith herself, an angered look on her face. She held two charged spells in her hands, ready to be thrown.

  "Irileth!" She shouted. "You aren't taking care of anything!"

  Meredith thrust her hands forward. The spell she had been charging unleashed a wave of destructive energy that charged toward the white Angel. Samuel suddenly shunted forward against William before turning and pushing John back into the elevator.

  "Go!" He shouted as he turned to brace himself for the coming blast.

  John reached forward and pressed the button for the ground floor. The metal doors screeched closed just as the wave impacted. It rocked the lift back and forth, knocking John back against the wall. For a brief moment he was reminded of what Meredith really was; that she was an Angel and not just some little girl. Unfortunately the wave had affected Lazarus as well, in a bad way. He coughed and spit up more blood onto the floor as he struggled to keep his weight from bearing down on his wound.

  "Lazarus!" John did his best to help him up as much as he could in an effort to keep the pressure off of his stomach. The motion caused Lazarus to grunt in pain. "Come on man stay with me!"

  "I... I..." Lazarus attempted to speak.

  "Don't speak, Laz. Come on save your energy." John instructed.

  "I... I don't... need it." Lazarus muttered with a slow shake of his head. His right hand slowly rose up past the chunk of ice, allowing John to see that he somehow had gotten hold of his pistol. "T-Take... this."

  "What?" John was confused. "Laz, that’s your gun."

  "I don't... need it... anymore." Speaking seemed more laborious for Lazarus now.

  "Laz, don't talk like that."

  "John..." Lazarus spoke up as loudly as he could manage. Unfortunately the effort caused him to cough a fit of blood up again. "I... I have..." He winced at the pain. "An... ice cube... in my... my stomach..." The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Lazarus' face at his statement.

  "Come on, Laz, don't joke around." John said.

  "Y-Yeah..." Lazarus sighed. "It was... a pretty... bad joke..."

  Lazarus breathed heavily as his eyes closed. With a long exhale, he became unresponsive.

  "Lazarus?" John asked with worry building in his voice. "Laz? Laz! Come on wake up!" John shouted. The elevator made a beep as it reached its destination. John took the pistol from Lazarus' hand and placed it in his belt on his back before he turned. "Help!" He shouted. "Somebody! Help!"

  The scene downstairs was that of orderly chaos. In all directions, people rushed by carrying all sorts of things. Crates, weapons, medical supplies; you name it, they were carrying it. John's cries for help turned a few heads, but no one stopped to help. Everyone was too busy doing their own thing. Luckily, though, as John shouted once more for help, Hatchet happened to be running by. He was directing a group of younger men and women around. He stopped at the sound of John's shouts and ran towards the elevator.

  "John?" Hatchet was surprised to see him. "What's-" He immediately cut himself off as he drew near. "Lazarus!" He shouted and rushed to the Australian's side. "Medic!" He turned and shouted into the corridor. "Man down! Man down! What the hell happened?!"

  "It was that Irileth." John stated. "Lazarus shot at her and then she just did this."

  "Jesus, Irileth is in the building?" Hatchet looked down, his eyes wide in disbelief.

  "Yeah. There was a guy with her too. A Slayer." John added.

  "Man this is going to hell real fast." Hatchet observed. "Medic!" He turned to shout again. "Where the hell are you?!"

  "Here!" A voice called out. "I'm here!" A scrawny young man came running around the corner. He was dressed in olive drab that was adorned with a large red cross on his back and two smaller ones on his shoulders. "What's the- oh God that looks bad!"

  "Dammit! Don't say that!" Hatchet chastised. "Come on man do something!"

  "Right! Get out of the way!"

  The medic did his best to push Hatchet out of the way. He approached Lazarus and looked him over closer, eventually his eyes fixated on the ice spike that had him pinned to the wall. The medic clapped his hands together and rubbed them quickly before taking hold of the chunk of ice. He exhaled heavily, and as he did the large spike seemed to dissolve from Lazarus' stomach. As it faded, John and Hatchet quickly took hold of Lazarus' arms to keep him from falling.

  "Hurry!" The medic urged. "Lay him down here! I have to stop the bleeding!"

  John and Hatchet eased Lazarus to the floor. The medic tore away the fabric from Lazarus' shirt that was near the hole and placed both hands over it. Blood gushed out as he pressed down. With another deep breath, his hands began to glow. A Cypher appeared over Lazarus' stomach as the flesh began to slowly mend itself. Sweat poured down the medic's neck as he did this, forcing himself to breathe regularly. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the medic removed his bloodied hands from Lazarus' now mended stomach.

  "There." The medic stated as he leaned back against the elevator wall. He sighed heavily and wiped the sweat from his brow, doing his best not to cover it in blood. "I stopped the bleeding, but he needs real medical attention. And we don't have that here anymore."

  "Is he stable?" Hatchet questioned.

  "So long as nothing opens the wound again." The medic answered with a nod.

  "Good." Hatchet slapped the medic on the shoulder in congratulations. "Go wrap up and clean up. We're moving evac to
stage two."

  "Right!" The medic quickly jumped up and rushed out of the elevator.

  "Come on." Hatchet said as he lifted one of Lazarus' arms over his shoulder. "Help me move him."

  John did the same with the other arm, and together they lifted Lazarus off the ground. They were careful not to disturb his stomach as they walked down the hallway, bobbing and weaving around the others who were still busily moving various things toward the garage.

  There were a dozen or so black SUVs inside the garage. Most all had multiple doors open as people loaded them full with all sorts of things from inside the building. Boxes were stacked up around the vehicles as folders and papers lay strewn about on the concrete floor. Up ahead, John could see two familiar faces. Diamond was bent over the hood of one of the SUVs, tinkering around with the engine, while Ghost stood at the trunk. The shorter man was busying himself assembling a rifle that wasn't quite as large as the last one John had seen him use.

  "A little help here!" Hatchet shouted as they approached.

  Both Ghost and Diamond quickly looked up from what they were doing, an equally surprised look washed over their faces as they rushed to help lift Lazarus into the vehicle.

  "The hell happened?!" Diamond questioned as he helped lift Lazarus through the door Ghost had just opened.

  "He took a pretty bad hit." Hatchet answered.

  "How?" Diamond turned his attention towards John. "I thought you two made it inside in time."

  "We did."

  "Enemy's inside." Hatchet said after situating Lazarus in his seat. "That's why we're pulling out."

  "Oh man." Diamond ran his hands over his bald head. "We're screwed, aren't we?"

  "We ain't screwed." Hatchet stated. "Listen," He began as he sat his hand on Diamond's shoulder. "I want you to stay with the boss. Make sure this thing's good to go when I give the word." He tapped the side of the SUV.