Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale

by Nick Cranford

  “I know.” Aerin replied before she headed towards her seat as well.

  Without another word, they were off, leaving the dead train far behind them. There was nothing more they could do there, except find whatever was responsible, and that's exactly what they planned to do. The Charger let out a powerful roar as they raced along the road, slowly cresting the next mountaintop. The gravel road broke away from the train tracks as they headed down into a tunnel. John followed it around until once more he found himself driving along a familiar mountain road. Unfortunately, there was no time to stop and reminisce about the day he died, or the day he had found Aerin again. Station was just on the other side of the next bend and John's heart raced with anticipation for the sight of his home. Anxiety filled him as the scene in Shadowcrest played over once again in his mind. This wasn’t what he wanted.

  As his home slowly came into view his fears were ultimately realized. The massive towers of Station loomed in the distance, far beneath the mountain’s peak. The city looked rough. Here and there, all over the city, plumes of smoke rose into the sky from fires that raged within. There were no planes in the sky, no helicopters buzzing between the towers, and no trains running into the horizon. Even at such a great distance, the city that normally appeared so vibrant with life was completely still. John’s heart sank; but still, he pressed on.

  The mountain road slowly wound its way downwards before spilling out onto one of the many freeways that spider webbed throughout the metropolis. The road was littered with cars, just as it had been in Shadowcrest. They dotted every road for as far as the eye could see. Like a rapture had taken place, it was as if the occupants had vanished, causing each and every vehicle to crash until they all came to a stop. Just like the rest of the city around them, everything appeared to have been simply abandoned. As he maneuvered the Charger around the hundreds of derelict vehicles, John felt sick to his stomach. This was not the city he wanted to return to.

  For as far as the eye could see, nothing moved, save for the dancing flames that raged all around in the distance, that is until John spotted something in his rear view mirror. Something shimmered far behind them as they passed an onramp coming up from one of the many city streets. He watched through the mirror as a large 18 wheeler pulled up onto the freeway behind him. It was the first instance of potential life John had seen in a good while. He was cautiously optimistic, but as the diesel began to gain on them quickly he forced his excitement to the back of his head. Something wasn’t right.

  They passed by another on-ramp for another part of town. And as they did, another vehicle appeared. It was a tan Humvee, military colors. It pulled up and around the diesel about a hundred feet behind the Charger and began to pick up speed. In synch, the two vehicles started to close the distance. By this point, John knew something was up, but Aerin was just catching on. She turned around in her seat and examined the vehicles behind them.

  "Um... John..." She cautiously spoke.

  "I know." John replied as he pressed the pedal farther down to the floor. The Charger roared as it attempted to pull away from the two behind it.

  The diesel pulled up behind them on the right while the Humvee trailed them on the left. As they approached, John remembered something. A technique he had seen Samuel perform while in Aerin’s memories, a way to tell friend from foe. He closed his eyes, which was a gamble at this speed on a freeway that was littered with empty cars, and did his best to hold the wheel as straight as he could. He focused on the Circuits inside of himself, directing the energy around where it was appropriate and as he did, small waves emanated from his body suddenly. His senses heightened to incredible levels and his perception of time became dilated. He could feel every single slow beat of Aerin's heart as if his ear was pressed to her chest. Farther outside of the car, the waves washed over the two vehicles tailing them. John's eyes sprung open as he felt what was inside. It was something he had felt before. It wasn’t human, at least not anymore.

  "John!" Aerin caught his attention and he snapped fully back to reality.

  The diesel and Humvee had cornered them on either side, matching speed perfectly. Over on the Humvee, a panel slid open on the roof and a soldier clad in black armor leaned up through. He reached inside and pulled up an assault rifle before shouldering the weapon and taking aim.

  "Hold on!" John shouted as he stomped his foot down on the brake.

  The front end of the car lurched forward as they dumped their speed with a horrendous squeal of the tires. A volley of bullets flew right into the space that the Charger had just occupied merely seconds before. The soldier turned to track the Charger, but John quickly shifted gears and turned hard to the right. He pushed the pedal to the floor, making the engine roar loudly as he drove around the back side of the diesel, bringing the car around to the right of it. Here they were safe from the gunfire, but a new problem quickly arose. The truck began coming over onto them in an attempt to crush them against the guard railing to their right. John shifted gears again and pushed the car to its limits. The Charger shot out in front of the diesel just as it slammed against the railing, sending a shower of sparks down onto the asphalt. John pushed the pedal as far down as it would go and gained a good bit of distance between them and their pursuers before he turned to Aerin.

  “Can you drive?”

  “I um…” Aerin struggled to answer under pressure. “Yes!” She almost shouted as she finally forced out the word.

  “Great! Take the wheel!”

  Before Aerin could object, John had flung the door open. He grabbed hold of the side of the car, turned around and braced himself before kicking off. He tucked himself into a roll just as his body slammed into the hard asphalt below. The impact spun him into the air, and so before he slammed back down he reached deep inside himself. Flames roared up around his body, coating every single inch in holy fire. He felt the weight of his clothing changing, the muscles in his limbs tightening, his hair standing on end, and a power flowing through his body like a surge of electricity. As the fires faded, his left shoulder slammed hard into the concrete once more; but this time it was protected by the shoulder pad that belonged to his armor. With his transformation complete, he quickly took control of his momentum. He slammed his foot down hard onto the ground and transferred his motion forward in a way no human being possibly could.

  His first target was rapidly approaching. John reached behind him and called forth his blade. With a powerful swing, he pushed all of his weight and momentum into an attack that caught the diesel in its front left tire. The blade cut through the metal and rubber of the tire as if it were nothing before cutting through the vehicle's fuel tank as well. His sword continued slicing through the side of the diesel and into the trailer as it continued down the road, ultimately gutting itself on John's blade. John held his position as the sword cut through the other side of the trailer. The diesel fishtailed side to side as it lost control before it began to flip.

  John turned around quickly and slammed his hands together. He directed the magic around inside of him as he took aim at the Humvee that had raced passed him just moments before. With his free hand, he aimed towards it and waited for the opportune moment. The diesel had turned hard and flipped and was now bouncing down the road ahead of him. John watched it, waiting for just the right moment to release the explosive spell he held in his left hand. The diesel bounced up one more time and John let the spell fly. It rushed forward, flying at insane speeds that threaded the needle between the diesel and the road below. The spell slammed into the rear end of the Humvee and exploded into a brilliant flash of red that sent the vehicle flipping end over end before finally coming down hard upside down. It slid a ways down the freeway before it came to a screeching halt on fire.

  John stood up and took a deep breath as he recovered from the stunt he had just pulled. He looked down at himself and was pleased that his reflexes had remained so sharp, even though it had only been less than a day since he had last transformed. Bringing his sword behi
nd his back, he let it rest within the flames that became its sheath. Both diesel and Humvee had caught fire so John shielded his face as he approached. He needed to move quickly if he was going to salvage anything from the wreckage. As he made his way through, he heard a loud screech as the Charger squealed to a stop just in front of him.

  "That was stupid!" Aerin shouted as she jumped out of the car. "Stupid and reckless!" She ran over and came to a stop just ahead of him. She tried to keep a scornful look on her face, but she couldn’t’ hide the pride she was feeling. "Good job."

  Most of the diesel had ripped apart in the crash. There was a large hole torn in the side of the trailer and John glanced inside as he walked past; it was completely empty. The actual truck itself was a blazing inferno and nothing could be saved, so he turned to focus on the Humvee ahead of him. He approached cautiously and inspected the wreckage with Aerin at his flank. Up ahead, there was a body hanging out of an open door. It was motionless and gave off no signs of life and on top of that John couldn't feel whatever it was he had felt before. With Aerin’s help, he pulled the body from the wreckage before the fire could get to it. With the body pulled safely from the flames, John dropped down onto one knee and looked it over.

  "Look at this." John pointed to the shoulder. There was an American flag embroidered into the black uniform. "Why would the army attack us?"

  Aerin kneeled down beside him and looked the body over with great concern. She reached down and touched the chest before pulling her hand back a few inches. John watched as she traced her fingers around as if she was feeling for something before her fingers stopped just under the helmet that covered the soldier's head. She reached up under with both hands and pulled the helmet off, revealing something horrible.

  It appeared human, or at least it had at some point. The skin was almost as white as snow and the blood veins in the face had bulged and were filled with a bright blue liquid. Aerin traced her fingers over the veins, feeling them for something, before stopping at the man's eyes. She opened the lid and found the eye to be an incandescent shade of purple that seemed almost otherworldly. John had seen this before, he remembered. A long while back on a plane bound for California.

  "It's... possessed." He stated.

  "Looks like it." Aerin agreed and continued feeling around. "It's just..." Her voice trailed away as she gazed down in thought. "It's empty. It's just... It's like a husk."

  "You know..." John looked over the soldier's body. "The feeling I got from it… and this black armor... it reminds me of those soldiers that Holland had."

  "Oh, the puppets?" Aerin asked as she stood. "You're right, but..." She looked back down at the possessed looking man. "With Holland gone they should be too."

  "Remember what he said before he died?" John paused as he thought what he said might have brought up a painful memory; but seeing as Aerin's disposition did not waver, he continued. "He said there were others. Remember? It might have just been a bluff, but..." He paused and looked straight at Aerin. "What if someone else was in control?"

  Before they could continue with that line of thinking, something drew their attention elsewhere. There was a loud sound coming from the center of town. Both John and Aerin stood and gazed out into the distance toward it. There, barely skimming the tops of the buildings was a massive cargo plane heading towards them. It was fat, easily capable of holding dozens upon dozens of vehicles within its belly; it had a wingspan that spread out hundreds of feet in both directions, and six large engines that hung beneath each wing. The plane moved slowly overhead as it began to climb. The sound of the engines changed in pitch, growing from a low drone to something much higher as the plane began to increase its speed. Suddenly there was a loud blast from each engine as the huge craft boosted away . It climbed higher into the evening sky before disappearing behind the mountaintops in the distance.

  Before either John or Aerin could comment on what they had just seen, something once again pulled their attention away. An intensely bright beam of light fired high into the sky from somewhere within the city. The clouds above began to gather and swirl as a storm began to form. John stood in awe of what he was seeing. There was something mesmerizing about it; he felt himself being drawn towards it. Something about the way the clouds spun round and round seemed to pull him closer. He took a step forward unconsciously, but the action jarred him. With a blink of his eyes, he realized something was wrong and immediately looked over at Aerin. She had experienced something similar, as there was a look of concern all over her face.

  Suddenly, the forces that seemed to be pulling towards the beam pushed outward. A massive clap rang out throughout the city as the clouds pushed away in all directions. There was a loud rumble coupled with the sounds of shattering windows in the distance that began to draw closer and closer with each passing second.

  "Get down!" John shouted and took hold of Aerin, dragging her behind the Charger.

  He pulled her down onto the ground and slapped his hands against the pavement. Having watched Aerin and others for so long, he knew how to make a barrier, at least that’s what he was betting on. A small bubble, just large enough for the both of them, sprang up to protect them just as the shockwave slammed into the freeway. Windows shattered in every car around, including the Charger, as the wave passed over them. Anything that wasn't nailed down was pushed away; and were it not for the barrier, the Charger would have been sent flying too. It slid over, tires screeching against the road, before slamming into the side of the magical shield. It lifted up on two wheels from the extreme wind that rushed past, but luckily moved no farther.

  As quickly as it had come, the wave disappeared; and as it did, the Charger came crashing back down onto all four tires. John pulled his hands off of the ground, causing the barrier to dissipate. He took a deep breath before standing and surveying the damage that had suddenly been done.

  "We..." Aerin picked herself up off of the ground and allowed herself to breathe again. She turned and looked into the city, which was covered by a thick cloud of dust that made it hard to see anything except the bright light that still shone toward the sky. "We need to go. Now."

  There was no time to argue, no time to agree, the time for talk was over. Without another word, John threw open the driver's side door. There wasn’t even time to brush away the glass from the seat before he climbed in and fired up the engine. Thankfully, despite everything it had been through, the Charger roared to life once more. With Aerin inside as well, they were off. They raced down the freeway towards the center of town as fast as John could take them. He suddenly realized that in the heat of the moment, he had forgotten to put away his sword and armor. It felt odd, performing such a simple task as driving while transformed as a Slayer, but something warned him not to let it go.

  The car raced down an off-ramp that led deeper into the heart of the city. Under the large overpasses and towering buildings, the sunlight was scarce; add in enough dust to make up a sandstorm and visibility became extremely poor. John reached forward and clicked the lever for the headlights, a single beam emanated from the right side. Somehow, one lamp had survived the shockwave, but that was more than enough to help John to see. He drove slowly past empty cars and dead sidewalks and did his best to avoid shimmering piles of glass that littered his path. He followed the distant light that shone through the cloud of dust as they proceeded further into the city. Finally, the light of the setting sun appeared before them as the road opened up; but as it did, it revealed something far worse than anyone could have imagined.

  "What... the hell is that?" John managed to say as the Charger slowed to a crawl.

  It was massive, standing maybe twenty feet off the ground and half that in width. It was jagged, craggy, and had a strange shape to it. Two branches seemed to spiral around each other before barely touching at the top, just short of where the beam of light seemed to appear. It was fractured and broken. It felt incomplete. It pulsed. From the other side of the large plaza, John could feel it. It pulsed in a rhyt
hmic timing that felt similar to a heartbeat and without even realizing it, John's own heart began to time itself to the beats he felt all around him. The thing... whatever it was, felt wrong. There was no other word for it.

  "Please... no."

  Aerin's words were soft, almost to the point that John hadn't heard them. He looked over to examine her expression; her face was pale and she was trembling slightly, a state that shook John to see her in.

  "What?" He asked. When she didn't respond he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Aerin. What is it?" His touch snapped her out of her daze and she turned to face him.

  He could see the fear in her yellow eyes.

  "It's a Bloodstone."

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  John and Aerin stood at the foot of the massive obelisk. It towered over them in an imposing, almost supernatural way that made it appear as if the jagged rock really was hanging above them like a great weight. The rhythmic heartbeat that emanated from deep within its structure had grown faster as they had approached; and likewise, so did their own, which now beat with anticipation and dread. The air around the Bloodstone was frigid, thick clouds of breath hung in front of John and Aerin’s mouths as they exhaled hard.

  John reached out instinctively and touched the object. It was strangely warm against his hand, despite the frigid surroundings. He moved his hand up slightly and felt the surface, studying it in great detail. A sharp pain ran through his fingers suddenly as tiny droplets of blood fell down onto the grey rock in front of him. Before he could rip his hand away, he felt something. He saw images, none vivid, all blurred, of… something. He saw different places, each and every time by a new set of eyes. The more he saw, the more he recognized. It was Station, but it was places, faces, people he didn’t recognize.

  Suddenly John opened his eyes. Something was definitely wrong; he knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Looking at his hand, he found that it hovered a mere three inches from the surface of the Bloodstone. He turned it over to inspect the cuts he had received, but nothing was there. His fingers were fine, no cuts or scrapes, not even a single droplet of blood. He moved his other hand across his fingers, feeling for where they had been cut. He was sure of what he saw, what he had felt, or at least that’s what he was telling himself.