by Angela Horn
Slipping out of the room, Lila gained reassurance from the butt of the gun against the small of her back. Two more guns poked at her ribcage. Overly nervous about a simple trip to breakfast, Lila forced herself to calm down before the anxiety rubbed off on Sophie.
This little piece of interstate nothingness possessed one hotel, two gas stations, an Arby’s, a Burger King, and the Denny’s. Large semis lined the roads, filled the parking lots, and blocked much of Lila’s view.
Entering the restaurant, Lila spotted a dozen humans and one hunter. The waitress, who hurried them to a booth, immediately caught Lila’s eye. Her nametag read Olivia and she was stunning like most hunters. Lila noticed underneath her beauty though, this hunter was miserable. Living a lie would do that.
Lila sensed Olivia was in a hurry and had no time for chitchat, but mostly she sensed the waitress was aware something was different about Lila and Sophie.
“You work here long?” Lila asked, not allowing the waitress to leave yet.
“Yes,” Olivia said, a tight fake smile plastered on her lovely face. “I’m working on my AA at the community college. This pays the bills.”
“What are you studying to do?”
Olivia shrugged as her blue eyes fluttered from Lila to the front door.
“I’ll figure it out when I get there.”
Nodding, Lila smiled. “Been there.”
Olivia grinned at Lila, holding her gaze. For a moment, Lila thought the young woman might acknowledge their shared destinies, but Olivia didn’t act on her feelings.
“My shift’s ending. Gary will call you up when your order’s ready.”
“Sounds good,” Lila said.
Olivia walked away, peeking back once with a cautious smile. Lila watched her go then eyed a confused Sophie.
“She’s like us,” Lila explained.
“A hunter?”
“Yep, but like you a few days ago, she doesn’t know. She’s living the lie for now. The truth will eventually come out and she’ll have to make a choice to follow God’s plan or betray her purpose.”
Sophie fidgeted in the booth. “Do you think I’m trying to betray my purpose?”
“No, I just think you doubt your purpose. You feel weak, but you’re powerful. You feel confused, but the answers are right in front of you. The problem with you is that you got used to being human and it’s hard for you to let go.”
“What if I can’t?”
“You don’t have choices like humans do. That waitress isn’t meant to go to college and find a job and marry a guy and have kids. Those are desires she might have, but they aren’t what she is meant to do. She can hold onto the lies and try to be human, but that life isn’t hers to have. When a hunter turns their back on their purpose, they suffer for it. She’ll realize that one day.”
Lila waited for Sophie to speak and take charge of her fate. The blonde stared at the menu instead. Grabbing Sophie’s hand, Lila tried to control her frustration.
“Stop being a baby. You didn’t even like being human. Not once have you asked to call someone to let them know you’re okay. You know no one misses you, just like you don’t miss them. You’re holding onto a lie you hate because you’re scared of being powerful and responsible. Push aside your fears and embrace God’s voice in your head and it’ll all make sense. You’ll be the warrior you were back when we ran together.”
Frowning, Sophie pulled at her fingers. “I’m not ready. The way you killed those villains at my apartment, I can’t do that. You ripped a villain’s heart out. I can’t do that either. I’m not you.”
“And I’m not Roman. We all have our talents and our weaknesses. God doesn’t expect you to be me. Hiding behind me and Roman isn’t your purpose. It’s not me, but you who will stop Joaquin. God believes in you, so you better start believing in yourself.”
Sophie started to speak and Lila assumed it was to complain about how she couldn’t possibly stop a big dog rogue hunter like Joaquin. Whatever Sophie wanted to say, she didn’t have a chance because their order was ready. Lila slipped out of the booth and waited for a frowning Sophie to follow.
An older man, most likely the owner of one of the semis outside, smiled at Lila and Sophie. Both women smiled back, even if Sophie’s grin appeared tense, begrudging even. Lila scanned the faces in the restaurant, admiring their humanity, but thankful not to share it.
Inside the restaurant were a few seniors and a young family, but most were middle aged truckers, looking for a meal before hitting the road. Lila studied the man in front of them who chatted with the cashier. No one appeared to be in a hurry, except for Sophie who was tapping her foot.
Glancing towards the entrance, Lila wished to speed things along and return to Roman. Knowing this urge was a sign of weakness, she had no plans to give into it.
Scanning the room again, Lila felt trouble coming long before seeing their misshapen faces approaching from the parking lot.
“Sophie, get everyone into the kitchen,” Lila said, pulling out her guns and looking at the customers. “We’re about to be robbed. I need you to follow my friend into the kitchen for your safety.”
No one reacted to Lila’s announcement. Not even Sophie who only touched her hidden gun with a vague frown. Upon seeing Lila’s weapons, a few patrons gasped, yet none moved. Lila figured as much and did little else to warn the humans as she rushed towards the front door.
The three villains reached the door, just as Lila locked it. The lead villain fiddled with the door, frowning with confusion, though unconcerned. Lila glanced back at Sophie who shrugged.
“Are you kidding me?” Lila asked.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Maybe you could get these people away from the impending gunfight?”
Possibly it was the guns in her hands or the vibe Lila tended to give off when she was psyched over a fight, but none of the patrons, not even the parents of the small children, questioned her. They did not hide or flee either, just stared at her. Sophie finally took a step forward.
“You heard her. Everyone get in the back before those guys out there start shooting.”
If they were unimpressed by Lila’s orders, the patrons really couldn’t have cared less what Sophie had to add. It might have been comical, if Lila didn’t notice the villains reaching for their weapons. Glancing back at Sophie, Lila pointed at the blonde.
“Once it starts, it’s your job to protect these people.”
When the villains peered into the restaurant and saw it filled with people. They pointed their guns at the locked door, ready to force their way inside.
Lila aimed her weapons at the large window next to a line of empty booths. Firing, she cracked the glass and jumped onto a table then through the weakened window. Startling the villains, her shots struck them as she ran in an arched pattern both towards the villains and away from the restaurant.
The villains opened fire on Lila and she felt the bullets tear into her shoulder and thigh, but she didn’t dare stop moving. Confidence low, her mind began calculating how badly this might turn out. She worried about the number of dead humans, the inability of Sophie to defend herself, and even what death would feel like when it came again.
Lila tried to concentrate, but she wasn’t the hunter from two days ago who drove her car off a bridge. She was the humbled hunter of today - the one who feared a trip to Denny’s and was now certain she would fail again. Lila tried to give herself the same pep talk she gave Sophie minutes earlier, but the doubts were too ingrained.
Lila didn’t care that these villains weren’t there for her or Sophie. For no matter their true target, if Lila failed to stop them, they would kill the humans and those deaths would be on her.
She tried to channel the old Lila - the one who ran towards danger and never from it. Firing at the villains, she saw them go down like dominos, each of her shots hitting the mark. Grabbing a sword from her jacket, she ran in the direction of the injured villains, hoping to finish them off before her ne
rves got the best of her again.
Before finishing off the villains, Lila heard the revving engine of an approaching car. Turning just in time to dodge the barreling sedan, she ran away from the restaurant and towards the hotel. The car swerved to follow Lila and she felt the heat of the engine on the back of her jeans.
Unable to dodge it again, Lila jumped onto the car’s hood and fired into the windshield. The car swerved, but Lila leaned her bodyweight and surfed its movements. Firing until her guns were empty, Lila saw one of her shots hit the driver in the head and the car shook out of control. Running over the top of the car, Lila jumped from the trunk just as the sedan smashed into a wall.
Landing on her feet, she reloaded her weapons and thought to the downed villains near the restaurant. Instead of finishing them off, she was distracted by the screeching tires of a semi making an awkward turn down the road. Lila realized the semi was coming for her and it wasn’t alone. A second semi rumbled her direction from a nearby gas station.
A part of Lila wanted to race into battle, kill all of these villains, and pat herself on the back. This part of her was on vacation though. The present Lila felt overwhelmed by a sudden realization that she would die if she didn’t get to Roman. Running away from danger, she sprinted towards the hotel, hoping to reach her husband before the villains reached her.
The first semi caught up to Lila quickly, forcing her to jump onto the hood. Firing into the windshield, she was met with shotguns blasts, one of them ripping flesh from her hip. Barely hurt, yet unwilling to push her luck, Lila ran along the cargo bay. As she neared the midsection of the truck, the second semi slammed into the first. The impact knocked the truck sideways and threw Lila off of the top.
Falling towards the asphalt, Lila braced herself for impact, but Roman appeared and caught her midair. Landing gently, he frowned at the semi which tumbled at them. As Lila started to speak, the image around her faded and she was suddenly standing next to their hotel room.
“Why did you leave?” Roman asked, holding her around the waist as he examined her shoulder wound.
“We just wanted to pick up breakfast. Roman, we need to help Sophie and the humans in the restaurant.”
“No, you pack our stuff and I’ll help them. We need to get out of here before the police arrive.”
“I can help,” Lila said, tugging away. “I’m not a child.”
Holding her snugly, Roman smiled patiently. “I wouldn’t leave you here alone, if I thought you were a child. Now, just do as I say and I’ll get rid of the villains and bring Sophie back. You need to find us a new car.”
Frowning, Lila stopped struggling. “I didn’t try to ditch you.”
Smiling wider, Roman kissed her, his lips lingering on hers before finally letting go. “I know. I’ll be right back.”
Roman held her around the waist, seemingly calm, but Lila knew better. In an ideal world, he could protect her, but they weren’t creatures meant for safety. Roman studied her for a moment then with one last look of uncertainty, he disappeared.
Lila rushed into the room and shoved their belongings into bags. Having never really unpacked, all of their stuff was quickly located and she was soon out the hotel door.
Stuffing the bags into the back of a new SUV, she scanned the parking lot for villains. Lila neither saw nor sensed any close by. Down the road though, the commotion continued as Roman battled the remaining villains while police sirens blared in the distance.
Turning towards the driver’s door, Lila felt the blade enter her chest before she even caught sight of the demon.
A walking corpse was Lila’s first thought as she laid eyes on the monster. When it twisted the blade deeper, Lila’s second thought was how the sword had missed her spinal cord. She could still stand and reach for her gun. When she tried to use it though, the weapon was ripped from her grip. Glancing down at where the gun fell, Lila was startled to see so much of her blood pooling at her feet.
“All those years ago,” the demon said, “I tried to make a deal. You were too righteous to save your friends, to save yourself, to save your poor husband from years of suffering. The second time, I thought you might want to live, but then too you embraced death. This time I figured I’d save us the trouble of you saying no.”
Lila watched the monster smile and felt its cold breath against her face. The chill crawled over her skin, weakening her already fading body. Saddened by how this monster would take her away from Roman again, Lila realized sadness was the wrong emotion for this situation. A more helpful emotion rose up inside her instead.
Pushing forward on the sword, Lila ignored the searing pain of tearing flesh and just focused on getting close enough to the demon to make it bleed a little too. Slugging it hard - harder than either of them expected - Lila watched the demon stumble back. Groaning in pain and shock, the monster held its face.
Lila yanked at the blade in her chest, pulling the metal out in a swift motion.
“If you can touch me,” Lila said, swinging the blade, “I can touch you back, monster.”
The demon knew her intentions and tried to exit her world, but the blade slashed its throat. Dazed now, the thing did little to stop the second blow. This one separated its head from its rotting body. Lila watched the demon fall to the ground and stared as the head rolled downhill towards the street. Just as the head dropped over the curb, Lila felt her legs give out.
Falling into the pool of blood, she never tried to brace her fall. Even after her head slammed against the asphalt, she remained conscious. The sword fell near her hand, still close enough for her to grasp. Yet if anything came looking to finish her off, a weapon would do her little good.
Lila embraced the numbness which washed over her. Defenseless and on the verge of death, Lila gave up on the rage and desire for vengeance. She now embraced the sense of loss she knew Roman would feel for her. Not far away, he was saving Sophie, fighting the bad guys, and hoping to return to his wife.
As Lila’s vision faded, she hungered to give Roman his wish for one more day together. Yet this possibility was entirely out of her hands now. With the darkness came an acceptance that with God’s blessing, Lila and Roman would meet again.
Chapter Eleven
The church’s decaying walls teetered against the harsh midday winds. Near the front steps, the tower’s bell sat on its side. The large wooden doors appeared newer than the rest of the structure, yet were riddled with bullet holes.
Joaquin drove past the church twice, searching for possible threats. He finally pulled into a vacant spot he believed to be the parking lot. Turning off the engine, he glanced at a sleeping Heidi as his chest swelled with fear.
They were lost in a violent country without an exit plan or safe harbor. The bad guys, not usually the sharpest bunch, thwarted his every plan. Frustration would be a step up from what Joaquin felt as he sat in a family’s minivan with only Heidi’s restless breathing and the angry winds to keep him company. An especially brutal gust shook the van, waking Heidi from her distressed slumber.
“Where are we?” Heidi said, sitting up in the seat.
“I’m not sure this place has a name. If it does, it’s not on the map.”
“Is that a church?”
Joaquin nodded, sensing this destination pleased her.
“Are we going inside?”
“Not yet.”
Rubbing her eyes, Heidi yawned. When minutes passed without Joaquin making a move to leave the car, she opened her door and stepped out. Joaquin followed suit, rushing to stop her from impulsively trusting these people just because they were in a church.
“We shouldn’t go inside.”
“Why did you come here then?”
Frowning, Joaquin only stared at her while Heidi smiled patiently.
“Do you think something bad will happen if you enter the Lord’s house?”
Joaquin peered back at the church. “Do you really believe God visits this horrid little church or considers it His house?”
“Of course, Joaquin. God’s not an elitist,” Heidi said, taking his hand and pulling him along. “God will bring us an answer. Trust me.”
Joaquin allowed her to tug him toward the front doors of the church, as the memory of holding a gun to her lingered in his thoughts.
No matter his denials, some part of Joaquin did fear entering the church. He was a bad man and this place was holy. While it seemed unlikely lightning would strike him down, Joaquin didn’t doubt another awful outcome might ensue.
When they arrived at the front steps, Heidi let go of his hand and instead slipped her arm through his. Leaning against him, she smiled.
“This is fun, isn’t it?”
“Eternally,” Joaquin said, his stomach aching at the thought of entering this broken but hallowed place.
The doors opened with a painful whine, alerting all those within to their arrival. Next to the altar, a few children stopped playing their games at the sight of strangers. Heidi smiled at them, forever friendly, even as she now had to yank Joaquin forward.
Sitting in one of the few intact pews, Heidi and Joaquin stared at the crucifix at the front of the church.
“Joaquin, He died for sinners. People like you and me. You don’t have to be afraid of Him. He won’t reject you.”
“He should.”
“You know better, huh?”
“Stop babying me.”
“I take my orders from Him, not you.”
Joaquin gave Heidi a dismissive glance, but he couldn’t deny enjoying the feel of her pressing against him. Even with her tenderness, the church felt too cold or maybe too hot. He couldn’t tell which.
“I’m going to pray,” Heidi said, letting go of him.
Clasping her hands, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. As if she was silly to believe in such things, Joaquin could only frown. Yet, for those few moments of silence as she prayed, Joaquin felt enormous fear in his chest.
The desire to leave increased with every moment. The only way he kept himself seated was to study Heidi - her every freckle, the wayward strands of her blonde hair, her honey colored skin. To his relief, she finished and looked at him with a casual smile.
