Demon Hunters (39 page)

“You really think you can get him an
appeal?” I asked.

“In a few centuries or so, sure. There’s an
outside chance. I really just wanted to come and thank you for all
your work. You met my expectations and exceeded them superbly,
Jake. It was an honor working with you.”

“Thanks, Rex. It was an experience.”

“That it was. Now, I better get back to
work. I’ll see you around.” Aldo said and then turned and walked
away, evaporating into the light.

“I owe you thanks as well, Jake Corba. I
know what you did was not easy, but I know it had to be done.”

“Thanks. I wish it could have turned out
differently.”

“As do I, but it’s not up to us.” Hither
said. She then took a deep breath and turned away. Her wings spread
out and she took off into the sky easily. Like a bird flying far
away. I turned to Ivar who had been oddly silent. I walked over to
him and slapped him hard on his back.

“Good to see you up and running, buddy!” I
said happily. “What’s the matter? Devil got your tongue?”

“Not quite. What is that?”

“What’s what?” I turned and saw what had
caught Ivar’s concern. There was a large strip of bright white
light shining on the ground. It looked like some kind of giant tear
or break. I bent down and touched it.

“I don’t know. What is it?”

“I think it’s a temporal break, Jake.”

“In English, please.” I said as I looked
back up at Ivar. His skin was pale and the worry on his face was
clear and troubling.

“Jake. I think you broke the universe.”

The Future

He’s been staring at me since the last stop.
I admit he’s a cut above the others. At least he’s not some
bug-eyed freak with no hair and bad skin. I just don’t know how
they can even pick me out of a crowd. It’s not like I have some big
tattoo on my forehead declaring I’m the daughter of the so-called
Savior. I’m just plain old Larissa Corba, wage slave by day and
woman of mystery by night. It’s not my fault my old man founded
some crazy church and it’s really not my fault anyone with less
than half a brain believes him. I heard the story from my mom so
many times before. She just didn’t want me to forget about him.
Kind of hard since he stepped out on us before I was even ten. I
have to admit, what I do remember of him is good, but it doesn’t
make up for the fact that he chose his church over his family. How
long before we get to East Fifth Street? This train is taking
forever.

He’s still staring too. He’s kind of cute
actually. Nice face. Good hair. Hard to believe someone that well
put together would fall in with the cult crowd, but then you can
never really tell how dumb people are by just looking at them. It
would be such a nicer world if you could, though. I could take him
out. Maybe even have some fun. No. Stop. No way. I’m not going
through that again. Once, a year ago, I let my guard down and it
just turned into a big bloody mess. I still don’t know what I was
thinking. You see a stalker so, of course, you invite him in for
coffee and before you know it, you’re lashed to your bed with dried
pig intestines and surrounded by a bunch of Goth priests waiting
for him to come and make you a vessel for the next Savior. I was so
lucky the intestines broke and I had that knife under my pillow.
These days, you can’t be too careful. Another lesson from dear old
mom.

I can feel the train slowing to its stop and
finally the doors slide open. I push through the people in front of
me. Not that I’m scared, but experience tells me to put as much
distance between this freak and me as I can. I zigzag along the
platform toward the stairs. There are too many people to stop and
look around to see if I did lose him, but I’m pretty sure I
have.

I walk out onto East Fifth Street and the
cool air hits me hard. The sky is as dark as ever. A thick, billowy
cover of gray and black clouds has floated over New York and
apparently likes it so much it won’t leave. I’m just glad the rain
has stopped. It was raining since I got up this morning. It’s
actually been raining for several weeks now. Days and days of solid
rain with a few breaks in-between. I noticed a couple weeks ago how
it’s affecting people. Normally Herb, the guy I get my paper from,
always has a smile for me, but three Mondays back, he was as sour
and angry as most everyone I know. It was too bad. I myself skew a
bit on the dark side and it’s always comforting to have a few
smiling faces around. Takes the pressure off me to be happy.

I feel a drop of chilled liquid hit my cheek
and soon it’s followed by all his friends. I whip out my umbrella
quickly just as the icy water crashes down on everyone. A few
slowpokes are still struggling with their umbrellas as I walk by.
Must be tourists. Only someone who’s just visiting would let their
guard down that easily. I turn my head a bit to get a better look
at how bad the poor sucker gets soaked, but instead, I see my train
buddy a few yards behind. I turn back quickly and focus on getting
through the crowd. My building’s just a few blocks away. This guy
isn’t good enough to keep up with me that long. I disappear into a
flock of commuters. I purposely cut through the middle to ensure my
friend has as difficult a time as he can possibly have in tracking
me. I’m tempted to run, but if I run, he runs. I can get more
distance between us if I just keep cool.

I’m just a few steps from my building and I
feel a wave of relief. I quickly brush past my doorman, Will. He
tips his hat to me as I walk by, as he always does, and I blurt out
a ‘thanks’ out the side of my mouth, as I always do. I make a snap
decision to take the stairs. I’m only on the third floor and I
don’t have any heavy luggage. I can make it. I veer a sharp right
just before the elevators and find the entrance to the stairwell. I
start up, feeling a wave of comfort as I think about my stalker,
stuck out in the miserable rain while I am safe and dry. I get to
the third floor and open the door. The coast is clear. Not a soul
in sight. I start down the hall to my door. I pass the elevator and
as I do, it opens. There he is! I feel my spine stiffen. I curse
myself just a little bit. I thought I was playing it safe with the
stairs. Either I’m losing my skill at avoiding psychos, or this guy
is one of the best. He’s closer behind me. I can hear his
footsteps. I think I can even smell his aftershave. There’s my door
at the end of the hall. It’s so close. Don’t run. Just keep
walking. Eyes forward. Pretend you’re a laser burning through a
wall of butter. Just cut through. He’s getting closer. I can hear
the rustle of his pants as he steps. Okay. There’s no more time for
running.

I stop suddenly and pivot fast. I barely
recognize the look of surprise on this nutjob’s face. I grab his
arm, spin him around and slam him into the wall. He tries to speak,
so I shove his face hard in order to impede speech. I don’t really
want to hear how I don’t understand and he didn’t mean anything by
following me all the way from the subway. He bucks a bit under my
grip. Pretty cheeky, if I do say so myself. I throw him to the
floor and grind my knee into his spine.

“I live here!” He screams out.

“What?”

“Three twenty three! Over there! I’m Mike
Barnes!” He barks, looking over to the door a few away from mine. I
feel sudden coolness erupt in my heart. I jump up from him quickly.
I see he’s got his keys in his hand.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry! I didn’t
know!”

“It’s okay.” He picks himself up and
smoothes himself out nicely. He looks at me and smiles a bit. He
seems to be a better sport than I would be if the tables were
turned. “I’ve got a couple younger sisters. I know what kind of
world it is.”

“I just thought you were following me. In my
defense, that happens a lot.”

“I’m sure. Considering who you are.”

“What do you mean by that?” My guard goes
back up quickly.

“Well, I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t
know about your father. I saw you on that bit on the news a few
months back.”

“Oh. Right. I was hoping that would have put
an end to all of this. Just because my father is the founder of the
Great Church of Corba doesn’t mean I’m any closer to God’s ear.
Their editor chopped the whole piece up so badly though, now I’ve
got more people coming up to me, hoping I can deliver them to The
Savior.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I just got dealt a
lousy father and now I’m paying for it.”

“That’s a little harsh.”

“What do you call a father who would rather
run off and start some crazy church than be with his family? I
don’t think I ever spent any time alone with him after they started
filling his head with crazy ideas. He always had that creepy
advisor with him. Couldn’t make a move without him. Mom couldn’t
take it anymore and asked for a divorce, which he gave her just
like that. No arguments. No fights. He just bolted out the door and
never thought of us again.”

“Okay. Maybe it wasn’t harsh.”

“So, you live over there? I can’t believe
I’ve never seen you in the building before.”

“You may not have seen me, but I’ve seen you
a couple times. You always seem so focused and in your mind. I’d
say hi, but you never replied.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I understand. If my life were like yours,
I’d be exactly the same way.” He smiles again. Seeing him closer
up, I can see how good looking he really is. His eyes are deep and
a crisp shade of blue and his hair looks soft.

“I still feel bad about this. Maybe, if you
want, you could come over for a drink sometime? We could get to
know each other. I don’t really know any of my neighbors.”

“I’d be honored to be the first. Would
tonight be okay?”

“Tonight? Uh, sure. Yeah. Why don’t you come
by around eight?”

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” He smiles
again and trots off to his door. I watch him closely as he puts the
key in and pushes the door open. Just had to be sure he really did
live there. As his door closes, I feel satisfied and I go on to my
home.

Company

As I set the coffee out, I notice it’s a few
minutes past eight. I look across the room at the mirror and give
myself a quick glance. I feel a little too put together. I don’t
want Mike to think I’m putting too much energy into this, although
it seems I am without even realizing it. I’ve got my good earrings
on and I’m wearing a blouse I haven’t worn since I bought it, as I
was waiting for a special occasion to wear it. I put on lipstick. I
never wear makeup around the house. I think about dialing it back,
but there’s a knock at the door. Mike. I accept everything as it is
and hurry to the door and open it. Mike stands before me and he
looks just as put together as I do. I can tell the suit is new, or
newly cleaned anyway. His hair is a little shinier than when it was
when we met in the hall and his face is a lot smoother.

“Sorry for being so late.” He says as he
walks in. Our eyes meet and I feel held by his gaze.

“A couple minutes. It’s nothing.” I say as I
shut the door. He walks out to the living room ahead of me and no
doubt sees what I’ve laid out for him. “It’s not much.” I look down
at the coffee table and next to the coffee are a couple of plates
with cookies and crackers laid out on them.

“I’m not accustomed to entertaining very
much.”

“It’s great. Thanks.” He says as he sits
down on the couch and snags a cookie. I pour a cup of coffee and
set it before him.

“It’s an Ethiopian blend.” I tell him as I
pour a cup for myself.

“Decaf?”

“Uh, no.”

“Good. It’s hard to get a real cup of coffee
around here anymore.”

“Tell me about it. I’m not what many people
would refer to as a morning person. I need something with an octane
rating just to get out the door.”

“Amen.” He takes another sip.

“Did you expect liquor? I wasn’t sure if you
meant a drink drink or just a drink.”

“It’s fine. I came over to get to know you,
and that’s what I intend to do.”

“Well, I kind of think we should start with
you, since you already know so much about me already.”

“Granted. I moved out here about five years
ago from Akron. I studied foreign languages in college and get a
lot of use out of it by working in the mailroom at a law office. I
like Italian food and hard rock music. Like dogs, but prefer cats
and I’m not allergic to anything.”

“Wow. That was concise.”

“Look, let’s put our cards on the table.
This is the awkward part. We’re just getting to know each other.
We’re strangers at this point. Whatever you need to know about me
you’ll figure out on your own and vice versa. Let’s just talk.
Okay?”

“Okay.”

“First, why don’t you tell me what you do
for a living?”

“That’s easy. I work in customer service for
a computer company. On the phone and online only. No face-to-face
contact. For obvious reasons.”

“I see. Forgive me for asking, but how do
you afford a place like this on pay from a job like that?”

“My mom left me a hefty inheritance when she
passed.”

“I’m sorry.” He gently takes my hand. His
skin is so soft and warm.

“Thanks, but she died years ago. I still
miss her though.”

“Of course you do. My parents are still with
us. Knock on wood. I don’t think there’s anything more painful than
losing your parents.”

“Me too. She had a good life though. I just
wish she had been with someone.”

“She was alone?”

“Yeah. After my dad left us, she refused to
even think about dating anyone else. I never understood why since
she seemed to be so mad at him; but my mom was nuts like that.”

“I kind of understand. Sometimes we meet
people who, when they’re gone, leave such a gap in our lives that
no one could ever fill it.”