A woman stared down at the dimly lit screen of a flip phone. It had been a text from an unknown number, but that was not uncommon. She knew exactly who had sent it. Jack. Her closest ally. Sending coordinates meant he was in trouble.
Speeding down a dark, desolate highway, the dull headlights of a stolen car and the moon the only light sources around, the woman anxiously checked the time. She checked it over and over, knowing time was not on her side. What she would be facing there, she had not the faintest idea, but she was not prepared for it.
Slamming on the brakes once she reached a dilapidated warehouse outside of a small town in Washington, she stepped out, her unbuttoned grey flannel swooshing in the light breeze. Moving to the back, she opened the trunk and pulled out a duffle, checking the magazine of a pistol before shoving it into her jeans.
Shouldering the duffle and shutting the trunk, she clicked on a large mag light, the brightness of the thick metal flashlight cutting through the near pitch darkness surrounding her. It was quiet. Too quiet. Pulling a knife from a sheath on her belt, she moved silently and quickly towards the large steel doors to the warehouse, noticing the chain wrapped around them and opting to find a small exit or a low-sitting window.
It was then she noticed the salt. Small granules peeked out from holes in the metal. There was salt blocking the exits inside. He was inside. It was not long before she found a side door, picked the lock with ease, and slipped inside. She swiftly shut and relocked the door behind her, kicking the salt back into place.
"You made it." A man standing at around 6'2" came out of the darkness, flashlight and gun in hand. He had short, fluffy brown hair, and a chiseled face. Buff, though his build was relatively thin and lanky. As an unspoken standard with hunters, he wore flannel and jeans. "You crossed the salt, so I guess there's no need to ask if you're clean."
"What are we workin with? Demons?" The woman asked, placing her flashlight between her legs and taking this downtime to put up her medium-length auburn hair. She placed it in a quick half pony, stray strands curtaining around her face.
"Yep... And a lot of em. Whole town is infested."
His reply about knocked the breath out of her. "I'm sorry... For a second there I thought you said-"
"Ren..." He spoke her name in an attempt to get her to focus.
"Don't—Ren—me. We're dead. Totally dead. What the hell did you do to get a whole town of demons on your ass?"
It was then that a little boy came peeking out from behind some wooden crates. He couldn't have been older than eight, with light blonde hair and a little bear's paw printed onto his green t-shirt. He looked cold and scared. "I-is she the one you talked about?" He stammered timidly.
"Sure is, bud." The man turned to the boy and ushered him forward. As the boy rushed up and clung to his leg, he looked back up at Ren. "He's the reason. Saw a bunch of demon signs. Cattle mutilations, electrical storms, the works. But on a scale I had never seen before. Found his dad, the dude finally admitted he knew why they were here. Thought the demons were after him, but... They were after the boy. The dad had this medallion." He pulled an ancient-looking medallion out of his pocket, handing it to Ren. "I don't know what happened, but it marked the boy somehow. Tried luring the demons away with the medallion, but it didn't work."
Ren took the medallion, studying it carefully. "This is the mark of Lucifer. From what you're describing, it sounds like it has a defense mechanism. Marking living beings as a decoy of sorts. So, we remove the mark. Preferably before we get surrounded by demons." She glanced up at the man when he didn't reply. "Jack?"
Jack glanced down at the boy. "Go back behind the boxes, okay? We'll be over there soon. I need to talk to her alone for a minute."
The boy seemed hesitant, but eventually he nodded, trying to be brave. He detached from Jack's leg and disappeared behind the wooden boxes once more.
Jack spoke low, not wanting to be overheard. "We have to kill the boy."
Ren's eyes widened, her brows rising in pure shock at the words that had come out of his mouth. "Excuse me? Have you lost your damn mind?"
"I'm serious. I don't know how to get the mark off. But imagine what those demons will do to that boy when they get ahold of him. Do you want that? Or would it be more humane to just end it for him quickly?"
"We are not playing 'Look at the flowers, Lizzie', okay? That's an innocent. We are hunters. We kill the monsters! The bad guys!" Ren whisper-yelled, pointing her finger at the boxes. "He does not deserve any of this..." She paused and stood straight, suddenly realizing something. "Where's the dad?"
Jack was quiet, not wanting to answer.
"You did not... You did not, Old Yeller, the dad."
"There is no way to remove the mark, Ren."
Ren took a step back, looking at the man before her with pure disgust. She didn't recognize him anymore. They had been close for years. Had always been on the same page. What had happened to him in the past, however long he had been on this hunt... It changed him beyond recognition. "Jack..."
He took a step forward. "Ren, you gotta understand. We're a team, right? You get it."
"Jack, stop. Listen to yourself." Her free hand reached slowly behind her back, her fingertips grazing the cold handle of her pistol.
Jack stopped, his expression solidifying, but his eyes showing hurt. "Hey, kid, you can come out now!" he hollered.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Jack." Ren shook her head.
"One shot, and it will all be over." Jack turned, his gun raising towards the kid as he stepped out.
Ren lunged at Jack, leaping onto his back and reaching for his gun. She managed to make him move enough that as the shot went off; it missed the kid entirely. "GET BACK BEHIND THE BOXES NOW!!" she yelled at the boy.
The boy screamed and dove behind them once more, whimpering and curling up into a ball, placing his hands over his ears and closing his eyes tightly. Tears slipped from them, down his puffy cheeks.
Jack reached behind him, grabbing onto Ren's flannel and yanking forward, using it to peel her off his back. She hit the dirt-covered ground with a loud crash, wood cracking beneath her.
Ren quickly rolled to the side as Jack fired again, this time at her. "Snap out of it, Jack! Don't make me do this!" she pleaded while leaping to her feet, ignoring the pain in her spine. As Jack rushed her, she swung the heavy flashlight, clocking him right in the jaw and making him stagger back. Using that window of opportunity, she lunged at him again, only this time, he was ready.
He grabbed her and threw her to the ground, landing a punch to her jaw.
The boy squealed in fear as he heard two more shots and then silence. The silence lasted for what felt like a lifetime before the wind outside picked up and soon the whole warehouse began to shake violently. His breathing quickened as he began to spiral into a panic attack.
Ren limped around the corner, raising her hands in surrender and crouching down so as not to look threatening. Her lip was busted, and she was covered in blood, but it was not hers; her eyes were red from having shed tears. "Shhh... Listen, I know it's scary. I know you probably don't trust me. But out there are scary monsters, and they want you. I need you to listen very carefully, because I'm getting you out of here." Her voice was soft. Soothing.
The boy swallowed a lump in his throat. "W- was he... A monster?"
Ren didn't know how to answer. Pain churned her stomach. "I... Yeah... Not always, but... yeah." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace with a small charm, slipping it off of her neck. "This will protect you against them. Okay?" She placed the necklace over his head, glancing down at the anti-possession symbol that dangled from it. "It was from someone special to me. It's kept me safe this long, now it will keep you safe." She had kept it for sentimental value, having tattooed the symbol onto her ages ago.
The boy hugged her tightly, trembling from fear.
She hugged him back, grimacing as it hurt. "I need you to be brave, okay? We don't have much time." She glanced around at the rumbling walls.
"I know, kiddo. I know. But you are so strong. You can do it. I believe in you. What's your favorite superhero?"
Ren cracked a smile, pulling him off of her gently and wiping at his tears. "Good choice, kid. He's mine too. You've got gotta be like Batman, okay? Can you do that?"
He paused, flinching as the banging and rumbling grew worse. "Y-yeah."
"Good. Now we are going to go out there. My car is protected against these guys. We get out there, and you run. You run straight for my car and don't look back. You get in and you hide. Got it? I'll be right behind you." She pulled her gun out, checking the magazine again. Pulling out a bullet, she double-checked that they had the devil's trap carved into it. She had ten rounds. Ten shots to attempt to get them to safety. And she would. She was not going to let this boy down. Not today.
The two reached the door, and Ren looked down at him. "What's your name, kiddo?"
"Run, Dylan. Run fast." With that, Ren yanked open the door, shooting at the first demon to appear in front of them. The boy took off running in a zigzag pattern, running like lightning itself. "Come on, you sons of bitches!!" Ren yelled out as she fired off another round, running towards the vehicle as well, the headlights a glimmer of hope and symbol of freedom in the hellish battle she found herself in.
((Comment if you got the reference))
