Playing with Paranormal
This is a WIP that I have been messing around with for the better part of a year. I don’t know when/if it will be published, but it’s fun to write. I’d love to hear what your thoughts are
On average, the human head weighs ten pounds. That’s a bowling ball, some newborn babies, a sack of potatoes. I wished that I was carrying any one of those things. But I wasn’t that lucky today. The severed head had been haphazardly tossed into a doubled up grocery sack as if it were merely that sack of potatoes. I held my breath, not wanting the stench of a rotting corpse filling my nose.
“Give it here.” Tayler huffed, yanking the bag from my hands.
With an unnecessary eye roll, he turned on his heel, marching toward the armored truck at the end of the driveway.
“I had it.” I muttered, flipping him off behind his back.
“I saw that Cora.”
I ignored him calling me out as I made my way back into the house. In the dead of night on an abandoned street in Charlottesville, Virginia we’d have time. People didn’t ask questions here which made our jobs that much easier.
“We’ve got a live one in here!” My brother Reese called from somewhere near the top of the stairs.
The stately house we were at was one of those old Victorian styles that reminded me of a place where creepy dolls and ghosts liked to reside. You’d think being a demon hunter, I’d be a lot less wigged out by things that went bump in the night. That wasn’t the case. I was an anomaly of our kind, destined to follow in my family’s footsteps though I wanted anything other than this life.
Sliding my gloved hand along the dusty banister, I climbed the narrow steps with faded carpet up to the second floor landing. Reese was squatting next to a large still form, his body blocking most of the demon’s. I stepped around my brother to get a better look at the soon to be dead man.
His blonde head was bent forward, a square chin pressed against his chest. His hair was shaved on the sides but longer on top. It fell over his forehead, hiding his eyes. My gaze shifted to the large hands lying upward on either side of his thighs. Even in that position I could tell he was tall and very fit. His bare chest was tight with muscles rising and falling as he inhaled quick breaths. I took note of his well-defined abdomen and narrow hips peeking out over his ripped blue jeans.
These dudes were always big, always inhumanly strong. This guy was no different, having obviously eaten his Wheaties every day of his whole crappy life. I kicked the bottom of his boot with the toe of my sneakers. He didn’t flinch.
“You sure he’s not dying?” I asked, crouching down next to Reese.
“Cora get back.” Henry ordered, grabbing my arm.
He hauled me up and I shot him a glare as I shrugged out of his hold.
“Don’t touch me.” I snapped.
I was ready to rip his head off and make him victim number two. His eyes glowed an amber color when he took a step toward me getting all up in space.
“What are you going to do about it?” He sneered.
I was three seconds away from showing him the business end of my fist when my brother stepped between us.
“That’s enough.” He barked, scowling at me for a moment. His eyes softened before turning toward Henry. “Don’t touch her again. That’s your final warning.”
Henry scoffed. “Freak.”
“I’ll show you freak! You-”
“Shit!” Reese growled.
The sound of heavy footsteps descending the stairs ended our childish spat. The three of us took off running to capture the now very much awake demon. My brother and Henry may have been stronger, but I was always faster thanks to my long legs and slim build. I darted ahead of them toward the kitchen. The demon had to have been injured because he wasn’t very quick. I could hear his labored breath with each pump of my legs. He tugged the back door open, darting out across the back lawn.
I was hot on his heels, clutching my Rhodium blade in my palm. His first mistake was looking back. Our eyes locked. My violet ones to his fierce red. His mouth dropped open, eyes widening as if some sort of realization had struck him just then. I used his moment of pause to my advantage, springing up with the balls of me feet to lunge at him. He fell to the ground, back first, with me landing on top of him. I bared down on his torso, digging the soles of my shoes into his legs. I raised the blade high above my head, ready to thrust it directly into his chest.
The demon closed his eyes, his body suddenly relaxing, lips moving quickly. Whatever he was saying didn’t make sense. It may have been another language. I’d heard that they spoke differently down below. As I dropped the blade down toward his chest, I heard my brother scream out.
“Don’t kill him!”
The tip of my blade rested against the demon’s throat. His eyes flew open, penetrating mine.
“I guess it’s your lucky day, dickwad.”
A dark eyebrow raised, his full lips tilting up on one side. Reese fell to his knees beside us, pinning the demon’s arms down. He kneeled on the dude’s forearm, pulling a set of Rhodium cuffs from his back pocket. After apprehending the demon, he tipped his chin at me.
“You can get off him now.”
“Or stay if you’d like. I don’t really mind.” I glanced down at the demon below me. He was grinning up at me, his crimson eyes brightening in the dark.
I instantly scrambled off of him to my feet. The demon kept his gaze on me, studying my face.