All the Devils are Here

Fallon Vs Hera

Fallon

When I open my eyes, I’m back at the Compound. It’s not just any day at the compound but, one of those days when my father and the other top Hunters return back from the council meeting and gather everyone at the Compound to give an update if there is one.

“Don’t you think it’s funny how they talk about Hayride even though most of us have never been there?”, Luca whispers to my side. He’s standing beside me and seems to be incredibly bored with what is being said. Elaine is standing by my other side and she’s as fixated as everyone else.

We are all standing in one of the common areas in the compound. I’ve never been able to keep count on the number of Hunters here because it changes very often. They go on missions, new Hunters come around, some of them die….and some just get sick of it and leave. Sentinels spend lots of time in the compound but, during addresses like this, they aren’t present. They have their own private meetings and we have the ones we do together.

There are probably over a hundred Hunters here and we all listen attentively to Sonya, my Father’s right hand as she gives us updates from the council meeting;

“You are forbidden to go into Hayride for any non-official purposes. So far, we have been able to curb werewolf activity here but, Hayride remains their domain and to maintain the normalcy we have here, we must agree to their terms for now and stay out of Hayride”, she’s making this address especially because of a recent incident that happened where a group of Hunters went for a party in Hayride and were recognized by some rogue wolves. They were brutally killed. And we are not allowed to go into Hayride and hunt them.

Some Hunters do that; they go into Hayride and they hunt down werewolves especially those without a pack or in weak packs but, it’s unethical except it’s a notorious werewolf who is on our radar and you can get an order to take them out.

“It goes without saying that there are certain games that we have to play, asses we have to kiss in order to keep the peace. Any Hunter found to be engaging in operations unauthorized will be held accountable and punished severly.”, she ends on that note and then we are dismissed.

Everyone begins to disperse to their various locations and Luca, Elaine and I make our way towards one of the training halls where we’d usually link up with Rainer.

“I think it’s crazy that we have to seat back and let them do whatever they want just because it’s out of our jurisdiction. I mean Hayride is still a part of Northview and we are meant to protect the entire city not just here”, Elaine complains as we walk towards the shooting range.

“What would you rather do? Go into their homes and kill them?”, Luca shoots back. Unlike me, Luca has a full, jovial face and his hair is cut so low, it looks shaved. Our eyes are the same hue of green though. We might have been twins but, we always had the dynamic of an older sister and a little brother.

“I’m not trying to be cynical. I just mean if we’re getting killed there for no reason, we should be able to kill back”,

“That would mean for every werewolf you’ve killed here, the rest of their packs should be able to just show up to the compound any day and kill you. Fallon, are you hearing this?”, I don’t want to be a part of their never-ending idealistic arguments. Luca knows how I feel about this. I feel like we should listen to the leaders and Hayride’s business is none of our business unless we’re sent on a mission.

“Ugh, You’re just being intentionally difficult, Luca”, Elaine says and with that, she stomps away.

“I wonder what it would be like to just be able to go wherever you wanted without having an order. Without having to be there to kill someone”, he mutters mostly to himself but, loud enough for me to hear him.

“They’re not someone Luca”, is all I say. They aren’t. Werewolves are animals disguising as humans. He should know this; we’ve had to encounter so many over our time as Hunters and their basic instinct is to kill. Even when killing is completely unnecessary.

Two weeks after this day, the single most terrible thing that’s ever happened. happened. I don’t know where Luca went to; no one does but, when he showed up at the gate of the compound that night, he wasn’t the same.

It happened slowly but, surely. And finally, I saw it with my two eyes. I saw my brother turn into the very creature we’ve been taught to kill on sight. Right in the middle of the compound with multiple Hunters on the ground. It was a m******e or close enough to one. He was exactly the same as every other rogue werewolf and right there he killed at least four people and brutally injured others. He wss about to reach for me. right before I stuck a dagger cloaked in wolfsbane right into his heart. The worst part of it all was that he didn’t die in that form. He transformed back to his human form. He transformed back to my Luca before he gave up and died in my arms.

“Fallon…”, my name was the last thing he said as blood gushed out of his mouth and his eyes changed from the bright glow to green. To my eyes. I killed my brother. I killed the person I loved the most in the whole world.

“Luca, I’m sorry”, I sob as I hold him in my arms desperately wishing I had struck him only to injure but, not to kill. I don't know how long I knelt there crying over his body, completely oblivious to the world around me and desperately wishing this nightmare would end.

And it did.

“Hera”, I hear a distant voice say over and over and it’s only after a few minutes that I realize that is my name now. I seat up abruptly and for the first few seconds to remember where I am. Sam. I slept over at his place last night after my work. We stayed up watching cartoons and I asked him to stay here with me. In his bed.

“Hera, you were crying in your sleep. You were having a bad dream”, his hands are on my face and as he says this, my hands shoot up to my face and I wipe the tears away. I thought the nightmares were over. I thought the flashbacks were over.

“I’m sorry”, I say and jump out of the bed ready to leave. I can’t believe this happened.

“Hey. Hera, wait”, he follows me and holds me still. I look everywhere but, at him though I can feel his gaze looking right through me.

“You don’t have to talk about it. Whatever it was. But you don’t have to run away either”, I’m blinking rapidly to prevent myself from crying.

“Would you like some breakfast?”, this question catches me completely off guard but, I nod. I could eat. He puts his hands out as he did in the elevator and I take it and we walk out into his living room and to the kitchen. It’s only now that I notice that he’s shirtless. It’s the first time I am seeing him shirtless and I was so determined to not look at him, I didn’t notice it sooner. I’m still dazed from my dream but, not dazed enough to not notice his beautifully shredded body with very tiny tattoos sprinkled all over.

I take a seat on one of the kitchen chairs and watch him scramble some eggs and brew a cup of coffee.

“How do you like your coffee?”, he asks. His hair is even messier than usual and I can barely see his eyes.

“With sugar”, I say. He smiles up at me and says;

“Thank f**k cuz I already put some before I asked”, he says as he hands me the cup and a plate of eggs. He doesn’t seat with me but, leans against the kitchen sink and blows on his coffee. He’s studying me.

After a minute or two of me eating my breakfast in silence and him sipping on his coffee, I ask what I’ve been afraid to ask;

“Did I…..say anything in my sleep?”, in my dreams I was Fallon again. I was a Hunter again. I was back at the compound again. If I said anything that gave out who I was, it would make sense why he’s observing me with so much curiosity as he is.

“Yes”, he says carefully then adds;

“You said ‘I’m sorry, Luca’”, he clenches his jaw. He wants to ask. He wants to ask me who Luca is.

“I made a mistake", I start to say but, he only shakes his head in disbelief as I continue; "Coming here and sleeping here was a mistake. I shouldn't have”,

“If you really think that then you should go”, he says and puts down his cup of coffee. Immediately, a knock comes from the door. He walks away from me to get it and it’s Asher and Lex. Asher looks a bit down which is pretty usual but, Lex looks more dejected than I’ve ever seen him.

“Samael, we need to talk”, Asher says just as his eyes land on me. Just tell me to leave, Asher. Sam has a disinterested expression on his face as he walks back to the kitchen, urging them to say whatever it is they came to say;

“Alone”, Asher adds. Sam looks at me and I say;

“It’s fine. I was leaving anyway”, I stand up from the chair, ready to leave but he walks up to me and looks me candidly in the face as he says;

“Don’t leave”, then he looks towards Asher and Lex;

“Come”, he says and they walk out of the living room and towards another room, I’ve never been into and away from my hearing.

I leave.