The Hybrid & The Hunter

Chapter 2 - The Hunter

"A hunter?" Avery repeated as she panted uncontrollably, "So you're sort of like animal control?"

Daniel frowned by her comparison. Do I come across as a guy who chases after stray animals, he thought.

"I'm a demon hunter," Daniel clarified. "I hunt supernatural creature's from the underworld- mainly democratic entities - like the one you just saw."

Avery stared at him, trying to process what she had just heard. "Demons? The underworld? That's... that's not real, is it?" she asked, still hoping that this was all some kind of weird dream that she'd soon wake up from.

"I wish it wasn't real," Daniel replied, his tone serious. "But it is. And it's my job to protect people like you from these creatures."

Avery couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was like something out of a horror movie. "How did I not know about this?" she asked.

"It's not something we advertise," Daniel explained. "Most people don't believe in this stuff, and we prefer to keep it that way. But you were in danger, and I had to act."

Avery looked between him and the hell hound on the ground. "Why?-" she began, her voice cracking as her emotions took over her once more.

"-Look I'll explain everything but right now I need to get you out of here and to some place safe."

"You want me to leave?" Avery whispered, "and go where? My family's gone. I've got no one else." she said getting off the couch and began to pace around the living room as fear and panic took over her.

Daniel approached her, extending his arms out to calm her. "Listen kid, it isn't safe here-"

"-DON'T CALL ME KID! You don't need to treat me like a child, I know it isn't safe here. You don't need to remind me of the s**t-show that's become my life." she snapped.

Daniel's patience was wearing thin. He turned on his heel rubbing his temples and began to walk in the direction of Avery's mother while taking in what was now a crime scene. No one would ever believe that a supernatural entity was the cause of this and unfortunately for him, he was now caught in the middle of it. But then again, this was his job, he needed to think and plan out his next move.

“Hey! Somethings happening!" Avery yelled, "Its moving!” Daniel walked back to the living room to Avery's side, she was pointing at the hell hound who had now began to disintegrate into the ground.

“Relax, its going back where it belongs” Daniel said nonchalantly.

“What does that mean?” she asked looking at him curiously.

“Its going home”

She stared at him confused. Her big dark eyes were almost burning a hole in his face and it annoyed him. Daniel hated the fact that people weren’t clued up on the spiritual realm.

“Well humans are from Earth. When we die, our bodies stay here where it belongs but our spirit returns back to the spirit realm. Demons are not from here so when they die, they return back to ... well they go to ... hell.” he explained, leaning against the door frame as he crossed his muscular arms across his chest.

Avery looked between Daniel and the hell hound before looking down at her hands. Finally she’s quite, he thought. Daniel ran his hands through his hair and looked at his watch. 10 minutes had already passed since his encounter with Avery and he began to panic. I need to get out of here, he thought.

“Look, there was a lot of screaming so someone definitely called 911. When the cops get here, neither of us can be here or else we’ll be prime suspects in your parents murder-” he began. Avery frowned at his choice of words but before she could say anything Daniel continued “-Yes, murder. No one's going to believe us if we mention the words 'hell hound'. So this is going to be ruled as a murder scene. I need to get you out of here so it appears that you’ve been kidnapped. That way, you aren’t a suspect and I'll be able to keep an eye on you in case something like this happens again.”

“I see.” she said quietly and slowly sat down on the floor pulling her knees to her chest. “This is really bad”

“It is.” he said feeling a little bit sorry for her. “What’s your name? ”

“It’s Avery, but everyone calls me Ava”. Pretty name, it suits her, he thought.

“Okay ... Ava ... why don’t you go upstairs and pack a few things. Three outfits the most. Make sure it all fits in that bag." he said pointing towards the bag that she left on the accent table.

She got up silently and began walking towards the staircase.

“Wait, where’s your cell phone?” he asked suddenly.

Avery pulled her iPhone out of her dress pocket and handed it to him. Without warning, Daniel took it and flung it into the kitchen.

“What the hell are doing?” Avery demanded, shocked by his actions.

“The cops will be able to track us. We’re better off without it.” Daniel said with no guilt or pity.

Avery looked him up and down before turning on her heel. Is this guy for real? she thought as she stumped her way to her bedroom and began packing as she was instructed.

Teenagers, Daniel thought shaking his head. What did he get myself into. If anything, he did not picture his day going in this direction. He had finished up a case last night and decided to leave town later than he usually would. The reason itself was quite dumb ... he wanted to try out the waffles at some Breakfast Club nearby. On his way out of town he began to feel homesick and decided to take a drive through the suburbs of Arizona, again something he'd never do.

He had a routine that he lived by, something his parents instilled in him -Go in, do the job and get out before any suspensions are raised but today he broke almost every rule and that’s when he spotted Avery. Her head was in the clouds completely oblivious to her surroundings. He first noticed her long shiny black hair and then her body and thought about how men would pay money to see it. He couldn't see her face properly but he was certain she had a face of an angel and he weren't wrong. He thought she was beautiful, even with her swollen, teary dark eyes.

He was about to drive pass her and never see her again if it weren’t for that one kid who rode his bike into the street making Daniel brake hard. He probably would've killed him for scratching his camaro. After taking a couple of breaths, he shifted into first gear, then he noticed Avery had stopped. From his years of experience, he could read her stance, she was frozen where she stood – fear. Of what though? Maybe she has an abusive dad, he thought, when he saw the car in the driveway.

He watched as she started walking slowly towards the house, confirming that something was definitely wrong. It weren’t any of his business, but he decided to pull over and listen for any suspicious behavior and it's a good thing he did. It weren’t long after and he was already inside saving her life.

Daniel ran his hands through his hair again and began to walk slowly through the kitchen and dining room, assessing the two lifeless bodies.

It weren’t sent for the mom and dad. But what would it want with the girl? And if it was sent for her, why did it kill her parents. This isn’t normal, he thought while examining every detail linking up to the two deaths. Her parents wouldn’t even be able to see it, neither would I. Somethings strange here.

“Chosen one? What did it mean” he mumbled.

“You heard that too?” Avery asked, suddenly standing behind him. Her eyes were looking redder than they were before she went upstairs and Daniel felt a wave of pity for her.

“Well hell hounds are usually sent by someone of high power in hell. They often come to our world to settle debts.”

“Debts?”

“Yeah, usually people make deals with demons offering their souls in exchange for whatever they desire, and the hell hound is sent to collect. Thing is, they don’t ever kill their targets so that rules out your parent’s." he said raising his eyebrow, "Ever heard of the movie 'Drag Me To Hell'? Thats what I would've expected here but this isn't the case. Is there anything you’re not telling me kid?”

“No, why would I be making deals with demons? I wouldn't know where to start looking.” she said appalled by the accusation.

That's just what Daniel thought. "Look this whole thing is strange to me too. This isn't my average case."

"Case? So a hunter is like a detective?" she asked skeptically.

"You could say that but I don't associate myself with human crimes. I deal strictly with supernatural cases."

"What do you think happened here?"

"By the looks of things, the woman- ehh.. your mom was cooking dinner, your dad was reading the paper in the dining room. The hell hound came in from the kitchen and attacked your mom first, that explains the gash across her chest." Daniel said as he explained his theory, "She was standing by the stove and saw it then ran towards the dining room to your dad but got attacked first. That explains why the wooden spoon is on the floor." he said pointing to the spoon that Avery had now just noticed. "Your dad probably got up and then- well I'm sure you can fill in the blanks." he suggested when he noticed the grim expression on Avery's face.

"Thats... informative." she said with a faint voice, looking like she was going to be sick. "What would a demon look like then?"

“How do you know you’re not looking at one now?” he teased trying to lighten the mood.

She hesitated and took a step back, “Well, are you?”

Daniel laughed throwing his head back, “Trust me kid, you’ll know when you’re around a demon.” he said then walked towards her and ushered her towards the back door. “You’re one of the lucky ones who get to live to-” the sound of sirens stopped him. It was really faint and only trained ears would be able to hear it. He grabbed her arm then and pulled her out of the house.

"The cops are on their way, we need to get out of here."