CHAPTER TWO
Tricky Tricky
“Why do we always have to find the damn creatures searching for rescue?” Helen asked as she drove the SUV towards downtown Harrisville. “I mean it’s bad enough we are out in the middle of nowhere? Let alone these things coming into town itself. It scares the people.” Helen wasn’t much for the search and rescue missions. Not that I blamed her I would have preferred the whole seek and destroy method myself.
“The place is hidden. They wouldn’t know where to look in the first place. All they know is that the stories said that the Wardens were here.” Krista said sweetly.
The girl never sounded forlorn or angry. She always saw things positive. I admit it gets annoying at times but then I look at her and realize she’s been dead for eighteen years. If I was brought back from the dead I would probably find the good in everything too.
“I know you are right.” Helen said flatly. “That doesn’t mean that I want you to remind me how right you are.” She pulled the SUV to the side of the road and got out.
“HELP!” The voice was shrill and coming from our left. We took off running till we came up beside an old station wagon. A woman was in the backseat holding on to a bleeding young man.
“What happened?” I asked since I was the first one to it to the car. I may not have wings but I was blessed with the ability of speed.
“We were attacked.” The woman cried her violet eyes were shimmering in the moonlight. They were Were's. I had learned from the many allies that you can tell a creature by their eyes.
“What attacked you?” I asked lighting a flame in my hand to get a better look at the boy.
“A dark man, he shot my boy.” She wept as I searched for the wound. I groaned when I found it. A clean shot through the torso.
“Silver?” I asked her and her eyes widened. She recognized that I had noticed her eyes and she blinked several times.
“I don’t know what it was.” She stammered. One would think the fact I had flames licking the flesh on my hand would speak that I wasn’t human.
“Alright. How old is he?” I asked trying to figure out what was going on. The other two had showed up by now and were watching me curiously.
“Fifteen.” She cried. The boy gave out a weak cry, he was in so much pain.
“Helen can you drive this woman to the house and have my mother take a look at the boys wounds. Get his mom something to eat they look like they haven’t eaten in days.” I asked looking at the brunette behind me. She gave me a sour face but when the boy cried out again she raced around to the driver’s side of the car and got in. I looked back at the woman holding on to her son. “She’s going to get you help. I will be along shortly.” I gave her a weak smile and blew the flames out on my hand. Getting out of the back seat I looked at Krista.
“Let’s do a parameter check. The boy’s wounds are fresh.” I said as she nodded at me.
Helen took off like a bat out of hell, taking the small family to a safe house where they would be cared for and mended. I opened my senses to the world around us. I could smell the sulfur in the air but chose to ignore it. The odor was not offensive, nor was it what I was looking for. It merely meant that a demon had been in the area and just recently left the location. I knew John’s smell and this was not his.
“Do you smell that?” Krista said looking back at me.
“Yeah. It’s nothing.” I lied.
She knew little of her demon bloodline. She was still too young to learn the other side of her blood when she passed. She was not balanced and if we didn’t get her balanced soon it had potential of killing her again.
“What are we looking for?” She asked me sweetly.
“I don’t know. If one of Miranda’s henchmen was here they would have made it known.” I sniffed the air again.
“What do you think it was?” She asked me her eyes trying to read my face.
“A hunter maybe. The boy was hurt pretty bad, but the shot was clean through.” I sighed until I heard the screaming. “What the hell!” I groaned loudly and took off running towards the scream. I heard Krista’s wings unfold and I knew she had taken to the skies.
We reached the screams in no time and found a young girl holding on to an older man’s body. He was still breathing but his leg had a huge chunk taken out of it. She started yelling the moment I came into view.
“Help me!” Her voice cracked. I was at her side within seconds and on my knees looking at the man’s leg.
“What happened?” I asked the hysterical girl.
“Did you see it?” She asked her eyes were puffy.
“See what?” I asked pulling my phone from my pocket.
“The dog that bit my father?” She said her voice cracking.
“No, I didn’t. I just heard you screaming.” I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. So the mother must have bit the man after he had shot her son. I hated jumping to conclusions but it was the most logical thing.
“He needs help. I think he’s dying.” She said running her hand over the older man’s hair.
I could hear the sirens in the distance. Someone had already called the authorities. That took a load off my back, I hated dealing with the dispatchers.
“Did you call an ambulance?” I asked her as she looked around frantically.
“No.” She said simply. That’s when Krista made an appearance behind me. The girl jumped when she saw Krista’s face.
“Do I know you?” The girl asked looking up at the blonde.
“No, I don’t believe you do.” Said Krista eyeing the girl suspiciously. “I called the ambulance.” Krista said not taking her eyes from the girl. Tension was filling the air between the two.
“But how did you know we needed one?” The girl asked her.
“I saw your father from the road and I thought you needed some help.” Krista started twitching. She thought that she was doing well and now she was starting to have second thoughts, I could tell by the pain in her eyes.
“It’s going to be ok daddy. They have help coming.” The girl said giving her father a squeeze.
The paramedics jumped out and loaded the bleeding man into the back of the ambulance as the girl came around to talk to us.
“Thank you.” She said hugging me and then Krista. “I am grateful for your help.”
I watched as she carefully got into the back of the ambulance and turned to look at us one last time. She looked odd for a second as a huge smile spread across her lips and her eyes turned jet black. We were deceived, this was the demon I smelled in town. She shut the doors with a bang and the ambulance took off Krista and I running after it screaming.
“What the hell was that?” I asked looking at Krista.
“I don’t know. I knew I had seen her before.” She smacked herself on the forehead.
“How could you have seen her?” I asked putting my hands on my hips. There was nothing we could do short of following the ambulance. It was in our best interest to head back to camp and explain to my parents what had happened on that dirt road.
“She was with me.” Krista sniffed and looked around.
“With you where?” I asked her slowly my eyes shifting from her to the flashing sirens.
“The day I was taken. She was with me.” She said her eyes looked extremely sad all of a sudden.
“I didn’t see her.” I recalled seeing through Krista’s eyes I don’t remember anyone else being with her.
“She was taken too.” Krista bit her lip. “He must have given her to Miranda she was just a human then.”
“Great.” I groaned running my fingers through my hair.
“I’m sorry.” She bowed her head a sniffed.
“It’s not your fault. I just don’t know if we should follow. I mean you saw it right?” I asked pacing.
“Yeah I saw it.” She said softly.
“Shit!” I screamed. “Let’s get back to camp, see what mom wants us to
do.” I said patting her on the shoulder.
“Ok.” She said miserably. I could tell that she felt horrible about not knowing the girl until the last minute. I couldn’t hold it against her it was eighteen years ago for Christ’s sake.