P.O.V. JON
The window squealed as I propped it open. Olivia squealed with it, smacking me in the arm as anxiety rushed to her face.
"Careful," she whispered.
"I know," I shot back.
The stars began to break through the open window as Olivia and I climbed our way down the side of the house. The shimmering light from the stars followed me like a spotlight until my feet reached the dirty grass field. Shortly after, Oliva reached me, her hands clinging to the broken-off wooden planks on the wall like a lifeline.
Once we were together, we began walking to the Red Barn. However, entering it through the front wouldn't be possible, as multiple long and thick wooden planks sealed it. The barn's wooden frame was rotting, with multiple splinters sticking out. The paint was peeling off, and even I worried that touching it would cause the whole thing to collapse.
The poor bastard really did have no help. As I looked up, I saw a broken window at the side of the barn's roof, and from the looks of it, it was our only way in.
"Up there," I pointed.
"More climbing?" Olivia moaned.
"Well, if you wish to stay here then by all means, but if something gets you I better not hear you screaming my name," I grinned.
Oliva scoffed at me while looking at our surroundings. She stared off into the deep dark pit of bark and leaves surrounding us before looking at the ground.
"Fine," she murmured. "But can't we just jump up there?"
"And risk waking the farmer?" I questioned.
Olivia snapped her lips and shoved me out of the way, climbing up the barn's decaying wall in a haste. I followed soon after, treading behind my sister until we both carefully entered through the window, placing our hands in the thin gaps with no shards.
The inside of the barn only allowed for a few strands of moonlight to enter, leaving the rest of the structure alone in darkness. The inside smelled like pig shit and cow meat.
The smell was so horrid that my nose wanted to jump out and leave the barn. Suddenly I felt a soft hand tightly grip mine.
"Are you scared, sweet sister?" I mocked.
"Shut up," she whispered in retaliation.
Even still, she wouldn't let go, if anything she gripped my hand even tighter, shifting my bones in all sorts of directions.
Olivia has begun participating in hunting with me since she was thirteen years old. She's gone through so many traumatic events with me I soon began to forget just how young she truly was. A capable fighter yes, but still a girl.
"Shit," I murmured to myself.
This little girl of sixteen was locked in a barn in the middle of nowhere with a demon lurking nearby and I expected her to be fearless. I began to feel stupid looking at her as her eyes darted from one side of the barn to the other.
Occasionally she would jerk as the stacked hay bails would resemble a figure at the corner of the barn. Her eyes widened with fear but she dared not look away. She understood what her job was, as a hunter, but it seemed as though I forgot what mine was as an older brother.
"Let's get to searching then," she whispered, forcing herself to let go of my hand.
"Hey, do you remember that trip we took to Lake Toa?" I asked her.
Olivia turned to me confused. Her chest kept rising and sinking and she kept looking back and forth between me and the darkness in front of us. My hands would be full if the demon showed up, her being scared would only get in the way so I needed to calm her quick.
"Is now really the time?" She whimpered.
"Do you remember?" I insisted, taking the time to reload my python's chamber with .357 magnum cartilage.
"Yes, I remember. I remember it quite well actually." She said as if reminiscing. I sensed a bit of sadness in her tone as her eyes wandered off.
"What do you remember?" I asked.
The air inside the barn began to cool as the moonlight cast over Olivia.
"I remember the family we saved. I remember their hospitality and our night playing board games in their cabin," She continued smiling. The moonlight shifted as it covered half her face in a beautiful blue sparkle while the other half was masked behind a blanket of black. In other circumstances, I say not seeing her was a blessing, but it made me uneasy for some reason. The feeling of uneasiness in itself made me even more uneasy.
"Do you remember the demon you defeated?" I asked with a hint of praise.
"The demon...you. You murdered their eldest daughter, remember?"
The moonlight moved past her leaving nothing but her dark figure in front of me. Even my heart stopped if even for a moment.
"I did," I said dryly, "I wanted to murder their infant too. But you stopped me remember?"
Her eyes were staring at me through the sheet of darkness and then they looked up, toward something I couldn't see.
I began thinking of that night. I remember my heart feeling as if it were being stabbed while the family revealed their kids as half-breeds to Olivia and me. At the time of hearing that, my python felt heavier than it ever had. I felt the grip on my katana loosen as my eyes moved from Olivia to their two children.
Even now I felt the daughter's warm blood on my skin and I remember the desperation I felt trying to tear out my blade from her neck. That feeling from back then resurfaced for a brief moment, though it was enough to remind me of the intense shaking I felt. I resisted the urge to kill them, but my body did as it pleased, chasing them through the forest of Lake Toa all while tears fell down my face.
"I remember," She stated coldly.
"You fended me off for half an hour with just under a year's worth of experience as a hunter. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Olivia. So stop shaking."
She said nothing. She merely gazed at me before turning to face the darkness once more. The beam from the moonlight shined between us, just barely basking my boots in its glimmer. I managed to regain my composure as soon as the memories came and went.
"Why'd you bring that up for? Asshole. I was just beginning to forgive you for it."
She still didn't face me. A trait my mother had when she was sad or worried. I look down at my hands which were clinging to my gun and blade.
Then I too looked up at the sky and began wondering why I had to do it. Sure, if I hadn't Olivia and I would be in danger. We'd be considered as accomplices to the family in hiding the half-breeds. I wish they never told us their secret. If they hadn't I'd have never had to kill them for Olivia's sake. She might have even had friends.
"You understand why I did it, right?" I had to ask. She had to understand, not only for my sake but so that if she ever faced the same situation without me being there, she'd know what to do.
"The law is the law," she said indifferently, "Let's just get this over with, k?"
I nodded, her back facing towards me. My sister began treading into the abyss and I too followed her lead. The filthy place gave me the ick, I was sure I had stepped on pig shit multiple times as I flipped over stacks of wheat and opened up barrels, even then I always made sure to keep an eye on Olivia wherever she went.
It felt as if we'd been searching for hours. Part of me even confused the moonlight for sunlight each time I glanced at the broken window. It looked like it was broken from the outside.
I began wondering who could have needed to break into the barn. Certainly not the old man, right? I just assumed it was him who put up the barricade. Who broke in then? There was no ball, no object that signified someone through something inside to shatter the window. So then who broke in? And how?
"Jon," Oliva whimpered from the far corner of the barn. My head snapped in her direction and both my hands clutched my weapons as I walked over to see what she wanted.
As I approached, the horrid stench of the barn became intolerable. I shielded my nose with my forearms and continued walking forward. As I edged close, I saw Olivia's back facing toward me. As she stood there unmoving, my heart began to tighten, prompting me to keep moving forward, anxious to see what she was looking at, and then I saw it too.
A body wrapped in linen was lying on the floor for us to see, blood and all. I looked over at Olivia who seemed lost staring at the course.
"He's dead now, no use worrying about it," I assured her. I doubt it worked though, she merely glanced at me before continuing her long stare at the body. She seemed to be waiting for something.
Poor girl has only ever seen death a handful of times, unlike me. All things considered, I think I did a pretty good job at keeping her away from such things even in this profession. I take pride in that, but keeping her away entirely was impossible. To be honest, I expected her to be a bit more use to it, or at least not freeze up. But she remains a girl of sixteen, no matter the amount of bodies laid before her.
I walked over to the corpse and kneeled in front of it, the rancid scent slithered up my nose as I began cutting the linen with a dagger I pulled out from my coat.
The man inside looked to have been freshly killed. His skin had wrinkles and waves and his cheekbones stuck out. He had only a few strands of hair on top of his head and his lips were as dry as a desert. The poor old bastard was never alive, he's been dead this whole time.
"Oh...," Olivia said to herself behind me.
I turned to her, wrapping the face of the old man back up in linen.
"It's unfortunate but we had no control-"
"We took too long to save him," she interrupted, "We took too long to get here. We controlled that." Her eyes began to water and her bottom lip quivered, all while still maintaining her eyes on the old man's body.
"If the old man's dead that means the person in there is the demon, you realize that right?" I questioned, wiping her tears as they slipped down her cheeks.
Olivia smacked my hand out of her cheeks and bit her lips. She sealed her eyes shut for a moment, collecting herself. She took a deep breath before opening them and unsheathed her blade as well as her sawed-off shotgun.
"Let's kill that thing," she whispered looking at the ground.
Before I could say another word, we heard a loud bang ring from the barn doors like something was breaking in. I quickly sprinted and turned the corner gearing up to take a shot through the walls, but Olivia beat me to it.
She let off a shot that shattered the wooden doors and sent fragments of it scattering to the ground. The loud gunfire echoed through the empty barn and ran to the empty forest. Shortly after we heard grass crunching beneath something's feet, and both Oliva and I kicked the barn doors open, chasing after whatever ran away.
The second we stepped outside the wind kicked up, shooting a strong and chilling breeze through our skin and down our backs. The lumbering trees swayed in each direction, rubbing their long wooden limbs against one another. Blades of grass flew past us stringing along dust and small rocks.
We heard the door to the old man's house shut loudly, prompting Oliva and me to bolt toward it. Adrenaline coursed through our veins as we raced to the house. Just as I made it up the stairs, Oliva zoomed past me and kicked the door down, sending it flying through the living room before I could even get to the handle.
A smile cracked as I remembered how weak my sister was compared to her now. Still, I wasn't about to let her outperform me.
Both of us began trading inside the old man's house. The decaying walls began to look even duller than when we first entered. More gashes ran along the furniture of the house and the moonlight halted before the entrance of the house, leaving it obscured in darkness.
The boards beneath our feet seemed to grow older, squealing as our weight was placed on top of them.
The Aura imitating from inside the house was horrid and insidious. It felt like the demon dwelling inside was older and more ancient than anything I'd faced before.
Even then I couldn't help but smile. It had been a long while since I had to take a fight seriously. The only thing that made me uneasy was Olivia. I didn't know if she was strong enough to face the demon inside but it was far too late to worry about that now.
We ended up treading past the kitchen and then back up the stairs, following the claw marks carved into the walls.
I ended up taking the lead up the stairs, Olivia was close behind. My sword was held up in front of me, ready for the demon to attack.
I could feel my body twitch in anticipation. Eben the slightest shift in the wind could cause me to react. No demon could possibly catch me off guard.
The Claw marks ended up increasing in number as we approached the room the man, or the demon, had placed us in for the night.
I turned to look at my sister once more, her eyes seemed not to notice the danger we were walking towards. To me, it seemed like she had one goal in mind, revenge.
"Scared?" I mocked, already knowing the answer.
She glanced at me for a brief moment and ignored me. She shoved me aside and took the lead, carefully walking toward the door. Her steps made no noise as she crept closer, it was almost as if my sister were a cat and I the lion the way my steps had more weight to them.
I snatched my sister by the arm and yanked her back, "Me first,"
"No," she snapped. I held my grip tighter this time.
"Me first," I commanded.
Olivia stared me down, annoyed at my insistence but understood why I said that. She knew the difference between us in both skill and power.
She stepped back allowing me to take the lead. As I turned the corner I raised my Python, my finger nearly shooting the gun instinctively, but nothing was there.
Just then we heard a loud bang coming from the room next to us.
My breathing became the ludes thing in the house to me. I began walking toward the room the noise came from. The boards announced my approach as I reached the red door next to us.
Olivia stepped next to it, hiding behind the wall and placing her hand on the handle. She looked at me determined to make the demon pay. Part of me worried for her carelessness but I remained confident in my abilities to take the threat down. I was Jon of the Huston family after all. The last and eldest son.
Olivia swung the door open and knelt beneath me, aiming her shotgun at the chair on the other side of the room.
I aimed my Python at the old man's head and felt as the weight of my weapons returned. I felt myself again, ready to eradicate the beast in front of me. But it seemed to not care. The old man in front of us was unwavering as he stared out the window.
"I gave u my hospitality," the old man spoke.
"I gave you my home. I gave you a place to sleep and you greet me with raised arms." The man's voice began to deform and twist into something demonic. A voice from the deepest layer of the Underworld.
"Burn." It said and tentacles of violent black flames shot out from its back and shattered the chair. Olivia was the first to dodge while I fired off three shots toward the demon's direction before barely evading the demon's attack.
Even as the flames flew past me I could feel the intense heat radiating from them and I could feel the force at which they moved as I heard the walls from behind me burst and fly in across the field of corn outside.
I turned to look at the destroyed portion of the house and saw as the field ignited in dark hellish flames.
The heat rose as the fires grew and the cloud of smoke reached for even the stars above. I had no time to stare at the spectacle outside however as now I had one job to do.
I quickly turn to face the old man once more only to find the demon's true form in his place.
The creature had arms longer than its torso with black fire shooting from the top of its head. Its bottom half did not exist, it was only made up of more fire and dark smoke. Its skin was dark too, like burned tree bark after a forest fire and its eyes weren't there either. Only a deep dark pit with a red glow emanating from deep within its sockets.
The creature screeched at me and charged. I smiled at its stupidity. Did it not notice the long-range weapons sitting in my right hand?
I took the opportunity to fire off three more shots, this time they all landed causing the creature to cry out in pain.
From behind Olivia appeared, raising her gun to the back of the demon's head.
"NO!" I shouted as the black-flamed tentacles slammed her chest and sent her crashing into the barn.
I quickly charged it and drove my katana into the gut of the damned beast and took the battle outside.
Once again the creature cried out. The damn thing was probably cursing me and condemning me to the Underworld, but the more it wined thw more I grew confident in myself. The demon surely didn't expect to encounter a foe such as me and that would be it's demise.
The creature wrapped its air around my bicep and threw me off of it. The creature levitated back into the air and roared into the sky, struggling to heal the wounds I left behind.
I couldn't help but grin. I took the time to reload my Python and aimed it at the demon above me but my sister shot first.
She rose from the rooftop of the barn and landed a solid shot, removing the demon's arm from its body.
The adrenaline rushed to every muscle in my body as flames began surrounding us like a barrier. I smiled at my sister who smiled back from atop the barn. The two of us leaped into the sky, ready to finish the beast off, but instead, I stopped mid-air.
The scenery around me froze. The trees stopped swaying, the fire stopped raging and Olivia's face seemed distorted, like a kid scribbling over a drawing they fucked up.
A sharp burning sensation began growing in my stomach and I began groaning in pain.
My hand reached to cover my wound and suddenly I was back inside the house. My gun was lowered and my sword was dropped on the floor. The demon floated in front of me just inches away from my face and its claw was inside my belly.
The demon grinned as if its victory was at hand. I stared at it, and my mind began racing with confusion and disbelief. I couldn't believe I had let my guard down and fallen into an illusion.
However, my own safety quickly became the least of my concerns. I looked over to my sister, still kneeling beside me. She, too, was in a trance, staring off into the distance.
The heat from my stab wound began rising and the demon's smile only grew.
I groaned in agony, much to its amusement and I desperately tried to stay on my two feet.
I would not allow myself to parish here and I most certainly wouldn't let my bloodline end in the middle of nowhere in this disgusting farm.
I kicked Olivia across the room and woke from her trance. The demon's head snapped to face me once more and roared in anger. I realized the glow in its eyes vanished but it gave me no time to figure out why. The demon sent me flying through the wooden walls and I crashed into the cornfield outside.
The force from the impact shot a tense feeling through my back that made it hard to move and the wound in my stomach began to spew out blood like a river.
I felt my slight slip in my consciousness, "yang'" I managed to muster. A white Aura began inveloping my hands and I slowly began healing the woods in my stomach.
A loud bang sounded from inside the house followed by Olivia's shotgun firing off.
A second later, a Yang slaw shot out from the roof of the house, and right behind it the demon and Olivia flew out.
Debris went flying as the roof erupted and Olivia landed on the ground, strong but with a bit of blood running down her head.
The demon laughed as she knelt on the floor.
My wound hadn't fully healed but it was enough to keep me in the fight.
The corn concealed me from view like how tall Gras hides a lion from its prey and I used the opportunity to line up two shots.
The demon caught one of the bullets flying towards it but the second hit its shoulder causing it to shriek.
Olivia took the opportunity to swing her sword and shot out another Yang slaw, hitting the demon directly and knocking it out of the sky.
"YOUR WEAPONG! FETCH IT!" She ordered. My annoyance spiked for a bit but I did as she told me. I stood up and bolted toward my blade still lying on the hallway floor while my sister re-engaged the demon in combat.
I could feel the slicing and whooshing from behind my neck as if I were the one being attacked. I leaped to the top of the building, seized my blade, and rapidly turned to face the demon battling my sister.
Olivia leaped over one of its flame tentacles and rocked the demon clean across the jaw. The creature flew back and slammed against an old blue truck parked across our Camry and stretched into the sky.
I witnessed as the top of its head expelled large balls of black flame in all directions. The flames reached as high as the night sky and lit it up like the sun. The balls of fire rained down on earth like an avalanche and lit the surrounding crop fields and trees on fire.
That wasn't good. If the forest fire went unchecked it could burn out several acres of forest. I leaped out of the way as a number of fireballs rained down at the farmer's house.
Sweat dripped from my forehead as the fire intensified and circled our battlefield.
"We have to kill this thing quick!" Olivia shouted wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"Brilliant observation, sweet sister," I retorted.
"JON!" She roared in annoyance.
I was the first to move. I galloped toward the demon as its firey skull subsided and leaped toward it. The demon stared at me and its eyes glowed red once more. It then appeared next to me and raised its arm, ready to plant me in the ground. As the creature swung, I raised my blade above my head, impaling my katana through its palm.
The force of its attack sent me crashing to the ground while my blade was still embedded in its hand. Olivia followed my lead and slid underneath its smoky lower half, firing off another round of her shotgun. The blast shot out from the top of its skull and the demon fell to the ground, kicking up dust on impact.
Oliva stood over it and planted her foot on its chest. She raised her blade high above its head and got ready to finish the fight, but the demon tricked me once more.
The area surrounding me froze again and suddenly I went flying across the field of corn, leaving a trail of dirt and rocks as I halted several yards away.
"Jon, MOVE!" Olivia cried out. She had several claw marks stretching across her cheeks. Her eyes were wide and her lips were quivering. Her coat was lying on the floor, burning up in a sheet of black flames and her cotton t-shirt had tears all around her waist.
I raised my gun toward the demon and fired off a full chamber. In response, the demon waves its hand spawning a wall of fire to catch the bullets in their tracks.
"Damn!" I shouted. The heat was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I couldn't even say for certain if my clothes were soaked from my blood or my sweat, or perhaps both.
I stood back up on my two feet and bolted toward my sister, who seemed to running on her last ounce of strength. Their battle was raging all throughout the barn, they moved from one patch of land to the other and Oliva was always on the defensive. The demon kept swatting and slashing at her, hoping to land a hit with its massive claws. All Olivia could do was block and dodge as the onslaught continued.
The demon was growing more ferocious as the battle continued and the roar it let out rattled my bones.
"DIE!" It shouted as it pulled its arm back, readying to strike Olivia. I felt a surge of power rise from deep within my body. A reservoir of strength I didn't know I had. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send me flying toward the demon with a newfound resolution. I raised my katana high above my head and brought it down just as the demon swung at my sister.
The blade was coated in Yang energy, a beautiful white flame. Its fires were tame unlike the violent black flames of the demon, but its power was great. It boosted the power of my sword and I sliced through the demon's arm like cutting up butter, spewing its warm blood all over the left side of my face.
The Demon cried out in pain and I turned to face my sister who was on her knees, gasping for air on the ground. I too was anchored to the floor and shouted for her to finish it.
"OLIVIA! KILL IT!" I ordered.
Oliva looked up at the demon who was crying out in pain and she looked up at it with rage and fury in her eyes. Even I couldn't tell whose flames burned brighter.
"Fuck YOU!" She cried out. She raised her blade high into the sky, shining amits the calm moonlight, and she drove it into the beast's chest, bringing it down to the ground and pinning it.
"Yang!" She shouted, and a bright flame ignited within the demon's chest and it began crying out in intense agony.
As the flame began to rise and surround Oliva and the demon, a black hole larger than the farmer's house emerged from the tree line and began ravaging through the forest fire surrounding us. It began consuming the surrounding area and even light struggled to escape its grasp.
I couldn't help but watch in disbelief as the black hole destroyed the demon's black flames effortlessly. The black hole consumed everything in its path as it wrapped around us. Even from where we were I could feel its gravitational pull take effect on us, even Olivia's black flames were being pulled, fizzling out as they approached the bottomless pit.
As soon as the flames were extinguished the black hole vanished. I felt a shiver down my spine and began wondering if it was him, the most powerful hunter in the world.
The more I tough of it the more I scoffed, that cunt wouldn't come in the middle of nowhere to help some poor old farmer. He only takes on the more powerful threats, this is beneath him.
I Looked over at Olivia and saw the demon's ashes blow into the wind. Its flames were extinguished and Olivia was covered in smoke and ash. Her eyes were half shut and she collapsed onto the ground.
I too wanted to collapse as I saw her body fall. I looked up at the sky and imagined our parent's faces. I recalled the words my brother told me before vanishing and fought to stay awake.
My body began to lose power and soon I too fell to the rough floor. My muscles were weak and my eyes began to shut. Sunlight broke and fingers of light touched the ground, soothing my skin as they passed over.
"Falling asleep already? The sun's coming up," somebody spoke. As my eyesight began to black out I made out the boots of a man walking toward me. I looked up in a daze and saw nothing but a blur and a smile looking down at me, chuckling as I lost grip of my consciousness.