My Demonic Ghost #3: Hunters and Creators (6 page)

“Gargoyle?” The woman screamed again.

“It escaped! We must find it!” The older male ordered then redirected his attention to the younger boy, “Chaos, I told you to go.”

“Right!” The boy grabbed my arms and pulled me out of the crowd and into the forest surrounding us. Despite his slender frame and small hands, Chaos was strong - strong enough that even though I tried to dig my heels into the dirt he kept me at a walking pace. We got into the denser parts of the forest when I was finally able to wrench my arm from his grasp. When I turned back to him the young boy was gone.

I immediately darted back the way I came, calling out for my friends when something pushed me gently against a tree. The boy known as Chaos was perched on one of the branches in the air above. Beyond the hint of green and gold in his eyes and a flicker of red hair he was completely covered in darkness. He had his knees bent, one hand placed in front of him for balance and the other casually resting against his legs. He leaned forward and tilted his head.

“What do you want?” I demanded and when he didn’t answer me I spoke again, “Let me go.”

“Shhh…” He lifted his hand to his lips before swinging his legs out from underneath him, now planting himself down comfortably onto the branch. My heart was hammering so loudly that I felt dizzy, like the weight pooling into my ears was tipping me over.
What the hell is going on?
I wrapped my arms around myself just because I didn’t know what else to do.
This can’t possibly be happening! This can’t be happening. 
The boy in the tree appeared no older than fifteen. A soft shaft of moonlight caressed his face between the gaps, revealing a crown of red hair sprinkled with white highlights and a smooth round face. He held a type of aloof confidence about him. I could hear it in the pitch of his voice and the way he carried himself.

A twig snapping alerted me to the presence of the man who had first grabbed me as he stepped from the shadows, illuminating himself under a wave of white radiance. I held my breath in surprise and instantly shrank further away from him. Something about this man appeared inhuman. There was a scent that shifted around him like some intoxicating aroma. The longer he lingered, the more the scent tickled my nose.  He then stopped and looked me over. I was frightened, but determined not to show him so.

“I don’t believe it. Out of everybody…” He then sighed, “You better come with us.” Unblinking I just nodded my head yes. Despite my eagerness, my body refused to move. Instead, I merely swayed and fell forward. The last thing I remembered was a voice shouting out, ‘catch her’ before a numbing darkness engulfed me. I remember my body falling, but I don’t remember hitting the ground.

Chapter Eight:

Warm tingles prickled against my skin as I awoke. I opened my eyes, allowed them to adjust, and was surprised to find myself in a bed facing towards a window. Behind the flutter of the blinds was a grey sky and sturdy brown columns of trees. Just beyond the fog, I could see sunlight pushing its way through gaps in the brewing storm. I bolted up as if I had been jabbed with a hot poker.
Where am I? What’s going on?
I pressed my fingertips to my temples; my memory was hazy and disjointed, like trying to figure out a picture beneath disturbed water. 

“How are you feeling?” A voice spoke up from the other side of the room. I jolted again, not expecting company. Not surprisingly, it was the same red headed male from earlier in the forest; he stepped around the bed with a pitcher of water and a cup.

“Who are you?” I demanded. 

He cocked his eyebrow at me curiously, like the question was stupid. He didn’t answer till he filled the cup and set it down by the bedside table. “You don’t recognise me?”

I studied him further. “You have a very unique look. I think if I had met you before I would remember. Why am I here? What do you what?”

“Please calm down. We’re not going to harm you, I promise. My name is Gargoyle; and this may be difficult to comprehend, but I am a Hunter of demons. Some call us Angels of Justice but we go just by Hunters. Usually we don’t show ourselves to the living, but we’re under dire circumstances. There’s a massive war that’s only getting worse the more time we waste-”  

“An angel? Like, a real life angel? How am I supposed to believe that?” I found myself laughing at him. Gargoyle pursed his lips sourly, obviously displeased with my response. He merely sat himself down at the end of my bed and clasped his hands together.

“Maybe we use the word angel too freely. We don’t have wings or halos, but we fight for our beloved God who rules over all the spirits in the spirit world. She is fair and strong, and makes sure to protect the souls under her care. The creatures of the dark do not care for life. All they care about is themselves and taking power.”

“I’m sorry…what nonsense are you spewing?”

He growled, “It’s not nonsense. Those who lack faith call it the Apocalypse or the aliens.”

“That thing on the internet?”

“Yes. There’s a constant battle between the light and the dark which has gone on for centuries, but before we have always had the upper hand. We didn’t intervene with the living which is why you have not seen us before. There are rotten creatures that we call Goons and Reapers. They used to work for us, but now they’ve turned feral and are trying to tear down the wall between heaven and hell so they can enter our domain. They’ve set loose foul and evil demons known as Banished. These spirits are the worst kind of spirits. Sinners. Corrupted. Murderers.” He turned his face away in disgust.

“What has this got to do with me?” I raised my eyebrows suspiciously.

“That creature you saw before with the white hair and strange skin is a very special type of spirit. We call them Creators, one of the few pure spirits. They are the reason for life and existence. They create. The Creator you saw fell to earth in search of something stolen from us. A very special instrument known as the Staff. The Reapers took it to build their army of Banished. We need it back, so the Reapers will be under control and the Banished sent back into darkness where they cannot harm anyone. As to the question, “Why you?” I haven’t got the faintest idea. We’ve been searching for the Creator for nearly five years, last night was its first appearance.”

“Whoa, slow down. Reapers? Banished? What the hell are you talking about?”

“They are different types of Demons. Banished are evil spirits of tainted and sinful origins. Reapers are beings of death.” He counted them off with a pompous air, “In any case, they exist for the sole purpose of causing destruction.”

“And a staff…?”

“Something of a greater value than both you and I put together.”

I buried my head in my palms, my mind spinning in directions I couldn’t follow. It was overwhelming; I could feel my heart race and I began to hyperventilate. Gargoyle reached over to stroke my hand and I felt calmer. The building tension suddenly evaporated. With a loud gulp, I whispered, “Just say that I do believe you, just for a second, what will happen if the darkness rises?” 

He paused for a moment before answering, “Heaven will fall. Demons will walk the surface and you will have no protection.” 

“You can stop the demons?”

“Yes. And that includes that green-eyed demon too.”

I inhaled sharply as Gargoyle tightened his grip on me with a quick squeeze. “So it’s a real demon that is haunting me?” 

“Unfortunately it has a delusion that you want to help it.” He again spoke with a sense of higher moral ground. As if he personally knew this spirit and its common sense eluded him.

“What? Never!” I sprung up. 

Gargoyle tilted his head as he bit into a lopsided grin, “Good then maybe you can help us instead. Don’t worry Rachael; we will get rid of it.”

“How do you know my name?” I turned my head at the same moment another woman walked into the room. I recognised her instantly, her sunset hair and fierce warm eyes was a dead giveaway. She had her arms crossed and her face snarled, preferring to stay closer to the door than walk further into my room. Gargoyle stood to welcome her, but she didn’t return the pleasantries.

“How can you possibly trust her?” The woman hissed under her breath.

“Damage,” Gargoyle lifted his hands and placed them gently on her shoulders, “You know what those wicked spirits can do with their mind control. She was not in her right mind back then. Now we can use her to help us…”

Unconvinced, Damage wrenched her shoulders out of Gargoyle’s hands, but didn’t lessen her glare.  Gargoyle then turned his head to speak to me over his shoulder, “We will be back later. We didn’t expect the living to have to be a part of this war. Damage and I will go ahead to our Royal and seek council. If you need anything, Chaos will be here to look after you.”

Gargoyle gently smiled and again I found myself slouching in my bed, completely relaxed. He looked back at Damage before they both dissolved into tiny specs of sparkling dust. I clutched the blanket to my chest tighter, watching as the cloud lingered above my head before vanishing through the open window next to me. If I hadn’t believed them before, I believed them now.
Is this for real? Angels and demons? This war of good vs evil? Are you kidding me? What the hell else is out there? Vampires? Unicorns? The bogeyman? 

***

I don’t know how much time had passed since they left. I stayed in my room and mulled over everything that had happened; and what the future could possibly hold. The one human in a war between the dark and the light. Most would’ve jumped at the idea, but I felt myself sinking into self-pity. I didn’t want this. I wasn’t even happy having a demon stalker let alone being the one sole girl randomly thrown into a war between Heaven and Hell.
How am I meant to be of any assistance? What am I meant to do when the green-eyed monster appears to me outside of my dream?
I was scared even when I thought he was a figure of my imagination. I hadn’t noticed it, but I had been chewing on my nails, a terrible habit had when I was stressed. I growled at myself then spotted a boy standing beside the window. Instinctively I shrieked and kicked away, but Chaos merely chuckled. He had his arms crossed and tucked underneath his chin as he leaned against the frame. He had been lingering there quietly for quite some time.

I could see the similarities between his and Gargoyle’s appearances. Both of them had the soft tan skin and red hair, yet Chaos seemed to have painted white streaks through his like dove feathers. His eyes were different coloured too; one was green and the other was walnut brown. His bangs were long and brushed to the side stylishly.

I found myself asking, “Are you an angel too?”

His eyes arched into half-moons with his smile, “I am. Are we what you expected of Angels?” I shook my head no, which only broadened his smile, “You look worried. Do you want to hang out with me?”

I hesitated for a brief moment before buckling underneath his grin. “Umm… s-sure.”

Beaming madly, Chaos promptly broke into tiny grains before taking off deeper into the woods. I raced to the window to see where he had gone when he reappeared along a footpath. He beckoned me over his shoulder with a wave. I quickly jumped into my shoes before climbing through the windowsill. I took one last look behind me at the house. It wasn’t anything special, a lone cabin being slowly taken over by nature. Chaos’s laugh drew my attention back to him. He was up in the trees, swinging upside down like a playful monkey.

“Are you coming?” He called.

I jogged after him as he raced ahead barely able to follow the scattered movements of the boy before he led me down a subtle hill following the footpath. He reappeared standing on top of a large boulder, both hands in his pockets and his back facing me. I slowed as I approached him before stepping around the boulder to find a stream of running water along the forest floor. Chaos sat down, his legs dangling over the top of the rock, and leaned forward so his image was reflected in the stream. At the edge I squatted down and ran my fingertips in the current, it was freezing.

“Do you know my name?” He suddenly asked.

I glanced up, “Yes. Your name is Chaos.” As the thought hit me I swivelled on the ball of my feet, “Why is your name Chaos? It’s not a very angelic name. Neither is Gargoyle or Damage.” His smile dropped for a moment, his gaze lowered to the stream below as if a troubling thought crossed his mind. He slipped down from the boulder till he landed soundlessly beside me. I was taller than he was, but by only a foot.

“We didn’t pick our names they were given to us.” He turned back, smiling again, “as you didn’t pick your name. But, what is in a name right? Would I be more angelic if I was called Gabe or Sunshine?” 

I pursed my lips, “I guess not.”

Chaos laughed, “Don’t look so serious. I like it better when you’re smiling.” 

I smiled shyly before I could stop it. “How old are you, Chaos?”

“I’m older than you are. Don’t let my youthful face fool you. I’ve been a Hunter for a long time, longer than both Damage and Gargoyle.” Strangely, he then licked his thumb and softly stroked my cheek. I cringed and batted his hand away. His fingers were so soft that it shocked me. “Are you scared?” His smile was contagious.

“Wouldn’t you be if you were me?”

“Not anymore.” He licked his thumb again, this time dabbing it along my lower lip.

I pulled away again, “What are you doing?”

“Just look,” Chaos motioned to the stream with the tilt of his head. When I glanced down, I could see scratches and gashes across my face which were slowly disappearing.

“I can heal small wounds. It’s a gift most Hunters have.” I knelt down closer to the water so I could see properly. With the moving stream, my face was distorted until Chaos knelt down too, dipping his finger into the current, causing the water to become still. He wrapped his other arm around my shoulders, pulling my face into his. “We’ll make an awesome team.”

“A team? I’m just a normal girl though. I can’t heal or teleport. I can’t even fight.”

“You’re a Hunter on the inside just waiting to be released. Right now you’re stuck in a human body, but one day you’ll be free and you can join us in hunting down Banished too.”

I laughed at the idea, “Do you think so? And what would my name be?”

Chaos turned his heterochromia eyes upwards in thought, “Hmm…
Baceolus.
”

“Baceolus? What does that mean?”

He leaned closer so he could whisper straight into my ear, “It means the Fool.”

My brows suddenly scrunched together, “Why would you call me that?”

“You’ve been tricked once by the demons. Your name will remind you of your mistake and ensure you’ll never be tricked again.” He grinned boisterously before standing up and picking his way along the rocky path along the stream. He had his arms out to balance himself and his toes pointed to reach the rocks below.

“I’ve never been tricked by any demon,” I retorted.

“If you weren’t tricked that means you helped them willingly.” Chaos paused and cocked his head over his shoulder, “For that we’ll name you the bigger fool.”  His shoulders suddenly straightened and he turned his attention back towards the cabin. He could hear something far off that I couldn’t regardless how much I strained my ears. He stayed perfectly still before realization crossed his face, prompting him to evaporate back to my side. Abruptly, Chaos pressed me against the cool rock, his hand on my shoulder pinned me to the stone.

“What-?”

“Shhh!” He hushed before leaning over slightly around the corner. I could see by his dilated eyes and his drawn brows that he was worried. Footsteps hurriedly barged down the hillside, causing Chaos to vaporize into mist and greet them. I turned around and spotted Gargoyle and Damage, both looking concerned as they whipped their gazes towards me.

“Hide her!” Gargoyle demanded as Chaos peered over his shoulder, also catching my gaze. Sparing only a moment, Chaos returned to my side and forcibly grabbed my wrist. He turned to bolt when more voices crashed to the ground. He immediately spun on his heel and pressed me back against the stone again, hastily covering my mouth with his palm. I could feel every exhale of his breath brush my cheek, his face so close that I couldn’t focus.