Torn: Chapter 5 & 6
| Chapter Five |
Jared sat in his bedroom, his fingers tapping out a rhythm that, although it was annoying the crap out of him, he couldn’t seem to stop. He closed his eyes and tried to decide what to do. It had been three days since that night, since he’d found Jensen standing over the slain demon. The apartment Jensen had been renting with his grandfather was empty, empty save for one item he didn’t think Jensen had meant to leave.
Slowly Jared opened his eyes and looked at the pale green rock he held in his other hand. Slowly he turned it over. Something seemed familiar about it, and yet to him, it held no significance, not like it had for Jensen. He’d hoped to find Jensen at school, he still did. He held onto the small glimmer of hope that maybe Jensen would be sat in class waiting for him, an explanation written down in one of those damn notebooks.
“Jared.”
Jared wrapped his hand around the rock as his bedroom door swung open, and Grams’ head appeared in the space. “Grams,” he said with an awkward smile on his face. “Everything okay?”
“You gone deaf?” She laughed. “I’ve been calling you. Supper’s ready.”
“Oh, right.” Jared lowered his head, and felt the solid rock in his hand. “I didn’t hear you.”
Grams looked at Jared curiously. “What’s going on?” She asked as she stepped into the room.
Jared shook his head. “Nothing’s going on,” he insisted as he met her eyes. “Just tired. Lots of school work and stuff.”
Grams stepped forward and sat down on the edge of her grandson’s bed. “Don’t lie to me, Jared,” she said quietly. “There’s something. I know that.”
“It’s just…” Jared sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “You know the boy I brought home?”
Grams nodded, and screwed up her mouth thoughtfully. “Jensen, right?” She remembered.
Jared gave a small smile. “Things have gotten complicated. And I don’t know what to do.”
“Complicated?” She asked, puzzled. “In what way?”
Jared shrugged. “He’s just…he’s kind of different to the other boys at school.”
Grams considered the boy she’d met and the feelings she’d had about him. “You’re friends, right?”
“I don’t think we are,” Jared told her. “I don’t think we ever were.”
“Maybe…” Grams sighed. “Have you tried talking to him?”
Jared laughed and shook his head. “I think he’s avoiding me. I found something out about him, and now it’s like he’s disappeared.”
Grams looked at her grandson. She knew she wasn’t getting the whole story, and something told her there was more to this than mere teenage angst. “I know I’m not the coolest person to talk to.” She listened as Jared sniffed a laugh. “But you can talk to me. There’s nothing you could say that would stop me loving you. You’re my Pudding.”
Jared smiled. “Thanks, Grams,” he said. “It’ll be okay. Just stupid high school stuff I guess.”
Grams narrowed her eyes, but gave a nod as she gently shook Jared’s ankle. “Promise me you won’t let this distract you. Even I can sense there’s something strange in the air tonight.”
Jared nodded. “I can feel that. It’s different somehow.”
Grams sighed as she looked around the teenager’s bedroom, her eyes settling on the old family photograph at Jared’s desk. She considered her daughter, all smiles as she held her newborn son. “She’d be so proud of you,” Grams said as she turned back to Jared. “You’re so grown up.”
Jared leaned his head slightly to one side, and looked at the photograph of him and his mother. “I sometimes wonder if I’m what she would have wanted.”
Grams squeezed Jared’s ankle a little more firmly. “You’re you. That’s all she’d have wanted. As long as you’re happy and healthy, living your life to the full and…” She considered Jared for a moment, noticing something she’d missed before. “In love.”
Jared turned his head slightly to meet Grams’ eyes. “What?” He asked, surprised.
“Or maybe not.” Grams narrowed her eyes as she tried to figure out what it was she could feel radiating from her grandson. “What is it about Jensen that has you so…”
“I’m not in love,” Jared stuttered awkwardly. He hated it when Grams tried to read him. “He’s just weird and stuff. Yeah, he’s gay and… but not me. I just…” Realising that he probably wasn’t helping himself, he stopped. “I’m just confusing myself, I think,” he decided.
Grams smiled as she leaned forward. “Look to your heart, Jared. Is it him, or this thing you know about him that has you so confused?”
Jared watched as Grams got to her feet. “Maybe both,” he sighed.
“Teenagers,” Grams laughed and rolled her eyes. She walked across the room and opened the bedroom door wider. “Let’s eat. All these circles you’re running me in are making me hungry.”
Jared waited until Grams had left his room. What was wrong with him? He sighed and then he looked back at the rock in his hand. Why did it feel so familiar?
~*~
Jensen pulled his hood more tightly about his face as a cool breeze blew past him. He leaned back against the corner of the building and closed his eyes. He’d learned a long time ago how to recognise the different souls within the city. He knew which were human, which were demon, and which were something else. He’d known there was something special about the old woman from the moment he’d met her. She just gave off this radiant vibe, and he knew from the way she looked at him, that she knew exactly what he was.
Jensen reached awkwardly behind him and pulled his cell phone from the back pocket of his dark blue jeans. He held it out in front of him and stared at the empty screen. It had been almost 24 hours since the last time he’d spoken to his grandfather. Cyrus had gone on a hunt. Something old, he’d said as he’d left the motel. Jensen ran his thumb over the scratched screen and sighed, the phone pushed silently into his jacket pocket.
Jensen knew something was wrong. Cyrus had never been gone this long before, not without sending a message of some kind. He’d gotten used to being alone, Cyrus had his work, and he, Jensen, was supposed to be making something of himself. But every time he got close to settling somewhere, they would suddenly have to move again. He looked down as he scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the ground. There were too many secrets to protect.
Slowly he pushed himself away from the side of the building and looked up and down the street. He could feel something, but it wasn’t a demon. He sniffed a laugh as he realised what the sensation running the length of his spine must be. Jared. He bit lightly on his lip. How had he missed that? Jared had unknowingly been able to sense him. Static, he’d stated on numerous occasions, and yet Jensen had felt nothing. He couldn’t understand why, his only thought that perhaps Jared’s seeming innocence had clouded his judgement.
“Jensen?”
Jensen took a deep breath and turned around. He stood and looked at the boy who’d been plaguing his thoughts. Why had he not seen this?
“Who are you?” Jared asked.
Jensen smiled. “I’m Jensen. But you knew that,” he told Jared.
“No. I mean.” Jared stepped forward, suddenly aware that Jensen’s arm was raised, and a blue light was aimed in his direction. “I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”
Jensen stepped back, the light becoming stronger as a solid weapon formed in his hand. “There aren’t many of us around,” he said, and held the fully formed crossbow higher.
“Us?” Jared asked curiously.
“Me. Cyrus. Others.”
“You hunt demons?” Jared moved again.
Jensen watched as Jared edged closer, a strange pressure in his chest as Jared stepped forward. “Yes,” he simply said.
“I’ve never heard of other hunters.”
Jensen gripped the handle of the crossbow tightly. “How would you, when you and your kin have spent centuries destroying us?”
Jared frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Jensen turned his head as he heard something behind him. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring Jared’s confusion. “I have to go. It’s here.”
“But…”
“Stay out of my way,” Jensen insisted as he lowered his arm.
Jared went to speak, his eyes widening as Jensen vanished into the night. He stood for a moment, amazed at the speed with which Jensen could move. With a sigh, he looked up at the sky, watching as dark clouds moved above him and extinguished the starlight. “Wait,” he whispered to no one but himself. The oppressive feeling that throbbed in his temple seemed familiar, and he turned to look in the direction Jensen had run, realising how wrong everything suddenly felt.
~*~
Jared rushed onward, his eyes darting from one side of the street to the other, as he took giant strides through the night. The feeling was still there, the pressure against his forehead that of a venomous disdain and hunger for this world. “Jensen,” he yelled, knowing the other boy was nearby.
Jared skidded to a halt as he swerved down a side street. With wide eyes, he looked up at the enormous mass standing in the street. Jared froze, his eyes following the curve of the demon’s body as he was met with a whined gasp. “Jensen,” he managed, seeing him held in a tight grip by the throat. He watched as the demon turned its head, dirty red eyes falling on him, an almost-smile of the demons rotted teeth.
Jared felt the familiar spark in his fingertips, the energy starting to form a weapon in his hand. He flinched as the demon opened its mouth wide, a terrible roar before it threw its arm forward and slammed Jensen hard against one of the surrounding buildings. Jared watched as Jensen’s head was forced back, a terrible cracking sound as the boy’s body impacted the hard brick.
“No!” Jared cried out as he rushed forward. He could feel the blade firm in his hand as he leapt into the air, a slicing action as he brought it down hard against the demon’s outstretched arm. Jared felt his blade hit the demon, and yet there was barely any evidence that he had. He fell to the ground, his body crouching low as he looked up at the thin cut to the demon’s thick, grey skin. “Shit.”
The demon curled its clawed hand around Jensen and pulled back its stinging arm. Despite the wound being small, a weapon of the Lyend could inflict a painful blow. The demon turned, dragging Jensen through the air, before releasing the unconscious boy with an angry growl.
Jared watched as Jensen slumped to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs and blood. He cautiously looked upward as he got to his feet. He firmly gripped the weapon he held in his hand, as the demon stepped forward, a large foot placed either side of Jensen’s motionless form, a claw nudging teasingly against Jensen’s back. “Oh, shit,” he said to himself. This demon was older than anything he’d ever faced before. This one was smart.
The demon slowly raised one of its long curled toes, a gentle tap to the concrete ground before resting it across Jensen’s thigh. It considered the being standing in front of it. This was no normal human. It smiled, a true-smile this time, as it remembered the last time it had faced a member of the Lyend. With a flare of its nostrils, it remembered the sweet scent of blood and fear, and the dying breaths of a human female, of a hunter.
The demon rolled its foot back and forth, the already broken human turning over beneath it. It bent its head down, its red eyes remaining fixed on the other young hunter who stood in the street. It nudged its snout against the bloodied body, its snake-like tongue sliding from between its yellowed teeth. It had missed the taste of human blood. The taste was so much sweeter than the crap it had been forced to live off for so many years, trapped behind the invisible wall between these two very different worlds.
Jared watched the demon for a moment. It was as if the damned thing was trying to provoke him, its tongue licking a teasing line across the bloody wound on Jensen’s forehead. Shifting his footing, Jared steadied himself. The demon wouldn’t play these games forever. In a heartbeat he made his choice, a running attack as he swung his arm high in the air and slashed out at the demon’s leg.
The demon snatched back its leg, an angry roar as it felt the hunter’s blade slice across its leathery skin. It watched the hunter land on the ground beside its bait. It felt so angry, so incensed that the hunter dare challenge it. Did this pitiful excuse for a hunter not know what it was facing? It watched as human hands grabbed desperately at the injured body on the cold street. It tilted its head as it steadied itself. How dare it. Insect.
“Jensen,” Jared panted as he dragged Jensen to the side of the street. “Fuck.” He dropped the unconscious boy to the sidewalk and turned to face the demon once more. He caught his breath as he watched the demon stand to its full height, grey leathery skin, a line of hard bone running back from its eyes and down the length of its spine, claws and teeth, and powerful limbs.
Jared dropped his hands, and tried to force away the fear that was swelling in his gut. He’d trained for this. He focused on the demon, watching as it took a step forward, the ground aching under the great weight as it moved. He could feel the energy wash through him, tiny sparks as the air around both his arms started to heat and glow. He was ready.
The demon stopped, its eyes narrowing as it watched the power flow through the young hunter. It looked down at its unfinished kill as he stirred slightly, fighting for consciousness. The demon looked back at the hunter, solid blades in both hands. It growled and took a step back, the two wounds that had already been inflicted upon it still stinging. There were easier things to hunt tonight. With a tortured cry, it turned on its heel and leapt into the air, its claws buried deep in the side of the buildings as it dragged itself up and into the night.
Jared rushed forward, too late as the demon launched into the air and away from him. “Fuck,” he said again, and looked nervously around him. Was it gone? He stood for a moment and listened to the darkness. The demon was heading away from them, not out of fear, but out of hunger. Slowly, Jared lowered his arms and turned to face the soft sounds behind him. He looked down at Jensen, the boy disorientated as he tried to stay awake.
Jared moved to kneel beside Jensen and chewed at the inside of his mouth with uncertainty. He wasn’t sure whether Jensen would appreciate it when he woke properly, but he couldn’t just leave him here. Gently he reached out and supported Jensen’s head as he raised it from the ground. Jared looked over his bruised face and quietly said, “It’s going to be okay.”
| Chapter 6 |
Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping,
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,
All through the night
Jensen opened his eyes and looked up at the pale blue, painted ceiling. He frowned as the sound of his mother’s voice was quickly replaced with that of arguing.
~*~
“You shouldn’t have brought him here,” Grams protested as she watched her grandson bite nervously on his thumbnail. “You knew, and yet you still decided to bring him here?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Jared asked as he lowered his hand from his mouth. “He was hurt. Should I have just left him there in the street?”
Grams closed her eyes. “He’s dangerous. He’s capable of things you can’t understand.” She swallowed awkwardly as she looked at her grandson, her eyes bright as she held Jared’s gaze. “You are too young to understand.”
“Too young?” Jared looked at her in amazement. “I fight demons. I think I can handle another hunter.”
Grams shook her head. “Not this hunter,” she told him. “You can’t trust his kind.”
“His kind?” Jared folded his arms across his chest. “What about his kind?” He stopped, his eyes drifting to the kitchen door as a figure appeared in the space. “Jensen,” he said, and cleared his throat. “You’re awake.”
Jensen looked from Jared to Grams and back again. “I should go,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to go. You were pretty badly beaten,” Jared insisted.
“I’m fine. I just needed some sleep,” Jensen said quietly. “Good as new,” he added with a small grimace, as he held his arm across his stomach.
“You should stay. Eat something,” Jared tried. “Maybe we could talk?”
Jensen shook his head and looked at Grams. “I can’t. I understand that.”
Jared narrowed his eyes and followed Jensen’s gaze to where it fell on Grams. “But I don’t.” He looked back to Jensen. “What’s going on?”
Grams lowered her head. “Pudding…”
“If I stay, she will have to enforce your laws. She’ll have to turn me over to your Council,” Jensen told him, his eyes falling to Jared’s.
“What are you?” Jared asked.
“I belong to the Tiaim,” Jensen said in a low voice.
“Tiaim?” Jared recognised the name, and yet, he couldn’t quite place it. “But…”
Jensen lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Jared,” he said, and quickly turned and ran towards the front of the house.
“Wait.” Jared went to go after him, only to find Grams blocking his path. He looked at his grandmother, and heard the front door open and close as Jensen ran out into the night. “I can’t just let him go out there alone. That thing is still out there.”
Grams shook her head, her hand pressed firmly against the doorframe. “You have to let him go.”
“But…”
Grams looked at Jared firmly and told him, “I need you to remember a story I once told you.” She slowly lowered her arm. “A story of Soul Eaters.”
~*~
Jensen sat quietly on the middle cushion of the worn couch and stared at the muted television. He idly turned his hands over in his lap and watched the black and white images dance across the screen. He loved old movies. He loved their innocence. He lowered his eyes to the marked coffee table that sat between him and the television, and stared at his silent cell phone. Cyrus still hadn’t been in touch, and Jensen feared that perhaps he never would.
Slowly Jensen got to his feet and started to remove his shirt. As he pulled back the material, he looked down at his chest, and stared at the pale marks littering his skin. The demon he’d faced had been more powerful than anything he’d seen before. He was quick, and yet the demon had been quicker. A large hand had wrapped around his neck and he’d been unable to breathe. He’d been lucky. He knew very well what might have happened if Jared hadn’t shown up. Jared still really didn’t have a clue about him.
Jensen sighed. He thought by now Grams would have filled Jared in on the stories, and the lies. Sure, there were things he was not proud to be associated with, the name Tiaim being one which was despised by many of the Lyend. But that wasn’t who he was; who he and Cyrus were. They were hunters, just like his mother and father had been.
Slowly Jensen raised a hand and gently pressed a finger against the darkest of the marks. He focused on the bruise, his eyes narrowing as he felt a spark against his stomach. A few moments more, and he lowered his hand, a smile as the mark had faded to almost nothing. With a sigh, Jensen headed to the small bathroom of the rented room. Perhaps a shower, and then sleep, would make things seem right again.
~*~
It was six in the morning when Jensen awoke, the light already breaking through the tattered drapes as he slowly opened his eyes to the new day. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he’d found himself feeling weary as he’d curled up on the small couch, his eyes fixed hopefully on the door to the room. With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and stared at the crack running the length of the ceiling, a strange brown stain above his head. There had still been no word from Cyrus.
Jensen wasn’t really sure what to do. He’d never been alone this long before, and though he feared the worst, there was still something there, a small feeling that was his grandfather. He spent the next hour gathering up his things. There wasn’t all that much to pack, there never was. They always had to be ready to leave. No hesitation.
Jensen sat on the couch, one hand resting on top of the packed canvas bag that sat beside him, and his other hand resting in his lap. He carefully curled his fingers around the object in his hand, one of the precious stones that his mother had given him when he was just a child. It was all he had of her now, pieces of cold, hard stone. With a sigh, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Maybe he should go to school today.
~*~
“You seen him?” Chad said as he slumped down in the chair opposite Jared, a wide yawn as he looked around the cafeteria.
“Seen who?” Jared asked, disinterested as he held his head in his hands and stared down at the science textbook.
“Ackles.”
Jared lifted his head and looked at Chad curiously. “Jensen?
Chad nodded.
“When? Where?” Jared asked quickly.
Chad laughed. “About five minutes ago. He’d been summoned to Scott’s office.”
Jared slammed the textbook shut, grabbed his jacket and got to his feet.
“Where are you going?” Chad asked as he looked up at his friend.
“I have to go do something. I’ll catch you later, yeah?” Jared told Chad.
Chad leaned back in his seat and shrugged. “Whatever, dude,” he said dismissively.
Jared hesitated. What was he supposed to say? The truth?
“Well, get going,” Chad huffed. “I’ll still be here when you get back.”
Jared gave a small smile. “I’ll buy you a beer. I promise,” he said as he turned to leave.
Chad considered the offer, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he watched Jared walk away. “Make it two,” Chad called after him.
~*~
“Jensen.”
Jensen lifted his head as he heard his name, a heavy sigh as he found Jared standing in front of him. “What do you want?” He asked, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“Heard you were in school. I came to see if you were okay,” Jared said as he sat down beside Jensen, aware that he was trying to ignore him. “Waiting to see Scott?” He asked.
Jensen folded his arms across his chest and shook his head. “I’ve been in already. He’s trying to get hold of Cyrus.”
“Will your grandpa be pissed?”
Jensen shrugged.
“I really wanted to talk to you.”
Jensen cleared his throat and said in a low voice, “Look, there’s nothing to say. I’m only here because I was bored sitting around waiting for Cyrus to come back. When he does, we’re leaving. So you don’t have to worry about us.”
“I didn’t even realise your kind existed. I’d forgotten the stories Grams told me as a little kid. Soul Eaters, right?” He watched Jensen, hoping that he would talk to him properly. “I always thought they were just stories to scare me. What I could become if greed and power got the better of me. The Tiaim, demon hunters that became as evil as the things they hunted. They would eat the souls of their kills, and steal the power they held to add to their own. Do you really eat souls?”
Jensen sniffed a laugh and looked cautiously at the space behind Jared, the odd student walking past the gap “Like you said, stories to scare little kids.”
“But there must be something in them, right? The stories? You said Grams would have to contact the Council. She said you were dangerous.”
“Maybe I am,” Jensen said and turned to face Jared, his eyes bright as he looked at him. “You don’t know me.”
“I’d like to.”
Jensen rolled his eyes. “You really don’t get it, do you? We can’t be friends. We can’t hang out, or trade hunting stories. Your kind have killed or imprisoned mine for centuries. You don’t hear about us because we stay out of your way.”
“But…”
“No. That’s how it is. Your grandmother gets it. She’s old enough to have heard the stories over and over. You free souls, and we take them.”
Jared nodded. “The story goes that we were the same once.”
Jensen shrugged and looked back at the principal’s door. “Perhaps. I know our abilities differ now, but maybe once upon a time…”
“The power you take from the souls. It changed you, the Tiaim.”
“And you, the Lyend, didn’t like that. You were scared we’d become too powerful,” Jensen said quietly. “That you couldn’t control us.”
Jared swallowed uncomfortably as he shifted in his seat. “I wouldn’t tell anyone about you.”
“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. As soon as Cyrus gets back, we’re gone.”
“Jensen,” a deep voice said, Principal Scott appearing in the doorway. “I need to talk to you.”
Jensen nodded and cast a final glance at Jared. “Bye, Jared.”
Jared watched as the door closed behind Jensen, a weird sense of loss as the boy disappeared from sight. He still wasn’t sure he understood what was going on.
“Jay,” Chad said as he suddenly appeared in front of Jared. “You okay?”
Jared looked up, surprised to find Chad beside him. How long had he been there? He gave a small smile as he met his friend’s concerned eyes. “I’m fine,” he lied.
“Wanna talk about it?” Chad asked as he watched Jared get to his feet.
Jared looked at his oldest friend. He’d often considered just sitting Chad down and telling him everything, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Grams had told him plenty of times that your average human would never understand. Demons and hunters were things reserved for television shows and special effects laden movies. “It’s okay,” he decided, and pulled at the hem of his t-shirt. “Really.”
“Is something going on between you two?” Chad asked as he cleared his throat, his eyes lingering on the door to Scott’s office.
Jared shook his head. “No. Like what?”
“He’s, you know and you said…I mean, it wouldn’t matter if you were, you know…gay,” Chad told Jared awkwardly. “You’re my best friend. Have been for like forever. We tell each other everything, right?” An emphasis on the everything.
Jared continued to shake his head, yet he couldn’t help but smile. “Chad, dude. We do and…I don’t… I’m not…It’s just…”
Chad raised an eyebrow at Jared’s twisted words. “He is interesting, isn’t he?” Chad said of Jensen. “Weird and shit.”
Jared laughed and lowered his head. “He is.”
Chad leaned back on his heels, eyeing Jared curiously as if waiting for something more. “But if you were, it wouldn’t matter,” he said again. “I would never judge you.”
Jared met Chad’s eyes gratefully and smiled. “Thanks,” he said. “I mean it.”
Chad smiled and cleared his throat, asking “Can we go and eat now?”
Jared grinned as he felt the strange tension that had surrounded them shift, realising happily that yet again Chad had got his priorities right.
~*~
Jensen held his head in his hands, his eyes fixed on the yellow swirls of the patterned carpet of the motel room’s floor. He was alone. Anxiously he picked up his cell from the coffee table. He wasn’t sure why he thought this time would be any different, but he keyed in his grandfather’s number. Nervously he bit at his lip and waited, his heart sinking as the call went straight through to voicemail. “Cy,” he said weakly. “Please. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve waited for you but…” He looked across the room to the covered window. “If you get this please call me.” He swallowed nervously. “I’m going to try one last time, Cy. I know you said that maybe I shouldn’t but…” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to try.” He hung up.
Slowly Jensen got to his feet and moved to the bed. He sat on the edge and reached for the green stone that stood on the small bedside table. He held it in his hand, turning it over as he considered what to do. Carefully he cupped his hands, the stone lying in his open palms. He stared at the stone and tried to remember what Cyrus had taught him. “Open,” he spoke to the stone. “Open and reveal.” He watched the stone, hoping to see the low glow that Cyrus had shown him.
“Open,” Jensen tried again. “Please,” he added. He curled one hand tightly around the stone and closed his eyes, focusing his energy on the single goal of opening the damn thing. After a few moments, he reluctantly opened his eyes and looked down at the lifeless piece of rock. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t reawaken the thing; that power just wasn’t within him.
“Fuck,” Jensen roared, and threw the stone across the room, watching as it hit the wall and burst into shards of green light. He watched the splintered pieces fall to the ground, a mist of ash as the light slowly faded. He got to his feet and stared down at the useless pile of ash. He couldn’t just sit around and wait forever.
~*~
The night was darker than anything Jensen had seen before. Large black clouds were covering the sky and blocking out any natural light. Something felt strange, and despite trying his hardest, Jensen could sense nothing of his grandfather. Slowly he came to a stop and looked up at the sky. There was a terrible noise and the heavens opened, rain coming down heavily, huge puddles forming quickly from the sudden downpour.
Jensen wrapped his arms tightly around his waist and ran towards the side of the street. He huddled against the edge of a building and ran a hand through his wet hair, droplets running down his face. He kept close to the building as he continued his search. He knew it was foolish to think he would just come across his grandfather, but he’d run out of ideas. He’d searched Cyrus’s usual hunting grounds, but there had been nothing, no sign that his grandfather had been there recently.
Jensen stopped as he reached the end of the street, a dark feeling filling his head as he stood at the corner. He narrowed his eyes and looked cautiously around the side of the building. There it was, the demon from last night. Jensen watched the beast for a little while as it moved slowly down the street. He knew none of the passing humans could see it, a hidden predator searching for a soul large enough to satisfy its appetite. He contemplated approaching it, fighting it, but there was no way he could do that alone. He watched the demon disappear down one of the side streets, a low growl rumbling from its throat as it continued its search.
Jensen leaned against the building and watched the handfuls of people dodging through the puddles, coloured umbrellas held tightly in desperate human hands. He closed his eyes, a final attempt to sense anything that would help him find his grandfather. Nothing. He opened his eyes and looked at the street the demon had vanished down. Something old, he remembered Cyrus saying. He bit lightly on his lip. The demon was certainly old, and not like the tormented human souls he’d fought in the past. Slowly he raised a hand and wiped away the water running down the side of his face, suddenly aware that it was not just rain wetting his cheeks. Cyrus was gone, probably dead or… Jensen wiped at his eyes and pulled his damp hood up and around his face. He didn’t want to be alone, and he could only think of one other place to go.
~*~
“And don’t forget to pick your towel up off the-” Grams stopped, her mouth falling open as she opened the front door. She looked the sodden boy up and down, her hand gripping the door tightly. “What are you doing here?” She asked, pulling the door tight to her body.
“I’m sorry,” Jensen started, a sniff from beneath his hood. “I wasn’t sure if I should come here or-”
“You shouldn’t have,” Grams cut him off. “Do you know how much trouble you could get him into? What if someone saw you here?”
Jensen lowered his head. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “But I have nowhere else to go. No one to ask for...”
“Jensen?” Jared’s confused voice came from inside the house. “What’s going on?”
Grams looked over her shoulder, and then back to Jensen. “Jensen was just…”
“I wanted to ask you if you’d help me,” Jensen said quickly before Grams could stop him. “But I guess I shouldn’t be here. I don’t want to cause trouble,” he said, and started taking steps away from the house.
“Wait,” Jared called, and nudged at his grandmother’s arm. “Wait,” he said again. “Just come inside for a moment. You’re soaked through.”
Jensen looked warily at Grams. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
Jared sighed and also looked at Grams. “You won’t. Just come and dry out. We’ll talk.”
Grams calmly lowered her arm, a cautious gaze as Jensen entered her home. She stood for a little longer in the doorway, her eyes cast over the dark street in front of her. Something felt different, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what that difference was. With a heavy sigh, she shook the feeling from her mind. Slowly she closed the door and followed the two boys inside.
| Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 |