"Will that be all, then?" Asked the gun shop owner as he began placing items in a brown paper bag.
He was an older, burly man with greying hair, thick facial hair, and lazy blue eyes. Despite appearing tired, his spirits were high, reflected in the beaming smile he shared with the young man standing across the counter from him. Most likely, the grin was from the big sale he'd just made.
Mentally checking that he'd picked out everything he needed, Angel nodded, "Yes, and thank you for staying past your closing time for me; I didn't intend to arrive so late."
"It's all good, Mr. Collins," The old man laughed. "You've made a fantastic selection of purchases. It's been a slow day, so it was worth it."
Angel smiled as he pulled out his wallet and retrieved the right amount of cash. Silently, he was grateful to Cassie for helping him replace his weapons and replenish his supplies. The bounty hunter business was not the most lucrative career, especially for someone who took on any and every case, with or without rewards attached.
While the shopkeeper bagged the ammo and other items, Angel holstered his new pistol, feeling both relieved and irritated. He had hated firearms since leaving the Special Forces, but knew that he had no other viable choice until he could repair his tranquilizer gun. For now, he would need to rely on Charlie in the field with her new dart band.
And I'll make one for myself in the meantime, he thought.
Thanking the proprietor again, Angel stepped outside and saw that dusk had pushed the sun over the horizon. He checked his watch: 7:50 p.m. It was getting late, and he had a date to keep.
Setting the bags in the trunk, he took out a box of ammunition from one, then slid into the driver's seat. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he tapped Cassie's contact, clicked the speakerphone button, and set it on the dash. As he waited for her to answer, he busied himself with loading the pistol.
"Hey, bro." Cassie's chipper voice greeted him. "Still shopping?"
"I just finished. I wanted to call ahead and ask if you could let Charlie know that I'll be home soon. I promised to take her out to dinner tonight."
"Aw. That's great. She was a huge help in the store today. We even practiced some of her powers whenever we could fit them in between customers. She's really improving her conjuring abilities and seems to be in much better spirits—hold on."
He heard her voice shift away from the phone, now talking to Charlie and asking her to take some supplies to the back storage closet. After a moment, she returned, but now she was whispering. "I hope she's not listening—but while she seems happier, she never mentioned anything about a confession. Still haven't told her?"
He chuckled at her curiosity. "Not yet. I figured a romantic dinner would set the mood."
"Perfect," Cassie agreed, then returned to a normal volume. "I'll tell her to go get ready, and I'll close the shop in the meantime. Could you possibly pick up something to eat for me on the way back?"
"Sure. Any requests?"
"I'd love some fried chicken. Don't care where it's from."
"Done, sis. There's a place on the other side of the city park. I should be home in thirty minutes."
"See you soon."
After they hung up, he pulled out of the parking lot of the gun shop and headed east. It had been years since Angel last visited the park, and with highway traffic likely to slow him down, he figured a drive through the quiet parkway, followed by a quick southbound detour, would speed up his trip home.
Ten minutes later, he reached the park's west entrance and drove until he arrived at the first intersection. Turning right onto Marconi Drive, Angel noticed the park was almost entirely devoid of traffic, as most families had packed up their picnics for the day.
Continuing along the road, he soon reached the underpass of Interstate 610. As the shadow of the bridge cast over the vehicle, Angel caught a glimpse of something large darting past the bridge columns along the side of the road.
Thinking it might be a deer, he slowed down and glanced out the side window to locate the animal before it crossed his path. As he looked around for the deer, a large shadow charged at him, giving him no time to react. With a tremendous impact, the thing struck the driver's side door, pushing the inside panel against his left arm and shoulder.
The blow sent the car spinning, and it took all his strength to regain control of the wheel. Angel hit the brakes, and the tires screeched as they struggled to find traction on the asphalt; then another collision caused the automobile to hurtle toward one of the concrete pillars under the railroad bridge ahead.
Pressing both feet on the brake pedal, he struggled to stop the vehicle, but it wasn't enough. The front of the Prius jumped the curb and crashed into the concrete pillar of the bridge, with the force of the impact deploying the airbag, and he felt the seatbelt tighten across his shoulder. Together, the airbag and seatbelt prevented an even worse outcome.
Breathing heavily, Angel swallowed and shook his head to clear his mind. Quickly, he evaluated the situation: something struck the vehicle. Twice. This meant it was intentional and definitely not a deer. Alarm bells rang as he twisted in his seat, grimaced in pain, and looked out every window.
With no apparent immediate threat, he pushed the airbag away and felt a sharp ache shoot through his shoulder. After a quick check, Angel realized it had been dislocated. Frustrated with the bag swallowing up his view, he pulled out his utility knife, flicked the blade open, sliced the bag, and then ripped it from the wheel. Once it was out of the way, he looked around again.
It wasn't good; the attack caused the Prius to spin out of control, pinning him directly beneath the bridge. Combined with the increasing darkness of night, he was now in the shadows, drastically limiting his visibility.
Twisting the knife in his hand to point the butt toward the window, he used remnants of the airbag for protection and struck hard, shattering the safety glass. Once the noise settled, he stilled himself and focused, slowing his breathing to eliminate distractions.
He listened carefully, and at first, there was nothing but the hissing of the shattered radiator. But then another sound merged into the ambiance of the damaged rattles, and to him, it sounded like labored breathing.
Tense, he unfastened his seat belt, drew his new pistol from the holster, and clicked the safety off. As he pulled the door handle, Angel found it jammed and realized the damage made escape out of that side impossible. Ignoring the ache in his right shoulder, he pushed himself up and over the center console to the passenger side. That door thankfully swung open with a strong push.
Quickly, he dropped to the ground and rolled onto his stomach, then aimed his weapon toward the area where he thought he heard the sounds.
Okay, he thought. Obviously, it wasn't a deer or any normal wildlife that hit me. Which means our new chess piece sent out a demon pawn of their own.
Shit! He needed Charlie!
Sliding backward, he pressed his back against the side of the vehicle for cover, reached into his pocket, and felt for his phone. Before he could pull it out, the same labored breathing returned, but from a new position: the roof above him. He looked up and saw two red eyes resembling Charlie's, but with soulless black pupils, glaring down at him.
An amused baritone spoke in a raspy, low tone: "Hello, food."
Twisting to land on his back, Angel aimed his weapon at the eyes and fired two shots. The red orbs darted away, and white sparks erupted from the underside of the bridge where the bullets hit.
Throaty laughter mixed with an otherworldly canine howl came from the shadows and quickly moved between the pillars. "Missed me," the creature teased.
Trembling, the same fear he had felt when he first saw Charlie transform nearly overwhelmed him. Unlike the moment when she begged him not to run, this hellhound seemed determined to kill him, raising his terror to nearly paralyzing levels.
Once again, he reached for his cellphone but couldn't free it before a large, fleshy body slammed into him from the darkness beneath the bridge, sending him sprawling across the grass and into the shrubbery along the side of the road. The impact broke two of his ribs, and he gasped for breath as he rolled as much as he could to lessen the blow. Somehow, during the attack, he had managed to keep his grip on his weapon.
Burning tears filled his eyes, which he brushed away with his forearm, and he squinted to follow the beast's path. Pushing his dread down, he deemed it to be like any other enemy he'd encountered in the army. Think of it as mortal, and take it down!
Using his training to triangulate its direction, he deduced where it should be. Aiming, Angel softly squeezed the trigger, firing a single shot. He was rewarded with a screeching yelp of agony, followed by the most frightening demonic growl he'd ever heard, even darker and more sinister than Charlie's.
Fuck! he cursed. He'd pissed it off more than hurt it.
Fighting the branches, twigs, and broken bits of the bush the demon had shoved him into, he struggled to get free to reach a better position to defend himself.
Unfortunately, the time he needed was not granted. A searing heat erupted from his back, delivered by a well-placed strike from the creature's massive claws. Angel fell face-first into the grass, taking a split second to feel grateful it wasn't the concrete sidewalk.
Warm wetness followed the agony, as if he had been standing under a shower, and Angel knew his back had been sliced open. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and he guessed the strike had been deep. Very deep.
"No prey has ever wounded me before." The hellhound's tone held amusement as it approached his prone form: "You have my respect, Angel."
"You know me?" He coughed hard, blood dripping from his lips.
"My master, Samedi, sends his regards for what you and your demon bitch did in the warehouse. You allowed him to discover her, and he has such plans for the little thing."
Trying to buy time, he engaged the beast, "What kind of plans?"
The beast laughed darkly, "He thinks she is special and will be his key to taking over Bible's kingdom. Lofty ideas, as most demons are nothing special." It quipped. "I would be almost impressed with Samedi, if I did not wish to rip his throat out and drink his blood. He is as cruel and despicable as any of Hell's overlords, perhaps even more so than the infamous Radio Demon."
The beast stepped over him, and he saw two stout, animal-like legs on either side of his head. Hot breath blew across his hair, tousling it like a blow dryer would. He tried to calm his fear, but was failing. Hoping to stall, he posed another question: "Radio Demon?"
"Now, now, my dear prey. No more questions. It's time for dinner, and you're the main course. I'll be sure to let your demon bitch know how much you suffered, begging for mercy like the pathetic human you are."
He couldn't move his arm to get his weapon free and felt deep remorse for failing Charlie and his sister. He heard the beast sniffing deeply with its oversized nostrils, inhaling the delicious aroma of his torn back. He braced for the killing blow, but it didn't come. Instead, the creature lifted its wolf-like head from his bleeding wound. "It can't be."
He felt it press its nose down into his tattered back a second time, and Angel braced himself, but it didn't feast; instead, the creature took another strong, deep breath, inhaling more scent. The hellhound cursed darkly, demanding, "How in the fuck did you get her?"
Swallowing bile and copper-tasting blood, he struggled to speak, "Her?"
"Your demon bitch. How did you get her?"
Suddenly remembering the necklace his sister had given him, he clutched it as if it were a life preserver and cursed himself for forgetting he had it. Clearing his throat as best he could to prepare, he played along, "It's a tantalizing story. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
The beast growled in fury, and Angel screamed as the sharp fangs tore into his forearm.
"Don't fucking play games with me, human!" The creature violently flipped him onto his back and lowered its frightening face until its rough nose was pressed to Angel's nose. Hot, sulfur-heavy breath washed over his bloodied face. "You will tell me how you managed to bind the Princess of Hell, herself! If you don't, I'll make you suffer all night, taking small, non-fatal bites until you beg for your death."
Despite the foul smell of its breath, Angel heaved his chest, trying to draw in as much air as possible. With fingers on his neck, he twisted the beads. Lowering his tone, he half-whispered. "And if I tell you, you'll make it quick?"
"Tell me the truth, human, and I will crush your skull in my jaws and end your life immediately. You may consider it mercy."
Lowering his voice to a complete whisper, he mumbled.
Rygen shook his head, his ears flopping against his skull, and he growled deeply, "Speak up!"
"I…" Angel choked, "Closer… please?"
It leaned in, eager to discover not only how this human had bound the princess, but also to absorb all the scents around him. Scents of others he had encountered. Scents he could track down next. The beast drew many deep breaths, imprinting those aromas in its mind. The creature tilted its head to one side, its floppy ear brushing gently against his nose as it listened closely. "Tell me!"
"You asked for it." Angel sneered, then spoke the words his sister had made him memorize: "Ignes in venis excruciant tuis daemonia!"
Immediately, the power in the beads sent magical fire searing through Rygen's veins, and he screamed horribly. Falling backwards, it tumbled down the slope and onto the road below, twisting in agony as the spell's power coursed through its body. With its claws scraping the asphalt, the beast scrambled and faltered before regaining its balance and roaring again as it scurried away.
"Fuck you! I'll kill everyone you love, I swear it!"
As its threats faded into the distance, Angel coughed up more blood and knew he'd been mortally wounded. Still, the necklace had done its job, and he hoped that the demon would suffer for a long time from the effects.
Did Cassie realize how powerful and painful the spell was? He couldn't ever imagine hurting Charlie like that and would prefer death over using this magic on her. As it stood, death seemed to be approaching on its own, and he spat out a glob of blood in defiance.
Finally able to fish his phone out of his pocket, Angel noticed the screen was badly cracked and felt cold dread settle over him, along with a second wave of wet, hot pain down his back.
Pushing the side button, he glimpsed enough of the display to make out Cassie's number and pressed the call button. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it ring.
Please, Cassie. Answer! Quickly!
With the arms of darkness seeping in to embrace him and the whisper of death promising a final rest, he felt his body growing cold, and one thought took control of his mind: I never told Charlie I love her.