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Supernatural Prologue August 18th, 1992 Tom stretched up, trying to reach the top of his cupboard. His toy gun lay on top, way out of reach. Tom groaned. He was sick of being seven. It made everything harder. He looked around the room, wondering if he could move a chair without waking anyone up. “Tom? What are you doing?” Harry asked sleepily from his bed on the other side of the room. “Shh! I’m getting my gun.” Tom whispered. “Why?” Harry sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Be quiet! You’ll wake someone up!” Tom hissed. As the words slipped from his mouth, there was a loud crash, the sound of glass breaking. Tom whirled around, staring at the door. Harry stood up and moved closer to Tom. Slow, deliberate footsteps came closer and closer, until they could see the shadow of the intruder under their door. “Hey! What the hell do-” Their father’s voice was cut off as the intruder lunged towards him. He yelled in agonizing pain. Tom and Harry flinched, automatically backing away. Another scream from their mother was enough to push them over the edge, and tears of fear began to flow from their eyes. There was a menacing hiss, and the second scream from their mother was cut off with a sickening choking sound. Footsteps thundered down the hallway. The door to their bedroom was thrown open and George, Tom’s other stepbrother, burst into the room. His eyes were wide with horror and his breathing was ragged. “Run!” He yelled. He grabbed hold of Harry’s and Tom’s wrists and dragged them into the hallway. Tom turned to look behind them but George pushed him forward, not allowing him to. They raced down the stairs, and as soon as their feet hit the floor the creature hissed again. It started to move after them. George forced the front door open and pushed the two of them outside. “Keep going! Find more people, and stay with them!” He ordered. Before either of them could protest or ask what was going on, George shut the door again. There was a loud crash from inside and a series of shouts and yells. Tom and Harry stared at the house, to scared to move, unable to tear their eyes away. Something that looked human, although it’s teeth were too long and each one tapered to sharp points, dived past the window. Tom’s attention instantly focused on that. There was one final yell and blood spattered across the window. If Tom wasn’t frozen in horror, he would have screamed. “Come on, we gotta go! George said we gotta run!” Harry tugged at Tom’s arm, breaking him out of his trance. Tom looked at him, knowing they were just as scared as each other. He nodded quickly, even though he couldn’t bare the thought of their family being stuck in there with that creature. They turned together and ran as fast as they possibly could. Chapter 1 Tom sat in a smoky bar with an empty glass in his hand, waiting for Harry to return with whatever information he could find. Very little had been happening

recently, and it seemed that whenever a case actually came up, someone beat them to it. And the same two descriptions seemed to keep coming up, which made it all even more frustrating. “According to the guy at the bar, the police have already been here asking questions. Twice. And he’s refusing to keep answering them when nothing seems to change.” Harry collapsed onto the chair opposite top with an exasperated look. “Great.” Tom mumbled sarcastically. “Also, the second lot happened to be called Luke Spring and Jake Steen.” Harry folded his arms on the table, glaring at the splintering wood at the edges. “So basically the police force either have a sense of humour when it comes to partnering people up, or we got beat to the catch. Again.” Tom growled. “Looks like it. They must be leaving some kind of trail, something we can follow.” Harry mumbled. “Why would we want to follow them, exactly?” Tom asked. “I wanna know who these assholes are. All we know about them is stuff surrounding their music taste and movie interests.” Harry’s eyes still didn’t leave the table. “You could ask the barman, he saw them. Tell him they were impersonating police or something, if you wanna find them so bad.” Tom suggested. Harry hesitated, then smirked and stood up. Without another word, he strode over to the barman and started talking to him again. A few minutes passed where Tom could do nothing but watch them, then suddenly the barman turned and disappeared into a room in the back. Harry gave Tom a quick thumbs up. Tom’s interest suddenly shot up as the man returned, handing Harry some folded pieces of paper. The conversation ended quickly and Harry returned, dropping the papers on the table. “Security photos. And he told me a bit about what they said.” He announced triumphantly. Tom unfolded the papers. It showed two young men, not much different age wise to him or Harry by their looks. The first image showed a blurred photo of them walking in, the second showing them leaving. The third was much clearer, having being shot from the CCTV camera just behind the bar. One had dark, curly hair. He was slightly taller than the second, who’s hair was lighter. The black and white photo provided little other detail, but enough for them to have a good idea who they were dealing with. “What are we gonna do with this anyway? We can’t exactly track them down and say ‘Hey, stop hunting down the evil killing monsters, you’re making us look bad!’” Tom pointed out. “No, but we can stay one step ahead of them.” Harry murmured. “Why? They don’t even know we exist. They’re not causing us any trouble other than unknowingly putting us out of our jobs.” Tom insisted. “They’re too perfect. Every other hunter we’ve come across makes mistakes. These guys don’t seem to. Ever.” Harry growled. “So it’s bad that they’re good at what they do?” Tom asked sarcastically. “We don’t even have any leads telling us where they might be headed.” “They’re still here.” Harry said with a smirk. “The barman said they were here this morning. They might be good, but no one solves a case in half a day. We’ll find them.” Within ten minutes they had left the pub and made their way over to Tom’s car. They headed straight for the supermarket which had been closed down after 3 simultaneous gruesome deaths had been reported, in broad daylight, with no

explanation. When they arrived, the supermarket looks like any other. The windows were shuttered, but other than that, nothing seemed out of place. They walked straight towards the entrance. There was no shutter there, which could only mean someone was already inside. Harry pushed the door open cautiously. No lights were on. Footsteps and hushed words reached their ears. The lights flickered. Then nothing. Everything fell silent. A huge crash and yell ruptured the quiet, followed by hurried footsteps getting closer. “Dan? Danny, you ok?” Someone yelled. “Yeah, look out fo-” The second person, who Tom assumed was Danny, cut themselves off as he stepped out of one of the isles and saw them. He was an exact match to the pictures. “Get here! Three!” He shouted, before looking at the two of them, stood there. His hands held a sawn-off shot gun steadily, not pointed at them, but in a way that he could lift it quickly and take aim if he needed to. “Who the hell are you?” “We’re on a case.” Harry growled. “Well we’re handling it already, so you can leave.” Danny stated simply, just as the second of the pair, who Tom recognised instantly from the CCTV images, came to stand next to him, a similar gun held ready. “You don’t look like you’re ‘handling it’ too well.” Harry sneered, gesturing at their torn clothes and numerous cuts and bruises. “We’re handling it fine.” Danny growled. “Now get out of here before you get hurt.” “We can look after ourselves fine.” Harry snarled, sliding a handgun out of his belt and aiming it towards the two of them. The second of the two lifted his gun in response, but Danny held out his hand as a signal for him to stop. “No point, Doug, they’re not worth it.” Danny told him. When the other looked hesitant, he sighed. “Dougie,” He repeated sternly. Finally, the one Tom now knew as Dougie lowered his gun. Danny leaned closer to him and muttered something his ear. Dougie still looked unsure, but nodded slowly. “It’s rude to whisper.” Harry said mockingly. “Get out of here. We’ll deal with this.” Danny ignored Harry’s comment. “I think you should leave.” Harry took a menacing step forward, only to stop as Dougie suddenly went on the defence again, taking aim once more. “Back off.” He growled threateningly. Danny pushed the gun back down and whispered something to him again. Dougie smirked and backed down, making Tom narrow his eyes suspiciously. “If you lot cool it, we might get somewhere.” He said, not in the mood for face offs against people that weren’t important. “You look like you need help, and this isn’t doing any of us any favours.” “Fine. Do what you want. Just don’t blame us when you get yourselves killed.” Danny muttered, before turning back the way he’d come. He nudged Dougie as he passed him, making him follow. Tom could just make out the sound of them talking, but couldn’t hear what they were saying. The lights began to flicker madly. A bulb down at the far end exploded, followed by another, and another, until glass was showering down all across the supermarket. Tom almost smirked. Finally, something he wanted to deal with. Chapter 2

“Any kind of plan?” Dougie asked, crouched under one of the tables in the café as glass showered down above them. “What do you think?” Danny asked, smirking. “Well we could… It’s a ghost, so we could use salt to seal this place off so we have like, a safe point, and-” Dougie started, but Danny cut him off. “And where is this salt?” Danny pointed out. “I’m not really up for opening up all the little packets.” “One of us could go get some.” Dougie suggested. “No, we’re not splitting up if we can help it.” Danny stated firmly. “I’m pretty sure I can look after myself for a few minutes.” Dougie insisted. He started to stand up just as a huge force sent the tables flying through the air and crashing against the walls. Danny dragged him back down, keeping hold of his jacket. “Stay here. We need to think things through!” Danny commanded. “Well, the ghost died in the bakery, so we should head there.” Dougie lowered his voice as everything went eerily quiet. “Come on.” He walked cautiously back into the aisles, weaving between them with Danny barely a step behind him. Danny suddenly stopped dead and grabbed Dougie’s arm, making him turn questioningly. Danny put a finger to his lips and looked like he was listening. Barely audible footsteps were close by. Danny rolled his eyes and mouthed ‘It’s them’. As soon as Harry and Tom left the aisle they were stood in, Danny approached them from behind. He tapped Tom silently, who whirled around and lifted his gun so it was pointed straight at Danny’s head. Danny looked at it, then back at Tom without so much as a second glance. He waved one hand, signalling for Tom to lower the gun. Tom hesitantly complied. Danny half smiled, then motioned for silence. He pointed towards the bakery at the end of the supermarket before setting off in that direction again, with Dougie on his heels and the other two a little further back. The bakery was dark, thanks to the blown lights. There were loaves of bread lining all the shelves, all the machinery was off, and nothing was moving. It was almost as if it was just closed, if not for the shattered glass littering the floor. A slight rattling sound made them all look around. It got steadily louder, until it seemed to surround them. Suddenly all the drawers in the bakery burst open and cutlery exploded outwards. They ducked and dodged out of the way, just as the machines started to whirr into life. “Find something, anything, that might be linked to the ghost!” Danny yelled over the noise. All four of them stumbled around the room, trying to find anything that might be what they were looking for. Tom thrust open the doors to a large cupboard, and is eyes rested on the bottles inside. He smirked as an idea formed in his mind, and he started unscrewing the lids. He threw bottle after bottle to the ground around the bakery, allowing their contents to spill over the floor. He tossed some towards the machines, allowing the thick liquid to trickle over them and drip inside. “Get out of here!” He yelled once he was satisfied. The other three paused to look at him with puzzled expressions. “Now!” Tom ordered. They instantly started to move out of the room when they heard the urgency in his voice. Tom fumbled for a lighter in his pocket, pulling it out and flicking it open. An almost transparent figure flickered in the centre of the room, her eyes locked on Tom. The flame burst into life just as she took a step forward, and Tom hurled the lighter into the bakery, almost at her feet. Slowly, the oil he had spread all around the room started to catch fire, then moved more quickly, lighting up the whole room. The ghost

flickered, and suddenly howled in pain. Tom backed away and into the main section of the supermarket. Smoke billowed from the bakery and alarms started ringing. “Good idea, mate.” Danny smiled slightly at Tom. “He’s not your ‘mate’.” Harry growled. “Let’s just get out of here, before the police and stuff show up.” Tom broke in before anything could escalate between them, and they hurried towards the entrance. Tom and Harry headed straight for their car as Danny and Dougie split off and went to their own. “Follow them.” Harry muttered as they started to drive. Tom sighed and did as he was told, staying right behind them. After barely five minutes of driving, they turned into a quiet lane between two fields and drove about halfway down. Tom pulled up as Danny got out of the drivers seat, and Dougie climbed out of the passenger side. “What are you doing?” Harry demanded as the two of them also got out of the car. “Health check.” Danny stated as he moved around the back of the car and opened the boot. He lifted up the boot floor panel, revealing a wide range of weapons and other things that would be useful in their job. Dougie leaned against the car, looking like a sulky little kid. “Sit down.” Danny gestured at a bench that was placed in the grass facing the field. Dougie rolled his eyes. “You’re wasting time.” Harry cut in. Danny pretty much ignored him. “I agree with him.” Dougie said suddenly, surprising Tom and Harry. “Do I care?” Danny nudged him towards the bench and Dougie sighed over exaggeratedly before sitting down. Tom watched them, intrigued by their complete change in change in character. When talking to either him or Harry, Danny and Dougie seemed hostile and kind of intimidating, but with each other they were completely different. They were calm and friendly, talking quietly and even laughing despite the previous situation. Danny checked the multiple cuts Dougie had managed to get, wrapping a bandage around a large gash he had in his arm. He rechecked Dougie again with genuine concern until Dougie batted him away. It was like they were in their own little world. As soon as they stood up again, all friendliness left the atmosphere and the coldness returned to their eyes, they attention back on Tom and Harry. “Aw, little guy get hurt?” Harry mocked. Tom opened his mouth to tell him to shut up, but Danny beat him to it. “At least he was of some use today, unlike you.” He growled. “Defending your lover boy, huh?” Harry continued. “Whoa, hey, even if I swung that way, Danny really isn’t the kinda guy I’d go for.” Dougie broke in. In any other situation, that would have lightened the atmosphere, but Harry was still radiating tension. “Hey, why not?” Danny sounded hurt, although his eyes showed it was in good humour. “Is this some kind of joke to you?” Harry snarled. Danny looked like he was about to fire out anther comeback, but Tom spoke first. “Harry, leave it. We’ll just leave them to it and go our own way.” He said. “Wait, I…” Danny trailed off before finding the right words. “You were good.” “Uh, thanks.” Tom mumbled. “I mean, you could stick around… For a while. Nothing wrong with a bit of

extra help. We could go down to one of the bars nearby, see if there’s anything else going on.” Danny suggested. “I don’t think we want to be stuck with you.” Harry growled. “First round’s on me?” Danny added, as if that made a world of difference. He didn’t even acknowledge the coldness in Harry’s voice, although he must have noticed it. “I’m up for it.” Tom answered. Harry glared at him, but said nothing. “Cool, lets go. Just follow us.” Danny grinned and headed back to the car. Tom sighed. He liked the idea of having other people around to help out and just hang around with, but this little feud between Harry and Danny could be a problem. Dougie, and he himself, seemed to be generally in the clear with the rest of the group, enough that a couple of cases together wouldn’t be too bad, anyway. He just hoped Harry and Danny didn’t rip each other apart. Chapter 3 “You never told us your names.” Danny said, trying to start a conversation. “I’m Tom, and he’s Harry. You’re Danny and Dougie, right? Or is it Luke and Jake?” Tom asked with a slight smile. “Danny, Dougie,” Danny pointed to himself and then Dougie, and repeated the motion again. “Luke, Jake.” “How long have you been hunting for?” Tom pressed. “Ages,” Danny replied, leaning back in his seat. They were in a small, cosy bar, sat in one of the booths. So far, Harry had said nothing, just glaring at Danny and Dougie. Mainly Danny. “Since I was like, five.” Dougie added. “Well I didn’t actually hunt then, but that’s when my sister started to teach me about the stuff.” “Huh. I was seven. So was he.” Tom nodded in Harry’s direction, and was rewarded with a grunt. “You know, you can talk to us. You won’t die if you do.” Danny muttered. “I’d rather not take my chances.” Harry replied coldly. “You just did, tosser.” Danny growled. “Whatever, you just-” “Shut up, please.” Dougie cut Harry off with a sigh. “Make me, you little prick!” Harry sat up straighter and put his hands on the table, like he was going to stand. “You back off before I-” Danny started to make a threat, but Tom cut in. “Guys, please, just stop it! You could at least try to get along.” He said. Harry leaned back again, glaring at Danny coldly. Danny held his gaze for a while until Harry gave in, defeated, and turned his eyes to the table. “I’m gonna order something to eat.” Danny stated. “Come on, Doug.” Danny got up and waited for Dougie to follow, as if he didn’t want to leave him alone with Tom and Harry. “There’s something weird about them.” Harry muttered when they were out of earshot. “Harry, just leave them alone and try to be… civilised.” Tom ordered. “I don’t trust them. Look, they’re probably talking about us right now.” Harry growled. “What, like we’re talking about them?” Tom pointed out. Harry fell silent, continuing to glare at the table. When Danny and Dougie returned, they stayed quiet,

barely even speaking to each other. Danny leaned back slightly and pulled out his phone, rapidly pressing a bunch of buttons before putting it down on the table. A few seconds later, a bleeping sound made Dougie look at Danny with a puzzled expression before pulling out his own phone. Tom heard Harry let out an annoyed sigh. Tom almost laughed. It was as if Danny and Dougie were just teenagers in he middle of a lesson, trying to speak without actually having to talk out loud. Dougie smirked when he looked at his phone, but didn’t reply to the message. He just nodded slightly. A few more minutes of silence passed, until the waitress wandered over with a tray, placing two plates of chips and two glasses of coke on the table. Danny almost immediately downed half of one of the glasses, while Dougie took to drinking the other more slowly. “So, where are we gonna head?” Danny directed the question at Tom, as if Harry wasn’t there. He shoved a few chips in his mouth, looking at him expectantly. “I dunno, any leads?” Tom asked. Danny and Dougie both shook their heads. “We could get a paper.” Danny said through a mouthful, before swallowing and grabbing another bunch of chips. “The bar will probably have one.” Dougie added. He stood up and walked over to the bar straight away. Danny, glancing at Dougie to check he wasn’t looking, tipped a few chips from Dougie’s plate onto his own. As soon as Dougie returned, he gave Danny an I-know-what-you-did look, but Danny just smiled at him innocently. Dougie rolled his eyes and dropped a newspaper on the table, allowing Tom to read it. “Anything?” Danny asked after a few minutes. “I dunno, there’s a report about a bunch of people going missing, but it’s an two hour or so drive away, and it might be nothing.” Tom murmured. “Might as well check it out. There’s no good places to stay in this area anyway.” Danny decided. He put a few more chips in his mouth. “When do you wanna go?” “As soon as your finished here?” Tom suggested. Danny nodded and crammed more food into his mouth. Dougie emptied his own plate more slowly, and Danny stood up, leading the way outside. He collapsed into the drivers seat of his car, pulling the door shut and sinking into it slightly and sighing. Dougie climbed into the passenger seat, looking at him. “What’s up?” He asked. “Nothing, just glad to be out of there. That guy hates me so much I swear I’d burn if I made eye contact with him.” Danny answered. “You’re not being the friendliest person in the world either,” Dougie murmured. “Neither are you.” Danny defended. “I’m doing better than you, obviously. But the other one’s ok. Tom, I mean.” Dougie said. “Yeah, but still…” Danny trailed off. “Maybe he has a weird kinda sixth sense.” Dougie smiled slightly. “What?” Danny looked at him, confused. “Maybe he knows,” Dougie shrugged. “Somehow. Maybe he can tell about you.” “I doubt it. He’d have to be pretty damn good. I think he just has issues.” Danny chuckled. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, allowing their completely black colouring to show. Chapter 4

“Maybe we shouldn’t stay with them.” Danny said suddenly. “What?” Dougie looked up, having being pulled out of a daydream. He was lying on a soft, cream coloured bed, staring at the ceiling of the hotel. It was the first cheap one they had found, and it was comfortable enough for a short stay. “When you said about him knowing… I know he doesn’t, but what if they find out somehow?” Danny murmured. “They won’t find out. You hide it well enough.” Dougie assured him. Danny sighed. “You never know,” Dougie added when he saw Danny’s doubtfulness, “They might think having a demon with them is cool.” “Most people don’t though. Most people would do their best to get rid of me straight away.” Danny mumbled. “I didn’t.” Dougie pointed out. “You’re not like most people though, Doug.” Danny chuckled. Dougie looked like he was trying to decide whether or not to be offended, but he just shrugged. “What do you think we’re dealing with?” He changed the subject. “No idea. Not yet.” Danny answered truthfully. He ran a hand through his hair. “Don’t tell them, though.” “Why would I?” Dougie gave Danny an offended look. “I’m just saying. I doubt they’ll believe that I’m not gonna hurt anybody. Except the ones that deserve to be hurt.” Danny muttered. “Yeah well, I’m alive and I’ve known you for most of my life. Why don’t we go to the bar downstairs and ask around, see if we can find out anything?” Dougie suggested. Danny nodded with a sigh. Within a couple of hours, it was fair to say Dougie was more than a little tipsy. He supported himself against the bar, his eyes unfocused and a dumb grin set on his face. “Dannn, why do you never ever ever get drunk? It’s soooo not fair!” He slurred. “I work different to you, mate, and you really can’t handle your drink.” Danny chuckled. They hadn’t found out any new information. They hadn’t actually tried. Danny was more than happy to sit back and watch Dougie make a fool out of himself. “Yeah I…” Dougie trailed off, his eyes straying from Danny to a young woman behind the bar. “Hello…” He mumbled. The woman smiled, amused, probably used to getting drunk men hitting on her every night. Dougie started to speak again, but stopped suddenly, seeming surprised. “I need a piss.” He said loudly, before wandering off towards the toilets. “Sorry,” Danny apologized for him, but couldn’t help laughing. “Don’t worry about it.” She replied, smiling. “I’m Cathy, the daughter of the guy that owns this place.” She introduced herself politely. “Danny, the mate of the guy who can barely stand.” Danny smirked. Cathy laughed, flicking her auburn hair out of her eyes. “I’ve not seen you around here before.” She stated, leaning on the counter slightly. “Nah, my first time here. I travel a lot.” Danny explained. “And are you always sat here talking to the bar staff while your friend is drowning himself in alcohol?” She asked, smirking. “Only sometimes.” Danny grinned. “His name’s Dougie. He’s a genuinely nice guy when he’s sober, I promise.” “I bet he is. It’s a shame I usually only get to see people’s drunk sides.” Her

eyes wandered around the room briefly. “So, are you staying long?” “Probably not,” Danny sighed. “We don’t usually stick around for more than a few days. Less, if we can.” “Oh,” Cathy seemed momentarily disappointed, but she covered it so quickly that Danny couldn’t be sure. “Must be fun, on the road with friends.” “Yeah, usually.” Danny agreed. The sound of raised voices behind him made him turn his head. Dougie was stood with his back to him, looking up at Harry, who looked more than a little angry. “Sorry, Cathy, I better go stop him from getting himself knocked out.” Danny apologized again. “I’ll, uh… See you later, though?” “Sure, it’s fine.” She nodded understandingly and Danny smiled gratefully before standing up and walking over to Harry and Dougie. “So this is how you do your job, huh? Get pissed and stumble around like idiots?” Harry growled. “Nah, as you can see, I’m not drunk. And there’s nothing wrong with unwinding from time to time.” Danny murmured calmly. Dougie leaned against Danny for support and yawned. “Maybe it’s about ti-” “Look, if we wanna have some fun, we’re gonna have some fun. We’re not causing you any trouble. I’m really not in the mood for arguing again. Save it for tomorrow or something.” Danny snapped. “Come on Doug, you’ve had enough.” “Aww, Dan, I was having fun!” Dougie whined as Danny half led, half dragged him through the bar and past the reception. “I know.” Danny replied, having little patience. Talking to Cathy had made him realise what he was missing. He liked her, that was definite. But he couldn’t get any closer to her. It was too dangerous. He could never have a normal relationship. Even his friendship with Dougie was risky enough. If he lost his temper just once… He sighed. He would never regret his decision, but it came with consequences. Chapter 5 “I feel like crap…” Dougie whined, his eyes screwed shut and his hands over his face. “And why might that be?” Danny opened the curtains of the hotel room, revealing the bright morning sunshine. Dougie groaned and rolled over so he was facing away from it. “Stop talking so loud!” He ordered. Danny moved closer to him and knelt down next to him. “Doug, lemme give you some advice,” He whispered. Dougie grunted in response. Danny leaned closer. “Don’t drink so much!” He yelled. Dougie pressed his hands over his ears and moaned. “Bastard!” He growled, making Danny laugh. Dougie opened his eyes slightly, blinking a few times. “I think I…” He trailed off before standing up and stumbling into the bathroom. Within a couple of seconds, Danny could hear him throwing up. “Nice,” Danny muttered sarcastically, grimacing. A loud knocking on the door caught his attention, so he walked over and pulled it open. He smiled slightly when he saw Tom, but quickly stopped when his eyes moved to Harry, giving him a curt nod. “We’re gonna go check out the place of the disappearances. You coming?” Tom asked, ignoring the tension crackling between the two. “Um, how about we meet downstairs in half an hour?” Danny suggested. Tom

looked like he was about to ask why they didn’t just leave now, but stopped when he heard Dougie throw up again. “Oh, ok. Half an hour.” Tom agreed. Danny smiled gratefully and shut the door. “They’re just gonna hold us back, Tom.” Harry muttered as they began to walk away. “You were the one that wanted to find them. They’re good hunters, they must be, if what we heard was true. You just need to give them a chance.” Tom insisted. Harry grunted, saying nothing more. The half hour passed in silence, until eventually Danny and a very tired, rough looking Dougie joined them. His hair was stuck up all over the place and he looked like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. “You sure he’s up to this?” Harry asked, looking at Dougie critically. “Yes, I’m sure.” Danny glared at him. “He looks like he’s gonna pass out.” Harry added. “He can manage.” Danny growled more forcefully. “I’m fine, and I can speak for myself.” Dougie broke in, making them both shut up. “Let’s just go, ok?” Tom said before anything else could cause an argument, and turned to walk out of the door. Harry followed him quickly, with Danny and Dougie trailing behind slightly. “I think my head’s gonna explode.” Dougie whispered. Danny just chuckled and climbed into his car. “I need… coffee.” Dougie mumbled to himself. As soon as they reached their destination, it was clear there was something wrong. The whole area was taped off, and even in the morning sunshine it looked dark. “There’s something here. I can feel it.” Danny murmured to Dougie before climbing out of the car. Chapter 6 Danny ducked under the tape, his eyes flicking around the area. A shadowy alley was stretching out ahead of them, between two grey, looming buildings that towered above them. There were no lights in the alley, so they couldn’t see more than ten feet down the damp, dark walls. Danny held his gun ready, alert for any signs of movement. “Hello, Danny.” A sinister, sneering voice made him look up. Perched on a second story window ledge, a man in his thirties glared down at him. Danny didn’t bother to reply. He lifted the gun and fired. The intruder leapt down from the window, milliseconds before the glass shattered and rained down on them. “Doug!” Danny called, moving sideways. Dougie instantly tossed what would appear to be ordinary water towards the person, but as it hit his skin it sizzled and steamed, making him hiss slightly. “That stings, you little runt.” He said calmly, before flicking his wrist carelessly. Dougie was instantly thrown against the nearest wall with a bone jarring thud, and he slid to his knees. “You’re not getting away again, Joseph.” Danny vowed, lifting the gun again. “It’s nice that you want to keep me close, but you’re getting a bit… Clingy.” Joseph mocked. As soon as Danny pulled the trigger, he jerked out of the way. Dougie

got to his feet, taking aim. “Oh, you brought more friends.” Joseph smirked as he saw Tom and Harry appear behind Danny. “You really should have let me know. I would have made more of an effort.” Harry pulled his handgun out of his belt, only for it to fly out of his hands as Joseph jerked his hand. “This is hardly fair.” Joseph murmured. “I think you two should leave us to get acquainted.” Danny stepped forward threateningly, only to be thrown backwards into Dougie, knocking them both to the ground. Tom and Harry simultaneously moved backwards out of the alley, giving themselves more space. Joseph shook his head and followed, kicking Danny in the side on the way. Harry dashed to where his gun lay on the ground, grabbing it and lifting it to aim at Joseph. Joseph lifted his arm, his attention solely on Harry. “Where are all the people?” Harry demanded. “Oh, long gone. You don’t need to worry about them.” Joseph told him, smirking and stepping forward. Suddenly, a hole ripped through his shoulder, making him stop dead. He turned on his heel, staring at Tom, whose gun was lifted and pointing straight at him. “Ouch.” Joseph said, the cocky smile leaving his lips. “You’ll pay for that.” Without warning, Danny’s car was lifted straight from the ground and thrown full force at Tom, who ducked seconds before it hit him, making it fly overhead, grazing past his hair. It collided with the wall with a huge crash, knocking down part of the wall and sending bricks whizzing through the air. Tom stumbled to move out of the way as it caught fire, the flames growling menacingly. “See, it’s like I always-” Joseph was cut off as Danny suddenly launched himself out of the shadows of the alley and onto his back, dragging him to the ground. Danny pinned him down, punching him hard in the face. “Sorry, I’m not into one-liners.” He growled, drawing his fist back again. Joseph caught hold of his arm before Danny could move further, then, digging his foot into Danny’s stomach, kicked upwards, making Danny flip over and land on his back on the damp concrete. Joseph was on his feet in an instant, kicking Danny hard in the ribs repeatedly. “Get up! You can do better than this!” He shouted mockingly. He let out an agonised howl, stepping backwards and turning, revealing the blade of a knife sticking out of his back. “You really are… Getting quite annoying.” Joseph hissed between clenched teeth. Dougie smirked, facing him, taking a few steps back as Joseph advanced. Joseph let out a growl before lifting his hand, throwing Dougie back into the alley and out of sight. Joseph went after him straight away. Danny sat up slowly, looking towards the alley with a mixture of concern and triumph. Tom knelt next to him, while Harry moved towards the alley. “Wait, Harry, don’t.” Danny ordered. Harry glared at him, but stopped. “Are you okay?” Tom asked, helping him to his feet. “Yeah, fine.” Danny replied hastily, looking pretty much unhurt. His eyes were focused on the alley. “This better work.” He whispered. “I’ll kill all four of you if you don’t let me out of here!” Joseph roared suddenly. Danny grinned and walked towards the alley. Inside, a small circle had been drawn on the ground, filled with symbols and odd patterns. A devil’s trap. “Doug?” Danny called into the darkness. “I’m good.” Dougie replied, although his voice sounded strained. A few moments later Dougie appeared from the shadows, edging around the circle so that he

could join the others. He was limping slightly and had a large cut stretching across his cheek, making blood trickle down his face. “Can you guys do the rest? Me and Doug have a trashed car to deal with.” Danny lied quickly, not wanting to be in the area when they started reading what would send him back to hell. He walked away, almost breaking into a jog, with Dougie stumbling along behind him. When he reached the car, Danny pulled the boot open and started lifting everything out. He ignored the rising flames, knowing they still had some time before the whole thing exploded. “Can you manage ‘til we get back to the hotel? All the bandages and that are in the glove compartment.” Danny explained, gesturing towards the front of the car, which was almost entirely crushed. “I’ll be fine. Don’t need it.” Dougie insisted. Danny gave him a sceptical look, but handed Dougie some of the things from the boot for him to carry. There was a loud scream, signalling that Joseph was gone for good. “Come on,” Danny led the way as they walked back towards Tom and Harry, who had re-emerged from the alley. “Do you mind giving us a ride?” Danny asked. “Put your stuff in the boot and get in the back.” Harry stated shortly before moving around to the passenger side of Tom’s car and climbing in. Tom smiled apologetically and opened the boot for them before getting into the drivers seat. “Well, at least he didn’t bite either of our heads off.” Danny mumbled. Dougie chuckled quietly and shifted to the side of the car, sliding into the back. Danny quickly followed after slamming the boot shut. “He knew you.” Harry said coldly as Tom started the engine. “Yeah, we’ve run into him before, but he got away.” Danny replied truthfully, although he left out most of the details. “I thought you were supposed to be good hunters?” Harry asked, his voice mocking. “And I suppose you’ve never made mistakes, huh?” Danny countered. They car sank into an uncomfortable silence. Danny sighed. This journey was going to be a long one. Chapter 7 Fire growled in Danny’s ears and heat burned his skin. His eyes stung and it felt as if every inch of his body was on fire. His breaths were getting more and more rapid, his heart pounding against his ribs so hard he was almost afraid they would break. He felt sweat trickling over his skin slowly. Screams rang in his ears, and he could do nothing to block them out. Danny suddenly shot up, sitting bolt upright in the hotel bed. His breathing was laboured and his eyes darted around the small, dark room. Dougie was still sound asleep, facing away from him, breathing deeply. Danny did one more quick scan of the room before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He wandered into the bathroom, smacking his fist against the light switch and moving over to the sink. He splashed his face with cold water, trying to force the memories out of his head. Wiping away the water on a towel, he glanced in the mirror. His reflection was everything he had fought against becoming. Black eyes stared back at him, a cold, evil smirk fixed on his sneering face. Fire licked up the walls in the reflection, and as Danny turned, flames sprang out of the floor and danced around his feet. He looked around frantically, not knowing what to do, or what was

happening. His heartbeat sped up to an almost impossible rate, his breathing following closely. “Wake up!” A loud voice shattered the image in his head, and Danny’s eyes flew open. He was staring up at Dougie, who had a hand on his shoulder, gazing back at him with concern. “S-sorry,” Danny stuttered, noticing how exhausted Dougie looked. Dougie moved back to his own bed and slid back under the covers. “S’fine. Same dream?” Dougie replied, his voice full of sleepiness. Danny nodded, his eyes fixed on the duvet that he had managed to throw off the bed. He slowly slid his gaze over to the clock. 3:23am. “Sorry,” Danny repeated. Dougie shook his head as a way of showing he wasn’t bothered, almost asleep again already. Danny watched him for a while, lost in his own thoughts, unable to go back to sleep. A muffled knock disturbed him and he swore quietly, not wanting to wake Dougie again. He moved silently to the door and opened it slowly, his eyes taking in their guest. “Sara,” Danny nodded cautiously at the young woman stood before him. “Hey, I thought-” Sara started loudly, but was cut off. “Shut up!” Danny hissed, stepping out of the room and closing the door. “Aw, your little pet sleeping?” Sara teased. Danny rolled his eyes. “What do you want?” He demanded. “Nothing from you, if you’re gonna be like that.” Sara muttered. The way she held herself just showed that she wasn’t up for any nonsense. Danny narrowed his eyes, waiting for her to say something more, impatient. Her eyes scanned over Danny, knowing full well that he wanted to get the meeting over with. “I don’t understand why you don’t like me. I’ve never done anything to you. Or anyone else, for that matter.” She announced. “You’re a demon.” Danny stated. “So are you!” Sara exclaimed, but a warning look from Danny made her lower her voice. “Ok, if you want anything from me, stop acting like such a douche.” She growled. “From where I’m standing it looks like you came to me, not the other way around.” Danny countered. “And just because I’m a demon doesn’t mean I have to like you.” “Whatever, but you’re as hypocritical as a hypocrite can be, do you know that?” Sara glared at him. Her eyes, usually pale and bright in colour, suddenly rolled back to reveal their true eerie black. Danny didn’t flinch as her anger rose, he just waited for her to do something, looking at her as if he was daring her to make a move. “I’m not going to fight you.” She hissed. “I’ve done nothing but be helpful. I even stayed away from your friend just to satisfy your overprotective paranoia. You’re not the only good person who made a few bad decisions, you know.” “I didn’t make bad decisions. I made the right decisions. Now tell me what you want.” Danny growled. “Fine. There’s a bunch of vampires not too far from here I thought you might like to know about. I was hoping I could lend a hand, prove that I’m not the evil bitch you think I am.” Sara finally explained. “We don’t need your help.” Danny growled. “There’s about ten of them, and seeing as there’s just two of you…” She trailed off meaningfully. “Four of us,” Danny corrected her. “There’s gonna be four of us.”

“Well, there’s still more than double of them.” Sara tried. “We can handle it. And plus, the other two don’t know about me… So having you there too, if something happened, you know…” Danny murmured. Sara looked defeated. “Fine. I’ll leave you guys to it.” She put on a dejected face. Danny sighed. “Give me your number.” He muttered. “Um, I’m flattered, but not the best pick up line,” Sara pretended to be taken aback, knowing exactly what he had meant. “I’ll call you if we ever need your help.” Danny said, ignoring her. He stepped back into the room momentarily to retrieve his phone, then came back to stand in front of her. She quickly reeled off her number, not even needing to check. “You better call.” She ordered. She stood straighter, looking Danny in the eye. “I’m just like you, you know.” “No, you’re not.” Danny replied shortly. “I’m trying to give you a chance here. Don’t make me regret it.” “God, what did I ever do to you?” She mumbled. “Nothing, yet.” Danny muttered, and closed the door before she could speak again. Despite his hostile behaviour towards her, she was probably, after Dougie, the closest thing to a friend he had. Of course, he didn’t trust her. How could he? He barely even trusted himself. Chapter 8 “We got a lead in a place not far away, about twenty minutes drive. You coming?” Tom asked Danny as the two late risers joined them at a booth in the bar. “Um, actually, I wanted to check something out. Last night I couldn’t sleep so I came back down here, and heard some guy talking about disappearances in an area about an hour north of here. I wanted to find out if it’s anything we should be looking at.” Danny lied. Tom nodded slowly, while Harry gave him a suspicious look. “Okay, so if me and Harry go today, and you and Dougie stay here and do some research, then we’ll meet back here later?” Tom suggested. Danny nodded, smiling slightly. “Any chance of breakfast?” Dougie asked suddenly. Tom smirked as he stood up, leaving Danny to find some money and walking out of the door with Harry. “Five people jumped willingly onto a railway track, Aldwych Station. London Underground.” Tom informed Harry of the full details as they climbed into the car. “That’s five people in the last three months. After some research, I found reports of similar things happening going back to 1954. Witnesses say people just walk towards the track as a train comes and jump in front of it.” “Ghost?” Harry asked, grimacing at the image that formed in his mind. “I think so,” Tom confirmed. “All the victims between fourteen and twentyone, male.” He added. “This ghost doesn’t like teenagers?” Harry raised his eyebrows. “From what I found out, there was a report in late 1956, a man got attacked and mugged in the station by a gang of people that were never identified. They knocked him out, took his stuff and pushed him onto the track. He didn’t wake up before the next train came along.” Tom pulled a bunch of folded papers from his pocket, numerous reports of the incidents. “So we’re talking about a man who wants revenge on 1950’s style chavs?” Harry asked.

***** “You come back down ‘ere after you ‘ad that dream?” Dougie asked through a mouthful of pizza. “Mm.” Danny answered, his eyes flicking around the bar. “Din’t ‘ear you go out.” Dougie said before swallowing. “Doug, seriously, you swallow then speak, not the other way around.” Danny joked. “I don’t think you’re the best person to be giving me advice on manners.” Dougie countered. “But I didn’t know you left last night.” “Yeah, you were out of it the second your head hit the pillow, so no wonder you didn’t notice.” Danny yawned slightly. His eyes momentarily flicked to black before back to blue again. “That’s cool.” Dougie murmured. “What is?” Danny asked, leaning on the table. “The eye thing. Wish I could do that.” Dougie replied. Danny shook his head. “It’s really not worth it.” He chuckled. “Still cool.” Dougie shrugged. “Don’t we need to actually do some research then? I mean, Harry’ll jump at the chance to say we’re slacking.” “Yeah, we’ll start soon.” Danny mumbled, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a bite. He hoped the people in the bar would actually know something, so Dougie didn’t start to suspect he was lying. “Danny,” Dougie started, then paused hesitantly, like he always did when he wasn’t quite sure how Danny would react. Danny urged him on cautiously. “Why did you make the deal?” “I’ve told you before.” Danny stated, not looking directly at Dougie. “Yeah but… You said you wanted to bring your brother back, but you never talk about him.” Dougie pressed. “That’s ‘cause he’s dead, you know that.” Danny muttered bluntly. “I know, but then why did you go to the trouble of getting back out again if he was dead?” Dougie knew he was on risky ground. “Because hell is hell, Doug.” Annoyance was starting to show in Danny’s voice. “Why did you decide to stick around with me?” Dougie’s voice had lowered to an almost whisper, not wanting to push Danny to the edge. “Because, Doug, you were a kid you needed help and your sister couldn’t look after you on her own while she was fighting demons, and all you did was get in the way, ok? And I needed a way to stay sane so I made it my job to look after you. I made the deal because I screwed up and wanted my brother back, only then I screwed up again, and you were sadly the next best thing.” Danny growled. “Anything else?” His voice was threatening. Dougie shook his head, looking down at the table silently, knowing Danny hated talking about these things. “Good.” Danny muttered shortly. “Eat that and get some research done.” He stood up and walked away, leaving Dougie to sit in silence, no quite knowing what to do. Danny walked into the toilets, anger sizzling through his veins. Why did Dougie always have to ask these questions? He ran a hand through his hair, leaning against the wall. He needed to cool off before he did something he’d regret. He knew it was an overreaction, but he was sure if anyone had been through what he had, they’d feel the same. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a long breath. He wondered how much he’d scared Dougie. At least there’d be no more questions for a while.

When he went back to the main section of the bar, he instantly noticed Dougie wasn’t sat where he was before. He looked around, an instant worry setting in, before he saw him talking to the same woman, Cathy, as Danny had a couple of nights ago. She waved as she saw Danny, and Danny smiled back at her while Dougie deliberately looked the other way. Danny decided it was best to fix things quickly, so he walked over and sat on the stool next to Dougie. Dougie moved to get up, but Danny grabbed his wrist and subtly pulled him back down. “Hi Danny, want a drink?” Cathy asked brightly. “Nah, thanks, I’m good. You alright?” Danny replied. Cathy nodded, smiling. Dougie sat in silence, staring at the wall behind Cathy. “Anyway,” Cathy turned her attention back to Dougie. “I heard some other people talking about something that. They said a couple of people just vanished. I think it was like, a country lane in the middle of nowhere.” She told him. “Why are you interested in that? It’s not exactly local.” “We travel a lot.” Dougie murmured. “Oh, yeah, Danny said you did. Are you like, road tripping or something?” She asked. “Yeah, I guess we are.” Danny answered. He looked at Dougie, who refused to meet his eyes. “That’d be fun.” She murmured. She turned towards the sound of a female voice calling her name, and sighed. “Sorry, I’d better go. If you want something, just shout.” She smiled before disappearing behind the door at the back of the bar. Silence settled over them. ***** Harry led the way into the dark station, which was completely deserted because of police investigations. He switched on his torch, flashing it down the tunnel, seeing nothing. “What are we looking for?” Harry asked Tom, who was searching the station. “Um, I dunno.” Tom answered truthfully. “You did the research!” Harry accused. “Yeah well the papers don’t give us the guy’s life story.” Tom snapped. “When was the last accident?” Harry changed the subject. “Three days ago. Sixteen year old kid, who also happened to be a complete prick. Petty crime, school bully, all that.” Tom replied, wandering around the platform. He climbed down onto the track, looking along the line, hoping for some kind of clue. “It would help if we had some kind of lead.” Harry muttered to himself. Tom heard, but decided to ignore him. The lights flickered on the platform. Tom and Harry instantly looked up. “Whatever’s left of him, if anything, will be on here.” Tom said. Harry looked down at the track. “So we have to light up the track?” He asked. Tom hesitated before nodding. “It’s the only way.” He sighed. The lights flickered again. A gust of wind blew through the tunnels, billowing around them. An invisible force swiped Tom’s feet from underneath him, making him fall to the floor. His head smacked painfully into one of the rails, making his mind suddenly lose focus. He put his hand against his head, feeling something wet and warm seep over his fingers. “Tom! Get up!” Harry’s voice sounded oddly muffled and distant. Tom looked up in dazed confusion. Everything seemed to be going slower than normal. He felt completely numb.

“Tom! Tom, move!” Harry yelled again. Tom slowly pushed himself up, rolling so he was leaning on his elbows. For some reason, he didn’t want to move. He felt completely calm, even as he started to feel the ground shaking. ***** “You’re not that bad of a replacement.” Danny finally said to Dougie, trying to make him smile at least a little bit. Dougie just shrugged and stared forwards. Danny sighed. “Look, Doug, I-” “It’s fine, Dan, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m going to… have a shower.” Dougie stood up and walked towards the hotel reception, but Danny just followed. Dougie stopped and looked back at him. “What are you doing?” He asked. “Going to our room.” Danny answered. Dougie stepped aside. “Don’t let me get in the way.” He muttered bitterly. Danny let out a cross between a sigh and a growl before grabbing Dougie’s wrist again and practically dragged him towards the stairs. “I didn’t say you get in the way. I said you used to, when you were a kid, and you didn’t know any better.” Danny said between gritted teeth. “I … I just don’t like talking about that stuff.” “You wouldn’t have to if you just gave me straight answers.” Dougie muttered. Danny opened the door to their room and stepped inside, pulling Dougie in and shutting the door. “Straight answers? Let’s see how good you are at giving straight answers after you’ve lost your whole family and get sent to hell for trying to do something good, and the thing you tried to do doesn’t even work out! So, when you’ve done that, when you can’t trust hardly anyone because you know most of them will kill you if they ever found out what you really were, no matter how good you try to be, I’ll ask you for some straight answers.” Danny snarled. He hadn’t even realised that his voice had risen and his eyes had flicked to the threatening black colour, or the fact that his hands were clamped on Dougie’s shoulders, or the fear in Dougie’s eyes. ***** Tom felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head, looking at Harry, puzzled. “Tom, get the hell up!” Harry’s voice was louder, but still seemed far away. “You banged your head, but it’s not that bad! You’re not concussed, for god’s sake, get up!” Harry’s words did nothing to break Tom’s dream-like trance. Tom’s eyes wandered away from Harry and towards the tunnel. Far away, he could see a tiny speck of light, slowly getting bigger. He felt Harry’s hands under his shoulders, lifting him up, but Tom did nothing to help, his eyes fixed on the increasing light. In the back of his mind, he knew it was train coming, too fast to stop in time. He didn’t care. “God, Tom, stand up! I can’t… lift you… if you don’t start thinking straight we’re gonna die!” Harry growled. He seemed determined to pull Tom to his feet, but Tom just looked at him in questioning silence. He didn’t understand the need to rush. The light was getting bigger now, and growing faster. A sharp pain across Tom’s face made him jerk back to reality. Tom staggered to his feet. Harry yelled something over the rumbling that was getting louder and louder, but his words didn’t reach Tom. Tom stood still, looking around, dazed. Harry let out a growl and pushed Tom towards the platform, climbing up before grabbing Tom’s arms and hauling him up with him. The train whizzed past, the carriages rattling. The lights on the platform flickered again. A man in his forties, his clothes

ruined and covered in blood, flickered into sight. He jerked forward, his pale, clouded eyes fixed on Harry. Harry rummaged through his pockets, trying to find a lighter. He stepped back as the ghost of the man advanced, trying to keep as much distance as possible between them. The ghost ignored Tom, who was stood staring at him blankly. Harry finally pulled a lighter from his pocket, flicking it open, only for it to spark and fail to light. He tried again, getting the same result. The ghost took another step closer. Harry swore as the lighter failed and failed again, his back against the wall. He couldn’t go any further. The ghost stopped, inches away from him. It lifted it’s arm slowly, almost tauntingly. Harry swore and looked at the lighter. Finally, a flame erupted from it and he threw it towards the track. The ghost staggered back, flickered and vanished as fire slowly spread along the line. The flames rose steadily, engulfing the whole track. The lights flickered madly, and the ground seemed to vibrate. Then everything stopped. “Wh-what?” Tom mumbled, crashing back to reality. He ran his fingers over his face, a red mark where Harry had slapped him in an attempt to force some sense back into him. Blood trickled down his face where he had hit his head. “Decided to come back now, huh?” Harry asked. ***** “D-Danny, calm dow-” “You think the eyes are fucking cool, Dougie, you try going through the shit I did to get them, and then see if you think they’re cool.” Danny hissed, shoving Dougie back against the nearest wall and holding him against it, one arm pressing against his ribs and the other still on his shoulder. “They’re just another god damn reminder.” “Danny, you need to calm down, you don’t wanna do this.” Dougie’s voice was strained, Danny’s arm pressing against his ribs so hard he thought they were going to break. Finally, something seemed to click inside Danny’s head, and he immediately let go. “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” He whimpered, backing off. His eyes instantly returned to their usual blue colouring, showing the sudden emotion that washed through him. “I didn’t… I don’t know why… I wasn’t… God Doug, I’m so sorry.” He stuttered. He ran his hand through his hair, shaking slightly. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I didn’t… Are you ok?” He took a step forward, but seemed to change his mind, backing off more. “Sorry, Dougie, sorry,” He repeated. “Dan, it’s fine.” Dougie winced a little as he ran his hand over his ribs, which was a mistake. “I hurt you, didn’t I? I need… I need…” Danny rambled on, getting more and more worked up. “Danny, chill out! I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Dougie insisted. “Probably not even bruised. It’s not like it’s the worst you’ve ever done. You do worse when we’re just messing around.” “But then I’m in control, I know what I’m doing. What if I didn’t stop? I could’ve really hurt you… I could’ve killed you!” Danny exclaimed. “But you didn’t, Dan, just calm down and stop panicking.” Dougie moved closer to him, but Danny just backed away, as if he was afraid that he would suddenly lose it again. “I shouldn’t stay here. It’s not safe.” Danny murmured. “God, Dan, we’ve been over this before. You’re gonna lose your temper sometimes, I push it, I know I do. You’ve lost it worse than that and I still came out in

one piece, didn’t I?” Dougie urged. Danny stayed silent. “You’d be better off without me.” He mumbled. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. Dougie sat next to him, and Danny instantly tensed up. Dougie sighed. In the fifteen years Danny had known Dougie, he’d only lost his temper with him five times. “If I didn’t have you, I’d be dead by now.” Dougie replied. ***** “What happened?” Tom asked as Harry walking hurriedly towards the exit, not wanting to be there when the police arrived. “I dunno, he messed with your head. You wouldn’t move.” Harry told him. “I know, I… I remember.” Tom murmured. He touched the mark where he had hit his head, flinching. Then he remembered something else. “You slapped me!” He accused. “I had to! It worked didn’t it?” Harry demanded, not even bothering to look back. “Bitch.” Tom muttered. Harry rolled his eyes. “Get a move on, Tom.” Harry exited the station and climbed into the drivers seat of the car. Tom hesitated before getting into the passenger side. “Why are you driving? My car.” Tom asked. “You hit your head, remember? I don’t want a car crash.” Harry replied, starting the engine. As soon as they reached the hotel, they went to the bar, looking for Danny and Dougie. They were nowhere to be seen. Tom and Harry sat down in one of the booths, scanning the room for them, “They would be late.” Harry muttered. “We didn’t set a time, Harry.” Tom sighed. He rested his head on his hand, avoiding the injury on his head which he had quickly cleaned up in the car. They waited for almost three quarters of an hour before Danny and Dougie walked in, talking in low voices. Danny was looking dejected, his eyes on the ground. Dougie saw Harry and Tom first, and, tapping Danny on the shoulder, made his way towards them. “How did it go?” Dougie asked, sliding along the seat to let Danny sit down. Danny stayed quiet, his head rested on one hand. “Fine. Nearly got hit by a train. You know, went great.” Tom mumbled. Dougie smirked. “It’s not a joke.” Harry growled, seeing Dougie’s face. “We nearly died. If you two idiots were there and not slacking off, we could have got through it fine.” “You’re fine now, aren’t you?” Danny glared at Harry. “We were risking our lives while you two were sat around here.” Harry just glared back. “You only want us around as long as we save your pathetic life, huh? And then you still treat us like crap?” Danny sat straighter, ready for a fight. He wasn’t in the mood for Harry’s cocky attitude. “Danny,” Dougie murmured warningly. Danny hesitated, but forced himself to relax. “Yeah, be a good little boy.” Harry sneered. Danny didn’t react for a moment, so Harry smiled triumphantly. Danny let out a growl and stood up, walking towards the exit. Dougie looked surprised and puzzled, before he rushed to his feet and followed him. “Harry, really, do you have to?” Tom growled.

“Yes, yes I do.” Harry replied. Tom rolled his eyes and went to go after them, and Harry had no option but to follow him. When they stepped outside, the saw Danny and Dougie stood close together, talking quietly. Dougie looked frustrated, and Danny just looked angry. “I know he’s a dick, but you gotta-” “What did you just say?” Harry growled. Dougie stopped, having not noticed Harry’s arrival. The look on his face could only be described as a look of ‘oh, shit’. He stayed silent. Harry walked closer, looking intimidating. “What did you just call me?” He demanded. “Uh…” Dougie had no idea what to do. “He called you a dick. What’re you gonna do about it?” Danny growled. He moved in front of Dougie defensively. “Aw, you gonna protect him? I’ll just take you both out.” Harry threatened. “I’d like to see you fucking try.” Danny challenged. Harry threw the first punch. Danny caught his fist. He smirked at Harry’s look of surprise. Anger took over, and in the back of his mind, a warning bell sounded. He ignored it. He pulled back his fist and punched Harry as hard as he could. Harry flew through the air for a good few feet, hitting the concrete floor with a painful thud. Everything stopped. Tom and Harry stared at Danny with a look of complete shock. His eyes were completely black. Chapter 9 Dougie was the first to come back to reality, grabbing Danny’s arm and speaking to him quietly and hurriedly. Danny tilted his head, listening, but his eyes stayed fixed on Harry. “They know now. No point in hiding it.” Danny said to Dougie. “They can do their worst.” “He’s a… he’s a demon?” Tom gasped. “You… you and him… are you?” Tom stuttered. Dougie shook his head. “But… Why are you with a demon? It doesn’t… What the hells going on?” Tom demanded. He pulled a handgun from his belt, aiming it at Danny. Harry was still on the floor, swiping his hand over his face to wipe away the blood trickling from his mouth. “I told you Tom, I said there was something weird about them!” He accused. He stumbled to his feet, pulling his own gun from his belt. Danny just stood and watched them, his arms folded, as if he was daring them to try and shoot him. “What are you waiting for?” He asked coldly. Harry edged closer, knowing that his gun would do very little damage. Danny raised an eyebrow and sighed impatiently. “Why haven’t you killed us yet?” Harry demanded, taking another step closer. “Why would he?” Dougie shot back. His hand moved to his gun, but Danny held out his hand as a sign to stop. Dougie reluctantly complied, but his hand stayed near the gun. “What are you?” Harry’s eyes switched to Dougie. “You point that gun at him and I’ll kill you right here.” Danny hissed. Harry glared at him, but kept the gun aimed at Danny, as he was told. “He’s human. That’s why you won’t let me aim at him.” Harry decided, speaking mostly to himself. “Well done.” Danny said sarcastically. “Why are you with him?” Harry demanded.

“Because I want to be.” Danny said. “Why would you want to be? Why haven’t you killed him?” Harry pressed, inching closer. “You’re really slow, do you know that?” Danny mocked. “What is it that’s so hard to understand?” “You’re a demon.” Harry growled. Danny let out an exasperated sigh. Tom moved suddenly, catching them all off guard. He grabbed hold of Dougie and pulled him away from Danny, pinning his arms to his sides, pointing the gun at his head. He retreated a few steps, trying to gain a safe distance. “Tell us what’s going on.” Tom ordered. Danny narrowed his eyes, trying to come up with a way out. “See, should have let me get the gun.” Dougie joked and shook his head. Danny smirked. “This isn’t a joke!” Tom whacked Dougie on the side of his head with the butt of the gun, making him flinch away. Danny took the diversion as an opportunity, smacking Harry’s gun out of his hand and into the air, before catching it and pointing it at Harry. “You let him go, I won’t shoot.” Danny promised. Tom hesitated, unsure whether or not Danny was bluffing. He reluctantly let go of Dougie, but kept the gun pointed at him. In the same instant, Harry tackled Danny while Dougie leapt at Tom. Both guns slid out of reach as they fell to the ground. Dougie pinned Tom down, kneeing him in the stomach. All of the air left Tom’s lungs and he gasped, choking out a cough. Dougie didn’t wait, punching him in the jaw. Danny and Harry struggled on the floor, neither one able to get the upper hand. Danny finally landed a powerful blow to Harry’s ribs, knocking him away. He stood up just as a bullet tore through his shirt, grazing his shoulder. He glared down at Harry, who was still on the ground, but had picked up the gun. “I liked this shirt.” Danny growled. He flicked his hand and the gun flew into the hedges that bordered the side of the hotel they were fighting in. Danny was glad there was no one around to watch. He moved his hand again, and Harry was slammed against the wall of the hotel. Harry slid to the ground, groaning. Tom finally regained his breath and managed to land a couple of blows, then forced Dougie onto his back and punched him in the face twice. He scrambled to his feet, kicking Dougie in the ribs before he had chance to recover. He was about to kick again, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, only to receive a hard blow to the face which sent him crashing to the ground. Danny shook his hand theatrically and helped Dougie to his feet. Something splashed against the injury on Danny’s shoulder, making him hiss as it sizzled against his skin and burned into the wound and through his blood. Dougie moved quickly, diving at Harry and knocking the bottle of holy water out of his hand. Dougie punched him again and again, and Harry didn’t seem to have the energy to stop him. “Doug, I think that’s enough.” Danny told him. Dougie stood up slowly, glaring down at Harry. He wiped away the blood that was trickling from his nose and backed away to stand next to Danny. Danny’s hand was on his shoulder and he was flinching, but he seemed otherwise unhurt. Dougie had a few spatters of blood on his clothes and his nose continued to bleed. Blood trickled down his face from a gash on his forehead. Already, a faint dark ring had formed under his right eye. However, he was still standing, unlike Tom and Harry.

Chapter 10 “What now?” Dougie asked breathlessly. “I don’t know.” Danny replied. “We could run?” He suggested. “We can’t leave them.” Dougie murmured. “…We can leave him.” Danny muttered, gesturing at Harry. Dougie laughed, and Danny had to smile. “I guess that could have gone better, huh?” Danny sighed. “Could have gone worse.” Dougie shrugged. Tom moaned, rolling onto his side and forcing himself slowly onto his hands and knees. Danny and Dougie instantly went back on the defensive. Tom pushed himself painfully to his feet and looked at them, still bent over. He waved one hand, signalling that he wasn’t going to fight. “Don’t… Just stop a minute.” He choked out, straightening up slightly and flinching as he did so. “I’m not gonna do anything.” “I don’t think you could.” Danny murmured. He walked over to Tom, who took a step back, but Danny just pulled Tom’s arm over his shoulder and supported him, allowing him to stand properly. Tom looked completely taken aback. “Thanks?” He said, looking wary. “We don’t want to hurt you. Don’t try anything.” Danny warned. “I’m not about to ruin all the years of being one of the good guys just to kill you. It’s not worth it.” He helped Tom over to a bench nearby, lowering him onto it. “I don’t get it.” Tom said, shifting slightly away from Danny. Dougie sat next to Danny, once again wiping blood from his face. “It’s hard to explain.” Danny muttered. “I’m not gonna suddenly rip your head off, though.” “Then why did you start the fight?” Tom demanded. “I didn’t!” Danny exclaimed. “He threw the first punch. I might have over done the reaction a little bit, though. Bad day.” Danny looked over at Harry, his eyes narrowed coldly. Harry was still slumped slightly against the wall, his hand against his head, trying to push himself upright. Danny turned his attention to Dougie, his eyes concerned as he judged the damage. “We need to go back inside.” He mumbled. “What do we do about Harry?” Dougie asked, shifting slightly on the bench. Danny shrugged as if he couldn’t care less. “You’d better leave, now.” Tom muttered. “Oh…” Danny was somehow surprised, but he wasn’t sure what he expected. “But… we need you for the case with the vampires.” “What?” Tom looked at him. “There’s a place where a few people disappeared, and it looks like vampires. Lots of them. About ten, or something like that. We can’t go with just the two of us.” Danny said, trying to convince him. “Look, you’re a-” “Demon, yeah. But seeing as you’re still alive, I can’t be all that bad.” Danny cut him off. “But what’s stopping you from killing us later?” Tom demanded. “He’s not killed me in the fifteen years I’ve known him. And he’s had plenty of chances.” Dougie pointed out. “I dunno.” Tom still looked cautious. His eyes repeatedly flicked to Harry, who had gotten to his feet and was watching them. He met Tom’s eyes and shook his head.

“No.” He finally spoke. “We’re not going anywhere with you. And we’re not letting you go. You have to die.” He growled. “And you’re gonna kill me? I don’t think your in any shape to do that.” Danny mocked. Silence settled over them as they tried to work out what could happen next. “Fine. You stay with us. You don’t leave our sight. Ever.” Harry decided. “Two of us will swap rooms so there’s one of us with one of you.” “Whoa, no, no way! You think I trust you enough to leave you alone with him?” Danny growled, shifting closer to Dougie as a sort of defiance. “Either that or we all stay in one room.” Tom suggested. “Fine.” Danny agreed, relaxing slightly. “But then one of us stays on watch.” Harry stated. “Two. One of us, one of you.” Danny added. “Fine, right, let’s go.” Harry turned away and walked towards the front of the hotel, glancing back every so often. Dougie and Danny stood up together, keeping close, knowing they were on risky ground, even though neither of them were planning anything. Tom followed them, dreading the night that was coming. Chapter 11 “I’m surprised they agreed to sleep with each other in the room.” Tom murmured after half an hour of awkward silence. “Only because it means they get to watch each other when they’re awake.” Dougie half smiled. They were quiet again for a few minutes. “God, this sucks.” Dougie muttered. “I know. But what else can we do?” Tom sighed. He leaned against the headrest on the bed he was sat on. They’d switched to a room with four beds, and after lots of persuasion and compromises, Harry and Danny had agreed to sleep first. “Will you ever trust us?” Dougie asked. “I dunno.” Tom answered truthfully. “Would you if it was the other way around?” He raised an eyebrow. Dougie shrugged. Tom folded his arms. “It’s weird just sitting talking to the person who was punching my lights out a couple of hours ago.” “I wouldn’t have, if you hadn’t pointed the gun at me.” Dougie muttered. “I wouldn’t have pointed the gun at you if Danny didn’t threaten Harry.” Tom countered. “Danny wouldn’t have threatened Harry if he wasn’t aiming at us.” Dougie continued. “Harry wouldn’t have done that if Danny hadn’t punched him.” “Danny wouldn’t have-” “Ok, that’s enough. No point in arguing. It’s over.” Tom cut Dougie off. “How did you get into hunting, anyway?” He changed the subject. “I grew up doing it, ‘cause my parent’s got killed by a werewolf. My older sister basically raised me to know how to fight them. She had to take care of me when she was just thirteen. I don’t remember ever not being a hunter.” Dougie replied. “You?” “Vampire killed my mum, step dad and step brother when me and Harry were seven. We taught ourselves what we know. What about Danny? How come you ended up with him?” Tom pressed, trying to keep the relatively calm conversation going. “When I was six, he helped me and my sister out. My sister was kinda like you, she didn’t trust him when she found out. It took him ages to win her over. I think

she’s still a bit wary of him. But three years later she left, she needed to take a case that she didn’t want me involved in. She left me with Danny and we just… stayed with each other.” Dougie explained. “So… You grew up with a demon?” Tom asked. “Pretty much. You know, in all that time he never once tried to hurt me. Just ‘cause he’s a demon doesn’t mean he’s evil.” Dougie said. “Do you know what happened to him? Why he’s a demon?” Tom pressed, ignoring the subject of whether or not Danny was evil. “I don’t think he’d appreciate me telling you.” Dougie murmured. “He must have done something bad.” Tom said, trying to provoke Dougie into answering. “Nope.” Dougie replied, refusing to fall into the trap. “If he didn’t, why did he end up in hell?” Tom persisted. “Surely you know there’s more ways than one to get into hell.” Dougie said. Danny shifted in his bed, making them both go silent for a minute. “I didn’t know demons slept, to be honest.” Tom gave up, changing the subject again. “Yep. And eat. And feel. And think thoughts other than ‘kill’.” Dougie folded his arms, stifling a yawn. “Why do they need to?” Tom asked. “I dunno, for energy? When I have a degree in demon biology, I’ll let you know.” Dougie said sarcastically. “Do they age?” Tom ignored Dougie’s tone. “No. Well, maybe, if the body they’re in is living. Danny possessed his own body somehow, and seeing as he’d died, he doesn’t age anymore. He was twenty two when I met him, and he still is.” Dougie stretched. “Why all the questions?” He asked. Tom shrugged. They fell silent again for a couple of minutes. “Demon biology sounds like a cool course to take.” Tom smiled, and Dougie laughed slightly. “If he doesn’t age, does that mean you’ll live out a normal human lifespan and be like, eighty, and he won’t have changed?” Tom couldn’t stop himself from asking. Dougie thought for a while, then shrugged. “I guess so. But, to be honest, I’d rather be killed before then.” He replied. Tom looked at him questioningly, urging him to elaborate. “I don’t want to be that old. It would be fine, if I didn’t know about all the things that were out there. I wouldn’t be able to fight them anymore, and I wouldn’t be able to protect myself if I ran into one.” Tom nodded understandingly. He kind of agreed, although it was a strange thought. The conversations between them seemed to flow easier as time went on, and if circumstances were different, Tom knew Dougie was the kind of person he’d consider a friend. It was just a shame the circumstances weren’t different. “I guess it’s time to swap.” Tom murmured, looking at the clock. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep through the tension.” Dougie mumbled, standing up. Tom nodded in agreement. He hesitantly shook Harry awake. Harry sat up straight away, as if he couldn’t wait to get his watch started. Danny was just as fast, sitting bolt upright. They glared at each other, no words passing between them, or anyone else. Dougie sighed and lay down on his bed. He caught Tom’s eye and they both smirked. Danny and Harry didn’t notice, too focused on each other. Dougie closed his eyes. He could sense the tension crackling around the room. One wrong move from any of them could cause a full scale bloodbath, and they knew it. The seconds slowly

ticked by, no one daring to disturb the silent vigil. Chapter 12 Tom’s car pulled up on the side of a country lane, the cool morning sunlight gleaming on the dew on the grass. On the other side of the field they were next to was a large barn, it’s wooden door closed, but not locked. The long drive had been mostly silent. Harry’s suspicious glares were enough to stop Danny and Dougie talking between themselves after a while, and Tom pretended to be focused on the road. They climbed out of the car in unison, and Tom opened the car boot. They each pulled out the weaponry needed, careful to stick to their own belongings. They each concealed a wooden stake in their jacket and a gun in their belt, hoping that if the vampires were actually awake, they could pass off as just a few normal people going for a walk. “Ok, so, if we get split up, we meet back here. Stick to the plan.” Harry ordered, looking meaningfully at Danny as he said the last part. Danny held up his hands, unsure why it particularly applied to him. He rolled his eyes when Harry turned his back on him and walked in the direction of the barn. “Stay close, Doug. If there’s as many as we think, thing’s are gonna get tough.” Danny murmured. Dougie nodded. “I feel like things are gonna go wrong.” He whispered. “Why?” Danny asked, looking at him as they walked. For people who were about to be faced with a family of angry vampires, they were acting relatively normal. “Well, Tom and Harry think you’re gonna turn on them. Harry especially. They’ll be watching out for you as much as the vampires. It’s gonna be like, us against them against the vampires, not all four of us against the vampires.” Dougie explained. “If they wanna make things harder for themselves, let them. If they get hurt, serves them right.” Danny replied gruffly. Dougie hesitated before nodding. They fell silent as the got closer to the barn, their steps becoming more wary. Danny reached slowly for the door, pulling it open an inch. He peered inside, then took a step back. “Crap.” He muttered angrily. The other three looked at him, waiting for an explanation. “There’s more than ten. There’s like, twenty.” “What, a demon’s scared of a few too many vampires?” Harry sneered. “Do you wanna go in there?” Danny challenged. “I’m not about to wimp out. We can take them.” Harry declared, his pride taking over the logical part of his mind. “Fine. We’ll do it.” Danny growled, refusing to be outdone. Tom and Dougie exchanged an uncertain glance, but neither of them were about to contradict the others. Danny opened the door slightly more, sliding inside, followed closely by Dougie. Tom and Harry edged in after them, and Harry’s eyes widened when he realised just what they were up against. There was loads of them, at least twenty, like Danny said. There was about an equal mix of males and females, although gender made no difference when it came to the fight. They were, thankfully, all asleep. Danny leaned in close to Dougie. “Careful.” He whispered. “Going soft, Dan?” Dougie teased, his voice barely audible. Danny smirked and didn’t reply, deciding to get him back for it later. “Any plan?” Tom asked. “Kill as many as possible before they all wake up?” Danny suggested. Tom

rolled his eyes. They slowly moved away from each other, although Danny stayed within a few feet of Dougie. He always acted like that, more so after losing his temper. They each took up their positions, almost too tense to breathe. Almost simultaneously, they each drove their stakes into their chosen victim’s hearts. They each let out a short, almost silent gasp, before their eyes rolled back and they went limp. They managed to take down another four without any problems. They moved onto the next set, when suddenly there was a shrill scream. Danny’s head shot up, his eyes locking on the female vampire that was sat up, staring at Harry, who had accidentally woken her as he passed. The whole barn exploded into chaos. All of the remaining vampires were on their feet in an instant, and suddenly it seemed as though there were even more than they had first thought. The vampires eyes burned with anger and bloodlust, their fangs reflecting the light in the barn as hisses sliced through the air. As if they had already planned on this, they split into four groups, each group advancing on one of the hunters. Danny reacted straight away, forcing the stake straight into ones chest while ducking under a blow from another. He pulled the gun from his belt and aimed a single shot at one of the female vampire’s head, and she fell back. He launched himself into another one, a large male, dragging him to the ground. He had time to pull the stake back out of the first’s body and plough it into the second. He was on his feet again in a flash and turned, faced with three more. His eyes flicked to black and he had the satisfaction of seeing the shock spread across each of their faces. He threw a punch at the remaining female, sending her flying across the barn, and she crashed into a pile of logs in the corner. He shot the larger male in the shoulder before once again retrieving his stake and driving it into his heart. Finally, he dodged a couple of punches from the remaining male. Danny managed to catch his fist, but the vampire just threw another with his other hand, hitting Danny hard in the jaw. Danny growled and grabbed hold of the vampire, lifting him clean off the ground and throwing him aside. The vampire gave a yell which was abruptly cut off as he landed on a metal pitchfork leaning against a crate, the prongs slicing straight through him. Danny turned around, quickly assessing how the others were doing. Dougie seemed to be handling himself well enough, and to his disappointment, so did Harry. He looked over at Tom, who was also fighting well. A female was creeping closer behind him, unnoticed. Danny smirked and dashed towards her, tackling her to the ground. Taking advantage of his inhuman strength, he punched through the nearest wall and ripped a piece of wood straight out, before plunging it through her heart. He stood up with a sigh, turning in time to see Dougie take down the last remaining vampire. Danny smiled triumphantly. They’d done it. They’d taken on twenty or more vampires, and won. Danny walked straight over to Dougie, grinning. “You ok?” He asked. Dougie nodded and smiled. He had a couple of deep cuts, but seemed healthy enough. Danny clapped him on the back. “You did good.” He said. “You too,” Dougie chuckled. “You’re in a good mood.” “Uh-huh.” Danny just carried on smiling. Suddenly, his smile faltered as Tom and Harry joined them, also relatively unhurt. “That was too easy.” He muttered. “Way too easy.” “Maybe we’re just good?” Harry suggested. Danny glared at him. “No, there’s no way… It took us hardly any time, and we’re all ok.” He looked

around the barn, which was littered with dead vampires. There seemed to be a lot, but not enough. “Maybe some took off when they realized they were losing.” Tom murmured. “We can come back another time, you know, to check up on things.” “Maybe if you hadn’t woken her up,” Danny glared at Harry. “Then none would have gotten away.” “Or maybe you let some get away, because they’re like family to you?” Harry growled. Danny lifted his fist, but Dougie grabbed hold of his arm. “Danny, leave it.” Dougie ordered. Danny lowered his arm, but continued to glare at Harry. He let out a long sigh, forcing himself to calm down. He turned and walked towards the exit, and Dougie fell in step next to him. Danny smirked and, just before they reached the exit, shoved Dougie sideways. Dougie tripped over a loose plank of wood and fell to the floor with a yelp. “I’m not soft.” Danny grinned. Dougie scrambled to his feet and chased him outside, tackling him to the ground. When Harry and Tom stepped out of the barn, Dougie and Danny were wrestling on the floor in fits of laughter. “And you’re supposed to be good hunters.” Harry muttered. Danny stood up, dusting himself off, still smiling. “Yep, the very best.” He declared. Harry rolled his eyes and walked past him, heading for the car. Tom had to smirk, but followed him nonetheless. Danny chuckled and went after them, while Dougie paused tie his shoe, which had come undone during their mini scuffle. “You could at least act professional.” Harry sneered, looking back at Danny. “We do things how we want.” Danny shot back. “You’re not in charge of us.” “I can’t believe I assumed you were good hunters.” Harry stopped, turning back to face Danny, ready for another fight, determined to win this time. “You were the one that woke up the vampires.” Danny accused. “I’m obviously better than you, at least.” “You’re not better than me. You’re a demon. You lie and cheat. It’s what you do.” Harry snarled. Danny’s reaction was cut short when he caught Tom’s look of shock in the corner of his eye. There was a loud yell and Danny whipped around as Tom drew his gun. Complete horror shot through Danny’s veins as he took in the sight in front of him. One vampire was sneering at them, his eyes cold and mocking, as another crouched over Dougie, her teeth sunk deep into his neck. Chapter 13 Danny pulled out his own handgun as quick as a flash, firing a bullet straight into the female vampires head. She jerked back, but a mocking smirk was still fixed on her face as she fell to the floor. Dougie fell to his hands and knees, his eyes empty, before his arms and legs gave way beneath him and he fell onto the grass. Danny sprinted closer and dropped to his knees at Dougie’s side as Tom took out the other vampire. Blood was trickling from Dougie’s neck wound at an alarming rate, seeping through his shirt and staining it deep, dark red. His eyes were unfocused and he was getting paler and paler. “Doug, Doug don’t do this,” Danny whispered, lifting him off the floor slightly. “Hold on,” He begged. “Please,” His voice cracked. His breathing became faster and tears formed in his eyes. The wound in Dougie’s neck suddenly healed over, but Danny already knew he wasn’t dying. The vampire hadn’t killed him. She’d

changed him. His almost lifeless body jerked suddenly and he groaned. His hands fisted in Danny’s jacket. Danny didn’t know what to do. The tears escaped from his eyes and he slid his arm under Dougie, propping him up, praying that this would stop. “Fight it, Doug,” He whimpered. “I can’t lose you.” Dougie jerked again, and his eyes snapped open, full of pain. “Make it stop, Danny.” Dougie whispered, although he didn’t look at him. “It’s burning.” He jerked again, his whole body convulsing violently. Tom and Harry stayed silent, keeping their distance. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Danny murmured, his voice shaking. Dougie squeezed his eyes shut again. He stopped jerking, and when his eyes opened again, they were clear, burning with something Danny didn’t recognise straight away. “I can feel it…” He whispered, his words barely audible. “I can hear it… Smell it.” His eyes locked on Danny, then slid past him to Tom and Harry, then back again. “You… It’s deeper… better.” His eyes travelled to Danny’s neck, and then Danny understood what the look in his eyes was. Bloodlust. “Demon blood, Dougie. It’s different.” Danny choked out. He was at a loss. He didn’t know any way forward. Dougie’s hand gripped Danny’s wrist, and his breathing seemed to fall in sync with Danny’s pulse. “I want it.” Dougie’s voice was suddenly stronger. For a moment, Danny actually considered it. If Dougie bit him it wouldn’t affect him, but Dougie’s bloodlust would be satisfied. For a while. But after a couple of hours, he’d want more. And he wouldn’t be able to control it. He could be drawn to anyone’s blood, and he’d be unstoppable. But there didn’t seem to be any other option. Danny held on to Dougie tightly, half to hold him back, half as a sort of comfort. He slowly freed his wrist from Dougie’s grasp. Before Danny had come to a conclusion, Dougie closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the bloodlust was gone for a moment. He stared straight into Danny’s eyes. Two words left his mouth. “Kill me.” Chapter 14 Danny stared down at him in disbelief, but Dougie had never looked more certain. “Please, I don’t want…” Dougie trailed off as the burning desire slowly returned to his eyes. “I can’t, Dougie, I can’t!” Danny cried. Tears were flowing freely from his eyes, but the Dougie he knew was slowly disappearing. He started to struggle against Danny’s grip. A hiss slid between his teeth. Blood suddenly trickled from his mouth as fangs sliced through his gums, glistening through the red liquid. “Dougie, please, just fight it, you can do this,” Danny pleaded. “Don’t leave me, you can beat this somehow!” “Danny, he can’t-” “Piss off!” Danny yelled, cutting Tom off. Tom took a few steps back, startled, and Harry did the same. Even he didn’t dare to disturb this. “I can’t kill him,” He whispered, to no one in particular. The words hug in the air, unanswered. Dougie’s struggled became more violent, a complete row of fangs now visible. “You have to. He wouldn’t want this. He didn’t. He asked you to.” Tom

murmured. “I know.” Danny’s voice was defeated and miserable. Despite his hatred for him, Harry actually felt sorry for him. Danny slowly picked up his gun, which he had dropped next to himself. He hesitated, looking down at Dougie hopelessly. “If you do it now, he might still be part human… it’ll be over quicker that way.” Tom tried to urge him on gently. Danny choked out a sob, pressing the gun above Dougie’s heart. He closed his eyes, blocking out the sound of Dougie’s struggling. “I’m sorry,” He whispered, and pulled the trigger. Chapter 15 Dougie stopped struggling and went limp, his eyes falling shut. A red stain grew over his chest. Danny let the gun fall to the floor. For a time which felt like hours, he did nothing but sit and hold him, looking down at him with tears running from his eyes. “Why? Again? What did I do wrong?” He whispered. Finally he broke down, wrapping his arms tightly around Dougie’s body, letting the emotions out. He didn’t care that Dougie’s blood was seeping through his own shirt. He didn’t want to let go. “Danny, come on,” Tom urged, crouching next to him and hesitantly resting a hand on his shoulder. Danny shook his head. “Not leaving him.” He whispered. “We can bury him, if you want him to have a proper-” “Proper funeral? With two guys he barely knows throwing dirt on him in a random field? Or better yet, we can fucking burn him!” Danny spat. “Danny,” Tom sighed, this time not backing off. “You can’t just leave him here, and you can’t stay with him here forever.” He tried to reason. Danny slowly released Dougie, but it wasn’t to give in. His eyes rolled back and became entirely black and he stood up, turning to face Harry. He was visibly shaking with anger. “You… You woke her up… He’d be fine right now if you hadn’t fucking woken her up!” He accused. “I didn’t mean to, it was an accident!” Harry tried. “Accident?! He’s fucking dead because of your ‘accident’!” Danny snarled. Harry bit back a comeback, knowing it wasn’t fair, or safe, to anger Danny more. Danny took a step forward. “You wanted this, didn’t you?” He demanded. “What? No!” Harry exclaimed. “You hated him almost as much as you hated me! You wanted him dead because you’re so desperate to be better than us!” Danny’s voice was steadily getting louder. “Danny, leave it.” Tom said warningly. It was the worst thing he could possibly have said. Danny’s mind flashed to the multiple times Dougie had said that. It had worked then. Now, it did nothing but anger him more. “Let’s see if you can ‘leave it’ when I kill your brother!” Danny snapped at Tom. He took a threatening step towards Harry. “This is all your fault.” He hissed. “I hope you burn in hell!” Without another word, he leapt at Harry, dragging him to the ground and punching him in the face. He landed another two punches in quick succession when he was dragged off Harry by Tom. He broke away from Tom’s grip, turning and punching him, sending him sprawling into the grass. Danny raised his hand and a chunk of wood lifted from the ground. He threw it straight into Harry, who was just starting to sit up, knocking him

down again. Danny picked up his gun from the ground and strolled over to where Harry lay on the ground, holding his bleeding nose. He aimed the gun straight at Harry’s head. “Danny, stop!” Tom sat up. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Danny glared at him, pausing. “Don’t. You said you didn’t want to ruin years of hard work before, so why now?” Tom slowly stood up, his arms raised as a sign that he wasn’t going to try anything. “Because the circumstances have changed.” Danny snarled, his attention returning back to Harry, who was staring at the gun. “Danny, he wouldn’t have wanted you to do this.” Tom whispered. “How do you know?” Danny demanded. “He wouldn’t, and you know it.” Tom said firmly. Danny hesitated for a couple of moments, but the gun stayed where it was, aimed at Harry’s head. “No,” He murmured. “He wouldn’t.” Tom relaxed as Danny said it, and so did Harry. But Danny didn’t lower the gun. He half smirked. “But then I always was a bit selfish.” He said, and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked, but no shot was fired. Danny tried again, but the same thing happened again. The gun was empty. Danny let out a frustrated yell and hurled the gun away. It travelled at least double the distance that a normal human could throw it. For a moment it looked like he was going to leap at Harry again, but then something changed. His eyes became blue again and he turned away, returning to Dougie’s side and kneeling next to him. He gazed at him for a few moments, then slid one arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees, lifting him gently off the ground. “You can go now.” He muttered to Tom, then turned and walked towards a small cabin at the corner or the field, his head bowed. Tom hesitated, then followed him. “What are you going to do?” He asked quietly. “I don’t know.” Danny replied. “There’s not much you can do.” Harry stated bluntly, appearing at Tom’s side. Danny shot a glare at him, and Tom wondered if he would have thrown another punch if he wasn’t carrying Dougie. “Maybe I didn’t…” Danny trailed off, knowing that saying that there was a possibility Dougie wasn’t dead would be lying. He forced the door to the cabin open. It had long since been abandoned, thankfully. He lay Dougie down on the bed in the room at the back, sighing heavily before returning to the main room. “Danny, sit down.” Tom murmured, gesturing at one of the wooden chairs in the room. It was weird trying to offer comfort to a demon. Danny did as he was told, moving slowly. Tom pulled up another chair and sat in front of him. “You can stay with us, if you want.” He offered. Tom pretended not to hear Harry’s disagreeing grunt. Danny didn’t react to either of them. “I didn’t realise demons got attached to people.” Harry mumbled. Danny’s eyes flickered dangerously, but he let out a deep sigh, changing them back to blue. “Danny, listen, he’d want you to carry on, right?” Tom tried. Danny’s eyes flickered again. He was having trouble keeping his temper under control, even with insignificant statements. “Stop talking about what he’d want. He’s gone.” Danny growled bitterly. “Sorry, it’s just… you can’t go down this road.” Tom murmured. “You think I’m gonna go psycho, don’t you? Turn into your average demon?” Danny glared at him. His hands clenched into fists.

“I know you’re upset, bu-” “Upset doesn’t cover it.” Danny snarled. “Ok, ok, calm down,” Tom tried to keep his voice gentle, although he was starting to get worried. “I can’t calm down!” Danny exclaimed. His eyes were once again entirely black. “He was the one who kept me sane, so I guess your right. I’m gonna go psycho demon. You’re gonna have to kill me.” He growled. “No, you can do this on your own. He wou-” Tom cut himself off abruptly before he finished the sentence, remembering Danny’s earlier warning. “We’re not gonna kill you.” Tom stated. “We won’t need to.” “Since when do you trust me?” Danny demanded, almost as if he didn’t want Tom to like him. “Trust… isn’t the word.” Tom answered honestly. “But I think you’ll do what you think is right, because you’ll do what Dougie thought was right. And I guess I trusted Dougie.” He finished. Danny stared at the floor, deep in thought. “I don’t know if I can handle it.” He murmured. “My only reason to stay good was to watch out for him.” “He wasn’t the only reason, Danny. You want to be good. From what he told me, you didn’t deserve to go to hell, and you didn’t come out of it as an evil monster. You have to hold on.” Tom persisted. Danny sighed, then nodded. “I’ll try.” He whispered. “Can you… leave me alone for a while?” He asked, looking up at Tom, who nodded. “When you’re ready, give us a call. Or… just call if you need anything.” He stood up, half smiling. He patted Danny on the shoulder and walked out of the cabin, followed by Harry, who looked like he was about to explode. “What the hell?!” Harry demanded as soon as the door shut behind them. “You’re letting him stay, alone? He could escape now!” “He’s not gonna run off! You saw how he acted when Dougie…” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. “He really cared about him.” “Or he’s a good actor! Demons lie! They don’t care about anyone but themselves! Tom, he would’ve killed me if there were any bullets still left in that gun!” Harry’s voice rose as they got further away from the cabin. “I know.” Tom murmured. “Tom, you’re my step brother! You’re supposed to be bothered by those kind of things!” Harry accused. “I am! I was! I tried to stop him, didn’t I?” Tom shot back. “You tried to talk it out, with an insane, crazy demon who was holding a gun!” Harry yelled. “Why the hell do you suddenly like him so much?!” “It’s not him! It’s for Dougie’s sake. I’m not sure about Danny, but Dougie was a decent guy. He didn’t deserve that.” Tom replied. “Ok, so why do you like Dougie so much? Have some secret bonding session or something?” Harry growled. “No, for god’s sake! Will you ever trust anyone except yourself?” Tom demanded. “I’m the only person I can be sure about.” Harry muttered. Tom hid the fact that he was hurt by that comment. Harry continued. “How could he be a decent guy if he was hanging around with a demon?” “Last night I was talking to him-” “The night after he was trying to beat the crap out of you?” Harry pointed out. “Yeah, that one,” Tom just continued as if Harry had specified it as something

else, not wanting to have to explain everything. “We actually made an attempt to get on, unlike you do, and he was a good person. And the way he talked about Danny made him seem like a good guy too.” “Ok, so you’re suddenly friends with him? After one conversation which could have been full of lies, he’s your best buddy?” Harry refused to back down. “Harry, he’s dead. He’s dead and to be honest, Danny was right. It was partly your fault. You didn’t mean to, but it’s true. Stop talking about him like he’s the spawn of Satan.” Tom ordered. “He could have been, for all we knew. He could have been a twisted freak. After all, he was pretty much raised by a demon.” Harry said. Tom stared at him, shocked. “I’m not even gonna carry on with this.” Tom shook his head in disbelief and walked faster. How Harry could talk about anyone like that when they had just died, he didn’t know. He looked back at the cabin as he reached the car. There was no sign of life. He felt an overwhelming wave of pity for Danny, and sadness that Dougie was gone. Life was just so unfair. Chapter 16 October 23rd, 1994 Danny sat at a desk in a small room, looking at his small collection of guns. The girl whose house he was in had seemed uncomfortable about leaving him alone here, but that was to be expected. She’d just allowed a demon to stay in a house with a little kid. He wasn’t planning on hurting the kid, but it was understandable that she might have second thoughts. He heard footsteps along the hall, and looked at the clock. It was half eleven. He sighed. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Danny called. The footsteps stopped abruptly. Danny almost chuckled. He’d been with the girl, Jessica. and her little brother Dougie for almost a year. Jessica obviously didn’t trust him, but Dougie seemed to idolize him. After all, he was only six. He didn’t fully understand what Danny was, or how dangerous he could be. Danny had tried to keep his distance from him, just to be safe, and to avoid getting attached. It had worked so far. “You’re not in trouble.” Danny called again, knowing that it was probably what Dougie was thinking. The footsteps started again and pretty soon, Dougie pushed open the door and stepped inside. “I couldn’t sleep.” He whispered. “I think there’s something in my room.” “Don’t worry, there’s not.” Danny turned back to his desk. “Jessie always checks.” Dougie said. Danny turned to face him again, and was met with his pleading blue eyes. He sighed. “Ok.” He mumbled and stood up. Dougie smiled and led the way back to his room, only to stop outside of the door. Danny smirked and slowly edged closer to the door. He realised he hadn’t put down the handgun he’d been cleaning. He held it up theatrically and burst through the door, aiming all around the room. Dougie giggled behind him. “Nope, nothing in here.” Danny let out an exaggerated sigh of relief and lowered the gun. “Thanks,” Dougie suddenly moved closer and hugged him, taking him by surprise. After a moment of not knowing how to react, he just patted Dougie dumbly

on the head. “You gonna go to sleep now?” Danny asked. Dougie stepped back and looked up at Danny pleadingly. “I don’t wanna.” He whined. “You have to. Jessica said half eight at the latest, and it’s way past that. You have to get up early, remember?” Danny insisted. He wasn’t sure if he’d be any good at laying down the law. “But Jessica’s not here and… I don’t know why.” Dougie folded his arms sulkily. “She has something to do.” Danny said quickly, not wanting to go into detail. “Normally you help her.” Dougie mumbled, puzzled. “But she didn’t want you nearby, and I had to look after you.” “But… Why?” Dougie questioned. Danny didn’t know how to answer. Jessica hadn’t really explained. Thankfully, Dougie lost interest. His eyes focused on the gun Danny was holding. “Jessie has one like that.” He pointed at the gun. “She told me how it works. She said I might have to use one some day. But she never let me touch it.” “They’re dangerous. They could hurt you.” Danny mumbled. “She said that too.” Dougie still looked hopeful. Danny sighed, unable to say no. “Come on. Back to my room.” Danny headed out of the door, and closed it as Dougie stepped out behind him. The hallway was pitch black with the absence of the nightlight in Dougie’s room. He suddenly felt Dougie reach up and grab his hand. Again, he wasn’t quite sure what to do, but he just went with it. “Scared of the dark?” Danny asked quietly. “No.” Dougie lied. Danny chuckled, leading the way. He switched on the light as he entered his own room, and Dougie released his hand. Danny put the gun down on the table and looked over the other. Dougie stood beside him, his eyes wide in wonder. “What are they?” He asked. “That depends, what do you already know about this stuff?” Danny asked carefully. “Guns kill the bad things. Like the things that killed mum and dad. But That was when I was little so I don’t remember. Jessie says that’s good. She said that it’s her job to go and kill the bad things. She said it’ll be my job too, when I’m bigger.” Dougie smiled proudly. “Did she tell you about the bad things?” Danny pressed. “Not really.” Dougie replied. “Well, you’ll have to ask her. I don’t know if she wants you knowing about this stuff yet.” Danny murmured. “What stuff?” Dougie asked, his eyes bright with interest. Danny groaned inwardly. He walked straight into that one. “If I show you how to use this,” Danny lifted the handgun off the table, deciding it was probably the safest. “Will you drop it and ask Jessica instead?” Dougie nodded happily. Danny pulled the magazine out of the gun, just in case, and put it on the desk. “What’s that?” Dougie asked. “The bullets. Jessica wouldn’t be best pleased with me if you shot yourself, would she?” Danny smirked, and Dougie just giggled. He crouched down next to Dougie and held out the gun. Dougie took it from him eagerly, examining it and

turning it over in his hands. He looked down the barrel, and Danny turned it back the other way. “You don’t want to be facing that end.” He chuckled. He took hold of Dougie’s arm and turned him around. Danny shifted onto his knees and moved so that he was behind Dougie, then reached around him, positioning the gun for him. “This hand,” Danny tapped Dougie’s left hand. “On the handle.” He pointed to the handle of the gun, and Dougie took hold of it obediently. “Now this one,” Danny tapped Dougie’s other hand. “On the handle too,” Dougie moved his hand without having to be told where to put it again. “But this time, your finger has to go on the trigger.” Danny told him. Dougie looked at the gun for a while and moved his hand into the position. “Like that?” He asked. Danny nodded and Dougie smiled, proud of himself. “Now,” Danny took hold of the gun, his hand covering Dougie’s, and moved it so it was aimed in front of them. “When you see the bad guy, you look down that.” He pointed at the sight on top of the gun. “You line it up and then pull the trigger.” “Wow,” Dougie grinned. “Can I try? With a bullet?” “No, no, that’s too dangerous! You could get hurt!” Danny exclaimed. “Aw, please? I won’t tell,” Dougie pleaded, turning on his puppy dog eyes. “No, Doug.” Danny said firmly. Dougie folded his arms, trying to make Danny back down. Danny chuckled. “It’s past bedtime.” He picked Dougie up off the floor suddenly, and the young boy let out a surprised yelp, his arms automatically fastening around Danny’s neck. “Danny, please, just this one time! Then I’ll go to bed and go to sleep and you won’t even have to read for me, I’ll just go straight to sleep. I promise. I’ll be good tomorrow, too, and I’ll tell Jessie you’re the best babysitter ever!” Dougie begged. Danny paused. Babysitter? He shrugged it off. “So if I don’t let you fire the gun, you want me to read for you?” He asked warily. “Jessie always does…” Dougie murmured. Danny rolled his eyes. “I think you should go to bed, no story tonight. And no shooting anything. Just straight to sleep.” Danny said. Dougie’s eyes widened and he let out a whimper. “Danny,” He whined. Tears formed in his eyes. “Oh, no, Dougie, don’t cry.” Danny sat down in his chair, letting Dougie sit on his knee. “Come on, you’re a big boy now. You know how to use a gun. I’ll let you fire it when you’re big enough, I promise.” Danny tried, but it didn’t work. “I’ll… I’ll… I’ll tell you all about those bad things Jessie didn’t.” He added desperately. Dougie looked up at him, his eyes bright again. “Really?” He asked. Danny sighed, wondering what he’d got himself into. Dougie was already scared of non-existent monsters in his room. And the dark. “Tomorrow?” Danny suggested. “No, now!” Dougie demanded, bouncing slightly on Danny’s lap. “Ok, ok,” Danny had to laugh. Danny reached over to a notebook he had put together himself on his desk, flicking through the first few pages of the information and images he had gathered. Deciding that none of the pictures were too traumatising for a six-year-old, he picked it up and held it in front of them both. “Which one do you want to know about?” “All of them!” Dougie exclaimed. “Ok, where do you wanna start?” Danny tried instead. Dougie turned a couple of pages, before deciding on one of the brighter images in Danny’s book. It was an old artists depiction of hell, complete with fire and goat-men with pitchforks.

“You want me to tell you about hell?” Danny asked. Dougie nodded eagerly. “For starters, no one in hell looks like that.” Danny pointed at the image of a devil. “It’s not a nice place to be. You don’t ever want to go there. Ever. Even if it seems like the right thing to do.” Danny realised what he was saying made no sense to Dougie, but the kid was hanging on to every word, looking at him with big eyes. “Jessie said you’ve been there.” Dougie whispered. “Yeah, it wasn’t fun.” Danny muttered. “Why did you go?” Dougie asked, leaning back against Danny and looking at the notebook. “For that, you need to know…” Danny turned a few pages until he came across the image of a crossroads, and a woman with entirely black eyes. “Crossroads. It’s were people make deals with demons. Demons look like normal people, except if they want you to know they’re a demon, their eyes go black. To make a deal, you need to-” Danny stopped, deciding it was best not to give him any ideas. “Well, when people make deals, they’re desperate for something. They want it so bad that they’re willing to give up their soul for it. Some people want to get lots of money or be famous, stuff like that.” “Did you want to be famous?” Dougie questioned. “No. I had a little brother. He was ten and I was twelve. He thought he could handle things on his own after our parents died.” Danny lowered his voice. “Like mine?” Dougie chipped in. “Yeah, they got killed by something. Only he didn’t want to stick around with me like you stick around with Jessica. He kept going off on his own, and he was only ten… Then one time, he didn’t come back. That’s why I made the deal. I brought him back because I needed him. Only, he didn’t change. He just kept to himself and did his own thing. Couple of years later…” Danny trailed off. “He didn’t come back again?” Dougie whispered and Danny nodded sadly. “Anyway, when you make a deal, you get given ten years to live, then the demons send a dog to take you to hell.” Danny finished, moving away from the topic of his past. “How do you get out?” Dougie murmured, his eyes finding the picture of a hellhound. “Big dog.” He added. “By being determined and border-line crazy. And lucky.” Danny said. “Is that enough for tonight? You gonna go to bed now?” “I wanna shoot a gun.” Dougie stated. “And I wanna read this.” He pointed to the book. “We had a deal, Dougie.” Danny said sternly. “And I said you can’t fire a gun. Not until your bigger.” “I’m gonna be seven soon.” Dougie boasted. Danny smiled and shook his head. “When I think you’re old enough, I’ll let you.” He promised. Present Day Danny sat in complete silence as the memories flooded his mind. He looked down at Dougie’s still, lifeless body. Fate, or whatever it was, seemed to want him to be alone forever. It had taken his brother, twice, and now his best, and only friend. The friend he had practically raised. He was as good as a brother. Better. He stood up suddenly, his eyes taking on their black colour, and hurled his chair at the wall. It splintered and broke, leaving pieces of wood scattered across the

floor, and a large crack in the wall. His phone beeped, distracting him. He picked it up and opened it, his anger still burning. 1 New message from: Tom Everything ok? Danny scowled at the message, his eyes narrowed, before swiftly texting back. Reply to: Tom What do you think? He tossed his phone onto the bedside table. He sighed deeply and sat on the edge of the bed, resting his hand on Dougie’s shoulder. “I miss you, Doug. Already.” He murmured softly. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve been able to stop that bitch… I should’ve been watching out for you, not getting into a stupid little ego fight with Harry. If I’d just…” He trailed off, not sure why he was talking out loud. He just felt the need to. “You might have been able to control it… I should have given you a chance.” His voice cracked slightly and he closed his eyes. November 30th, 1994 “Where’s Jessie?” Dougie asked, smiling brightly. He’d woken up early, after all, it was his birthday. “Doug, she came back last night, late, then she had to leave again. She said she’s sorry.” Danny sat down next to him on the couch. The brightness in Dougie’s eyes dimmed slightly. “But… she said she’d be back for my birthday. Why does she keep leaving me behind?” Dougie whined. Danny put his arm around Dougie’s shoulders. “She doesn’t want you to get hurt, that’s all. She still loves you. Anyway, you’ve got me, right?” Danny nudged him playfully and Dougie smiled again. “Plus,” Danny added. “She left you some presents.” “Really?” Dougie grinned, his eyes lighting up. Danny nodded and stood up, walking into the other room and bringing back an armful of presents. He put them down on the floor, and Dougie instantly dropped down next to them. He bit his lip as he watched Dougie’s former excitement return, feeling guilty for lying. Jessica hadn’t come back, and she sure as hell hadn’t brought presents. Danny had gone out himself to get some things for Dougie a couple of nights in a row. He’d had a feeling Jessica wouldn’t show up. “Can I open them?” He asked, looking at Danny hopefully. “Maybe you should have some breakfast first…” Danny murmured, but Dougie looked at him pleadingly and he folded instantly. “Oh, all right. Go on.” Dougie immediately tore into the first package, revealing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. As he moved through the rest, stopping to play with some of the toys for a short while, Danny stood up once again and left the room. He went up to his room quietly and pulled open one of the drawers, taking out a couple of packages and closing it again. He wandered back into the main room, where Dougie was messing around with a toy gun. He looked up as Danny entered, grinning happily. “She always said things like this were too expensive.” Dougie said. “Well, I bet she found some extra cash, specially for your birthday.” Danny lied, not wanting to explain credit card scams and hustling. He’d tell him about that

later, when he needed to know. Danny sat down next to Dougie on the floor, giving him the two packages he’d brought down, the ones he was actually going to admit to being from him. Dougie took them eagerly, smiling. He opened up the first, revealing a silver chain with an intricate symbol hanging from it. “What is it?” Dougie asked, intrigued. “It’s for protection.” Danny explained, taking the chain and putting it around Dougie’s neck. “To keep you safe.” Dougie needed no more information, looking at it for a while, turning it one way then another, watching how the light reflected off it. Then he let it Dangle from his neck, reaching for the next present. He opened it quickly, revealing a small book. “In the Dark…” Dougie read the title, looking at the picture on the front, red eyes glaring out of the darkness, before grinning and opening it. He looked at the pictures on each page, scanning over the short stories about heroes fighting evil monsters. “And one more thing,” Danny whispered as if it was a secret, capturing Dougie’s attention straight away. “If you can keep a secret,” He added. Dougie nodded rapidly. “And you don’t tell anyone,” Danny smiled, knowing Dougie was about to burst with anticipation. “We’re gonna go out today, and you can use this.” Danny slid the handgun out from his belt. “Really?” Dougie gasped, leaping up. “Yeah, right after you eat some breakfast.” Danny promised. Dougie jumped on him suddenly, knocking him onto his back and wrapping his arms around him. “Thank you thank you thank you!” He exclaimed. Danny laughed, putting one arm around him and ruffling his hair with his free hand. “Just don’t tell Jessica.” He whispered. Dougie grinned mischievously and nodded. Present Day Danny leaned over to Dougie, pulling back his shirt collar to reveal that he was still wearing the chain he’d bought him all those years ago. Danny forced back more tears as another tried to escape. He stopped suddenly, an idea coming to his mind. Crossroads. If he just made another deal, then Dougie would be back. He sighed, knowing it wouldn’t work. Hell didn’t want anything he had. They’d already taken his soul. But there had to be something else, another way to bring him back. His eyes landed on his phone, and he picked it up. He scrolled through the phonebook quickly until he reached the name he was looking for. Sara. She’d know what to do. Chapter 17 Tom frowned as he read the reply from Danny. He felt the urge to check up on him, but it had only been a couple of hours since they left. He doubted anything had changed. “What did it say?” Harry asked. “By ‘it’ you better not mean Danny.” Tom muttered. “What did he say then?” Harry repeated. “He just said ‘what do you think’. nothing else.” Tom sighed, putting the phone down. “Leave him to it then. What do you care?” Harry shrugged.

“Because I, unlike you, have a heart of some kind.” Tom growled. “Aw,” Harry smiled. “How nice.” He stood up, wandering around the hotel room aimlessly. “Maybe we should check on him.” He mumbled. “What? You want to check on him? Maybe I was wrong, you’re soft really.” Tom teased. “No. I just wanna make sure he’s still there.” Harry said quickly. “Nah, we should leave him for a while. God knows what he’s going through. He probably taught Dougie everything he knew. Imagine losing someone you practically raised. He must be miserable.” Tom murmured. “Wow, you’re deep, Tommy, real deep.” Harry mocked. “Shut up. And don’t call me Tommy again if you want to be able to walk out of here.” Tom growled. “Whoa, bad ass.” Harry smirked. “Well, while we wait for him, what are we gonna do?” “Um, check out the papers, see if there’s anything going on around here? If there’s something close we’ll go, if it’s further away, we wait.” Tom decided. Harry hesitated then nodded. “I don’t know about him, Tom.” Harry finally muttered. “I mean, he seems… kinda bipolar. He can be perfectly normal, but he can suddenly get really mad and threaten to kill people. I mean, he’s not safe.” “Dougie can keep him under control. Could, I mean.” Tom corrected himself. “So it’s possible.” “If you haven’t noticed, we don’t have fifteen years to build up that kind of relationship with him. Either he gets himself under control or we’re not safe with him.” Harry stated. “If you’d been through what he must have, I think you’d lose your temper from time to time too. And with the added demon strength and, well, anger, it must be hard. Especially with people like you constantly getting at him. And the way you were talking just after… That was just out of order. I mean, you can hate him, but that was too far.” Tom scolded. “Maybe. But still, if we can’t say one wrong word, what can we do?” Harry shrugged. “Well for starters, you could leave him alone.” Tom muttered. “Let’s just go down to the bar and see what we can find. I’m sure he won’t completely lose his mind out there.” ********** “I don’t know why you dragged me all the way out here,” Sara muttered as Danny opened the door of the cabin to let her in. “I told you, something happened and I need your help.” Danny replied softly. “What happened? You said it wasn’t a case, so why else would you need me?” Sara pressed. “Dougie… I need you to help me bring him back.” Danny whispered, his voice shaking. “Bring him back? What, you lose him or something?” Sara joked, but Danny’s cold look made her stop instantly. “Oh, god,” She murmured. “He’s dead?” “I didn’t… I wasn’t watching, and a vampire… bit him. And he changed. And I had to… I didn’t know what else to do.” Danny turned away so that she wouldn’t see the tears that were forming in his eyes.

“You killed him?!” Sara exclaimed. Danny nodded slightly, barely lowering his head. Sara let out a long sigh. “Well, there wasn’t much else you could have done, I guess. But I still don’t know why I’m here. Humans are breakable, you know that. Just find someone else to-” “You want me to replace him?” Danny growled. “He’s not a fucking pet, Sara, no matter how much you like to say he is.” “Ok, ok, calm down, I didn’t know he was so important!” Sara held up her hands. “You want me to bring him back?” She asked. Danny nodded. She shook her head. “Crossroads are out, seeing as you’re already a demon. Unless you have anyone else willing to give their soul for him?” She looked at him questioningly. Danny briefly thought about it. No one else knew Dougie well enough or cared about him enough to give up their soul. Probably not even his sister, seeing as they hadn’t seen her for almost six years, and she’d become less and less involved in his life since he was seven. His mind wandered to Tom and Harry, but they definitely wouldn’t give up their souls voluntarily. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. What if it wasn’t voluntary? If he had the right leverage, he could force one of them to do it. After all, it was Harry’s fault… He sighed, pushing the thought out of his mind. He couldn’t do that, no matter how much he wanted to. It wasn’t right, and Dougie would never forgive him for it. “No. There’s no one else.” Danny mumbled. “Isn’t there another way?” He looked at Sara, his eyes pleading. “Well, yeah but… I mean, it’s not really easy-” “I don’t care.” Danny broke in. Sara held up her hand, signalling for him to be quiet, before continuing. “Before you get your hopes up, how long as he been dead? And it only works for people who got sent to hell.” She added. “He’s in hell.” Danny said certainly. Sara looked at him questioningly, so he elaborated. “He was, or becoming, a vampire when he died. Vampires go to hell by default. And it was about,” He looked at his watch, which showed it was quarter to ten at night, trying to work out exactly how long ago it was. “Well, it was six am when we got to the barn, so about thirteen hours.” “Wow, you called quick. You must be really desperate to have him back.” Sara almost smiled, but the atmosphere was too depressing. “Ok, so it’ll still work, seeing as he’s most likely in limbo…” She trailed off, deep in thought. “Listen, Danny, are you sure? I mean, he’ll come back, but it’s not exactly going to be pleasant for anyone involved. Especially him. Plus, if we drag him out of hell, he might not be completely stable, if you get me.” “I managed fine.” Danny growled stubbornly. “But this is different. He’ll know you and remember the past and everything, but… I don’t know how to explain. You have trouble keeping your temper under control sometimes, right?” Sara asked. Danny nodded slowly. “Ok,” She continued. “Imagine that, ten times worse. And you’re both hunters, so imagine a mega temper tantrum with a loaded gun.” “Will he definitely be like that?” Danny asked. “Well, no, but he might. There’s like, a seventy-five percent chance. He could be exactly the same. He could be somewhere in the middle. So basically like you.” Sara explained. “Was that supposed to be some kind of insult?” Danny tilted his head. “Um, not really. It’s just a possibility.” “So when are we gonna get to the part where we actually bring him back?”

Danny growled impatiently. “Soon. But, Danny, you have to be sure. I’ve never done this before, or met anyone who’s been brought back like this. He won’t be exactly human, but he won’t be exactly demon. He’ll be somewhere in between.” She warned. “Ok, ok, I get it. It’s gonna be hard and painful. It can’t be any worse than hell, can it?” He looked at Sara meaningfully, and she shrugged, defeated. “I guess not.” She mumbled. “But-” “No more buts, before you start with ‘this is for life, not just for Christmas’ and all that crap.” Danny snarled. “Fine, we’ll do it.” Sara stated. “First of all, We need to find some things for the ritual.” Chapter 18 Dougie forced his eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds of screaming. Every so often the sickening sound of tearing flesh echoed through the still air. Every shout, every plea for mercy and every agonising cry burned into Dougie’s mind, where he could never forget them. He couldn’t move his arms and legs. He could barely turn his head, and when he did, it was only to see another gruesome act of torture. He couldn’t bear it. He had long since become numb to the pain that seared through his body from multiple wounds. He could no longer feel the metal that was sunk deep into him, holding him still, high above the ground, which he couldn’t see. He was surrounded by thin smoke, the kind that you can see perfectly fine through, but it’s still visible. He hadn’t bothered to shout or scream or beg. He knew it wouldn’t make a difference. Danny had told him all about it. He already felt like he’d been there for months, years. And nothing changed. He sometimes felt like he was moving downwards, but he had no way to tell. Every so often, a cloud of black smoke whizzed upwards and out of sight. Sometimes they lingered slightly, as if to mock him, before continuing. Dougie gritted his teeth and opened his eyes as he seemed to heat up. At first it was nothing more than discomfort, but soon it felt as if his blood was on fire, hissing through his body. With it came pain, unbearable pain, so much worse than anything else he’d ever experienced, even here. He was in so much agony he was sure his body couldn’t take it. He let out a low, almost inaudible groan. He was suddenly wrenched upwards with such a force that the metal chains that were sunk into his body were torn out. He yelled in pain. He was rushing upwards, faster than the clouds of smoke, through the chains that were strung across the dark, endless sky, past what seemed like hundreds of people in the situation he was in moments before. His eyes opened suddenly. He didn’t remember closing them. The fire still burned through him and he was breathing heavily, his heart hammering at an impossible speed. He jerked up, only then realising he was sitting on a bed. He was in a room with a wooden floor and plain, once-white plaster walls. His hands fisted on the sheet of the bed, the pain constantly pulsing through him. A hiss slid between his gritted teeth. The door to the room opened slowly and he instantly turned his head. Danny stood in the doorway, an unexplainable expression that was somewhere between relieved and shocked on his face. He smiled slowly, almost warily. “Hey, Doug.” He whispered, as if he was afraid of what might happen.

“Danny…” Dougie muttered, standing up. “What…” He trailed off. Danny grinned and stepped forward suddenly, pulling Dougie into a hug. “Thank god… I thought you were gone forever.” He smiled delightedly. “It hurts…” Dougie murmured. Danny let go of him abruptly, looking apologetic. Dougie shook his head. “Not you, in me.” “It’ll stop, Doug. Soon. I promise.” Danny smiled. “What did you do?” Dougie demanded suddenly. “I was… it was hell. What did you do?” His voice raised slightly. He could feel himself getting annoyed. “Shh, calm down, it’s ok. I didn’t make a deal.” Danny said quickly, not wanting to risk Dougie getting angry. “I got the help of a friend.” “What friend?” Dougie asked, tension radiating from his voice. Sara edged into the room behind Danny. “This is Sara. She helped me to bring you back. She’s a demon.” Danny explained. Sara smiled slightly. “Demon?” Dougie looked uncertain, and could still feel an unexplainable anger. “Kinda like me.” Danny added. Dougie looked at her for a while, before deciding to trust Danny’s judgement. He was about to speak again when a strange sensation surged through his body, making him flinch. “Doug, what’s up?” Danny was instantly concerned, and he placed a hand on Dougie’s shoulder. “I don’t know.” Dougie murmured. He glanced around, for the first time catching his reflection in the mirror. His mouth fell open in shock. “I… I…” He stuttered. His eyes were black. “No, you’re not a demon. You’re… in the middle.” Danny explained gently. “In the middle?” Dougie looked at him, then back at the mirror. “B-but… what does that mean?” “It means you’re still partly human. We dragged you out of limbo, before you went into actual hell.” Sara offered. “We’re not exactly sure what the balance is though.” “How do we find out?” Dougie’s voice was barely a whisper. “Well… I guess we could do some tests, if you want?” Danny tried. “What kind of tests?” Dougie looked scared. “Firstly, you need to calm down. Right down.” Danny commanded. He nudged Dougie to the bed, where he sat down. Danny sat next to him. Dougie sighed deeply. His eyes flicked from black to their usual blue. Danny grinned. “There you go.” He murmured. He pulled Dougie into him again. “I missed you, mate, I can’t believe you’re back. It worked.” “Ok, let’s start simple.” Sara announced. She disappeared for a moment, before returning and tipping a bag of salt across the doorway. For her and Danny, this created an invisible barrier they couldn’t cross. For Dougie, they didn’t know. “Step over it.” Sara ordered. Dougie stood up slowly, looking nervous. He moved closer and stopped just before he reached it. “Come on, Doug, if you can’t cross it, it won’t hurt.” Danny urged. “But if I’m not fully demon, how do you know it won’t?” Dougie asked. Danny fell silent. Dougie stepped forward. His foot landed on the other side of the salt. “You can cross it.” Danny grinned. “How do you feel?” “Weird…” Dougie answered. “Like, tingly.” He shivered. Danny laughed slightly. Dougie bent down, less nervous, and removed the salt. “It feels really weird.”

He mumbled, holding a handful of the salt. “Like, hot.” “It burns me and Danny.” Sara reasoned. “So it makes sense.” “What now?” Dougie asked. “Well, it only makes sense that we step it up. We need to make a devil’s trap. See if you can get out.” She half smiled. “These tests are gonna get really painful, aren’t they?” Dougie mumbled. Sara laughed. “Only maybe.” She smirked. “We’re not gonna try and shoot you. We’ll leave that to the next time you’re on a case.” She promised. Danny still had a smile on his face, just thankful Dougie was back, and so far, relatively normal. “Do we have to draw a trap right now?” Danny asked. “Can’t we, I dunno, celebrate or something?” He pleaded. “Who’s we?” Sara asked, ready to be offended. “Us three.” Danny grinned. “Nothing big, but you know, after everything, we need to relax!” “What do you have in mind?” Dougie tilted his head. “Um, order pizza?” Danny suggested. “Awesome celebration.” Sara joked, but was more than anything pleased that Danny seemed to have finally accepted her. “Will a pizza place deliver to a random cabin on a random field… at one in the morning?” Dougie asked, looking out of the window and at the clock. Danny chuckled, finding it funny that that was the main question on Dougie’s mind. “We’ll find out.” He assured him, clapping him on the back as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. An hour later, the three of them sat in the main room, Danny and Dougie on an old couch and Sara in a matching armchair, eating pizza from the nearest delivery place and chatting calmly. The atmosphere was actually genuinely friendly, for the first time Dougie in years when it wasn't just Danny and Dougie. “What will Tom and Harry do?” Dougie asked suddenly. Danny and Sara looked at him blankly, then Danny just shrugged. “I honestly couldn’t care less.” He grinned, taking a bite of his pizza. Chapter 19 “What do we do now?” Dougie asked as they all finished eating and had sat jus chatting for a while. He yawned, glancing at the clock. It was four in the morning. “You go to bed.” Danny ordered. “Are you gonna be like this ‘til we know exactly what I can do?” Dougie asked. “Be like what?” Danny raised one eyebrow, confused. “Never mind.” Dougie mumbled,shaking his head. He knew Danny would be acting strange for a while, after all, he'd just come back from the dead. Danny would probably barely leave him alone. “What about finding out what my restrictions are?” “That can wait.” Danny insisted. “And we’ll deal with Tom and Harry later.” “What will we say to them?” Dougie asked. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell them.” Sara broke in. “If they don’t like the fact that Danny’s a demon, they won’t like you being half and half.” “How else do we explain it?” Danny pointed out. “They saw me when I…” He trailed off.

“Oh, I so need to get you back for that.” Dougie joked, trying to cheer him up. Danny didn’t react. “You’re taking it well. I think I took a lot longer getting used to it.” Sara murmured. “I don’t really feel any different.” Dougie shrugged. “Except it feels kinda like my blood is too hot.” “So, so far it’s looking like you basically get half of what a demon gets.” Danny stated. “So does that mean you’re half killable with a gun?” “Is it possible to be half killable?” Dougie asked. “Well… maybe if…” Danny murmured, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t know.” Dougie looked like he was about to speak again, but Danny’s phone buzzed suddenly, cutting him off. Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket, a worried look crossing his face as he read the caller ID. “Tom.” He informed them. “What do I do?” “Don’t tell him.” Dougie replied quickly. “But you said you should!” Sara chipped in. “But we don’t know how to explain it!” Dougie’s voice rose, and Sara and Danny instantly went quiet, still wary of how explosive his temper could be. “Ok, we won’t tell him.” Danny said. He accepted the call. “Hello?” “Hey, I was just… you know, making sure everything’s ok.” Tom’s voice was uncertain, as if he was unsure how Danny would react to the call. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Danny mumbled, trying to sound as if he was still upset. “Do you want us to come over there?” Tom asked. “No, not yet.” Danny said, a little too quickly. “You sure?” Tom pressed. “Yeah.” Danny muttered. “I’ll call you or something.” “Um, ok… Sorry it’s early, I just thought you’d be awake. I guess you were. We’re going on a case, nothing big.” Tom tried to push Danny into a proper conversation. “Well, tell me how it goes.” Danny replied, before ending the call. “This is just impossible.” He sighed. “How the hell do we explain it?” “Regretting it?” Dougie smirked jokingly. “That’s not funny, Doug.” Danny growled sternly. “It is to me.” Dougie shrugged. “Listen, guys, what do you want me to do?” Sara asked. “Would it be easier if I took off for a while?” “Um, wait. Thanks for helping, you know… I guess you’re not that bad.” Danny mumbled, not making eye contact with Sara. “If you want, you can stick around. We could probably use your help. But Tom and Harry won’t like it, especially if they know about you being a demon, so can you keep that secret?” “Really?” Sara smiled eagerly. Danny nodded, smiling. “I mean, you don’t have to stay with us twenty-four seven, but you know, whenever you want. I owe it you.” Danny placed his hand on the back of his head again, looking almost nervous. “I owe you my life!” Dougie exclaimed. Sara chuckled, but Danny shot Dougie a look of annoyance. Dougie smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I owe you my life too.” “Yeah, like a hundred times over.” Danny muttered. “Can you just… stop with the jokes about you dying?” “I’m not promising anything.” Dougie smirked.

“Right, we need to tell Tom soon, or he’s gonna start wondering what’s going on.” Danny changed the subject. “If I ask him to come here, then I guess we can show him. What’s the worst he can do?” “Kill me? Again?” Dougie suggested. Danny glared at him. “No he won’t. He wouldn’t dare.” Danny said, his voice showing his annoyance. “Harry might.” Dougie pointed out. “No. Three demons against two humans. They’d know they wouldn’t win.” Sara added. “No, two and a half demons against two humans.” Dougie stretched and stood up as he spoke. “Be right back. Need the toilet.” He wandered out of the room. “You need to talk to him.” Sara murmured, making sure Dougie didn’t hear. “About what?” Danny looked at her questioningly. “He’s not letting it show, but he must be thinking it. No one comes out of hell perfectly happy.” Sara explained. “He’s hiding things.” “Well, if he doesn’t want to talk about it…” Danny trailed off. “I didn’t.” “I thought you told him everything?” Sara gestured at the door Dougie had walked through. “I did, but only because he asked.” Danny said defensively. “If you really didn’t want to talk about it, then would you have told him anything?” Sara pointed out. Danny fell silent, trying to think through what she had said, coming up with nothing as a response. “Seriously, I bet it’s constantly on his mind.” Sara whispered. Dougie returned moments later, having heard nothing. “Is it me or is it cold in here?” He asked. “Doug, it’s late winter and there’s no central heating in here.” Danny half smiled. “Jesus, even hell was warm.” He joked. “Seriously, Doug, if you carry on, I’m really gonna kill you.” “Again?!” Dougie exclaimed. Danny’s mouth opened in shock and hurt, then his expression turned to anger and he shot him a dark look. He looked as if he was going to hit him, but then just let out a cross between a sigh and a growl and stormed out of the room. “Well done there.” Sara muttered. Chapter 20 “Are you sure he should come with us?” Harry asked for the tenth time as they drove back to the old cabin. The case they had gone to had turned out to be nothing paranormal, so Tom had rang Danny to ask if they could come over. He’d seemed reluctant, but eventually agreed. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m surprised you want to let him out of your sight.” Tom muttered. “Just be glad I’m not still thinking about killing him. At the moment.” Harry said. They fell silent as they neared the field and began to walk towards the cabin, not sure what they would be greeted with. It was just getting dark, and the windows of the cabin were lit up. Tom hesitated at the door, not knowing whether or not to just walk in. In the end he knocked, receiving an odd look from Harry. The door opened a couple of minutes later, and Danny smiled at them cautiously, stepping aside to let them in. Tom

looked at him for a moment. He seemed nervous. “Hey, guys, this is Sara.” Danny gestured to a young woman sat in the main room, who Tom hadn’t noticed. She smiled slightly, but she too looked guarded and uncertain. “She’s an old friend.” “Old friend of a demonic kind?” Harry asked, his eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion. “No. Human.” Danny lied. He figured they’d have enough to deal with. Sara nodded in agreement. “He helped out my family a while back, him and Dougie. I stayed in touch to see if I could return the favour.” Sara explained, easily making the story they had come up with sound like the truth. “What happened to you family?” Harry asked, obviously still suspecting something. “Werewolf. It… it got my dad.” Sara’s eyes filled with fake sadness as she spoke. “But he saved the rest of us, me and my mum and my little brothers.” “Sorry.” Tom murmured automatically. “Danny, what have you… um… done about Dougie?” He asked. Danny didn’t reply, not making eye contact. Sara stared at the floor. Dougie stepped out of the bedroom and stood in front of Tom and Harry. No one spoke for a long time. Tension was crackling through the room. Tom stared at Dougie blankly, his eyes showing pure shock and confusion as he searched his mind for any possible explanation. He came up with nothing. Harry’s eyes flicked from Danny to Dougie, his eyes reflecting the same expression as Tom’s. “I had to do something.” Danny whispered. The words seemed to break the trance that had enveloped the room. “What the fuck did you do?!” Harry demanded. He pulled a concealed handgun from his belt, which Tom had told him to leave behind. He pointed it straight at Danny, before aiming at Dougie. “What is he? What did you do?” He repeated, his voice dripping with venom. “Calm down! Let me explain!” Danny ordered angrily, glaring at Harry. Harry switched the gun back to Danny, his eyes full of hate. “I knew we couldn’t trust you. I knew we shouldn’t have left you alone.” He hissed. “He’s not a demon.” Danny growled, hoping that Harry would accept that and just assume he was therefore human. Of course, he didn’t. “What is he then? You couldn’t make a deal to bring him back. You must have done something!” Harry’s voice rose slightly. “He’s… half human.” Danny muttered, defeated. Tom seemed to still be in a daze. “That doesn’t make sense.” Harry hissed. “It does. We pulled him out of hell before he completely changed.” Sara chipped in, standing up. Harry’s gun was instantly moved to her. She rolled her eyes at him. “Put it down.” “We?” Tom finally found his voice, although it was weak. “To get him out of hell, a human has to make a deal.” He stated. “You said we, which means both of you were involved in it.” He added. He looked like he was still working it through in his head, and was just speaking as he thought. “So that means you didn’t make a deal. But there’s only one other way to bring someone back from hell. And humans can’t do it.” A look of understanding finally came to his face. “You’re a demon too.” He pointed at Sara. “It’s rude to point.” Sara said, as if what Tm said didn’t make a difference.

“Are you?” Harry demanded. In answer, Sara’s eyes flickered to black. “Why are you-” Dougie started, but Harry stepped towards him and held the gun a millimetre from his forehead. “You shut the hell up, or you’ll be going straight back there.” He hissed. “If you’re half human, I’m betting I can still kill you.” “We don’t actually know yet.” Sara said in answer, her tone still calm. “Are you willing to take the chance?” Harry snarled, looking back at her. Danny saw the opportunity and leapt into Harry, tackling him to the ground and pinning him there. The gun slid across the floor, out of reach. Sara stepped towards Tom, but he held up his hands, looking suspiciously between Dougie and Sara. “For fuck’s sake, Tom, I told you!” Harry accused. “I said we shouldn’t leave him alone! And I said we should be prepared for a fight! Now we’re in a room, unarmed, with three fucking demons!” “Two and a half, actually.” Sara smirked. “And it’s not like we made the first move. We weren’t planning on hurting you.” “The first thing I’m gonna do as soon as you let go of me,” Harry threatened, glaring at Danny, who was holding him down. “Is send him back to hell.” He jerked his head in Dougie’s direction. “No, your not.” Danny snarled. He threw one well aimed punch, and Harry was out cold. Danny stood up slowly, making sure Harry was truly unconscious, before turning to Tom. “Try anything, and you’ll be the same as him.” He growled. “Why did you do it?” Tom whispered. “I needed him back.” Danny replied. “You can’t just pull someone out of hell, others will have come out too.” Tom glared at Danny. “When you pulled him out you will have opened up a gateway out for every other evil son of a bitch down there.” “I might have forgotten to tell him that.” Sara put her hand on her head, mimicking forgetfulness. “Sorry.” “Wait, what?” Danny looked at her, but then shook his head before anyone could answer him. “I don’t care. We’ll kill everything that got out. He had to come back.” “It would’ve only been open for an hour or so anyway.” Sara defended. “An hour is enough for hundreds to get out. There’s hundreds more demons walking around killing people, all because you wanted your friend back.” Tom spat. “Loads of people are gonna die in his place.” “And I told you, I. Don’t. Care.” Danny snarled. Shock flickered across Tom’s eyes as he realised what he had said had no effect on Danny at all. He truly wasn’t bothered. “Well, I guess you really are just an average demon. You’re just more subtle about it.” Tom growled. Danny’s eyes widened momentarily as what Tom had said sank in, but then they narrowed again and he moved towards Tom threateningly. “If you ever say that again, you’ll be joining the people who are getting killed by demons.” He hissed. “Try it.” Tom challenged, bracing himself for a fight. In the back of his mind, he knew he had no chance of winning, but he didn’t care. “You evil son of a bitch!” Danny threw a punch, but Tom was ready for it, dodging out of the way. He kneed Danny in the stomach, making him double over. Danny grabbed hold of Tom instantly and rammed him against the wall, causing the plaster to crack. “Danny, stop, leave it!” Dougie yelled, but Danny was too angry for his words to sink in. Tom managed to push him back, punching him and the face. He threw

another punch but Danny caught his arm, throwing him across the room. He crashed into the small wooden table in the corner, making it collapse. He let out a groan but rolled to his feet, standing up slowly. He looked like he was about to leap back into action, but Sara flicked her wrist and a chair flew from the floor and straight into him from behind, knocking him to the floor, unconscious. Chapter 21 Tom awoke with the sun shining on his face, blinding him as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding and he felt as if he’d just had a fight with a brick wall. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head, trying to remember what happened. It all came back in a flash, and his eyes darted around the room. Danny, Dougie and Sara were gone. His eyes landed on Harry, who was still out cold on the floor. “Shit.” He whispered. He crawled over to Harry, shaking him roughly. “Harry, wake up!” He almost shouted. “Wh-what?” Harry’s eyes opened slowly, his eyes flicking around the room. “What’s going on?” “They’ve gone, Harry. Are you ok?” Tom asked. “Gone? What do you mean? What happened?” Harry sat bolt upright, almost knocking Tom back. “You let them get away?!” “No! I did everything I could! I lasted longer than you did, too!” Tom growled. “Did they hurt you?” Harry quickly looked Tom up and down as Tom shrugged. “Nothing major.” He mumbled. “What now?” “We have to find them. Three demons on the loose. We have to stop them.” Harry said, his voice cold. He forced himself to his feet, stretching painfully. “How?” Tom asked. He no longer had it in him to disagree with Harry. Perhaps, after everything he’d tried to overlook and understand when they’d been with Danny, after all the times he’d believed maybe he was different, Harry had been right. A demon was a demon, end of. “For starters, we have to find out where they went. And split them up. We can’t take on all three of them, obviously.” Harry muttered. “How do we split them up? Danny never lets Dougie out of his sight.” Tom pointed out. “Maybe…” Harry paused, thinking. “If Danny and Dougie fell out, then maybe he would.” “How exactly will we make them argue? They won’t listen to anything we say. Plus, they agree on pretty much everything.” Tom mumbled, defeated. He sat down on one of the chairs in the room. “We might not have to say anything. There must be something we can do. We’ll work it out.” Harry promised. “If they’re split up, two of us can take on one demon. It’ll be easy.” His voice was low, as if someone might overhear him. “Dougie has a sister, right?” “Wait, Harry, no. We’re not using someone. If we’re gonna split them up, we’ll do it without putting someone in danger.” Tom stated. Harry narrowed his eyes. “It was only a thought.” He muttered. “Back up plan, maybe.” “What about the other one? Sara?” Tom asked. “I don’t think she has much to tie her to them. If we split the two of them up, she might just go her own way.” Harry suggested.

“But we don’t know that…” Tom murmured. “Well, it doesn’t matter.” He growled, walking over to where his gun lay on the ground and picking it up. “However we do it, they’re all going back to hell.” Chapter 22 “How are you doing?” Danny asked Dougie. They were sat in the back seat of Sara’s car as she drove, and neither of them knew where they were headed. “Yeah.” Dougie replied distantly, staring out of the window. “Doug, that didn’t even make sense.” Danny chuckled. “What? Oh, I’m fine.” Dougie smiled slightly, looking back at Danny, but not meeting his eyes. “Sure?” Danny asked, although he knew Dougie was lying. Dougie nodded and went back to looking at the scenery as it flashed past. Danny sighed and turned to look out of his own window. The journey had already been over an hour, and it didn’t seem like it was close to being over. After another half an hour, the car suddenly slowed and they pulled into a country lane, driving almost to the end. A small house was built at the side. It looked in good shape, although it was obviously empty. “We’re here.” Sara announced as she drove into the driveway. “Whose house is this?” Danny asked suspiciously. “Mine. I have them a few, all over the place, in case I ever need them.” Sara explained. “That must cost a lot.” Danny murmured. “Not really. They’re not exactly luxury houses, and I’m sure you’ve used credit card scams before.” Sara shrugged. “Well, yeah, but surely someone would report a house being bought from their credit card?” Danny asked. “I didn’t use someone else’s card. I got about ten of my own, then got rid of them.” She explained. He climbed out of the car, and Danny and Dougie followed. As they stepped inside, Sara switched on the light, illuminating the simply decorated hallway. The floor was wooden, and the walls were a pale cream colour. A staircase lead up to the next level, which seemed to be decorated in the same way. Sara led the way into the main room. It contained two sofas and an average sized TV, as well as a fireplace and a mirror. The walls were a slightly darker shade of cream with a simple red pattern, and the carpet matched. Sara sat down and gestured for Danny and Dougie to do the same. “Make yourselves at home.” She said. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here.” “What, you’re gonna let us stay here?” Danny asked, surprised “No, I just thought I’d let you in for a few minutes before I kicked you out again.” Sara said sarcastically. “Of course you can stay. Where else can you go?” “Good point.” Danny mumbled. “Thanks.” “One problem, there’s only one spare bedroom, so one of you will have to sleep on the couch.” She added apologetically. “I will.” Dougie offered immediately. “But I feel tight having a bed when you’re down here,” Danny lied. “I’ll stay here too.” He usually would have taken Dougie’s offer gratefully, but in this case, he didn’t particularly want to leave Dougie alone. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew he’d feel better if he was in the same room as him. After all, they didn’t really know how hell had affected him yet.

“Sure?” Dougie asked. He gave Danny an odd look, as if he knew the secret reasoning behind the friendly gesture. Danny nodded and smiled, trying not to let what he was thinking show. He must have succeeded, as Dougie just smiled back and seemed to accept it. “So, Tom and Harry.” Danny said, trying to spark some kind of conversation, hopefully ending with a way out of the situation they were now in. They had two hunters on their tail now, and it didn’t look like getting out would be easy. “That whole thing could have gone better.” Dougie muttered. “They won’t know about this place, so we’re safe here.” Sara said. “Yeah, but they’ll be looking for us. I mean, what can we do?” Danny leaned back against the couch, folding his arms. “Look, this only happened like, three hours ago. We’ll be able to think about it later.” Sara reasoned. No one answered. “Listen, you guys keep yourselves amused for a while. I’m going to bed. We’ll come up with something in the morning. There’s a couple of spare blankets in the cupboard in the hall. And food in the kitchen, if you want any.” Sara announced, then stood up and left the room. They listened to the sound of her walking up the stairs, then everything fell silent. “We’re in a hell of a lot of crap now, Doug.” Danny sighed. “I know. Would’ve been easier if I’d stayed dead.” Dougie muttered dejectedly. “No, it wouldn’t.” Danny growled sternly. “I’d rather have you alive than be hanging around with them two, no matter what the consequences.” “Mm.” Dougie mumbled. Danny looked at him for a moment, but Dougie just stared at the floor. Danny patted him on the shoulder before standing up, wandering through into the hall. He opened the cupboard under the stairs and pulled out two blankets before continuing into the kitchen. He looked through the cupboards and raided the fridge, picking up multiple snacks and packets of food of all kinds. He went back to the front room and dropped all the food on the floor, before tossing a blanket at each of the couches. He picked up the TV remote and sat down on the floor, leaning back against a couch, and switched the TV on. “What’s this, some kind of sleep over?” Dougie chuckled, sliding off the couch and next to Danny. “Hell yeah.” Danny smirked and opened a packet of crisp, shoving a few in his mouth as he flicked through the channels. ***** Danny woke when it was just getting light again, his phone buzzing in his pocket disturbing his sleep. He yawned and blinked a few times as he pulled it out. Dougie was still asleep on the other couch. Rubbish and packets littered the floor, they hadn’t bothered to clean up. He checked the caller ID, confusion taking over his mind as he saw Tom’s name on the screen. After debating with himself for a few moments, he answered. “Hello?” He said quietly and cautiously. “Danny, thank god, listen, I really need your help. I know that you probably don’t give a shit about us or anything, but you’re my last chance. Please,” Tom sounded breathless, his voice full of panic and desperation. “When we woke up again, we tried to go back to the hotel but we got attacked. Two demons that we tried to stop before, and they wanted revenge. We sent their brother back to hell and they want us dead.” Tom was speaking quickly, barely stopping to breathe. “They got Harry. I don’t know where they took him.”

Chapter 23 “Doug, wake up.” Danny whispered, shaking Dougie gently. He had ended the call with Tom, saying he’d call back when they had decided what to do. He had let over an hour slide by, not knowing what to think. Dougie stirred and slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Danny in confusion. “What?” He mumbled sleepily. “Tom called.” Danny said. Dougie was instantly more alert. “What? Why?” He demanded, sitting up. “He said he’s in trouble, some demons got hold of Harry and he didn’t know who else to turn to.” Danny explained quickly. “He wants our help?” Dougie tilted his head, confused. “The same guy that was wanting to kill us yesterday?” “I know, but he sounded desperate. What do you think we should do?” Danny sat on the couch as Dougie rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up properly. “I dunno.” He murmured. “Should we help?” “Maybe it’d convince him we’re not that bad.” Danny said. He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, if we help, then what?” Dougie asked. “Then we take off. I don’t wanna stick around with them again. They probably wouldn’t want us to either.” Danny stated. “Maybe we owe them that much. They helped us, even if they did try to kill us.” Dougie reasoned, half smiling. “Yeah, but I suppose we’re already even on that one, seeing as we knocked them out…” Danny chuckled. “Twice.” Dougie added. Danny laughed, glad that Dougie’s mind seemed to be taken off whatever had been wrong the night before. He stood up again, picking up the rubbish that was scattered across the floor. He walked out of the room to throw it away and when he returned, Dougie was sat up properly, looking deep in thought. “We have to help them, don’t we?” He murmured. ***** Danny pulled up at the hotel just as Tom stepped outside, looking nervous and panicked. A thin rain had started to fall from the sky, making the whole area look grim and grey. Tom hesitantly climbed into the passenger seat of Sara’s care, receiving a suspicious look from her. Danny and Dougie kept silent in the back, waiting for Tom to speak first. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, staring at his hands. “I know you probably all hate me-” “Probably? Try definitely.” Danny growled. “Still, I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t take them on my own.” Tom continued. “They called me after you did, they said that if I wanted to see him again before we both died, then I need to go to this old house. They said I had to be alone, but what difference does it make? If I go alone we die, if I go with you guys there’s a small chance we live.” “Why would you come to us after you tried to send us back to hell?” Sara demanded. “Because there’s no one else to go to.” Tom sighed. “Please, I really need you.” “What’s in it for us? If we help you, how do we know you won’t just try to kill us?” Danny leaned forward as he spoke.

“We won’t, I promise. If you help us now, we’ll leave you alone. For good. No tricks, no traps, nothing.” Tom vowed. ***** The house which Tom directed them to was definitely old. The paint was peeling from the red door, and it’s frame was cracked. The windows were too dirty to see through properly, and a couple of them were smashed, revealing nothing but darkness beyond. The house had two stories, but it seemed to loom over them, casting dark shadows across the ground and making it look twice as menacing. It looked like it had been pulled right out of a typical scary story. “Sara, don’t let him out of your sight.” Danny ordered, gesturing at Tom. Tom narrowed his eyes and looked away. Sara nodded quickly, waiting for Danny to produce some kind of plan. “Right, me and Doug will look around on the ground floor. You two go upstairs. If you need us, just yell, I guess.” Danny muttered. His eyes scanned the building as he climbed out of the car. Everything was quiet. He moved to the boot of the car, his eyes locked on the windows as he opened it and pulled out a shotgun loaded with rock salt. He checked it quickly as Dougie and Sara both picked up their own weapons. Tom pulled a 9mm from his belt, and it was the only weapon he was carrying. Danny picked up a torch and passed another to Sara, knowing there would be no lighting inside. They moved towards the house together, and Danny pushed the door open slowly. It scraped across the wooden floor, the afternoon light from outside barely penetrated the darkness. They slipped inside silently. Nothing moved. Danny made a quick hand gesture and Sara led the way upstairs, Tom close behind her. Danny glanced at Dougie, who was barely breathing for fear of disturbing the silence, before heading through the first open doorway. Danny flicked on the torch and they were greeted with worn, dust covered furniture. The colours were washed out and faded, and the intricate design of the carpet was stained and dirty. Dust swirled through the air, dancing in the light. Danny flashed the torch in all the corners of the room. Nothing. They moved back into the first room and headed for a door on the other side. Danny pushed it open and had to step down about a foot to reach the floor. The room appeared to be some kind of storage room. It was filled with rusting, broken tools and a bulb which had long since stopped working hung from the ceiling. A small trap door in the corner caught Danny’s attention. The dust that coated the room everywhere else had been disturbed there. He slowly walked over to it and lifted it open. There was a short drop, and there seemed to be a tunnel leading away into the darkness. “Seriously, these guys must have watched way too many horror movies.” Danny muttered. He carefully slid the shotgun through his belt and awkwardly climbed down. Chapter 24 Danny groaned as he shined the torch down the tunnel. It curved away to the right, so he couldn’t see very far. He was going to have to go through it. He pulled his shotgun back out of his belt and supported it on the back of his hand that was holding the torch, his other hand ready at the trigger. “Doug,” He whispered. “You stay-” He was cut off by a thud behind him and he wheeled around, coming face to face with Dougie. He rolled his eyes and lowered

the gun. “What the hell? Doug, I was just saying-” “I know, but you’re not going down here on your own!” Dougie broke in. “I can look after myself, Doug.” Danny smirked. “Yeah, right.” Dougie said sarcastically. Danny pushed his shoulder playfully. “Seriously, if you’re coming, stay nearby.” Danny ordered. “Sure, sure.” Dougie mumbled. Danny gave him a stern look before he lifted his gun again, and began to walk into the tunnel. His eyes flicked around the tunnel, but there was nothing but darkness and old, crumbling walls. He hesitated at the corner before stepping quickly around it. Again, there was nothing but a new expanse of darkness. He started to head along the tunnel, just as there was a bang ahead of him. He glanced back at Dougie, who nodded, and they sped up. Something banged again, but back the way they had come. They looked at each other for a moment, unsure what to do. “I’ll check back there.” Dougie whispered. Danny nodded slowly, but Dougie had only moved a few feet back before he changed his mind. “Doug, wa-” A huge bang cut him off, coming from the ceiling of the tunnel. The already weak wall above them exploded, showering them with dust and shards of brick. A whole section of the wall was rigged with some kind of explosive wiring, completely destroying a ring of the tunnel. Bricks and dirt and sand collapsed into the tunnel, completely filling it and cutting off one side from the next. Danny stared at the wall of rock in shock, dust swirling around him. Dougie was on the other side. They couldn’t reach each other. “Doug?” Danny yelled. No answer. “Shit!” He shouted, channelling his anger into throwing the torch against the wall. The bulb smashed on impact and the torch clattered to the floor. Danny was enveloped in darkness. He swore loudly again, a constant stream of curses tumbling out of his mouth as he tried to make his way further along the tunnel. There had to be a way up, and then he could find Dougie. After a few seconds, Danny was almost able to make out the way ahead as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark. He assumed there must be an opening somewhere ahead, so he slowly moved forward. The further along he got, the more he could see, although he was surrounded by nothing but dirt, bricks and dust. Finally, a shaft of light penetrated the darkness as he turned a corner. He sped up, relieved, until he was directly under it. He pushed up the old trap door that was above him, and light instantly flooded his vision, momentarily dazing him. He blinked a few times before hauling himself out of the tunnel. He looked around cautiously, but the room he was now in was empty. The window in this room was large, filling the room with light. The floor was covered in wood panelling, and the walls were a simple cream colour. The furniture was once again old fashioned, with a bookcase in one corner. Danny kicked the trapdoor shut again, and then he noticed it. Symbols were sketched onto the wood in chalk and a circle surrounded them, marking a devil’s trap, and the room was lined with salt. His eyes widened as he realised he had no way out. “Shit!” He yelled again. He paced around the circle that he was in, as if that would somehow help him escape. It didn’t make sense. Why would demons go through so much trouble to trap other demons, if they didn’t know they’d be coming? Suddenly, it all clicked together in his head. His fists clenched and his flicked to black, a low growl escaping from his gritted teeth. They’d been tricked. “Doug! Sara! Ge-” Danny cut himself off mid warning as the door into the room swung open, breaking the line of salt, and Sara was thrown into the room. She was thrown with such force that she skidded into the devil’s trap and stopped in a

heap at Danny’s feet. She slowly and awkwardly pushed herself onto her hands and knees. She sat back on her knees with a groan. Her t-shirt was full of small tears at her stomach, and the edges were soaked with blood. A hiss of pain slid between her teeth as she forced herself to her feet, although she stayed hunched over. Danny looked from her to the doorway, were Harry was stood smirking triumphantly. “You bastard!” Danny snarled. “When I get out of here, I won’t make the mistake of letting you live again!” “What makes you think you’re getting out again? Once Tom gets hold of Dougie, you’re all going down.” Harry sneered, pointing towards the floor. He moved out of sight for a moment before he returned, tipping salt out of a bag to replace the salt. There was a crash from another room, and Harry’s smirk faltered for a second, but soon returned. “I’ll be right back.” He promised, slamming the door shut. “What happened?” Danny stooped slightly so that he was level with Sara, who seemed unable to stand straight. “I was keeping an eye on Tom, but that bastard came up behind me… I only just turned around when the prick blasted me with rock salt.” She explained. “What about you?” “Me and Doug were in a tunnel down there,” He pointed at the shut trap door. “They must have rigged it with explosives, ‘cause the whole thing just collapsed and separated us.” “They must have put a hell of a lot of effort into this.” Sara straightened up slightly, grimacing. “They really want us gone.” “Are you ok? You don’t look so good,” Danny murmured. “I’ll be fine.” Sara promised, although Danny wasn’t convinced. There was another bang, and instantly Danny’s attention was focused on the noises outside of the room. He could hear muffled yells and hurried footsteps. He was straining to hear more when a gunshot was fired, making him flinch. He swore quietly, his anger growing and growing. “If they hurt him, I’ll blow their fucking brains out.” He hissed. There was a loud yell, and then almost nothing was audible. Danny jumped as the door was opened again, and Dougie walked in, his hands behind his head, glaring at the floor. Tom came in behind him, pressing a shotgun against his back, prodding him forward until he stepped into the circle. “You ok?” Danny asked, his voice low. “Yeah.” Dougie growled. Danny quickly looked him up and down. He seemed relatively ok, other than a few bruises. He looked over at Tom and Harry, noticing Harry’s arm was bleeding quite a lot, the fabric of his jacket sliced. Danny smirked, realising it must have been Harry who got shot at. He just thought it was a shame the bullet hadn’t hit deeper. His smirk disappeared as Harry produced a small book from his jacket, opening it and flicking through the pages at a tauntingly slow pace. “If you send us back down there, we’ll just climb back out and drag you down with us.” Sara hissed. “I look forward to it.” Harry sneered, and started reading the Latin words that would force them back down to hell. Chapter 25 Danny’s shotgun fell from his hands as he pressed them over his ears, although it was a useless move. The rock salt loaded in the gun would have little effect on Tom

and Harry anyway, other than just pain which could easily be recovered from. As the words tumbled from Harry’s mouth, Danny felt as if his blood was heating up, and as if something was being dragged out of him. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, letting out a groan. A slight wind picked up inside the room and got stronger and stronger, until books started to fall off shelves and the curtains on the window flapped wildly. Dougie stepped forward towards the edge of the circle. As soon as his foot reached the line, he felt some kind of invisible resistance. He growled, forcing himself forward. He felt as though his blood was boiling, but he wouldn’t give in. He forced his foot over the line, the barrier making it next to impossible, and instantly pain tore up his leg, as if something was ripping him apart on the inside. He flinched, but he had to carry on. Danny was on his knees, his hands still pressed over his ears. He coughed, and a small cloud of what looked like black smoke fell from his mouth. Dougie pressed the rest of himself forward, letting out a yell of agony as the tearing sensation moved through his whole body. His other foot freed itself from the trap as he fell forward, landing on his hands and knees. His body shook violently, and it felt as though his bones were crumbling. He coughed painfully, and blood spattered across the floor. It felt as though something was missing, as if he wasn’t fully there. His mind was spinning, and the more he tried to concentrate, the harder it became. Harry’s reading faltered as Dougie broke free of the trap, but then he just sped up, determined to get rid of them. Dougie’s vision started to blur, and he closed his eyes. He coughed again, more blood escaping from his mouth as it started to trickle from his nose too. He slowly turned around, every movement causing more agony than the last. He reached out shakily, his hand resting on the chalk line that completed the trap, and swiped the white powder away. Sara was the first to act, flicking her wrist and causing a book to slam into the one Harry was carrying, knocking it out of his hand. Harry swore loudly as Tom took aim at her with his shotgun. She glared at him, and in one quick movement stepped closer, whacking the shotgun to the side as he pulled the trigger. The bullet tore into Harry’s leg, making him stagger forward and collapse with a yell of pain. Sara yanked the gun out of Tom’s hand and smacked the butt into his face, making him stagger back, his hand flying to his nose as it started to pour with blood. Danny instantly knelt next to Dougie, who was breathing heavily. His eyes were flickering rapidly from blue to black and back again. Danny shook his shoulder lightly. “Doug, can you hear me?” He asked, the worry in his voice rising. “Doug, answer me!” Dougie jerked suddenly with a loud groan. The pain rushing through his system started to dissolve. His eyes slowly settled into their completely black colouring. A hiss escaped his clenched teeth as all of his concentration flowed into anger. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms. He let out a yell and a huge shockwave shot across the room, exploding from his body. Danny was thrown back, sliding along the floor a couple of feet, and Sara crashed into a chair in the corner. Tom whacking into the bookcase as Harry smashed through the thin wooden wall behind him, landing in a heap on the other side. The window shattered, showering the room with glass. Dougie was suddenly completely drained, his head drooped and his arms almost unable to support him. Danny stood up slowly, his eyes wide. He had no idea

Dougie was capable of something like that. Sara had never mentioned it. He shook off his wariness and rushed to Dougie’s side, resting his hand on Dougie’s shoulder. “Dougie, are you ok?” He asked gently. Dougie nodded, his eyes closed. Sara forced herself to her feet and joined them, crouching next to them. “What the hell was that?” She asked, shock obvious in her voice. “I don’t know,” Danny murmured. “We need to get out of here.” He lifted Dougie’s arm over his shoulder and carefully pulled him to his feet. He suddenly remembered Tom and Harry and his eyes shot around the room, but they were nowhere to be seen. “Fucking cowards.” He hissed. Danny put his other arm around Dougie’s middle as he started to move towards the door, trying to support him. The salt had practically disappeared, partially because of the wind, but Danny assumed the odd shockwave had gotten rid of most of it. Dougie drew his hand slowly across his face, wiping away the blood that had trickled from his nose. His eyes were once again blue, and he looked tired. However, he was soon able to support himself more, relying less on Danny. “What happened?” Danny asked. “I don’t know.” Dougie mumbled. “It was like I was getting ripped apart on the inside, but then when I broke the devil’s trap, it stopped.” “Thank god it did.” Sara said. She paused, looking deep in thought. “Devil’s traps are really powerful. No demon is supposed to be able to escape.” “Dougie did.” Danny pointed out. “That’s the thing, he’s half human. If it felt like he was getting ripped apart… well, maybe he was. Maybe the demon part of him was being torn out of the human part of him when he crossed the line.” She suggested. “Is that even possible?” Danny asked. As they reached the front door of the house, Dougie freed himself from Danny’s grip. He ran his hand through his hair, still looking tired, but as if some energy had returned. “I don’t know.” Sara murmured. “But that’s what it looks like.” “What about Tom and Harry?” Dougie asked, changing the subject. An awkward silence settled over them. “They want us dead, and they’re not giving up.” Danny sighed finally. “It’s us against them now.” Chapter 26 September 21st, 2004 Harry sat on an old stool in a cheap bar, feeling on edge and uncomfortable. Tom had gone in search of a local newsagents, hoping to get hold of a paper, leaving him alone. They had discovered that this bar was a place where many hunters came and went, which was what they had been looking for, for a long time. People had told them that their minds had been playing tricks on them that night years ago, when their family had been destroyed. They had refused to give up. They had researched and taught themselves about everything they could, but finding out about these things alone was never easy. “Do you want a drink or are you just gonna sit around all night?” A man in his forties asked gruffly from behind the bar. “Um, actually, I wanted some help.” Harry started nervously. “Oh yeah? What kind of help?” The man asked, looking half amused. “Well, I…” Harry hesitated, knowing the words sounded crazy. “Does

Anderson work here?” He questioned instead. That was the name they had been given, although that was all the information they had gotten on the person, other than that they were one of the best hunters around. “Anderson? Kay? What do you want with her?” The man demanded. Harry was slightly taken aback. He wasn’t sure why, but he had assumed Anderson was a man. The stories and even just the name had somehow given the impression that she was, although when he thought about it, he didn’t know why he’d conjured that image. It actually made more sense. “Um, I was told she could help me out.” Harry answered simply. “Whatever.” The man shrugged. “Kay!” He bellowed. “Some kid wants you!” “Coming!” A voice yelled back. A few moment later the door at the back of the bar opened and a woman in her late thirties appeared, brushing dark brown hair away from her eyes. An almost unnoticeable scar stretched from her cheek to just under her eye, presumably from some long ago fight. She smiled slightly at Harry as the man from before grunted and disappeared behind the door, closing it behind him. “Sorry about Jack.” Anderson apologised. “If he wasn’t my cousin, I’d kick his ass for how he treats my customers.” Her eyes scanned over Harry quickly. “How can I help?” “Well, uh, me and my brother were hoping you could help us. We’ve been trying to find out about, um, paranormal things. Our parents and brother were killed when we were younger, and we want to know how to help get rid of those kind of things. We tried finding out alone, but it’s hard.” Harry’s voice was low, he felt bizarre saying it out loud. Kay paused before answering, looking like she was thinking. “Are you sure you want to get into this? Hunting will be the only thing in your life, no time for anything else. You could have a normal life.” She said. “After what happened, I don’t think my life will ever be normal.” Harry murmured. Kay sighed heavily. “Is your brother with you?” She asked. Harry looked towards the door, as if Tom was waiting for a cue on the other side. “He’s gone to get a paper to see what’s going on locally.” Harry said. “When he get’s back, you two can come to the back, where it’s more private. I’ll tell you a few things, if you’re sure.” She murmured. As promised, when Tom returned, Kay led them to the back. She seemed reluctant at first, but gradually answered their questions and explained what they didn’t understand. She even told them about her own past and experiences, although she changed the subject completely when Jack came within earshot. He didn’t know about the double life his cousin led. “So all the bad things in the world can be gotten rid of?” Harry asked after a couple of hours. Kay seemed to be coming out of her shell more as they went along, as if she was actually enjoying passing on her knowledge. “Well, depends on what you mean by bad.” Kay shrugged. “I mean, just… bad.” Harry repeated. “Bad is a matter of perspective. Something you consider good, other people might not. And something you consider bad, other people might think is good. It depends on how you look at it.” Kay explained. “Well, demons. Demons are just bad.” Harry insisted. “I suppose,” Kay nodded slightly. “If that’s all you’re concentrating on then yes, they can all be gotten rid of. Somehow.”

***** January 15th, 1995 Dougie sat in one of the many booths in a small diner, his legs swinging from the seat as he blew bubbles into the milkshake Danny had bought him. His eyes flicked around the bar, but nothing held his attention for long. Danny sat opposite him, drinking a mug of steaming coffee, staring out of the window. “Danny?” Dougie said suddenly, pushing the milkshake away slightly. Danny looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “I’m hungry.” He added. Danny pulled the menu out of the holder and slid it over to Dougie, who smiled and opened it up. He sat reading it for a while, looking undecided. “Can I have pizza?” Dougie asked. “Sure,” Danny took the menu and put it back where he got it. “You’re not very adventurous with food, huh?” “What?” Dougie tilted his head slightly. Danny smirked and shook his head. He stood up and walked over to the bar where they were serving. After a couple of minutes, a young woman came to take his order, smiling warmly. “Hi there, what can I get you?” She asked. “One pizza, and, um,” Danny looked at the menu that was displayed over the top of the bar. “And a breakfast, please.” “Anything else?” The waitress pressed. Danny glanced over at Dougie. “Can I get another milkshake and a coke too, please?” Danny added. “Sure,” The woman smiled and walked through a white door with a round window into the back, which Danny assumed was the kitchen. She returned a couple of moments later and went back to Danny. The diner was relatively empty, so she had no one else to serve. “The kid’s cute,” She said, looking at Dougie. “Is he yours?” “Mine? No, no.” Danny replied, slightly taken aback. “He’s my nephew.” He lied. “It’s sweet, you bringing him out.” The waitress leaned on the counter slightly. “My name’s Emma, by the way.” She looked at Danny expectantly. “Danny. And it’s nothing really, I take him all over the place.” Danny replied. “I think it’s sweet.” She repeated. “But I bet it’s better, him being your nephew. Less responsibility, huh?” She smiled, letting her loose blonde hair fall over one of her eyes. “Actually, I think I have more of the responsibility than his sis…mum.” Danny was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. “That’s a little unfair.” Emma twirled a few strands of her hair around her finger, smirking. “You need some time on your own.” “I don’t mind, really. He’s a good kid.” Danny mumbled, looking anywhere but at her. “What if you want time with your girlfriend? You do have a girlfriend, right?” Emma pressed. “Um, not at the moment.” Danny replied. “So it doesn’t really matter.” He shifted back slightly. “Aw, that’s a shame. A guy like you hasn’t got a girlfriend?” Emma smiled flirtatiously. “No.” Was all Danny could find to say. There was a short pause. “I’m not really looking for one right now.” He added as an afterthought. Emma looked

disappointed, her pride injured slightly. Danny almost sighed with relief as she nodded, gave him a half-hearted smile and went to check on his order. After a minute or so she returned, giving Danny a tray carrying their food and drinks, thanked him quietly and walked away. Danny shook his head and returned to his seat. Dougie eagerly took his food, digging straight into it. “Doug, remind me, next time I’m with you in a public place, I need to wear a wedding ring.” Danny murmured. “You’re not married.” Dougie said through a mouthful of pizza. “No, but it might stop them getting ideas.” Danny replied. The same situation had happened ten times over, although Danny didn’t see what the waitresses in the diners they went to found so attractive. Most of the girls he actually gave a second thought were either uninterested or just out of his league. Not that he could have a girlfriend anyway. “What do you mean?” Dougie asked, looking up at him, puzzled. “Never mind, Doug.” Danny chuckled and started eating his own food. “Oh, and remind me to see if I can pass you off as my son.” “Why?” Dougie looked even more confused. “I’m not.” “I know, but some people seem to assume you are.” Danny explained. “I want to see if they’ll actually believe it.” He’d claimed that Dougie was his brother, cousin and nephew, why not try son? “But your not old enough to be my dad.” Dougie pointed out. “Well, it could happen, I guess.” Danny shrugged. “I thought only proper grown ups could have kids?” Dougie pressed. “Yeah.” He replied simply. “I am a grown up.” “Not a proper one.” Dougie insisted, shoving another mouthful of pizza into his mouth. “Why not?” Danny asked. “’Cause you don’t act like one yet. You don’t shout and get angry.” Dougie explained, as if that was reason enough. “Fair enough.” Danny chuckled. “Wanna help me find a new case?” Dougie nodded eagerly. “Do you remember what I told you?” Danny asked, leaning down slightly so that they were at each other’s eye level. “Anything strange in the papers, like missing people or murders. The ones that they can’t explain.” Dougie said confidently. “And what do we think we’re looking for in this town?” Danny pressed. “Werewolf.” Dougie smiled, proud of himself. “Which means?” Danny asked. “We need silver bullets. And it’ll only be out at night.” Dougie finished. Danny smiled and nodded. Dougie learned these things well. He remembered everything Danny told him. When he was older, Danny new he had what he needed to be a hunter. He just wished he didn’t. Chapter 27 Harry sat down on the hotel bed, slowly pulled up the leg of his jeans, revealing the bullet wound. Blood was still trickling down his leg. He pulled out the first aid things they had brought with them into the hotel, which wasn’t much, but it was enough. He grimaced, knowing what he’d have to do. He gritted his teeth as he slid a small knife out of the drawer. He hesitated as it hovered over the bullet wound, then carefully pressed the blade into the hole. The blood flowed slightly faster and he

let out a hiss of pain, but it had to be done. He carefully freed the bullet, slowly removing it. He let it fall to the floor, a few drops of blood going with it, staining the cream carpet. He quickly cleaned the wound with a damp cloth, then pulled a needle threaded with cotton from the drawer. He cautiously forced the needle through his skin, trying not to flinch, and pulled the thread tight, slowly sealing the wound. He wiped the cloth over his leg again, then tightly wrapped a bandage around it. He slid off his jacket and looked at the wound on his arm, but thankfully it was little more than a scratch. He’d live without having to stitch it. He awkwardly bandaged that too, then lay back on the bed. The door clicked as it was unlocked from the outside, and Harry looked up. Tom entered quickly and shut the door again before sitting on his own bed. “They didn’t follow us. Are you ok?” Tom asked. Harry nodded and let himself relax, closing his eyes. “I can’t believe we had to run away like cowards.” He growled. “I can’t believe they beat us.” “We were outnumbered.” Tom pointed out. “Yeah, but it was supposed to surprise them. We almost had them, too.” Harry muttered. “Dougie’s half human. Things are just gonna be harder than we thought.” Tom said. He fell silent for a moment. “We don’t have to kill them.” He murmured finally. “What? Yeah we do! They’re demons!” Harry exclaimed. “They haven’t hurt anyone.” Tom pointed out. Harry gestured at his leg. “To be fair, that was self defence.” Tom said. “They haven’t caused any real trouble yet.” “Yet.” Harry repeated. “You want us to wait around for them to start killing people?” “No, I just… I dunno, we can’t take them down by ourselves anyway. We couldn’t even do it when Dougie was fully human and Sara wasn’t around, we have even less chance now.” Tom shrugged, defeated. “Fine, we’ll get help.” Harry stated. “From who? We don’t have any connections. The only people who would ever have helped us have turned into our enemies.” Tom growled. “We have Kay.” Harry smirked. “Kay stopped hunting. She said ages ago she wasn’t fit to do it anymore, after the fight she had with the shape shifter.” Tom told him. “Kay has connections though. I’m sure she can ask for a few favours.” Harry explained. “She said all we had to do is call if we needed any help. We could get a group of hunters together, they couldn’t beat a whole gang of us.” “They could take a few people down with them though.” Tom muttered. “They might not kill people willingly, but I bet they will if they have too.” “Who’s side are you on?” Harry demanded. “They almost killed us, they probably would have done if we hadn’t left!” Tom didn’t reply. He just shrugged and lay back on the bed. Harry watched him for a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ll call Kay tomorrow, she what she says.” He stated. “We need to find out where they are and where they’re planning on going. And we’ll have to split them up again, but keep them split up this time. We have to find out what they’re weak spots are.” “Sounds like a plan detective, but how exactly are we gonna do that? We can’t find out anything about them and they sure as hell won’t fall for the same trap twice.” Tom growled.

“We’ll come up with something better.” Harry promised. Chapter 28 “If we just stay low for a while, maybe they’ll give it up.” Sara suggested in a whisper. Dougie was asleep on the couch on the other side of the room, still recovering. They had returned to Sara’s house, hoping to come up with some kind of plan. “I doubt it. It’ll just slow them down.” Danny replied softly. “If we just hang around here, they’ll find us eventually.” “Not for a while, though. If we run, we’re more likely to slip up. They’ll be thinking up a new way to catch us right now.” Sara pointed out. “And they’ll be expecting us to run. We’d have to go abroad to get away.” She added. Danny paused, looking thoughtful. Sara rolled her eyes. “We can’t go abroad, Danny.” “Why not? They wouldn’t expect it, they wouldn’t follow us because they’d have no way of knowing where we went. We could start over completely, and no one would even have to know we were demons.” Danny almost smiled, liking the idea. “We could all stick together and have normal lives and not bother about hunting or being hunted. It’d be like we were human again.” “Danny,” Sara said quietly, feeling bad for having to bring him back to reality. “They’d realise we were different sooner or later. And if one of us got mad… You saw what Dougie did, just because he was angry. And can you honestly say you could have a normal life, living with everything you know about? Knowing what’s out there, and not doing anything about it?” “I…” Danny let out a heavy sigh. “I guess not.” He murmured. “But what can we do?” “I don’t know.” Sara hesitated, then rested her hand on Danny’s shoulder. “We’ll think of something. We always get out of these things. Last time you tried to distance yourself from this life, you ended up just jumping straight back in.” “I know, but I had to. Jessica needed help from somewhere. She had him to take care of,” Danny gestured at Dougie. “And she still had to go out and fight. They both almost got killed that day. I couldn’t just let it happen.” “I’m not saying you should have, but when you tried to get away you just ended up falling in deeper. You even cut me out of your life after you started watching out for him.” Sara looked at Dougie, who hadn’t moved. It was weird discussing the secrets that had been kept from him for so long, right in front of him. “I had to. It’s dangerous enough for him with me around.” Danny stated. “You’re talking about him as if he’s still a little kid.” Sara mumbled. “He can look out for himself now, you know.” “Are you saying I should leave him?” Danny narrowed his eyes. “No, god, stop jumping to conclusions. I just don’t understand why you won’t tell him why you know me and what happened. He’s half demon, it’s not like you have a reason to keep him out of this now.” “I know, but it’s hard explaining everything when it doesn’t have to be explained.” Danny shrugged. “I don’t have to be explained? What happened doesn’t matter?” Sara sat straighter, glaring at Danny. “Not anymore, it’s over.” Danny leaned back into the chair, refusing to back down, but not particularly wanting to start a fight. “If it wasn’t for him, would it be?” Sara asked. She gestured at Dougie. There

was no hint of dislike or jealousy in her voice when she said it. She didn’t blame Dougie. To a point, she understood. She just didn’t know why Danny was so desperate to keep things hidden. “Yeah, it would. He came into everything later. When his mum and dad died, we were already through. And that was years before I even met him.” Danny said, hiding his annoyance. “He didn’t have anything to do with it.” He paused before continuing. “Now really isn’t the best time to talk about this. There’s more important stuff going on. Things have changed since then. He doesn’t know about us, and that’s how it’s staying. It‘s not important.” He murmured, no emotion in his voice. “You know what?” Sara asked, glaring at Danny. “I don’t know why I even bothered coming back.” She stood up quickly. “You obviously just wanted my help, and now you don‘t give a shit whether I’m around or not. Remind me to warn Dougie that you’re only with him for the sake of convenience. Sooner or later, you’ll want to get rid of him too.” With that, she walked out of the room. Danny heard the front door open, then close again loudly. “Shit,” Danny whispered. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, covering his face. He had a knack for screwing things up. He hadn’t meant to make her leave. He hadn’t meant for his words to come out the way they had. “Fucking hell!” He groaned. Dougie still hadn’t moved. The door slamming hadn’t disturbed him. He was already awake. He’d heard everything. Chapter 29 “Where’s Sara?” Dougie asked timidly as Danny wandered around in the kitchen. He sat on a stool next to the counter in the middle of the kitchen, just watching Danny pacing around. He’d stayed silent and forced himself to go back to sleep the night before, not knowing what else to do. Danny would probably go mad if he knew Dougie had heard all of the conversation. The last few words Sara had said were stuck in his mind, but he forced them back. They weren’t true, were they? “I don’t know.” Danny answered shortly. “Is she gonna be back any time soon?” Dougie pressed. “I don’t know.” Danny repeated. “Well, did she not tell you befo-” “No, Dougie, she didn’t tell me anything. I. Don’t. Know.” Danny snapped. “Um, ok.” Dougie mumbled. “Do we have some kind of plan?” He asked. Danny stopped, leaning against the nearest cupboard and whacking his head against it lightly. “Dougie…” He murmured. Dougie waited for him to continue. “Just… Shut up.” “But-” “Shut up.” “I just-” “Just shut up!” Danny almost yelled. Dougie fell silent, turning his attention towards the window. Danny started pacing again. Dougie didn’t dare to say anything else for a while. “Danny,” He finally plucked up the courage to speak again. Danny stopped and looked at him, his gaze intimidating, warning Dougie to watch what he said. “Something wrong?” Dougie asked, although it was plainly obvious. Danny shook his head, and started walking again. Dougie tried a different tactic. “Ok, wanna go out

and get something to eat?” Danny stopped and sighed, then nodded slowly. “Where?” He asked. Dougie shrugged. “We’ll find somewhere. I’ll pay.” Dougie offered. “Doug, you never have any money.” Danny almost smiled. “I will, if you lend me some.” Dougie smirked, and Danny had to laugh. Dougie stood up and moved towards the door, trying to come up with a way to ask Danny what happened without making it obvious that he had been listening. He couldn’t come up with anything. When he stepped out of the front door, his eyes scanned over their immediate surroundings. No car. No other buildings in sight. “Looks like we have a bit of a walk, huh?” Danny mumbled, coming out behind him and shutting the door. He walked around the side of the house and returned a couple of minutes later, holding a key. “Third from the left, second in.” He muttered when Dougie looked at him quizzically, but that just confused Dougie even more. Danny smirked and locked the door. “She keeps a spare key at the side of the house where there’s a pile of bricks that are there to look like spare building material. It’s under one of the bricks. Cleverer than under the mat, don’t you think?” “How did you know about that?” Dougie asked. It was a long shot, but it might get him somewhere. “She told me earlier, while you were asleep.” Danny lied. Dougie had to hold back an annoyed sigh. “Which way?” Danny asked, mostly to himself, as he glanced up and down the country lane they stood in. He decided for himself, turning right and heading up the narrow road. “How do you know Sara?” Dougie asked, keeping pace with him. “Old friend.” Danny replied. “But, how? How did you meet her?” Dougie pressed. “She helped me out when I first came back. Why are you suddenly so interested?” Danny demanded defensively, looking at him suspiciously. “Just wondering, you never told me.” Dougie shrugged. “Why didn’t you stay in contact with her?” “Because she’s a demon and demons mean danger.” Danny mumbled. “Yeah but you’re a demon and you’re not dangerous. Well, not really. And I’m half.” Dougie pointed out. “Yeah well even if it’s not the actual demon, we attract trouble.” Danny insisted. “Anything happen between you?” Dougie asked, unsure whether or not it was too risky to ask outright. As it turned out, it was. Danny stopped dead and turned to face Dougie. Something unidentifiable was flickering in his eyes, as well as anger. “You weren’t asleep, were you?” Danny demanded. “You weren’t… fucking hell!” Danny yelled. Dougie almost flinched as Danny’s eyes turned black. Danny ran a hand through his hair, clenching his fist in it tightly. “Why didn’t you say something?” “Because you’d never tell me about that stuff if I did!” Dougie shot back. “For a reason, Doug!” Danny shouted. “What reason?” Dougie demanded. “Because… because it’s dangerous.” Danny growled. “Dangerous? How is knowing about Sara dangerous?” Dougie narrowed his eyes. “It just is.” Danny turned away and started walking again, his pace faster. Dougie had to jog to catch up. “Why wouldn’t you tell me about her? About anything that happened before I

was around?” He asked. “Because you don’t need to know.” Danny’s eyes changed back again, although he was still fuming. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” He growled. Dougie shook his head, and Danny sighed angrily. “Fine.” He muttered. For a moment, Dougie thought he’d given in. But of course, he hadn’t. He just carried on walking, his eyes set on the road ahead. Dougie stopped. Danny took a few more steps before he stopped to, and looked back at Dougie. “Tell me.” Dougie ordered. “No.” Danny stated. They glared at each other for a moment. “Come on.” Danny commanded, and started to turn again. “I’m not going anywhere.” Dougie growled. “Yes, you are.” Danny said. “Just drop it. If I have to drag you around, I will.” “Really? Sure you’d rather not ditch me?” Dougie asked. The words fell out before he could stop them. Danny’s eyes widened and a look of hurt shot across his face, before it was replaced with anger. For a moment, it looked like he was going to punch Dougie. “Fifteen years not good enough for you, huh?” He murmured. “Whatever. Fuck you.” He snarled, before turning away and continuing to walk. Dougie stayed where he was for a moment, not sure what to do. “Danny, wait,” He called. “I didn’t mean that,” He started to follow him, but Danny didn’t even acknowledge him. “Dan, come on,” He whined. “Just stop a minute.” He grabbed hold of Danny’s wrist, and Danny wheeled around. “If that’s what you think, I might as well live up to it.” He spat. Dougie fell silent, his eyes widening in surprise when he realised what Danny meant. Danny stared down at him for a moment, no emotion other than anger in his eyes. “You’re on your own.” He yanked his hand free and walked away, leaving Dougie stood in shocked silence. Chapter 30 Danny sat alone in a small, cheap diner. His hands were wrapped around a polystyrene cup full of steaming coffee, although he was hardly interested in drinking it. His leg was bobbing up and down restlessly, and he kept glancing at the door as if he was expecting one of them to enter, whether it was Dougie or Sara. He wasn’t particularly bothered which, he just wanted someone. A few minutes dragged by, and he let out a groan, dropping his head onto his arms and closing his eyes, blocking out the world. He didn’t even know why he’d reacted so badly. Surely one statement from Dougie, just after an argument, shouldn’t have provoked him to just walk out of his life. The key to Sara’s house was still in his pocket, so not only had he left Dougie, he’d left him with nowhere to go. “Your coffee’s gonna go cold if you’re not careful.” Danny lifted his head to be faced with a random girl, somewhere in her twenties, looking down at him. She had light blonde hair and deep green eyes, although Danny barely stopped to notice. He didn’t respond. His eyes flickered to the door and back to the girl again. “Waiting for someone?” The girl asked. “I guess not.” Danny sighed. “Someone stand you up?” She persisted. Danny shook his head. “Just had a rough day, huh?” “Yeah. Rough.” Danny agreed. He’d just pushed away the two most important

people in his life. Rough was one hell of an understatement. “Can I ask who you are?” “Sorry, I’m Stacey Jackson, and you?” Stacey asked. “Damien Grey.” Danny lied. “Nice to meet you.” Stacey seemed to take this as an invitation to sit down. Danny glanced around the diner subtly. It wasn’t exactly full, so he wasn’t quite sure why Stacey was talking to him. “So, were you waiting on someone, Damien?” Stacey asked. “Not exactly. More like hoping they’d show up.” Danny replied, taking a sip of his coffee. “Girlfriend?” Stacey pressed. “Brother. But girlfriend would have been good too.” Danny muttered. “What’s your brother called?” Stacey asked. Danny was instantly on the defensive. “Gabriel.” He said. “Gabriel Grey, huh?” Stacey raised an eyebrow. Danny nodded. Stacey looked like she was thinking. “Why does that sound familiar?” “No idea.” Danny almost smiled. Stacey shrugged. “Do you come here often?” Stacey asked. Danny almost rolled his eyes. Now he knew why she had come over. “Listen, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now, if you don’t mind. Sorry.” He said shortly. Stacey looked offended and stood up, leaving quickly. Danny took a gulp of his coffee, then out of nowhere, anger burned through him and he through the half full cup against the closest wall. The hot liquid splattered across the wall. “Hey!” One of the staff yelled. Danny stood up without so much as an apology and walked out of the diner. He yanked his phone out of his pocket, pressing speed dial to call Dougie’s number. He lifted it to his ear, but was cut off instantly. “For god’s sake,” Danny growled, ringing again. The line went dead almost instantly. For a moment he was going to throw it away out of anger, but instead he shoved it back into his pocket and walked back towards Sara’s house. He hadn’t noticed time passing in the diner, but it must have been hours. The sun was slowly sinking in the sky. He knew he had even less chance of contacting Sara, so he gave up. He strolled swiftly down the country lane and let himself into the house, locking the door again. All the lights were off and there was complete silence. He was completely alone. ***** “Are you sure about this?” Kay leaned on the bar, in the same inn she had worked at for years. “I didn’t know it was possible to be half demon.” “Well, it is. And he’s dangerous. So are the other two. But they’re clever, and when they’re together they’re next to impossible to beat. That’s why we need help.” Harry explained. “I’m not in the hunting business anymore, I’m not fit to do it.” Kay said. “We’re not asking you to, but you know other hunters, right?” Harry pressed. Kay nodded slowly. “We need all the help we can get. We don’t know where the demons are, so the more people looking out for them, the better.” Harry told her. “I’ll make some calls, but I can’t promise anything.” Kay murmured uncertainly. “That’s all we’re asking for. They need to be gotten rid of, as soon as possible.” Harry stated.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Kay promised, although there was a hint of doubt in her voice. “Do they have names? Descriptions? I guess they probably switch between bodies a lot.” “Not these ones, I don’t think.” Harry half smiled, before launching into an indepth description. Chapter 31 “I want to know what went on with you two.” Dougie stated, annoyance dripping from his words. He was sat across from Sara in a small booth in a run down bar. He’d run into her by chance, recognising her car in the car park, after wandering around for a few hours. He had been trying to find somewhere to go. Like Danny had said, he never had money. “Danny didn’t want you to know.” Sara replied, folding her arms and leaning back. She was angry at Danny, but she was still unsure about betraying him. “And? Since when do you listen to him?” Dougie asked. Sara didn’t speak for a moment, trying to come to a conclusion. “Fine,” She said finally. “What do you want to know?” “Were you together? Like… together?” Dougie asked, not sure how else to word it. “Yeah.” Sara said, giving him nothing more to work with. “How long?” He pressed. “A while.” She replied. “How long’s a while?” Dougie asked, getting a bit frustrated. “Longer than a bit.” Sara answered, almost smirking, knowing she was driving him insane already. “Ok, how did you meet him?” Dougie changed the subject slightly. “I helped him, he helped me, we stuck with each other.” She shrugged. “Do you still like him?” Dougie leaned on the table in between them. “What does it matter?” Sara countered, although Dougie noticed she hadn’t given a real answer. “Are you gonna give me stupid answers to every question?” He growled. “Maybe.” Sara replied, holding in a laugh. Dougie groaned and leaned back. “Fine, why did you split up?” He grumbled. “Because he wanted to get as far away from hunting and that kind of thing as possible.” Sara finally gave him a straight answer, although there was little explanation. “Because?” Dougie prompted. Sara hesitated, then shrugged. “For god’s sake, I’ve got nothing from you except what I already worked out!” Dougie exclaimed. “Then why did you ask?” Sara smirked. Dougie looked like he wanted to punch her. His phone ringing distracted him, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen. “Danny.” He grunted, before dropping it on the table. “Aren’t you going to answer it?” Sara asked, looking puzzled. “No.” Dougie stated, rejecting the call. “Why not?” She sat p slightly, looking interested. “Because I’m ‘on my own’.” He replied bitterly, quoting Danny’s words. “He can’t just change his mind.” “You’re both as stubborn as hell.” Sara muttered. The phone started ringing again, but once again, Dougie just rejected the call. “Look who’s talking.” He grunted. He glanced around the bar. Nothing

interesting was happening. A few people we chatting idly, someone was stood at a jukebox, a couple of men were playing pool and a man was sat at the bar on his phone. As Dougie’s eyes scanned over him, he realised the man was looking straight at them. Dougie looked away again, but made sure he could still see the man out of the corner of his eye. He saw something metallic glinting in the mans belt. “Sara, I think we need to leave.” He murmured, trying not to look urgent. “Why?” Sara asked, her voice and posture still casual. She had been in situations like this, and she knew that when someone said something like that, looking panicked was the last thing you wanted to do. “Guy at the bar. I think he has a gun. He’s watching us.” He replied. “Hunter?” She asked. Dougie nodded, looking at the clock on the wall. Sara turned her head slightly, her eyes passing over the man subtly. “He’s talking about us.” She murmured. She looked at her watch theatrically. “Let’s go.” She stood up and moved towards the door, Dougie close behind her. He glanced back into the bar just before the door shut. The man had hung up and was walking towards them, his hand on the handle of his gun. Chapter 32 “Doug, come back. We need to stick together right now. We’ll find Sara and I’ll explain everything.” Danny promised down the phone. With his message recorded, he put his phone down, hoping Dougie would listen to it and not just delete it. He sank back into the sofa at Sara’s house. One of them had to come back eventually, right? He picked up the TV remote half-heartedly and switched on the TV, flicking through the channels until he settled on some random program, which he soon got bored of. His eyes were fixed on the clock as each minute slowly dragged by, each one taking longer than the last. He knew Tom and Harry were planning something, and he was alone. As far as he knew, so were Dougie and Sara. The random thought repeated itself more forcefully. They were all alone. Something was bound to happen. He stood up suddenly, but he had no idea what he was planning on doing. He paced across the room and back again, slowly managing to convince himself that one of them was going to get killed. He bit his lip. He couldn’t lose Dougie again. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid, leaving him alone when there were two hunters after them. And Sara, he’d let her go off by herself. Again. It seemed like he couldn’t keep hold of anyone he got attached to. The lock on the front door clicked. Danny turned around quickly, staring at the open doorway. He narrowed his eyes, barely breathing. The door hadn’t been broken down, so the intruder either picked the lock or had a key. “We have no idea where he’s gone.” Danny let out a sigh of relief as he recognised Sara’s voice. “He can’t have gone far, right?” Dougie was with her. Danny smiled, the overwhelming relief he felt almost enough to make him go weak at the knees. “You’re talking about me like I’m some kind of little kid.” Danny called. Both of them fell silent, before he heard movement and Dougie appeared in the doorway. Dougie stepped into the room, smiling tentatively. Danny grinned and launched himself at him, pulling him into a hug. “Sorry.” He said quietly. He felt Dougie nod as he put one arm around Danny. Sara moved into the room behind them, watching them. “I think I know why you never called now, although you could have warned

me.” She stated, her eyes flicking between Danny and Dougie, a teasing smirk on her face. Danny pulled away from Dougie, still smiling. “Jealous, huh? Don’t worry, I won’t leave you out.” Before Sara had time to come up with a retort, Danny wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. “Jesus, what’s got into you?” She asked, breaking free of his grip. “Nothing, just glad you’re back.” Danny replied. “Well, I hate to ruin the atmosphere, but we have a problem. Some guy in the bar tried to follow us. We lost him, but who knows how long for. He was talking to someone on the phone about us.” Sara told him. The happiness in Danny’s eyes instantly died. “Fucking hell, they’ve got other people after us too?” He groaned. “I think keeping a low profile’s becoming our only option. We can’t fight them, if there’s one other guy, there’ll be loads more too.” Sara mumbled. Danny nodded slowly. “But they could find us anywhere.” Dougie pointed out. “We got seen in a bar just because there happened to be a hunter there. How will we know where we’re safe?” “We’re not.” Danny grunted. “Ever. We have to fight back.” “Against all of them?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “If we come up with a plan, it’s possible.” Danny shrugged. “Dan, no matter what we do, there’ll be too many of them. We’ll slip up eventually.” Dougie sighed. They all fell silent, glancing at each other, waiting for someone to come up with something. “Listen, guys, you’re not gonna like this.” Sara started slowly. “But I have some connections. But they’re not like us. They will kill people, just for the fun of it.” “We can’t do that.” Danny whispered. “Don’t think I’m some kind of twisted freak for this, but surely it’s better? Instead of a civilian dying because of the creatures, a hunter dies instead. A hunter that would kill us. And every other thing like us, without hesitation.” Sara explained. “But the hunters save people from the things we’re going to use against them, so more people will die because the things-” “Shut up, your just making things confusing.” Dougie cut Danny off. “What are they, anyway? How do we know we can trust them?” “We don’t.” Sara muttered bluntly. “But we’re running out of options.” She glanced at Dougie and Danny, but they were just waiting for her to continue. “Two vampires, for starters. They’re sick, sadistic freaks, to be honest. But they should leave us alone. They go for the weaker prey, meaning humans. They owe me a favour.” “They owe you a favour? What did you do?” Danny asked suspiciously. “I warned them about some hunters coming their way. By accident.” Sara added the last bit quickly. “I kinda stumbled across them.” Silence filled the room again. Their choices were simple. Try to lay low, which would eventually end in their death, or let loose a couple of bloodthirsty vampires. Chapter 33 Danny, Dougie and Sara stood close together, reluctantly shuffling towards a large cabin surrounded by woodland. It was made of wood, making it look almost friendly, but they already knew what lay inside. The edged closer, none of them actually wanting to go through with the plan.

“Hello there,” A smooth female voice cut through the air. The speaker was invisible until she stepped out from the trees. Her eyes were glinting dangerously, and she was smirking sneakily. “Can I help you?” She asked. Danny reflexively stepped in front of Dougie, the memory of their last encounter with vampires swirling around his mind. “We’re just passing through.” Danny growled. “That’s a shame, would have been nice for you to stick around. Especially you two.” The vampires eyes slid over Danny and Dougie. Sara looked at Danny questioningly, but he shot her a warning look, ordering her to stay quiet. As soon as the vampire had spoken, he knew he couldn’t go through with it. “Are you sure you’re just passing by?” The vampire walked closer, the same look on her face. Danny stepped back, pushing Dougie with him. His eyes turned black, trying to intimidate her. She barely hesitated. There was a crunch in the trees, making all of them stop dead. There were footsteps behind them. Dougie turned so that he and Danny were back to back. Sara turned to face the trees, so they formed a sort of triangle. They each drew their guns. “Give it up, guys, you’ll never win.” Harry’s voice penetrated the air, and he stepped into view. “You’re getting clumsy.” He said mockingly. Tom came to stand next to him, as five or six other hunters made their way towards them, surrounding them. Each of them had a loaded gun trained on them. Danny’s eyes scanned over them, but he could find no way out. “Why are you so set on killing us? What have we done wrong?” Danny demanded, trying to at least postpone their fight, which would definitely end in them losing. “You’re demons, no matter what you act like.” Harry spat. “Someone take out the vampire. I wanna get a shot at one of these guys.” He ordered. “Thanks, guys,” The vampire smiled oddly at Danny. “You’ve made our next meal much easier.” As she spoke, the cabin door opened and two other vampires came out. A tree rustled as another dropped from it’s branches. One seemed to melt out of the shadows in complete silence. His stealthy entrance was instantly disrupted as he grabbed the nearest hunter by the shoulder and dragged him back, before swiftly snapping his neck in one movement. The hunter fell to his knees then face down on the floor without a sound. The first vampire leapt straight at another hunter, taking her down easily and sinking her teeth into her neck. Danny grabbed hold of Dougie’s and Sara’s wrists, ready to move fast. A yell caught his attention, making him turn his head. Harry was pinned to the ground, barely holding off a large male vampire, while Tom was backing away from two others. “Get the fuck off me!” Harry shouted, pushing the vampire back as it’s teeth almost grazed his skin. The vampire drew back his fist, but stopped dead as there was a huge bang. His eyes emptied of life and he slumped sideways, falling to the ground beside Harry. Danny was stood over him, gun in his hand, still aimed at the vampire. Harry propped himself up on his elbows, staring dumbfounded at Danny. Danny said nothing. He just looked back at Harry coldly before turning away, sliding his gun into his belt. Harry rolled to the side to reach for his shotgun, which had been knocked from his hands as the vampire had leapt at him, and picked it up, aiming for the back of Danny’s head. Danny flicked his wrist without even looking and the gun flew into the trees. Everything seemed to change in an instant. All of the vampires were on their feet, minus the one Danny had killed. They were no longer concentrating on the hunters, however only three hunters were even still alive. The

vampires surprise attack had caught them completely off guard. “You killed him,” One of the vampires hissed accusingly at Danny. “Yeah.” Danny replied shortly, glaring back. “I did.” The vampire launched himself at Danny , throwing him to the ground. Before the vampire could make another move, Sara tackled him from the side, dragging him down and punching him. Danny rolled to his feet and drew his gun, in time to fire a shot at a female vampire who was advancing on Dougie, who was already grappling with another. As the female vampire that he had shot fell to the ground, he swung for the other, making his head jerk back as he let go of Dougie. Dougie dived to the side before the vampire could recover, reaching for a broken branch on the floor. The vampire moved towards him, but in one swift movement he lurched upwards and plunged the branch through the vampires heart. Danny glanced over him once, checking he was alright, before turning back to Sara. She had taken out one vampire with a headshot and was just about to leap into a fight with another. Danny moved to stand beside her. The vampire, a small female with flowing black hair and pale skin, hesitated for half a second. Another which could have been her twin joined her, their eyes glowing with anger and bloodlust. Danny glanced at Sara and smirked. They leapt forward together, each barrelling into one of the vampires and sending them flying backwards. Sara quickly drew her gun and fired at point blank. The vampire’s eyes lost their glow and she lay still, her eyes staring sightlessly at the sky. The other recovered quickly, rolling to her feet and punching Danny in the jaw and making him stagger back a couple of paces. Suddenly, the barrel of a pistol was held at her temple, and Dougie pulled the trigger. As the last vampire slumped to the ground lifelessly, they each stood staring around the small clearing, breathing heavily. The remaining three hunters, Tom, Harry and someone they didn’t know, were watching them with looks of pure confusion and surprise. Danny looked at Sara and then Dougie. They both looked fine, except a few scratches. He looked down at himself. His white and red checked shirt was spattered with blood and the sleeve was torn, but like the other two, he had no serious injuries. “Why did you do that?” Harry demanded, trying to look like he could still fight them, even without a gun. “Because he was going to kill you.” Danny growled. “I probably should have let him, huh?” With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the clearing with Dougie and Sara close behind him, leaving the now deserted cabin and three dumbstruck hunters behind. Chapter 34 February 17th, 1995 Danny was sat on the floor in the main room of the apartment he shared with Dougie and his sister. Jessica hadn’t been around for two weeks, and Dougie was back to wondering where she’d gone, and why he couldn’t go too. Danny had managed to distract him for a while, letting him mess around with one of his handguns, although he’d made sure he’d removed the magazine first. He was leaning back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him, watching Dougie copying the moves he’d seen on TV. “I bet I could use one.” Dougie announced. “If I was with Jessie, I could help.” “You don’t know how to fight though, do you?” Danny pointed out. Dougie

hesitated, not wanting to admit it. “Show me.” He said, sitting down next to Danny and mimicking his position, the gun clutched in his right hand. Danny sighed, looking uncertain. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his folded arms on his knees, his eyes fixed on Dougie as he tried to decide whether or not he should. Dougie copied his position, looking up at him hopefully. “Alright, I’ll show you some simple stuff.” Danny agreed finally. Dougie grinned. Danny smiled and motioned for Dougie to stand up. Dougie hastily complied, and Danny moved onto his knees so they were at each other’s eye level. “Point the gun at me, with one hand.” Danny ordered. Dougie lifted the gun and pointed it towards Danny’s chest. “Right, watch.” He placed his palm at the back of Dougie’s hand and the other at his wrist on the other side of his arm. Dougie’s eyes followed his movements carefully, trying to memorize everything he was doing perfectly. Danny moved quickly, his first hand smacking against the back of Dougie’s and the other forcing his arm the other way, making him bend his wrist. The gun flew from his hand as he could no longer keep a proper grip on it. “Whoa,” Dougie exclaimed. “I wanna be able to do that!” “You will,” Danny chuckled. “That’s not even the good stuff. Now you try.” Danny picked up the gun and pointed it at Dougie. “You don’t even have to do it that hard, it pretty much always works. Even if it doesn’t, they won’t be able to fire straight away.” He explained. Dougie looked doubtfull as he lifted his hands, mimicking Danny’s previous position. He repeated the action, and surely enough, the gun dropped from Danny’s hand. He smiled widely, despite the fact it had been slightly less impressive than Danny’s version. “See?” Danny smiled, picking the gun back up. “Easy.” “Yeah, show me something else! I wanna know how to fight them all!” Dougie was almost jumping around with excitement. “Ok, ok, I will.” Danny promised, chuckling. “You’ll be an amazing fighter in no time.” Present Day “Do you think they’re still gonna try to kill us?” Dougie asked as they climbed into Sara’s car. Harry and Tom hadn’t made a move to stop them, but that didn’t mean they’d given up. “I dunno,” Sara replied as she started the engine. “They owe us, though.” “That probably doesn’t matter to them.” Danny grunted. He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the white vest he was wearing underneath, which was also spattered with blood. “This is the worst thing about being a hunter, all your clothes get wrecked!” He exclaimed. He buttoned his shirt again and sank back into the seat with a sigh. “So, between ruined clothes and crazy things trying to kill us, the clothes are the worst thing?” Dougie asked, turning to look at him. Danny smirked and nodded. “Definitely,” He murmured. “Where are we headed?” “Back to mine? Laying low?” Sara suggested. Danny nodded slowly. What else could they do? May 14th, 2001 “Oi! Poynter!” Dougie groaned and rolled his eyes as Lewis, a tall, dark

haired boy that towered over him, yelled his name. His black blazer was on the floor, acting as a goal post, and his white shirt was untucked. His tie was loose around his neck. Everything about him screamed that he considered himself better than everyone else. Dougie turned slowly, seeing Lewis and two of his followers out of the corner of his eye before a football smacked into the back of his head, making him stagger forward a couple of steps. He brought his hand up to his head and swore as Lewis and his two gang members cheered and laughed. Most of the other kids that had seen joined in, while a select few gave him sympathetic looks and small smiles. Dougie hated going to school. He didn’t see the point. He never stayed in once place long enough to get settled, and rarely had enough time to make any real friends. Every place was completely different. Sometimes he’d be accepted and do fine, and a couple of times he’d even managed to get quite popular, but most of the time the fact that he was different, or ‘weird’ just made people avoid him. He didn’t see why he couldn’t just stay with Danny or Jessie and help them. He already knew everything that was important. He was going to be a hunter, knowing how to write poetry and multiply decimals was very unlikely to be useful. “Give it back!” Lewis ordered. Dougie glared at him for a few seconds, but Lewis just laughed more. Dougie went and retrieved the ball, picking it up. Lewis smirked, thinking Dougie was going to do what he said and toss it back, and hopefully give him another reason to mock him. Dougie had other ideas. He made it look like he was going to throw it back, but changed position last minute and launched the ball onto the roof. Lewis looked up at it for a minute, looking shocked that Dougie had dared to do it. He narrowed his eyes and strolled over to Dougie, who looked up at him with no hint of fear, even as Lewis’s six inch height advantage became more and more obvious. “You little prick! You’re gonna get me a new one!” Lewis snarled. “Fuck you.” Dougie spat and turned away. Lewis grabbed hold of the collar of Dougie’s shirt and made him spin back to face him. Lewis drew back his fist and punched him in the jaw, making him fly to the ground. Within seconds, a crowd had formed around them, full of cheering and whooping students. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” The chant erupted through the crowd, which was growing and growing. Most of them were cheering Lewis on. Dougie sat up and moved his hand to the side of his face. Pain pulsed over his jaw. “Aww, Dougie gonna cry? Are you gonna tell mummy on me?” Lewis mocked. “Oh, I forgot, you don’t have one.” Dougie snapped. He launched himself at Lewis’s legs, tackling him to the ground. A loud ‘ooooh’ rippled through the crowd. Dougie punched Lewis in the face, trying to think through everything Danny had taught him. He punched again, and blood started to trickle from Lewis’s nose. Lewis finally responded, rolling so that he was on top of Dougie and kneeing him in the stomach. Dougie brought his leg up sharply, kicking Lewis in the crotch. He almost smirked as Lewis’s face contorted in pain and he fell to the side. Like Danny had told him, you only have to fight honourably if you’re fighting an honourable person. Lewis was definitely not an honourable person. “You… fucking… dick!” Lewis roared. He refused to give in. He staggered to his feet and slowly straightened up, although the pain was still obvious on his face. He punched Dougie in the face again, and Dougie’s head jerked back. His hand flew to his face as pain pounded through him. Lewis stepped forward and grabbed hold of Dougie, trying to gain an advantage. Lewis’s arm slid around Dougie’s neck, forcing him into a headlock. Dougie struggled against it, trying to pull free. He frantically

tried to remember how Danny had taught him to escape a headlock. He let go of Lewis’s arm and instead of trying to push him away, drew back his fist and punched him in the stomach. Lewis doubled over, winded, and Dougie yanked himself free. He kicked Lewis in the back of his knee, making him fall to the ground. Suddenly, the crowd was on Dougie’s side, cheering him on. Lewis pushed himself to his hands and knees and slowly to his feet, glowering at Dougie. He lunged forward and grabbed hold of Dougie’s tie, yanking it tight around his neck. Dougie gagged and staggered back, but Lewis held on. Dougie forced his fingers into the tightening loop, trying to give himself room to breathe, but it was getting harder and harder. He coughed and spluttered, and the crowd quietened as he fell to his knees, gasping for air. He reached up and pulled at the end of the tie Lewis was holding. Lewis sneered down at him. Dougie shifted positions and kicked Lewis in the knee and Lewis let go, almost falling. Dougie forced his tie to loosen and yanked it off. He stood up slowly and they stood facing each other, trying to anticipate what they were going to do. Dougie moved first, throwing himself forward and dragging Lewis to the ground. The fight became nothing but a tangle of kicks and punches and yells, and the only thing the crowd could distinguish was the fact that Dougie seemed to be winning. “Break it up! Break it up!” A loud voice bellowed. Most of the crowd started to disperse, not wanting to get in trouble, but as they split off into smaller groups they were still talking excitedly about the fight. Mr Johnson, the deputy head, pushed through the remainder of the crowd. As soon as the remaining pupils knew who it was, they started to disappear, not wanting to get caught up in his fury. Mr Johnson was a big man, both tall and wide. He had thinning grey-brown hair and his eyes were dark brown. He always wore a grey suit with a pinstripe navy blue tie. His huge fists were clenched and his face was red, an early warning that he was about to explode. Dougie and Lewis were still on the ground, too absorbed in their fight to take any notice of him. “Get up! Both of you! Now!” He roared. The finally broke apart, breathing heavily. They glowered at each other as they forced themselves painfully to their feet, covered in cuts and bruises. Lewis’s nose was bleeding heavily and Dougie’s lip was split. Both of their shirts were slightly torn and covered in dirt, as were their pants. Dougie’s tie was on the ground. Lewis’s hair, usually styled to perfection, was a complete mess. “Lewis, go to Mrs Harper’s office!” Mr Johnson ordered. Lewis hesitated, his eyes locked on Dougie. He looked like he wanted to throw another punch, but with Mr Johnson there, he wouldn’t dare. He turned on his heel and marched towards the head’s office. “Dougie! My office! I’m completely disgusted with your behaviour! I would have thought a new pupil would try to make a good impression! Fighting, less than three weeks into starting here! I’ll be in contact with your parents!” Mr Johnson threatened. He faltered, remembering that Dougie had no parents, but at this point he could hardly apologize. “I’ll be in contact with your guardian!” He corrected himself. “You won’t be staying here!” ***** “Mr Jones, I’m sure you understand the situation. According to Lewis, Dougie started the fight unprovoked.” Mr Johnson sat at his desk, his arms folded, looking at Dougie as he addressed Danny. Danny and Dougie were sat on chairs on the other side of the desk. A dark ring had formed under Dougie’s eye and his lip had only just

stopped bleeding. He had a large cut stretching across his cheek on the other side. “What did Dougie say happened?” Danny asked. He looked angry. Dougie kept glancing at him worriedly. Danny was one of very few people he was actually scared of when they were angry. “Dougie’s story was the reverse of what Lewis said.” Mr Johnson told him. “We have other pupils which support both sides, so we’re not certain what happened. However, that’s not the most important thing. What is important is the fact that Dougie was involved in the fight. And he caused quite a lot of damage. You must understand that we can’t accept that behaviour in this school. I think it would be best if you tried to find him a place somewhere else.” Mr Johnson stated. Danny said nothing, his eyes narrowed. “Can I please talk to Dougie alone?” He finally asked. Mr Johnson nodded and stood up, picking up a few papers and walking out of the room. Dougie looked at the floor, afraid to meet Danny’s eyes. “Are you mad?” He whispered. “Yes.” Danny growled. “At me?” Dougie glanced up. Danny’s eyes were black and he was looking straight back at Dougie, who averted his eyes again. “No.” Danny’s answer surprised him, so he looked back up again. “I’m mad at the little bastard that did this to you.” Danny hissed. “If he wasn’t a kid I’d fucking kill him! What happened?” He demanded. “I-I was just walking to the canteen and Lewis kicked a ball and it hit me in the back of the head, on purpose.” Dougie spoke quickly, not convinced that Danny wasn’t mad at him. “And he told me to give it back, but I threw it on the roof.” If Danny wasn’t fuming, he would have smirked. He’d taught Dougie well. “Then he came over and punched me and I fell back,” Dougie continued. Danny’s eyes narrowed even more. “Then he asked if I was gonna tell my mum, then he said ‘oh, I forgot, you don’t have one’, and then I lost it and jumped at him, and that’s how it started.” Dougie finished, looking up at Danny, whose fists were clenched. “What a dick.” Danny growled. “I swear, if he even looks at you…” He trailed off. “But you’re not mad at me?” Dougie asked, his voice quiet. Danny sighed deeply. He tried to force himself to calm down and his eyes flicked back to blue. “No, I’m not.” He promised. He still looked like he wanted to beat the crap out of Lewis. Mr Johnson looked through the window on the door before entering again. “Sorry to interrupt, but Lewis’s father, Oscar, is here. I thought it would be best if we tried to settle this now.” He said. A man that was an exact copy of Lewis, only older, stomped into the room with Lewis close behind him. Lewis’s eyes were locked on Dougie and he looked like he wanted to leap into another fight right there. Danny stood up and held out his hand, a simple friendly gesture, to Oscar, even though he seemed to be fighting the urge to punch one of them. “You,” Oscar pointed at Danny, who dropped his hand to his side. “You keep that little idiot under control!” He gestured at Dougie. “He’s a little convict, that’s for sure. He’ll be behind bars if you’re not careful.” “Sorry, sir, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Danny stated calmly. “Don’t you ‘sir’ me. You look way too young to be a dad anyway. Probably why he’s so screwed up. What are you, twenty?” Oscar demanded. “Twenty-two. And he’s not my son.” Danny still managed to keep his voice calm. “If he was my son, then that would mean I was about eight or nine when he was

born. Doesn’t make sense, if you think about it.” “Don’t you get all smart-arse on me.” Oscar growled. “Gentlemen, please, let’s stay calm. We’re all adults.” Mr Johnson broke in quickly. “Only just.” Oscar scoffed. “I don’t want Lewis anywhere near that little rat. And you’ll be damn sure he’s not coming back to this school. And I‘ll be suing you, if you‘re not careful.” Oscar glared at Danny threateningly. “I don’t think you can do that.” Danny murmured. “Please, sit down, then we can sort this out properly.” Mr Johnson insisted. “No, thanks, but I think I can deal with Dougie by myself. I don’t need to sit through this.” Danny gestured for Dougie to stand up, and he did so instantly. “We’ll leave now, and he won’t be back tomorrow. Don’t worry, he’ll get what he deserves.” With that, Danny walked out of the room with Dougie close behind. Dougie had to jog every few steps to keep up. Danny climbed into his car and slammed the door shut, while Dougie slid into the passenger seat more tentatively. Danny rested his hands on the steering wheel, tapping it thoughtfully, his eyes moving up and down Dougie. “You ok?” He asked finally. Dougie nodded slowly. “I’m not mad at you.” Danny repeated. “Proud, actually.” He started the engine as Dougie looked at him quizzically. “You look like you beat the crap out of that kid, and he was way bigger.” “Yeah, he was a crappy fighter.” Dougie grinned. Danny chuckled. “At least you’re getting practise.” He smiled. “Still, if I ever see that kid again, the next thing he’ll remember is waking up in hospital.” Chapter 35 Harry dropped his phone onto his bed and sat next to it heavily. They were back in the hotel they’d booked a couple of nights in, and the small room might as well have been an exact copy of all of the past hotel rooms they had stayed in. He still didn’t understand why Danny had helped him. It made no sense. “Tom,” He called. Tom emerged from the bathroom, a towel in one hand and his hair sticking up all over the place. “That was Roger.” He sighed. “And?” Tom pressed. “I don’t know what we should do. He said they found her.” Harry murmured. “Found who? Talk some sense, Harry!” Tom said. “Jessie. Dougie’s sister. They know where she is. Roger said they’re gonna hold her hostage so we can get to Dougie and Danny.” Harry explained quietly. “I told you we can’t do that!” Tom exclaimed. “I didn’t tell them to do it! They found out about her! They want them dead, they blame them for the vampires!” Harry almost yelled. “Why didn’t you tell them to let her go?!” Tom demanded. “Because what would I say? ‘Leave her alone, turns out they’re not that bad’?” Harry asked. “Danny saved you, face it, we owe them.” Tom growled. “I know.” Harry admitted. “But what can we do?” “Call them. Tell them to meet us here.” Tom ordered. “We’re gonna help them out.” *****

“Are you sure about this?” Dougie muttered as they drove along a silent road, unable to see more than a few feet in the darkness. “They said it was important.” Danny replied, although he didn’t sound convinced. They were armed, all three of them. They weren’t taking any chances. The car rumbled past the deserted fields as they headed towards the hotel Harry had told them, none of them disturbing the silence. Danny sank further into the seat, repeatedly glancing at his phone, although he wasn’t sure who he was expecting to call. Sometimes a house would slide past, and gradually buildings became more and more frequent until they were surrounded by concrete. Sara turned onto a smaller road as if she’d been there many times before, and eventually pulled into the car park of an old, dingy hotel. “Stay together.” Danny whispered as they stepped through the main entrance. The other two nodded quickly. They climbed up the stairs and walked down the corridor towards room 14, the one which Harry had said they were staying in. Danny hesitated slightly before knocking on the door. Harry pulled the door open and stood back to let them in. Danny walked past him slowly, his eyes narrowed, scanning the room for any traps. He turned suddenly as Harry shut the door. “Calm down, I’m not gonna try anything.” Harry said. “You’d better not.” Danny growled. “Why did you call?” “You can sit down, you know.” Tom offered from the other side of the room, where he was leaning on the window ledge. Dougie sat down on one of the beds and Sara copied, although Danny remained standing. “When we called some hunters to tell them about you guys,” Harry paused to look at Danny, to watch his reaction. “They kinda took it into their own hands. We didn’t want them to, but there’s a few hunters who we think might have found your sister.” His eyes flitted to Dougie, addressing him, but they quickly moved back to Danny. “What?” Dougie sat bolt upright, his eyes focused on Harry. “What do you mean? Is she ok?” “She’s ok at the moment, I think.” Harry mumbled. “You think?!” Danny growled. “We got a call, just before I rang you, saying they knew where she was. We think they’re gonna use her to get you.” Harry explained quietly. Dougie was silent, as if he couldn’t think straight enough to speak. Danny looked like he was going to punch Harry, but he instead moved to Dougie’s side. He was about to speak, but Sara interrupted as she stood up. “Why did you get his sister involved?” She demanded. “I didn’t mean to, they found out about her!” Harry defended. He opened his mouth to continue but, in one swift movement, Sara brought up her hand and slapped him hard across the face. “Why did you even bring other hunters into it? We didn’t even do anything wrong!” She hissed. “It’s your fault all of those hunters got killed by the vampires, and this is your fault too!” She pushed him back, and Harry found himself trying to move away, but the wall behind him stopped him. “Look, I didn’t kn-” Harry was cut off as Sara punched him in the stomach. She grabbed hold of his shoulder and threw him sideways, making him crash to the floor. “Sara, stop it.” Danny said, even though he looked like he wanted to join in. “Not now.”

“If it wasn’t for him, we’d be fine!” Sara exclaimed. “I know,” Danny muttered. “But there’s no point in hurting him.” “What are we gonna do?” Dougie asked quietly. “We’ll go back to Sara’s to come up with something.” Danny decided. “There’s more space.” “Are we gonna come?” Tom asked cautiously as Harry stumbled to his feet, glaring at Sara. “No.” Danny stated. He walked towards the door quickly and pulled it open. “Then how are we supposed to help?” Tom asked. “You’re not.” Danny growled and stepped outside, Sara and Dougie coming after him. ***** “We need to find the hunters and get rid of them and get Jessie out of there.” Dougie said quickly, pacing around the front room of Sara’s house. “If we go soon, they won’t know, and we can surprise them. Then she’ll be fine.” “Dougie,” Danny murmured. Dougie ignored him. “We can take all of them out, especially the stupid bastards that came up with the idea. I’ll kill them, I swear.” He growled. “Dougie, wait.” Danny said a little louder. Dougie stopped walking and looked at him. “Listen, maybe we shouldn’t go.” Danny suggested gently. “What?” Dougie narrowed his eyes. “They want us to try to get her out of there. They’ll be expecting it.” Danny tried to reason. “I don’t care. They don’t know what we can do. We can take all the weapons we have. They’ll regret trying to use her as bait.” Dougie’s tone was deadly serious. “No.” Danny stated firmly. “We’re not going.” He stood up from the couch, looking slightly intimidating. “If we go we’re walking right into a trap. We need to come up with something else.” “There’s no other option!” Dougie exclaimed. “What if they hurt her?” “We’ll think of something. We’re not going.” Danny repeated. He folded his arms and looked at Dougie, daring him to disagree. “I’m going, whether you are or not.” Dougie growled. “No you’re not. Something could happen.” Danny insisted. “I’m not a fucking kid anymore, Danny, I can look after myself.” Dougie hissed. “No, you can’t.” Danny raised an eyebrow. “You could still get hurt, or killed.” “Dougie, listen to him, we can come up with something better if we just think about it.” Sara said, trying to calm the tension that was building in the room. “I’m going, you two can stay here and ‘come up with something better’ on your own.” Dougie growled and moved towards the door. Danny stuck his arm out and put it over Dougie’s chest, blocking his exit. “As far as we know, you’re still the most breakable person here. You’re not going alone, and neither of us are going yet, so you’re waiting too.” Danny ordered. “Sit down, calm down and grow up.” “I grew up years ago, you seem to be the only person that can’t accept that.” Dougie shoved Danny’s arm away and headed for the door again, but Danny grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. He flicked his wrist and the door

slammed shut. Dougie turned to face him, both of their eyes were smouldering black. “How do you think she’d react, knowing her little brother was part demon? She hated me for it, the only reason I was allowed to stick around was because I protected you. She’ll hate you for it too.” Danny said. He let go of Dougie’s shirt, his hand falling to his side. “It’s better that she hates me than her being killed.” Dougie growled. “I don’t need you to protect me anymore.” “Obviously you do, you can’t make the right decisions.” Danny pulled Dougie back by his wrist and pushed him towards the couch. “You’re staying, that’s final.” Dougie swung around and punched Danny in the jaw, making him stagger back. He put his hand to his face, looking completely shocked. “Let me go.” Dougie growled slowly. Danny regained his composure, looking even more pissed off than before. “No.” He stated. Dougie threw another punch, but Danny caught his fist and twisted it behind Dougie’s back, forcing him against the nearest wall. “I don’t want to hurt you. You need to think about this.” He stated, forcing his voice to stay calm. “I have thought about this.” Dougie muttered, struggling against Danny’s grip. “Let… me… go!” He yelled, shoving Danny back as hard as he could. Danny flew to the floor, barely avoiding whacking his head. Dougie ran for the door but Danny leapt at him, dragging him to the ground and pinning him down. Dougie kicked up suddenly, forcing Danny off him, and punched him in the stomach. Danny let out a hiss of pain and staggered to his feet. Dougie stood up, facing Danny, waiting for him to make the next move. Danny lunged forward, anger taking over his mind, and punched Dougie in the ribs. All of the air escaped from Dougie’s lungs and he coughed, almost doubling over. Danny grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and threw him across the room. Dougie crashed into the small coffee table at the edge of the room, its glass shattering with the impact. Dougie didn’t get up. He just lay there, panting, his eyes focused on Danny. “Jesus Christ, Danny, what the hell?!” Sara yelled. “What’s wrong with you?! And you, too!” She turned her glare on Dougie. “This isn’t helping anything!” Dougie’s eyes flicked from Sara to Danny. He slowly stood up, the broken glass crunching beneath him. “You can’t keep me here.” He almost whispered. “I think you’ll find I can.” Danny growled. “You’re not leaving my sight.” “Oh really? And how long will you be able to do that for?” Dougie sneered. “As long as I have to. I’ve managed for years so far.” Danny smirked, although it was cold and humourless. “You can’t possibly watch me all the time. You’ll turn your back, fall asleep.” Dougie said, his voice almost threatening. “I’m a demon, Dougie. Sleeping is a luxury, not a necessity.” Danny replied. “If you try anything, there’ll be hell to pay.” Chapter 36 “How the hell am I supposed to sleep with you watching me like a freaking hawk?” Dougie demanded. He was lying on Sara’s couch, facing Danny, who was sat on the opposite one. Sara had gone upstairs to go to bed, leaving them alone. “You should have thought about that before.” Danny said. “Whatever.” Dougie flipped over onto his other side so that he was staring at the back of the couch. Silence settled over the room, which was still crackling with

tension. “I guess I shouldn’t have punched you.” Dougie mumbled after what seemed like hours, breaking under the pressure. “I guess I shouldn’t have thrown you into the coffee table.” Danny half smiled, leaning back. The coffee table still lay in pieces and shattered remains on the floor. Sara had not been pleased. They fell silent again, those few words getting as close to an apology as their stubbornness would allow. Even with just that, the atmosphere seemed to lift slightly. Danny looked at the clock, which showed 2:23am. He wished he could go to sleep, just to pass the time, but he wasn’t about to risk it. “What are we gonna do?” Dougie asked, his voice low. “I don’t know.” Danny replied honestly. “She’ll be ok, Doug.” “Mm.” Dougie mumbled. Danny sighed and swiveled in his seat, resting his feet just off one arm of the couch and putting his hands behind his head as he rested it on the other. After about three quarters of an hour, although it seemed to be much longer, Dougie’s breathing became deeper and more even. Danny watched him for a moment, checking that he really was asleep. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out quickly. 1 New message from: Tom They’ve caught her. They’re taking her to some old closed school somewhere. I’ll call you when we find out more. Danny’s eyes narrowed as he read the text. In the back of his mind he was wondering if it was another trap, but it had seemed genuine when they had actually gone to Tom and Harry to find out about it. They had to come up with some kind of plan, soon. He put his phone back in his pocket and stared at the ceiling in silence. This was going to be a long night. ***** “No going off on your own.” Danny ordered as he, Sara and Dougie climbed out of the car. “I know, you said before.” Dougie grunted. “I mean it. And no trying to be a hero.” Danny said, his voice firm. “I know.” “And don’t try anything.” “Yeah, I get it.” “Don’t even think about tricking us.” “I know! I get it!” Dougie exclaimed. He yanked open the car boot and scanned over the weapons inside. He pulled out a handgun and slid it into his belt before picking up a sawn-off shotgun. “Are we actually planning on killing these guys?” Sara asked. She looked from Danny to Dougie uncertainly. “If we have to.” Dougie stated almost instantly. “Only in self defense.” Danny added sternly, and although he addressed Sara, his eyes were still on Dougie. “What about in the defense of others?” Dougie asked. Danny looked at him for a moment then shook his head exasperatedly. He too picked out a handgun and a

similar shotgun as Dougie picked up a knife and slipped it through his belt. Sara chose two handguns and pushed them into her belt, concealing them with her jacket. “Are you planning some kind of cowboy shootout?” Danny smirked, glancing at her. “You never know.” Sara smiled. Her eyes flicked over the remaining weapons. The boot was full of them, like always, from pistols to rifles, and it was even organized to help her to find what she was looking for fast. She pulled out her preferred type, a lightweight Ithaca shotgun with a relatively short barrel. “All set?” Danny asked. Sara nodded and slammed the boot shut. “Right, they’ll be covering the entrances. They’ll expect us to go through one of the back doors, or a window or something.” Danny murmured as they peered at the school from behind a long, tall hedge, which was providing a hiding place for their car. The school was quite big, but also quite run down. The sign which once displayed the name of the school proudly was now missing most of it’s letters and the area outside was strewn with litter. A couple of bins were knocked over and bench was lying on it’s back. The concrete slabs were uneven and many were cracked. The school itself looked intimidating. All of the lights inside where off, making it look dim and dingy inside. “So we’re gonna go straight through the main entrance?” Sara asked. “That’s the plan.” Danny smirked. “After that, we’ll just have to go along with it as it comes.” “Great plan.” Dougie muttered sarcastically. “It’s not any better than us just going in and taking them all out, like I said before.” He grumbled. Danny lifted his hand and whacked Dougie on the back of the head, giving him no further response. Dougie glared at him, but said nothing else. Danny put one finger to his lips and led the way towards the main entrance. He held the shotgun ready, but not a single person disturbed them. They edged closer to door, which was already open. Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously and stepped forward, but Sara grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him back sharply. “What?” Danny demanded quietly, looking annoyed. Sara said nothing, but gestured towards the ground with the barrel of her shotgun. Danny looked down towards the floor in the doorway. A few inches off the ground, a thin, almost invisible wire was stretched tight across the gap. It was attached to two explosives, one on either side of the doorway. Danny’s eyes widened. He had been a few seconds away from stepping straight onto it. He nodded and smiled weakly at Sara in thanks, before carefully stepping over the tripwire into the reception area. A desk separated the main part of the room from a smaller section, which was filled with files and papers and had a couple of computers. To the left was a closed set of double doors and a flight of stairs, to the left was a single door shutting them off from a thinner corridor. Straight ahead was another set of double doors, leading down a long, straight corridor which then split off into two more. “Which way?” Danny murmured. The other two just shrugged. Danny rolled his eyes. “Right, rock, paper, scissors. Dougie wins, we go left. Sara wins, we go right. I win, we go straight ahead.” He whispered. “We could split up,” Dougie suggested. “No.” Danny growled. He lifted his fist. “One, two, three.” On three, all of them showed which they had chosen. Dougie and Sara chose paper. Danny went for scissors. He quickly smirked and pointed down the corridor, and they headed forward. Danny stayed in the lead, Dougie in the middle, and Sara covering them behind. They edged through the door, their eyes scanning the whole area, and it creaked shut behind

them. Danny reached for the light switch. The lights flickered on, and suddenly the room was filled with a quiet but noticeable whirring. All three of them looked at the lights. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. They were just about to move forward again when the light at the far end of the corridor exploding, showering glass everywhere. The one next to it followed within milliseconds, and then the third. All three of them automatically put their hands over their heads as shards of glass rained down on them. The last light exploded directly above them. A few seconds passed where they could hear nothing but their own breathing, and they slowly straightened up. Their hands and arms were covered in scratches, but the booby trap had been for no other reason than to slow them down, so it hadn’t caused any real injuries. “Ok, so no one switch on any lights.” Dougie stated. Danny raised an eyebrow and gave him a funny look while Sara smirked. She stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing in concentration. She pressed a finger against her lips and the other two stopped dead. Footsteps were approaching, and fast. Dougie glanced back. The corridor was lined with doors. The first was the only one without a window. He pushed it open quickly, careful not to make it slam, and stepped inside, pulling the other two in with him. Sara forced the door shut again. She moved the bolt on the inside, locking it. The three of them were squashed together with barely any room to breath, although they hardly dared to anyway. They heard the door that lead into the corridor being opened. “They’re not here.” A gruff voice broke through the silence, although the words were muffled and almost inaudible. “They might have got away.” Another voice, which was more feminine, answered. “We’d be able to see like, footprints or marks where they ran over the glass. And they would have caught them at the other end.” The first voice grunted. “Or we would have ran into them ourselves. The trap must have gone off by itself.” “How? It needed to be heated, so the lights needed to be switched on.” The woman said, sounding impatient. “They have to be here.” “Fine, we’ll check the rooms.” The man finally agreed. Their footsteps started to approach, and Sara tried to move further away from the door automatically. She pressed backwards, but could only move a few centimetres before she was squashed against Danny, who was squashed against Dougie. The handle on the door shook slightly as one of the hunters tried to open it. “This one’s locked. They can’t be in there.” It was the man who stood outside. Sara almost let out a sigh of relief, but held it in. The guy obviously wasn’t too bright. His footsteps moved away from the door again. They heard countless doors being opened and shut again. “We’ll have to tell the others we didn’t find them. They must be in here somewhere.” The female hunter announced. The man grumbled something in reply which was too quiet to make out. Their footsteps started to get rapidly quieter. After a few minutes of complete silence, Sara unlocked the door. The click seemed too loud in the quiet that surrounded them. They practically fell out of the room, and quickly checked in all directions. “No one’s around.” Sara whispered. “But they’ll be looking for us now. They know we’re here.” Chapter 37

All three of them kept dead silent for the next few minutes, which seemed to drag on for hours. The hunters had accidentally told them that there were more hunters at the other end of the corridor, so they turned back. As they re-entered the reception area, they glanced at each other, unsure where to head next. “I say we go upstairs. They’ll be expecting us to stay down here.” Sara whispered. “Or they could expect us to do what we think they won’t expect.” Dougie added. “Or they’ll expect us to do what we think they-” Sara started arguing, but Danny broke in. “Please, don’t start.” He groaned. “You’re as bad as each other. I don’t know how I ever put up with either of you.” “Even worse now we’re both here, huh?” Sara smirked. “That reminds me,” Dougie said suddenly. “You never explained what happened between you two.” He looked between Sara and Danny, waiting for a response. Danny shot Sara an annoyed glare. “You did promise him,” She shrugged. He grunted and looked at Dougie for a moment. He looked like he was trying to work out what to say, but then he looked towards the stairs leading to the next floor. “Later, we have more important things to be thinking about.” He muttered and walked towards the staircase. “Hey, Jones, stop avoiding it.” Dougie said. “Hey, Poynter, shut up.” Danny replied. “Was I really that bad?” Sara asked, sounding hurt, although her face showed that she was joking. “Yeah, you were the worst.” Danny smirked. “Ooh, bit of flirting?” Dougie teased. Danny glared at him. “I don’t know who taught you what flirting is, but that definitely was not flirting.” He growled. “Don’t think I can’t see what’s going on, Danny.” Dougie looked at him knowingly, then laughed lightly. Sara joined in, finding amusement in watching Danny getting frustrated. “What are you on about?” He demanded. “Oh, stop hiding it, Danny, you’re still craaazy about me.” Sara winked and pushed his shoulder gently, resulting in another burst of laughter. “What? No I’m not! Will you both just shut up?” Danny’s voice rose slightly, then he remembered where they where and forced himself to be quieter. “If you two are gonna do this, we might as well come back some other time.” “Getting a bit defensive there.” Dougie teased. “Do you want to find your sister or not?” Danny growled, finally snapping. Dougie held his hands up, raising one eyebrow. “Chill out, it’s a joke, Danny.” He muttered. “Yeah, well, it’s not funny.” He snapped and stomped up the stairs. Dougie looked sideways at Sara, to find her looking back at him. As soon as they made eye contact, they broke into more laughter. They had to jog to catch up with Danny, who looked grumpy. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.” Dougie said, looking up the stairs ahead of them. They had to double back to climb the next set. Danny stopped with his foot on the first step as the words came out of Dougie’s mouth. He looked at him, not moving for a couple of seconds, then lifted his hand and pushed Dougie backwards.

He staggered back into Sara, who let out a surprised yelp as she almost fell back down the stairs. “Watch it!” She hissed. Danny chuckled and moved up the rest of the stairs. “Seriously, quiet now. We don’t know where they are or if they’ve set any more traps.” Danny murmured, lowering his voice so that the words were only just audible. “You always have an excuse, huh?” Dougie muttered. Danny rolled his eyes and continued forward. As he reached the top he stopped again, motioning for silence. A single set of footsteps was approaching rapidly. Danny pressed himself against the wall and peered through the window of the double doors that lay between them and the next corridor. The footsteps slowed slightly and he drew back, just as a figure stepped into view. He lunged forward suddenly, throwing the door open and sending the hunter sprawling to the floor, his face full of surprise and pain. Danny grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and lifted him off the floor. The hunter was quite young, perhaps in his early twenties. He had quite short light brown hair with greenish blue eyes, which were narrowed in fake confidence, hiding his fear. His gun had flown from his grip as the door had swung into him, and it lay a few feet away on the ground. “There’s way more of us than there is of you.” The hunter growled, trying to look intimidating. He failed miserably, seeing as Danny was holding him by his shirt collar a few inches off the ground. “If all of the others are as careless as you, I think we’ve got a pretty good chance.” Danny smirked. He threw the hunter forcefully against the nearest wall. The hunter let out a single grunt and slid to the ground, unconscious. Danny smiled slightly, pleased with himself, and glanced from one and of the corridor to the next. He randomly decided to turn right, with Sara and Dougie right behind him. They took turn after turn, not exactly sure where they were going, until Danny stopped abruptly, making Sara walk straight into him. “Hey!” She exclaimed. “Don’t just-” Danny cut her off by putting finger to his lips. He was looking at the wall next to them, as if he was trying to listen. Sara fell silent and copied. She narrowed her eyes, straining to hear, but sure enough she could make out voices, although the words were too quiet to hear. There seemed to be a lot of them, too. Above their heads, small rectangular windows were built into the wall just below the ceiling. Danny looked up at them. They were too high up to see through. He sighed then turned his gaze onto Sara. She instantly knew what he was thinking. “No way, Danny, touch me and I swear I’ll-” She didn’t get any further before Danny bent down and wrapped his arms around her knees, lifting her off the ground. She held back a yelp, grabbing hold of Danny’s shoulders so she didn’t fall. She glared down at him but he just grinned back. She quickly peered through the window. The room she was looking into was huge, possibly an assembly hall or something. Blue plastic chairs filled the room from top to bottom in neat rows, except the ones at the front, which had been moved around. At the front was a small stage, which was raised about four feet off the floor. The room contained eight or nine hunters, all holding some kind of gun. Half of them were sat down looking bored, while the others were pacing around the room aimlessly. At the front, just before the stage, was a single chair with a woman in her late twenties or early thirties tied to it. She had dark brown hair which was quite long. Her head was bowed so that her hair covered her face. She was barely moving. Around the chair was a large circle, filled with symbols and lines. A devil’s trap. Sara ducked her head down as a hunter glanced

towards the window, just managing to get out of view. “Put me down, now.” She hissed. Danny obeyed, although he seemed to find the whole thing very funny. “She’s in there. There’s near enough ten hunters in there, and she’s inside a devil’s trap. We need to think of something.” Sara reported. “We can go in and kick their asses.” Dougie suggested, checking his gun casually. “I’m all for that,” Sara agreed. “Me too, except we’re outnumbered and we’ll most likely all die.” Danny muttered. “Killjoy.” Sara mumbled. “What do you suggest?” “We could lure a couple out, take them out, then do the same again.” Danny suggested. “That’ll only work once.” Sara pointed out. “I thought you didn’t want to kill them?” “I never said kill them.” Danny defended. “If we try and get a couple out at a time-” “Then they’ll hear you fighting them and they’ll all come out.” All three of them whirled around at the sound of a new voice. Harry stood in front of them, a pistol in his hand. It was held loosely and pointed at the ground, showing he wasn’t about to shoot them. Tom stood behind him with a sawn-off shotgun. “What are you doing here?” Danny demanded, the first to get his voice back. “This is our fault, so we’re here to help.” Harry stated. “Don’t take it for granted, though. This is a one time offer.” He added quickly. Danny narrowed his eyes and nodded. He didn’t trust them, but they were out of options. He didn’t forgive either of them for anything that had happened. “So, if we go in, there’s about two of them for each of us. Well, less. I think we’re good.” Tom said. Sara half smiled and nodded, although there was no warmth in her expression. Dougie mimicked her action. “If everyone’s ready,” Danny glanced at the four people around him, and they nodded slightly. “I’ll go first.” Without waiting for a response, he lifted his shotgun and kicked the door open. Chapter 38 The instant Danny burst through the door, all of the hunters trained their guns on them. Their eyes flickered with surprise when they saw Tom and Harry with them. The surprise was drowned out with anger and determination within seconds. “Let her go.” Danny ordered. “Why would we do that?” A tall man answered. He had jet black hair and looked like he was in his thirties. “Because if you don’t, you’ll be leaving here in an ambulance.” Sara growled, coming to stand beside Danny. Her eyes scanned over the hunters, daring one of them to make a move. “You guy’s won’t be leaving at all.” Another hunter threatened, her blonde hair tied back in a careless way. “And what the hell are you two doing?” Here green eyes locked on Tom and Harry. “We made a mistake. These three aren’t the bad guys.” Tom stated. “Standing around chatting isn’t gonna solve anything.” The first hunter stated. He lifted his gun and fired. Danny just managed to move, so the bullet just grazed his shoulder, ripping his jacket. He lifted his own gun, and with perfect precision, shot the

hunter in the knee. He let out a scream of pain and collapsed to the floor, his hands flying to his leg. Blood was already seeping between his fingers. He scrabbled for his gun, but Danny fired another shot and it hit the gun, making it fly out of reach. Everyone else leapt into action at once. Bullets whizzed around the room, and indistinguishable yells and screams filled the hall. Sara leapt into one of the hunters, a short bond man with glasses, and dragged him to the ground. She pinned him down then lifted her shotgun, hitting him in the face with the butt of the gun. Blood instantly erupted from his nose, spattering over his face. The hunter let out an angry, pained roar and used his own gun to whack Sara in the side of the head. He gripped her shoulders and rolled so that he could break free. Sara darted to her feet just as a bullet sliced through the air over her head, barely avoiding skimming her hair, so close that she felt a slight breeze. Her eyes widened slightly and she let out a gasp, but didn’t have time to dwell on it. She aimed her gun at the man, who was still scrambling to his feet. One shot to the ankle and he was back on the floor, howling in agony. With his last shred of determination he dived at her legs, tackling her to the ground. His eyes burned angrily. Sara tumbled to the ground, catching herself on her hands. The man twisted, still holding onto her legs, so that she had to roll to face upwards. He stood up, balanced unstably on one leg, the other barely taking any weight. He pointed the gun straight at her head but she kicked him as hard as she could in his remaining useful knee. His leg gave way with a sickening crack. Sara sometimes forgot how strong she could be. The gun was knocked as he fell, and the bullet fired into her leg. She let out a hiss, but it was times like these when being a demon came in handy. She could still manage. The man, however, was once again on the floor, blood pouring from his ankle where the bullet had probably shattered the bone, and his other leg twisted in an awkward, unnatural way. His face was also covered in red liquid, that was still trickling from his nose. His eyes were screwed shut in pure agony. Sara smirked down at him before looking around the room again. Blood was trickling down her leg but she didn’t care; she could sort it out later. A female hunter stood with her back to her, advancing on Danny, who was already busy dealing with another. Sara lifted her shotgun and fired a single shot. The hunter’s shoulder exploded with blood and she screamed, the gun she held flying from her grip and clattering to the floor. The gun fired as it hit the floor, and the bullet shot straight into the other hunter’s foot, making him release Danny and fall to one knee with a yell. Sara almost laughed out loud. The female hunter swung around, her face contorted in pain. Her white shirt had a large red stain spreading quickly across it from her shoulder. She threw herself at Sara, and Sara caught hold of her fist as she threw a punch. In her rage, the hunter tried to punch with her other fist instead. Sara caught that too. She twisted the hunter’s injured arm behind her back, causing her to yell in pain. Sara kicked her hard in the back of the leg and the hunter fell to the ground. Danny glanced at Sara and grinned as the hunter he was dealing with fell to the ground. He switched his attention back to the hunter, and with one well aimed kick, the hunter sprawled to the ground backwards. Danny drew his hand gun and shot the hunter in the leg, making sure he didn’t get up again. He put the handgun back in his belt and bent down to retrieve his shotgun, which had been knocked from his grip in the fight. He quickly walked over to Sara, who was looking around for another fight. “Nice one,” He smirked, “Thanks.” He suddenly leaned down, quickly kissing her on the cheek before walking away to find a fight of his own. Sara stared after him, shocked. Had he really just done that?

“Stop!” A sharp voice echoed around the hall. Everyone stopped moving. Dougie was pinned on the ground, trying to wrestle a handgun away from the hunter who was holding him down. The gun was inches from his temple, one turn and it would be lined up for a shot which would blow Dougie’s brains out. The hunter still held it there even though he was partly focusing on the speaker. Tom was standing over a man in his forties whose gun was out of reach, looking intimidating. Harry had his back against a wall as two other hunters, one man and one woman, had their guns aimed straight at him. Danny and Sara were the only one’s who weren’t mid fight, Although Danny’s attention was focused on the hunter that had Dougie pinned down. He was staring at him with such anger that it was surprising that he didn’t just burst into flames there and then. Still, Danny didn’t move. His eyes flicked to the speaker, wondering what the hell was going on. Five hunters were sprawled across the floor, three struggling with their injuries and trying to recover enough to get involved with the fight again, while the other two were unconscious. Dougie’s eyes were locked on the speaking hunter, despite the fact that he could be seconds away from getting a bullet in his brain. His eyes were narrowed with determination, and he looked like he was trying to figure out how to get to him. The hunter was stood next to his sister, holding a handgun pointed straight at her head. “Let her go!” Dougie demanded, starting to struggle slightly. “No, either you three die or she does.” The hunter snarled. Danny and Sara didn’t dare to move. “You can’t do that. You’re supposed to protect people!” Dougie exclaimed. “If you survive then more people will die. How did that saying go? The good of the many outweighs the good of the one.” The hunter quoted. “We’re not killing people!” Dougie cried. “We’re helping to protect them! If you hurt her, then it’ll be all of you that die, no one else.” “Leave him alone. He’s not one of them.” Jessica suddenly looked up, staring at the hunter with a cold fire in her eyes. “He’s only with them. He’s not a part of this.” “He’s a part of this, whichever way you look at it. Even if he was completely human, he hangs around with demons. He grew up with a demon. He was raised by a demon.” The hunter snarled. “He’s as much a demon as the other two.” “Completely human?” Jessica’s voice was quiet, but it was filled with confusion. “Oh, do you not know about the little demonic ritual those two pulled off?” The hunter sneered. “Maybe we’ll explain later, if you’re not dead, that is.” “Get away from her.” Dougie ordered, his voice getting stronger. His eyes suddenly flickered and went black. The hunter didn’t move. “Who’s gonna make me?” The hunter smirked at him mockingly. Dougie grabbed hold of the wrist of the hunter that was pinning him down. He twisted his arm away from his head and there was a loud crack, which was drowned out by a yell of agony. The hunter fell to the ground beside him. Dougie rolled to his feet, anger pulsing through his veins. Without any kind of movement other than his eyes, he focused on a chair in the room. It flew from the floor and smacked into the hunter who was threatening his sister with such force that he crashed into the stage behind him, the gun flying from his grip before he could pull the trigger. One of the hunters that was near Harry leapt at him from behind. Dougie span around and punched her in the stomach. She flew back again, hitting the wall and sliding to the floor and not getting back up. Dougie’s fists were shaking with anger. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. The last remaining hunter took aim at him,

but Harry grabbed hold of his arm and twisted it behind his back, forcing him to drop the gun. Harry lifted his own gun and whacked the hunter in the head with it, making him slump to the ground, unconscious. A sort of hiss slid between Dougie’s teeth. The lights in the room started to blow, showering them all with sparks. The curtains that were drawn across the windows on one side of the room suddenly caught fire. The windows exploded, making glass fly into the room. The room was once again filled with yells as shards of glass sliced through skin. The chairs in the room started to rattle and the floor itself seemed to shake. “Shit, Dougie, calm down!” Danny shouted. He rushed to stand in front of Dougie and grabbed hold of his shoulders, trying to stay calm while of his senses were screaming at him to panic. “Dougie, stop it.” Danny murmured, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. “Cool it, calm down, you’re gonna kill someone.” Even as he spoke, there was a sort of crack as the bar that the small spotlights that pointed at the stage were on started to come loose from the ceiling. “Listen to me! You can’t do this! She’s safe, we’re safe, you’re safe. The only person putting us in danger now is you!” “I c-can’t…” Dougie growled. “I can’t control it.” “You can, you’ve done it, you saved her, now stop before it goes to waste.” Danny murmured, forcing his voice to quieten again. Dougie inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled again it was shaky and forced. He tried to make himself relax, unclenching his fists. Slowly, everything started to go still. Danny let out a sigh of relief as Dougie opened his eyes. They were still black and burning with anger, but he was back in control. Danny gave him a quick one-armed hug and patted him on the shoulder. “See, you can do it.” He murmured. He looked around the room. Sara was brushing shards of glass from her jacket casually, as if what had happened was completely normal. She was covered in cuts and bruises and her leg was still bleeding, but she’d be fully healed in less than a day anyway. Tom and Harry were definitely banged up. Harry had to pull a shard of glass from his arm, flinching as he did so. All of the hunters were on the ground, unconscious or unable to move. “You’re a demon.” Jessica’s voice was barely audible. “What the fuck did you do to him?” Her attention flicked to Danny, her words full of venom. “I should never have trusted you with him.” “He’s half demon. The choices were that, bloodthirsty vampire, or dead. Which would you have preferred me to go for?” Danny hissed. “Fucking dead!” Jessica spat. Dougie’s eyes returned to blue as hurt completely replaced the anger. His mouth opened slightly but no words came out. “You want me to be dead?” He breathed. Jessica looked at him, her expression unreadable. “I don’t want you dead.” She replied finally. “But I don’t want you like this. you’re a demon. you’re everything that we fought against. You’re one of the things that killed our parents.” “I’m not like them.” Dougie whispered, sounding like the six year old version of himself. “I don’t know why I ever left you with Danny. I shouldn’t have trusted him. I should have looked after you.” Jessica murmured. “But you didn’t. You were his only family, but you pissed off at every chance you got. I get it, you were only a teenager and you had a little kid to look after, but I taught him everything he knows, from tying his shoes to firing a fucking gun! If it

wasn’t for me, he’d be dead. I’ve saved his life more times that I can count, and I was more of a brother than you were a sister. You’d think you’d be at least a little bit grateful.” Danny hissed. His eyes had changed to black. Everyone stared at him, taken aback by his reaction. “I was hardly more than a kid myself!” Jessica defended weakly. “Why don’t you guys sort this out later?” Tom suggested warily. He walked over to the chair where Jessica was tied and cut her loose. She stood up, although she looked unstable. Dougie wondered what she’d been through before they’d got there. “I was out hunting, I couldn’t look after him too.” She growled, standing as straight as she could. “You didn’t have to hunt all the time. You stopped being really bothered about him when he was about eight. You just left him with me all the time.” Danny accused. “Can you stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Dougie demanded. Both Danny and Jessica ignored him, glowering at each other. “Guys, for god’s sake!” Sara broke in. “This place is slowly burning to the ground and your arguing about who should win sibling of the year?!” She gestured at the curtains, which were slowly being enveloped in fire. “We need to get out of here, and we need to get them out too!” She pointed at the injured hunters. “Preferably before they’re burned alive!” Danny glared at Jessica for a few moment before turning swiftly and striding away. He crouched next to one of the hunters, who was only just conscious, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Trying to be gentle, he lifted her off the ground and carried her out of the room. Dougie watched him go with an exasperated look before grabbing hold of another hunter under his arms and having to drag him to safety. It took them half an hour to get everyone to a place where they considered safe. None of the hunters protested, but they were barely in any shape to. Danny avoided going near Jessica, although both of them were watching each other warily. “Hey, we’re going back to the hotel.” Tom announced. Danny nodded and forced a smile. “Thanks for helping.” He awkwardly held out his hand. Tom smirked and shook hands with him quickly. Dougie and Sara hung back, although they smiled when he made eye contact with them. Harry nodded to Danny. There was no friendliness, but there was not hate either, which was a huge improvement. Danny returned the gesture. “Come on, we’ll go back to my place.” Sara said, although there was a slight questioning tone to her voice. Danny nodded in agreement. Dougie went to get into the back seat as they reached the car as Jessica moved around to the other side to do the same. Danny abruptly stepped in the way and nudged Dougie towards the door to the passenger seat. Dougie gave him an odd look, but climbed in. It seemed like he was doing whatever was possible to separate him and his sister. The drive to Sara’s house seemed to take three times as long as usual. No one dared to speak. Sara didn’t even dare to turn the radio on. She almost sighed with relief as the house came into view. She and Dougie practically dived out of the car as she parked up. They were the first ones in, with Danny behind them and Jessica hesitating slightly at the back. “We’re not gonna eat you or anything.” Sara promised as she walked through to the main room. Dougie sat down on one of the couches and Danny immediately sat next to him. Sara collapsed onto the other couch with a sigh. Jessica stayed standing, eyeing them all cautiously. “Let the Jeremy Kyle Show begin.” Sara muttered, so that the others only just

heard. Dougie almost smirked, but Danny just glared at her while Jessica ignored her. “I suppose I shouldn’t have said that stuff.” Jessica finally murmured. “I owe you a lot.” “Yeah, you do.” Danny snapped. “I’m trying to apologize here, you could at least hear me out.” Jessica growled. “I owe you a lot, yeah, but I still don’t know why you made him like you.” “Because he died and I wanted him back.” Danny stated. “Simple.” “You made a deal?” Jessica narrowed her eyes. “No. Sara knew another way to do it.” Danny replied. He glanced at Dougie, who was staring at the floor. “He can’t control himself.” Jessica hissed. “He can and he did. He’s not been like this for long, all demons have some trouble at first.” Danny insisted. “He’s doing fine.” Jessica was silent for a while. Her eyes flicked from Danny to Sara, and then to Dougie. “Maybe, now you’re older, we can go hunting together.” She suggested. “I suppose I can live with you being half demon, You’re still my brother. I was alright with him for a while.” She gestured at Danny, who continued to glare at her. “So you mean you’ll stay with us?” Dougie looked hopeful, his eyes lighting up slightly. Jessica sighed. “I didn’t mean that. I meant you come with me. I can’t deal with having three demons around. I want you to come with me, and it’ll be just us two.” She explained slowly. Dougie’s eyes widened and the moment of hope was gone. “You can’t make him do that! You can’t just cut us out of his life!” Danny exclaimed, sitting up straighter. “I’m not staying with you. I can’t. But I want my brother.” Jessica stated. “No way! That’s not fair! You can’t just disappear then decide you want to have him around again! Like I said before, you were hardly even bothered about taking care of him when he was little. I did a better job than you, and you’ve not even been around for years.” Danny growled. “Well, whatever. He’s my brother, not yours. I wasn’t around then, but I am now. I’m not forcing him to do anything. He just has to choose.” Jessica stated. The room fell silent. Everyone’s attention was focused on Dougie. “You want me to choose between you?” He asked. Jessica nodded. “But if I pick you, then I don’t get to see them, and the same the other way around?” His voice was filled with distress. Jessica just nodded again. “But… that’s not fair!” He exclaimed. “You can’t make him do that.” Sara chipped in quietly. No one replied to her. Danny’s eyes were focused on the floor. He looked defeated, as if he already knew who Dougie was going to choose. He already looked upset, but he was avoiding making eye contact with anyone. “You can’t expect me to just drop my best friends straight away,” Dougie said, his tone pleading. Jessica just looked at him expectantly. “You might as well be asking me to choose between my brother and sister!” “Looks like that’s what I’m doing then. Sorry.” Jessica murmured, although she hardly sounded sorry at all. “C-can’t I at least sleep on it?” Dougie stuttered. Jessica shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to be spending the night with two and a half demons.” She said. “I know it’s not fair, but you have to make the choice.” “Dougie, it’s fine. Just… go with her. It’s fine.” Danny mumbled, although his

voice was low and shaky. “No!” He exclaimed. “Well, I’ll leave then.” Jessica stated and started to turn. “No! Wait! You can’t… This is so unfair! I want you all with me!” Dougie sounded like he was on the verge of tears, which was a rare thing. “It’s your decision. I’m sorry, I just can’t live with a bunch of demons. It’s everything I’m against.” Jessica murmured. She was starting to show signs that she was actually feeling bad about making Dougie do this. “Doug, honestly, I get it if you wanna go with her.” Danny repeated. He glanced at Dougie, but couldn’t hold eye contact. “Just… pick one. You’re killing me. Make the decision.” Chapter 39 January 2nd, 1994 Danny walked along the street with his head down, his hands shoved in his pockets and moving as quickly as possible without drawing attention to himself. His breath steamed in front of him, curling away into the cold night air. Everything was deadly silent, except the odd interruption by the breeze rustling the leaves on trees or old litter scraping across the pavement. Every few metres a lamppost illuminated the path with cold yellow light. “Are you sure she’s here?” A feminine voice sliced through the still night, even though she was speaking in nothing more than a whisper. Danny stopped and looked around. “Yeah, her and the little kid. We’ll get rid of them both.” A man answered her. “Well, you can handle the kid. I don’t care, demon or not, kids are where I draw the line.” The woman said, sounding slightly annoyed. Demon? Were they demons? “Whatever. It won’t take long anyway. She deserves to see her brother die. We were doing fine ‘til she ruined it for us.” The man growled. Only then did their silhouettes become visible. They were approaching Danny quickly, their heads close together as they talked. Danny narrowed his eyes but carried on walking, trying not to look like he was listening in. They’d know he was a demon as soon as they saw him, but he’d walked past demons before without them stopping him. “Getting into the flat’s easy enough, and it’s not exactly a popular one. It should be a walk in the park. She won’t be prepared, and the kid sure as hell won’t be able to stop us.” The man whispered, starting to sound excited. “You grab her, and I’ll kill him with her watching. That is, as long as your conscience won’t get in the way.” “Look, I just said I don’t wanna be the one to kill the kid. If you kill him, the blames off me, right?” The woman shrugged. It made Danny feel sick how they were talking about it so casually. He carried on walking, wondering if there was anything he could do. He couldn’t stop them here, he was outnumbered. He was deep in thought as they came closer. The man didn’t move to the side as they passed each other, so their shoulders knocked as they walked, making them both jerk sideways. “Hey, watch it!” The man growled. “Sorry,” Danny murmured, then an idea formed in his mind. “I couldn’t help overhearing, you’re going to kill some girl and her kid brother, yeah?”

“What’s it got to do with you?” The woman asked. “Well, I think I’ve ran into her before. The bitch almost sent me back to hell.” Danny lied. “I don’t suppose you need a hand with this?” “Huh…” The man looked Danny up and down quickly. “I guess extra help isn’t a bad thing. I’m Joseph,” He stepped forward and held out his hand. Danny shook it quickly. “My name’s Claire.” The woman smiled slightly, and Danny forced himself to return it. “I’m Danny.” He said. Joseph nodded quickly. “Follow us, we’ll fill you in.” He ordered. ***** Danny hung back as Joseph picked the lock to the apartment where the girl and kid were staying. Joseph had mentioned that her name was Jessica, but he just called her brother ‘the kid’ so he had no idea about him. The door slowly creaked open. It was dark inside, so Joseph switched on the light. The main room was deserted, as it would be at this time. There were four other doors, and Joseph walked straight to the first one. The door lead into a bathroom, so he swung the door shut again. The next time he was more successful. The second door lead into a room with a single bed in it, and a girl in her teens was fast asleep. Joseph put a finger to his lips and backed out of the room, motioning for Claire to stay and Danny to follow. Danny took a deep breath and obeyed. The next room was slightly smaller, but like the other contained a single bed. The young boy was obviously asleep, but the covers were pulled right over his head. Joseph edged closer and pulled the duvet away. Danny’s eyes widened. The boy was younger than he had expected, and seemed so vulnerable. His hair was sticking up everywhere and he was still wearing proper clothes, except his shoes. He stirred as Joseph removed the covers, curling up into a ball to stay warm. Joseph reached toward him but Danny instinctively grabbed hold of his arm. He shook his head and leaned over the boy, gently sliding his arms underneath him and lifting him up without waking him. The boy shifted slightly in his sleep, putting his arms loosely around Danny’s neck automatically. “What are you doing? She’ll come running when she hears him scream, so we need to wake him up.” Joseph demanded in a whisper. “Surely it’ll be easier if we take him into her room, so she’s surrounded by three demons from the start.” Danny whispered. Joseph narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but nodded in agreement. They left the room slowly, staying silent. Danny was running out of ideas. He didn’t know what to do next. Joseph stepped ahead slightly. Danny took the chance and shook the child slightly, without Joseph seeing. The kid’s eyes opened slowly, then his head kicked into gear as he realized he was being carried, and by someone who he’d never seen before. He opened his mouth but Danny pressed his hand over it quickly. Joseph turned around and glared at Danny. “You woke him up!” He accused. Danny shook his head frantically. “He just suddenly started waking up! But it’s fine, he can’t scream.” Danny assured Joseph. He could feel Dougie shaking with fear, and felt terrible for doing this to him. The boy started struggling against him, but Danny just tightened his grip. “Just give me a minute. Go in there and get sorted.” Danny ordered. Joseph nodded

and slipped into Jessica’s room. Danny looked at the little boy, whose eyes were wide and shining with tears he was desperately trying to hold back. He looked absolutely terrified. “It’s ok,” Danny whispered, so quietly it was almost impossible to hear. “I’m here to help you. I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise. You’re gonna be fine. Those two in there are the ones you should be scared of, not me. Now, if I take my hand away, are you gonna scream?” Danny asked. The boy hesitated, looking unsure. Then he slowly shook his head. Danny smiled, trying to look at least a bit friendly, and took his hand away. “Good boy. Everything’s gonna be ok, I promise. What’s your name?” “D-Dougie.” The boy stuttered quietly. “Let me go.” He whispered. Although it was a command, it came out weak and almost like a plea. “I can’t right now, but it’s safer if you just stick with me and listen, ok?” Danny rubbed Dougie’s back, trying to comfort him a bit. The poor kid was still shaking. “How old are you?” “Where’s my sister?” Dougie demanded, blinking the unshed tears away. “You answer me first, Dougie. I’ll explain what we’re gonna have to do then.” Danny said softly. “I’m six. Is she ok? Did you hurt her?” Dougie asked. “Who are you? Why are you carrying me? What are you gonna do to us?” “Slow down, Doug, and I’ll tell you. She’s ok, and like I said, I’m gonna help you. My name’s Danny, and I’m gonna get you and your sister away from the other two. And would you prefer to have the other guy carrying you?” Danny asked. Dougie shook his head straight away. “You called me Doug.” Dougie mumbled. “Do you not like being called that?” Danny asked. He was hoping the idle conversation would help to calm Dougie down, but it didn’t seem to. Dougie shrugged, then looked around the room. “Are you coming or what?” Joseph hissed. Dougie instantly went tense, his arm’s tightening around Danny’s neck. “Yeah, just a sec.” Danny replied. He looked back at Dougie. “Do you trust me?” Dougie looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. Danny sighed. “That’ll have to do.” He pushed the door open and stepped into Jessica’s room. Dougie looked even more scared. If he had stopped shaking at all before, it was even worse now. Danny moved his hands so he was holding Dougie under his arms and lowered him to the ground. Dougie let out a scared whimper, but made no other sound. Danny turned him around, keeping a tight hold on him. “Finally. You took your time. I was starting to think you’d taken off with him.” Joseph smirked. “God, the little runt looks pathetic.” Joseph stepped closer. “It’ll do the world a favour when I kill him.” He leaned over Dougie threateningly. Dougie yelped and pressed backwards into Danny’s legs. Danny bit his lip, fighting back the urge to push Joseph away. “Dougie? What-” Jessica had started to wake up, then her eyes locked on Joseph, then flicked to Danny and then Claire, and finally rested on Dougie. She leapt to her feet, looking for a weapon. Her eyes darted to her bedside table, but it was empty. “Looking for this?” Claire held up a handgun mockingly. “Let him go!” Jessica ordered. “Why would we do that? Every one of us wants to see you dead, but I think we all agree it’d be nice to see you suffer first.” Joseph sneered. “You cost us a pretty good set up. Me and Claire were doing great. And it seems you caused Danny a few

problems, too.” “Joseph,” Jessica gasped as she realized who it was. Danny assumed he’d switch bodies since last time she saw him. “But… Danny? I’ve never met a demon called Danny in my life! I don’t think I know a human called Danny either!” She exclaimed. “Danny, you said you’d run into her!” Joseph glared at him, then shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter.” He leaned down and grabbed hold of Dougie’s shirt, but before he could do anything else, Danny punched him as hard as he could in the face. Joseph flew back, landing on the floor with a thud. “You bastard!” Joseph hissed. “What the hell are you doing?!” “Jessica, take care of her.” Danny pointed at Claire. Jessica looked completely shocked, but nodded. Claire stared at him for a moment, the narrowed her eyes and turned to Jessica, daring her to make a move. “You’re gonna regret that.” Joseph said. He stood up, dusting himself off, then suddenly leapt at Danny. Danny just had time to shove Dougie out of the way when Joseph barreled into him, sending him crashing to the floor. Danny kicked Joseph in the stomach and rolled to his feet. He hesitated, glaring at Joseph, then dashed out of the room. Joseph followed him quickly. Claire had thrown Jessica to the ground, the gun now forgotten on the floor. Jessica kicked Claire’s leg, making her stagger back. “Dougie, get out of here! Hide!” Jessica shouted as she stood up. Dougie stumbled to his feet from where Danny had pushed him and rushed out of the room. He stopped when he saw Danny and Joseph, still fighting, in the main room. He slipped silently back into his own room, pulling the door almost shut. He got down on his hands and knees and peeked out of the small gap he had left. Danny was on the floor, holding onto the chair of a leg which he had caught after Joseph tried to hit him with it. He yanked it as hard as he could and it slipped out of Josephs grip. He smacked it against Joseph’s knees and Joseph stumbled sideways. There was a yell from the other room. The gun clattered to the ground in the main room, where it had been thrown from either Jessica’s or Claire’s grip. Dougie looked at it, wishing he could help, but he had no idea how. “I’m bored of this.” Joseph growled, having seen the gun. Claire screamed suddenly from the other room, but no one checked to see what had happened. Joseph strolled towards the door and Dougie inched further out of view. Joseph picked up the gun and pointed it towards Danny. “That’s not gonna help you win.” Danny said. “Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. I know what I’m doing. Someone needs to be taught how to stay out of trouble, though.” Joseph smirked. In a sudden movement he pulled the door to Dougie’s room open and grabbed hold of the back of Dougie’s collar, lifting him off the ground and throwing him to the floor a few feet away. Danny was on his feet in an instant, but he couldn’t move fast enough. Joseph grabbed Dougie again and pulled him roughly to his feet. He pointed the gun straight at Dougie’s head. “Let him go, you sick bastard!” Danny hissed. Dougie didn’t make a sound, he just stared at the gun in fear. “I don’t think I will. You see, I can’t shoot you. But I can shoot him. And that’ll make you feel worse. If you take one step, I’ll blow his brains out.” Joseph smirked coldly. “I’ll kill you if you touch him.” Danny growled. Joseph snorted. He lifted the gun and turned it, whacking Dougie in the head with the butt. Dougie let out a yell

and fell to his knees, supporting himself with one hand while the other moved to his head. Danny flinched, feeling hopeless. If he moved, Dougie would be dead. “Get up, runt!” Joseph ordered. Dougie shakily got to his feet, still holding his head. “Joseph, listen to me. Let him go. If you let him go, I’ll let you go. If you hurt him, you won’t move more than a foot from where you’re standing before you’re dead.” Danny threatened. Joseph looked at the door, where Claire and Jessica were presumably still fighting. He turned his attention back to Danny. If he left now, he could always come back and finish the job later, when Danny wouldn’t be around to stop him. “How do I know you won’t just come after me?” Joseph demanded. “You have… my word?” Danny smirked. “I won’t offer again. Either you get out alive, or you and Claire both die.” Joseph looked undecided. Then, without another word, he shoved Dougie forward into Danny, who caught him as he stumbled, and dashed towards the nearest window, leaping through it. The glass shattered as he dove through, showering the room. Danny looked at the window for a long time, then dropped to his knees to look at Dougie. “Are you ok?” He asked softly. Dougie nodded. His eyes were wide and he looked shaky, but he was alright. Danny ran his hand over the top of Dougie’s head, and there was a large bump where Joseph had hit him, but he’d be ok. “Danny, right?” Jessica appeared in the doorway. She had a black eye, her nose was bleeding and she looked out of breath. “I got her. She’s in a devil’s trap. Where’s the other one?” “He got away.” Danny said. “You get rid of her. I’ll take Dougie outside, just in case. I’ll see if he’s still around.” Jessica looked unsure for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Danny smiled slightly and lifted Dougie up again, carrying him outside. “How are you doing?” Danny asked him. “Ok. Thanks.” Dougie whispered, his arms once again around Danny’s neck. “Why are you helping if you’re with them?” “I’m not with them. I’m not like them.” Danny stated. He stepped out into the cold night, scanning the street for any sign of Joseph. There was nothing. Dougie shivered slightly as he too looked around. Danny let out a heavy sigh, once again checking Dougie over. There was a shrill screech, making them both look up towards the level of the flat where Jessica and Dougie had been staying. A couple of minutes passed, then Jessica threw the door to the flat open and raced outside. She stopped as she reached Danny, gave him a long look before pulling Dougie out of his arms and into her own. “What are you?” She demanded. “I’m… I’m a demon.” Danny replied honestly. Jessica narrowed her eyes and took a step away from him. Danny looked disappointed. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.” “What’s a promise from a demon worth?” Jessica growled. “I helped you, isn’t that enough?” Danny asked, looking hurt. Jessica didn’t reply. “I like him.” Dougie announced suddenly. Jessica looked at him, surprised, as Danny smiled at the young boy. “He saved me. And you. I like him.” He repeated. “Dougie, you know we can’t trust everyone we see.” Jessica whispered. “He’s not everyone we see.” Dougie pouted. “I think he’s nice. I think he should stay with us, he stopped the other demon from shooting me.” “No, Dougie, he can’t.” Jessica said, her voice stern. Dougie narrowed his

eyes, looking determined, then wriggled and struggled so that she had to put him down. He backed away from her a couple of feet, then folded his arms and looked up at her defiantly. “If he doesn’t come with us, I don’t either.” Dougie said. Danny chuckled. He liked the idea of hanging around with other people, even though Jessica looked like she was against it. He just hoped Dougie won her over. “Dougie,” Jessica growled, frustrated. “Come on. Now.” “Nuh-uh.” Dougie stepped away again, moving closer to Danny. “I’ll just stay with him.” “He probably doesn’t even want you around. He probably wants to be on his own.” Jessica tried. Dougie looked up at Danny hopefully, waiting for confirmation of what Jessica said. “Well… I wouldn’t mind sticking around with you for a while.” Danny admitted. Dougie grinned at him. Jessica sighed in annoyance, looking from Dougie to Danny. “Fine, he can stay. For a while.” She muttered. “But if he tries anything, he’s dead.” Chapter 40 Tom stepped out of the shower in the hotel after forty-five minutes. He had so much running through his head, it seemed impossible to relax. Danny had saved Harry’s life, despite how much they hated each other. Harry had pretty much returned the favour by helping to save Dougie’s sister. They were still on uneven ground with each other, but slightly less uneven that it had been a couple of days ago. Dougie’s sister wasn’t happy about Dougie being a demon, which was understandable, and he was dying to know what was going on with them now. To top it all off, a bunch of hunters were definitely going to spread the news that he and Harry were teamed up with demons. “I thought you’d got lost in there.” Harry joked half-heartedly as Tom left the bathroom. “It’s a lot bigger than it looks.” Tom replied with just as little enthusiasm. “What the hell do we do now, Harry? Our enemies might be starting to become our only friends, and our friends are almost definitely going to become our enemies.” “For starters, I wouldn’t call any of them ‘friends’. The other hunters were just… acquaintances. Kay was a friend, and we’ll just have to see how she reacts. Danny, Dougie, and Sara are definitely not friends. They’re people who we owed a favour to.” Harry said. “You called them people.” Tom murmured, half smiling. “What?” Harry gave him a confused look. “You called them people, not demons or freaks. Someone’s warming up to them.” Tom teased. “Yeah, right.” Harry snorted. “They’re different to cold-blooded, crazy murderers. I’ll give them that. Nothing else.” “Where do we go now?” Tom asked, changing the subject. “I don’t know, what are the choices?” Harry asked. Tom shrugged “Great.” Harry muttered. “Wonder how Dougie’s sister’s coping. I think I’d go mad if you turned into a demon.” “Aw, that’s nice.” Tom teased.

“I’d probably kill you, too.” Harry added. “Oh. Thanks.” Tom had to laugh, and Harry joined in. It felt like they hadn’t relaxed in years. As their laughter subsided, Tom’s mind slipped back to the problems that were facing them. “So, let’s say the hunters start coming after us too, what do we do?” He asked. “Run like hell?” Harry suggested, shrugging casually. “That works,” Tom smirked. “But I mean, what if we always have people following us now, thinking were some kind of devil worshippers?” “Then we’ll have to get some tips from Danny and Dougie and Sara. I’m sure we can handle ourselves. They managed.” Harry said. “Do you really think this was a good idea? Helping them? Going against all the other hunters we know?” “Yep, but it was the stupidest thing we’ve ever done.” Tom murmured. Harry looked confused, but Tom didn’t bother to explain. Harry’s phone started ringing. Both of them looked at it, then at each other. Harry picked it up, looking at the caller ID, then accepted the call. “Hello?” He said. “I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at, but don’t think you can get away with that crap you pulled on us.” The person on the other end of the phone growled, his voice gruff. “You helped the demons. To us, you might as well be the demons. You better watch out, every hunter in the area is looking for you. And don’t say you weren’t warned.” ***** “Dougie, how long are you gonna drag this out?” Jessica asked impatiently. No one had moved, but no words had left Dougie’s mouth. “You can’t rush him into making a decision like this.” Danny muttered. “Who are you to decide that?” Jessica growled. “The longer he takes, the worse it is for us.” “But if he makes the decision without thinking it through, he might regret it.” Danny said. “I can’t believe you’re even making him do this! It’s so unfair!” “It’s not unfair! It’s a decision that needs to be made! It’s either you or me, he can’t have us both.” Jessica stated. “You’re supposed to be his sister! You’re supposed to look after him, not make him pick between two people he’s known for most of his life!” Danny hissed, his eyes flickering dangerously. “Oh, I’m sorry for not wanting to live with a bunch of demons. The same creatures who I’ve hunted for nearly my whole life.” Jessica said sarcastically. “You’re practically saying you’re gonna disown him if he doesn’t choose you, and forbidding him to talk to us if he does.” Danny growled. Danny stood up suddenly, glaring at Jessica coldly, looking like he was about to take a swing at her. “It’s safer that way.” Jessica said, folding her arms. Dougie’s eyes flicked between them, looking completely torn. “If he picks you, you can’t stop us from seeing him.” Sara stood up, for the first time actively getting involved. The situation was obviously annoying her more than she’d first shown. “We’ll always be around, whether you like it or not.” “No you won’t, because if I ever see either of you again, I’ll take off.” Jessica said, shrugging. Dougie’s eyes narrowed. It seemed like he was concentrating on the conversation, instead of the decision he was being forced to make. “I’d hate to call you my sister.” Sara muttered. “I feel sorry for Dougie.”

“Fuck you, you don’t understand what it’s like!” Jessica yelled. “I had a brother, once. The way I saw it, no matter what, he was my brother. If he did something I didn’t like, I’d be a bit annoyed. I might have complained. I wouldn’t have abandoned him!” Sara hissed. “I’m not abandoning him!” Jessica exclaimed. “You’re threatening to! That’s just as bad!” Sara shouted. “Stop it.” Dougie murmured, so quietly it was hard to hear. Sara and Jessica looked like they were about to throw punches. “Stop it!” Dougie repeated, louder. They finally tore their attention away from each other to focus on Dougie. Danny collapsed onto the couch next to Dougie, then swung his arm over his shoulder and quickly pulled him into a one-armed hug. “Whatever happens, Doug, we’ll see you again. She can’t stop that.” He promised. Dougie half smiled, looking like he’d rather cry. Danny released him and sat back, trying to compose himself when he was feeling completely hopeless. He couldn’t compete with Jessica, after all, she was family. He had no idea how he’d be able to say goodbye after so long. “You’re making me choose between you, my sister, and Danny, who looked after me, honestly more than you did, since I was seven or eight. I know you had your reasons, even though I still don’t know them.” Dougie said slowly, looking at Jessica, his expression suddenly unreadable. “I’ve not even seen you for a couple of years.” He murmured. “And you’re making me do this. After everything, after all the times you left me behind and forgot about me. You even missed most of my birthdays.” His voice was getting colder and colder. “You broke practically every promise you ever made, but you still think I’d pick you over Danny? Sorry, even if you are my sister, you screwed up our relationship years ago.” Chapter 41 “Wh-what are you saying?” Jessica stuttered, looking shocked. Dougie avoided looking her in the eye, instead staring at his own hands. “If you go, I’m not coming with you.” He said. Danny sat up, leaning forward slightly, looking at Dougie with wide eyes. As it sunk in, a huge smile spread over his face. “Fine.” Jessica stood straighter, regaining her composure. “I’m leaving. And you won’t see me again, ever. Not while you’re with them, anyway. For what it’s worth,” She turned her gaze onto Danny as she spoke. “I hope the hunters don’t catch you. You must have done a pretty good job looking after him, if he’d choose you over his own family.” Dougie flinched as she said the words, even though they sounded sincere and not bitter, he sensed some kind dark undertone beneath them. He glanced up at her, and her eyes were cold. Danny didn’t notice, or didn’t care. He let out a weird kind of happy squeak, which almost made Dougie laugh, before launching himself at him and wrapping his arms around him. The force of it made Dougie fall off the couch and Danny landed on top of him, laughing excitedly. “You picked me! You picked me!” Danny cheered loudly, never stopping smiling. He didn’t care if it was making Jessica feel worse; she deserved it after making Dougie choose between them. She’d expected him to choose her, it was obvious, and Danny secretly loved having the opportunity to rub it in that she was wrong. He hugged Dougie tightly, giggling like a little kid. Dougie had to laugh at his mad behaviour, forcing the sadness that he knew Jessica was going for good back as much as possible, at least for a little while. He hugged Danny back, even though he

could hardly breathe because Danny was practically crushing him. “Guys, stop the love fest! I know you can’t live without each other, but seriously!” Sara exclaimed, laughing. Jessica remained silent, her eyes fixed on Dougie and Danny with an unreadable expression. “You know you wanna join in,” Danny grinned at Sara, waggling his eyebrows. Sara laughed at his overexcited mood. Danny was always funny when he was like this. The atmosphere in the room had lifted hugely, except the tension radiating from Jessica, which the other three ignored. Danny held up one hand towards Sara, gesturing for her to help him up, but she shook her head, raising one eyebrow. “Like I’d trust you.” She smirked. Danny pouted, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. “Come on,” He whined, half laughing. Sara rolled her eyes. She took hold of his hand and, like she knew he would, he just pulled her down suddenly. She crashed into him and she heard him grunt as the wind was knocked from his lungs, but he still didn’t stop laughing. “You’re gonna kill me!” Dougie exclaimed jokingly, his voice strained. All three of them were in a heap on the floor, with Dougie squashed underneath them. Danny just chuckled and ruffled Dougie’s hair. Jessica narrowed her eyes as she looked at them, feeling as if she was already forgotten. She told herself that it didn’t matter, that she didn’t care, but she knew she did deep down. Her glare turned to Danny, burning into him, but he either didn’t notice or ignored it. It’s his fault. He’s changed him. It’s all his fault. She convinced herself. Her thoughts slowly grew more and more harsh. I should never have trusted a demon. If Dougie had just followed my rules he’d have some sense, but Danny’s turned him into a twisted freak, just like him! He’s not my brother anymore anyway! He’s some kind of monster! “You can still stay, if you want.” Danny offered hesitantly, his smile disappearing for the first time. It was obvious he didn’t really want her to; it was just for Dougie’s sake. “We can work something out.” He still had one arm around Dougie while he was on top of him, with his other arm wrapped around Sara’s waist holding her down, stopping her from escaping and standing up again. It seemed like a situation where it would be impossible to keep a straight face, but he managed to stay sincere. “No.” Jessica growled. She turned swiftly and stormed out of the room, slamming the door. She yanked the front door open with such force that it whacked against the wall, so hard the other three felt the bang, then charged outside, letting it swing shut behind her. “If that bitch put a hole in my wall, I’m gonna kill her.” Sara muttered. ***** “What now?” Harry asked after repeating the conversation to Tom. Tom shook his head, looking completely blank. “I guess… I guess we just carry on like normal. We don’t usually run into other hunters while we’re on jobs, unless we’re trying too. Let’s hope it stays that way.” He suggested. Harry sighed, looking doubtful. “When do we ever get that kinda luck?” He murmured. He narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful. “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” He said, glancing at Tom. “But what if we find Danny, Dougie and Sara? I mean, safety in numbers and all that.”

“You’re seriously suggesting that? After you’ve repeatedly tried to kill them and gone on and on about them being demons?” Tom asked, raising an eyebrow. “Like I said, safety in numbers. And I also said their different to crazy murderers, so I don’t think they’ll try to kill us. I’m not saying I’m gonna enjoy it, though.” Harry growled. “Will they even let us go to Sara’s place? They wouldn’t last time.” Tom pointed out. Harry shrugged. “We’ll find out.” He said. “Call them.” Harry picked up Tom’s phone from the table in the hotel and tossed it towards him. “They like you more.” “Because I’m so damn lovable.” Tom smiled and Harry rolled his eyes. “And you’re an arrogant tosser.” Tom added. Harry shot to his feet and dived for Tom, but Tom dodged out of the way and disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it. Harry banged on the door. “Coward!” He yelled, half laughing. “Who wouldn’t run away from you?” Tom’s voice was muffled by the door, but it was a joking tone. “Oh, I’m so gonna kill you when you come out, you can’t stay in there forever!” Harry shouted. “I can climb out the window!” Tom replied. “Like you’d fit!” Harry laughed. “Harold! Uncalled for!” Tom yelled in a fake upper class voice. “I’m not even fat! Your head wouldn’t fit!” “Shut it, Fletcher, ring them!” Harry ordered, banging on the door one last time before walking away and sitting back on the bed, still smirking. He dropped onto his back and folded his arms over his stomach with a sigh. This stuff wouldn’t last. They might as well be wanted criminals. Chapter 42 “Geddoff!” Sara laughed, wriggling out of Danny’s grip. She pushed his arm away and rolled out of reach, then stood up and stretched with a yawn. “I’m just gonna go see if I’m gonna hunt her down and fine her for damaging my property.” She announced, and walked out of the room. Danny chuckled and looked down at Dougie, who was still stuck beneath him. “You ok?” He asked. Dougie nodded unconvincingly. “Doug, if she’s gonna treat you like that, then she’s not worth it. She shouldn’t have made you choose.” Danny said. “I know, it’s just… I dunno. Let me up.” Dougie started struggling out of Danny’s grip, but Danny grabbed hold of his wrists and pinned him down, sitting on his stomach. “Danny!” Dougie whined. “Get off!” “Make me.” Danny grinned. Dougie groaned and jerked onto his side, making Danny fall off him suddenly. “Aw, come on Doug, just ‘cause you’ll never win doesn’t mean we can’t mess around!” Danny teased. Dougie yanked his hands free and sat up, running a hand through his messed up hair. “I’m not in the mood.” Dougie muttered. Danny frowned as Dougie stood up. He was about to question him when Sara walked back into the room and collapsed onto the couch. “She’s safe.” She said. “The wall’s still in one piece.” “Wonder where she’s gone…” Dougie murmured. Danny and Sara threw him

identical looks of sympathy, but he was looking away, staring out of the window. Danny was about to try and start a conversation when his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and pushed himself to his feet. He didn’t bother looking at the caller. “Hello?” He said, putting it to his ear. “Hey Danny, how’s it going?” Danny raised an eyebrow, recognizing Tom’s voice. “Um, ok?” Danny replied. “What happened with Jessica?” Tom asked. “She left, and she isn’t coming back. She said she doesn’t want to be around us. Dougie’s still with us. He said he’d rather stay with me and Sara than go with her and never see us again.” Danny explained quickly, smiling slightly towards the end. “That’s harsh, she’s supposed to be his sister!” Tom exclaimed. “I know, that’s what I said.” Danny sighed. “What’s up, anyway?” “Well, me and Harry got a call, the other hunters are after us now too. They think we’re helping you with your evil plans or something.” Tom said. “We were thinking it’d be better, you know, if we were all together.” “Won’t that make them believe you’re helping us even more?” Danny asked. “I think they’re pretty much convinced anyway.” Tom murmured. “What do you think? We could meet up somewhere.” “I dunno, Tom, hang on.” Danny moved the phone away from his ear to talk to Sara and Dougie. “Tom and Harry wanna meet us. Tom said they wanna come with us, because the hunters are after them now too.” “Users.” Sara snorted half jokingly. “I’m not sure, I don’t really want them to come here, at least not yet. I mean, for all we know, this could all be some messed up plan to kill us.” “We could meet them at a bar or something, and stay in a motel while they’re with us. That way they won’t know about this place.” Danny suggested. Sara nodded slowly. Danny looked at Dougie for another opinion, but Dougie seemed to be in his own little world. “Right, Tom, we’ll meet you somewhere. You got a case?” Danny asked. “Well, not right now. We can have a look when we meet.” Tom replied. ***** “So they’re all after you two, and us, now?” Sara asked, taking a sip of coke. “Yep.” Tom replied shortly. They’d met up in an average quality bar, with nothing particularly special about it. The booths had red padded seats with tables that looked like they were made from mahogany, but Sara doubted that a bar like this would fork out for the real stuff. It was probably a cheap fake. Behind the bar, the walls were lined with bottles of beer and wine, and there were two fizzy drinks machines on the bar. The floor was covered in grey tiles and the walls were a boring dark cream colour. It was practically empty, but that was because it was quite early in the morning. “We need to get out of this area, at least for a while.” Harry murmured. “How long’s a while?” Danny asked. “I dunno. Long enough for the trouble to die down a bit.” Harry said. “That could take, like, a year.” Danny pointed out. Harry just shrugged. The door to the bar swung open and they all glanced up, but it was just a couple of middleaged men and women who sat in the booth next to them and started babbling to each

other. Danny sighed as they all fell silent, not wanting the newcomers to overhear their conversation. “You know, I still can’t believe what’s happened at the Pennines. Really weird stuff, that.” One of the men at the table spoke, his voice quite loud. His accent stood out in the bar, he was obviously from the north. “Oh, I know, but that place has always been odd. I mean, ever since those murders, it’s always seemed dangerous and, well, creepy. No one wants to go there.” A woman replied. “I’m surprised anyone did.” “Well, you know what teenagers are like.” A second woman shrugged. “I can’t see it being true. Probably just got scared and started imagining things.” “Sounded too detailed to be made up to me. I mean, they never did find that kid. Maybe he’s out for revenge.” The first man murmured. “Oh, come on, Frank, since when have you believed in ghosts?” The second woman scoffed. “I’m just saying, it’s the kinda thing that people’ve said’s happened before.” The first man, who must have been Frank, replied. Danny narrowed his eyes, trying to listen, as were the other four. “Well I don’t believe it. I think those teenagers were messing around, and one of them got lost, now it’s all been exaggerated because they were scared.” The woman said matter-of-factly. “We’re miles away now anyway, we don’t have to worry about that for a while.” “They mean the moors murders.” Danny whispered. “Something must be happening again in that area.” “Moors murders?” Harry repeated quietly. The name seemed to ring a bell. “Yeah, it happened like, forty-five years ago in the Pennines up north.” Tom chipped in. “Wasn’t it Ian Brady and someone Hindley?” Sara asked. “Myra.” Tom nodded. “They killed five kids and buried them in the moors, one was never found.” He explained. “His name was Keith Bennet, I think. The murderers got locked up, and they even got Hindley’s help finding the bodies, but they never found him. She’s dead now, but Brady’s still alive, and still in prison, he got sentenced for life. And actual life too, not the 14 years bullshit. He doesn’t even want to be released. He was declared criminally insane.” “That’s… freaky.” Sara muttered. “And sick, and twisted. When he dies, they better lock him up good in hell.” The others nodded in agreement. “But if something’s going on up there, what does that mean? The kid that never got found is back for revenge?” “Isn’t it a bit late for that?” Danny pointed out. “45 years is a bit long to wait.” “Well, it could be something completely different. I mean, sometimes creatures get attracted to places like that, where horrible stuff has happened. Like supernatural hotspots.” “Yeah, I guess. We should probably go and check it out.” Danny said. “It’s ages away!” Sara exclaimed. “We did say we wanted to get out of the area.” Harry said. “Now we have a reason to.” Chapter 43 “I’m so bored,” Danny groaned. “You said. Like, a thousand times.” Sara muttered from the drivers seat.

“You’re like a five year old.” “Are we there yet?” Danny whined, trying to wind Sara up. “No, and you won’t ever be getting there if you’re not careful.” Sara replied. Danny laughed and sank back in his seat. He let his head roll sideways lazily so he was facing Dougie, who’d barely said anything for the whole journey. “What’s up, Doug?” Danny asked, stretching. “Nothing. Kinda tired.” Dougie said. “Don’t lie to me, Dougie.” Danny said, trying to sound stern. Dougie looked at him sideways but didn’t reply. Danny met his gaze steadily, and within a few seconds Dougie broke eye contact and looked away. Danny sighed in frustration. “Sara, can we stop soon?” Danny asked. “No, we’re only an hour and a bit away now. Then we can get to a hotel and I can escape from you.” Sara said, glancing at him in the mirror. “Oh really? Hate to break it to you, but us three’ll be sharing a room. There’s no escape.” Danny grinned, adding a little evil laugh for effect. Sara rolled her eyes. ***** The moors were completely deserted. They left the road half an hour ago, and hadn’t seen any other sign of civilization since. The sky was overcast and grey, and the long, uncut grass swayed in a chilling breeze. Tom reached into his jacket and pulled out a small device. It was black with a line of LEDs across the top, and two thin metal antennas sticking out of the top. He switched it on, and instantly all of the LEDs lit up and the device started whirring. “Uh, Tom,” Danny said sheepishly. “That’ll be us.” He gestured at himself, Sara and Dougie. “Oh yeah.” Tom muttered. “Now what? If my EMF metre won’t work, how do we find whatever it is?” “Well, I had one that was tweaked so it didn’t register me, but seeing as Sara and Doug are here, that probably won’t work either.” Danny shrugged. He pulled a similar machine from his pocket and switched it on. The LEDs lit up, although the last two flickered on and off every now and again. “Pretty much useless.” Danny sighed, switching it off again. “Well, we’re sorry for the inconvenience we cause you. Isn’t there some other way to find whatever’s here?” Sara said sarcastically. “Can’t you guys sense these things?” Harry asked. “Yeah,” Sara replied, pausing to think. “I guess it’s easier for us to tell the difference between what we sense from each other and what’s some other creature. But we’ll sense it everywhere this other thing goes, we could end up leading you all over the place.” “Better than us wandering around with no clue.” Harry shrugged. Danny and Sara nodded slowly in agreement. They started to take the lead with Tom and Harry behind them, and Dougie trailing a few feet behind them. Danny glanced back at him in concern every so often, but decided to leave him alone for at least a little bit. “Weird thinking we didn’t even speak for over twenty years, huh?” Danny murmured, trying to bring up a conversation. “Twenty years? Jesus, how old are you now? How old am I, for that matter?” Sara chuckled. “I lost count. Couldn’t be bothered with it. Just makes me feel old. I like sticking to twenty-two, I’ve not changed, so my age shouldn’t either. Funny how, after

all that time, it was still easy for you to just come back.” Danny said. “Well, you hadn’t changed. Except the constant thought in your head that something was gonna kill Dougie. That’s probably the only reason you wanted me back anyway, to bring him back, and you ended up stuck with me.” Sara shrugged. “I wouldn’t say it was the only reason.” Danny murmured softly. Sara raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, but he was looking away, his eyes sweeping over the moors. “Are you guys feeling anything yet?” Tom asked, breaking in before Sara could ask him to elaborate. “No, not yet.” Danny replied. He was silent for a moment, then, as if their conversation hadn’t happened, he just smiled at her. “I’m gonna check on Doug, he seems out of it.” With that, he stopped walking for a moment, letting Sara take the lead as he dropped back to walk next to Dougie. Sara shook her head. Danny was so confusing sometimes, it drove her insane. “Hey Doug, how you doing?” Danny asked, his tone upbeat, as he fell in step next to Dougie. “Fine.” Dougie replied. “You look lost.” Danny pressed. Dougie shook his head. “Seriously, mate, now she’s gone it’s no different than it was a couple of weeks ago, only now she’s made it official.” Danny said. “I know, that’s the thing.” Dougie mumbled. Danny looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Dougie was looking at the floor, his hands in his pockets. “I don’t feel upset or anything.” “Then what’s with the silence and not talking to anyone?” Danny asked. “I feel bad for not feeling bad.” Dougie muttered. He glanced up at Danny, who looked confused. “I mean, I should feel bad because my sister’s just said she never wants to see me again, but I don’t, if I’m honest I don’t really care. At first I did because… I dunno, but I did, then I realised it wouldn’t change anything and I’d feel worse if it was you and Sara who I was never gonna see again. But when I thought that I felt guilty because she’s my sister and I should feel bad about not seeing-” “Doug, just stop a minute,” Danny held up his hand, cutting off Dougie’s rambling. He always rambled when he wasn’t sure how to explain something. “This is just mind numbingly confusing.” “Sorry.” Dougie mumbled, blushing very slightly. “So you’re saying you feel guilty about not feeling upset that Jessica’s gone?” Danny said, summing everything up. “Yeah.” Dougie half smiled, although it was forced. “You don’t need to feel bad. No offence, but she wasn’t a very good sister. I’m glad she’s gone.” Danny said. “You and her never really liked each other. You just had to put up with each other because it was safer that way.” Dougie pointed out. “Well, yeah, but… it’s still true.” Danny growled. “She’s a bitch.” “Dan, that’s still my sister you’re talking about!” Dougie exclaimed. “Yeah, the sister than disappeared and abandoned you, then came back for no more than a day when she got caught. Then, when we saved her life, she says she never wants to see you again. I think that’s a good definition of a bitch.” Danny stated. Dougie opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, unable to find the words to argue. At the front, Sara stopped so suddenly that Tom almost walked into her. She looked around warily, then turned to face them.

“Something was here.” Chapter 44 “Define something.” Tom said, looking at her. “I’m not really sure.” Sara murmured. “I don’t think it’s a demon, though. They’re always easier to pinpoint. I doubt it’s a ghost either.” “So that leaves us with only about a thousand other things it could be.” Harry muttered. Sara shot him a dark glare, before veering slightly left from the way they were heading. “I’d like to see you suddenly work out what it is in a flash of genius, but-” A loud howl ripped through the air, cutting Sara off mid sentence. The howl was blood chilling, cutting through the otherwise silent moor and seeming to echo all around them, so they were unsure exactly where it came from. “I think it’s a werewolf.” Harry smirked as the howl ended, looking at Sara mockingly. “To be honest, I think we’d all worked that out, so stop trying to be all smart ass.” Sara growled. “Touchy.” Harry said, his eyes glinting, knowing he was annoying Sara. “I’ll feed you to the stupid thing if you carry on!” Sara threatened. “Guys, stop it! There’s a werewolf somewhere nearby and you two are arguing like little kids!” Tom broke in before anything could escalate. Sara huffed and turned away sharply, setting off at a much quicker pace. The other four followed her without a word, and Danny sped up so he could fall in step next to her again. Dougie, on the other hand, slowed down. A powerful smell hit him, but the others didn’t seem to notice. He held back a gasp as he recognised it, and fiery desire coursed through his veins. He swore quietly, so the others didn’t hear, and turned around. The edges of his vision became tinged with red. He automatically inhaled deeply as the smell of blood threatened to consume his other thoughts. He easily fought the temptation back enough to think straight, owing to the fact that he was still somewhat human, and also partially demon. Deep crimson colour seemed to show his iris, starting from his pupil and slowly seeping outwards like blood. “Alright, Doug?” Danny called, noticing him stop. “Yeah, just thought I heard something.” Dougie lied, instantly masking the trouble he was having by keeping his voice calm. He spoke casually, although his thoughts were frantically praying that Danny, or one of the others, didn’t come over. “Must of imagined it.” He added. He closed his eyes as the temptation dyed away. It wasn’t that hard to control, but he hadn’t expected it. If he knew it was coming, it hardly bothered him. If it took him by surprise, he didn’t have time to prepare himself. When he opened his eyes again, the crimson colouring receded again from his eyes until he looked completely normal again. He turned back around and sped up walking to catch up with the others, who had moved a few feet ahead before they had realised he had stopped. Danny gave him a long look before accepting that he was ok. Dougie smiled slightly at him, hoping that would reassure him. It was hard finding out exactly what was going on with Danny watching all the time, and he was too worried to tell him. As far as he knew, he was almost half human and half demon, but there was still something of a vampire left. Danny hadn’t shot him fast enough, he’d already changed slightly. Hiding it from Danny was hard, he always seemed to be keeping an eye on him.

“Look,” Sara pointed ahead, and the other three scanned the moor ahead. In the distance, partially concealed by the bumps and ditches in the moor, was a human body. They all grimaced as they edged closer. The body was a boy in his late teens. His green eyes were glazed and glassy, staring sightlessly at the sky. His hair was matted with his own blood. The thing that they noticed instantly though, was the gaping wound in his chest. He might as well have had his ribcage ripped open. Blood soaked his clothes and the ground around him. Tom leaned over him, fighting back the urge to puke. “His heart’s gone.” He said. “Definitely a werewolf.” Chapter 45 “Has anyone got any silver bullets?” Danny asked. “I have six with me right now. One box.” Tom said with a sigh. “That’s one each, and a spare.” Sara said. “Who get’s the extra one?” “Well, seeing as me and Sara… and I guess Doug too, are demons, we have an advantage already. It’s only fair one of you two gets it.” Danny said slowly. “You keep it, Tom.” Harry stated, with a look on his face that made it known that he wouldn’t back down. “Fine, but we’ll be together anyway.” Tom agreed hesitantly. He took the small box from his pocket, opening it and passing each of them one silver 10mm bullet. They each loaded their handguns and concealed them in their belts. “Are we all staying together then?” Danny asked. Tom nodded in answer, although Harry looked annoyed at the idea. Sara took the lead again, weaving over the moor in what looked like a random path. Eventually she stopped and let out a triumphant sigh, even though what lay ahead was nothing to be happy about. Partially concealed behind a large rock and long grass over three feet high was a dark, round tunnel in the side of one of the hills. The rock had deep scratched running across it, giving away that it had been pushed around, by something with claws. “Who’s for going in the creepy tunnel then?” Danny asked light heartedly, although he received a silencing glare from Harry. Tom moved towards it, stepping to the side of the rock and pushing against it, his feet planted firmly on the ground as he braced himself, using all of his strength. It didn’t budge a millimetre. “You really don’t think, do you?” Sara muttered. She pulled Tom out of the way and took up his position, pushing the rock and shifting it smoothly, making it look easy. Tom tried not to look embarrassed, and failed. Sara entered the tunnel first, easily adjusting to the darkness. Danny followed her with Dougie just behind him. “Why does everything have to be underground?” Tom growled as he stepped inside. He slid a torch out of his belt and flicked it on, looking around the tunnel as the others did the same. They were surrounded by nothing but tightly packed damp soil. There were faint trails of dried blood along the well-trodden floor. They walked slowly, almost silently, listening for any sounds that might alert them to the werewolf’s presence. It was surprisingly warm the deeper they went into the tunnels, although it could have just been the fact that they were tightly packed together. Sara stopped and swore, and less than a second later Danny did too. The tunnel split ahead of them, into four separate ones. “That’s just… unbelievable.” Danny hissed. “I’m guessing it doesn’t want to be found. It’s smart.” Sara murmured. Silence settled over them. They had to split up, or their chances of finding it were next to nothing.

“I’ll go on my own, I already have an extra bullet.” Tom said bravely. “Well, no offence, but I don’t wanna stay with a demon alone, so I’ll go on my own too.” Harry said. “I’ll go alone, then you and Sara can-” Dougie started, addressing Danny as if he needed his permission, but Danny cut him off. “No way are you going on your own.” He growled. “In that case, I will.” Sara said. “No, you’re not either.” Danny’s eyes flicked between Dougie and Sara as he spoke. He didn’t want either of them to go off alone. He knew they could handle themselves, but the thought of them having to face a werewolf was too much. He sighed. He couldn’t exactly go with both of them. “Sorry to break it to you Danny, but you’re gonna have to pick one of us. Seeing as Dougie’s still part human, maybe you should go with-” “No, I’m not going with either of you. You two stick together. If either of you end up hurt, I’ll kill the other one.” Danny warned. “And I mean stick together.” He added sternly. Sara and Dougie rolled their eyes simultaneously. Danny just raised one eyebrow and shook his head. “Be careful.” He ordered, then turned and disappeared into the first tunnel. “I’m surprised he didn’t make you hold hands.” Harry scoffed. “He probably would have, if he’d thought of it.” Dougie muttered. Sara chuckled. “I’ll take the second one.” Before anyone could argue, Harry had set off. “We’ll go down this one, then.” Sara pointed at the third tunnel. She held her hand out to Dougie jokingly. Dougie laughed, then forced himself to be quiet as Sara stepped into the tunnel. Tom watched them go before looking at the fourth tunnel with a sigh. “See anything?” Dougie asked, after what felt like hours of walking when in reality it had only been a couple of minutes. “Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt… Oh look, dirt.” Sara grumbled. “I hope it’s us that get the werewolf. Then there’ll be something else than just mud and soil.” “Hey, I just thought, what if these tunnels just keep splitting and leading nowhere? We could get lost underground and never get back up.” Dougie murmured. “Very nice conversation choice, Doug.” Sara said with a slight chuckle. Dougie couldn’t tell if it was nervous or not. “Well, that way, Danny won’t kill us for getting a scratch.” “He’d probably excavate the whole moor to find us.” Dougie laughed. “And then kill us.” “What’s been up with you, anyway? You seem different recently.” Sara asked, changing the subject. “Well, other than dying and coming back and my sister leaving, nothing.” Dougie muttered sarcastically. “I don’t mean that.” Sara said. “You hardly talk, unless me or Danny force you too.” “There’s a lot going on in my head, I guess.” Dougie shrugged. “Wouldn’t you normally tell Danny about that?” Sara pointed out. Dougie fell silent, unable to answer. He stopped suddenly and swore as another wave of the dark, tempting scent hit him. It was even stronger this time, and fresh. The crimson colouring started to bleed into his eyes almost instantly, and his vision became red tinted at the edges. He struggled against the urge in his mind to find the source of the scent. He squeezed his eyes shut. It was harder this time, but he still managed to fight

away the temptation. When he opened his eyes again the red started to fade. “Holy shit…” Sara whispered, staring at him. Chapter 46 Dougie just looked back at her, every curse word he could think of spinning around his mind, but he couldn’t say them out loud. He couldn’t say anything. All of his thoughts were in panic, wondering what she was going to do. “What… what was that?!” Sara gasped, her eyes wide, gesturing at Dougie’s eyes. “I… I… I think I’m still… a tiny bit vampire.” Dougie finally managed to say, looking at the ground. “But Danny said he killed you before you changed!” She exclaimed. “Not quite. But not I’m not completely vampire, I mean, only a tiny bit. I didn’t even know at first, it’s only when I smell blood and-” “You’ve got the bloodlust?!” Sara broke in, looking even more shocked, if that was possible. “No, well, not really. I can fight it. It doesn’t control me. It’s just… tempting. I’ve never hurt anyone, or killed anyone, for their blood. And I don’t even do… that,” Dougie gestured at his eyes as he spoke. “If I’m expecting it to happen. It just happens if it’s a surprise and I’m not concentrating on anything else.” “So that’s why it didn’t happen during the fight when we were trying to save your sister. You were concentrating on fighting, so the blood didn’t have any effect.” Sara murmured, piecing everything together in her head. “So the only thing that makes you still vampire at all is that thing with the eyes if you smell blood?” “I think so.” Dougie mumbled, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. The truth was, he didn’t actually know. “Do you have fangs?” Sara asked. “No, I mean, I don’t think so. At least, I’ve not seen or felt them yet.” Dougie muttered. “So you’re mostly demon and human still.” Sara stated. Dougie glanced at her before looking away again. She was reacting much better than he’d expected, but he still felt unsure. She could start going mad any minute. “What are you going to do?” Dougie asked quietly. “What do you mean?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “Are you expecting me to stake you or something? You’re still sane, right? You’re not gonna rip my throat out or go berserk. Well, I don’t think you are. You don’t look like you’re going to. You said you’re still in control. You’re still you.” “Really?” Dougie looked at her carefully. “Just because Jessica went mad because you’re different doesn’t mean me or Danny-” “Don’t tell Danny!” Dougie exclaimed, cutting her off. “What? Why not?” Sara asked. “You two are nearly inseparable, but I’m allowed to know and he’s not?” “But… what if he doesn’t like it? I mean, he might take it different to you. And you only found out by accident anyway.” Dougie said. “Were you planning on keeping it a secret forever?” Sara asked. Dougie shrugged, staring at his shoes with his hands in his pockets. “You can’t hide this from him. He’ll find out sooner or later, and he’ll be majorly pissed off you didn’t tell him as soon as you found out.”

“I know but… just don’t tell him. Please.” Dougie begged. Sara said nothing for a while, her eyes studying Dougie’s face. He seemed almost scared to tell Danny, and she didn’t know why. She sighed. “Fine, I won’t. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when he finds out and goes mental because you didn’t tell him.” Sara muttered. Dougie looked up again, smiling with relief. “Thanks.” He said. “Mm.” Sara mumbled in reply, not liking the idea of keeping it a secret. “You do realise you’re slowly becoming the ultimate hybrid? We should let this werewolf bite you, then you can be a human-demon-vampire-werewolf hybrid.” Sara said. “Yeah, fun.” Dougie mumbled sarcastically. He paused for a moment. “You won’t tell him, will you?” “No, for god’s sake, I promise. I don’t see why not though. He deserves to know.” Sara said, looking at Dougie meaningfully. “Just don’t.” Dougie said. He looked straight ahead as he spoke, not meeting her eyes. “Fine.” Sara grunted. They rounded a small bend, and saw the reason why the scent of blood was so overpowering. Another body lay slumped against the wall, mauled and completely torn up. It was impossible to make out what the person had used to look like. “Nice,” Dougie grimaced. Sure, the smell of blood was tempting, but seeing a mutilated corpse still wasn’t exactly attractive. “I think that means we’re close.” Sara said. “Looks like you’re gonna get what you wanted. We get the werewolf.” Dougie mumbled. “Unless it’s decided to go on a wander through the tunnels.” “Well it was outside before and it howled. I’m guessing it was either trying to scare us, or it was hungry. I think it’ll be coming back to finish it’s dinner. We probably interrupted it.” Sara gestured at the corpse, not looking at it. Dougie nodded and looked ahead. The tunnel curved away a little again, only to stop short as a dead end. “Do we have a plan?” He asked. Sara shrugged. “Great.” Dougie muttered. Footsteps echoes down the tunnel behind them, and they both instantly drew their guns. They backed off slightly, but there was hardly anywhere for them to go. The werewolf’s grey muzzle was the first thing visible, it’s long, curved fangs bared in a permanent snarl. As it became more visible, they both shrank back as far as possible, hoping the scent of blood would mask their own. The werewolf’s eyes glowed menacingly, its ears drawn back and the fur along it’s spine bristling. If it stood on its hind legs, it would easily be a couple of feet taller than them, probably more. It was lean and almost skeletal, but its limbs bulged with strong muscles. Its claws sank slightly into the dirt as it walked. It let out a growl as it bowed it’s head towards the corpse. Dougie held his gun up and stepped sideways into the open so he had a clearer shot. Before he even had time to think about pulling the trigger, the werewolf’s head snapped up and it let out a menacing snarl. Sara moved to Dougie’s side as she too tried to take aim. Dougie fired, but too slow. With inhuman speed, it leapt from the ground, its claws digging into the wall as it clung to it, before taking another bound so it was on tunnel ceiling. Dougie hadn’t even known that the packed soil could take the werewolf’s weight, or that the werewolf was capable of such agility. It leapt again, barrelling into Sara and throwing her to the ground before she had time to readjust her aim and take a shot at it.

Dougie lifted his gun again and fired. The bullet embedded itself into the werewolf’s shoulder, but he might as well have thrown a stick at it. He swore. He had no more silver bullets, and normal bullets would be nothing more than an annoyance to the creature. Sara’s gun had been knocked from her grip, as had her torch. Dougie flashed his own torch around the room rapidly, but he couldn’t see the gun. Sara was pinned to the ground by her shoulders, the werewolf’s claws digging in to her. She barely noticed, too preoccupied with holding onto the werewolf’s jaws to hold it back, stopping it from taking a snap at her neck. She kicked at its stomach, but it was no use. It wouldn’t budge. She let go of its jaws with one hand and drew back her fist, punching it hard in the side of it’s face. Its head jerked sideways and its grip loosened, but it just turned it’s head back to glare at her and snarl, raising it’s dangerously clawed paw to strike her. “Get off her, you son of a bitch!” Dougie yelled. He threw himself at the werewolf with all of his strength, managing to make it fall to its side with a loud grunt. Dougie scrambled to his feet again, backing off a couple of feet as Sara rolled to hers. The werewolf leapt back up and swiped at Dougie, catching his side. He let out a yell as its claws ripped through his clothes easily and tore at his skin. Blood instantly soaked his clothes at an alarmingly fast rate, but surprisingly, he managed to stay on his feet. He braced himself for another swipe, managing to dive out of the way just in time, the claws just scraping against his cheek rather than slicing his neck. Sara kicked the werewolf in the side a hard as she could, hoping to distract it from Dougie. It let out a howl, drowning out the crack of a couple of its ribs breaking. The howl turned into a snarl as it turned on her, lunging forward and sinking its teeth into her leg. Sara fell to the ground as it twisted its head, hissing in pain. With her other leg, she kicked it twice sharply in its head, forcing it to release her. Dougie one again moved to dive at it, but the creature turned and with one blow, sent Dougie crashing into the wall with a painful thud. He sank to the floor, dazed. He blinked a few times and put his hand to his head, where blood was matting his hair. He tried to stand up but stumbled sideways and fell to his knees. One of his hands shot out automatically to support him, and landed on something cold and smooth. The gun. Forcing his mind back into focus, he picked it up. Sara was trying to scramble to her feet, but the werewolf was making it next to impossible. “Sara! Catch!” Dougie threw the gun towards her, seeing as he couldn’t get a clear shot himself. The werewolf was moving too much; he didn’t want to hit Sara by mistake while he was still having trouble keeping his head together. Sara caught the gun in one hand as it came towards her, spinning it in her grip so she had hold of the handle. She aimed the gun at point blank between the werewolf’s eyes and fired. The eerie glow left the werewolf’s eyes and it stopped dead, before slumping to the side and going limp. Sara stood up, dusting herself off and looking down at the dead creature. She sighed heavily, wondering who the werewolf had used to be. She shook her head and walked over to Dougie, who was still in the process of trying to stand up. She grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet, keeping hold of him to make sure he stayed steady. She looked him up and down quickly. His entire right side was soaked in his own blood. He had three deep, but not serious, cuts across his cheek where the werewolf’s claws had grazed him, and blood was trickling from beneath his hair just in front of his ear, making his hair dark and matted. Then, looking at herself, she scanned over the deep gouges in both her shoulders where the werewolf had pinned her down, and the bottom half of her jeans were torn up and completely soaked with blood on her left leg. Both of them looked like they’d just been on a battlefield.

“You know what?” Dougie mumbled, sounding a bit unfocussed. His breathing was heavy and uneven. “Are you concussed?” Sara asked, practically ignoring him. “I dunno,” Dougie actually sort of smiled, looking almost drunk. “But you know what?” “What?” Sara asked, taking hold of his wrist as she led the way back out of the tunnels. “Danny’s gonna murder us.” Dougie chuckled. Chapter 47 By the time they reached the surface again, Dougie had somewhat got his senses back, although he still looked unsteady. He had to walk slightly hunched, due to the gashes in his side. They sat down on a rock that lay a few feet away from the entrance, waiting for the others to return. “I can’t believe we got to the end of the tunnel, kicked a werewolf’s ass, and came out first.” Sara said. “I wonder if they heard it, when we were fighting?” Dougie murmured. “Maybe they went to check what happened down there, to see if we were still alive.” “I’d still be alive. Demon, remember? Getting batted around by a werewolf isn’t enough to get rid of me. You might not have been, though. We’ve still not worked that out yet.” Sara said. “You look pretty bad now, though.” “Hurts like hell.” Dougie mumbled, looking down at his side. “I think I’m bleeding out, seriously.” “You just have to wait for Danny to get back, then he’ll be able to get the first aid stuff. He has the car key, I had no pockets to keep them in.” Sara told him. “There’s no way I’m telling Danny that. He’d probably have a panic attack.” Dougie said. Sara nodded in agreement, half smiling. They sank into silence for a few minutes. Sara glanced at Dougie a few times, making sure he was still ok. She didn’t mention it, but he was starting to look a bit pale, which meant he was somewhat right about bleeding out. “What the hell happened?!” Danny’s alarmed exclamation broke through the silence. He was standing in the tunnel entrance, staring at them both with wide eyes. “You’ll never guess, Danny, there was a werewolf!” Sara said sarcastically. “Shut up, I know that! I mean, what did I say about being careful? That’s not being careful!” He gestured at them both, blood soaked and injured. “It was a big werewolf.” Dougie added, as if that made a difference. He and Sara both started chuckling. Danny ignored him, his eyes flicking between them, as if deciding who had it worst. “Danny, Doug’s only half demon. You’d better concentrate on him.” Sara said quickly. Danny nodded, fumbling in his pocket for the car keys as Tom stepped out of the tunnel. He looked at Sara and Dougie, shocked at how bad the looked. Dougie shot Sara a glare, but she ignored him. “I mean, look at the state of him!” Sara added. Dougie glared at her again. Bitch! He mouthed silently. Sara just raised one eyebrow and looked at him. “Oh, and he hit his head, I think it’s bad.” She said. Dougie just flipped her off, looking away. “How bad?” Danny asked, looking alarmed. He hadn’t seen Sara’s and Dougie’s silent exchange. “He couldn’t stand up at first. I had to drag him out. But that’s the worst part,”

Sara said, pointing at Dougie’s side. The rock he was sat on actually had blood on it now. “He said himself, he thinks he’s bleeding out.” “Fuck, I’ll go get the stuff from the car.” Danny said, before turning and almost running in the direction of the car. “I hate you. I actually hate you.” Dougie growled, looking at Sara. “He’s not gonna leave me alone for days!” “Everything I said was true, so shut up.” Sara said. “So what if you have him watching your every move for a while? He usually does that anyway. At least you’ll heal better.” “What happened down there?” Tom asked, looking at their injuries as if he was surprised they were still alive. “We met the werewolf, and it wasn’t very friendly.” Sara said. She didn’t understand why he had to ask. A couple of more minutes passed before Harry emerged, with the same shocked expression as the other two when he saw what state they were in. He, however, didn’t say anything or ask stupid questions. Dougie slid his jacket off, his hand sliding over the torn up side. When he looked at his hand, there was red liquid running down his fingers. Saying his clothes were blood soaked wasn’t an exaggeration. He tossed the jacket away, grunting in pain at the sudden movement. “Are you ok?” Sara asked, looking at him with concern. Dougie nodded, but said nothing. Sara sighed and brought her knee up to her chest, rolling up the leg of her jeans, flinching slightly. She couldn’t really tell how deep the bite was, she needed to clean up first. “Maybe I should go get some stuff from our car, too.” Tom murmured, looking at Sara’s leg with a grimace. No one replied, so he took that as a go ahead. He turned and walked hurriedly away, but slower than Danny. Danny returned in record time, slamming the medical supplies on the rock in between Dougie and Sara. “Can’t this wait until we’re back at the hotel?” Dougie asked, although he knew it was pointless. There were a million reasons why that was impossible. “No.” Danny said firmly. “You’d mess up my car.” Sara added. Danny shot her a dark look while Dougie held back a chuckle. “Apart from the obvious, how would we explain this to the reception?” Danny asked, but didn’t wait for a reply. “Shirt.” He stated. “What?” Dougie raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. “Take it off.” Danny ordered impatiently. “Um… no.” Dougie said. “It’d be weird.” “What would be weirder, you taking your shirt off, or me forcing you out of it?” Danny asked, rolling his eyes. Dougie let out a cross between a groan and a sigh. He slowly took off his shirt, looking grumpy the entire time, forcing himself not to flinch when it hurt. He leant back on his hands as Danny took his shirt and just threw it away. “Stay as still as you can. This might hurt.” Danny said, giving Dougie a stern look. “Fine, fine.” Dougie mumbled, looking uninterested. He flinched as Danny tried to clean the worst of the blood away, touching the wound and sending a shock of pain through Dougie’s system. Whatever was in the box that Danny was using to sterilize the wound, it stung like hell. “Sorry.” Danny murmured. Dougie didn’t reply. Harry just stood watching

them, unsure what to do with himself. “It’s still bleeding.” Danny announced. “How reassuring.” Dougie said sarcastically. Danny sighed and pulled a roll of bandages from the box of supplies. He sat on the rock next to Dougie, reaching around him to wrap the bandage around him tightly. Dougie flinched again, finding the pressure painful, but he knew it was needed. When Danny was satisfied, he tossed the remaining bandages back in the box. He looked at the gashes on Dougie’s face, and reached for something to clean the excess blood away, but Dougie stopped him. “I think I can manage that.” Dougie said. “I’m not completely incapable of looking after myself.” “Fine.” Danny grunted. “What about your head? Where does it hurt?” Danny reached up as he spoke, gently pressing his fingers against the side of Dougie’s head where his hair looked most matted. Dougie jerked away from his touch. “There.” He muttered. “You need to clean up properly before I can do anything about that.” Danny said, sounding disappointed with himself. “Good. Can we leave now?” Dougie asked. “No.” Danny replied. “Don’t move.” He ordered, then turned to Sara. “There’s no way I’m taking my shirt off.” Sara stated straight away. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna make you.” Danny half smiled. “That’s so unfair!” Dougie growled. “I’ll heal up fine, you know I will. As soon as it stops bleeding, I’ll be ok.” Sara said, but Danny refused to accept that. “But you’ve not stopped bleeding.” Danny stated. He looked at the roll of bandages with a sigh. The bite stretched from Sara’s ankle almost to her knee, there weren’t enough bandages. After less than a minute of looking lost, Tom reappeared, walking towards them with another box. Danny smiled, while Sara groaned. “I’ll do it myself, Dan, go and worry about someone else.” Sara ordered, giving Danny a look which made him not dare to argue. “Seriously, you worry too much for your own good.” “I do not!” Danny growled. He went back to sit next to Dougie, glancing at the side of his head as he did so. “Are you sure you’ll be ok ’till we get back?” Danny asked quietly. Dougie rolled his eyes. Danny huffed, before taking off the jacket he was wearing and passing it to Dougie. “Wear that.” He ordered, seeing as Dougie’s shirt wasn’t exactly wearable, then fell silent, telling himself over and over in his mind that he had a right to be concerned. Dougie sank into the back seat of the car with a sigh of relief as soon as he got in. He pulled the door shut and fastened his seatbelt, leaning lazily against the window. Danny had basically been stuck to his side for the entire walk back to the car, as if he thought he was going to collapse. His head and side still pulsed with pain, but exhaustion was numbing it. He was briefly aware that Danny had got into the back seat next to him, and Sara had started the engine. His blinks became heavier and heavier and he let out a yawn, knowing he would drift off at any second. Danny shook Dougie gently, making him lift his head slightly and look at him in confusion. “Don’t go to sleep.” Danny said. “Why not?” Dougie demanded, stifling another yawn. “You’re not supposed to let people go to sleep if they have concussion. At least, I don’t think you are.” Danny replied. “We don’t even know if I’m concussed or not!” Dougie exclaimed. “Better to be safe than sorry. I think the odds say you are.” Danny said.

“So you’re gonna make me stay awake forever?” Dougie mumbled, leaning against the window again. “No, just until I find out what to do next.” Danny replied. He nudged Dougie again, seeing as he still seemed dangerously close to slipping into sleep. “Urgh. I know.” Dougie grumbled. “You still need to sleep, then.” Danny murmured. “I guess so.” Dougie replied slowly. “Not as much though. Only every few days. I think you could last five days, maybe more if you’re pushed.” Danny continued, half to keep Dougie occupied, half to see if he could force Dougie into explaining a few things. “How do you know?” Dougie asked. “Well, you’ve not been sleeping much over the past few days. Actually, probably over a week.” Danny said. Dougie stiffened next to him. “Did you think I hadn’t noticed?” “I slept fine.” Dougie muttered. “There’s no use lying. But you’ve not seemed tired, until after the fight with the werewolf. So you don’t need to sleep as often as you used to. What’s been up, though?” “Nothing.” “I know there’s something.” Danny pressed. “You’re wrong.” Dougie said stubbornly. “Why won’t you tell me?” Danny asked, trying not to sound hurt. “Is it something to do with me?” “No.” Dougie replied curtly, staring out of the window. “So it is something, then?” Danny looked at him meaningfully, but it was useless, as Dougie wasn’t looking back at him to receive it. “You’re making something out of nothing.” Dougie insisted. “Mountains out of molehills.” “In that case, there must be a molehill to start off with.” Danny folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Dougie groaned. “Does it really matter? There’s nothing you can do and there’s no point in talking about this.” Dougie growled. “Why not just get it out in the open Doug?” Sara asked from the drivers seat. Dougie glared at the back of her head. Why was she making this even harder? She knew what was wrong, and she knew he didn’t want to tell Danny. “Leave me alone.” Dougie groaned, closing his eyes. “Fine, we’ll talk about that later. What day is it?” Danny asked. “I dunno. I never know. Check your phone.” Dougie shrugged. “Where are we?” Danny asked, motioning for Sara not to answer. Dougie didn’t see, his eyes still closed. “Pennines, how could you forget that?” Dougie grunted, sounding irritated. “When’s your birthday?” Danny ignored him, but that was the point when Dougie caught on, lifting his head and looking up at him. “I’m fine, stop with the stupid questions. You’re not a doctor.” Dougie grumbled. Danny just looked at him, waiting for an answer. “30th November. Happy?” “How many fingers am I holding up?” Danny asked, putting up three fingers. “Eighteen.” Dougie closed his eyes and leaned against the window again. Danny narrowed his eyes at him and turned to face out of his own window. Soon, Dougie’s breathing deepened and evened out. Danny looked over at him, but Sara spoke before he could move to try and wake him up.

“Leave him, he’s knackered anyway, it’ll do him good. If we can’t wake him up later, it’s no different than us not being able to wake him up now.” She said. “I really don’t like the sound of that.” Danny said, looking slightly alarmed. “He’ll be fine. He has some of the healing power demons have, even if it’s only half of it.” Sara assured him. “Do you know what’s been going on with him?” Danny asked. Sara hesitated. She wanted to tell him. He deserved to know, and she was sure he’d be ok with it. But she’d promised not to. She sighed. “He’s been through a lot.” She said vaguely. “What did you mean before… when you said that you didn’t just bring me back to save him?” “What do you think I meant?” Danny asked, giving no information away in his expression. “A straight answer would be nice.” Sara muttered. “I meant what I said.” Danny shrugged, still looking out of the window. “What are you, a fortune cookie? Speaking in riddles won’t help anyone.” Sara glanced at him in the mirror as she spoke, trying to get her frustration through to him in a single look. “You’ve been acting weird since I came back. You act normal one minute, then completely change the next.” “Just because I wanted to get away from all the demons and monsters and everything, didn’t mean I wanted to get rid of you. You were just… I dunno, tangled up in it, so I had to.” Danny murmured, so quietly Sara had to strain to hear. “I don’t get what you mean.” Sara said slowly. “Want me to spell it out for you?” Danny asked, starting to sound a little irritated himself. Sara didn’t reply. Neither of them were exactly good at voicing their thoughts, let alone their feelings. The car descended into awkward silence. “Where are we headed?” Danny asked quietly. “Hotel.” Sara replied, equally as quietly. “I mean after that.” “Dunno.” “Need to get you ‘n Doug patched up first.” “Yeah.” The forced conversation ended by sinking into the same awkward silence it started in. Sara mentally kicked herself for bringing it up. Then again, at least she had a couple of answers, even if they only provided her with a thousand more questions. Unless something was getting lost in translation, she was pretty sure Danny had basically just told her he still liked her like he used to, but she wasn’t certain enough to risk making things even worse. She kept her eyes fixed on the road, pretending that the never-ending grey tarmac was the most interesting thing she’d seen in years. The journey seemed to take hours, with each second filled with nothing but silence. When Sara finally parked up in the car park outside the hotel, she got out as fast as possible and shut the door, even though she could do nothing but wait for the other two. Danny shuffled across his seat and reached over to Dougie, shaking him gently. Dougie stirred slightly, shrugging Danny away. “Wake up, Doug.” Danny said, shaking him a bit harder, secretly glad for each second that he could postpone having to get out of the car. Dougie’s eyes fluttered open and he looked at Danny sleepily, wondering why he’d been woken up, not really knowing what was going in his half-asleep state. Suddenly the pain in his head and side returned and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut again. “We’re at the hotel, we can give you some painkillers when we get to our

room, and you can go to sleep again, once you’ve cleaned up.” Danny promised. He reached around Dougie and opened the car door, undoing Dougie’s seatbelt and nudging him to get out when he didn’t seem to be willing to do so by himself. “I’m going, I’m going.” Dougie muttered, climbing out of the car slowly. Danny followed him out and shut the door. He briefly glanced at Sara, looking awkward. “Lead the way.” He mumbled. Sara nodded wordlessly and headed for the main reception. Even in his semi-conscious state, Dougie could tell he’d missed something big. His eyes flicked between Danny and Sara questioningly. “Leave it.” Danny mumbled, giving Dougie a gentle shove forwards, telling him to follow Sara. Dougie walked slowly. Danny stayed at his side, using him as an excuse to keep his distance from Sara. He regretted saying what he’d said. Why couldn’t he have kept that to himself? Thankfully, the receptionist wasn’t the most perceptive person in the world. She barely looked up as Sara entered, busy with a small stack of paperwork. She smiled briefly before becoming fully absorbed in it again. Sara traipsed up the stairs, occasionally glancing back to check that Danny and Dougie were still behind her. Their hotel room contained a single bed and a bunk bed. It was quite cramped, but they weren’t planning on staying long. The bathroom had a shower which was constantly dripping, crammed in next to the sink and toilet. The door didn’t even lock. There was one small cupboard, which none of them bothered to use for anything. The carpet was thick, deep red in colour. The walls were beige with a crimson pattern, and the beds matched in colouring. There were two bedside tables with small lamps on them. “Doug, have a shower and get changed.” Danny said. “Into what?” Dougie raised an eyebrow. “Just… get in the shower and I’ll go get some clothes from the car.” Danny replied. Dougie sighed and made his way over to the bathroom, shutting the door. The hissing of water was the only sound. Danny and Sara stood facing each other, even though they were both looking over the other’s shoulder. “I, uh…” Danny gestured at the door and Sara just nodded, sitting down on the single bed. Danny forced a smile and left the room, leaving her in silence. He seemed to return fast, but hesitated as he opened the door. He dropped some spare clothes on the bed, some for him and some for Sara, then opened the bathroom door slightly and tossed some through for Dougie, shutting it again. He sat down on the lower bunk, for the first time in hours looking directly at Sara. “Listen, maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but it’s true. I mean, I know things have probably changed with you, and you’re probably still a bit pissed at me for just kinda leaving, but I don’t want it to be like this between us.” Danny said quickly. “Like what?” Sara asked. “Awkward and weird. I mean, if nothing else, we’re friends, right? Even if I…” Danny trailed off. “Even if I messed stuff up back then.” He finished. Sara had the feeling he’d been about to say something else, but she didn’t press the matter. “Yeah, friends.” Sara muttered. “No more awkwardness.” Silence enveloped them again. Danny let out a soft chuckle. “Not really working, is it?” He murmured. Sara smirked half-heartedly and shook her head. “Right,” Danny rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I’m sorry, you know that, right? I shouldn’t have cut you out of my life. But you’re back, and I’m glad. Even though I didn’t act like it at first.”

“I know. Things don’t have to go back like they used to be.” Sara shrugged, trying to look like she wasn’t particularly bothered. Danny was silent for a moment, looking like he was working something through in his mind. He sighed deeply, then opened his mouth to speak. “I liked how things used to be.” Chapter 48 Dougie woke up suddenly as someone shook him awake, his head pounding painfully. He jerked away from their touch, still tired. “G’way, Dan.” He slurred. “It’s not Danny. It’s me.” Sara said, sounding a little exasperated. “You sleep like a freaking log, do you know that? Danny went downstairs to meet Tom and Harry twenty minutes ago, and I told him we’d be down in ten. He’s gonna think we got lost on the way or something if you don’t hurry up.” “Why… but I wanna… Ugh.” Dougie rubbed his eyes, slowly forcing himself to sit up. “Why didn’t you wake me up earlier then?” “I tried!” Sara exclaimed. “If we’re gonna be late anyway, can’t you give me another hour?” Dougie asked. “No, be glad I managed to get him out of the room without him checking and double checking, and probably triple checking, that you were still ok. I wanted to tell you something. It’s just a theory but… I thought you’d wanna hear it.” “Ok, go on.” Dougie grumbled, still not fully awake. “So you said your mostly demon and human, but partly vampire, right?” Sara started. Dougie nodded, so she continued. “Well, I was thinking, vampires change people by biting them and basically infecting their blood. But demons can’t be infected, like our immune systems just get rid of it. Maybe that’s why you only found out you were a vampire later, because it’s infecting you more slowly, because the demon part of you is fighting it off but the human part can’t. This is probably gonna sound insane, but…” Sara hesitated, looking unsure how to phrase what she was about to say. “It’s the human part of you that’s turning into a vampire, but really slowly. The demon part of you is the part that heals the human side when you get hurt, and that’s why you didn’t die after the werewolf almost cut you to ribbons. So, say the human part of you died completely, if Danny hadn’t patched you up, or if you’d been hurt worse. The demon side of you might heal the human side of you. The vampire part of you would die with the human part of you, as because that’s like an infection, the demon part wouldn’t heal the vampire part.” “So, in one sentence, if the human part of me dies then I won’t be a vampire anymore?” Dougie asked, sounding confused. “I… Well, it’s just a theory.” Sara shrugged. “You can’t say all of that then say it’s just a theory!” Dougie exclaimed. “Just… I dunno completely. It makes sense. So, say someone shot you, you’d die. But not completely, because you’re part demon, so you’d heal up eventually and start up again. Minus the vampire part.” Sara explained. “But I’d still be part human?” Dougie asked. “I think so.” Sara said. “And to find out if you’re right, I have to die?” Dougie raised one eyebrow. “Uh, yeah. And it would be as bad as if you were actually dying. But then you’d come back, bloodlust free.” Sara stated. “In theory.” She added quickly.

“Why are you telling me all this? It’s not like I can go and jump off a cliff to find out.” Dougie muttered. “Because you don’t wanna be a vampire, do you? So at least you have a window of hope. If I’m right, there might be some other way to do it too.” Sara shrugged. “But you also said it’s spreading slowly. So that means I’m gonna get worse.” Dougie said, rather than asked. “I think so.” Sara murmured. “If you think about it, your in the world’s most dangerous job, so you might die and we might find out.” “That shouldn’t sound reassuring.” Dougie said. The idea that he might be able to get rid of his vampire side was definitely something he wanted. “Shame it’s just a theory.” “At least it’s something.” Sara murmured. “Come on, get up, we’ve gotta go down to the bar.” Dougie slid out of bed and put his shoes on, seeing as he was already dressed. He picked up his jacket but didn’t bother putting it on. “What were you and Danny talking about last night? You seemed… I dunno, like it was a very deep and meaningful conversation.” Dougie asked as they stepped outside. His side twinged with every step, but he ignored it as best he could. “He’s still not told you everything, has he?” Sara asked. Dougie shook his head. “Ask him then.” She half smiled, remembering what Danny had said. After that, things had gone slightly awkward again between them, but it was the best thing she’d heard from him since she’d come back. “I don’t get why he’s keeping it a secret.” Dougie muttered. “He usually tells me everything.” “Like you usually tell him everything? Like you’ve not told him about the whole vampire thing?” Sara pointed out. “That’s different.” Dougie grunted. Their conversation stopped short when they walked through into the bar. They saw the other three straight away and went to join them, looking like they’d been talking about nothing more important than the weather. “How you doing?” Danny asked Dougie the second he sat down next to him. “Fine.” Dougie replied. A short, chubby waitress with a blonde bob came over and passed five drinks around the table. “Your order will be ready soon, if you want anything else, just gimme a call.” She smiled warmly before trotting back to the bar. “Good timing.” Tom said to Sara and Dougie as he took a swig of his drink. “Have you found a case?” Sara asked. Tom nodded and pointed at the folded up paper that lay on the edge of the table. “Page seven.” He said. The waitress returned as Sara opened the paper. She put down five portions of chips before leaving again, only to return with a large pizza which Danny directed her to put in front of Dougie. He thanked her and she left with another smile. “Do you want me to get fat or something?” Dougie asked, looking from the pizza to Danny with raised eyebrows. “You need it, after yesterday.” Danny replied. Dougie looked doubtful. “Just eat it.” Danny ordered. When Dougie still hesitated he took a slice for himself and took a bite. “It’s not poison, you know.” “Someone died in a storeroom in a bookshop in Bolton.” Sara said. “How do you know it’s something for us to check out?”

“Because they’ve also been having electricity problems recently, and it’s not exactly normal to die in the storeroom of a bookshop. Books don’t usually attack people.” Tom said, smirking slightly. “What actually happened to him? How did he die?” Sara asked, putting the paper down. “I dunno, that’s the only article we found.” Tom shrugged. “It’s quite a long drive, but I don’t think there’s anything around here. I mean, we’re basically in a little village in the middle of nowhere at the minute.” “We might as well go. I mean, it should be safe, no one will recognise me. It’s been too long.” Danny murmured, half to himself. “Where is it exactly?” “Town centre. Waterstones.” Harry replied. “Is it closed?” Dougie asked through a mouthful of pizza. It turned out he was hungrier than he’d thought. “Yeah, it’s all been sealed off. Police are looking into it, there’s a bunch of health and safety stuff going on.” Tom said. “We can set off when we’re done here and see what else we can find out when we get there.” Chapter 49 Tom crouched next to the window at the back of the building. It was almost pitch black, just past midnight. The whole town centre was completely deserted. He slid a knife through the thin gap between the windowsill and the frame, sliding back the old latch. He lifted the window up and climbed through, closely followed by the others. He had to stumble around in darkness for a while, until he eventually found a switch and illuminated the room. The bookshop wasn’t that big. It was long and narrow, with three sections. Each wall was lined with rows and rows of books. The one they were in was the kids section, and they entered just below the stairway that led up to the next floor. “Look, Doug, these are your kinda books.” Danny said, pointing at the picture books that took up a couple of shelves. “I’m surprised you managed to read the titles.” Dougie muttered. They took the steps slowly, looking around with caution. The shop was deadly silent. The second floor was a bit more spacious. The first set of shelves were filled with books on true crime and the stories of murderers and gangs, the faces of numerous criminals staring out of the covers. “What a nice thing to be greeted by.” Harry muttered. Danny wandered away from the group, his eyes scanning over the shelves. There was a coffee shop at the back with tables and chairs set out neatly. He paused at a section named ‘Mind, Body and Spirit’, a book about demons catching his eye. He picked it up off the shelf and flicked through it, shaking his head. “They make us look so bad. They’ve not even got it right. I’ve never heard of half of these.” He said, putting the book back again. His looked over the shelves again, his eyes locking on a book named The Satanic Bible. He almost laughed. People always wondered where the satanic lunatics got these things from, turns out you can get them from any old bookshop. “We’re not here to read, Jones.” Harry called. “Oh, we’re on last name terms now are we, Judd?” Danny replied. He picked up another book, mainly to annoy Harry. Flicking through it, he recognised a few of the mythological creatures inside. Of course, not all of the details were right, but it was pretty good. He put it down again and walked over to the tills, moving behind the

desk. After messing around with the first till for a few seconds, it opened up. It was full of cash that they probably didn’t have time to sort out before the death of one of the people that worked there. Danny glanced up, before pulling out the notes and shoving them in his pocket. “Are you serious?” Harry said, looking at him with a mixture of shock and accusation on his face. “You’re gonna take that?” “Well, yeah. I don’t have much on me right now, and I do plan on eating and staying in a hotel later. Is this really all that different from credit card scams?” Danny pointed out. “At least I’m leaving the coins.” He added, as if that made what he was doing morally justified. Harry just shook his head and turned away. “Tom, why don’t we check out downstairs properly? We didn’t look around much.” Harry suggested. “You know you’re just gonna go down there to see if there’s any money.” Danny teased. Harry didn’t respond, but he and Tom hurried down the steps. Danny checked the other two tills and took the notes from inside. There was a door behind the desk, but when Danny opened it all that was behind it was a small, cramped room full of disorganised books and a couple of loose shelves. “Won’t the storeroom be back there?” Dougie asked, pointing at a door which had a keypad next to it. “We’d better wait for Tom and Harry.” Sara said. Danny nodded and looked around the shop again. There was nothing out of the ordinary here. When Tom and Harry trotted back up the stairs, their search just as pointless, at first they weren’t sure where the other three had gone. They walked the length of the room before finding them, sat in the coffee shop, each holding a cup of steaming liquid and a plate with some kind of half eaten cake on. “’Bout time.” Danny said, swallowing what was in his mouth. “Wanna coffee?” “You guys are like children. Seriously.” Harry muttered. “Don’t you love it?” Sara smiled at him and took a sip of her coffee. “Dougie found the food in the back. And the coffee.” “Good for him. Now, remember that death we’re investigating? We might want to look into that before the police come back tomorrow.” Harry said. “And now they’re gonna know we’ve been here.” “No they won’t, we can put all this back when we’re done. It’ll just look like there was three more customers than there actually was.” Danny assured him. “And the stolen cash?” Harry asked. “They have bigger things to worry about.” Danny shrugged. “They’ll think it got stolen in the commotion when everyone found out someone died.” “Whatever, come on.” Harry turned away, walking towards the door that opened into the back. Tom followed him slightly more slowly as Danny, Sara and Dougie gulped down the last of their coffee and shoved what food was left into their mouths. “How do we get back there without setting off the alarm?” Harry asked no one in particular, looking at the keypad. He looked at Tom, who shrugged. “Helpful.” Harry muttered. “You’re supposed to be the smart one.” “Hey, what about me?” Sara demanded, although she was joking. Danny coughed behind her so she elbowed him in the stomach, resulting in a satisfying ‘oof’. “My IQ’s like, more than triple yours.” She said, holding back a laugh. “That’s not exactly saying much. So was mine when I was eight.” Dougie added.

“Your IQ doesn’t change, dumbass. Even I knew that.” Danny said, shoving him. “Tom, we’re working with kids!” Harry hissed exasperatedly. Tom smirked and shook his head. “Well if your so smart, why is opening a door so hard for you?” Danny asked. He pushed open the door, seeing as it had no lock. An alarm started going off, and although it wasn’t actually that loud it seemed to completely shatter the silence of the shop. Harry was about to start having a go at him for setting it off when Danny reached around the doorframe and pressed a button on the other side, shutting the alarm off. “How did you know that was there?” Tom asked, looking slightly impressed. “It’s a bookshop, not a bank. Every normal shop has a system exactly like that. It’s not meant to alert the police or anything, it’s just so they know when someone opens the door. You really think they’d risk the staff setting off a huge alarm just by forgetting to put in a code before they opened the door?” Danny said. He led the way up the stairs which went up to the staffroom. Before they got to the level which the staffroom was on, however, there was another small level with a single door. Above it was a sign which said ‘Storeroom’. “In here, then.” Danny shrugged and, pressing the light switch before he pushed the door open, stepped inside. Instantly, he knew something was out of place. What Tom had said, making the storeroom of a bookshop sound completely safe, couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead of the rows upon rows of books they had been expecting, there was a room that was as large as the second floor of the shop, maybe bigger. It was almost empty too, which made it look like some kind of old warehouse. A vent stretched across the ceiling and curved off into the wall on the right, dipping slightly away from the ceiling near the end. At the back of the room, there was a pile of shelves that was so disorganized they might as well have been thrown there. The wall to their left had broken trolleys in one corner, then broken shelves or out of use stands. Closer to them, there were some metal, free standing sets of shelves with random things piled onto them. They looked as stable as a one legged man after about twenty pints of beer. Behind them were a couple of computers, presumably broken. As well as the pile in the back corner, a few shelves were just scattered around the room. A large table in the centre held piles of books and other odds and ends. There was a lift, which had a makeshift sign above it saying ‘out of order’. There were a couple of old crates next to it, which looked like they’d been shoved there in a hurry. Everything looked like it was just waiting to fall on someone who walked past. However, even though it probably shouldn’t have passed the health and safety tests, it would take a moron to actually get themselves killed there. “I was wondering when some hunters would show up. I didn’t expect it to be you guys, though.” A silky, too warm voice made then all lift their guns and turn to face the speaker as she stepped out from behind a disused bookcase. The woman was young, in her mid twenties, with cropped blonde hair and deep green eyes. “Nice to see you again, Dougie.” Everyone turned to look at Dougie in surprise, but he had no answer to the question they all wanted to ask. He didn’t recognize her. “You won’t remember me. Well, not how I am now. I sure enjoyed yanking on your chains downstairs, literally. It kinda stopped being fun when you gave up screaming in agony, though.” The woman shrugged nonchalantly. Danny stepped forward, his eyes narrowed and his gun aimed directly at her forehead. “Leave him alone, and I might make your death slightly less painful than it’s

gonna be.” He snarled. “Relax; I’m not hurting him right now. Yet. I’m a bit offended you still don’t know who I am though.” She looked over Danny’s shoulder at Dougie. “You begged me to stop enough times to remember my name, surely.” “Leah.” Dougie whispered, so quietly it was hard to hear. “Oh, so you do remember. And yet it doesn’t look like you’ve told your friends about me.” Leah’s eyes went back to Danny, who was glancing back at Dougie with a look of confusion, with a hint of anger. “Even after all the fun we had. Well, I had, anyway.” After that sentence, Danny’s eyes blazed as they turned black. “You twisted bitch.” He hissed. “Do you really think anyone in hell would pass up a chance to torture the one other person the traitor Danny Jones cared about? Except her,” Leah flicked her hand towards Sara like she was nothing of importance. “But she was still up here with you.” “I’m gonna make sure you’re in ten times as much pain as you put him through.” Danny threatened, edging closer with the gun still raised. “And it’ll be you begging us to stop.” “Ooh, bad ass.” Leah raised her hands and took a step back in mock fear. “I’m not scared of you. Send me back to hell, I’ll just come back. Torture me, and I’ll when I come back I’ll do the exact same thing to you. Or to them.” Her eyes once again slid to Sara and Dougie. “You’re not gonna get within a mile of them after today.” Danny growled. “Doug,” Danny’s voice was calm. He held his hand out behind him, keeping his eyes and the gun focused on Leah. Dougie didn’t need to be told what to do. He acted casual at first, then pulled a knife from his belt as fast as possible and threw it towards Danny. Danny caught the handle without having to look and sliced the blade through the air as he brought it in front of him, then lunged forward and plunged it into Leah’s stomach, gripping her shoulder. Leah let out a shriek of agony as the blade, covered in holy water, ripped through her flesh. The wound instantly began burning, as if the blade was on fire. Danny let go of her and she staggered back gasping. “You bastard,” She hissed, grasping the hilt of the knife and slowly sliding it out of her stomach. She dropped it to the ground, one hand covering the wound while the other hung at her side. “You’ll pay for that.” She leapt forward with inhuman speed, tackling Danny to the ground and punching him hard just under his ribs. He refused to let it affect him, throwing her off with ease. She flipped in the air as if she had been practicing for these things her entire life, landing crouched on the floor with one hand to support her. She was about to start another attack when one bullet, closely followed by two others, ripped through her body, making her step back. “Do you really think you can beat all five of us alone?” Danny sneered. “I wasn’t planning on doing.” Leah smirked cockily. She flicked her wrist and the front of one of the crates fell open. The room was filled with high pitched manic laughter, which quickly dispersed around the room. They couldn’t see anything, only hear the crazy chortling. A few stacks of books fell from the table, and from the floor started whizzing around the room. Without warning, as if he had been struck, Tom fell to the ground. The bottom of the leg of his jeans was torn up in an instant and blood started to pour from multiple slices in his leg, as if something was trying to rip him apart. He aimed his gun at thin air, trying to judge as best he could although he couldn’t see it, and fired. The sound of the bullet hitting it’s mark was followed by a spattering of blood across the floor, but the victim still wasn’t visible. Thankfully, it’s frenzied attack was cut short.

Three long slashes opened across Harry’s cheek, blood trickling from them as he flinched away from nothingness. He swore and lifted his hand to his face, looking around the room for whatever had caused it, but he couldn’t see it. “What the fuck are they?!” Danny demanded, not taking his eyes of Leah. “They’re the start of the fun. I think they’re what you might call gremlins, only a lot fiercer than the ones you’d think of. It took a lot of effort for me to get these guys out of hell with me.” She smiled causally, watching calmly as the room erupted into chaos. One of the metal shelves fell, throwing it’s load across the floor. A computer screen smashed, showering the space in front of it with sparks. They all ducked simultaneously as a shelf was thrown towards them, and it clattered against the wall, leaving a crack in the plaster. One of the light’s above them started swinging back and forth. Dougie narrowed his eyes and aimed at the wire that connected the light to the ceiling. With one shot he hit his mark, and the light fell to the floor. It smashed on impact and there was a pained yelp, then nothing. “Only two?” Danny asked with a smirk. “Oh, don’t worry, like I said, they’re only the start of the fun.” Leah said. As if they waiting for a cue, two figures melted out of the shadows above them and dropped to the ground. Shadows seemed to flow around them, and they radiated darkness. They looked like they were wearing hooded cloaks, no features were visible. With a weird metallic sliding sound, shining silvery blades slid from their sleeves, one on each arm. The blades were easily over two feet long. The creatures seemed to glide across the floor, shadows billowing around them like smoke. Sara fired a bullet at the first one, but it just shimmered and the bullet passed straight through it. “What the fuck…” Sara whispered, lowering the useless weapon. The creature changed course slightly, heading towards her. It rose the blade high above it’s head then brought it down. Sara dived out of the way and the blade clanged against the concrete floor. It lifted the blade again, tauntingly slowly. It had actually left a crack in the floor. It swung around like a master swordsman, the blade slicing through the air centimetres above Dougie’s head as he ducked out of the way. Danny finally tore his eyes away from Leah and swung around, throwing a punch at the back of the creatures head. Again it shimmered slightly and Danny’s hand passed through it, doing no more damage than air. The other creature joined the fight, the blades whizzing through the air and clashing against the floor and the walls, each time getting closer and closer to hitting one of them. “Tom, Harry,” Danny hissed. They were close enough to hear his hushed words. “Deal with Leah. We’ll handle these guys.” “Are you freaking insane?” Sara demanded as she practically fell next to him, dodging another blow. “We can’t take on these two with all five of us, what are we gonna do when there’s just three of us?!” “We’re gonna do what we’re doing now; get the hell outta the way.” Danny replied. One of the shadow creatures raised it’s blade again and lunged towards them. They moved separate ways and the blade shot between them, slicing straight through the door that led back into the stairwell. The creature dragged the sword through the wood and to the floor before sliding it out with a high pitched grating sound. It whizzed around with both blades at arms length. One blade grazed Danny’s shoulder lightly, but what should have only been a scratch opened into a huge gash and blood poured down his arm. He let out a yell and staggered sideways, clutching his shoulder. “What the hell is that thing?” He hissed, backing away further. “That,” Leah said, a cocky smirk plastered on her face. “Is one of the sentries

of the gates of hell. Those blades are made to kill demons.” Tom and Harry moved as far from the creatures as possible. Tom fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a leather bag. He opened it and tipped it up, allowing it’s contents to pour onto the floor. Pure white salt fell to the ground and Tom moved so that it formed a line, blocking off one section of the room. Dougie slid away from one of the blades as it whizzed towards him, narrowly missing him. His hand was at his side, which was pounding with pain. He was trying not to let it affect him, but his efforts weren’t any help. With another swing the blade whooshed over his head, so close he could feel the breeze. He fell to his knees in a desperate attempt to avoid it. Dougie stared up at the shadowy being, seeing nothing but darkness under it’s hood. The creature loomed over him, lifting the blade agonisingly slowly, looking like a demonic executioner. Just as it was about to strike, Dougie was thrown sideways when something barrelled into him. The blade crashed to the ground, the very place where Dougie had just been. Dougie landed on the concrete floor with a thud, and Danny landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. “You’re supposed to fucking move away when those sword things come at you, not wait to be hit!” Danny hissed. He stood up quickly, grabbing Dougie’s arm and pulling him up. “Get over there.” Danny shoved Dougie over the line of salt. “And stay there.” “You and Sara can’t handle- Look out!” Dougie yelled. Danny moved sideways just as one of the silver swords whizzed through the air, almost hitting him again. “We can handle them while you and Tom and Harry come up with a plan! You’re injured, you’ll get yourself killed! Just hurry up!” Danny ordered. He backed away from the hooded sentry, as Leah had called it. However, the creature didn’t turn to face him. It stood at the line of salt, completely still. The shadowy smoke that billowed around it stopped short at the line, showing that it couldn’t cross. Although he couldn’t see it’s eyes, an uneasy feeling spread through Dougie, and he could sense that it was staring at him. Tom stepped around him suddenly, lifting a shotgun and firing directly at the sentry. Rock salt exploded from the gun and hit the sentry, and as if it was suddenly a solid creature, it flew backwards with a chilling, high pitched shriek. Unlike a ghost, the rock salt didn’t get rid of it. It regained it’s composure, and after a couple of seconds of it staring towards them, it turned towards Danny and Sara, who were busy distracting the other one. Tom lifted the shotgun again, taking aim at the sentries head. He fired and the creature jerked forward. As if someone had set it on fire, cracks of light started to creep down the hooded figure all the way to it’s shadowed feet. With another bone chilling scream it began to crumble in on itself, until there was nothing put a pile of ash and two shining silver blades on the floor. “It’s head is it’s weak spot.” Tom murmured. He took aim and fired at the second one, but the gun clicked uselessly. “Shit!” Tom growled. I’m out of rock salt!” Danny grabbed Sara’s wrist and pulled her to the side as the blade sliced towards them. He glanced down at the remains of the creature’s partner. “You better find a replacement then!” He yelled. Sara threw herself into Danny as the sentry swung at them again, and they both crashed to the floor milliseconds before the blade sliced through the air where they had just been. “It’s like a ghost. A shadowy, extra creepy, sword trained ghost.” Harry muttered. “Danny told you guys to deal with Leah.” Dougie reminded them. “I’ll help

with that thing. Am I hell gonna stay here while they fight it!” He stepped over the line of salt again, looking around the room for some kind of weapon as Tom and Harry traded questioning looks, wondering whether or not to pull him back. Dougie dashed over to the back wall of the room before they could reach him, gripping hold of a loose pipe and yanking it clean off the wall. It looked and felt like iron, so he just had to hope it was. He crept closer to the creature then took a swing, just before it could strike Danny and Sara who were trying to scramble out of it’s range. The pipe went straight through the creature like it was passing through smoke, but the sentry screeched and turned around, before flickering and disappearing. Dougie whirled around and stepped back, stopping when he reached the wall. It couldn’t be that easy. “What the fuck, Doug?! I said stay over there!” Danny hissed as he came to Dougie’s side. “If that didn’t work that thing would have cut you to shreds!” “Shut up! It was gonna kill you!” Dougie growled. Danny narrowed his eyes, about to say something else, when a dark figure flickered into vision behind him. Dougie swore, dropping the pipe and grabbing Danny’s arm, pulling him out of the way just as a blade whizzed through the air and clashed against the wall. It lifted the blade again and it sliced towards Dougie, millimetres from his chest as he leapt backwards, but he’d ran out of places to go. His back was against a wall, and he was stuck in a corner. Danny grabbed the pipe that Dougie had dropped and leapt forward, swinging at the creatures head. It struck with a loud crack and the pipe crunched as it broke through something. The sentry didn’t even have time to scream as it crumbled with the same eerie glow. Silence enveloped the room as they stared at the remains of the two sentries, gasping for air. Danny and Sara were covered in slashes and cuts, but only a couple of them were deep. Momentarily forgetting about Leah, Danny rounded on Dougie, grabbing hold of his shirt and pushing him against the wall, his eyes blazing. “Are you insane?! What have I told you about playing the hero? I get’s you killed! If I hadn’t stepped in and killed that thing you’d be dead! You might be part demon, but you’re not fucking immortal! When I tell you to stay put, you fucking stay put!” He yelled. “I helped you kill it, didn’t I?” Dougie defended, glaring defiantly at Danny. “That’s not the point! What if I’d missed?” Danny demanded. “You never miss.” Dougie replied calmly. “Fine, what if it hadn’t worked?” Danny growled. “Then I’d be skewered. But I still would have saved you, so be grateful.” Dougie said. “Be grateful that you nearly got yourself killed?! I-” “I hate to interrupt, but you just killed my favourite pets.” Leah broke in. Danny released Dougie and turned to face her. He crouched down and grabbed one of the blades that the sentry had owned then stood up, advancing on her and drawing it back to strike. “I don’t think so,” Leah smirked and stepped back, before throwing her head back and screaming. Something that looked like black smoke erupted out of her mouth and flew towards the closest window, before leaking through the gaps in the frame and escaping into the night as the body she had been hosting collapsed to the floor. Chapter 50 “You’re gonna get yourself killed one day, and I’m not gonna be able to step

in.” Danny growled, looking at Dougie, who was staring at his shoes like a child who was getting a lecture of his parents. “If you’d just do what I told you to do-” “Then you and Sara would have been sliced up by that thing.” Dougie gestured at the pile of what looked like ash on the floor. “It’s a dangerous job, Danny, I’m not gonna be completely safe all the time!” Sara stepped between them and crouched next to the remains of the creature. She picked up one of the long blades, examining it in her hands. Leah had said it was made to kill demons, and hat would certainly come in handy. “Ok, Danny, stop playing OTT big brother for a minute and look at this.” Sara said, standing up. Danny raised one eyebrow and looked at her, then at the blade. It was like a sword, with a black hilt with a line of deep red jewels spiralling around it. He took it from Sara, and it felt so light that he hardly knew he was holding it. “What about it?” He asked, turning it slightly and watching how the light reflected off it. “It kills demons. We could really use something like that.” She said. “Well yeah, but it’s not really something we can carry around without people noticing, is it?” Danny pointed out. “Not as they are, but if we had them melted down and made into something a bit more subtle, like a knife...” Sara trailed off, looking from the sword to Danny. “That might work,” Danny whispered. He looked at the wound on his shoulder, which still had blood trickling from it, although it had almost stopped. “But do you happen to know a swordsmith?” “Actually, I know someone who could do the job... Only, she’s not exactly stable.” Sara replied. “In the way that it’s probably best if you two,” She looked at Tom and Harry. “Stay clear. Probably Dougie too.” “We need to find Leah too. I’m gonna kill that bitch.” Danny growled. He crouched down and picked up the second sword as Harry and Tom each bent to retrieve the other two. “And I’m gonna make sure it hurts.” Danny added. “Let’s just get out of here.” Sara said, rolling her eyes. She took the other two swords from Tom and Harry, although Harry seemed reluctant to give it up. “You’ll get one back, I promise.” Sara said exasperatedly. “Now we just need to find a way to hide her.” She gestured at the body that Leah had left behind. All of them went quiet. ***** “There’s something up with him. I know it.” Danny muttered under his breath as Dougie stood at the bar ordering their drinks a few metres away. Tom and Harry had gone up to their room, leaving him and Sara sat alone in a small booth. “I dunno why he won’t tell me. I mean, does he not trust me or something?” He added. “Maybe he just doesn’t know how to tell you.” Sara shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “I’m sure he will eventually.” “Eventually,” Danny grumbled. “He always tells me everything. Why not this?” “You never told him about us. Maybe, if you were honest with him, he’d return the favour.” Sara said. Danny looked at her for a moment, looking deep in through. Then his eyes cleared and he raised one eyebrow. “You know.” He stated. “I know what?” Sara asked, a little too quickly. “You do! You know what’s wrong with him!” Danny accused, then lowered his voice, remembering Dougie wasn’t far away.

“I don’t,” Sara argued weakly. “Tell me.” He ordered. “I can’t. I promised.” Sara mumbled, knowing there was no point in denying that she knew. “I don’t care.” Danny growled. “I have a right to know. I can’t believe he told you before he told me!” Danny sounded hurt, leaning back and folding his arms. “He didn’t tell me, I found out by accident.” Sara said, trying to come to Dougie’s defence. She glanced up, seeing that the woman behind the bar was handing over the drinks. “Try what I said. He might tell you.” She said quickly. “Doubt it. I’m obviously not trustworthy enough to know.” Danny muttered bitterly. Dougie returned and Danny fell silent, not even looking up at him. Dougie put the drinks on the table and sat down next to Danny, giving him a questioning look which was ignored, already knowing something was wrong. Ten minutes passed in awkward silence. Sara suddenly gulped down what was left of her drink and stood up. “I’m gonna go to our room.” She gave Danny a meaningful look, then left them alone. Another silent five minutes passed. “Danny, what’s up?” Dougie asked finally. “Nothing.” Danny grunted. He looked at Dougie for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and sighed. “You wanted to know about what happened with me and Sara right?” He asked. Dougie nodded slowly. “Fine.” January 18th, 1985 “Danny, what’s up? Normally you’d be celebrating!” Sara asked, looking at Danny with concern. He was stood at the mirror in a large living room, staring at his own reflection without seeing it. He’d started to become more and more distant lately, and Sara was starting to get worried. “You’re not going psycho on me, are you?” She joked half heartedly, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Danny just shook his head slowly. “That guy... He died.” He whispered. “We can’t save everyone, Dan. We saved his three kids. We did what we could.” Sara murmured. “And now they have to grow up without a dad.” Danny said. “All because we didn’t get rid of that fucking demon a few seconds earlier.” “We tried, we couldn’t have done anything else.” Sara insisted. She stepped closer to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Why are we even doing this? We’re supposed to be the bad guys anyway.” Danny growled. “What, you want to be a murderer now?” Sara demanded. “No, but why are we doing this? People hate us because they assume we’re like the rest, and the demons hate us because they know we’re not. We’re on our own side and we have no one to help us. I don’t wanna do this anymore.” He replied. “Don’t wanna do what?” Sara asked. “Hunt things. Be involved with this stuff. We constantly put our lives on the line and no one gives a shit whether we live or die. Or they actually want us to die. I just want out of it all.” Danny ran a hand through his hair, looking at Sara’s reflection in the mirror. It seemed much easier than looking at her directly. However, she still managed to meet his eyes through the reflection, filling him with guilt that he was saying this. “So, say you actually leave, will you be able out live with knowing what’s out

there and not doing anything?” Sara asked, her voice lacking any emotion. “I can try.” Danny muttered, afraid that if he spoke any louder his voice would betray what he was actually thinking. “You wont be able to stay anywhere for long. They’ll start suspecting you.” Sara said. “I know.” Danny looked down, no longer able to look at her, even if it was just her reflection. “You want to leave everything behind?” Sara’s voice lowered slightly. “I just don’t want to live like this. I’ve never known anything else, never done what normal people do. You’re the only girlfriend I’ve ever had, and I didn’t have my first kiss until after I went to hell! That’s not normal! People start to think it’s weird when you’re like, sixteen, or even less, so what does that make me?” “I never really thought guys were so sentimental about first kisses.” Sara said, unable to think of anything else, and although it was supposed to be a joke she didn’t look like she was prepared to crack a smile any time soon. “It’s not just that!” Danny exclaimed, waving his arms in frustration. “I’ve never had proper friends, had a proper birthday party, or even a freaking Christmas! My parents were always too busy hunting, and now I am too. I just want to be normal, for once.” His voice quietened to a whisper as he said the last sentence. “Danny, you’ll never be normal.” Sara said, although she knew it wouldn’t help. “No, but I can act normal.” Danny growled. “So what about me? I’m a demon. You can’t be ‘normal’ with me around.” Sara said, and her emotionless voice suddenly sounded sharp. “I know.” Danny’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I think I’m gonna leave.” Silence descended over the room. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity. Sara just stared at him, her mind completely blank, and Danny was unable to meet her gaze. He didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t see any alternative. “You know what,” Sara finally said, but her voice was quiet shook slightly, sounding completely out of character. She took a deep breath and tried again. “You know what?” She repeated, now sounding much stronger. They edge had returned to her words and she once again looked like she usually did, strong minded, independent and not up for any bullshit. Danny risked a glance at her, biting his lip. “Don’t bother. Let me make it easier for you.” She turned around and stalked out of the room, throwing the keys she kept in her pocket on the floor. Danny stepped forward as if to stop her, but didn’t do anything else as she pulled open the front door and slammed it again behind her with such force that the plaster around the frame cracked slightly. Danny stared at the door, not actually seeing it. He didn’t have time to apologize or take it back, to stop her from leaving. She was already gone. Present Day “What, you never saw her again after that? Until you called her and got her to come back?” Dougie asked, having listened to Danny’s story without a single interruption, which actually made Danny feel more nervous. He was used to Dougie breaking in. In fact, he liked it. It gave him an opportunity to go off on a tangent and escape the main story for a while, perhaps even avoid the subject all together. It helped him relax, making everything a bit easier. Dougie had given him no such opportunities. “Well yeah, I saw her again a couple of weeks before I met you. By accident.

It was really weird and awkward. All we did was talk for a while, then she said she had to go somewhere and left again. Every so often she’d appear to warn me about things. But we never got close again, because she stopped trusting me.” Danny said, shrugging as if he didn’t care, when it was plainly obvious that he did. He took a quick drink, looking at Dougie carefully, awaiting the next question. “If she kept popping up, why did I never meet her?” Dougie asked after a few seconds of silence. “Because I made sure you didn’t. I guess, after a couple of years of not seeing her and her random reappearances, I stopped trusting her too.” Danny said with another fake nonchalant shrug. “And I never even noticed?” Dougie murmured; it was more of a speculation than a question. Danny shook his head. “I came up with excuses. To be honest, I was surprised to ever see her again after what happened when she appeared one time. I said stuff I shouldn’t have said, and then I didn’t see her again for at least four years. When she finally came back it was only because we were walking into a trap, and she said, and I quote, she ‘might as well warn me, because there’s no point in a little kid dying because he’s stuck with a moronic dick’.” Danny half smiled at the memory, as if it was one of the nice moments he and Sara had shared. “What made her disappear for so long?” Dougie asked. Danny sighed. He was starting to feel like an old man telling stories of the ‘good old days’ to his grandchildren. 28th February 1995 Jessica stared out of the window of the kitchen she was standing in, having absolutely nothing to do. They’d been forced to squat in a random house, but it was better than a few hotels they’d been to. And they actually had space to get away from each other. Everything would have been quiet, if it wasn’t for the constant laughing coming from the front room. Every so often it was broken by a shriek or scream, or even shouts for her to help, but she couldn’t be bothered going back and getting involved in the play fight. She felt too uncomfortable around Danny, and if Dougie wanted to spend his time with him, it meant he couldn’t also spend time with her. “Jessica! Help me!” Dougie yelled again. She rolled her eyes and finally walked out into the hallway. He’d recently started calling her by her full name instead of the usual ‘Jessie’. Of course he did, because that’s what Danny called her. She entered the front room, leaning on the doorframe with a questioning look on her face. Danny was sat on the floor, sideways on from her, one leg crossed in front of him and the other bent with his foot on the floor, acting like an anchor so Dougie couldn’t push him over. He had one arm fastened tightly around Dougie’s middle, holding him still, while he used his free hand to tickle him. Dougie was desperately trying to get away, kicking helplessly and struggling, giggling constantly and yelping every so often. “What are you doing to my brother?” Jessica demanded, trying to sound like part of the play, although her heart wasn’t in it. “He started it!” Danny laughed. He finally let Dougie push him onto his back and released him, only to let him get a couple of feet away before standing up and dashing after him, grabbing him and lifting him off the ground, resulting in another scream.

“I’ll be back in a second.” Jessica muttered, leaving the room again. She couldn’t be bothered being involved, it would only make the whole thing less fun for all of them. “No! Don’t leave me!” Dougie wailed as she went. She almost laughed. She was going to go upstairs when she heard a loud bang outside. She walked back into the kitchen slowly, pulling a handgun out of her belt. There was another bang, and she could have sworn she saw something move outside, but it was gone before she could be sure. She scanned the small garden, then went back into the hallway, figuring she might as well tell Danny and Dougie to be quiet while she had a reason to. When she returned, Danny had found a new way of making Dougie squeal. He wasn’t just holding him off the ground anymore; he was letting him dangle upside down a few feet off the floor, holding him by his ankles. Dougie was still struggling nonetheless, trusting completely that Danny wouldn’t let go. “For god’s sake, put him down! You’re gonna drop him!” She exclaimed, although she knew it wasn’t true. “I’d never drop him, I’m way too careful!” Danny chuckled, but started lowering Dougie anyway. Just as Dougie could touch the floor again, Danny yanked him up a foot or so, resulting in another burst of giggles. “Just put him down!” Jessica hissed. Danny looked a little taken aback. “Fine, fine, chill out.” He muttered, putting Dougie down on the couch. “I was just messing around.” “There’s something out there, so when you’re done ‘messing around’ I’d appreciate a little help.” Jessica growled. Danny suddenly became serious. “Stay here with him, I’ll check it out.” Danny ordered. Jessica nodded slowly, then took hold of Dougie’s wrist and half dragged him upstairs, with him protesting the whole way. Danny opened one of the drawers and pulled out a shotgun, already loaded, and headed towards the back door. When he first stepped outside there was nothing, only the breeze whispering through the uncut grass. His eyes flicked around the garden. The fence was high, so no one would be able to see him, and any human would have trouble climbing over quickly and unseen. “Hiya Dan.” Danny nearly fell backwards in his hurry to turn around. Leaning against he wall, just next to the door he’d just come out of, stood Sara, looking completely unphased by the fact he had a shotgun aimed at her. “What are you doing here?” Danny demanded, regaining his composure. “They could see you.” He looked up at the second story windows, but neither Jessica nor Dougie were watching. “Give the girl some credit, she’s not a complete moron.” Sara said. “Why are you here?” Danny asked again. “Not up for small talk today?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “No, no I’m not. You know why? Because you keep showing up whenever you feel like it, when you know they might see you!” Danny growled, gesturing at the house. “Relax, Danny, they’ve not seen me. I just thought you’d wanna know-” “No, I don’t care. I’m a hunter, I don’t need you to warn me about things. You keep just coming and going! If they see you, then I’m screwed. I don’t need you watching my back all the time! When I left, it wasn’t so you’d follow me around and give me pointers I don’t need! So this time, when you disappear, stay gone!” Danny’s voice rose steadily until he was almost shouting. Sara just stared at him for a moment,

until her gaze hardened and her eyes became cold. “Fine. Sorry for thinking that an old friendship would mean something to you.” Sara said, then whirled around and disappeared around the side of the house. Seconds later, when Danny stepped around to look for her, she was gone. Present Day “You were a dick.” Dougie muttered. “Shut up, you didn’t seem to think so then. But, somewhere along the line, you suddenly got your own mind, and got stubborn and sarcastic.” Danny said with a smile. “Like you?” Dougie asked, raising his eyebrow. Danny paused. “Yeah, I guess.” He smirked. “How did you two meet?” Dougie asked, going back to the subject. “Doug, you sound like a shallow teenage girl.” Danny said. Dougie huffed and sat back slightly, pausing for a while. “I still wanna know.” He finally said. “Another time.” Danny said. “First of all, I wanna know about Leah.” Chapter 51 “I don’t remember much.” Dougie lied, not making eye contact. His eyes were instead focussed on the now empty glass in his hand, as if it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. “Stop lying to me, Doug, it’s starting to get frustrating.” Danny said. “She was just there while... I mean she...” Dougie trailed off, not knowing what to say. “Did she torture you down there? Put you in more pain than you thought was possible? Torment you twenty-four-seven?” Danny asked, his voice calm, as if he was talking about something perfectly normal. “Pretty much.” Dougie murmured. “Not just her. There were others, too.” He added quietly. “How many? Do you remember their names? Did they get out too?” Danny asked, leaning forward. “I can’t remember how many, and I don’t know if they got out. I know a few names.” Dougie said, sounding uncomfortable. “There was one called Adam, and a Kyle and a Sandra, and the worst one was called Gabriel. He hardly ever left me alone. Everything he did was worse than the last. He...” Dougie trailed off again, putting his head in his hands, the agonising memories flitting through his mind. He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily. He felt Danny rest a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He opened his eyes again, looking at Danny without raising his head. “He got out. I know that much. I... I dunno, I can feel it.” He whispered. Danny looked angry, but he forced a small reassuring smile, squeezing his shoulder and removing his hand. “We’ll get rid of him, don’t worry. I’ll take him out personally.” He promised. His eyes clouded for a moment, memories of his own experiences in hell running through his mind. Dougie nodded, but he looked doubtful. “I’ll get us a couple more drinks.” Danny offered. He put his hand in his pocket, looking for his wallet. His hand slid against a penknife he kept in his pocket which had been knocked open. He let out a grunt, removing his hand and looking at the thin slice across his hand. Beads of deep

crimson liquid formed along it and a couple trickled down his hand. “That knife’s a piece of crap.” He muttered. “It just won’t stay-” He broke off when he looked up. Dougie had his head bowed, his hands clasped together so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. His breathing had sped up. “Doug?” Danny murmured. Dougie didn’t reply. “Dougie?” Danny reached across the table, hooking a finger under Dougie’s chin and lifting his head. He fell silent, not moving at all, staring at Dougie, his shocked eyes locked on Dougie’s crimson ones. Dougie jerked back suddenly, knocking Danny’s hand away and standing up. He walked out of the door as fast as he could without actually breaking into a run. Danny instantly stood up and followed him. Dougie had stopped outside, knowing Danny would follow him and that there was no point in trying to run. “What’s going on, Doug?” Danny asked calmly, standing in front of him. Dougie was staring at the floor, his face hidden behind his fringe. He didn’t answer, letting out a shaky breath. “Dougie, come on, say something.” Danny murmured, a hint of concern in his voice. He stepped forward and put his hand on Dougie’s shoulder, but Dougie just took a step back, shaking him off. “I... I...” Dougie stuttered. When he glanced up, his eyes were once again blue. “You’re gonna have to explain it sooner or later.” Danny said. “Preferably sooner.” “I just, I dunno, I...” Dougie took another step away. “Doug, come on, what are you so scared of?” Danny asked. “I’m still a vampire, ok?” Dougie finally said. Danny’s eyes widened, then narrowed in annoyance. He felt cheated. He’d done everything he could to stop this, he’d actually had to kill his best friend, but he was still a vampire. Everything seemed to be against him. He let out a cross between a sigh and a growl, his eyes closing. When he opened them, they had turned black. Sara hadn’t told him this was a possibility. It was just so unfair. He couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal, but he wasn’t sure who it was aimed at. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Danny asked, his voice dripping with anger. Dougie instantly assumed that it was directed at him. He took another step away. “I didn’t know how you’d react.” Dougie’s voice was barely above a shaky whisper. “I can’t believe this.” Danny growled. Dougie once again went to back away, but Danny stepped forward and grabbed hold of his wrist. “Stop it.” He ordered. “You’re not going anywhere.” “I... I’m not gonna hurt anybody. I can control it, I swear.” Dougie said desperately, nerves getting the better of him. Danny’s grip was like a vice, and his eyes were locked on Dougie as if he didn’t know what he was. “Danny...” Dougie whispered. “I’m still the same.” “I know,” Danny muttered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I know. I just... How do you know you can control it?” “Because I’ve not killed anyone!” Dougie exclaimed. Danny opened his eyes again, which he had forced to return to blue. “No, not yet.” Danny whispered. Dougie’s eyes widened. “You think I’m going to?” He asked, his voice quiet. Danny didn’t answer for a while, looking at Dougie as if he was evaluating his self control there and then, then shook his head. “No. If you try, I’ll stop you. But you won’t. You wouldn’t.” He murmured. “But why didn’t you tell me? I could... I could have helped you.”

“How? How could you have possibly helped me?” Dougie demanded. He pulled his hand free, annoyance taking over his nervousness. He glared at Danny. “I’m as messed up as you can get! There’s no one like me in the world! There’s no one that understands! How the hell could you have helped?!” “I don’t know.” Danny admitted quietly. “But I would have thought of something.” “Sara couldn’t help. She could onl-” “You told Sara but not me?” Danny asked, sounding hurt. “No, she found out!” Dougie growled. He let out a huge sigh. “It’s just... not fair!” “I know.” Danny mumbled. He released Dougie’s wrist and sighed, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. “There must be something we can do. We’ll come up with something.” He promised. Dougie sighed again, his breath shaky. Danny gave him a sympathetic look, sliding his arm around his shoulders and leading him back inside. “Everything’s gonna be fine, Doug.” He murmured. “There has to be a way to fix this.” Chapter 52 “Where are we headed?” Dougie asked as he slid into Sara’s car. Danny sat next to him, once again back to keeping an eye on him. Whether it was to make sure he was ok or to check he was still normal, Dougie wasn’t sure. Sara started the engine, watching as Tom and Harry drove on ahead of them. “One of my many holiday homes.” Sara replied with a smile. “I’ve not been to this one for a while though. We figured it would be best if we took a break, you know, so we can work out-” “If I’m safe?” Dougie finished for her bitterly. “No, Doug, because we need one after everything, and I’m sure it’ll be easier to find out if there’s a way out of this if we’re not fighting monsters at the same time.” Danny said. Dougie sighed and sank into his seat. “Tom and Harry are staying in a hotel again, so we don’t have to worry about them finding out.” Danny added. “It’s an hour and a half drive, just to warn you. I don’t want you both being grumpy all the way. No falling out or you’ll both sleep on the floor.” Sara warned. Danny chuckled. He leaned over the front seat and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a stack of albums and flicking through them. “Not bad, Sara, not bad.” Danny nodded approvingly with a joking smirk. He picked out a CD and put it into the radio and sat back again as ‘Basket Case’ by Green Day filled the car. Dougie glanced at the radio then at Danny with one eyebrow raised. “Awesome, huh?” Danny said, grinning. Dougie just chuckled and looked out of the window as Danny started drumming on his knees. “Listen, guys, when we get to Manchester don’t go killing every demon you see. There’s a hell of a lot in that city, and if they know we’re there, they won’t try and reason. Just act like we’re the same as them.” Sara told them. “I didn’t know Manchester was a demon hotspot.” Danny said, pausing in his drumming. “Yeah, but if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone. I just thought I’d warn you so you didn’t go playing the hero and shooting everybody and getting us killed, which you probably would.” Sara said with a nonchalant shrug. “Stop being so doom and gloom.” Danny grinned and leaned forward, turning

the volume up on the radio. Sara rolled her eyes as Danny started singing along at the top of his voice. ***** “Where are they now?” A cold voice, although quiet, filled the silent room. It was filled with authority, and the few people who surrounded him didn’t dare to interrupt or speak out of turn. It was almost as if the speaker was sat on a throne, the others stood around him awaiting orders. The room was huge, empty and windowless. The only light came from a couple of swinging light bulbs above them, filling the cold, grey room with dancing shadows. “I’m not sure. Somewhere in the north-west, probably. When they found me I was in Bolton, but they’ve probably left there now.” Leah said. She had managed to obtain a new body within a few minutes of being forced out of her other one. She didn’t make eye contact with the first speaker, her head bowed in respect. “I’m sorry I let them get away, Gabriel.” “I told you to dispose of the other four. You had the best help possible, and you still failed.” Gabriel stated. His deep black hair was quite short, but stood out drastically from his pale complexion. He body seemed to somehow draw darkness towards it, although he himself looked like a normal human. His presence filled the atmosphere with tension. “Maybe if I hadn’t been alon-” “Silence. You had your chance, and I thought you were best for the job. Obviously I was wrong.” Gabriel growled. “But I-” Leah started, looking up, but stopped as Gabriel’s icy blue eyes burned into her own. She bowed her head again, mumbling an apology. “I don’t understand, why is he so special? He’s just a demon, like any other.” “Do you not know what he did?” Gabriel demanded. “When you joined me I was sure you understood.” He didn’t wait for a response, but Leah didn’t dare to give one anyway. “He tricked me. He promised to would help me if I released him. I had a plan, and he destroyed it! So now we’re going to destroy him. Starting with the humans. Then he’ll know I’m coming. After those two, we’ll take down the other demon and the freak. Then he’ll be completely alone, and I can drag him back to hell myself.” Gabriel hissed. “But how? They’re all together, there’s no way he’ll let the other two out of his sight if he knows we’re coming for them.” Another man spoke up. “Do you really think he can stop us? We can rip them right out of his grasp and there’s nothing he can do about it. And it’ll tear him apart, knowing it’s his fault that they have a more agonising fate than any other demon. He’ll practically throw himself right into the pit.” A sick smile twisted Gabriel’s features as he imagined the futures he had lined up for his victims. “And this time, there’ll be no way out.” “If we had more than just two sentries, it would be easy-” “Do you think it was easy getting those two out of hell unnoticed? Now we have none! Another reason why you were such a failure!” Gabriel snarled. Leah flinched at his words, not daring to speak again. For a while, there was nothing but silence. “What do you suggest we do then?” The man asked. “You, Adam, will stay out of sight. We can’t risk the other one,” He paused for a moment. “Dougie Poynter,” Adam filled in for him.

“Yes, him, recognising you. The same goes for Kyle, Louise and Sandra.” He looked at none of the surrounding people as he spoke, but three of them nodded obediently. “But stay near. Let them sense your presence.” Gabriel added. “Xander, you will take care of the humans. I don’t care how you do it, just get rid of them. To be safe, take others with you. As many as you think are necessary.” He ordered. A man with blonde hair nodded. “Go now.” Gabriel said, and Xander turned away and strolled out of the room quickly. “As for the other two, I want to be there to see the agony they are in, and I want Jones to see it too.” Gabriel said with another sadistic smirk, spitting Danny’s name out as if it disgusted him to say it. “All of you, leave.” He ordered suddenly. The rest of the people in the room instantly started to walk away. “Except you, Leah.” Gabriel added. Leah froze on the spot, and slowly turned back to face him. Her breathing sped up slightly, her eyes fixed on the concrete floor. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were hunched. Her long blonde hair fell down her shoulders, partially hiding her face. “You failed, Leah. You ruined our best chance to kill them easily. You also lost the sentries. And, on top of it all, you don’t know where they have gone.” Gabriel said. He sounded calm, but Leah knew what was coming. “Please, I made a mistake, it won’t happen again.” Leah whispered desperately. “No,” Gabriel murmured. It won’t.” He lifted his hand as Leah raised her head, her eyes wide and frightened. She coughed suddenly, seemingly without reason. She bent over, clutching her stomach as she coughed again, more violently, and blood splattered out of her mouth onto the ground. She fell to her knees, gasping. Gabriel clenched his fist slowly, and Leah let out a blood chilling scream of agony. The whites of her eyes started to go pink, then darker and darker until they were crimson with blood. Here eyes flickered to black as she made an attempt to fight back, lifting her own hand as if to throw Gabriel back. He smirked down at her, not affected. Leah lowered her arm again, giving in and falling forward onto her hands and knees. Blood trickled from the corner of her eye like a tear. Gabriel turned his hand and she shrieked again as slices tore across her back, blood erupting out of them. He flicked his wrist and she was thrown sideways, sliding across the floor for a few feet until she hit the wall, leaving a trail of blood behind. She gasped for air, coughing up more blood. “P-please,” She stuttered. Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment and opened his hand so his palm was facing towards her. She screeched again, breaking off into sobs at the end. “Please,” She begged. “Just kill me!” “Very well. You’re boring me anyway.” Gabriel said, smiling. He clenched his fist quickly and Leah didn’t even have time to scream as the life was ripped out of her. Chapter 53 Danny blinked a few times as he opened his eyes, the light that filtered through the window waking him. He let out a groan and stretched, sitting up. He ran a hand through his messed up hair and looked across at Dougie, who was lying on his front on the other couch. He had one arm under his head and the other dangling off the side of the couch, looking like he wasn’t planning on waking up any time soon. Danny smirked and stood up, walking out of the basically furnished room and into the kitchen. He rooted through the cupboards, which didn’t have very much in them. Eventually pulling out a pack of biscuits and walking back into the other room.

He flopped down on the couch again, tearing into the pack. “Healthy breakfast, Dan.” Sara said sarcastically as she walked into the room. She collapsed on the couch next to him, one of her legs resting over the top of his seeing as he was taking up so much room. “Want one?” He offered through a mouthful, holding up the packet, which he’d already managed to eat a quarter of. Sara shook her head, chuckling quietly as Danny shoved another into his mouth. He looked at her with one eyebrow raised, half of the biscuit still sticking out of his mouth, and that was the final straw. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles, not wanting to wake up Dougie. “What?!” Danny demanded, completely confused. Sara shook her head, her laughter turning into uncontrollable silent giggles. Danny took the biscuit out of his mouth and threw it at her, her laughter making him join in. “Ew!” She yelled, throwing it back at him. “That’s been in your mouth!” Dougie woke suddenly when he heard a shout, jerking up. He looked around the empty room, his eyes narrowing confusion when he heard laughter. Sara stumbled back into the room, laughing so hard she was nearly crying. Danny followed her in the same state, but his hair was dripping wet and water was trickling down his face and spreading across the front of his shirt. “Oh, sorry, Doug.” Danny chuckled, swiping his arm over his face. Dougie rubbed his eyes, shaking his head, and lay back down again with a sigh. Sara sat back down on the other cough, stretching across it and resting her head on the arm. Danny looked at her like he was about to complain, then shrugged and sat on Dougie’s stomach. He groaned in protest and started to struggle out from under him, almost falling off the couch in the process. “And ‘excuse me’ wouldn’t have worked?” Dougie asked when he was free, sitting up. “Probably not, you’re the laziest person I know.” Danny said. “I’m guessing you didn’t count yourself as someone you know, then?” Dougie retorted. Danny snorted and batted him with his hand. Dougie was about to retaliate when Danny’s phone suddenly started to ring and he stood up, going over to retrieve it from one of the small tables in the room. “Hello?” He answered. “Danny, you need to get down here. Something’s going on.” Tom said from the other end of the line, sounding worried. “What do you mean by ‘something’?” Danny asked. “I... I don’t really know. Just come to the hotel, I think it’s something big. I don’t thi-” the line went fuzzy for a moment. “Danny, can you-” He got cut off suddenly, the line going dead. “Tom?” Danny said, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “Tom?” He repeated. No answer. “Crap, something’s happened.” He growled. “Come on, we gotta go.” ***** Danny pushed the hotel room door open cautiously, not fooled by the seemingly calm atmosphere. He swore as soon as he saw the state the room was in, walking inside wither the other two behind him. The door swung shut behind them, closing with an eerie thud that seemed to linger in the silent room. The TV, once fixed to the wall, was lying surrounded by broken glass face down on the floor. The desk was on its back in the middle of the room and the beds were torn up. The bathroom door was hanging off its hinges. There were deep gouges

is the walls and the single chair in the room had been thrown into the corner, cracking the plaster. A couple of drawers were on the floor, their contents spilling over the carpet. The whole room was covered in spatters of blood, and there was a large red stain in the middle of the cream carpet. “What the fuck do we do now?!” Danny demanded, clenching his fists as his eyes flickered black. He got no reply. He kicked one of the drawers which lay near his feet and it crashed into one of the walls. Beneath it was a small collection of guns and knives, so wherever Tom and Harry were now, they were unarmed. “We need to find them.” Dougie whispered. “Not yet.” Sara said. Dougie turned to look at her and opened his mouth to argue, but Danny stepped in. “What do you have in mind, then?” He asked, sounding calm, but Sara and Dougie knew him well enough to pick up the angry undertone to his voice. He was furious. “The sword things, we get those made into knives and go in prepared. If we go in now, whoever did it will be expecting us and we’ll walk straight into a trap.” Sara said. Danny nodded slowly. “How do we know they’re still alive?” Dougie asked softly, voicing the fear that they were all thinking about. There was no reply for a few seconds. “They are.” Danny finally replied confidently. “If they were dead, then they wouldn’t have bothered getting rid of the bodies. They wanted us to find this, and go after them.” “So that’s what we’re gonna do? Play it by their rules?” Dougie asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have a better idea?” Danny demanded. Dougie shook his head, giving in instantly. Annoying Danny even more wouldn’t end well for him. “Right, we all stick together. No wandering off.” Danny ordered. “We already stick together.” Sara mumbled. Danny just looked at her sternly. “Fine,” He growled. “Stick closer together.” Chapter 54 The journey was dead silent as the car crawled through the outskirts of Manchester. They were passing through a run down area, where all of the buildings looked the same. They were small and squashed together, made from dirty red bricks, the front gardens tiny and unkempt. The roads were narrow and the streets were full of litter. A few of the windows were boarded up, showing just how rough the area was. However, it was early morning, so there was hardly anyone around. Sara pulled up at the house on the corner, staring up at the building for a few moments before moving to get out of the car. It had a sort of dark presence around it. “Wait,” Danny said as she reached for the door handle. “You said Dougie shouldn’t go in.” Sara paused and sat back again. “He probably shouldn’t.” She murmured. “She might not like it.” “I’ll just stay here then.” Dougie said, shrugging. “But then you’ll be on your own.” Danny said. “I can always go in by myself.” Sara said, turning slightly in her seat to look at them. “But then you’ll be on your own.” Dougie pointed out. “Seriously, I don’t need a babysitter.” “They might know we’re here though, and leaving you here on your own...”

Danny trailed off, looking undecided. “Listen, you guys stay here. I won’t be on my own because I’ll have Alice.” Sara said. When Danny and Dougie gave her blank looks, she rolled her eyes and explained. “She’s the one who’ll be able to make the knives for us. She’s not exactly a friend, but no demon in their right mind would dare to go in there and start a fight with her. It’s probably better that way anyway, because if two of us go in she might think we’re planning something.” “Are you sure? I mean, maybe she won’t be able to tell Doug’s only half demon, so then-” “Come on, Danny, if you didn’t know Dougie and he happened to walk by, you’d know he wasn’t a full demon. And you’re not exactly the smartest person in the world. It’s obvious, and Alice would probably know before she even saw him.” Sara said. “I’ll be fine, honestly. I can handle myself better than you two put together.” “Whatever.” Danny snorted. He paused. “Hey, I’m not stupid!” “She’s probably right.” Dougie laughed. “We suck.” “Shut up.” Danny chuckled. “Seriously, though, if something happens just... I dunno, scream or something. And don’t hang around. Just get the knives and come back.” “And remember to look both ways before you cross the road.” Dougie added. Danny glared at him and gave him a shove. “You do know that making the knives is gonna take some time, right? They don’t just appear out of thin air.” Sara said, holding back a laugh at Dougie’s comment. “Well... tell her you’ll come back ad pick them up later or something.” Danny said. “It’s not a key cutting shop, you know.” Sara said, raising an eyebrow. “Tell her you have stuff to do! If you’re in there more than forty-five minutes, me and Doug are coming in too.” Danny stated, folding his arms and leaning back as if he wasn’t going to allow any more arguing. “Whatever, I give up.” Sara muttered, opening to door and climbing out, slamming it behind her. She opened the boot and collected two swords, assuming that they wouldn’t need all four, trying to conceal them as well as possible. “Sara! Remember to look both ways!” Dougie yelled just before she slammed the boot shut. “Will you just... Ugh!” Danny shouted, then threw himself at Dougie, pulling him into a headlock. Dougie let out a yelp and tried to break free, but there wasn’t enough room in the car for him to get away. Sara laughed quietly at the sight of them fighting, then walked towards the house. All of its windows had the curtains drawn. One of the ones on the top floor was boarded up. She sighed heavily, dreading entering. Alice was down right deranged. She knocked on the door hesitantly as she reached it, part of her praying that Alice wouldn’t answer. However, Alice never went anywhere, so there was no way she wouldn’t be in. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Sara could hear a key being turned in the lock. “What do you want?” A sharp voice demanded as soon as the door was slightly ajar. “I need your help. I need to make a few knives.” Sara replied calmly, as if it was a normal topic of conversation. “I recognise you. I’ve seen you before.” Alice said. She spoke slowly, with an edge of something unidentifiable in her voice, making her presence that little bit

creepier. “Yeah, I asked you a favour once a while back, and I repaid it too. My name’s Rachel.” Sara lied, easily remembering the fake name she had used years ago. “Oh, I remember you. Come in. And close the door.” Alice ordered before disappearing into the hallway and out of sight. Sara slowly pushed the door open, glancing back at the car. Danny and Dougie were still grappling with each other. She sighed, almost regretting saying she would be fine alone. Of course, she’d never admit that. She stepped inside and shut the door quietly. “What do you want my help with?” Alice asked, getting straight to the point. Her eyes were already locked on the blades Sara was carrying. “I need these melted down and made into knives. Five, it that’s possible.” Sara said. “Five... I think I can do that. But what do I get out of this?” Alice asked. Sara hesitated. She’d managed to forget that Alice would want something in return. Alice’s dark eyes burned into Sara’s, giving her an uneasy feeling. “These blades are made to kill demons. Amazing craftsmanship too. I think it’s a shame to melt them down. They’re rare enough as it is.” Alice said. “Oh,” Sara said, taking the hint. “We have another one. If you make the knives, you can have it.” She promised. Alice was a collector, and it was obvious she wanted to add one of the blades to what she had gathered over the years. Sara could see her thinking it over. “Fine. Only,” Alice paused, and the uneasy feeling Sara had doubled. “I also want to meet your friend.” “What?” Sara demanded. “I came on-” “Don’t even try to lie to me. I sensed those two out there, and don’t tell me they were sightseeing. I want to see him.” Alice growled. “What do you mean, him? There’s two.” Sara said, giving in. “I’m not bothered about the demon. The other one. He’s much more interesting.” Alice smiled eerily. “If he comes in, then so does the other one.” Sara stated. “Fine, it makes no difference to me. Do we have a deal?” Alice asked, raising one eyebrow and tilting her head, her coal black hair falling down her shoulders. “I guess so.” Sara murmured reluctantly. “But don’t you dare try anything, with either of them.” She growled. Alice shook her head innocently and took the blades from Sara. She disappeared into the kitchen and Sara followed her, only for Alice to gesture for her to stay where she was as she opened another door and descended a long set of stairs. “Bring them in. And the sword.” Alice called just as she disappeared into darkness. Sara sighed heavily. Alice was more than likely going to treat Dougie like some kind of science experiment, examining him and trying to provoke him into doing things, just to see what he was capable of. Danny wasn’t going to be happy. She left the house as quickly as possible, walking straight to the car. “Oi! You didn’t look both ways!” Danny exclaimed, laughing as she opened the door. He once again had Dougie in a headlock, ruffling his hair as he tried desperately to escape, kicking and squirming. However, Danny was refusing to let go. “She wants to see Dougie.” Sara said simply. Both of them immediately stopped, saying nothing. “No.” Danny finally said, his arm still around Dougie’s neck. He added nothing else, his voice firm. “She won’t make the knives otherwise.” Sara said exasperatedly.

“We’ll do without.” Danny shrugged. “You said it was dangerous for him to go in. He’s not going in.” “Danny, come on, I’ll have Sara with me. She’ll look after me for you.” Dougie joked, somehow managing to keep a straight face even as Danny glared at him. “This is serious, Doug. We don’t know what she’ll do.” Danny growled. “Yeah but what’s the worst that can happen?” Dougie asked, shrugging nonchalantly. In any other situation, Sara would have been amazed at how they were having a serious conversation while Dougie was still in a headlock. “Want me to list everything?” Danny asked. They just stared at each other for a while, each trying to force the other to back down. As always, Dougie was the first to break eye contact. “Danny, you can come too.” Sara said, rolling her eyes. “It’s either this, or we get no knives and more than likely get killed by whoever took Tom and Harry. You can even hold his hand if you want.” She added sarcastically. “Why do you two always... oh, whatever.” Danny muttered grumpily. “Fine, we’ll go in. But if she does anything...” He trailed off, leaving his threat unfinished. Sara stepped back as Danny released Dougie and they climbed out of the car. She pulled one of the two remaining blades out of the boot quickly and headed towards the house. “She wants this, too.” She explained quickly when Danny gave her a weird look. She pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit hall, then moved into the kitchen. She glanced at the other two, who were following her closely. Dougie just looked uncertain, his hands in his pockets and his eyes darting around. Danny, on the other hand, just looked pissed off. He was glaring around the room, his gaze occasionally moving to Dougie as if to check Alice hadn’t already magically done something to him. His arms were folded and he was leaning against the doorframe. After a few minutes, Alice glided back into the room. She smiled at Danny and Dougie, receiving nothing but a nervous glance from Dougie and a cold glare from Danny. “Someone’s not too pleased to be here.” She said, smirking at Danny. “You think I’m going to hurt him, don’t you?” She asked. Danny didn’t reply, narrowing his eyes, if possible, even further. “Relax. You worry too much. About both of them. Him especially, he’s a big boy now, you know.” “What the hell are you on about?” Danny growled. “You don’t have to permanently look out for them. I know that’s what you think. Intuition, you might say.” She smiled again in an overly sweet way. “Oh, and I think you should just tell her, I’m sure she feels the same.” “W-what?” Danny stuttered, his eyes widening slightly and his cheeks going a little bit red. Alice just winked at him, her attention moving to Dougie. Danny just stared at her, his gaze flicking to Sara quickly. She was looking back at him, one eyebrow raised in confusion. He looked away again, turning to face Alice and away from Sara to hide the fact that he was turning redder. “As for you,” Alice continued, her eyes scanning Dougie. “You’re scared. Of what you are. Of what Danny and Sara think about what’s in you. You don’t know how well you’re going to be able to control it if it gets any worse.” She said. Dougie looked down at his feet, obviously uncomfortable. He didn’t look at any of them. “Don’t worry, honey, if they throw you out, you can always stay here.” She smirked, lifting her hand to his face. Dougie stepped back in the same instant that Danny stepped forward, grabbing hold of Alice’s shoulder and pulling her back.

“Don’t touch him.” He snarled. Alice chuckled and brushed his hand off. Danny narrowed his eyes and moved to stand next to Dougie as if he was guarding him, his earlier embarrassment forgotten. Alice turned away and took the sword from Sara, twisting and turning it in her hands. Without warning she span around, slicing the blade across Danny’s arm. He let out a yell and staggered back as blood poured from the gash that had opened up, which was larger than it would have been if it had been a normal blade. He automatically put his hand over it, blood seeping through his fingers. “What the hell?!” Dougie yelled, looking alarmed. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.” Alice shrugged. “I just wanted to know what it did.” “You bitch!” Danny snarled, steeping closer threateningly. Alice smiled at him, knowing he wasn’t going to do anything. “It was either you or one of the other two, and we all know you’d rather it was you. You know,” She added, tilting her head. “I don’t think this obsession to throw yourself into harms way to protect Dougie and Sara is good for you.” “You know my name?” Sara asked, her eyes widening. “Do you really think I can’t tell when a person is lying? I just thought I’d let you keep the sense of security of having a fake name, because I’m nice like that.” Alice said. “Look, we came for the knives, so make them already so we can leave.” Danny growled. Alice tilted her head, looking Danny up and down, then sighed and shook her head. She circled slowly around Dougie, scanning him as if she expected to find something alien about him. “I’ve never seen someone like him before. Part demon, part human, with a bit of vampire thrown in. I wonder how many disadvantages that’s going to cause.” She said casually, then drifted back down into the basement. “It’s going to take a while. Make yourselves at home.” She called back up the stairs. All of them stood in silence. Without knowing any of them, she’d managed to bring up a few things they didn’t know about each other, and that wasn’t making things any easier. Danny didn’t know how long they just stood there, glancing at each other every so often but avoiding eye contact. His thoughts were focussed on the fact that Dougie seemed to think him and Sara didn’t want him around. As for what Alice revealed about his feelings for Sara, he was avoiding that thought all together. Chapter 55 “What makes you think we don’t want you?” Danny finally asked, looking at Dougie. Dougie’s eyes were locked on the floor, avoiding Danny’s gaze. He shrugged, offering no other response. Danny reached over and lifted Dougie’s head so he was forced to look at him. “Answer me.” He ordered. “It’s nothing really, I mean, you gotta admit, it would be easier without me around.” Dougie mumbled. “If you weren’t around then I would have been wasting my time for fifteen years.” Danny said. “And I would have been back in hell by now.” “Whatever.” Dougie muttered. “Doesn’t matter, anyway. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.” “You wouldn’t be going if you did.” Danny said. He turned around, glancing at Sara but once again avoiding eye contact. “How long will this take?” He asked, looking over her shoulder.

“I don’t know.” She replied softly. “Are you ok?” She asked, gesturing at his arm, which was still bleeding. “I’ll live.” He muttered. He wandered over to the sink that was on the opposite side of the room, rinsing the blood off his hand. “I don’t like her.” “She’s our only choice.” Sara said. “I know. But she’s acting like he’s some kind of freak.” Danny growled, gesturing at Dougie. “I am.” Dougie shrugged. Danny glared at him but said nothing. Again, silence enveloped them. Danny leaned against the counter, staring at the floor. He strained to hear any noise coming from downstairs, but there was nothing. ***** Over an hour and a half passed before Alice returned, holding a heavy looking box made from gleaming mahogany wood. She handed it to Sara with a half smile. “I take it you’re leaving now?” She asked. “Yeah. Thanks.” Sara replied, not wanting to stay any longer than was completely necessary. “Bye then. Come back any time. Especially you,” Alice said, smirking at Dougie. Danny took hold of Dougie’s arm and pulled him in front of himself, nudging him towards the front door and throwing Alice a warning glare. She just chuckled. “Yeah, bye.” Sara muttered, following them out. When they stepped outside Danny took the box from Sara, examining it closely. It had an odd pattern engraved into the top, and a padlock hung from the front with the key still in it. He kept it shut, walking towards the car. Sara climbed into the driver’s seat first, turning so she could see behind her. Danny and Dougie slid into the back, and Sara locked the doors. Danny pulled the padlock open and lifted the lid almost cautiously, as if something inside could leap out. One blade was laid out on its side, gleaming in the centre of the rectangular box. Its blade was silver and curved, giving it a sinister, deadly look. It was about eight inches long and was notched three times at the base. A pattern similar to the twisting lines on the box curled up from the hilt. The hilt itself was the same black that the swords had been, with identical deep red jewels spiralling around it. The other four knives were mostly hidden, only the flat edge visible. Two were above the centre blade and two were below it. The box was padded out with a soft, crimson material. “At least we can say she did a good job.” Danny murmured, his eyes running over the knife with awe. The other two nodded silently. Danny closed the box again, locking it and putting it on the seat between Dougie and himself. “How do we know where to look?” Dougie asked quietly. “We don’t.” Danny said. “We wait for them to come to us.” Chapter 56 Danny crouched next to an old window, paint peeling from its wooden frame. Night enveloped them in darkness. He carefully slid his pen knife through the small gap, nudging the simple lock loose. He pushed the window up, holding it out of the way as Dougie and Sara climbed through, following them closely with the box containing the knives in his hands. He shut it again and locked it, although he knew if he could get in, anyone he had to worry about could get in too. They’d all decided it

was better to squat in a house rather than go to a hotel if they were expecting an attack at any second. “Does the power work?” Danny asked. In answer, Sara flicked the closest light switch and the room was illuminated. Danny threw the curtains on the window shut, glad that they were thick. “Right, everyone stays downstairs, in this room.” Danny said, gesturing at the large room which must have been the living room. It still had a sofa and two armchairs in it, and for a house that was on sale it was well furnished and decorated. Dougie dived on the couch, rolling over to look back at Danny as if he was waiting for more orders. “You’re not getting to sleep there!” Danny exclaimed. Dougie just smiled innocently, not moving. Danny grabbed hold of Dougie’s legs, yanking him off the couch and making him fall to the ground with a thud. “Ow! Prick!” Dougie yelled, trying not to laugh. He scrambled to his feet, rugby tackling Danny and dragging him down and pinning him to the floor. “You’re not getting it!” “You know I’m gonna win, give up already!” Danny teased, grabbing hold of Dougie and easily pushing him off, switching so that he had Dougie pinned down. Sara watched them for a couple of moments before collapsing on the couch and waiting for their fighting to die down long enough to realise neither of them were going to get it. ***** Danny woke, seemingly for no reason, when it was the early hours of the morning. It was pitch black, so he couldn’t have slept for more than a few hours. Sara and Dougie were both still asleep. Sara had somehow flipped onto her front, her head turned towards the back of the couch with one arm hanging off the edge. Dougie had his arms folded on one of the arms or the armchair, his head resting on them. It didn’t look particularly comfy. He suddenly became aware that everything seemed a little too cold. The window was a little draughty, but the thick curtains should prevent it from causing too much of a chill, and he was sure it had been pretty warm when he’d gone to sleep. He stood up quietly, surveying the room which was filled with no sound other than the deep breathing of the other two. Suddenly, a fluttering movement caught his eye. A small piece of paper swirled into the centre of the room. He looked around, searching for the place that it came from, but he couldn’t find it. He cautiously picked it up, reading the intricate handwriting. You know who I am. We’re coming for you. It said nothing more, but it was enough to send chills down Danny’s spine. He did know who it was. He had known the moment Dougie had mentioned his name at the bar that he was going to have to face Gabriel again. He briefly checked the windows and doorway, all of them lined with salt. Not that it would be much use against Gabriel, but his ‘minions’ would be held back by it. He turned back towards the other two, and his heart gave a painful pang. He couldn’t bear to lose either of them, especially not to Gabriel. Dougie was better than a brother to him, and losing him after so long would be agonising. He knew everything there was to know about him, probably more than Dougie knew about himself. No matter how capable Dougie was of looking after himself, Danny was

constantly reminded of the little kid that he had once been. He’d already lost him once, and if Gabriel got hold of him, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. In fact, he’d happily beg to switch places with him. As for Sara, what he knew about her was limited, and vice versa. Even so, she’d helped him through some of the hardest parts of his life. She’d stood by him no matter how much of a dick he’d been to her. Not that she hadn’t fought back, of course. She didn’t stand for any bullshit, and that was probably what he liked best about her, even if it got him in trouble with her. He smirked, he’d never been completely open about how he felt about her. He’d made the mistake of pushing her away instead, and now he just counted himself lucky that she’d agreed to come back after he went to her begging for help. “It’s never good for a demon to get attached to things. Especially such... breakable things.” A cold voice made every muscle in Danny’s body tense. A tall, dark figure seemed to materialise from the shadows themselves, becoming slowly clearer. His eyes, full of such suppressed hatred and iciness, seemed to glow in the darkness, the first of his features to become completely clear. “I’m dreaming.” Danny whispered. “Well done. And people told me you weren’t smart.” The figure said, his voice mocking. “You shouldn’t have crossed me, Jones. When I’m through with you, and your two little buddies, you’ll be begging me to throw you back into hell.” He sneered. He stepped out of the darkness suddenly, his tall build towering over Danny. His jet black hair, stuck up almost as if it had been styled, seemed darker than the shadows he had emerged from. “You won’t touch them,” Danny growled, staring up at Gabriel defiantly. “I don’t have to.” Gabriel smirked. As if a switch had been flipped inside him, Dougie let out a loud yell, his face contorting in pain as his whole body convulsed. Danny’s eyes widened, his eyes flicking to Sara, expecting her to be woken by the sound and do something to stop it. It was only then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed his own sleeping form still in the armchair. It was if he was awake, but his body was still asleep. He was in the real world, he just wasn’t physically there. It was like watching live TV, seeing everything but being unable to intervene. He stepped closer to Dougie as Sara didn’t even stir. He rested his hand on Dougie’s shoulder, biting his lip, only to pull back suddenly as Dougie jerked away as if the pressure from his hand was causing him even more pain. “What the fuck are you doing to him?!” Danny hissed, rounding on Gabriel. Gabriel didn’t reply. Instead, his eyes rested on Sara. A long, thin red line formed at the top of her arm, slowly spreading down to her wrist. As it moved, the top started to open up, blood trickling from the slice. As he watched, the blood flowed faster, as if someone was running a knife down her arm, cutting deeper every time. Sara didn’t even move. “Oh, it is hurting her. I’m just not allowing her to do anything about it.” Gabriel said, as if he could read Danny’s mind, which Danny wasn’t completely convinced he couldn’t. “Stop it.” Danny ordered, his voice shaky, his eyes locked on Sara as blood started to drip from her fingers onto the carpet. The flow slowed slightly, and Danny briefly thought Gabriel was listening to him. Sara’s eyes opened and he almost sighed with relief. Dougie was still curled up and shaking, as if something was tearing through his insides, although he was deadly silent. Danny’s relief was cut short as he watched the whites of her eyes slowly turn red, blood from an invisible wound seeping into them.

“Stop it!” Danny yelled more forcefully. He swung at Gabriel, but his fist flew through thin air. He blinked. One second Gabriel had been there, the next he was gone. “You should know that that won’t help.” Gabriel sneered from behind him. Before Danny could turn he was thrown forward, crashing into a glass cabinet next to the wall. The glass shattered and rained down on him as he fell to the ground. Pain pulsed through him. He scrambled to his feet, confused. If this was a dream, how was he breaking the things that were real? How could he feel the pain? Gabriel was obviously a lot more powerful than he realised. “I’m dreaming” Danny murmured. “This is my dream.” He said, everything clicking together in his mind. “You can’t control my dream.” “You watch way too many movies, Jones. I control everything.” Gabriel smiled a bone chilling smile. “And there’s nothing you can do. You’re trapped in your own mind.” Fire flickered around the corners of the room. Danny followed the flames with his eyes as they spread, impossibly quickly. His eyes flitted back to Sara and Dougie in panic, but they were gone. Flames swallowed the entire room within seconds, and were gone just as quickly. Danny was suddenly surrounded by stone, unbearable heat, a fog that did nothing to obstruct his vision but was definitely there, and distant screams. Hell. “Remember this, Danny?” Gabriel asked coolly. “But there’s something missing.” He added, looking as if he was thinking. “Ah, I know.” He smirked. A scream, much closer and much louder, tore through the air. Adrenaline shot through Danny’s veins and cold sweat started to trickle down his back. He’d never, ever heard Sara scream, but it was unmistakably her. He looked up, but instead of seeing Sara, he saw Dougie’s silhouette stood on a high precipice, right at the edge. “Doug!” Danny called a wasted warning. Something long and sharp pierced straight through Dougie’s chest, an unreal amount of blood spurting from the wound and falling down, some of it hitting Danny in the process, spattering across his cheek. Dougie staggered back, stepping over the edge and falling, agonisingly slowly. He fell past Danny, down a large crevice he hadn’t even noticed. He knew Gabriel had just manipulated the memory of hell that Danny had to make things worse. “In hell, normally, people are tortured. Brutally. Relentlessly. Never dying” Gabriel stated calmly, turning in the other direction. Danny copied him, and immediately wished he hadn’t. Sara was sat on the floor, her ankles shackled, chained to the rock itself. Her head was bowed. Large, black birds circled overhead, possibly ravens, he didn’t inspect them closely enough to be sure. Gabriel casually walked around her, and Danny found himself following unwillingly. His hand flew to his mouth, feeling bile rising in his throat. Her left harm, from elbow to wrist, showed nothing but bloodstained bone. The remaining flesh on her arm was ragged and torn. Sara lifted her head, and Danny had to look away. Her head stayed facing forwards, unseeing, her eyes missing from their sockets. “Why... don’t... I can’t...” Danny stuttered. He turned away, one hand covering his eyes, stumbling a few steps forward. He tripped, barely managing to keep his balance, and turned back to look what had made him trip automatically. He found himself staring down at Dougie’s lifeless body, lying in a pool of blood that was way to large, he was sure Dougie didn’t have the capacity to hold so much of the thick, crimson liquid. His body was covered in deep lacerations, the most prominent stretching across his throat. Danny moved back, his feet making a nauseating splashing sound as he did so. Suddenly Dougie’s glassy eyes fixed on him and he opened his mouth, but whatever words he was trying to force out were drowned in a

sickly gurgle as blood spilled from his mouth. Danny automatically rushed closer, this time ignoring the splashing, and crouched next to him. His eyes scanned over him helplessly. He reached out shakily, gently stroking Dougie’s hair as it was the only thing he could think to do. “Here, I’m in control. And ‘normal hell’ just isn’t satisfying enough for me.” Gabriel continued as if nothing of importance had happened. “Now, not only do they get the same gruelling torture that every other hell bound soul gets,” He smiled, like this was enjoyable for him. Danny realised, with a sick feeling in his stomach, that it was. “They also die. But not once. Over and over and over again. Imagine getting your life ripped from you, for eternity. As many different ways as you can imagine, and more. Each and every one slower than the last. Each more painful. And you, Danny, will get to watch every single one.” Danny didn’t even realise he was crying until a drop of water splashed against his hand. He stood up slowly, forcing himself to leave Dougie. He convinced himself that it wasn’t really Dougie, it was just Gabriel messing with his head. He heard something behind him, but he knew as soon as he turned to look he would see something even worse. Even so, he couldn’t resist, as if he was being forced to look. He caught a glimpse of fire licking up a slow moving figure, staggering like a zombie. He forced his eyes shut, but not quick enough, registering that it was Sara in front of him. Danny gasped as he was thrown back into the real world, his eyes snapping open and his fingers digging into the arm of the chair. For a moment he couldn’t move, his eyes still brimming with tears. Slowly, he forced himself to calm down, his breathing regulating. He was safe now. They all were. He stood up, his eyes fixed on the other two. He was almost overwhelmed with relief, they were still there, they were still breathing, they were even still sleeping. He slowly walked to Sara’s side, crouching down next to her. He gently lifted her hand, his eyes scanning down the large slash that went almost from her shoulder to her wrist. It had stopped bleeding, showing that Gabriel had left her alone. There was a deep red bloodstain in the carpet. Suddenly she stirred, slowly twisting herself around and opening her eyes, looking at Danny in confusion. The blood that had filled her eyes had receded, leaving them only with a slightly pink tint. “What’s up?” She asked him sleepily. “Nothing, are you ok?” Danny lied. “Yeah, but I had the weirdest dream...” She trailed off, yawning. Danny almost chuckled. “Danny, what’s that?” She asked. Danny raised an eyebrow, but Sara just pointed at his face. He lifted his hand to where she directed, feeling something oddly warm and wet against his cheek. He pulled his hand away, his breathing rapidly increasing and his eyes widening. The tips of his fingers were coated with blood. He stood up straight in a flash, feeling lightheaded. It was a dream. It was all a dream. How could this be happening? How could Dougie’s blood still be there? He looked at Dougie, sleeping peacefully. He was unhurt, not a single break in his skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smashed cabinet and the glass on the floor. “Danny, what the hell’s going on?” Sara demanded, suddenly wide awake and sitting up. Her arm was lifted, the wound facing towards her, but she was looking past that. Danny followed her gaze, his eyes locking on the deep red footprints on the carpet. He looked down, seeing his shoes covered in the same liquid. He gagged, his hand flying to his mouth, the images all to clear in his head. He stumbled back, banging into the armchair Dougie was on, waking him up. “What’s happen-” Dougie broke off midway through his groggy sentence,

coughing. Danny stared at him, physically shaking, as Dougie’s coughs got more violent, his hand moving to cover his mouth. He stopped suddenly with a gasp, his eyebrows furrowing as he moved his hand away and stared at it. Blood was spattered across his palm. Danny’s breathing got even heavier, fear making his stomach turn. He felt like he was about to be sick. For a moment he didn’t move, then he kicked off his shoes and dragged the back of his hand across his face, trying to wipe the blood away, only to smear it across his cheek accidentally. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” He said quickly, his voice shaking. “Are you ok?” He asked, dropping to his knees next to Dougie and scanning his features for any sign of damage. “Yeah,” Dougie said, although he sounded confused, his eyes still locked on his hand. Danny looked over him again, as if he wasn’t satisfied with the response. “What about you?” Danny asked, wheeling around to look at Sara who had an identical puzzled expression. “I think so.” She said. Danny examined her in the same way, then let out a sigh of relief, shuffling so he was sat down. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, staring straight ahead. “Dan, are you alright? You look like you’ve been crying,” Sara asked carefully. “D-doesn’t matter,” Danny stuttered, shaking his head. “Do you remember anything?” He asked. “Danny, you’re acting-” “No, answer me!” Danny cut Dougie off, his voice rising, panic and frustration evident in his voice. The other two exchanged worried looks, but neither of them dared to ask more questions. “I don’t remember anything, I just had this weird pain in my chest when I woke up and then that happened.” Dougie gestured at the blood on his hand. “But now I feel fine.” “I remember dreaming that I saw you stood with some guy with dark hair, who was a few inches taller than you. And my arm was really hurting. I guess I know why. I had a headache too, but that’s gone.” Sara said, looking at her arm. “That it? Everything?” Danny asked, his eyes flitting between the two of them. They both nodded. Danny dropped his head onto his arms and stayed silent for what seemed like ages, and neither Sara or Dougie dared to speak. They just looked at each other then at him, then back at each other again. As if they were communicating silently through their eyes, Sara moved and sat down next to Danny, wrapping her arm over his shoulders. Dougie stood up and picked up the car keys that had been left on the table, but Danny’s head jerked up, making him stop in his tracks. “Don’t leave.” He ordered. “Don’t go outside.” “Ok, I’ll just see if there’s anything in the kitchen.” Dougie agreed instantly, knowing now was not the best time to argue. Danny relaxed again, closing his eyes and dropping his head. He leaned against Sara, grateful for her presence. He let out a shuddering sigh. Dougie returned a couple of minutes later, handing Danny a glass of water. “Sorry, there’s no food.” He mumbled as Danny took it and took a sip. Danny shook his head as a way of saying it didn’t matter. Dougie stayed still, shuffling his feet slightly, not really sure what else to do. Sara nodded to Danny’s other side, so Dougie sat down next to him, mimicking Danny’s position out of habit, like he had done since he was six. Danny watched him, a small smile spreading over his face, obviously noticing. Nothing happened for over half an hour, as if Danny couldn’t

bring himself to explain. He was content just sitting there with them, letting it sink in that they were fine and it was all just Gabriel messing with him. “I’m so sorry,” He finally whispered. “This is all my fault. Everything. Gabriel, he... I tricked him into freeing me. I told him I’d work for him; throw more souls into hell so he could torture them. He’s a sadistic bastard.” Danny’s voice took on a dark edge. “But I didn’t. I did things the way I wanted to do them and I didn’t follow his rules. And that’s only a couple of steps down from crossing the devil.” He murmured. “He wants revenge. He’s going to take it out on you two. I don’t want that to happen... I’m gonna stop him.” He added forcefully, as if saying it alone would make it true. “Danny, we’ll help you, you know we-” “No, Sara. You and Doug are staying away. As far away as possible. As soon as he gets hold of you, that’s it. He’s worse than hell. He’s worse then every demon in hell combined.” Danny stated. “You’re not doing this alone.” Dougie murmured. “It’s the only way to keep you guys safe.” “I don’t care if I’m not safe. We’ve been through some tough crap before.” Dougie shrugged as if this was no more troubling than their regular cases. “No, Doug.” Danny growled. “Not like this. This isn’t our usual stuff. He’ll tear you apart without lifting a finger, and he’ll fucking enjoy it!” “And? I’d rather go back to hell than leave you to do it alone.” “This isn’t regular hell! This is Gabriel’s fucked up version of hell! You’d be begging to get sent to hell before he was finished with you!” Danny hissed, his eyes full of fire. Dougie backed down, although there was no way he was giving up in the long run. He looked away from Danny, staring at the ground in front of him instead. “And they’re coming for us. We’re gonna find Tom and Harry as soon as possible, and we’re going to run as far as possible. And then you’re going to go as far away from me as possible.” Danny said, as if it was a solid battle plan. “And I’m going to try to... I dunno, reason with him. I’ll find a way to make him leave you two alone, no matter what it is.” “Danny, come on, you can’t expect us to let you take the fall alone.” Sara whispered, squeezing his shoulder. “I’m responsible, so I’m going down, not you two. And you have to stick together, always. I know you don’t exactly rely on me, but just make sure you’re well protected, and prepared for the worst.” Danny continued. “This is starting to sound like a goodbye speech.” Dougie whispered, still looking at the floor. Danny grabbed hold of Dougie’s arm and pulled him closer, throwing his arm over his shoulders. “Not yet.” He mumbled. “I’m not going anywhere yet.” Chapter 57 “So what happened last night, Dan?” Sara asked tentatively. They had returned to the hotel in the hope that they might find some sort of clue. They’d had to use fake Ids to get past the police, ducking under the yellow tape to enter the room. The whole hotel had been closed down after the room was found in the state it was in. The night before, Danny had practically forced her and Dougie to go back to sleep, saying they needed the rest. She was pretty sure he hadn’t closed his eyes, though. “I had a dream.” Danny said simply. “Gabriel?” Sara pressed.

“Uh-huh.” Danny mumbled. A short silence followed. “So, what’s the plan? Did he tell you where to look for Tom and Harry?” Dougie asked. He was starting to worry about Danny. Every time he spoke, Danny’s eyes would lock on him, inspecting him as if he was scared he was going to vanish, and sometimes he would take on a distant look, remembering things that Dougie and Sara hadn’t witnessed. Every so often Dougie could feel Danny’s eyes on him, watching him silently for reasons he didn’t know. Whatever Gabriel had forced him to see, it had really messed him up. “No,” Danny murmured. “We’re gonna have to start digging around.” The weapons had been removed from the hotel room, presumably to be used as evidence. Danny mentally kicked himself for not taking them when they’d first come to the room. “So you said they wanted us to go after them, so they’d leave some kind of trail.” Sara murmured, half to herself. “But not obvious enough for the police to see, or to take away for evidence.” She started opening drawers and looking underneath the upturned furniture. The other two followed her lead, rummaging through piles of paper and broken wood. Dougie’s eyes scanned the room, holding back multiple curses as the seriousness of the situation struck him again. There was blood everywhere, even the occasional bullet hole in the wall. He figured that this hotel would be out of business, at least for a couple of months. “Remember the first time you go shot Doug?” Danny asked, following his gaze to the holes in the plaster. “Yeah, by you, dumbass.” Dougie muttered grumpily, although his eyes showed he was joking. “It was an accident, Doug. It’ not like I fired at you!” Danny exclaimed. “I’m sorry I can’t control ricochets!” “You should be able to, with your crazy demon powers.” Dougie said. “Yeah, well my crazy demon powers aren’t as fast as a bullet, Doug.” Danny replied, chuckling. 18th March, 1994 Dougie gave an unintentional yell as he fell towards the floor, Danny catching hold of his shoulders an inch before he would have landed flat on his back on the solid ground. Danny pulled him up again, smirking as Dougie started giggling. “Like I said Doug, you can’t beat me. Not yet. Not ever.” Danny said. “Nuh-uh,” Dougie said, shaking his head defiantly. Without warning he barrelled into Danny’s legs, making him fall back. Danny caught himself before he fell onto his back, laughing at Dougie’s efforts. Dougie sat on his legs, looking pleased with himself. “See, you fell! I win!” Dougie cheered. “Oh really?” Danny asked, raising one eyebrow. He rolled suddenly, catching Dougie of guard and flipping him onto the floor, pinning him down. “I win.” He said, grinning. “Not fair!” Dougie argued. “It’s only ‘cause you’re big!” “It’s not that I’m big, it’s ‘cause you’re small.” Danny chuckled. “I’m not small!” Dougie complained. “You are. You’re tiny!” Danny added. Dougie huffed with annoyance and Danny laughed, releasing him.

“I’ll show you, when I’m big and I go hunting on my own.” Dougie said, folding his arms and looking up at Danny. “Ok, I’ll make you a deal, tiny. When you beat me, I’ll let you go hunting on your own.” Danny said, collapsing on the couch. Dougie scrambled up next to him, his feet dangling high off the floor. He nodded in agreement, then he looked puzzled. “But you said before that I’ll never beat you.” He said. “My point exactly.” Danny smirked, ruffling Dougie’s hair. “That’s not fair,” Dougie whined. “Jessica would let me.” “She would not, and you know it.” Danny said. “Anyway, Jessica isn’t here. SO you have to follow my rules.” “Or what?” Dougie asked, smiling playfully. “You wanna start that again, huh?” Danny asked, starting to sit up. A huge crash stopped him, the sound of glass raining down on the floor penetrating the calm atmosphere. “Shit,” Danny whispered, staring at the doorway as if something would come barging through that very second. “Doug, find somewhere to hide, and stay there.” He ordered. “But I-” “Now, Doug!” Danny almost shouted. Dougie fell silent the second Danny raised his voice. He moved as if to leave the room, but Danny grabbed his wrist, shaking his head. Dougie listened carefully, hearing the sound of faint footsteps coming closer slowly. “Too late,” Danny whispered. He shoved Dougie behind the couch, praying that the creature, whatever it was, wouldn’t be interested enough in the boy to get him. Danny ran over to the set of drawers at the side of the room, yanking the top one open and pulling out a simple 10mm pistol. It was loaded up with silver bullets, to make sure it could take out a werewolf as well as other things, but his senses told him it wasn’t a werewolf. The door to the front room creaked open, revealing a breathless young man in his twenties. Danny momentarily lowered his gun, confused. He didn’t recognise him. He had sandy blonde hair that was stuck up in all directions, and wide grey eyes that were full of agony. “Who are-” Danny stopped as a bloodied tooth fell from the man’s mouth, followed by another and another. He suddenly arched his back, giving a pained groan, his shoulder popping out of it’s socket loudly then clicking back in. Every bone in his body seemed to be realigning itself, and it was as if he shrunk slightly right in front of Danny. Skin started to peel from the man’s body, and the man pulled at it, trying to rip it off. Danny grimaced, raising his gun again. At least kill a shapeshifter while it was in the middle of a change would be easy. He stepped closer, trying to make sure he didn’t miss his jerking target. The shapeshifter lurched forward just as Danny pulled the trigger, whacking the gun and ruining his aim, making him give out a surprised yell. The bullet fired, missing the target and making a whizzing, pinging sound as it hit something else. The shapeshifter pulled back it’s fist shakily, but Danny was faster, kicking it in the stomach and making it double over. It dived for his legs, tackling him to the ground and making him smack his head against the wall behind him.He kicked it away, scrambling free and standing up. The shapeshifter made an attempt to recover, but the pain from its mid-shift state made it stop, moaning. Danny took aim again, not giving it a chance to stop him, and fired straight at the back of its head. The creature collapsed, jerking a couple more times as its body automatically continued the change for a while. Its blonde hair had partially turned black, and it was smaller that it had been, some of its features changed slightly.

“Danny, is it dead?” Dougie asked quietly. Danny looked up, seeing him stood next to the couch. He was leaning against it heavily, stood on one leg, the other hidden behind the first, and he looked pale. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Danny asked, alarm and concern evident in his voice. He rushed over to him, crouching in front of him. “What happened?” “I dunno, you shot it and I think it bounced, I-” “What, the bullet?” The worry in Danny’s voice went up a level. Dougie very slowly moved his other leg into view, flinching as he did so. The right leg of his jeans was soaked in blood from just below his knee down. “Crap,” Danny whispered, a wave of panic and guilt washing over him. “We... we need to get it out.” “Get it out?” Dougie whimpered, somehow managing to shuffle away from Danny slightly. “That’ll hurt!” “Doug, I don’t know how you’re not screaming already! It’ll be a hell of a lot worse if it stays in!” Danny exclaimed, regretting his tone as Dougie let out another whimper. He had tears in his eyes, obviously in a lot more pain than he was letting on. Somewhere beneath the worry and guilt, Danny felt sort of proud. “Come on, Doug, it has to be done.” He said gently. Dougie still looked uncertain, but Danny couldn’t exactly give him a choice. He slipped his arm around Dougie’s middle and one under his legs, very slowly and very carefully lifting him off the floor. Dougie flinched, burying his face in Danny’s shirt. Danny walked out of the room, trying to jostle Dougie around as little as possible, which got more difficult as he climbed the stairs. Dougie managed to make no noise other than the occasional whimper, although his fists were clenched so hard in Danny’s shirt that his knuckles had gone white. Danny put him down on the bed in the room that had become his, then rummaged through the drawers next to the bed until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a roll of bandages and a strip of soft material, tossing them onto the bed, then took out a small knife and a needed that was threaded. Dougie’s eyes widened as he looked at the knife, biting his lip. “Sorry, Doug, I have to.” Danny whispered, feeling bad for the young boy. He crouched next to him, rolling up the boy’s jeans and trying to get the best angle. “You’re doing great, Doug,” He murmured comfortingly. “This is gonna hurt, so you’re gonna have to be brave for a little bit longer, ok? Just a little bit. Close your eyes.” He added and started to wipe away the worst of the blood as best he could. He could feel Dougie shaking, but the boy managed not to flinch away. Danny took hold of the knife, making sure Dougie wasn’t watching. As soon as it touched the wound, Dougie squeaked and flinched, jerking away. Danny reached up, rubbing his arm soothingly. “Sorry, but if the bullet doesn’t come out, you could end up losing your leg. You don’t want that, do you?” Danny murmured. Dougie shook his head, tears finally escaping his eyes, which were still screwed shut. “You’re doing so well, Doug, you can do this. Hunters have to do this all the time.” Danny added. He took hold of Dougie’s ankle to make sure he couldn’t move away again, his gentle efforts wasted as the knife slid into the wound. Dougie let out a cross between a gasp and a sob and Danny’s heart twisted in pity. “Almost there, Doug,” He whispered, almost flinching himself as he pressed the knife in further. Finally the blade reached the bullet, and Danny slowly started to pull it out. He glanced up at Dougie, who was completely tensed up, biting his lip so hard he had broken the skin and blood was trickling down his chin. The bullet finally fell to the floor and Danny let out a sigh of relief, pressing

the strip of material over the wound, trying to stifle the blood flow. Dougie flinched again as he applied more pressure, but not a single sound escaped is mouth. “Well done, mate, it’s out, it’s almost over.” Danny said softly. He dropped the material on the floor, ignoring the unsettlingly large blood stain on it, and reached for the needle. “You’re gonna use that too?” Dougie squeaked, his eyes wide. “Thought I told you not to look?” Danny scolded, but there was no anger in his voice. Dougie just looked at him without replying. “I have to close it up.” Danny explained. “It’s not gonna hurt anywhere near as much as the knife did, I promise.” “But it’s still gonna hurt,” Dougie whispered, automatically wiping the blood away from his chin. “Yeah,” Danny sighed. “Eyes shut.” Dougie did as he was told, and Danny closed up the wound as quickly as possible, then bandaged it tightly. He stood up with a relieved sigh, then sat down next to Dougie. He studied him for a moment, taking in his heavy, shaky breathing and the tears that were still falling. He put his arm around him, giving him a reassuring squeeze, and Dougie leaned against him. “All done. You did great, Doug,” Danny whispered. He rubbed Dougie’s back comfortingly, half wanting to kick himself for shooting the poor kid and half sort of glad Dougie knew what it was going to be like when it happened in future. At least it hadn’t been a direct hit; he’d never forgive himself if he’d done any permanent damage. Present Day “I think I’ve found something.” Sara announced. Danny was at her side in an instant, Dougie slower as he had to struggle over the overturned desk and drawers. Sara was holding up a map that must have been well hidden, because the police would have definitely taken it away otherwise. Danny scanned the map, reading the name of the city: Preston. AT least it wasn’t that far away. A large park was circled in red marker, but no further indication was given. “So we have to search this... Moor Park, then?” Dougie asked, leaning over Sara’s shoulder to look at it. “Looks like it.” Sara replied. “We should go back to the house, make some kind of plan, set up the guns we’re gonna need. We should probably carry as many as we possibly can, seeing as this isn’t going to be easy.” “Yeah, and the knives.” Danny murmured. “But the bullets won’t do much,” Dougie pointed out. “They’ll slow the demons down a bit,” Sara shrugged. “Anyway, who’s saying we’re only going to be dealing with demons?” She asked, raising one eyebrow. “Great, we’re heading for a huge all of hell vs. us three show down?” Dougie asked. “Not all of hell,” Danny said. “But not only hell, either.” “That made no sense.” Dougie said. “Only demons come from hell, but who’s to say they don’t have a few vampires and werewolves at the ready to help take us down?” Danny explained. Dougie said nothing for a while. “Oh.” He mumbled finally. “Awesome.” He added sarcastically. “And I thought this was going to be a walk in the park.” He looked around the room as if to emphasise his point. Danny smirked at him, not bothering to reply. “We’d better head back.” Sara said, giving Danny a small shove in the direction of the door, since he was blocking her exit.

They didn’t return to the house straight away, knowing it wasn’t a good idea to break into a house in broad daylight. Instead they headed to a small diner not far from the house. They hadn’t eaten since the day before, and although neither Sara nor Danny actually needed to eat, Dougie was starving. Besides, they still enjoyed food the same as any human. “I take it you want pizza?” Danny asked Dougie without bothering to look at the menu. Dougie opened his mouth as if to argue, then sighed, closed it again and nodded, sliding into one of the booths. Sara sat opposite him and Danny sat next to her. “I’ll have the same, I can’t be bothered looking through all that.” Sara mumbled, gesturing at the menu. “What, all ten options?” Danny asked, raising one eyebrow, smirking. Sara elbowed him in the side and he laughed. “Fine, we’ll just get a large one. Go order, Doug.” Danny commanded. “You go. You have the money.” Dougie argued. Danny opened his wallet and dropped a twenty pound note in front of Dougie. “Now you have the money.” Danny said, smiling innocently. “Why me?” Dougie asked, wanting to stay sat down. “Because you’re the youngest.” “That doesn’t mean you can bully me into doing things for you.” “It does.” “How do I even know I’m the youngest? I don’t know how old Sara is.” Dougie pointed out. “Twenty-one.” Sara said. “See? Same age.” Dougie said, folding his arms. “Technically, she’s a demon, so she’s been around much longer, she’s even older than me.” Danny argued. “She’s an old lady really.” “Oi! I’m not! I’ve not been around that much longer than you!” Sara exclaimed. Danny chuckled. “Anyway, you’re the youngest, so get up and get your arse over to the till.” Danny ordered. Dougie muttered something under his breath and stood up, grabbing the money and walking towards the till, grumbling all the way. “Did you ever tell him about how we met?” Sara asked once he was out of earshot. “No, he stopped asking.” Danny replied simply, shrugging. “He probably still wants to know.” Sara shrugged. “After all, he did tell you about the whole vampire thing.” “He didn’t tell me, I found out.” Danny corrected her. “So it doesn’t count. Anyway, it’s not like it’s a trade or anything.” “What’s so bad about it? I thought the day we met was pretty good.” Sara said. “It was, but it’s just a load of trouble explaining it. He’s want to know everything, like a teenage girl reading a romance novel.” Danny muttered. “Has he ever had a girlfriend?” Sara asked. Danny was momentarily caught off guard. “Um, no, there was this one girl when he was in school, but nothing ever happened because we moved around so much.” Danny explained. “How old was he when there was ‘this one girl’?” Sara asked. “About fifteen, I think. She was a nice girl, too.” Danny said, trying to remember the girls name. “I can’t think what she was called. She had red hair, pretty, smart. Not one of the class bimbos or anything. But she wasn’t exactly his girlfriend,

she was like his best friend, but he had a major crush on her and she did on him. It was obvious, but of course they didn’t see it. She was his only friend that I ever met, the only one he ever invited round. Kept in contact for a while.” “So, in all his life, there was one girl. One girl six or seven years ago. One girl that nothing happened with. And you’re wondering why he asks a lot about these things?” Sara asked, tilting her head. Danny tilted his head. He hadn’t thought about it like that. It was probably mainly his fault Dougie never met any girls, he barely let him out of his sight. “Well, I guess I understand, but I was alright and I only ever had you...” Danny trailed off, shrugging. “Aw, that almost sounds sweet, Dan.” Sara said, giving him a playful nudge. He chuckled, turning a slight bit pink. “Yeah, you’re my one and only.” Danny said, rolling his eyes. “Was that sarcasm, Daniel?” Sara demanded jokingly. Danny laughed, returning her nudge. “Whatever, Sara, just be quiet.” He said, smirking. November 13th, 1981 Danny wandered through the streets, his eyes covered by dark shades. It made it easier to conceal their black colour when they changed, he didn’t fully have a handle on controlling them. If he got the slightest bit annoyed, they’d appear. It was just a good job that sunglasses were worn by nearly everyone. He was also wearing tight stonewashed jeans and a leather jacket, along with a t-shirt that displayed the name of a band he hadn’t even heard of, all he knew was that they were popular and this was the stuff he had to wear to make sure he didn’t stand out. He’d not drastically changed his hair though, there was no way he was walking around with one of the ridiculous styles he’d often seen people walking around with. The one item of clothing he was wearing that he actually liked were his black Converse All Stars, high-tops, at least the 80s had some fashion sense. Trying to fit in was something that helped him keep his mind off more pressing matters, like the memories that were constantly flitting through his head. It had been only about a month since he had escaped, and staying sane was much harder than he’d ever imagined. He’d often wondered why demons usually completely lost their humanity, but now he could almost understand. He just wasn’t going to give up like the rest of them. He saw them walking around on the streets, looking just like normal people to all the passersby, but he knew what they were. He wished he could expose them, get rid of them, make the world that little bit safer, but that would instantly show everyone what he was as well. Instead he kept his distance, from the demons and the humans, constantly on his own. He told himself it was safer that way. As usual, he wasn’t looking where he was going. A couple of teenagers whizzed past on rollerblades, almost crashing into him. He hated rollerblading. Speeding through crowded streets on shoes with wheels was just dangerous, to the wearer and to everyone within falling distance. At least with skateboarding you could bail out and jump off before you hurt yourself or someone else. It was these small things that kept his mind occupied while he tried to maintain a link with civilisation, rather than wandering off to go crazy on his own in a cave somewhere. He made himself talk to at least one person a day, just to keep things running smoothly.

He suddenly changed course, turning off the street into a diner and sitting down at the bar. Waitresses were usually the people he talked to, it wouldn’t sound strange to randomly start a conversation with someone working at a bar. He was greeted by the sound of one of his favourite songs, Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’. Another thing he liked about the eighties; the music was great. “Can I get a coffee, please?” Danny asked the waitress, who was a young girl, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, with dark brown hair. She smiled warmly and nodded, setting up one of the coffee machines. “Not seen you around here before,” She said, starting the conversation for him. He briefly wondered if it was in a waitress’s job description to ask that question, all of them seemed to do it. “I travel a lot.” Was his reply, the same as always. “Oh, I wish I had the chance to travel, but I’m stuck in college.” She said. She handed him his coffee, smiling sweetly before moving on to the next customer. “I’ll have a coffee too please.” The young woman sat next to him said. Danny glanced at her briefly, knowing instantly she was a demon, but she seemed... different. The waitress gave her the coffee and disappeared into the back. “Hey,” The young woman said. Danny looked at her uncertainly. “You look... I dunno, lost.” “I’m fine.” Danny said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Well, I’m Sara.” She said, holding out her hand. Danny shook it hesitantly, scanning her from behind his glasses. She was wearing some of the typical eighties fashion, deep red converse and tight jeans. Her hair fell down to her shoulders, not styled in any of the popular crazy ways, and she was wearing a simple band t-shirt. “Danny,” Danny introduced himself. “Seriously, chill out. You’re starting to make me feel nervous.” Sara said jokingly, but Danny didn’t crack a smile. “Listen, you’re not like the others.” Sara whispered, lowering her voice so that only Danny could hear. “I can tell. The others... they virtually radiate evil. You see almost normal... kinda... like a human.” That caught Danny’s interest, and he looked back at her, raising his eyebrows. The way she was describing him sounded like the way he would describe her. “You too, I guess.” Danny mumbled. “Well, I was wondering,” Sara trailed off, looking uncertain. “It’s just that, you’re the only one like you I’ve ever met, or even seen, or heard of. People, regular people, don’t trust me if they know what I am. They try to send me back downstairs, most of them.” She said. Danny made a sort of sympathetic grunt, he knew what that was like. “And like I said, you’re the only ‘normal’ demon I’ve ever met. The others are just sick psychopaths You’re different.” “Are you coming onto me?” Danny joked, raising one eyebrow and smirking. “Finally got a sense of humour, huh?” Sara smiled. Danny chuckled, taking another sip of his coffee. “I’m a hunter.” Sara said simply. Danny put his coffee down, definitely interested in the conversation now. “You’re gonna kill me?” Danny asked. “I just told you that you’re different, so no, I’m not planning on killing you.” Sara said. Danny could tell she had bitten back some kind of smart remark. “But hunting is easier if you’re not alone. You’re a demon, so you can’t really live a normal life. No offense or anything.” “None taken.” Danny mumbled. He knew it was true. “You want me to come with you and help you?” “Pretty much.” Sara shrugged as if she was embarrassed.

“You just met me, how do you know I won’t...” Danny trailed off, not knowing how to end the sentence. “Kill me? Go insane? Turn out to be some kind of maniac?” Sara asked. Danny nodded meekly. “I guess I’m good at reading people. You’re a good guy, I can tell.” She said. “Thanks, I guess.”Danny mumbled. “But how do I know I can trust you?” He asked. “Because, look at me, I’m awesome.” Sara exclaimed, smirking. Danny laughed slightly. He could tell she was different, just like she said she could tell he was. He realised that she, like him, had probably been alone for the entire time she had been out of hell. That was why she was trusting him so quickly, and that was why he was more than willing to trust her. They needed something to keep them ‘normal’, and they only had each other as people they could relate to, as far as they knew. “So you hunt demons?” Danny asked. “Yeah, and werewolves, and vampires, and shapeshifters, anything you like, really.” Sara said, shrugging. “Surely that doesn’t go down to well with the people downstairs.” Danny murmured. “Probably not, but I’m not planning on going back there any time soon.” Sara said with a smile. Danny couldn’t help but return it. He hadn’t considered being a hunter after he got out of hell, he was too busy being grateful that he was free to think of putting his life on the line again. It seemed like a good way to get his own back though, sending down hundreds of demons and evil creatures to burn in hell the way he did, but this time they’d deserve it. “Sure, I’ll help.” Danny said. Sara grinned. “Awesome.” She took a sip of her coffee. “You still having trouble controlling it?” She asked quietly, her voice once again almost inaudible. Danny nodded mutely. “Don’t worry, it get’s easier after a while, a couple of months, tops. I think being around people helps. Properly, not just the occasional conversation.” She added, as if she knew that was how Danny had been living for the month he had been free. “How long have you been out?” Danny asked. “About two years, maybe three, I gave up counting.” Sara shrugged. “How did you do it? Alone for that long?” Danny asked. “Hunting helped. Take out the anger and the pain on the things that deserve it.” She murmured, giving another casual shrug. “I guess it’s a good job I’m coming with you, then.” Danny mumbled. Sara smiled. “Yeah. So when we’re finished here, we might as well start straight away. No better way to test if we can trust each other, right?” She raised an eyebrow, and Danny nodded in agreement, half amused. “I’m working on a case now, in this town. Nothing big. Great place to start.” She explained. “Sounds... great?” Danny said, tilting his head. Sara laughed, and Danny joined in. He was already enjoying the company. He drank the remainder of his coffee and Sara did the same, and they walked out of the diner together, deep in meaningless conversation that would be forgotten within the next hour. Danny briefly wondered how long this would last. Chapter 58 Danny tossed the last load of guns onto what could only be described as the

stockpile in the middle of the front room. It was surprising how much they’d actually managed to fit in Sara’s car. There was a variety of shotguns, some sawn-off, some full length, some double barrel, some single. There were a couple of rifles, but they were long-range, so they probably wouldn’t need them. Even if they could help them pick off a few enemies early, it would alert the rest to their presence, losing them the element of surprise, although Danny doubted they had that anyway. A lot of the guns in the pile were handguns of different types, from simple 10mm pistols to Magnums, including Danny’s personal favourite, a .45 Winchester Magnum. There were a few different kinds of knifes around, all different lengths and shapes, as well as the ones Alice had made, still in a box a few feet away from the main pile. A couple of flare guns were at the base of the pile, but they would be little use. Next to the pile, there was a metal box, over half a foot high and three feet long, its lid open, revealing the contents. It contained multiple grenades, where Sara had found them Danny had no idea. Some of them were smoke grenades, a few were flash grenades, and about five were incendiary. “I didn’t even know we had this stuff! Why don’t we ever use these things?” Dougie exclaimed, gesturing at the box of explosives, almost spilling the can of coke he had in his hand. “We save them, for situations like this.” Sara said, taking a sip from her own can of pop. “We’re gonna be walking in there packed full of firepower.” “Awesome.” Dougie said, completely seriously, a childlike grin of excitement on his face, his eyes scanning over the pile of firearms with interest and longing. It was as if he was looking forward to this. “But we need more,” Sara murmured. “More? Are you serious?” Dougie asked, a look of surprise and joy on his face. “We’re gonna end up looking like freaking suicide bombers.” Danny mumbled grumpily. “You’re gonna love it and you know it,” Dougie said with a smirk. “No I’m not. And you shouldn’t either.” Danny stated. He sat down heavily on one of the armchairs. “God, what’s up with you? We get to go and kick ass, awesomely!” Dougie grinned at Danny, but his good mood was wasted on him. “I mean, look at all this stuff! It’s gonna be so cool!” “Grow up, Doug.” Danny growled. “I’m with Dougie on this one, Dan.” Sara said, half smiling. “What other chance do we get to go in, kicking doors down, guns blazing, fighting like there’s no tomorrow?” “It’s not something to be happy about!” Danny almost yelled, taking them both by surprise. “If this goes wrong then we all go to hell, and this time there’s no way out!” A short silence filled the room after his outburst. “Well,” Dougie finally said. “If we’re going down, we might as well enjoy the trip, and take a few of the assholes with us.” “Agreed!” Sara grinned. She lifted her can and Dougie smacked his against it, but they refrained from saying ‘cheers’, as if that would be the part which annoyed Danny the most. “You two seriously need to grow up,” Danny muttered. “You hardly ever act your age, stop being a hypocrite.” Sara retorted. “Anyway, I don’t think kids talk about sending bastards to hell, to be honest.”

“Nah, they’d say idiots, not bastards.” Dougie murmured, looking down into the swirling contents of the can. “I act my age when it matters,” Danny growled. “We’re coming up against the biggest thing we’ve ever dealt with, and you two are acting like we’re going to a theme park!” Dougie and Sara fell silent, glancing at each other then Danny. “What did you ever see in him?” Dougie whispered, and although he whispered he made it loud enough for Danny to hear. Sara chuckled as Danny shook his head with a frustrated groan. “’Kay, so before Danny kills you, or me, we need to get to work.” Sara said. “We need distractions. And I think we could make a tripwire or two.” “Right, and how are we gonna carry all this?” Danny asked. “I’m shocked at you, Daniel.” Sara said, faking offense. “As if I’m not prepared!” “It’s gonna be so obvious that we’re carrying weapons though,” Danny pointed out. “And? I don’t think they expect us to go without.” Dougie said. “But we’ll be in public before we get there, and there might be people in the park.” Danny said. “Are you suggesting we go in with just a couple of guns then?” Sara asked sceptically. Danny mumbled something inaudible and shrugged. “We could always do the Matrix thing with big overcoats, looking all sneaky and shifty, then throw them off and pull out huge machine guns and-” “Are you sure that was the Matrix? And weren’t they just handguns?” Sara asked. “Actually I think you’re right, I don’t think it was the Matrix... it might have been Public-” “Please, just shut up, both of you.” Danny groaned, closing his eyes and covering them with one hand. “We don’t even have machine guns.” “Shotguns work.” Dougie mumbled, shrugging. “Anyway, back to the point, we can drive right to the park, take a couple of guns find the place where they’re holding Tom and Harry, go back to the car and get the rest of the stuff and go back again.” Sara tried. “But they might see us coming,” Danny murmured, actually getting involved in the conversation without complaining. “I guess we could just avoid people if we see any.” “If Gabriel’s army is hiding out in a park, I’m pretty sure they’ll keep people out.” Dougie said. Sara nodded, looking deep in thought. “I’ll go out to the car and get some stuff we can carry all these things with.” She murmured, quickly sliding through the curtains and opening the window, being careful to make sure not too much light escaped. “Holsters?” Dougie supplied. “That sounded a little to wild west for me,” She smirked just as she climbed out, sliding it almost shut. Dougie collapsed onto the couch, swinging his legs up and lying down, closing his eyes. Again he had the prickly feeling that someone was watching him, and he knew it was Danny. “Dan, what’s wrong with you?” Dougie asked bluntly. Immediately Dougie knew he had looked away from him. “Nothing.” Danny replied. “You hate it when I lie to you.” Dougie murmured, yawning slightly. “You should get some sleep.” Danny mumbled, trying, unsuccessfully, to

change the subject. “I’m fine until we sort out our plan. What did Gabriel show you that fucked you up so much?” Dougie pressed, rolling onto his front and looking at Danny. “I’m not fucked up!” Danny argued weakly. Dougie just snorted sceptically. “Look, I don’t wanna talk about it, ok?” Danny said exasperatedly. “Come on, it might help.” Dougie said. It was Danny’s turn to snort. “You’re watching me and Sara all the time, like we’re gonna disappear.” Dougie said. “Like you think something will happen to us if you look away for a few seconds.” “It might,” Danny sighed, covering his face with his hands. “If I’m not there to stop it, it might happen.” “We can take care of ourselves, Dan.” Dougie said. Danny shook his head slowly. Dougie wasn’t sure whether he was disagreeing or just frustrated. “You can take care of yourselves, within reason.” Danny murmured, so quietly Dougie almost didn’t hear. “But not against him. Not against his ‘army’. And let’s face it, Doug, I get overprotective in smaller situations.” Danny half smirked and Dougie smiled. At least he was trying to lighten the mood, even if it came from something quite dark. “How do you think it felt to see you die, Doug?” “I guess I didn’t think about it, you know, being dead ‘n’ all.” Dougie shrugged, his own dark humour coming out. “Well think about it now. How would you feel if you saw me die?” He paused for a moment, although he didn’t give Dougie chance to reply. “Now imagine that a few times over, and add seeing Sara die too. Only worse because she’s only a friend to you, but I-” He stopped dead, as if the next word caught in his throat. “You know what I mean.” He finished weakly. “That is what I saw, and that’s why I’m ‘fucked up’.” He growled. Dougie didn’t respond, lost for words, for more than one reason. He couldn’t bring himself to discuss the more important of the two. “You really like her, huh?” He murmured. Danny glared at him for a moment, but was saved from having to reply when the window creaked open and Sara slid through the curtains with one arm full of straps and plastic strips. She dumped them all on the floor and went back to close the window, only then noticing the silence she had returned to. Chapter 59 Dougie had been right when he said there would be no people around. The whole park was deserted, and it was a big park. Sara parked up at the entrance and the all got out almost simultaneously, moving around to the boot to collect a large, dark grey duffel bag each. Although they were heavy, their demonic strength came in handy, allowing them to walk without having to lean over to one side or look like they were struggling, which would make anybody watching a little less suspicious. They had to walk down a steep, wide path to get into the main area. Sara could have actually driven down, but that would be more likely to alert their opponents. Of course, they probably knew they were there anyway. They tried to stay as far out of sight as possible, sticking to the trees that surrounded more open areas. They jumped at every sound, looking like guilty criminals on the run, sticking so close together they were almost touching. They slipped into a very small area filled with trees near a small building, and only when they were completely under cover did they relax slightly. Without having to be told, each of them opened up the bags, revealing the selection of weaponry inside. They had to mess around with the straps and holsters for

quite some time, fitting them so they were as comfortable and unrestricting as possible. Each of them had a simple 10mm strapped to one thigh and a more powerful Magnum on the other. Sara had managed to collect a wide range of holsters over the years, some of them actually from the police force and the army. They pulled a couple of straps over their shoulders and fastened one around their waist. They had spent a good few hours the day before modifying them to hold everything possible, without going too over the top and looking just plain kamikaze. There were four pockets along the strap around their waist, holding grenades of different kinds, two normal ones, one incendiary and one flash. They also held a normal knife and an iron knife on the right, and another handgun on the left, loaded up with silver bullets. Each of them carried the knife Alice had made next to the other knives, within easy reach. They had two shotguns slung over their backs, one loaded with regular shells and the other loaded with rock salt. They had one smaller knife strapped to each ankle, covered by their socks, just in case everything else wasn’t enough. Every free pocket was full of ammunition, and they even had a relatively small but still useful stake, a little under a foot long, strapped to one calf. After they had finished slotting everything in and adjusting the straps, they checked themselves over again, making sure everything was ready. Dougie reached down to make the knife on his ankle stop digging in as much, and a silver chain with an intricate metal design slid out of his shirt, dangling from his neck. The one he’d received for his seventh birthday. Danny glanced up and saw it, a wave a sentimentality almost overwhelming him. He couldn’t stop blaming himself for all of this, if anything happened to Dougie or Sara, he didn’t know what he’d do. Dougie looked up and met his eyes, and Danny looked away, knowing he’d been watching him longer than necessary, like he had been doing a lot over the past few days. It seemed that both Dougie and Sara kept managing to do things without even noticing that would wake up the feeling of nostalgia that was constantly haunting him. “We look like we belong in the SAS or something.” Danny said, mainly to make sure Dougie didn’t say anything about it or ask any questions. The other two just smiled weakly, obviously nervous. Danny sighed deeply, no matter how he reran it in his head, he couldn’t see ay way e could have avoided this without losing everything else along the way. It seemed that every mistake he made led to something good in the end, even though he regretted all of the bad things that happened. If he hadn’t tricked Gabriel he’d still be in hell, or he’d be killing people, which meant he’d never have met Sara or Dougie. If he’d never left Sara to start with he wouldn’t have met Dougie. If he’d never let Dougie get bitten by a vampire, Sara wouldn’t have come back. Still, it seemed all of the good things that came from it were only there to make things worse in the long run. Now he was almost certain he would lose them both, one way or another. Suddenly it all clicked together in his head. He had to face Gabriel alone. If he went alone then neither of them would get hurt. He was pretty sure Gabriel wasn’t here, he’d be able to sense him if he was, which meant he had something much worse in store. This was just the start. But Dougie and Sara would never let him fight Gabriel by himself. “Dan? You there?” Sara’s voice disrupted his train of thought. “Yeah, sorry. What now?” He asked. He looked at her, meeting her eyes, and suddenly didn’t want to look away. It was like something inside him was pushing him to say something, to do something, but there was another force stopping him. Her phone rang suddenly and it broke Danny’s odd sort of trance, so he blinked and looked away.

“Hello?” Sara answered it hesitantly. The number hadn’t been recognised, so she was careful to be on guard. “Hi Sara.” A female voice replied. For a moment, Sara didn’t recognise it. “It’s Alice. I know you and the two boys are heading for trouble, and I know who you’re against. I’m on your side on this one.” Alice said, her voice sounding even darker than normal. Usually there was just an air of weirdness and discomfort around her, now Sara could almost feel the tension and anger in her voice. “I can’t help you much right now, I’m sure you wouldn’t want me there anyway.” Alice continued. Sara almost snorted. Sure, Alice was weird and quite scary, but having her there fighting with them would definitely give them an advantage. “But I have something to tell you. The swords the sentries used, you don’t really know how they work.” Alice stated rather than questioned. Sara didn’t argue, Alice just knew these things. “I can tell you. I did a few experiments, you see.” She said. Sara suppressed a shudder. Alice’s ‘experiments’ were disturbing, to say the least. She’d tortured demons and humans alike for days, just to find out what certain weapons did. “Well I found out that, depending on how good you are using a knife, you could send a demon back to hell, or end it completely. Hits that would be fatal to a human, such as slicing their neck, stabbing them in the stomach, through the eye if you’re feeling a bit sadistic, will send them back to hell. However, hit them in the heart and they’re gone completely. For good.” Alice explained. “Oh, um, thanks.” Sara said, then hesitated for a couple of seconds. “How did you find that out?” She asked. “Do you really want to know?” Alice asked, sounding amused and creepy at the same time. “I guess not.” Sara said. “How did you get my number?” “Oh, you know me, resourceful.” Alice replied vaguely. “Well, I have to go. Good luck,” She added, then hung up abruptly. What Alice had to do that required such urgency, Sara had no idea. “Creepy bitch.” Sara mumbled. “That was Alice,” She informed the other two, then ran through what she had been told quickly. “So we aim for the heart.” Danny murmured. “I guess so, or at least anywhere that would kill a human.” Sara said. Danny and Dougie nodded. They stood in silence for a while, not wanting to start the search while also knowing they had to. “Right, so we better start.” Dougie said reluctantly. He lead the way out of their small, insecure safehold with Sara behind him, and Danny barely a step behind her. “You looked like you were going to say something before Alice rang.” Sara said to Danny, throwing him a questioning glance. “Oh, um...” Danny hesitated, scrambling through his mind for something to cover up what he had actually been thinking. “It was nothing.” He muttered, knowing it sounded stupid, but it was all he could think of. Sara just let him leave it at that. Danny didn’t look at her, so he missed the look of disappointment that crossed her face for a split second. Because of the amount of weapons they were carrying, being stealthy was much harder than it had been at first. “Maybe we overdid it a bit, we’re gonna forget which weapons where and end up shooting vampires with silver bullets and staking werewolves.” Danny said, just to make conversation and get rid of a little bit of the tension. “It feels awesome though!” Dougie exclaimed. “We’re packing more

firepower than the entire police force!” He grinned. Danny smirked at his enthusiasm, even though part of him still wished Dougie would accept just how serious the situation was. “They won’t be in there,” Sara gestured at the small building they were near and started to walk away from it. “Too small. No room for traps, without also killing the creatures that set them up. Not enough room for enough creatures to stop us, either.” They wandered around for about an hour, scanning the entire area, making sure they didn’t miss anything. Finally, they came across a larger building, every window boarded up. “I think that’s our place.” Danny murmured. They moved towards it as quietly as possible, although there was no cover to hide them. Danny moved to take the lead, giving the other two a look that warned them not to argue. He pushed the door open slowly. It was completely silent inside. Everything was in tact, not a single piece of furniture was out of place. Danny assumed it was a cafe, seeing as there was a counter and fridge which still had food and drinks in it, and a few tables set out in front of it. There was a set of stairs at one side, so after scanning the entire room for any signs of life, Danny headed towards them. He slid his .45 Winchester Magnum out of its holster and held it ready, then stepped onto the first step. A quiet whirring filled the room, so quiet that if they had been talking, even whispering, they wouldn’t have noticed it. For a second none of them knew what it was, then Sara grabbed Danny’s collar and yanked him backwards, less than a second before the wooden step exploded. The next one up shortly followed, then the next and the next, showering them with ash and splinters until the final one at the top went out with the loudest bang of them all. “Finally, some fun.” Danny smirked. He suddenly realised why Dougie and Sara were acting so carefree about the situation. It was much more enjoyable that way. As long as no one got hurt, there was nothing wrong with having a bit of fun. He looked at what had been the stairs. Most of it was now missing or irreparably damaged, with barely any footholds. It looked more like an old, unsafe ladder than stairs now. “So, that just got a lot harder.” Sara said. “At least we know we’re heading the right way.” “How do we get up?” Dougie asked. Danny put his foot on the very edge of the remainder of the first step. It seemed like it was about to break at any second, even with only part of his weight on it. “Well, the fifth one looks like it might hold, if we’re careful.” Danny murmured. “And how do you suggest we get to the fifth one? And where do we go from there?” Dougie asked, raising one eyebrow. Danny once again put his foot on the edge of the first step. He skipped the second, which was completely destroyed, and put his foot on the side of the third right next to the wall where there was a couple of inches of wood still in tact. He had to step right across to the other side of the fourth where there was about two centimetres of wood next to the banister, then quickly stepped onto the fifth before he lost his footing. The fifth step had a hole in the middle but the wood surrounding it was ok. Whoever had laid the trap had obviously been stingy with the explosives on that step. From there however, the steps were almost completely destroyed. Danny had to jump over the next two, landing on a tiny foothold with almost collapsed as soon as he put his weight on it, so he quickly hopped up to the next foothold he could see, moving on as fast as possible, nearly

falling a few times, until he was at the top. “See? Easy!” He called back down the steps. There was silence for a while, then he heard Dougie say ‘ladies first’, and chuckled. Sara, however, managed to get up quicker than Danny had, following the path he had used. Dougie was a little slower, but still managed to get up without falling. “That was a pretty good trap,” Sara murmured. “And there’s probably loads more to come.” She glanced around the room. They were surrounded by three doors, all of them slightly ajar. They all obviously has tripwires across them, at about knee height. She moved to the first one, pushing it open slowly and carefully, then stepping over the wire. As soon as the door was open all the way, something clicked. Before any of them had time to move, something exploded out of the opposite wall, hitting Sara in the shoulder. She let out a yell and staggered back. Danny leapt forward and stopped her moving just before she stepped backwards into the tripwire. “Shit, shit, shit,” Sara cursed quietly, holding her shoulder. She glanced down at the tripwire she was centimetres from standing on, taking a break from her stream of swearing. “Thanks,” She muttered, then went back to cussing. “What happened!?” Dougie demanded while Danny stood at her side, fretting and trying to help in any way he could while she stepped back over the wire. “Stop it, Dan, I can walk, it hit my shoulder not my leg!” Sara exclaimed. Danny backed off for a couple of seconds, but still looked worried. “Shotgun, rock salt.” Sara said simply, still holding her shoulder. She took a deep breath, looking at the blood on her hand. “Less imaginative than their last one.” She muttered. “But it hurts like hell!” “Are you ok? I mean we can go back for-” “No, Danny, I’m fine. Really, I’ll be fine.” Sara insisted when Danny looked doubtful. “Come on, we better check it out.” She moved forward again but Danny put out a hand to stop her, taking the lead as he stepped over the tripwire. “You two wait there a sec.” He ordered, disappearing further into the room. Sara and Dougie glanced at each other, both rolling their eyes at the same time. Danny returned in almost no time, stepping back over the wire and out into the small room at the top of the stairs. “Nothing else in there.” He said. “Next one.” “My turn!” Dougie exclaimed. Danny rolled his eyes but let him open the next door. He pushed it all the way open before crossing the wire. Again, something clicked and Danny dragged him sideways, out of the doorway, just as three bolts shot out consecutively within milliseconds of each other. All three of them stared at the wall opposite the door. The bolts were stuck deep in the wall, forming a vertical line that would have hit Dougie in the stomach, chest and head if Danny hadn’t pulled him out of the way. Danny’s hands were still fisted in Dougie’s jacket at his shoulder and side. He sighed heavily, giving Dougie a don’t-you-ever-learn? look. Dougie just smiled back at him meekly. “Seriously, just after Sara got shot?” Danny scolded. “What if I hadn’t grabbed you?” “Then I would be stuck to that wall.” Dougie pointed at the wall behind them. Sara smirked at him and walked over to the bolts, examining them for a moment. About an inch was still visible, the rest embedded in the plaster and brick. She started to pull one out, and even with her enhanced strength it was difficult. The bolt was about a foot long, made from metal. “Iron.” Sara murmured, pulling a face. Dougie grimaced and Danny actually flinched, all three of them unable to stop themselves imagining what would have happened if Danny hadn’t pulled Dougie out of the way.

“Right, you two aren’t opening doors from now on.” Danny stated. “I wonder if we can use these,” Sara murmured. She shrugged and slid it in next to the stake strapped to her leg. Danny pulled the other two out, having just as much difficulty as Sara, and handed one to Dougie. “Listen, can you both do me a favour and... be careful?” Danny asked. “We’ve been in here like five minutes and you got shot,” Danny said, gesturing at Sara, “And you almost got impaled.” He said, turning to Dougie. “Yeah, whatever.” Sara said, glancing at her shoulder. “We’re still alive, right? I’ll be fine, and almost impaled isn’t impaled.” “I think you’re missing the point.” Danny muttered. Dougie walked past him and stepped over the wire, walking into the room. He looked around for a moment, then swore loudly, ducking just as something crashed into the wall above him, attached to a chain. As it swung back again he crawled out of the way. Danny gave him a stern glare before returning his attention to whatever it was that had almost hit him. It looked like a pentagram, about a foot and a half in diameter and a couple of inches thick. The side which had hit the wall had five sharp spiked sticking out from each of the points, and a smaller one at each corner of the pentagon in the middle. Dougie scanned the room, which must have been quite small because it took him hardly any time, before climbing to his feet. He stared at the swinging pentagram for a moment before returning to the other room. Danny gave him a long, hard look. “What?” Dougie asked, as if he’d done nothing bad. “Almost impaled twice.” Danny growled. “Almost.” Dougie repeated, smiling. Danny rolled his eyes. “This is starting to get an Indiana Jones feeling to it.” Dougie added. “Come on, and stay behind me.” Danny ordered, ignoring him. He pushed open the final door and moved out of the way instantly, even before the click signalling that a trap was set was heard. A shotgun fired another load of rock salt through the doorway, hitting the wall behind them. “And that,” Danny said, looking at Sara then Dougie. “Is how it’s done.” He stepped over the tripwire and slowly walked into the room. Nothing swung at him or fired at him. The room was slightly larger than the last, with a set of stairs leading up to what was presumably the attic of the building. Danny headed towards them, gesturing for the other two to follow. About a foot before the stairs, he stopped dead, as if something was blocking him. At first he was confused, then he realised what it must have been. He groaned and looked up. Etched on the ceiling was a large devils trap, only leaving about three feet of free space around the edges of the room. “I say we leave him there.” Dougie said, stood at the edge of the room with Sara next to him. “If you so much as joke about it again, I’ll throw you in here when I get out.” Danny threatened, though there was an edge of humour in his voice. “Well, if you never get out...” Dougie said, trailing off meaningfully. “You wouldn’t dare leave me here.” Danny said. “Oh really? ‘Cause last time you said that, you were in a devil’s trap for two days.” Dougie smirked. “Yeah, and I kicked your ass when you let me out.” Danny reminded him, chuckling at the memory. “Worth it,” Dougie said with a shrug. “If we don’t let him out then we have more room at the hotel,” Sara murmured, as if she was actually considering it. “And you’ll actually get to sit up front in the car.”

“Yeah, there’s really more upsides than downsides...” Dougie added. Danny rolled his eyes and they laughed slightly. “But how do we break it? It’s all the way up there.” Dougie said, pointing at the ceiling, which was way out of reach. “I always knew your shortness would be the death of me.” Danny muttered, folding his arms in mock annoyance. “Oh, and I suppose you can reach that?” Dougie asked sarcastically. Sara stopped their bickering from escalating by pulling out the 10mm at her side, aiming upwards and firing towards the trap. The bullet hit the outside line perfectly, cracking the plaster ceiling all the way across the line. “Good aim,” Dougie murmured. Sara smirked, putting the gun back in its holster. Danny smiled at her and stepped out of the circle. Without warning he lunged at Dougie, pulling him into a headlock and ruffling his hair. “Ah! No! Geddoff!” Dougie almost yelled, struggling against him. Danny laughed, rubbing his knuckles over Dougie’s head, making him struggle even harder. He finally released him, and Dougie put his hand to his head, flattening his hair and giving Danny a shove. “I hate you.” He growled. “You love me.” Danny replied, smirking and holding back more laughter. Taking the lead again, he hesitantly put his foot on the first step. There was no whirring sound that signalled they were about to explode, so he put his full weight on it. He took each step slowly, but nothing happened. He reached the top, totally unscathed, looking around for something that was supposed to make things harder. Instead, his eyes landed on two chairs in the middle of the room, Tom and Harry tied to them back to back. Both their heads were down and their eyes were closed. Danny resisted the urge to run to them, knowing there were probably more traps laid out. The room was dark, but he could make out faint lines across the floor. He flicked a switch on the wall and the room lit up, revealing that the lines were tripwires, set out in an impossibly criss-crossing pattern across the whole room. Tom and Harry were sat in a square of free space that was a little less than two metres wide. “Well, now we’re fucked.” Danny said, seeing no way across. The other two followed him up the stairs, seeing as nothing had tried to kill him yet. When they saw what lay at the top, they both groaned. “Can’t you use your freaky demon powers to diffuse them?” Dougie asked hopefully. “We could, if we knew how to diffuse a bomb to start with.” Sara replied shortly. “Ok, so lift them up and float them over here.” Dougie suggested. “Demon’s can’t really float things nice and smoothly, Doug. We more... throw stuff around.” Danny mumbled. “Well, your powers are useless.” Dougie stated, then was roughly thrown against the wall about a foot to his left. He managed to stay on his feet, but the air was knocked from his lungs. “Not completely,” Danny smirked, his hand raised, showing that he had done it. Dougie glared at him. Because he was only part demon, his powers were weak. He couldn’t move humans, let alone demons, so revenge was temporarily out of the question. He’d think of something later. “Dan, lift me up.” Sara ordered, looking up. “What?” Danny raised one eyebrow in confusion. “Lift me up.” She repeated. Danny followed her line of sight, seeing that the wiring and supports on the ceiling were uncovered.

“That’s a little dangerous, don’t you think? What if you fall?” Danny pointed out. “I won’t fall.” Sara shrugged. “I don’t see any other option.” She added. Danny looked at her then upwards, then across to Tom and Harry. He sighed and bent down, wrapping his arms around her knees and lifting her off the floor. She grabbed hold of the first support beam and lifted herself up, climbing onto the top. She carefully walked along it, heading towards Tom and Harry. “That looks cool. I wanna go.” Dougie mumbled, looking up. Danny snorted. “There’s no way I’m lifting you up. You will fall.” He said. “What is it, bully Dougie day or something?” Dougie asked. “Aw, Doug, it’s always bully Dougie day.” Danny replied, smiling and giving him a small push. Dougie mumbled something he couldn’t hear, glaring at the wall. Danny chuckled and ruffled his hair again, before focusing his attention on Sara. As she was just above Tom and Harry she swung down, dropping lightly on her feet next to them. She tapped Harry, who was closest, and them shook him harder when he didn’t respond. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. Both he and Tom were covered in cuts and bruises. “What... Where... What’s happening?” He asked, the words slurred as if he was exhausted. “We’ve come to get you out.” Sara said quickly. She took out one of the knives and cut through the ropes as quickly as possible, before moving to top and doing the same, receiving an almost identical question. “Can you walk? Both of you?” She asked. Tom stood up first, looking a little unsteady for a moment, but then he seemed to recover slightly. Harry watched him then pushed himself to his feet, looking more stable than Tom. “I don’t suppose you can get up there and stay up there, though.” Sara murmured, looking up at the way she had come. “They won’t kill us,” Harry said. “The tripwires, I mean. The explosives are on the walls, too far away. We might get covered in splinters and get a few cuts, but they won’t kill us. They’re designed to stop you guys from getting to us. The only people in danger of getting hurt if they explode now are those two.” He said, pointing at Danny and Dougie. “So you’re suggesting we blow them up?” Sara asked. Harry nodded. Danny and Dougie looked at each other. “You two go downstairs or something.” Harry told them. They nodded hesitantly and turned away, heading downstairs, glancing back every couple of steps. “What’s with the SAS look?” Tom asked Sara, looking at the weapons. “We figured there’d be more creatures around to stop us.” Sara said with a shrug. Tom just looked her up and down then nodded. Sara pulled out the 10mm again, shuffling as far into the centre of the square as she could with Tom and Harry. She fired straight at one of the explosives on the wall then ducked, and it went off with a huge bang, showering them with splinters and plaster. That set off a chain reaction, the tripwires set up next to it going off, then the ones next to them and the ones next to them, moving around the entire room. Harry looked up a minute or so after the final bang, his ears ringing. The walls were full of gaping holes and ash was still floating around in the air. He stood up slowly, glancing around. “Come on, we better go before this place collapses.” Sara muttered, then, without waiting for a response, headed for the stairs. Tom and Harry followed her closely.

Sara stepped into the room below them silently, holstering the handgun again. Danny and Dougie were stood in the corner of the room, looking worried. They were talking in low voices, although Sara could still tell Dougie was trying to calm Danny down. His eyes suddenly fixed on her and he smiled, so Danny turned as well, grinning when he saw her. She smiled back and he strode over, pulling her into a hug. “I couldn’t help thinking, you know.” He mumbled. “You really think I’m that incompetent?” Sara asked, and Danny chuckled. “You guys took your time.” Harry broke in, and Danny released Sara. “Sorry, you know, things to do, people to see.” Danny said with a shrug. It was possibly the closest thing to a friendly conversation he and Harry had ever had. Danny took the lead as they headed back towards the stairs. The fact that they were almost destroyed actually didn’t matter this time. Danny lowered himself down the hole where the last and second to last step has been, dropping to the floor below. The others followed him as quickly as possible, Tom and Harry taking a little longer. “Hang on a second,” Tom said as he reached the floor, his eyes fixed on something across the room. He walked over the cafe counter and climbed over it, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. He downed it in a few seconds and took out another, throwing it to Harry. “Wanna eat something while we’re here?” Danny asked, raising one eyebrow. Tom knew he was being sarcastic, but he just shrugged, picking up one of the giant cookies the cafe had been selling and biting into it as he climbed back over the counter. “This was too easy, I mean, they’re trying to kill us, but they just set up a few traps along the way?” Sara murmured. “Well, maybe they underestimated us.” Danny replied. He pushed open the door that lead back outside and stopped dead, his eyes widening. Sara and Dougie gave him confused looks, then Sara moved behind him and looked over his shoulder. “Shit,” She whispered. Outside, they were faced with well over twenty opponents. About half of them were demons, smirking at them coldly. Most of the rest looked like vampires, sneering at them, and at the front of the group were five werewolves, transformed despite it only being late afternoon, snarling with their teeth bared, ready to leap into action. “So much for underestimating us.” Danny whispered. Chapter 60 “Back in.” Danny ordered, although they didn’t really have a choice. This must have been the plan from the start, let them get in and reach Tom and Harry, but make sure they were trapped inside when they started the attack. The whole building was probably rigged more traps, waiting to take them out while they were concentrating on fighting instead of looking where they were going. Danny let the door fall shut, pulled out one of his shotguns without bothering to check whether it was the normal one or the one loaded with rock salt, and threw it to Tom, who caught it smoothly. Sara tossed one of her knives and the wooden stake to Harry, and Dougie gave him a handgun and held out one of his knives to Tom. Even so, Tom and Harry were still relatively unarmed compared to the other three, but there wasn’t much time to pass weapons around. “We should have thought of packing more stuff for these guys.” Danny growled. He glanced around the room; there weren’t many places to go. “Kitchen,” He decided quickly, there would probably be some places to hide.

“Maybe we should split up,” Sara suggested. “No.” Danny replied. Sara didn’t dare to argue, following him as he dashed towards the counter and leapt over. He pushed the door into the kitchen open and they all moved in. Harry paused, stopping Tom, and pointed at a row of knives hanging from a rack. They picked up a couple each, sliding them under their belts. The kitchen was quite big, and full of different counters and containers. “Spread out.” Sara said. She slipped behind the nearest counter, right next to the door but making sure she was out of sight. Danny moved past her, taking up a similar position against the wall to their left. Dougie headed for the back corner, hiding behind a stack of plastic containers. Tom climbed over some crates opposite him and crouched behind them, shoving one crate about an inch sideways so he could see, and fire, through it. Harry took up a position behind a counter opposite Danny. “Come out and play, guys!” A female voice called, that none of them recognised. The door into the kitchen swung open. “I know you’re in here, no point in playing hide and seek.” She continued. She made a sweeping motion with her hand and the four ovens set up in the centre of the room burst into flames. “Fine, you don’t wanna come out, we’ll flush you out.” She stepped back out of the room as a low growling started behind her. A large creature traipsed into the room, it’s narrow muzzle lifted, sniffing the air. Another followed it, and another. Harry quickly checked the magazine in the handgun. It was filled with silver bullets. He almost sighed with relief, but felt a slight twinge of guilt, seeing as Dougie’s remaining weapons were practically useless against the werewolves. He just hoped Dougie was carrying a few extra silver bullets. He kept as far out of sight as possible, slowly inching the handgun over the top of the counter. He peered through the sight, trying to be quick and quiet at the same time, even though he knew his cover was blown as soon as he pulled the trigger. He aimed at the closest creature, just as it turned towards him. It snarled and started to lunge forward, but Harry was faster, squeezing the trigger and firing the bullet straight into its forehead. It barely had time to snarl as it fell to the floor. Instantly, the other two werewolves were focused on him. A bang from the other side of the room stopped one in its tracks and it too collapsed, and the other whipped around, confused. Another werewolf entered the room, then the fifth final one. Harry briefly wondered why they were just sending them in while they were obviously going to kill them. Within seconds the third was dead, and Harry had taken aim on the fourth. He almost smiled, this was too easy. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his mood darkened. This was too easy. The demons must have some kind of plan. Still, he didn’t have any way to disrupt a plan he didn’t know about, so he took out the fourth werewolf, scanning the room for possible traps. He couldn’t see anything. He heard the last werewolf howl as it went down, then silence. None of them dared to move. Harry scanned the room once more. The windows were high up and boarded. There was a single vent on the ceiling. Even if the demons were planning on using that, only one could come through at a time, and they would be easy targets. So that left the door. Without having to look he knew all of the others were staring at it, aiming, ready. The windows around the room shattered and the wood was torn away. Black smoke erupted out of the vent, filling the room with disembodied demons flying around the room, almost too fast to follow. The door was flung open and the animal like snarls of vampires filled the room as they dived through. The female demon entered the room behind them, looking strangely calm in the chaos. She leaned against the wall next to the door. The vampires stopped, perched around the room.

Harry knew they all already knew where they were hiding, they were just waiting. Waiting for some kind of order, which the demon didn’t give. Instead, she flicked her wrist, and before Harry knew what was happening he was whizzing through the air. He crashed into something and fell to the floor in a heap, only then realising it was Tom he had been thrown into. He reflexively drew the stake as one of the vampires tore towards them. He plunged it into the vampire’s chest just as it reached them. As if that was the go ahead, all of the other vampires leapt into action and the disembodied demons began to whirl around, swooping between the counters and around the vampires. Harry pulled back the stake, scrambling to get up as the vampire fell. He put his hand on the counter to haul himself upright when another, this time a female, darted towards him. Just before she reached him a sharp metal point exploded through her chest, then disappeared again. It wasn’t enough to kill her, so the vampire whipped around to be faced with Sara. Harry took the diversion and once again stabbed the wooden stake into her back. Danny lifted the shotgun, his eyes jet black, and fired at the closest vampire. She was stood only two feet away, and her head practically exploded as the shell hit her. Danny grimaced as blood spattered over him. However, his plan had worked. A few of the vampires that had previously been heading towards Dougie and Sara were now concentrated entirely on him instead. He smirked slightly, raising the gun again. Dougie was suddenly thrown against the wall, his head cracking painfully against the tiles. Black smoke swirled around him, but he couldn’t tell one demon from the next. He stepped away from the wall and smoke swirled around him. He almost cried out in pain and leapt away, staring down at the lacerations in his clothes, the fraying edges becoming soaked in blood. Pain shot through his body as teeth sank into his neck. He tore free, making the bite worse, but he didn’t care. It couldn’t affect him now anyway, and it wasn’t deep enough for the blood loss to slow him down straight away. Anger flared inside him and he felt his eyes change colour. He pulled the wooden stake out of its strap and dived for the vampire, hitting it in the stomach. Sara ducked just as a knife whizzed over her head. The demon stood at the door was smiling, almost laughing, flicking her hand and sending objects flying around the room. Sara glanced quickly around the room. Danny seemed to be holding his own, his injuries no worse than a couple of deep scratches across one cheek and a few cuts here and there. Dougie was pretty much the same, although his neck wound looked painful, she knew he could manage. She briefly wondered if adding more vampire venom to the mix would speed up his incredibly slow transformation into a vampire, but pushed the thought out of her mind. He hadn’t shown any symptoms lately, maybe she’d been wrong and he was getting better. Tom had a large gash in his forehead and blood was trickling down his face, and he looked a bit beat up. Harry had blood seeping down his shirt from his shoulder. All of them were on their feet, and still swinging. She dived out of the way as a cloud of black smoke sped in her direction. Even if they weren’t solid, they could still do some damage. She slipped out the knife Alice had made, focusing on the demon next to the door. She lunged for her suddenly, and the demon didn’t have time to move before the blade was deep in her stomach. The demon gasped, her eyes wide. Her vision locked on Sara. “You... You can’t... This can’t happen!” She screeched. Sara jerked the knife free and the demon gasped again. She screamed and black smoke erupted from her mouth, going straight downwards through the floor, leaving behind a singed circle. The body that the demon had once hosted collapsed.

Everything seemed to slow down for a moment. The swirling black smoke of all the other demons flew out of the door and through the vents and windows. The remaining vampires looked around in confusion. Everyone was staring at the body, shocked. Danny smiled, looking uncharacteristically malevolent. His smile was cold, his black eyes narrowed. A little blood was spattered across his face and his shotgun was still raised. He threw it down suddenly and drew his stake, diving at the closest vampire, a large male, and tackling him to the ground. He plunged the stake into his chest and the vicious light left the vampires eyes. He felt teeth slice into his shoulder and whirled around, pulling free and swinging at his attacker, a female. She staggered back as his fist connected with her jaw, then lurched forward. He raised the stake, but before he could strike she stopped dead, her eyes suddenly going empty. She collapsed and Danny looked up, seeing Dougie holding a handgun. He grinned, with genuine warmth this time, and patted Dougie on the shoulder before looking for the next vampire. He swore loudly as he saw a female charging towards Dougie and grabbed hold if his shirt, yanking him out of the way. Dougie hissed in pain and Danny looked down at his hand, which was wet with blood. His eyes widened for a moment. “Doug, are you-” “Later, Dan.” Dougie cut him off, diving forward and swinging towards the vampire. The vampire dodged out of the way with a hiss. Dougie briefly thought that this was the first one that had actually put up a real fight; the others practically dived onto the stakes. The vampire leapt at him again, dragging him town. He kicked her in the stomach and rolled away. His eyes darted around the room as he scrambled to his feet. It seemed like the smarter vampires had let the other idiots throw themselves into the fight first to wear them out, then swooped in for the kill later. Each of them was now facing one vampire, except Sara, who was facing two large males, but seemed to be coping just as well as the others anyway. The vampire hissed at him again, her sharp teeth bared. She stayed still for a moment, as if she was trying to work out what his next move was. “So you’re the freak,” She snarled. Dougie didn’t reply, he just glared at her. “You’re the one who’s part of everything, but one of nothing.” “Yeah, because that completely made sense.” Dougie growled sarcastically. “You’re not a demon, not a human, not a vampire. You don’t count as anything. We all know it. Your blood tastes wrong, smells wrong. Even your friends don’t know what you are. You’re not one of them.” She hissed. “I’d say get to the point, but I really don’t want to hear it.” Dougie lunged towards her but she stepped out of the way almost gracefully. “Go ahead, act cocky, you know it as well as I do. No one knows what you might do, how many people you might hurt. The only reason they want you around is so they can control you, nothing else.” She continued, sneering at him. He swung at her but she dodged out of the way. “They want to see you in hell just as much as I-” She stopped suddenly, the next word coming out as an incoherent choking sound. Dougie looked at Danny as he drove the stake deeper into her. “No one likes a liar, bitch.” He growled, then pulled the stake back. She collapsed, her eyes staring at the wall blindly. Danny glared at her for a moment, then looked up at Dougie, his expression softening. “You alright?” “Yeah.” Dougie murmured. “Thanks.” Danny smiled then turned to look at Sara, planning on helping her out. His eyes landed on her just in time to see the last vampire fall to the floor at her feet. His smile widened as he approached her.

“Nice job,” He said. Sara smirked. “You look so sinister, standing there grinning while you’re covered in blood that mostly isn’t yours. Especially before with the gun, seriously, I was more scared of you than I was of the vampires!” Sara exclaimed. “You know you love bad asses.” Danny said, nudging her. “There’s a difference between bad asses and sadists, you know.” Sara said. “Oh, so you’re admitting to liking bad asses then?” Danny asked. She shoved him as a response. “Well now what?” Harry interrupted the banter. He gestured around the room, which was full of bodies. “The police are gonna go insane!” “We have more to worry about than the police.” Danny said. “But,” He continued before Harry could object. “I say we burn the place down.” “I agree, does anyone have any petrol? Or a lighter, for that matter?” Dougie asked pointedly. “Use your imagination, Doug.” Danny replied. He wove his way around the vampires and werewolves, opening the cupboards as he went. He took out various cooking oils and some alcohol, then moved over to the ovens and started rooting through the cupboards there. Finally he pulled out a gas lighter. He started tipping the contents out all over the bodies and floor, tossing back a couple of bottles to Sara and Dougie, gesturing to them to help. Finally they returned to the door and Danny flicked the lighter on, then threw it into the centre of the room. For a moment nothing happened, then the oil started to catch fire slowly, and when the flames reached the places which were soaked in alcohol they blazed. “Come on, let’s get out of here before someone sees us.” Sara murmured. They all followed her outside. Tom was limping slightly and Harry was keeping one arm close to his side. Danny and Sara were refusing to let their injuries affect them. Dougie was ignoring the pain pulsing in his neck, not wanting to draw attention to himself. They returned to the place where they had sorted out the weapons and picked up the empty duffel bags, removing all their weapons except a single handgun and Alice’s knives and putting them back inside. They carried them back up towards the car, glancing around to make sure no one could see them. “Where are we gonna go?” Danny asked. “We can’t book into a hotel looking like this, the stuff we have in the car isn’t enough to cover it all up.” “I guess... I guess Tom and Harry can come back to my place.” Sara suggested hesitantly. Danny looked unsure. “What if they try something?” He asked quietly, making sure Tom and Harry didn’t hear. “Then us three can kick their asses.” Sara said simply. “Then they’ll know where we live.” Danny pointed out. “They’ll know one place where we live. I have more than one house. I’m sure we can wait out one human lifetime without coming back to that particular house.” Sara said. “Fine, but if me or Dougie get shot, I blame you.” Danny muttered. “Fine. What if I get shot?” Sara asked. “I’ll laugh.” Danny replied. Sara shoved him roughly and he laughed. He broke of suddenly, as if something had just occurred to him. “One human lifetime.” He murmured. “Will Dougie be able to wait one human lifetime?” “He was brought back into his own body after he died. Demons don’t age if that happens.” Sara said, although she knew that didn’t really answer the question.

“Dougie’s only half demon.” Danny said quietly. He glanced over at Dougie, who was staring into space as he walked a couple of metres away. “I know.” Sara whispered. “But if he’s half demon, that half can’t age, and he can’t just half age, so maybe he just can’t age all together.” “But you’re just guessing.” Danny stated rather than asked, looking disappointed. Sara nodded slightly, not looking at him. “He’s twenty-one anyway, Dan, he’s got plenty of time.” Sara said. “We’ll be able to tell in a few years.” “What then, if he does?” Danny asked. “Dan, you stuck with him while he was completely human. You must have thought about that.” Sara replied vaguely. “I never really came to a conclusion.” Danny muttered. “I tried not to dwell on it.” He fell silent for a moment, biting his lower lip. He pushed the thought away, like he always did. “Was that the reason you always used to call him my ‘pet’?” Danny asked, trying to lighten the mood slightly. “I thought you’d just leave him eventually. That and because he follows you around like a puppy.” Sara added, smirking. They threw the bags in the car boot, still trying to stay inconspicuous. Thankfully, it was getting slightly darker. Sara climbed into the driver’s seat and Danny moved towards the passenger side then stopped, looking at Tom and Harry. He changed direction, nudging Dougie towards the front seat and climbing into the back instead of him. Tom slid into the middle and Harry squeezed in on his other side. “You don’t trust us,” Tom said, looking at Danny. Danny didn’t reply straight away, casually wiping the blood that was still on his face away. “Remember that time, not too long ago, when you tried to kill me? And Dougie? Repeatedly?” He asked as if it was a normal question. Tom fell silent. “Oh, and there was that time when you tried to exorcise-” “Ok, yeah, I get it.” Tom mumbled, cutting Danny off. Danny leaned back against the chair and stared out of the window, saying nothing else. Tom shifted uncomfortably. The journey to Sara’s house was a long one, even longer in the tension that was radiating from them. ***** Danny practically ignored Harry and Tom when they returned, ushering Dougie and Sara inside, leaving the door open for them. He made them both sit down then left the room momentarily, returning with gauze and bandages and a damp cloth. He pressed the cloth gently against Dougie’s neck, trying to wipe away the dried blood without hurting him. “Hold that there for a minute,” Danny ordered. Dougie couldn’t be bothered arguing. He just sat there while Danny checked him over, sighing with relief when he moved on to Sara. “What do you wanna do about sleeping?” Sara asked after convincing Danny she was fine. “There’s one spare bed,” Danny mumbled, thinking out loud. “So unless we share, that means three of us don’t have one.” He and Dougie had been forced to share a bed before, which wasn’t so bad when Dougie was smaller, but Danny tended to take up a lot of room and Dougie fidgeted. “I don’t have to have the other bed, so there’s two beds-” Sara started, but Danny cut her off.

“It’s your house, you get one.” He stated. “Well, you two have more right to it than us.” Tom said, shrugging. Harry nodded slightly in agreement. Danny thought about it for a moment, then decided it was fair enough. “Fine, you can have it.” Danny said to Dougie, who looked like he was going to complain, but Danny held up a hand to stop him. “You need it more than me.” “So where will you sleep?” Dougie asked. “Well, I can stay in the same room on the floor or something. No offense, but I don’t wanna share a room with you two.” Danny said to Tom and Harry. They shrugged, probably feeling the same about him. Definitely, in Harry’s case. After a few moments of awkward silence, Dougie grabbed the TV remote and switched it on. “You better promise me, I’ll be back in time” The music came on loud, so Dougie quickly turned it down. “I’ll be back in time,” Danny joined in singing just as Dougie was about to change the channel. Dougie gave him an odd look. “What?” Danny asked, tilting his head. “Awesome song, awesome film.” “Nothing,” Dougie said, smirking. “So what’s the plan?” “I guess we don’t have one. The demons all disappeared when they saw what the knife could do; they must be coming up with their own plan.” Sara replied. “Oh, yeah, we have a couple more for you two.” Sara added, glancing at Tom and Harry. “And if you so much as think about using them against us, you won’t get out of here with both your legs in tact.” Danny growled. Dougie snorted with amusement, and Danny smacked the back of his head. “Like you could stop us if we did.” Harry muttered. Tom shot him a warning glare, too late. “Was that a threat?” Danny demanded, narrowing his eyes. “Danny, leave it.” Dougie said, tugging his jacket. Danny backed down, collapsing on the couch next to Dougie and folding his arms with a sigh. “I thought you two were past this?” Sara said exasperatedly. “Apparently not.” Dougie muttered. Danny looked at him sideways but said nothing. “So we have no plan? We’re just gonna go in with a few weapons?” Dougie asked. “Not just a few, truckloads.” Sara said, smirking. “But we don’t know where they are, so we just have to wait.” “Wait. Fantastic.” Dougie muttered. Chapter 61 “What’s with you?” Dougie asked quietly. It was pitch black, but he hadn’t been able to sleep, and something told him Danny was still awake too. “What?” Danny whispered. “You seemed really pissed at Harry.” Dougie said. “Doug, he threatened to kill us!” Danny exclaimed, although his voice was still low. “I know, but normally you put up with more than that from him.” Dougie said. “I just can’t be arsed with him. He’s only gonna slow us down because he doesn’t trust us, and he’ll blame us as soon as something happens.” Danny said. “We just saved him but he’s still being a dick.” “Maybe that’s his default setting,” Dougie murmured, and Danny chuckled softly. They fell silent for a while. Dougie sighed deeply.

“So, any updates on the vampire thing?” Danny asked. Dougie shook his head, then realised Danny probably couldn’t see. “No. Just the same stuff.” He paused. “Actually, I don’t know,” “What? Tell me, Doug, I don’t care if it’s nothing.” Danny urged. “It might just be... I don’t know, but I kinda... notice it more.” Dougie mumbled. “Blood, I mean. Like, I can hear your heart beating right now.” “That’s... slightly disturbing.” Danny said, but his voice had a hint of amusement, as if he wasn’t being serious. “Tempting?” “Not really, until you’re actually bleeding.” Dougie murmured. “It’s worse with you and Sara than it is with Tom and Harry.” “Because we’re demons.” Danny supplied. “I wonder what would happen if you actually tasted it,” Danny thought out loud. “I don’t really wanna try.” Dougie muttered. “What about Tom and Harry? They don’t know about this.” “We don’t tell them. They’re bad enough as it is.” Danny growled. “What if they find out?” Dougie asked, an edge of worry in his voice, which Danny picked up on instantly. “Don’t worry, Doug, if they find out and they try anything, I’ll personally kick their asses.” Danny said. Dougie laughed. He heard Danny shuffling then felt his bed dip, managing to focus on Danny’s silhouette. “Listen, you won’t like this,” Danny started quietly. Dougie tilted his head. “What?” He asked, sitting up. Danny took a deep breath. He knew that saying this was a long shot was a huge understatement, but he had to try. “I don’t want you going near Gabriel.” Danny said. “I don’t really have a choice, I mean, we can’t just run, he’ll come after us.” Dougie said, not really understanding. “We can’t run. You can.” Danny whispered. “Wh-what? Leave you and Sara? No way!” Dougie exclaimed. “Shh, Doug!” Danny hissed. “I didn’t say leave me and Sara. Sara can go with you.” “Are you insane? There’s no way we’re gonna leave you to face this on your own!” Dougie growled, speaking just as loud as he had been a moment ago. “I don’t care if you wanna protect us, how do you expect us to just abandon you? We care about you just the same as you do about us, you know! You said Gabriel-” Danny silenced Dougie’s rant by pressing his hand over his mouth, so that the words came out as nothing more than incoherent mumbling. “Doug, be quiet.” Danny said calmly. Dougie shook his head stubbornly, grabbing Danny’s arm and trying to force his hand away, but failed. “Just hear me out!” Danny growled. “If he gets hold of you, then you’ll wish you were dead. But he won’t kill you, he’ll make you suffer. I can’t let him do that, Dougie. I can’t let that happen to you. So I want you to get away, while you can.” “I don’t care what you want.” Dougie hissed as soon as Danny removed his hand. “Doug, please,” Danny sighed. “I can’t watch you... I can’t see... I can’t see that happen again.” He added, not wanting to mention Dougie’s death. “It won’t happen again. We won’t let it.” Dougie muttered, folding his arms like he always did when he was being stubborn. “I don’t know why you’re trying, Sara won’t agree either.” “Sara won’t agree to what?” Sara asked, suddenly pushing the door open and making them both jump. Danny sighed. He knew Dougie wasn’t going to listen, and

Sara was going to back him up. Sara flicked the light on and closed the door. “He wants us to leave.” Dougie said. “Leave? Why?” Sara asked, coming further into the room. “He thinks we’ll leave him to take on Gabriel on his own. He wants to keep us ‘safe’.” “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” Sara muttered sarcastically. “I’m not going anywhere and neither’s he.” She said, gesturing at Dougie. “Even if we did, what makes you think he’ll leave us alone? If he hates you as much as you say, he won’t stop coming after us just because we’re not with you. He’ll know you’re trying to get us out of the picture, and he won’t let you. We’re already in too deep for that to work.” She said. Danny didn’t reply, glaring at the wall. He knew she was right, but he didn’t want to believe it. “Why are you two so willing to throw yourselves into the pit for me?” He growled. “You’d be fine without me!” “Doesn’t mean we wanna be.” Sara said. “Why not?” Danny hissed. His eyes quickly changed to black. “I attract danger. I nearly got you killed loads of times, both of you. And I actually did get you killed. I killed you myself!” His voice rose, aiming the words at Dougie. “But you also brought me back, and saved our asses loads of times.” Dougie said. “I wouldn’t need to save you if I didn’t put you in danger to start with! And, now you’re back, let’s face it, you’re a fucking freak.” Danny said. Dougie opened his mouth but no words came out, shocked. “I... I didn’t mean that,” Danny said quickly, his eyes changing back again. “Whatever, it’s true anyway.” Dougie muttered, although it was obvious the words had offended him. “No it’s not, I just, I dunno, I need to go.” Danny stated, and stood up. “Go where?” Sara asked. “I don’t know!” Danny exclaimed, throwing the door to the room open. “So you’re just going to leave? Again?” Sara asked sharply. “Don’t pull that crap, it was you that left, not me.” Danny hissed, his voice edged with hurt and accusation. “I only left because I wasn’t going to wait around to be ditched.” Sara growled, for the first time revealing that what had happened between them had affected her more than she let on. Both of their eyes changed colour almost simultaneously. “It was you that walked away in the end.” Danny said. Dougie stayed silent, not wanting to get dragged in at the same time as wanting to put a stop to this. “For the sake of pride, not because I wanted to. You were the one who wanted to distance yourself. It seems like you always solve your problems by leaving people behind. I don’t know why you bothered with us to start with.” Sara said. “I want you to be safe.” Danny said, his voice too calm. Sara knew that on the inside he wanted to scream and yell and throw things around. His hands, clenched into fists, were shaking with anger. His eyes were burning with anger. “And by walking out on us, you’re protecting us? You’re logic’s fucked, Danny.” Sara said, mimicking his calm. “What do you suggest, then? If you have some master plan to save us all, I’d love to hear it!” Danny growled, his voice rising again. “Whatever I say would be better than walking out at the first sign of danger, again.” Sara said.

“We’re way past the first sign, Sara, we’re at the end of the fucking road.” Danny growled. “So you bail on us, again.” Sara stated, still maintaining the strange calmness that Danny was quickly losing his grip on. “I’m not bailing! I just- Oh, for fucks sake, I give up! You’re both too stubborn to listen to sense! You’d rather get yourselves killed that let me do this!” Danny yelled. “It’s called being loyal, Danny, you might wanna try it some time.” Sara hissed. They glared at each other for what seemed like hours. Danny broke eye contact suddenly, whirling around and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. After a couple of moments they heard the front door open and slam, too. Chapter 62 “Now what?” Dougie asked after a few moments of silence. “I don’t know.” Sara replied shortly, still glaring at the door. “Will he be back?” Dougie asked. “Maybe, in about twenty years.” She growled bitterly. “We’d better find him.” Dougie murmured. “Not right now. He needs to cool off.” Sara muttered. “So do you,” Dougie pointed out. Sara didn’t reply. “That could have gone better, huh?” Dougie said. “I guess it could.” Sara mumbled. She ran a hand through her hair and sat down on the edge of the bed. Dougie shuffled so he was sat next to her. They heard footsteps on the stairs, and someone knocked on the door. “What?” Sara called. Tom pushed the door open hesitantly, with Harry behind him. “Um, we just wondering...” Tom trailed off uncomfortably. “What the hell just happened?” Harry finished for him. “He’s gone.” Sara said with a shrug, as if she didn’t care. “Oh.” Tom mumbled. “Uh, is he coming back?” Sara just shrugged again. “Great, that leaves four of us left to fight.” Harry muttered. “I knew the bastard was no help to us.” “Don’t speak about him like that,” Dougie hissed, automatically defending Danny, even though he’d just left them. “Well, he’s gone when we needed him the most. I think that qualifies him as a bastard.” Harry said, shrugging. “Maybe if we try to find him now, he won’t have gone far.” Dougie tried. Sara shook her head. “We need to stay on track.” She murmured. “Find Gabriel. See if we can stop him.” “Without Danny?” Dougie asked, as if he couldn’t comprehend that. “Yeah, without Danny. He’s gone, we can’t just abandon the job and hope everything turns out ok.” “That’s probably what he wants us to do.” Dougie mumbled. “Which is another reason why were not going to.” Sara growled ***** Tom and Harry wandered around aimlessly in the relatively small space

between a bookcase and a wall, which had a table and two chairs in the middle. They were in a library, researching whatever might be useful. Sara was sat reading a large, leather-bound book. Dougie was next to her, a smaller, closed book in front of him. He’d long since given up. “There’s nothing here we don’t already know.” Sara mumbled, frustrated. “I came to that conclusion a long time ago.” Harry said. Sara slammed the book shut. All of them had been acting a little odd since Danny had gone, two nights ago. Although neither Dougie nor Sara admitted it, they’d been hoping he’d show up the next day. “Excuse me, we’re closing up now.” A middle aged woman appeared next to the bookcase, smiling warmly. Sara sighed but returned the smile, standing up and putting the book back. “Have you found anything you want?” The woman asked. “No, not this time.” Sara replied. “Oh, well you can always come back another day, we get new books all the time. Bye,” The woman added. They all mumbled their own goodbyes and followed Sara, who lead the way outside. “Well, that was a waste of time.” Harry announced. “I’m starving,” Dougie said, out of nowhere. “There’s a McDonalds up there somewhere,” Sara sighed, starting to walk in the direction that she pointed in. “It’s not your fault, you know.” Dougie said quietly, falling in step next to her. “You only said what you were thinking, he was doing the same.” “I know but...” Sara trailed off, shrugging. “We have to come up with something, he’ll show up eventually.” She said. Dougie was confused for a moment, then realised she’d just changed the subject altogether. “Gabriel, you mean?” Dougie asked. “Yeah.” Sara said. “We don’t have any idea what he’s gonna do.” “We always think of something in the end.” Dougie assured her. They ate quickly, awkward silence surrounding them. They all knew that losing Danny was a big blow to take, but Sara and Dougie didn’t want Tom and Harry to get too involved. “Hey, listen, me and Harry were thinking we could stop at a hotel, give you two some space and everything.” Tom suggested as they climbed into Sara’s car. “We saw one on the way here we could stay at, so we’re not too far away.” “Sure, if you want.” Sara mumbled. “We need to get you your car back somehow.” “We’ve got other things to worry about.” Harry said, shrugging. They fell silent again, and Sara sighed with relief when they reached the hotel and Tom and Harry got out. ***** Another three days passed with no intervention from anything paranormal. Danny still didn’t return. It was only then that Dougie realised he’d never gone five days without seeing Danny since he met him. He’d never gone more than two. “It’s weird without him.” Dougie mumbled, sitting on the couch in the front room. “You get used to it after a month or so.” Sara said, trying not to sound bitter. “I guess what you said about him ditching people eventually was true.” Dougie muttered.

“He’ll probably come back.” Sara said, sounding more confident than she felt. There was suddenly a loud knock on the door. Sara and Dougie exchanged looks of confusion, then Sara went to open it. “And I thought this was going to be hard.” The man on the other side smirked. He shoved her back inside just as two more people, one man and one woman, came to join him. They stepped inside and the door swung shut behind them. The window in the other room shattered, but Sara didn’t have time to go and see what was happening before everything went black. Chapter 63 Tom banged on the door to Sara’s house for the third time, although he knew it was pointless. The front window was smashed, so obviously something had happened. He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Dougie’s number. He pressed call and held it to his ear. It rang on for what seemed like ages, his breathing speeding up with each ring. Eventually, it just went to voicemail. “He’s not picking up.” Tom said. “Shit,” Harry whispered. “Ring Danny.” Tom nodded and went to Danny’s number. It too rang and rang with no answer. The voicemail message came on, and Tom was just about to hang up when Harry grabbed the phone out of his hand. “Listen, Danny, I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, but Sara and Dougie are gone. Someone broke in and now we don’t know where they are. I suggest you swallow your fucking pride and help us before something happens to them.” He growled down the phone, then hung up. He handed the phone to Tom, looking angry. “Didn’t know you cared about keeping the demon family together.” Tom murmured. “Tom, we’ve been dragged into this too. We need them, preferably alive.” Harry said. “Come on, we better see if we can find anything.” He didn’t wait for a reply, walking over to the window. He knocked out some of the broken glass then climbed inside. ***** “You’re sure Jones wasn’t there?” A cold voice was the first thing Sara registered. She couldn’t see. She blinked a few times before realising she was blindfolded. She was sat down on an uncomfortable chair, her eyes tied behind her, so tight that it was breaking her skin. The rope burned, too. She thought they must have put holy water or salt on it. She didn’t hear footsteps approach, but suddenly the blindfold was whipped away. “So, you’re back to join us.” Sara stared at the man in front of her. He seemed to radiate darkness. She knew instantly it was Gabriel. “I’m disappointed with you, actually. I thought you’d put up more of a fight. And Danny wasn’t even there to make a pathetic attempt to save you both.” Gabriel sneered. Sara suddenly became aware that her hands were brushing someone else’s. She turned her head as far as she could. Dougie was in a similar position behind her, his head bowed, presumably unconscious. “Let us go.” Sara demanded. Her voice was weak. “Why would I do that?” Gabriel asked, smirking. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy your stay. I have things to do.” With that, he headed for the door. Sara noticed he stepped straight over a chalk devil’s trap that was circling her and Dougie. “You think

something like that can stop me?” Gabriel asked, noticing her look of surprise. He smirked again, then disappeared out of the room, closing a heavy metal door behind him. “Doug, Dougie, wake up.” Sara hissed, trying to jerk backwards and knock him awake. After a couple of tries, he stirred, lifting his head. “What... What’s going on?” He asked tiredly. He suddenly seemed to wake up properly. “Where are we?” He asked, sounding alarmed. “I don’t know.” Sara muttered. “Gabriel’s here.” She added. Dougie was silent for a moment. “Shit.” He finally whispered. “What do we do?” He asked. “I don’t know.” Sara repeated. Dougie was quiet for a moment. He started shuffling slightly. “What are you doing?” Sara asked. “I think I have a knife.” Dougie muttered, still shifting. “Your hands are tied to mine,” Dougie muttered, thinking out loud. “Doesn’t make that much difference.” Sara sighed. Dim light filtered in through the small window just below the ceiling. As far as she could tell, it was getting darker. It had been night time, last time she could remember, so that meant they’d almost been here a day already. “See, it’s times like these when being a hunter sucks.” Dougie said. “I don’t think I can reach the knife. Not without breaking your hands anyway.” “Go for it.” Sara muttered. “What? I’m not breaking your hands!” Dougie exclaimed. “Come on, Sara, you always think of ways out of these things!” “I got nothing.” Sara said, her voice pretty much emotionless. “You’re a demon, can’t you break the rope? Make something break it?” Dougie asked. “I don’t think so, there’s nothing to break it with. Anyway, you’re part demon too.” Sara pointed out. “But I’m not as strong as you with those things.” Dougie said. “Come on, there must be something!” Dougie suddenly noticed his phone, smashed up on the floor. The battery was out and the screen was completely destroyed. He groaned, then realised something. “Someone must have tried to ring me,” He said. “So they smashed it before they could think of tracing the signal or something. That means someone’s looking for us, so they know we’re gone. Either Danny came back, or they didn’t catch Tom and Harry.” “I’m betting on Tom and Harry, to be honest.” Sara said. “What, you’ve lost all faith in Danny now?” Dougie asked, half wanting to jump to his defence, half understanding. “Well, not completely, but if it was Danny he would have tried ringing me too. My phone isn’t smashed anywhere around here.” Sara said. “It’s still in my pocket.” “They didn’t check you?” Dougie asked, surprised at the stupidity of it. “Well, some demons are real morons.” Sara said. “What we need right now is for Danny to suddenly appear, get us out, apologise and we’ll go take out Gabriel.” Dougie murmured. “Like it’s ever that easy.” Sara said. She suddenly looked determined. “We don’t need Danny. We can do this.” As if she jinxed it, the door swung open and Gabriel strolled into the room. He smirked at them coldly. “Time to get things started,” He said. Sara glared at him. “Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Gabriel sighed, lifting his hand slightly. Sara’s head suddenly jerked sideways as though someone had struck her. “You’re friend is disappointing. I would

have thought he’d come back after you going missing, but no.” “How long have we been here?” Sara asked coldly. Gabriel looked like he was thinking for a moment. “Almost two days.” He replied. “But things are about to get a little more fun.” He clenched his fist and pain exploded through Sara, so much that she had to grit her teeth to make sure she didn’t scream. It felt like someone was trying to rip out her organs. She heard Dougie groan and knew the same must be happening to him. Chapter 64 “We have no idea what we’re up against, do we?” Harry asked. Tom shook his head. They were parked around the corner from a huge warehouse, which looked abandoned. They’d found leads that pointed to this area, and the warehouse was the only thing they could find which suggested something odd was going on. Even here, a small distance away, their EMF metres were going wild. “What can we do? We can’t go in there, not if there’s enough crap in there to do that!” Tom exclaimed, pointing at the whirring EMF metre. “Plus it’s getting dark, which will give them the advantage.” “Well if we come back tomorrow, it might be too late!” Harry almost yelled. He didn’t mention that it might be too late already. “He’ll want them alive.” Tom said with fake confidence. “To get to Danny.” “Well, his plan’s screwed, ‘cause Danny’s pissed off somewhere and we can’t reach him. Dick.” Harry growled. “What, me?” Tom asked, raising one eyebrow. “No, not you, Danny!” Harry said exasperatedly. “After the way he acted when he lost Dougie the first time round, and how much of an overprotective ass he is, I would have thought he’d stick around no matter what. But no, he’s just you’re average demon after all.” “Maybe he’s got a plan.” Tom argued weakly. “Letting his friends get caught and leaving them there? Great plan.” Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and anger. Tom gave up with a sigh. He couldn’t find the words to argue, it was looking more and more like Danny was out of the picture. “Even we’re trying to help.” Harry added under his breath. “He’ll turn up.” Tom said. “We need to think of something.” “They’ll see us as soon as we go within ten metres of the building.” Harry murmured. “Well, I have an idea, although it’s not what I’d call one hundred percent fault free.” “It’s better than nothing,” Tom said, shrugging, having no idea what he was letting himself in for. Harry got out of Sara’s car. They had found the keys in the house. He went to the boot and opened it, taking out one of the couple of rifles, then returned to the car. “Harry, what the hell are you doing?” Tom demanded. Harry rolled down the window quickly. “Most likely getting myself killed.” Harry said, smirking. He leaned out of the window, the rifle in his hand, and took aim at one of the windows. He fired, a loud bang echoing through the dingy neighbourhood. He quickly aimed at the next one along and fired at that too, then the next and the next, breaking through every top floor window. Then he skipped down the bottom and started firing through them. When he caught movement behind a few of the windows he quickly retreated back into the car.

“Drive, Tom, go!” He yelled. ***** Sara jumped as she heard gunshot after gunshot. There were raised voices outside the door, so obviously whatever happened had caused some alarm. Suddenly the window in their room shattered and glass rained down over the floor. “I think that’s out cue to get the hell out of here.” Sara said. “Get the knife.” Dougie tried to do as he was told. The knife was hidden in a small strap up his sleeve, which he’d put in himself. It was just above his wrist, keeping it out of sight but reachable. He strained against the rope which was biting into his skin, determined to reach it but do as little damage to himself and Sara in the process. Sara refused to complain as Dougie struggled against the rope, ignoring the burning pain in her wrists. All that mattered was getting out. Finally, after what seemed like way too long when in reality it could only have been a couple of minutes, Dougie sighed with relief. “Got it.” He said. He twisted the knife around, sawing at the rope. It seemed to take an agonisingly long time, and every second increased the chance of someone catching them. He freed one hand then set to work on the next, twisting around for better access. The second he cut through his own he moved onto Sara’s, then she instantly tried to untie her feet. Dougie cut through his own ties then passed the knife to Sara to help speed things up. Someone threw the door open the second she was on her feet. “What the hell-” Sara lifted her hand and the demon that had entered was thrown against the wall. He slid to the floor, but recovered in just a couple of seconds. He took a step towards them, but Sara threw the knife towards him. It sliced into his shoulder. He swore, then grabbed hold of the hilt and slid it out. “You shouldn’t play with knives.” The demon taunted, then hurled it towards her. She dodged out of the way and it flew past, millimetres away. It hit the floor a couple of metres away, digging into the floor. Sara did a double take as she saw where it hit. It had sliced right into the outer circle of the devil’s trap, breaking it. “That was fucking lucky,” Dougie said, his eyes wide. The demon swore again, but before he could make another move, Sara flicked her wrist and he flew back through the door, breaking it off its hinges and taking it with him. “Quick, out!” Sara ordered. Dougie nodded and pulled himself up and out of the window. Sara followed him as quickly as possible, not forgetting to pick up the knife on the way. They ran towards the streets ahead of them, hoping that the demon didn’t recover fast enough to spread the word of their escape and send out people to drag them back. They slowed down after they had covered what they hoped was a reasonable distance, realising they had no idea where they were. “What now?” Dougie asked, breathing heavily. “I have no idea.” Sara replied honestly. “We need to get as far away from here as possible.” Suddenly a car rolled up next to them, and bother of them were instantly on the defensive. Then they recognised it. The window rolled down and Harry stuck his head out. “You two wanna lift?” He asked. Sara smiled, for the first time glad to see him. She climbed into the back seat, closely followed by Dougie. “You guys took your time.” She said. “Just returning the favour.” Harry replied.

Chapter 65 “We need to stay on the move, all the time. No more than one day in the same place.” Sara said as Tom drove. He didn’t know where he was going, but anywhere away from the warehouse was a plus, so he just kept going. “Yeah, and try not to leave a trail. And stay together.” Dougie chipped in. “We could try heading south again.” Sara suggested. “But those hunters that know about us are down there.” Dougie pointed out. “It’s them or Gabriel. What other choice do we have?” Sara asked. “Um... Scotland?” Dougie said, shrugging, only half joking. “Wales, maybe?” “Wales is further away.” Sara said. “Hey, guys, you know, if we’re going as far away as possible and leaving no trail, how will Danny find us?” Tom asked. Neither of them replied for a while. “He won’t, but it’s his own fault.” Sara finally answered. No one said anything in reply. “I vote Wales.” She said. “Sounds good.” Dougie said. “Fine, Wales it is.” Tom mumbled. ***** “Two double rooms, please.” Harry said to the woman on the reception. They’d stopped at the first hotel they had found after Tom seemed to be losing the ability to keep his eyes open. “For just the one night?” The woman asked. Harry nodded. He didn’t bother listening as she told him the price and other offers, he just held out his fake credit card. They traipsed up to the rooms they were given, each of them collapsing onto their beds as soon as the door was shut behind them. Dougie was down at the bar the second he woke up, feeling too tense to stay in the room when anything could happen. He’d left Sara in the room, not wanting to disturb her just because he was feeling weird. “Want another?” The barman asked gruffly. Dougie looked down at his glass, having emptied his second pint without realising. “Um, yeah.” He replied with a sigh. “Drowning your sorrows?” The barman asked with a smirk, his strong Welsh accent somehow making him sound friendlier. “Mm, something like that.” Dougie replied. The barman quickly filled his glass again. “Don’t worry mate, it might never happen.” The barman replied jokingly. When Dougie didn’t reply, he continued. “Woman troubles?” He asked. “No, it’s not that.” Dougie replied vaguely. “Family?” The barman pressed. “Kinda.” Dougie sighed, not wanting to get questioned further. “You’re new down here, I always know a face when I’ve seen it before. Just moved?” The barman asked. “Road tripping with a few friends.” Dougie said, forcing a slight smile. “Ah, sounds like fun, that. Well, cheer up mate, might as well enjoy the freedom.” The barman said, grinning. Dougie smiled back and he turned away, moving onto another customer. Dougie looked down at the glass and sighed. Suddenly he couldn’t see, someone had pressed their hand over his eyes. The

persons other arm wrapped around his middle, pinning his arms to his sides. He stiffened immediately but didn’t yell, knowing that doing so could result in a quicker death. “Surprise,” The person whispered mockingly right next to his ear. He recognised the voice instantly. Chapter 65 “Danny!” Dougie exclaimed, elbowing his mock attacker in the stomach to make him let go. “What the hell are you doing here?” He demanded, swivelling around on the stool. “Don’t you think it’s a little early to be drinking, Doug?” Danny murmured, looking at the pint of beer in a critical way, ignoring his question. “Shut up! Why are you, I mean, what-” Danny cut Dougie off by holding up his hand. “Not here.” He said quietly, then turned away to lead the way outside. Dougie hesitated, then rushed after him. Danny left the building swiftly and walked around one side, leaning against the wall. He crossed his legs and folded his arms casually, checking there was no one around, then nodded at Dougie. “Shoot.” “Where the fuck have you been? Have you got any idea what happened? Where did you go? You’ve been gone for ages! We had no idea-” Once again, Danny cut him off. “Ok, chill out,” Danny said. “I don’t know why I left and I just wandered around. I’m sorry about that.” “You’re sorry? Great, that fixes everything!” Dougie growled sarcastically, glaring at the floor to Danny’s right. “...Hug?” Danny asked, holding his arms out. Dougie rolled his eyes and Danny started chuckling, folding his arms again. “Why are you even here?” Dougie asked. “Because I’m with you guys.” Danny replied as if it was obvious. “What makes you think we want you?” Dougie asked coldly. “Doug, come on, you know you can’t keep this up.” Danny replied with a smirk. “You’re a dick.” Dougie growled. “But you love me anyway?” Danny asked, one eyebrow raised. He was still smiling, his confidence unfaltering. He chuckled again when Dougie narrowed his eyes. “We don’t need you.” Dougie said, looking at the floor again. “You’re a crappy liar, you know that?” Danny asked. Dougie ignored him. “Do you know what we went through when you left? After you said that leaving us behind would protect us?” He hissed. Danny’s confidence finally broke down a bit. “Not exactly.” Danny whispered. “I got a message off Tom and Harry.” “And you still didn’t come back.” Dougie growled. “Look, I was pissed off, ok? I didn’t check the message because I thought it was nothing! How do you think I felt when I heard it, knowing I ignored it when you needed me?” Danny yelled. “Oh, I’m sorry, that must have been awful for you.” Dougie said bitterly. “Don’t... don’t do this.” Danny replied, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. “By the time I got back, you were gone. It was hell tracking you down to here,

too. Have you got any idea how many bars I had to go into to check if they’d seen you? I got hit on like a hundred times, not always by women!” An edge of humour returned to his voice. Dougie didn’t respond, he just carried on glaring at the floor. “Dougie, please, I’m sorry.” “Yeah, ok.” Dougie muttered. He leaned against the wall next to Danny, keeping a small distance between them. Danny felt a twinge of guilt as he noticed that. “I am, Doug. I wanna make it up to you, and Sara, too.” He murmured. “That’s a good point, I’m gonna go get Sara, see what she says.” Dougie said, moving off the wall again and turning away. Suddenly Danny’s arm was blocking his path. “Move.” Dougie ordered through gritted teeth. “Make me.” Danny said. Dougie turned the other way, but Danny just used his other arm to block his way again. “Danny, just piss off!” Dougie yelled, shoving him backwards. “You left us! After everything you said, saying you wanted to keep us safe, after every time you wouldn’t let me do things when I was a kid or let me go anywhere alone, all the times you said you wanted to protect us, you abandon us when we needed you most! Well guess what? We were fine without you! We. Don’t. Need. You.” He finished. Danny took a small step back towards him, opening his mouth to speak. Dougie swung at him suddenly, punching him in the jaw. Danny staggered back, his hand flying to his face. His eyes were wide with shock, and he just looked at Dougie, then at the floor. “Ok, I guess I deserved that.” He mumbled. “You deserve a hell of a lot more than just that!” Dougie hissed. Danny just looked at him for a moment, ignoring the frustration that was building inside him. He straightened up. “I regretted it the second I walked out, you know. But I was too angry to go back. I wish... I wish I could have come to help you in time, I would of... if I was there, those demons...” Danny trailed off, his eyes narrowing in anger and his fists clenching as he thought of it. His eyes flickered and went black. “They would have regretted going near you. They’d wish they were back in hell.” He paused for a moment, collecting the words for what he was going to say next. “But I know that’s not good enough, saying what I would have done, because I didn’t. I should have been there.” “Yeah, you should.” Dougie growled, although Danny could tell he was slightly less angry. “So will you let me come back?” Danny asked softly, sounding like a small child. “Ask Sara.” Dougie said, not wanting to have the final decision. The past week had made him feel like he was too dependant on Danny. “Why do you think I came to you first? Sara’s gonna be a lot harder to win over than you.” Danny said, smirking again. “What makes you think you’ve won me over?” Dougie asked. “Come on, Doug, you can’t stay mad at me.” Danny chuckled, giving his shoulder a playful shove. Dougie couldn’t resist breaking into a grin, although he still didn’t look at him. Danny almost cheered. “I guess I’m glad you’re back.” Dougie mumbled. “I guess I’m glad I’m back, too.” Danny mimicked with a smile. He stepped forward, throwing his arms around Dougie, forcing him into a hug. He released him a couple of seconds later, smiling and ruffling Dougie’s hair. “Geddoff!” Dougie growled, although he wasn’t really angry, trying to neaten his hair again. Danny just grinned at him, then turned serious.

“What happened when they... you know...” Danny murmured. “Not that much, he left us alone most of the time.” Dougie lied. “The truth, if you don’t mind.” Danny said, raising one eyebrow. “What, you want me to go through it all? It was hell, alright?” Dougie exclaimed, a spark of his fading anger returning. Danny sighed. “I’m sorry.” He said again. Dougie just shook his head. “Come on, I still have Sara to beg forgiveness from.” He forced a smile, patting Dougie on the shoulder as he walked past him, leading the way back inside. Instead of returning to the bar, Danny led Dougie over to a booth in the corner, as far away from the main area as possible. “If it was up to me, I’d say we take a week or so off.” Danny murmured, sliding into the booth after allowing Dougie to sit down first. “I don’t think Gabriel would allow that, somehow.” Dougie said. “Yeah, well, when this is over, we’re having a holiday.” Danny said. “If we sur-” “Don’t ruin my good mood, Doug.” Danny warned, cutting him off, although the damage was already done. He had been careful to avoid thinking about the complications and dangers involved, and he knew better than anyone that it was likely at least one of them wouldn’t be around at the end of everything. “Sorry.” Dougie said quietly. Danny shook his head, draping his arm over the couch behind Dougie. “You’re back.” A familiar voice made them both turn their heads, and they looked up to see Tom standing over them. Tom slid into the booth opposite Dougie and said nothing else, obviously waiting for an explanation. “Yeah, sorry it took me so long.” Danny replied, offering none. “Seems a little odd for you to come back after we stopped needing your help.” Tom said, looking towards the bar. His voice was casual and almost expressionless, but they both knew he was annoyed. Danny’s eyes narrowed dangerously, barely avoiding turning black. He hated the fact that he wasn’t there for them just because of his own arrogance, and he didn’t appreciate being reminded about it. “Yeah, like I said, sorry.” He repeated, his voice carefully controlled. “Where’s Harry?” He asked, trying to change the subject. Tom nodded towards the bar, where Harry was waiting for drinks. Danny sighed, sinking further into the seat. Talking to Dougie had been hard. Tom was obviously annoyed with him. Harry was going to be hell. “So, you decided to show up. Get bored of having no one to put in danger?” Harry asked as soon as he reached the table. He put a glass of coke on the table then passed one Tom and even one to Dougie, but he hadn’t got one for Danny. A pretty insignificant thing to do, but it still pissed Danny off a little. “I was trying to keep you all safe.” Danny hissed between gritted teeth. “Well, you did a brilliant job.” Harry replied sarcastically. “Just leave me alone, I’m back now, aren’t I?” Danny growled. “Yeah, sadly.” Harry said. Danny exhaled heavily, trying not to lose his temper. “So, after we saved your friends, why did you bother coming to find us? You obviously don’t give a shit.” Harry asked, trying to provoke him. Danny glared at him, noticing with a pang of hurt that even Dougie wasn’t attempting to defend him. He was just staring at his glass, not getting involved. “Look, I made a mistake, ok? If I could go back and do things differently, I would, but I can’t! I didn’t mean for that to happen! I didn’t want to leave them!” Danny exclaimed.

“No, you were forcefully dragged out of the house against your will.” Harry muttered, taking a sip of his drink and not looking at Danny. Danny stood up suddenly, whacking the drink out of Harry’s hand and grabbing hold of his shirt, yanking him to his feet. His eyes were black, having lost control of them, consumed by anger. “I said I regretted it, that I’m sorry, that I wish it never happened, what do you want from me?” He hissed. “How do we know you’re not lying? If you really cared about any of us, you wouldn’t have left in the first place. I mean, how do we know what you’re really thinking? You are a demon, after all.” Harry sneered. Danny shoved him so hard that he crashed into the table next to the booth, knocking it over and falling to the floor. “Oi! Take it outside, lads!” A man shouted from the bar, a different one to the one that had spoken to Dougie before. This one was much less friendly looking. Danny glared at Harry for a moment then turned on his heel and left the building. “Yeah, leave, again!” Harry called after him, climbing back to his feet. Dougie stared at the door for a minute, then stood up, going after him. Despite everything, he still didn’t want him to leave again and years of hunting with him had given him the instinct to follow him if he went off alone. He didn’t have to go far, finding Danny leaning against the wall next to the door, his eyes narrowed but once again blue. “Oh, so you are on my side.” Danny muttered, barely looking at him. “What?” Dougie asked, confused. “You were all for him having a go at me in there.” Danny said, jerking his head towards the door. “What was I supposed to say?” Dougie asked. “I dunno, shut up? Leave it? Stop? You know, any of those would have done the job.” Danny growled. “Why are you pissed off at me now? I didn’t say anything!” Dougie exclaimed. “Yeah, you didn’t say anything. I thought I could rely on you-” “Funny, that’s exactly what I thought about you about a week ago.” Dougie said, narrowing his eyes. Danny stopped mid sentence, a mixture of emotions filling his expression. “Dougie, I...” Danny started, then trailed off. “You... you don’t forgive me, do you?” “I... yeah, I just... I dunno, forget I said anything.” Dougie shrugged, not looking at him. “I’m not gonna do that again, Doug. Ever.” Danny said firmly. “I’m never gonna leave you and Sara again, I promise.” “Ok.” Dougie mumbled, turning away to go back inside. Danny grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. “Doug, I promise.” Danny repeated. Dougie half smiled and nodded, finally looking at him properly. “I’ll prove it.” Danny added. “How?” Dougie asked, clearly confused. “Um, you might have to wait for a few years... well, forever, really...” Danny said, shrugging. Dougie laughed. “Listen, Doug, where’s Sara?” Danny asked. “In our room, I guess.” Dougie replied. “I need to go up there, you know, talk to her without an audience.” Danny murmured. Dougie nodded, rooting in his pocket for the key. He pulled it out and handed it to Danny, who smiled almost nervously as he took it. He slung his arm over

Dougie’s shoulders and headed back inside. He released him as they reached the bar, patting him on the shoulder. “Wish me luck, Doug.” He muttered. Dougie chuckled as he walked away, turning back to the bar. “Good to see a smile on your face, mate.” The barman from earlier had returned, grinning at Dougie. The other one was serving other people. “Yeah, things are kinda looking up a bit again.” Dougie replied. The barman put down a pint in front of him. “On the house, just to keep that smile going. Don’t tell Darrell though.” He jerked his head back towards the other man at the bar. Dougie smirked, glancing over at Tom and Harry, who were deep in conversation, throwing looks towards the door Danny had gone through. “I had you down as more of a ladies man, you know. Then again, I’ve been wrong about these things before.” Dougie almost choked on his drink when he realised what the barman was trying to say. ***** Sara glanced up as she heard the door being unlocked. She assumed it was Dougie coming back from the bar. She’d gotten up later than him, but had just sat in the room for a while, trying to collect her thoughts. They still had no plan, and things were getting more and more complicated. “Hey.” Sara’s eyes widened as she realised who was speaking, looking back at the door again as Danny stepped through, closing it behind him. She opened her mouth but no words came out. “Um, listen, before you kick me out again, I’m really sorry. I know I’m a prick and you’re better off without me, but I really want you to forgive me, and hopefully let me stay again.” Danny mumbled, looking at the floor. “Ok.” Sara said, the only word that escaped through the whirlwind of thoughts in her head. “What, that’s it?” Danny asked, looking up to meet her eyes. “You’re not gonna argue and yell and hurl abuse at me? I mean, Dougie punched me, and I thought he was going to be the easiest out of all of you.” He said, smiling cautiously. “Yeah, that’s it.” Sara said. All of the thoughts that were just a mass of confusion suddenly evened out and she knew what she wanted to say. She knew she wanted to put up a fight, make him work hard to win them back, but she just couldn’t find the words to do what she wanted to say justice. It would take too much effort to make Danny understand how she was actually feeling, so she went for lying instead. “Come on, there has to be something.” Danny pressed, as if he actually wanted her to yell at him. He had one hand rubbing the back of his neck, like he always did when he was nervous. “No. Nothing.” Sara murmured, not looking at him. “You’re kinda creeping me out.” Danny said with a forced smile. “We’d better go downstairs.” Sara said. “But... you’re just letting me come back without a word?” Danny asked, confused. “I guess so.” She replied, standing up and walking towards him. He smiled more genuinely, but there was still and edge of caution in his eyes, like he was expecting her to explode. “I missed you,” He said softly when she reached him. Sara didn’t reply. He held out his arms but Sara ignored his gesture, seeing it as a feeble attempt to apologise, and just walked past him into the corridor.

She led the way back down to the bar, not once looking at him, or even acknowledging him. She sat down next to Harry when they reached the booth, leaving Danny to sit next to Dougie on the other side. Silence descended over them. “So what now?” Dougie asked, mainly to break the silence. “Well, seeing as my earlier idea kinda went to pot, we’re back to square one.” Danny said, trying to make at least one of them smile a little bit. No one did. “We could just take it as it comes.” Tom mumbled. “We don’t know where he’ll be, what he’s planning or when he’ll come, so we don’t really have a lot of options.” “We can’t just be unprepared, though.” Danny said. “We don’t have to be unprepared, we have loads of things to protect ourselves.” Dougie said. “We need a safe place to stay. A house, preferably. Somewhere we can get ready properly without having to worry about being seen by someone.” Tom murmured, thinking out loud. “Somewhere remote.” Danny added. “Did you get your car back?” “No, but there’s a garage not far from here, and I’ve hotwired cars before.” Tom said, shrugging like it was nothing. “What about all the guns and weapons in the car?”Danny asked. “We moved most of them into Sara’s car anyway, seeing as hers was safer, less easy to break into. We only lost a few.” Tom replied. Danny suddenly noticed that Harry hadn’t said a word, not even a smart remark; he was just glowering at him from across the table. Sara was avoiding communication all together, ignoring him completely. Chapter 66 “She hates me.” Danny said miserably. He and Dougie were sat alone at the bar. Sara has soon gone back up to the room, and Tom and Harry had left to get a car. “No she doesn’t, she’s just annoyed.” Dougie said, but lacked the confidence he needed to make Danny believe him. “I fucked up again.” Danny continued, staring at the empty glass in front of him. “Why is everything so complicated?” “Did you expect her to be best mates with you again when you came back?” Dougie asked, raising one eyebrow. “No, but I expected something. I expected her to yell and scream and throw a few punches, but she’s just... doing nothing.” Danny mumbled. “Well talking to me won’t help. If I ever understood half a percent of what goes on in her head, it’d be a miracle.” Dougie said. “But... what do I do?” Danny asked, looking at him pleadingly. “I don’t know, I don’t exactly have experience in this area. Thanks to you, by the way. Your own over protectiveness has become your downfall.” Dougie joked. Danny glared at him. “I’m not over... forget it, there’s more important stuff going on. I just need her back on my side.” Danny said, staring at the table. “Sitting here feeling sorry for yourself isn’t gonna help anything.” Dougie said with a shrug. Danny glared at him again. “I’m thinking.” He growled. “And you’re not helping.” “Well instead of sitting here and ‘thinking’ do something about it! She’s not gonna suddenly decide she trusts you again if all you do is sit around and wait for her

to change her mind.” Dougie said. “I know, but-” “Talk to her again.” Dougie ordered. “She won’t listen.” Danny muttered. “Make her listen.” Dougie said. “And how do I do that?” Danny asked, raising one eyebrow. “I dunno, you’ve known her longer than me. You must know how to get through to her, I mean, you were together at one point.” Dougie shrugged. Danny looked deep in thought for a moment, then let out a sigh. “I think I know what to do,” He started quietly. “But I... I dunno if it’s a good idea.” “What can be worse than how things are now?” Dougie asked. “If she just completely walks out on me and disappears?” Danny suggested, his eyes narrowed. Dougie was quiet for a moment. “Well, how sure are you it’s gonna work?” He asked. “About twenty percent.” Danny mumbled. “That doesn’t sound good.” Dougie said with a sigh. “She won’t definitely leave if it doesn’t work, though, it’ll just be even more awkward.” Danny added. “Maybe it’s worth the risk.” He looked kind of nervous, playing with his fingers and not looking at Dougie properly. “What’s the idea, anyway?” Dougie asked. Danny looked up and smiled, a glimpse of his usual confidence returning and a slight gleam in his eye. “You’ll have to wait and see.” He said, then stood up. “I might as well try before I chicken out.” He added, then walked out of the bar. He took the steps two at a time, half nervous, half excited. Part of him was scared out of his mind, but the other part couldn’t wait. It was like being on a rollercoaster, only a thousand times more intense. He hesitated at the door to Sara’s room, taking a deep breath. He still had the key in his pocket, but he thought it would be a better start to let her decide whether or not she wanted to talk to him. For a while he thought she wasn’t going to open the door, then the lock clicked and she pulled it open. She said nothing though, going back to sit on the bed. “Hey,” Danny started, shutting the door again. “What’s up?” She asked, skipping the greeting. She was looking at him like he was someone she barely knew, which hurt. “I wanted to apologize,” He said quietly. “You did already.” Sara said, looking like she couldn’t care less. She had a bored expression on her face, like she was just waiting for Danny to leave again so she could get back to what she was doing, which was, as far as Danny could tell, nothing. “I know, but I think what I did needs more than one.” Danny said, shrugging. “Right, is that all?” She asked. Danny felt another pang of hurt. “I don’t think you believe me.” He murmured. “But I know why. I’ve done it twice. I mean, people deserve second chances, but I screwed both of mine up.” “I don’t get it,” Sara said, looking at her nails casually. “You want me to feel sorry for you or pretend that I believe you?” “Neither,” Danny said. He strolled over to the bed she was sat on, and she gave him a look that was almost a warning. He ignored it, pulling her to her feet. “I want you to believe me, and trust me. You mean more to me than just any friend, if I lost you again, I think it’d kill me.” He whispered, then leaned forward, pressing his

lips against hers. Chapter 67 Danny pulled her into him, wanting her to believe that he really meant what he was saying. For a moment she didn’t respond, then pushed him away suddenly, taking a step back. Danny bit hit lip nervously, waiting for a reaction. “What was that?” Sara asked quietly, her eyes burning into his own. Whether she was angry or not, he couldn’t tell. “I... I want you back.” Danny whispered, looking away, the intensity of the eye contact becoming too much. “You left, Danny, I can’t mean that much to you.” Sara muttered. “You do, I’m just... screwed up when it comes to this stuff. I don’t wanna lose you, ever, I didn’t realise it, but when you came back, deep down I was so happy I had another chance.” He took a deep breath. “Sara, I think I l-” “No, don’t.” Sara broke in quickly, and now he could tell she was annoyed. “What?” Danny asked, a little disappointed she hadn’t let him get the words out when he’d been building up to it for so long. “Don’t even say it, because I know it’s a lie, just as well as you do.” She growled. Danny’s mouth fell open slightly but no words came out. “But-” “No, just shut up.” Sara said, shaking her head. Danny obeyed, although his head was bursting with all the things he wanted to say. “You can’t just... You can’t say that when you know it’s not true. You don’t and you never did, and I don’t need to hear it.” She said. “I don’t care if you don’t believe me.” Danny said, looking determined. “I want you back, like things were before I screwed up the first time.” “You don’t know what you want.” Sara stated, turning away. Danny grabbed hold of her wrist before she could leave the room. “What’ll it take for you to believe me?” He asked quietly. “A hell of a lot more than one kiss after you left for a week.” She replied evenly, although Danny detected the annoyance she was trying to hide. “I can’t take it like this. Scream at me, punch me I don’t care, just do something.” He whispered. “I wish I could, but then that would be giving you what you want.” Sara replied coldly. “I want you to feel the same way about me.” Danny said. “You screwed up your chances of that years ago.” Sara said. “Let go of me.” “No.” Danny said, tightening his grip. Even with her facing away from him, he knew her well enough to know that she was gritting her teeth, trying not to get angry. “Not until we sort this out.” “It is sorted out. We can forget about this and pretend you never came to my room.” She growled. “I don’t want to do that.” Danny replied. “I’m not letting go until you talk to me.” “I’m talking to you now, so get the hell off me before I kick your ass.” Sara muttered. Danny smirked, not realising how real the threat was. “You know what I mean. I wanna know why you don’t believe me, and-” He was cut off suddenly when she swung around and hit him in the face, making him release her and almost fall over. He moved his hand to his face and straightened up,

only to receive another blow to the stomach, making him double over. “I don’t believe you because you’re a fucking liar, Danny!” Sara yelled, shoving him as he tried to right himself again. “We had a good thing going, and you bailed on me! We started to rebuild it, and you bailed again!” Danny automatically grabbed hold of her fist as she took another swing at him, only for her to kick him in the stomach instead. “I liked you back then, as more than just a friend. I only had you, no one else, who I could rely on. But I guess I can’t rely on you, and I couldn’t then either. You’re just a lying, self-centred, arrogant asshole and I fucking hate you!” She shouted. Danny backed off a few steps, slightly regretting saying earlier that he’d be happy for her to hit him, although her words were hurting more. “I know, you’re right, I’m a dick! But I’m sorry!” He exclaimed. “No you’re not! If you were sorry you wouldn’t do it twice!” Sara countered. Her fists were still clenched, but she looked like she was done with the beating, for now at least. “I didn’t think!” “You never fucking think Danny, that’s your problem! You assume you can come up here and kiss me and then everything will fall back in place? And then you try and tell me... you’ve never, ever said that before, but you think I’ll believe it after you’ve screwed me over twice?” She growled, her voice lowering slightly. Danny couldn’t find the words to argue, everything she was saying was true. He actually felt a lump in his throat. “Please, Sara, even if you won’t believe me, I want things to be like they used to be. I missed you when you weren’t around and I regretted it every minute I was alone. I never had a girlfriend after you, because it just didn’t feel right. I... I convinced myself I didn’t like you, that I didn’t need you, but really, I knew it was a lie.” Danny whispered, verging on begging her to take him back. “So you even lie to yourself?” Sara asked, raising one eyebrow. “Stop it Danny, you’re starting to sound like you jumped out of a cheesy chick flick movie. I’m not buying it.” “You actually hate me.” Danny whispered, the remains of his already dying hope completely crushed. “You really do. You’re not just angry, you really, really hate me.” “I... I don’t... I don’t know.” Sara sighed. “Are you gonna leave?” He asked. “No, I’m not like you.” Sara replied, unable to stop the bitter remark from coming out. Danny visibly flinched. “So how’s this gonna work?” Danny asked almost inaudibly. “It’s not.” Sara said. “But we’re just gonna have to manage.” Chapter 68 Danny sat silently in the back of Sara’s car, the tension so high that his skin was constantly prickling. He wanted to get out, just to escape for a while, but that would only convince her that he really didn’t like her. He was determined to stick it out no matter what, to prove it to her. He wasn’t going to give up. “What time did they say?” Dougie asked no one in particular. “Any time now.” Sara replied shortly. The car descended into silence once more. Dougie let out a low sigh, then sat straighter. “You two are driving me insane! You can’t even talk to each other! Really, what’s so bad that when we’re all facing a huge problem that’s gonna more than likely

end in one or more of us dying, you two are finding it more difficult to be within ten feet of each other than fight the worst demon we’ve ever heard of? Yeah, you’ve hit a pretty huge bump in the road, but you’ve fought demons together, lived together, you’ve been through this before!” He exclaimed. Danny and Sara had matching looks of surprise on their faces. “I get it, there’s some kind of history that I still don’t know about, but there’s more important things than injured pride going on!” “He’s right.” Danny mumbled. “And? Pointing all that out isn’t gonna change anything.” Sara said. “Make an effort, at least! Or I’ll be ditching you next!” Dougie growled. Danny fixed him with a glare that was so intense that Dougie shrank back into his seat slightly. “They’re here.” Sara stated. Tom and Harry had pulled up in a black 7th Gen Toyota Celica, parked nearby, and got out of the car. Sara rolled down the window. “So, you’ve given up on being subtle?” She asked. “Eh, what’s the point?” Harry replied, shrugging. “We’re going downstairs anyway, might as well enjoy our last moments!” “Whatever, we’re heading south, towards Cardiff. We’ll just follow the road from there, see where we end up.” Sara said. Harry nodded and headed back towards his new car as Sara rolled up the window. She started the engine, and seconds later Harry’s Celica roared into life. It darted forwards, spraying up some dirt behind it. He turned it suddenly, making the wheels spin, and zoomed out of the car park. “Show off.” Danny muttered. “That was pretty cool, though.” Dougie said. Danny threw him an exasperated look. “I can top that.” Sara said. Dougie laughed. Sara raised one eyebrow at him then put her foot down, shooting out of the car park. With a handbrake skid the car was facing the right way on the road, and Sara slammed her foot down on the accelerator and whizzed down the road. “Woah!” Dougie laughed. Sara joined in, although Danny stayed quiet, trying to look unimpressed. He folded his arms loosely across his chest with a sigh. His relationship with Dougie was already practically back to normal, he just wished Sara was as forgiving. “We’re gonna have to stop to refuel in a bit.” Sara murmured. “Good, I’m starving.” Dougie said. “You’re always starving.” Danny said with a smirk. “Your fault for not feeding me.” Dougie countered. “No, your fault for not feeding yourself. Who do you think I am, your butler?” Danny argued. “Yes.” Dougie said simply. Danny kicked the back of his seat, making Dougie jerk forward a bit. “Hey!” He exclaimed. “You always go mental the second someone tries to hurt me, but you’re fine beating the crap outta me yourself!” “Yeah, because that’s how it works. No one’s allowed to do anything to you except me.” Danny said, grinning. “Because you’re his bitch.” Sara added. Danny laughed, masking his surprise that she was chipping in. “Shut up.” Dougie muttered sulkily, folding his arms and sinking into his seat. ***** “If we carry on the way we’re going, we’ll be heading out to more remote

places. There’s sure to be an abandoned house somewhere.” Sara said. “Don’t you have a house in Wales?” Dougie asked, shovelling some chips into his mouth. They were once again crammed into a booth in a roadside diner. “No, I’m not made of money.” Sara said, looking out of the window. “And I didn’t think I’d ever need to flee the country, to be honest.” “So we’re gonna make a safe hold.” Danny said. He’d finished his own chips and had moved on to stealing Dougie’s. “We need weapons, tripwires, traps, barricades-” “Machine gun nests, airstrikes, snipers...” Dougie broke in, receiving a cuff to the back of the head off Danny. “This is serious.” Danny growled, but had to smile when Dougie just grinned in response. “Even when you say it it’s unbelievable.” Harry muttered, not looking at Danny. “You don’t take anything seriously.” “Now’s not the best time to be picking fights. We have to try and get along instead of winding each other up.” Danny stated. “So now you decided to take the moral high ground?” Harry asked. “No, because I don’t even know what that means.” Danny shrugged. Harry rolled his eyes. “Let’s just finish up here and head out again.” Tom muttered, finishing off his drink. ***** Danny walked around one of the rooms on the upper floor of the house they had found. It was six in the evening, and everything was casting long shadows. The floor creaked slightly in some places, just like any house, but it seemed to be more noticeable here. He lifted a board of wood up and pressed it against the window, forcing it against the glass despite making the plaster around the edges crack a little. He tipped a line of salt behind it, careful not to touch it himself. It always felt a little odd doing these things, because he was trapping himself in as much as he was keeping the other demons out. He shut the thick curtains and stepped back, passing over an almost complete devil’s trap. He bent down to draw in the final line then stepped back, admiring the work. He headed towards the landing, stopping to finish another trap that was just ext to the door and put down another line of salt. It ran around the whole room for extra safety. He shut the door behind him, lifting a heavy wooden beam to rest over the door on brackets that had been put up only half an hour previously. He smirked, remembering the face of the man on the checkout at the DIY warehouse when they’d bought truckloads of wood and other things. The woman at the till at the supermarket had been even funnier when they’d bought two trolleys full of salt. Sara had been out all day finding ammunition and the more supernatural things, like charms and things to ward off demons. Danny hadn’t been happy about her going alone, but she wouldn’t let him argue, and he didn’t want to make things worse between them by forcing her to stay. Dougie was helping him demon-proof the house, while Tom and Harry were out buying other supplies. Dougie had reminded them repeatedly to make sure they bought lots of food. “Danny,” Dougie’s voice was quiet, so Danny was instantly worried. He turned around, seeing Dougie stood at the top of the stairs. He looked fine.

“What’s up?” Danny asked. “What are our chances?” He asked bluntly. Danny didn’t know how to answer at first. “That depends,” He started slowly. “Do you want me to make you feel better or tell you the truth?” It was Dougie’s turn to hesitate. “Truth.” He said finally. “Low.” Danny said shortly. “Incredibly.” “Then why are we bothering?” Dougie asked. “Because, if we don’t, that,” Danny said, leaning against the closest wall. “Would be giving up. Look on the bright side, we could make it.” “And if not, then I won’t have to worry about vamping out anymore.” Dougie muttered. Danny raised an eyebrow, but didn’t protest, no matter how much he wanted to. “You all done downstairs?” Danny asked, changing the subject. “Yep, everything’s demon proofed.” Dougie said with a smile. “Great, time to set up some traps.” Danny said, matching Dougie’s smile. He loved making traps, it was one of the few things he had actually been eager to teach Dougie when he was younger. “We’ll start downstairs.” He decided, leading the way down the steps. The house they had found was almost perfect. There was a large main room with only one window which they were planning on sleeping in, and there was only one door in and out. It was still furnished, which was a plus, despite the fact that everything was a bit battered. The electricity worked, but they were using it as little as possible, just to be on the safe side. The water ran too, which meant they’d all managed to get a proper shower that didn’t consist of cold water and cramped spaces, or just a sink and tap. As soon as everything was ready in the other rooms, they were planning on drawing a devil’s trap right outside the door and lining the room with salt. Danny wasn’t completely happy about being trapped inside, but he had to admit it was safer. Every window was boarded up and there were all kinds of protection symbols everywhere. It was enough to keep lesser demons out, and even a lot of the more powerful ones. Still, Danny knew Gabriel could destroy it all as easily as he could raise his hand. It was only enough to keep them safe until Gabriel got there, and then hell was literally going to break loose. Chapter 69 Danny and Sara sat in silence in the main room, Sara on the old couch and Danny on a sleeping bag on the floor. Dougie was asleep on the other couch, breathing deeply. Tom and Harry were messing around with some of the traps, tweaking them and setting up even more. The room was eerily quiet. There was a pile of food next to the couch, mostly junk like crisp and chocolate, with a few canned or dried foods mixed in. The stuff that wouldn’t go off quickly. On the other side was a box of ammunition, and there were a few weapons strewn around, within reach. “Will we see each other again when- I mean if- we go down?” Danny asked quietly, and only partly so that he didn’t wake Dougie. Sara shrugged, then seemed to think a bout it for a couple of moments. “Probably not. If we do, it’ll be to see each other in agony anyway.” She said. Danny grimaced.

“I don’t want it to end like this.” He murmured. “I don’t think any of us do.” Sara replied. “I mean us.” Danny said, and the statement just hung there for a moment, unanswered. For a couple of minutes, Danny thought she was going to ignore hi completely. “Well, what are you gonna do.” Sara shrugged as if she didn’t care, like he’d said he wished he’d get to go to McDonalds again. “It doesn’t bother you at all?” Danny asked. Again, Sara didn’t reply straight away. Danny allowed her a while, thinking she was going to leave him in suspense and then just say something completely meaningless. Instead, he was rewarded with no answer at all. He sighed dejectedly, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his folded arms on them, wishing for all the world that he could rewind time, even if it was just a couple of years. He could change so much, if only he could go back. “I wish we could go back.” Sara said. Danny’s eyes widened slightly, and for a second he actually thought she’d read his mind. “Ten years. Five years. Even three months.” “A lot has happened over the past few months.” Danny agreed. “Dougie got killed, you came back, we met Tom and Harry, Doug’s sister left...” He trailed off towards the end. “I bailed.” He added under his breath. “Sounds weird,” Sara said. “Dougie got killed. He’s right there, perfectly fine.” She murmured, glancing over at him. As if he sensed they were talking about him, he stirred slightly, turning away from them. “And it might have been for nothing, bringing him back. We might all go down tomorrow, for all we know.” Danny muttered. “I’m sorry I hit you.” Sara said suddenly. “I deserved it.” Danny replied, shrugging. “I know.” Sara said. “You did. Still, four people in the world care if I live or die, I don’t particularly want to knock the number down to three.” “I’d care even if you threw me out again.” Danny whispered, so quietly he didn’t know if she’d heard. ***** Danny woke when he heard a tapping on the window. He stood up, glancing around the room. Harry was the only one awake, sat on one of the armchairs messing with a shotgun. He didn’t notice Danny at all. Danny walked towards the window, knowing why immediately. He was dreaming again. He knew the second he noticed the window wasn’t boarded up. On the glass, words were written out in thick red liquid. Time’s up. As he read the words, a chill went down his spine. He glanced around again, but nothing was happening. Then he was back where he started, lying down on a sleeping bag near the middle of the room, his eyes wide open, and definitely awake. He stood up slowly, staring at the window, which was still boarded. Sara had sat up on the couch where she had fallen asleep, her eyes wide, staring at the blocked window. She could feel it too. Dougie was slowly starting to wake, as if he could feel something, but he wasn’t quite sure what. Harry looked at them all questioningly. “They’re here.” Danny hissed through his teeth. Harry was on his feet in an instant, looking confused. “What do you mean?” He asked urgently. Danny didn’t reply. He walked over

to the window, standing on his toes slightly to look through the tiny gap that was left above the wood. Dougie walked over to join him, nudging Tom on the way to wake him. Before he could see out, Danny automatically held out a hand to stop him, pushing him back slightly. “Why’s there only a few?” Danny asked, mostly talking to himself. “We don’t know who they are though.” Sara pointed out. Danny took a couple of slow steps back, picking up a shotgun and tossing it to Dougie before retrieving one for himself. Sara, Harry and Tom already had one nearby. Dougie moved away from the window, although he kept staring at it. “Right, if we all jus-” Danny was cut off as the window was blown inwards, making glass and splinters rain over them. Harry’s EMF meter, which was on the floor where he had been sitting, whirred crazily then exploded in a shower or sparks, even though it had been switched off a couple of seconds ago. “I guess we know who it is.” Sara whispered, her eyes locked on the window. The figures outside were gone. She took a step forward but Danny grabbed her wrist, stopping her. He stepped forward instead, keeping himself between the window and Sara and Dougie. “You’re all far too easily distracted.” They all whirled around at the sound of a dark, mocking voice, to be faced with Gabriel, leaning against the wall in the corner of the room. The shadows seemed to melt towards him. “Get the hell out of here.” Danny hissed, stepping towards him slightly. Gabriel glanced at him and smirked. “You’re not really in a position to be giving orders.” He said. With a flick of his wrist, the door was torn off its hinges and barrelled into Harry, knocking him across the room. He hit the wall with a thud, and didn’t get up again. “Holy shit,” Tom hissed, his eyes flicking between Harry and Gabriel. He didn’t want to let his guard down, but he didn’t want to leave Harry either. Gabriel smirked at him cockily, then Tom was flying through the air, out of the broken window and onto the concrete floor outside. Moments later, another demon dragged him back inside. The demon had dirty blonde hair that was scruffy and matted slightly, and he had wild green eyes and a cold smirk. He was a few inches taller than Tom, and was supporting him at the same time as he was holding him hostage. “Let’s make things more interesting,” Gabriel said. “I think there’s a few secrets that need to be revealed between you guys.” He walked closer to Tom, who was just about conscious. He slid a knife out of his belt, and raised it, looking at it for a moment. In one quick movement, he sliced the knife across Tom’s arm, making blood spill from just below his shoulder. Dougie instantly stopped dead, his eyes focusing completely on the blood. His eyes almost instantly changed to red and he took a small step forward. Danny grabbed hold of his wrist, but Dougie didn’t seem to notice. The shotgun he was holding fell from his hands. “Doug, stop it.” Danny hissed. Dougie didn’t react, but started pulling against Danny’s grip slightly. “I, I need...” Dougie whispered, biting his lip. Tom seemed to snap out of his semi-conscious state, staring at Dougie with shock, and even some fear. “No, Dougie, don’t,” Sara said, moving in front of him slightly. “You can fight it.” She added. Dougie shook his head. Before either Danny or Sara could stop him, he broke free from Danny and leapt forward. But he didn’t go for Tom. Dougie dived into the demon, making them both crash to the floor, and

making the demon release Tom. Dougie drew back his fist and punched the demon in the face. The demon shoved him away and kneed him in the stomach, then stumbled to his feet again. He was about to go for Dougie again, but Gabriel interrupted. “That’s enough,” He said. “I told you, I want to take care of the demons here.” Gabriel said, narrowing his eyes at the other demon. “And the freak is included in that. I don’t need you here.” The demon nodded silently and, throwing another glare at Dougie, backed off slightly. Then he threw his head back and opened his mouth, and black smoke exploded out and left through the window, leaving the body to crumple and collapse. “You, you little freak, get away from the window.” Gabriel ordered. Dougie glared at him, but slowly did as he was told, returning to Danny’s side. Danny gave him a quick pat on the shoulder, both for reassurance and to say well done for not losing control. “You too, human.” Gabriel growled, and Tom also moved away from the broken glass. He only glanced at Gabriel, though, his eyes mostly stayed locked on Dougie. Gabriel walked towards the window, gazing outside with his hands behind his back. Dougie crouched down slowly, picking up the shotgun he had dropped. “I thought this would be more of a challenge.” Gabriel said, as if he was deep in thought. “Still, I’ll enjoy seeing each one of you die, slowly and painfully.” He smirked, turning back to face them. Dougie reflexively lifted the gun and fired straight at Gabriel. The bullet found its mark, but it did nothing more than tear the fabric of Gabriel’s clothing. “That really is quite annoying.” Gabriel stated. He strolled across the room casually, but Danny knew he was about to do something. He moved in front of Dougie, knowing that he was going to be the target now. Gabriel stopped next to the fire place, where an old fashioned set of fire pokers were in a stand. He took one out and examined it for a moment, then looked back towards the remaining members of the group. Danny’s efforts were wasted as he was easily thrown aside with a flick of Gabriel’s wrist, the gun he was holding flying out of his grip. He barely had time to look up again before Gabriel, in one long stride, grabbed hold of Dougie’s shoulder and shoved the poker straight through his chest. Chapter 70 Dougie didn’t make a sound as the light faded from his eyes and a small line of blood trickled from his mouth. He swayed on his feet, and as he fell to his knees Gabriel pulled to poker free, tossing it aside. He kicked Dougie in the chest, making him fall to the floor. “No!” Danny yelled, stumbling to his feet and racing to Dougie’s side. He dropped to his knees and lifted Dougie’s shoulders, pulling him back up slightly. “Doug, Doug!” He yelled, although he knew it was pointless. “Come on, Doug, not again!” He said, his voice becoming a pained whisper. “Shame, not as slow as I’d wanted, but still.” Gabriel sighed. Sara crouched at Dougie’s other side, looking like she wanted to throw up. She put one arm under him, helping to support him. The bloodied poker fell from Gabriel’s hand as he took a couple of steps back, like he hadn’t done anything of importance. Sara put her fingers to Dougie’s neck, but his pulse had already stopped. “You killed him,” She whispered, her eye’s prickling slightly with tears.

“Like the world needs a freak like him anyway. I was doing you a favour.” Gabriel said, shrugging. Danny’s eyes instantly turned black and he stood up, swinging at Gabriel, who moved out of the way. Danny dived for him but Gabriel stepped neatly aside, and as Danny passed him he elbowed him hard in the back, sending him flying to the ground. Refusing to give up, Danny stumbled to his feet. Danny threw another punch but Gabriel caught his fist. He twisted Danny’s arm and there was a loud crack. Danny swore loudly and pulled his arm back, cradling it against his chest for a moment. A bruise was already visibly spreading over his arm. “You bastard!” Danny yelled, his voice thick with anger, pain and resentment. “You killed him! You didn’t need to kill him!” “He was nothing anyway. You always knew he was temporary, like a pet.” Gabriel said, smiling slightly. Danny lifted his arm and a sharp shard of wood from the barricade that had once been across the window flew through the air towards Gabriel. Gabriel lifted his own hand and the shard changed course, instead slicing Tom’s leg. Tom stumbled but stayed on his feet. He looked like he had no idea what to do, or even whose side to be on. He felt like he should just run for it and leave them to sort it out between themselves. As far as he was concerned, Gabriel was an insane, sadistic psychopath. Dougie was, or had been, some wild thing that had wanted to drink his blood. Within thirty seconds, he’d gone from normal Dougie to vampire, to dead. Danny moved towards Gabriel again, but he was suddenly knocked to the ground. Sara pinned him down so he couldn’t throw himself at Gabriel. She was shaking slightly, but she looked determined. “Get off me!” Danny yelled, his eyes fixed on Gabriel. “No! Danny, he’ll just kill you too!” Sara replied. “I don’t care!” Danny yelled. His eyes were shining with tears he was only just holding back, and Sara was no better. “I want this to be over! I don’t care if I die!” “Don’t say that,” Sara whispered. “I don’t! I wanna die! I’m sick of this!” Danny insisted, trying to break free, but his struggles were weakened by the amount of pain and anger coursing through him. “He killed him! He killed the one person that still gives a shit about me!” “Stop it! I still care about you, Danny! I can’t lose you too!” Sara shouted. Danny stopped fighting against her for a moment, shocked. He had been pretty certain that she’d stopped caring about him the second he’d walked out the second time. “Can someone tell me what the hell’s going on?!” Tom yelled. “It’s simple, really.” Gabriel said, the same cocky smirk plastered on his face. “You’re all taking a trip downstairs.” He told him. Sara finally released Danny and he sat up, holding his arm. It hurt like hell, but he was a demon, he’d be fine. He looked at her for a moment, but couldn’t hold eye contact. He shuffled back to Dougie, wanting to puke at the sight of the large red stain across Dougie’s chest. “You’re going back to hell,” Danny growled, glaring at Gabriel. “If I could, I’d go down there just to see you suffer.” He spat. “But Danny, you’re the one who let me out to start with,” Gabriel said. Tom looked at Danny in surprise. “I didn’t let you out.” Danny hissed. “I brought my friend back and you’re the scum that crawled out afterwards.” “But still,” Gabriel said, unaffected by the insult. “I’m out because of you. So now, instead of losing just the one friend, you’re losing four. And you only have

yourself to blame.” Danny stood up, looking like he was going to throw himself at Gabriel again, when Dougie coughed. He coughed a few more times, then his eyes slowly opened. Danny was crouched next to him again in an instant, and Sara appeared at his other side. “Doug, are... are you ok?” He asked quietly, like his voice alone could make Dougie stop breathing again. “Danny, what’s going on?” Dougie asked, his voice full of pain and confusion. “I don’t know,” Danny answered honestly. He put his right arm, the one that wasn’t broken, under Dougie’s shoulders to help support him. Sara helped to prop him up, looking just as puzzled. “Well, this is going to be fun.” Gabriel said, grinning. Chapter 71 Gabriel moved forward, but Danny rounded on him, his eyes narrowed, ready to fight him again, even if he only had one good arm. “Don’t touch him,” Danny hissed. “Or you’ll be back in hell before you can blink.” “I’d like to see you try,” Gabriel said, but stopped moving. Danny stood up, moving in front of Dougie and Sara, acting like a bodyguard. Sara gently put her hand over Dougie’s chest, but there was no longer a wound there. Dougie still flinched away though, so it was obvious the internal damage hadn’t been completely fixed. “Get the hell out of here.” Danny ordered, stepping forward. Gabriel was about as intimidated as he would have been if a small child was threatening him. “This changes things,” Gabriel said, looking at Dougie through icily cold eyes. “Turns out your pet is more durable than I thought.” Danny didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on Gabriel’s every move. “Jones, I’m giving you an option. Either you come and find me and we settle this, or I end it now, agonisingly slowly.” Gabriel sneered. “What happens to them if I meet you?” Danny asked. “They die quickly.” Gabriel replied. Danny didn’t say anything. “Those are your choices. Take your pick.” “Where do I find you?” Danny asked slowly. “I’ll be in contact.” Gabriel smirked, tapping his temple with one finger. Then he was gone. Danny glanced around the room, but he wasn’t anywhere. He just disappeared. Danny sighed heavily, somehow sounding five times older than he had done a couple of months ago. “What the hell is he?” Tom asked shakily, staring at Dougie. “He’s him. If you have a problem, fuck off.” Danny said tiredly, almost collapsing into a sitting position next to Dougie. He put his arm over Dougie’s shoulders, looking him up and down. “Are you ok?” He asked. Dougie looked blank, but nodded. “Pass me that,” Danny said to Tom, pointing at a small box of medical supplies. Tom hesitated, then picked up the box and tossed it towards Danny. Danny caught it, but gave him a puzzled look. “You can come closer. We don’t bite, you know.” He said. “Really? I’m not so sure.” Tom said, glaring at Dougie. In a flash, Danny was on his feet and barrelled into Tom, pinning him against the wall with his good arm across his chest. “He didn’t hurt you. He saved you. Get over yourself.” Danny hissed. He released Tom a second later, going back to Sara and Dougie. “Danny, calm down.” Sara whispered. Danny hadn’t even noticed his fists

were clenched, so hard his fingernails had pierced the skin of his palms. He took a deep breath, forcing his eyes to change back to blue. “Ungrateful bastard.” He growled, glaring at Tom, who just glared back. He suddenly seemed to remember Harry, and moved to his side, shaking him slightly. Harry’s eyes opened slowly, but he looked like he had no idea what was going on. Danny picked up a clean white cloth from the box of supplies, trying to wipe away the worst of the blood. There was a large bruise covering Dougie’s chest, but his skin was unbroken. “There’s a bed upstairs if you want to get some sleep.” Danny said to Dougie, trying to act like he wasn’t a bit freaked out about the fact Dougie had no wound left to show, only a large bloodstain and a hole in his shirt. Dougie shook his head, sitting up a little straighter. “Sorry, I should reword that.” Danny said, flinching slightly as he flexed his arm. “Get upstairs and go to sleep.” Dougie laughed, wincing slightly. “I mean it,” Danny stood up, offering Dougie a hand. Dougie shook his head, wanting to prove he didn’t need help. He got to his feet, but stumbled a little, so Danny had to catch him, making him grunt as pain stabbed through his injured arm. Sara stood up, watching him quietly. “He’d better get cleaned up first.” She said. “Tom, can you break the devil’s trap?” She asked, pointing at the circle just outside the doorway. Tom slowly shook his head. “He’s not normal.” He said. Danny’s eyes flickered dangerously. “So? You’re not breaking it for him anyway. You’re doing it so me and Danny can go through. He can get out if he really needs to, remember?” Sara said, knowing that Danny was about to snap. “But it hurts him. I remember. And he was only ok when he broke the trap, he was getting ripped apart before that. If I don’t let him break the trap-” “Stop talking before I punch you.” Danny growled. “Break the trap. Now.” “I don’t take orders from demons.” Tom growled. Harry was still on the floor, but stayed silent. His eyes flicked between Tom and Danny like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Tom, you were always the one that was convinced they were the good guys. Let them out.” Harry said. Danny glanced at him, surprised to get his support. “That was before one of them wanted to take a chunk out of me.” Tom said, glaring at Dougie again. “Fuck it, we’ll stay down here.” Danny muttered. “It’ll only make you guys less comfortable.” He gestured for Dougie to go to the couch, his eyes moving to Harry as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to ask him for some help. “Can you go to the car and get us some things? Just whatever’s in the back?” He asked finally. Harry nodded slightly, throwing an odd look at Tom as he left the room. Danny tossed one of the blankets that they had been using before Gabriel had come towards Dougie, who caught it, but didn’t seem to be planning on using it. Danny sat down next to him and Sara perched on the arm, looking down at Danny with some concern in her eyes. “Let me see your arm.” She ordered. “It’ll be fine.” Danny muttered, leaning back and covering his arm slightly with his good one. “Just let me see.” Sara repeated. Danny looked at her for a moment, then grudgingly held his arm out. She rolled up his sleeve as gently as possible, her eyes widening at the large bruise that circled his arm from his elbow almost to his wrist.

“I’m a demon, it’ll be fine soon.” Danny insisted. “Don’t want it to set wrong,” Sara murmured. She ran her hand over his arm, trying to feel if there was anything unusual. As far as she could tell, everything was pretty normal. She crouched down, picking up a roll of bandages and starting to wrap it around Danny’s arm tightly. He flinched a couple of times, but didn’t make a sound. “Is this really necessary?” He asked as she was finishing up. She continued to wrap it around a couple f more times, the bandage ending up being about a centimetre thick, at least. “Yes, it’s the closest to a cast we’ve got.” Sara replied. “I don’t need a cast.” Danny muttered sulkily, pulling his arm away. “Do what the doctor says, Danny.” Dougie teased, being rewards with a sideways glare from Danny. “How about you do what I say and go to sleep?” Danny asked. “You basically came back from the dead, that can’t have been easy.” “I’m not sleeping in here,” Dougie said with a shrug, looking at Tom as he spoke. “I might end up eating someone.” Danny couldn’t help laughing, and tried to disguise it with a cough. Tom looked unimpressed. “It’s pretty awesome though, I officially hold the record for number of deaths.” Dougie said. Danny started to look more serious. He hated it when Dougie joked about dying. “What next?” Sara asked no one in particular. No one replied. ***** Danny looked around, but he could see nothing he recognised. The road he was on was long and narrow, with nothing but fields around him. He blinked and then he was somewhere else, still on a road that his instincts told him was the same one as before. Now there was a large building, perhaps a warehouse or factory. The windows were boarded up and it looked ancient. In the distance, Danny could make out the sea. A sign flickered in front of his eyes. Brean. He looked around, unable to see anything that marked this place as some kind of settlement. He must be miles away from anything, and Brean was the closest. Still, he had no idea where Brean was. Suddenly he was stood in front of a river, then another sign flashed up. Weston-Super-Mare. He knew that place, but Brean still wasn’t ringing any bells. He could see a compass in front of him, pointing South. A wave of panic washed over him. He knew this was where Gabriel wanted to meet him, but how if he had barely any idea where to go? “Be there. If you’re not there by Saturday, I’ll be coming for you and your friends.” Danny whirled around, but there was no body to match the mocking voice of Gabriel. His eyes flew open and he was back in the living room of the abandoned house they were staying in. He looked around, trying to be quiet. Sara was sat on the floor on watch, although she hadn’t noticed that he was awake. Tom and Harry were asleep in armchairs, on the opposite side of the room from Dougie, Sara and himself. He’d known something was about to happen. There had been nothing for four days. No problems, no demonic activity in the area for miles. It was only a matter of time. He closed his eyes again with a sigh, everything clicking together in his head. He knew what he had to do, and he knew he couldn’t tell any of them. He closed his eyes again, but within seconds he knew there was no chance of him getting to sleep.

He sat up, which made Sara turn to look at him. He stood up slowly without a word and walked over to her, sliding down the wall so he was sat next to her. “Not your watch for another couple of hours.” Sara whispered. “I know.” Danny murmured. “I don’t wanna sleep. Wastes time.” He added. “We don’t know how long we have. We could have plenty of time.” Sara argued weakly. Danny smirked humourlessly. He knew he only had a couple of days. He was actually surprised Gabriel gave him this long. “We could have a year. We could have a day. I don’t wanna waste my time sleeping if it ends up being the second one.” Danny said. This time Sara didn’t argue. Danny put his arm around her shoulders and she went tense, Danny half expected her to move away. Instead, she relaxed again after a few moments. She knew as well as he did that there was a possibility there wouldn’t be another chance for them to sort things out between them. “Maybe we should just start over.” Sara whispered, but Danny shook his head. “I don’t deserve a clean slate, but I’ll do whatever I can to make it right.” Danny said. Sara didn’t reply, but she leant into him slightly. Danny smiled softly. He just wished there was more time. Chapter 72 Danny stood at the top of the stairs, thinking through his plan. He was watching Sara and Dougie talking at the bottom of the stairs, although their words didn’t filter through the mass of thoughts in his head. It was weird sometimes, seeing them together as friends. He’d tried so hard for so long t keep them as separate parts of his life, but now, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He remembered when he and Sara had been together, all those years ago. They’d been great together, never argued over anything really. They were never exactly a stereotypical couple anyway. They constantly teased each other and play fought, acting more like best friends than boyfriend and girlfriend, but they both felt something much deeper than friendship. He smiled softly, remembering the first time he’d kissed her. The first time they’d made it official, about six months after they first met, although he’d wanted to much earlier than that. He’d had no idea what to do, completely unsure about how she felt about him in return. His smile turned to a frown as his mind turned to the time he’d lost her, both when he’d made her walk out and the time when he’d left her only a short while ago. That was another thing he needed to tie up. His eyes flicked to Dougie, and he was instantly overwhelmed with memories, both recent and old. The little kid who’d looked up to him, wanted more than anything to be like him. The teenager who’d tried to prove he could look out for himself, which he did a few times, but Danny was always there for the times he didn’t. The adult that Danny still needed to remind himself that he was capable of standing on his own two feet. He could remember all the scrapes he’d narrowly pulled Dougie out of, and the times when he’d refused to let Dougie hunt for days after a particularly bad case. He hadn’t always been so protective, he remembered a case shortly after he’d grown attached to the kid. He’d left the house they were squatting in for a couple of hours, leaving Dougie alone, and came back to find the door smashed in and the entire place looked like a bomb had gone off. He’d found two vampires upstairs, old enemies that had been tracking him. He’d killed them both as quickly as possible, his heart

pounding with panic until he found the small child hidden away. Ever since that day, he’d barely left Dougie’s side. “Danny, you in there?” Danny snapped out of his trance to see Dougie looking up at him expectantly. Sara had left the hallway; he could hear her in another room. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” Danny replied, smiling. “You alright?” Dougie asked, tilting his head. Danny nodded. “How long until Tom and Harry are back?” Danny asked. Tom and Harry had gone to get more supplies. Tom had cooled off a lot since the incident with Dougie, but he was still wary. “I dunno, couple of hours?” Dougie said, shrugging. Danny’s eyes slipped over Dougie’s shoulder to where a completed devil’s trap lay in the doorway between the hall and the main room where they had been sleeping. It was the only on ethat was still full in the whole house, because it was protecting most of the weapons and medical supplies. “I hate having that there now. I used to feel safer with them.” Dougie mumbled, noticing that Danny was looking at the trap. “I don’t like it either.” Danny said, walking down the stairs. “You never did.” Dougie pointed out. Danny stopped next to Dougie, lowering his voice. “Listen, I need you to do me a favour.” He whispered. Dougie nodded slowly, looking interested. “I have some things to sort out,” Danny continued, nodding in the direction that the sounds of things being moved around were coming from. “And I need it to be just her and me.” “Got it.” Dougie said, smiling. “If you can just go upstairs or something, I’ll shout when I’ve got it done.” Danny said. Dougie nodded, instantly trotting up the stairs. Danny took a deep breath, leaning against the wall. Sara emerged from the kitchen a couple of seconds later, a handgun in one hand, fiddling with it with the other. She walked towards Danny and stopped in front of him, looking like she was going to speak, but was too preoccupied with the gun. “I wanna talk to you.” Danny said softly. “Just a minute,” Sara replied. Danny wondered what she was trying to do. Whatever it was, she wasn’t getting far. He placed his free hand over hers and pulled it away from the gun, holding it in his own. “No, now.” He said. She looked up at him, surprised, the gun falling to her side. “Um, ok.” She mumbled. Danny took the gun out of her hand, placing it on a nearby table. “Part of me wishes we stayed together from the start, but after being away from you for so long, I know how much I need you around.” Danny said. Sara opened her mouth, but Danny continued, not allowing her to speak. “I wish we had more time, to patch this up properly, so I could properly apologise for everything I’ve done. I wish I could make you feel the same way about me as I do about you. I wish you could trust me, and I wish I could prove that you can. I wish we could be together again, properly. But we can’t, and I can’t prove anything, because there’s just no time.” “Danny, I-” Sara started, but Danny shook his head. “Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I promise you, I mean everything I say.” He looked her in the eye, putting as much meaning into the look as possible. “I love you.” He whispered. Sara just stared at him blankly, unable to find

word to speak, but she didn’t move away, so Danny took it as a good sign. He smiled, glad to finally get it out. He leaned down, capturing her lips with his. This time, she didn’t push him away. Danny, his eyes closed, felt her hands on his shoulders, wrapping his own arms around her waist. He could feel his heard pounding, his lips moving against hers. He didn’t wan the feeling to end. The kiss finally came to an end and Sara rested her head on his shoulder, breathing slightly heavier than before. Danny leant his own head aginst her, his arms still wrapped around her. His eyes were still closed and he was smiling softly, swaying slightly from side to side. “I wish I’d done that sooner.” Danny whispered. He realised she hadn’t said the three words back, but pushed it away. He’d done a lot of damage, it would take time to repair, no matter how much he wished it would all just go away. “So do I.” Sara replied, laughing softly. “I wish we had more time.” Danny repeated again. “We have to get through this. It’s not impossible. We’ve done tough things before.” Sara said, but Danny wasn’t sure whether she was trying to convince him or herself. “Mm.” Danny mumbled. He didn’t trust himself to speak, knowing his voice would give him away. His eyes prickled with tears he refused to let escape. He knew there was no way out, not for him. He reluctantly released Sara with a sigh. She stepped away from him, a small smile still on her lips. Danny reached for her hand, twining their fingers together. “Doug,” He called. He couldn’t wait, he had to do this now or he’d chicken out. Dougie appeared at the top of the stairs, smirking at the sight of their joined hands. Danny didn’t let him get a smart comment in. “Listen, I just wanted to say sorry for everything. When I left, when I got on your nerves, when I stopped you from doing things, but I honestly wouldn’t have done any of it if I didn’t think it was for the best.” Danny said. “I know,” Dougie said, looking a little puzzled. “You’re like a brother to me. An annoying little brother,” Danny added jokingly. He wasn’t used to having deep conversations with Dougie, he had to cheapen the moment somehow. “And god knows you’ve got me in trouble. But I wouldn’t change you if I could. And thanks for sticking with me no matter how much of a dick I was. You too,” He added, looking at Sara, getting a smile in return. “This is starting to sound like a goodbye speech, Dan. We’re not going downstairs yet.” Dougie said, although there was a worried edge to his voice. “I might not get another chance.” Danny whispered, breaking eye contact. He looked at Sara, squeezing her hand slightly. “I love you, I really do.” He repeated. Sara blushed and looked down at their joined hands. Danny smiled, turning to look at Dougie. “And I love you too, in an entirely different way.” He added jokingly. “Good, I’d know I’d lose if me and Sara had to fight over you.” Dougie chuckled. Danny laughed. He released Sara’s hand reluctantly, moving so that he had his back to the stairs, acting like he just wanted to lean against the banister. Dougie turned to face him, unknowingly moving himself into the right position. “I really am sorry.” Danny whispered without realising. He could feel tears in his eyes again. He really didn’t want to go through with his plan, but he had to. There was no other option. “Dan, you don’t have to keep saying it.” Sara said, looking up at him with concern. She knew something was wrong, something more than just Danny feeling guilty over past mistakes.

“I do, and I always will.” Danny mumbled. He stepped forward, pulling her into another hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle, but was still wary. Danny felt the first tear escape, and quickly brushed it away, releasing her again after a few moments, which felt like far too soon. He moved to Dougie, briefly throwing his arms around him. “Dan, seriously, what’s wrong?” Dougie asked. The slight concern in his voice had changed to alarm. “I’m so, so sorry.” Danny whispered. He stepped away from Dougie slightly, but grabbed hold of his arm just above his wrist. Dougie gave him another puzzled look. Danny took a deep breath, almost having to close his eyes. In one quick movement he stepped forward again, using his free hand to shove Dougie backwards as hard as possible, pulling with his other arm. He heard a sickening pop as Dougie’s shoulder dislocated, and Dougie yelled out in pain. Danny released him quickly, the force of the shove sending Dougie staggering back into the devil’s trap. Sara just stared at Dougie in shock. She regained herself quickly, turning to Danny, but before any words could leave her mouth he pushed her back, across the outer circle. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Danny whispered, over and over again. Dougie was on his knees, holding his injured shoulder, his breathing heavy, trying not to make a sound. Sara wasn’t looking at him, though. Her eyes were locked on Danny’s full of betrayal and hurt and anger. Danny only needed to see that look to know what he had just done was unforgivable. “You promised.” Sara whispered. “You said you wouldn’t leave again.” “I’m not leaving you,” Danny murmured pathetically. In his mind, it didn’t count as ditching them. “You dick!” Sara exclaimed. “You lying, twisted bastard!” “I love you,” Danny said, tears falling freely down his face. He wanted her to understand, he wanted her to know why he was doing this. “Well I fucking hate you!” Sara yelled. Danny recoiled as if he’d been hit. His eyes automatically moved to Dougie, who was staring back at him pleadingly. “Danny, don’t.” He said, his voice thick with pain. “I have to. I have to,” He repeated, more to convince himself than them. He backed away, heading towards the front door, picking Sara’s car keys up of a table on the way. He opened the front door, looking at them one final time. Sara was just staring back at him is anger and disbelief. Dougie wasn’t looking at him at all. He choked back a sob. His last memory of them would be both of them hating him. He closed the door quickly, before he could change his mind and go back. “I have to.” He told himself again. Chapter 73 Danny raced down the roads, ignoring red lights and blaring car horns. Tears blurred his vision, but he couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he’d turn around. If he turned around, he’d go back. He wanted to go back so badly. He wanted to beg for forgiveness from them both, he wanted them to understand. Every time he allowed himself to think they’d forgive him, his final memory of them flashed in front of his eyes. They’d never let this one go. He bit his lip, more tears escaping as he thought of Sara. He’d told her he loved her, and he was pretty sure she believed him. He’d made her think there was

something left for them, dangling it like some kind of treat, then snatching it away. He shouldn’t have said anything. “I fucking hate you!” That was her response to him saying he loved her. And she meant it. She meant it more than anything she’d said about caring about him. He felt terrible for dislocating Dougie’s shoulder, knowing it would have hurt ike hell. But there was nothing else he could do, Dougie could escape the trap if he really wanted, but it would cause him unbearable agony to do it with such a big injury, making it impossible. He briefly closed his eyes, roughly brushing his hand ver his face to reove the tears. He had to be fast, or they’d find a way to stop him. Determination filled his eyes. They hated him now. He didn’t have anything to lose. He looked at the roadsigns as he flew past, making sure he was going in the right direction. He had a map open on the chair beside him, although he was barely looking at it. He was just getting as far away as possible, as fast as possible. ***** “Fuck,” Tom said as he stepped through the front door, seeing Sara crouched next to Dougie in the trap. No Danny. That was never a good sign. “Get us out.” Sara ordered, her voice shaking slightly. Harry moved over to the trap, breaking the line by dragging his foot over the chalk. “Doug, stand up,” Sara said, more softly. “Lean against the wall.” Dougie did as he was told, his face screwed up slightly with pain. “This is gonna hurt, isn’t it?” Dougie asked. “Yeah.” Sara answered honestly. She took hold of Dougie’s injured arm and he flinched, but didn’t pull away. She kept one hand on his elbow and moved the other up to his shoulder, then jerked his arm suddenly, pressing it back in place as hard as possible. Dougie bit his lip and his eyes were glued shut, then there was another loud pop and Sara released him. “Shit, shit, fuck...” Dougie hissed, holding his shoulder. “What happened?” Tom asked, his eyes wide. Harry disappeared for a moment into the front room, then returned with a roll of bandages, giving them to Sara. “Danny decided to leave again.” Sara muttered. “But why... why would he do that?” Harry asked. “Because he only sees what he wants, because he’s a selfish bastard, because he thinks we can’t cope, because he’s convinced he has to save everybody, because he’s convinced he means nothing, want any more reasons?” Sara asked. Harry shook his head dumbly. “Now what?” Dougie asked, directing the question mostly to Sara. “We have to go after him.” Sara mumbled. “How? We don’t know where he’s going.” Dougie pointed out. “We’ll find him.” Sara promised. “And when we do, I’ll kill him.” “What about hs phone? We might be able to track the signal.” Tom suggested. “Well, maybe not track it but if we ring the police and get them to tell us where he’s headed...” He trailed off. “Get the police involved? Great idea.” Dougie muttered. “Is there another option?” Harry asked. *****

“Yeah, thanks, thanks for the help.” Harry said, then hung up the phone. “This is where his phone stopped giving off a signal. Either he switched it off, broke it, or something messed up the signal.” “Here?” Dougie repeated, checking the shotgun in his hand before sliding it into a strap across his back. They were staring across an open expanse of grass. In the distance, they could just make out the sea, and slightly closer was a silhouette of a building, which even from this distance looked big. “Ok, let’s head that way.” Sara said, pointing towards the building. She too had a shotgun, as did tom and Harry. They were also carrying one of Alice’s knives each, and two handguns. Danny had taken most of the weapons with the car, as well as one of the knives. They’d had to travel by train, which was more nerve-wracking that fighting demons for them. The second they reached it, Sara felt like something was wrong. They headed towards the doorway together, surprised when it pushed open easily. They stepped inside in single file, but stayed so close they were almost touching. They were faced with six doorways, each of them exactly the same as the next. “I guess we split up.” Harry mumbled. ***** Dougie let out a frustrated groan as he rounded another corner, faced with more twists and turns and doors. This was impossible. Even if he did find Danny, he’d never get back out again. He opened a random door and stepped through, having long given up on trying to keep track. He walked down the corridor aimlessly, stepping through another door, turning a corner, twisting back on himself, turning a corner again. Suddenly he heard a door open and close, but he didn’t have time to turn around. He was thrown against the nearest wall, feeling someone’s arm against his ribs, pinning his arms against his sides. His attacker’s other hand was fisted in his shirt at his shoulder so that he could barely move at all. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Danny hissed between clenched teeth. His eyes were black, and he was glaring at Dougie with such intensity Dougie thought he was going to set on fire. “I should ask you the same thing.” Dougie shot back, but his voice was strained due to the pressure on his chest. “No, I’m here to stop you getting hurt, but you followed me? You ruined everything!” Danny snarled. “We weren’t gonna let you do this alone!” Dougie exclaimed. “Where’s Sara? Is she here too? Why aren’t you with her?” Danny demanded. Dougie opened his mouth to speak, but Danny carried on. “You split up?! You... you idiot!” “Just shut the hell up Danny! We wouldn’t have had to split up if you hadn’t ran off again!” Dougie shouted. Danny glared at him, so close to him that their noses were just a couple of inchis away from each other. “When I let go of you, you’re going back the way you came, and you’re getting as far away as possible.” Danny said firmly. “No, Danny, I’m staying.” Dougie replied evenly. His feet were a couple of inches off the floor. “No you’re not! I’m not throwing myself in here so that you can die with me!” Danny yelled. He pulled Dougie off the wall and threw him sideways, making him

fall to the floor. Danny stood over him, looking intimidating. “You can’t order me around.” Dougie growled, pushing himself back to his feet. They stood smouldering at each other. Dougie refused to back down, bu Danny’s height advantage seemed to give him the upper hand. Dougie broke eye contact, but he wasn’t defeated. He hadn’t even realised his own eyes were black. “Leave.” Danny growled. “No.” Dougie said. “If you don’t go, I’ll make you go.” Danny threatened. “I’m not scared of you. You won’t do anything to me.” Dougie growled. “How can you be so sure? I’ve done some pretty drastic things recently.” Danny said, his eyes narrowed. “Yeah, like trying to yank my arm off.” Dougie said, glaring back at him. Guilt flickered across Danny’s eyes, which then involuntarily moved t look at Dougie’s shoulder. It was bandaged under his clothes, which Danny hadn’t noticed before. “I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have to.” Danny murmured without realising. “Yeah, you say that about a lot of things.” Dougie replied bitterly. “Don’t... don’t be like this. I don’t want you to hate me on my last day alive.” Danny said. “You should have thought of that before you decided to be a dick. Anyway, we’re not letting you die.” Dougie stated, folding his arms. His eyes flciked back to blue suddenly, showing that he’d cooled off slightly. “It’s not up to you. No matter what happens, I can’t get out of this. You coming just means you’ll go down with me.” Danny said calmly, forcing himself to relax, his eyes also returning to normal. “Fine.” Dougie said simply. “Fine?” Danny repeated, raising one eyebrow. “That’s it? Fine? You don’t care?” He asked. Dougie shook his head. Danny almost exploded with anger again, his eyes flickering dangerously. “How can you not care?! This is life and death, not losing a fucking game! How can you be so desperate to throw your life on the line just to help me?!” “Because you’ve done it for me all my life.” Dougie said, shrugging. Danny was stopped short, his mouth hanging open wordlessly for a minute. “This is different.” He said, frustrated. “Only because it’s you that needs the help this time.” Dougie muttured. Danny gritted his teeth. He grabbed Dougie’s elbow, dragging him back the way he’d come. “I’m done. I’m not arguing. You’re leaving.” Danny growled. “No!” Dougie exclaimed, pulling back. Danny, as always, had the upper hand, stil managing to tug him along. Dougie was still only half demon, and if he was as strong as Danny, which they still weren’t sure of, he hadn’t realised how to use that strength yet. “Stop. Being. Awkward.” Danny hissed through clenched teeth. “If you make me go, then I’ll be on my own in this building. Something’ll find me.” Dougie said, clutching at straws. “Then I’m more likely to get killed if I don’t have you watching my back.” Danny hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “Stop trying to make me change my mind, it won’t work.” He said. “You know that if I die in here, it’ll be your fault. You might as well have me with you. Then I’ll live longer.” Dougie insisted. Danny stopped. Dougie was right. If Dougie died now, it would be his fault no matter what. “Fine.” Danny released him reluctantly. Dougie smirked triumphantly, but

stopped when Danny glared at him. “Stay close. If you ever leave my sight, I’ll kill you personally.” He threatened. Dougie smiled innocently, and Danny rolled his eyes. He turned around, heading back again. Dougie had to jog slightly to catch up. For a long time, Danny didn’t speak. He just glared straight forward, not looking at Dougie at all. “Aren’t you at least a little bit happy to see me?” Dougie asked jokingly. “No.” Danny growled. “Come on,” Dougie said, shoving Danny’s shoulder lightly. Danny didn’t respond, he just threw a sideways glare at him. There was a long stretch of silence. “You should hate me.” Danny said. “What’s the point? I’m gonna die soon, no time for grudges.” Dougie replied, shrugging. “Stop acting like you don’t care,” Danny muttered. “And you wouldn’t have to die if you just got out of here.” He added. “I don’t wanna leave you or Sara, or Harry or Tom. We’re all in this, we can’t split up now.” Dougie said. “Ring her.” Danny ordered shortly. “Ring Sara. Ask where she is.” “What are you gonna do?” Dougie asked. Danny slowed down, giving him a long look. “I don’t know.” He replied honestly. “But I need to see her.” “After what you did, I don’t think it’s gonna be a big happy reunion.” Dougie said uncomfortably. “I know. I’m not expecting hugs and kisses, I’m not an idiot.” Danny muttered. “It’s gonna be more along the line of punching and kicking.” Dougie said. “I know.” Danny said, a warning edge in his voice. If Dougie didn’t shut up soon, he’d be receiving some punching and kicking himself. “I’m just saying-” Dougie started, but Danny stopped suddenly, whirling around and grabbing hold of Dougie’s shoulders, making him stop dead. “Don’t say anything!” Danny hissed. “I know she hates me. I know you’d hate me if we weren’t going to die. I know, and I don’t need you to tell me. I just want to find her, make sure she’s ok, and get this over with.” “O-ok,” Dougie stuttered. Danny let go of his shoulders, turning back around and walking away in silence. He shoved a door open, making it slam against the wall, and stepped through with Dougie close behind him. It was only when the door closed again that he realised where he was. The room was large, lit by four bars of lights cut across the ceiling. All of them were flickering, so one second they could see fine, the next it was nearly impossible. The room was full of shelves, which were filled with books and boxes. There were desks and tables all over the room, as well as wooden chairs. There were computers on some of the desks, but nothing gave away what the room had once been. There were about four doors, including the one they had entered through. Danny felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Something wasn’t right. He automatically stepped in front of Dougie without thinking about it. “Oh good, you were almost out of time.” Gabriel’s voice seemed to fill the room. When the light’s flickered again, he materialised out of the shadows, stood right in the centre of the room. “I thought you were going to miss our appointment.” Chapter 74

“Danny said nothing, his fists clenching and his eyes instantly changing to black. He glared at Gabriel intensely, not taking his eyes off him but at the same time making sure Dougie didn’t move. “Ooh, scary. The silent bad ass thing doesn’t work for you.” Gabriel sneered. “I was hoping you’d come without your pet, though.” Still, Danny didn’t respond. Anger was bubbling through him just looking at Gabriel. It made his throat close and every muscle in his body tensed. He could hear blood pounding in his ears, adrenaline pumping through his veins, ready for a fight. Then a door opened. The one directly opposite where he stood. Tom stepped through first, closely followed by Harry, with Sara bringing up the rear. Danny’s guard dropped as soon as he saw her. Suddenly, he was flying through the air. He crashed against one of the lights and it shattered, sparking, then he fell straight back to the ground with a thud. If he’d been human, it would have broken a few bones. He groaned as he pushed himself up again, fragments of glass bouncing across the floor and raining down on him. He was on his hands and knees, staring at Gabriel with pure hatred. Gabriel strode towards him with a cocky half smile. As he passed the computes their screens exploded with sparks. He got about halfway towards Danny then disappeared, only to flicker back into existence right in front of him. He crouched down so that he was just above Danny’s eye level. “You’re not going to beat me, Danny. Not now. Not ever.” He whispered, then stood up in a flash, kicking Danny in the face and sending him sprawling to the ground. There was a loud bang and small holes ripped through Gabriel’s clothes, but he was otherwise unaffected. He looked up with one eyebrow raised. Harry had his shotgun raised, pointed towards him. “You should know better than that by now.” Gabriel sighed. He raised his hand and Harry flew across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a yell of surprise and pain. He slid to the floor, instantly trying to stumble to his feet. Gabriel barely moved but Harry was thrown to the floor again. “Stay down, if you know what’s good for you.” Gabriel said calmly. Harry ignored him and once again tried to stand, but was held down by some invisible force, like there was thousands of tonnes pressing down on him. “Let them go. Both of them.” Tom ordered. Danny was briefly surprised by the calm authority in Tom’s voice, even though he must be terrified. Still, bravery wasn’t exactly rewarded in this situation. The gun Tom was holding flew out of his hand and slid across the floor to Gabriel’s feet. Gabriel bent down slowly and picked it up, examining it for a moment. He aimed it at Tom suddenly and fired, and the bullet ripped into Tom’s shoulder, making him stagger backwards. He fired again, hitting Tom’s leg, and he fell to the floor. “Right, now that the two little annoyances are out of the way, time to get rid of the big ones.” Gabriel said. Danny leapt up suddenly, diving at Gabriel and tackling him to the ground. He punched him in the face twice in quick succession, but Gabriel didn’t respond straight away, only a small hint of surprise in his eyes. Gabriel grabbed Danny’s shoulders and kneed him in the stomach before throwing him off, making him roll a couple of times before he came to a stop on the floor. “Danny, I had the good grace to come alone. Did you really have to embarrass yourself by bringing your pathetic friends along to die with you?” Gabriel asked, getting to his feet like he was in no rush. “Then again, I’d only hunt them down and kill them anyway, so I suppose you’re saving me a job.”

“You’re not gonna touch them.” Danny growled, pushing himself so he was at up. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, looking from Tom to Harry. “Ok, I suppose technically I haven’t touched them.” Gabriel said with a sigh. He flickered then disappeared again. He reappeared in front of Dougie, grabbing hold of his shoulder and shoving him against the wall. He grabbed him by the throat, sliding him up the wall so that he was about a foot off the floor. Dougie coughed, unable to breathe properly. “How many times do you have to die to stay dead?” Gabriel asked in an angry whisper. “I suppose one more time can’t hurt. Not me, anyway.” He smirked. He tightened his grip on Dougie’s throat. Dougie’s feet slid and kicked against the wall, trying to find a foothold, but there was none. His hands grabbed Gabriel’s wrist, trying to pull his hand away. A bullet exploded against Gabriel’s shoulder, but he almost seemed oblivious. Suddenly Gabriel was thrown sideways, crashing into a desk. Dougie dropped to the floor, gasping and coughing. Danny was stood up with his hand lifted. His nose was bleeding and he was sweating, but he’d managed to throw Gabriel aside. Sara was still at the other side of the room with her gun lifted, but she was looking at Danny with surprise. Gabriel climbed to his feet, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes and straightening his clothes. “Impressive, Danny, but it’s a little sad that it cost you so much energy to move me a couple of feet when I can just...” He trailed off, then with an amused smile, lifted his hand very slightly. Danny was lifted off his feet and crashed into a table on the other side of the room. Sara dashed across the room almost silently, crouching next to Dougie. He stood up slowly, shaking his head as a signal that he was ok. Sara glanced across the room towards Danny, but he was still on the floor. Danny groaned, shards of wood digging into him from all sides. Every one of his limbs were pounding with pain, but he couldn’t give in. He pushed himself to his feet, every muscle in his body protesting at the effort, to stand glaring defiantly at Gabriel. Gabriel turned his back on him, faceing Douge and Sara. He looked them up and down as if he was evaluating them, seeing which one to attack next, wondering which would hurt Danny more. In the end he just shrugged. “Your turn.” He said, looking at Sara. He flicked his wrist and she crashed against the wall and was held there. Dougie stepped towards he, as if to help, but he was thrown to the ground without more than a glance from Gabriel. Gabriel stepped over him, kicking him in the side as he did so, and stood looking at Sara. She glared back at him, no fear showing in her eyes, which flickered to black the second Gabriel stopped in front of her. “So your his girl? I wonder what he sees in you.” Gabriel murmured. “Fuck you.” Sara hissed. Gabriel smiled. “Maybe there’s more to you than meets the eye.” He said. He glanced down, then pulled Alice’s knife from her belt. “Well, this is interesting.” He said. “Although this would make your death far to quick for my liking.” He reached up, brushing some hair away from her eyes. “Get off her!” Danny yelled, hurling himself at Gabriel. Sara hadn’t even seen him approach, too preoccupied. “Danny, no!” She shouted, too late. Gabriel had the knife. Danny wasn’t thinking straight. He rocketed into Gabriel, making them both stagger a few feet away

from Sara. Danny punched him in the stomach, but Gabriel barely blinked. “Jones, you really are an idiot.” Gabriel said with his signature arrogant smirk. He grabbed hold of Danny’s shoulder, his free arm jerked forward and there was a sickening slicing sound. Danny stopped, his eyes widening, his face going pale. The knife was embedded deep in his stomach. Gabriel drew the knife back again, looking down at the thick red liquid that coated the blade. “You really thought you stood a chance?” Gabriel asked. “You really thought you could win?” Gabriel laughed. He was cut short when Danny chuckled. It was a choked, pained sound, but it was definately laughter. With his last ounce of strangth he grabbed Gabriel’s arm and drew his own knife, stabbing it straight into Gabriel’s chest. Gabriel gasped and staggered back, the knife still locked deep in his ribs. His eyes rolled back to white and he collapsed. Blinding light errupted from him, then he was gone. There was nothing left but a scorch mark on the ground. The invisible force that had pinned Sara against the wall released her, and her and Dougie were instantly at Danny’s side. He smiled softly and stumbled, but Sara caught him before he could fall, lowering him down to the ground so that he was sat up with her supporting him. “You did it, Danny, you killed him. He’s gone, for good.” Sara said, as if the news would heal him. Danny just smiled weakly. “I know...” He said softly. Dougie knelt down next to him, shaking slightly. Danny lifted his hand, ruffling his hair. Dougie didn’t even bother to right it again. He glanced down at Danny’s stomach, where a large, dark red stain was crawling across his shirt. “Danny, don’t go.” He whispered without realising he’d spoken. Danny didn’t respond. His eyes closed briefly, before opening them again, looking at Sara. “I love you.” He whispered. Sara bit her lip, taking hold of Danny’s hand. “I know. I love you too.” She replied. Danny actually smiled properly, laughing slightly. “I’m sorry.” He said, his voice getting weaker and weaker. “Nothing to be sorry for.” Dougie said. He brushed his hand over his eyes quickly, trying to be subtle, but failed. Danny threw him a concerned look, which made him feel worse. Even now, even when he was going to die, he was still more worried about Dougie than he was about himself. “There is.” Danny said, knowing he didn;t have time for much else. “You had your reasons.” Sara insisted, squeezing Danny’s hand. She briefly stoked his cheek, and he leaned towards her touch. “I know. I’m not apologising for that.” Danny said. In any other situation, Sara would have laughed at his insistance that he was always right. “I promised I wouldn’t leave you again, but... but I am.” Sara had no response, and neither did Dougie. Danny sighed heavily, then coughed suddenly, jerking. A small cloud of smoke burst out of his mouth, then went straight into the ground. Danny was fighting it with everything he had. He didn’t want to go. Not now. “You’re not leaving for good, Dan. We’ll see you again.” Sara promised. She wasn’t sure if Danny heard her. “I’m sorry,” Danny said, his voice almost inaudible with strain. He coughed again, rolling onto his side and supporting himself shakily with one hand. Dougie rested a hand on his back, not knowing what to do. Danny glanced up at Dougie with a ghost of his former cheeky grin. Only Dougie and Sara could see the fear beneath his mask of confidence.

“I’m drawing with you now. Two deaths each.” He choked out. His arms collapsed beneath him and he fell to the ground. Smoke errupted from his mouth and flew downwards, through the concrete floor, leaving a charred circle. His eyes closed and he stopped breathing. Chapter 75