A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

"You can't go one day without finding trouble, can you, Emmalyn?"

I looked up from the ground, my feet dangling as I sat on the edge of the inside of an ambulance. A wool blanket was wrapped around my shoulders despite me not needing it, my gun laying next to me. The knife from Theo was back in my boot, and the girl I'd found was already on her way to the hospital. The body of the man who Sasora had killed was taken away, cops milling about. We were back on the road, human police officers searching the forest. Hunters had been called in as backup on short notice, and most of my team was here as well thanks to an emergency call from yours truly.

They got here surprisingly quick, the Grimm cousins appearing in front of me. Mateo smirked at me, crossing his arms, his cousin ever the silent shadow.

"I was driving, but then I saw blood and a shoe," I said begrudgingly. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Mateo rubbed his hands over his face, sighing. "Call the cops, Emmalyn. You're not on duty. It's past dinner time. That's the normal reaction."

I scoffed. "I'm not normal, Mateo."

He shrugged. "Well you could make normal decisions."

I shook my head, hopping down from the ambulance. After folding the blanket up, I grabbed my gun and walked over to my car. I threw it in, locked up, and looked at the cousins.

"What are you doing now..?" Mateo asked reluctantly. "Emmalyn?"

"I need to talk to everyone," I muttered, "and that means I need to get everyone together. And soon."

"We have a mission soon," Theo pointed out softly. "Which means we need to focus on prep. Is it that important?"

I grinded my teeth together. There's a demoness out here and I'm a freak. I need to tell you all about it, I thought, clenching my hands into fists. My knuckles turned white as I looked away, eyeing the cops that were heading in and out of the forest. They had low-grade hunters with them, acting as protectors.

And as I watched them, there was a dark thought hanging over my mind.

Even with all these hunters, Sasora could kill these innocent people in minutes.

And I could too.

"It's so important," I insisted. "But it can wait for today. The second that mission is over, I'm telling you all."

Mateo grinned. "I'll plan a breakfast for the seven of us for the Saturday morning after," he offered, "so what can we do to help now?"

"Protect the cops. I need to look for something."

"For what?"

The bottom half of that man. His body might give me a clue about what Sasora used to kill him, which gives me insight on her abilities.

"Do you want honesty?" I offered, crossing my arms as I glanced back at the cousins.

Mateo stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sure."

I smirked. "The bottom half of the dead guy. And you're probably curious, but you can hang on until Saturday."

The two gaped, standing stock-still as I strode away. I followed the stream of cops into the forest, the only one walking solo. Most of them searched in squads of four, and the regular human cops were jumpy as all hell. One spotted me coming and began trembling, sighing in relief as I stormed past.

"Who is that lady?" I heard them ask.

"Right eye is covered, other eye is blue?"

"Yeah..?"

"Emmalyn Foxit," a cop I was familiar with answered. "She's a real badass. As long as you don't turn into a monster, you can trust her with your life. She's the only hunter I've never been afraid of."

"I'm afraid of all hunters," the skittish officer blurted. "They're weird."

"Foxit's one of the strangest, but she's also the safest to be around. She can also probably hear us still."

I smirked, since even though I was multiple feet away, I could hear them perfectly. Part of me appreciated knowing that even if I was a freak, not everyone hated me.

It was comforting.

What wasn't comforting was the lack of leads I had as I searched the forest. There was no sign of any blood trails, despite Sasora having held up half a man in front of my face.

"It's weird, isn't it?" A familiar soft voice said behind me. "I noticed the lack of trails too."

I turned, my expression blank, and met Wendy's eyes. For once, Miles wasn't tagging along behind her, and the healer was alone. My friend smiled at me, though it was mixed in with a hint of sadness.

That was the moment when I decided I was done being mad at Wendy. If she worried, she worried. But she was my friend, and if Sasora came after her, there was a good chance Wendy wouldn't survive it. I couldn't let that happen, especially if she and I were on bad terms.

I flashed her a genuine smile. "Something smart did this, which means that hunters will be called in for the investigation."

Her chin dipped, the healer twiddling her thumbs. "I wonder if they'll ask us to."

I shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't done a proper police investigation in forever."

"They were never your favourite," she teased. "You weren't the type to ask questions first."

"Hitting things always seemed easier," I murmured jokingly, "and when something was dead, it couldn't hurt anyone else."

Wendy rolled her eyes. "Not the first time I've heard that opinion."

With a knowing grin, I turned back to the bushes, searching through the leaves for a hint of blood. I knew deep down that Sasora had used magic to wipe the area clean, but I still had to try. After all, my power was made to rival hers.

A wave of exhaustion threatened to hit as fire swirled in my palm. I gritted my teeth, spreading the flames out and shooting them into the trees. They didn't burn anything, instead turning into purple flakes that hit the ground. They were the same tracking technique I'd used to find the mutation spreader days ago, but instead of sticking to a green gooey substance, these pieces of power pulsated, trying to detect traces of demonic magic.

A manical grin lit up my face as some went out, leaving behind a trail of bright purple spots. They were the ones who located the disappeared trail of Sasora's power, gleaming brightly as I began stomping further into the trees. Wendy skipped along after me, falling into step only a few inches behind me. She didn't ask about my magic, staying alert as I followed the trail. Beneath each purple spot was a fleck of writhing reddish magic, which made it clear that it was Sasora's.

"What is that stuff?"

"I'll explain after Friday's mission," I told her curtly, "just survive until then, okay?"

She scoffed. "I should've expected that from you."

I hummed, stopping short as my path cut off. The flakes returned to their fiery state, jumping back into my hand. I waved them away, scanning our surroundings.

"Be on guard," I murmured, "there's a bottom half of a man somewhere here, and who knows what came after it."

Wendy's face turned inside-out in disgust. "You should've warned me before I came with you!"

"You're a huntress and a healer," I snapped, "you can't possibly be squeamish."

She glared, falling silent as I took a hesitant step forward. I didn't dare pull out my fire, trying to avoid acting like a beacon of light for anything undesirable.

Then again, I would probably feel better after a killing spree.

My spiky black hair brushed my eyelashes as I shifted my weight, eyeing the shadows. My hands clenched into fists, and I wished that I'd brought my gun.

"Emmalyn, do you feel that?"

"Feel wha--"

I froze as something wet dropped onto my forehead. My gut twisted as I forced myself to look up, glaring at the branches above me.

Because one of them held a pair of severed legs, and was currently dripping blood in my hair.

It was safe to say that sending Wendy to get the cops while I dealt with the actual gore and blood was a good idea.