A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

"Alright. Let's get into pairs."

I looked up from where I was sitting in the back of the mini bus, alone on the two person seat. Wendy stood at the front of the center aisle, holding onto the backrests for stability. The driver, a retired hunter, had just given us the signal that we'd crossed the barrier that kept most monsters out of the city.

The huntress eyed all of us with a withering stare. "Once you have a partner, stick with them. One supervisor with one student. Pair up quickly, we go hunting as soon as we get off."

A hand raised among the seated students. "Are we not hunting as a group?"

It was Beth, one of the smartest students I'd come across. She was beautiful as well, and I was hoping for her survival, so that she could at least use her well-rounded personality for more than a pathetic death.

"No," Wendy admitted. "Our combined smell will bring mutants running. Your supervisor will protect you."

"I want to go with Emmalyn!"

Eyes turned to Malekai. The top student was on his feet, pointing at me.

Wendy shook her head.

"No one is going with Emmalyn. I'll take an extra student," she murmured, meeting my unamused look. "Emmalyn is going on ahead. She'll wound every mutant she finds, so that the pairs can just finish them off."

"That's a suicide mission!" Another student yelled. Her name was Annie, her blonde hair pulled back tight, the ponytail swinging like a pendulum.

"It's her mission."

"No, it's our--"

I snarled from the back, getting to my feet with a stomp that dented the bottom of the bus. My hand reached around, my shuriken popping off its holster with a light click. The weapon flew from my fingers, lodging itself in the side of the bus next to Annie's head, giving her ponytail a trim.

"You need to shut up and listen to orders!" I snapped, my knuckles turning white as I clenched my hands into fists. "You've never seen me in action, brat, so don't underestimate me. This will be nothing."

The student shut up immediately, her skin pasty white. The bus happened to stop only seconds after, and I was the first one to storm out, yanking my shuriken out of the wall.

The road we were on was familiar, since it was the same area where I'd hunted with the Grimm cousins. I clipped my shuriken back into place on my back, shaking myself out. My green eye twitched, my power swirling just under the surface of my consciousness.

I shifted to look back at the others. Our bus was gone, driving back to safety.

Wendy stood with Annie and Malekai, Luca with George, Weston with Simon, Theo with Beth, Mateo with Irina, and finally, Miles with Aidan.

"Remember," I told them, "I have good hearing and you have my runes. Scream or activate them if you need to be rescued."

"This is a bad idea," Malekai blurted. Wendy put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from approaching me. "What if you need help?"

I smirked, pushing my hair back from my eye. The purple symbols flashed twice, ready to ignite a fire.

"It's simple, Malekai. I won't need help."

I haven't needed help in a long time...

And hopefully I'll be able to live up to that.

I let my hair fall back like a curtain, covering up the only sign that marked as something more than human.

"See you soon, guys," I told them, one hand grabbing the chokuto from around my hips.

I saw Malekai pout one last time before turning on my heel and breaking into a sprint.

Or so I would've.

I only took three steps before I saw a flash of bright red hair go by.

No!

Whirling, the chokuto flew from my fingers, soon followed by a stream of purple flames. Sasora dodged the blade, but the fire struck the demoness' back, following her every movement. The others gasped in horror as she snarled at me over her shoulder, her features less human than normal. Tusks protruded from her bottom jaw, her eyes filled with black and her fingernails elongated into talons. Sasora's red hair was spiky, pulsing in sync with her breath.

"You bitch," Sasora snapped. "I forgot about your advantage."

I glared, lifting a hand full of raging fire. I twisted my wrist, pointing my palm at her.

"Step away from them, Sasora."

Miles' eyes widened, and Beth's legs buckled, Theo barely managing to catch her before she hit the ground. Everyone else looked confused, glancing between their comrades, me, and the red haired woman.

"Sasora," Miles muttered, looking lost and in despair. "The fourteenth demon. Mother of sinners--"

"--lover of lies," Beth finished, Theo helping her stand again.

Wendy's hands curled into fists. She extended an arm, pushing Annie and Malekai behind her. "Hunters, protect the students!"

My fellow fully-fledged hunters fell in line in front of the seven teenagers, weapons in hand.

The demoness eyed their formation and brave faces.

And began to laugh.

"How pathetic!" She giggled, the air around her stirring. "You're so easy to kill!"

My eye twitched, lighting up purple as her own magic began to take form. I moved faster than a regular human could, putting myself between the line of hunters and the red haired demon. Before her spell could hit them, I put both hands on the ground, forcing a wall of flames to block it.

The fire didn't last long, falling back to the ground, revealing the frustrated demon on the other side.

"I guess it's a bit harder when the child of--"

Flames leapt from my fingers, cutting her off as she had to dodge them.

"Leave, demon," I snarled. "Or I'll kill you."

She paused, watching as I straightened. My hand reached back, wrapping around the hilt of my sword, but I did not draw it. Not yet. In my other hand, I held my flames, the symbols in my eye swirling around the pupil.

It was probably the first time Sasora wondered if her opponent really could kill her.

For a second, I believed she would back off for her own sake.

But only for a second, because that advantage was ruined as the usual dummy began to worry for me.

"Foxit! Don't fight her! We can all just run!" Malekai's voice came. Luca was forcibly holding him back, the hunter's face twisted in anger and frustration. The top student fought against him, trying to save me.

Fire burned up my arm, sitting there like a third layer of clothing. I turned my head just barely, glaring.

"Isn't that sweet..," Sasora mused, scraping her claws against each other. "It would be a pity if you died here and now in front of him."

I gritted my teeth to the point where my jaw ached, returning my gaze to meet Sasora's.

"You know what I am," I said lowly, "so you know what I'm capable of."

She laughed, widening her stance. Her hair stood up on its own, creating a mane around her. The red strands took on the form of needles, as if she was a porcupine.

"But do you know your own capabilities, child?" Sasora sneered. "Why don't we find out?"

I won't let you hurt them.

Before the demoness could pull off her little trick, I rushed toward her. It was the same skill I'd used to surprise Michaelson -- I appeared directly behind her, avoiding the spiky hair, and pressed the blade of my sai to her throat. With my other hand, I held a ball of purple fire an inch away from her back.

"Too far this time, Sasora. See you in hell."

I shoved the flames forward, dragging my blade across her throat -- but by the time my knife touched her skin, she had pulled her own disappearing act, leaving only with a burn and another unpleasant memory of me.

But by then, I was only glad no one had died.