Hunter's Legacy

“Don’t move,” Piper said, as she stood beside me. The in-house bunker doctor examined my nose, which, now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, every part of my body was sore.

“Easy for you to say,” I said, through gritted teeth as he squeezed the bridge of my nose; that sent a wave of pain up to my head, which made me curse out loud, “You’re not the one getting poked and prodded at. Does he even know what he’s doing?” The doctor looked to be somewhere in his mid-twenties—not much older than me—and the hair peeking out from underneath his ugly seafoam green scrub cap was a dark brown. His lips formed a thin line, as he continued poking and prodding.

“Well, it is broken,” he said, stepping back and allowing me to put my head down so that I could look straight ahead.

“Thanks Doc, tell me something I don’t know,” I said. Apparently, he didn’t like my attitude, because he narrowed his eyes at me before looking up and addressing Piper, talking about me as though I wasn’t even there.

“We need to wait a couple of weeks for the swelling to go down, and then we can proceed to operating, if we must,” he said.

“Operating? Where did you go to school? What are your credentials?” I asked.

“Of course, thank you,” Piper said, answering the doctor and totally ignoring me.

“In the meantime, here’s some medication for the pain,” he gave me an orange bottle, filled with white pills.

“Thank you,” Piper said, and the doctor nodded and left the room.

“You shouldn’t have gone in by yourself,” Piper chastised, as I slid off the metal table, groaning as my feet hit the floor.

“I had it under control,” I said, taking my time to walk to the door.

“Says the girl who has a broken nose as well as broken ribs,” Piper said, walking out behind me, “You should’ve waited for your partner.”

“I don’t work well with others,” I said, taking a deep breath and wincing as I did, “You know that. I don’t want another death on my hands.”

“Another death?” Piper asked, as we walked down the hallway. She kept with my slow pace and turned her head, questioningly.

“Why were you flirting with the doctor?” I asked, tuning the conversation away from me, “Do you like him?”

“No,” she said, simply, “But he likes me and, as much as I don’t like to do it to our own, I use my charms to get what I need; besides, with the kinds we do, the kinds of things we see, we can’t have relationships with out those relationships being used against us.”

“So, what is my next job?” I asked.

“Nothing, because you’re not getting a job of any kind until you’re healed,” Piper said.

“I’m fine!” I said, holding my arms wide, as if I didn’t have two broken ribs, dark circles under my eyes, and a swollen, bruised, nose.

“If you go now, I have no doubt you will be even more injured than you already are,” Piper said, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow, as if expecting me to challenge her.

“Probably,” I said, knowing that, when it came to Piper, I wasn’t going to win, so it was best to back down. Piper nodded and silence ensued, as we continued walking; I limped up the staircase, and to the second floor, as I followed Piper into the mess hall.

It wasn’t uncommon for Hunters to come back scathed or not at all, but I was probably the only Hunter in the history of Hunters to be stared at, as I limped into the mess hall. The chattering of the crowd died down, faded into whispers and I felt hundreds of eyes on me as I lowered myself onto the closest bench, by the closest table.

Piper went ahead and went to grab our dinner plates, and I nodded, wincing as a throbbing pain spread its way from the bridge of my nose and across my forehead. I crossed my arms on top of the table and laid my head on them. The whispers around me seemed to rise and I tried to tune them out; it was a futile attempt, and then Piper set the plates down, the tinkling of the glassware louder than it needed to be.

“Take your medicine,” Piper said, pulling the orange bottle out of her pocket and sliding it across the tabletop, towards me.

“I don’t need that,” I said, sighing and sliding them to the end of the table.

“Yeah, well, you’re pale and you look like you’re about to vomit,” Piper said, as she dug into her food. I looked down at my chili dog, and my stomach turned, and I pushed it to the side.

“I’m not hungry,” I mumbled.

“Alright, well then, lets get you to your room because, obviously, you need to sleep,” Piper said, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin and then put it on her plate before she stood up and held out a hand to help me up, too. I shook my head, pushing against the table to stand myself up. The pain in my head doubled and my world started turning. I had to pause so my world could right itself. I wasn’t going to show weakness; its what the Hunters around me wanted, to see me fall and fail. I kept faltering as I walked through the mess hall, Piper standing behind me, ready to catch me if I fell. Outside of the mess hall, I leaned against the wall and slid down it, closing my eyes, hoping that the world would right itself.

“Are you ok?” Piper asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“Yeah, I’m good,” I said, opening my eyes and feeling thankful that the world wasn’t spinning anymore.

“I understand that, in there, you have to show everybody that you are fine, but its just us now, let me help you,” Piper said. I squinted and knew she was right. In the mess hall, around the other Hunters, I had to be strong, because I had to show the others that I wasn’t crazy.

I lifted my arm up and she grasped it, pulling me up and allowing me to lean on her. Together, we walked to my room and Piper helped me to my bed. I fell into rest as soon s my head hit the pillow.

I don’t know how long I slept, but when I opened my eyes, I could hear the on-goings of the Bunker outside my door. I swung my legs over the side. And winced as I sat up, and groaned as I let out a breath. My head was still aching, but not as bad as before, and I stood up, stopping for just a minute to grab hold of my night stand, getting my bearings. My legs feel like jello, and I have a hard time keeping on my feet. Finally, after fifteen minutes of standing and falling back on my bed, I was standing and I was balanced. I used the wall and made my way to the door, opening it and then standing in the doorway for a moment, as people waked by.

After a minute of standing there, I caught sight of a familiar face, and asked for help. I wasn’t about to let my stubborn pride get in the of what I needed; and, as much as I hated it, thanks to the throbbing in my head, I needed help.

“Eddie,” I called out, and he turned his cheerful smile towards me, turning and coming to stand in front of me. In his hand, he held a crutch.

“For you,” he said, presenting it to me, like it was a gift.

“A crutch?” I said, taking it from him, with a questioning look.

“Yeah, Piper said something about you having trouble staying upright,” he replied.

“A little bit,” I responded, hating that I was admitting it out loud.

“Well, this should help, until you get your bearings again.”

“Thanks,” I said, hoping that I sounded grateful. I put it under my arm and leaned my weight on it, gingerly, not sure how much of my weight it would support. I took a tentative step, and, when I didn’t fall, I decided to take another. Another step and then another, and, soon, Eddie and I were walking down the hallway, making our way to the mess hall.

We got there, and I was guessing that breakfast was just about over. A few of the tables still had people occupying them, but the rest of them were empty.

“Do you want anything?” Eddie asked, as sat down and leaned the crutch against the end of the table.

“Just some coffee,” I said. Eddie nodded, and then he wandered over to the buffet, that Reggie set out for all the Hunters. Eddie came back a second later, a tray that had two plates on it, one filled with eggs, pancakes and bacon, and one filled with nothing but bacon, and two cups of steaming coffee. He set the tray down and then handed me one of the ceramic mugs. I sipped, the bitterness of the unsweetened brew attacked my taste buds, but it was the only way I took my coffee in the morning.

The aroma from the plate of bacon reached my nose and I was hesitant before I reached over and took a piece. Eddie noticed, and nodded, wordlessly giving me permission. I took a piece and shoved it in my mouth, as my stomach growled.

“Piper said you didn’t eat last night,” Eddie commented, as I continued scarfing down pieces of bacon.

“I couldn’t,” I said, my mouth full, “My face was throbbing and it was making me nauseas.”

“Understood,” Eddie said, as he finished off the eggs on the plate, “Piper wants to see you in the armory, when we’re done.”

“Okay,” I said, unsure how Piper knew that I’d be having breakfast with Eddie. When both plates were empty, and both mugs were drained, we cleaned up our space, and then Eddie escorted me to the armory.

Piper stood in the armory, by a set of shadow blades. Her arms were crossed and she was looking around and shaking her head, as though she was trying to figure something out.

“Hey Piper,” I said, walking inside the armory and leaning against the nearest wall, “Eddie said that you wanted to see me?”

“Yeah,” Piper said, spinning around, abruptly, “You are getting your shadow blade soon.”

“I am?” I asked.

“Yeah, at a certain point, a Hunter gets their own shadow blade for killing demons,” Piper said, sounding like a college professor who was about to embark on a lecture, “But, in your case, its different.”

“How?” I asked. Shadow blades seemed all the same to me, why would my case be different from others?

“Most of the Hunters here don’t come from a family line, not like you. There is a chance that none of these shadow blades will work for you, like you need it too,” Piper explained.

“Can you make me a new one?” I asked.

“Its not that easy,” Piper shook her head as she moved over to a case of shadow blades, and ran her hand over the glass, “The forging of the blades takes powerful magic and, for the last year we didn’t think that you would be out of the Bunker.”

“Thanks for the faith in me,” I said, looking down, “So, what do we do now?”

“We have to find Victoria’s blade,” Piper said, looking at me seriously.

“Goodnight Victoria,” the demon’s voice from that fateful night echoed in my head, and the sickening crack of my mother’s neck breaking.

“My mother’s blade,” I said, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.

“Yes, your mother’s blade,” Piper replied, nodding once, “Which means…we have to go back to your home.”

“But the house burned away in the fire,” I stated the obvious.

“Here’s the thing about shadow blades,” Piper said, leaning against a case that had a number of guns in it, “if the owner of the shadow blade dies, the glow fades and, normally, we would send someone and they would retrieve it.”

“But, it probably burned up, when the house went up in flames,” I said, sighing.

“Not according to my source,” Piper said, “When he went to go and retrieve it, he couldn’t find it.”

“Which is where I think, it might have burned up in the house fire,” I said, going back to my earlier statement.

“I don’t think so,” Piper said, “We have to go check the spot.”

“Check the spot?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. Clearly, she had lost it, “The place burnt to the ground.”

“So, we dig,” Piper said, as though it made all the sense in the world. I was too tired to sit there and argue with her—eventually, it would end up going nowhere and we would both be immensely frustrated.

“When do we leave?” I asked.

“In a couple of days. I want you to take some medication for your head, I need you to be able to move around without support of any kind.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I replied, “What am I supposed to do while I’m stuck here?” I asked, as Piper started walking out of the armory.

“Read, research, relax…” Piper said, trailing off, as the door closed behind her.

Two days later, I sat in the passenger seat of Piper’s 1998 Jeep Wrangler, as she fiddled with the radio, trying to find a suitable station to play. Finally settling on a rock station, she sat back, as we drove down the stretch of highway.

I was nervous about going back to Hawking—even though it was only for a day or two. I couldn’t help but wonder if my brother had moved back. It’d been five years since I’d last seen him, he hadn’t come to see me in Rosling, so I didn’t know anything after the day he had left me.

“Are you okay?” Piper asked, glancing over at me and then back to the road.

“Yeah,” I said, letting out a breath and shifting in my seat, “I just didn’t think I’d be here again.”

“If it makes you feel better, it’s just business,” Piper said, as she turned onto an exit.

“Yeah, just business,” I said as we drove in to the town. Elm trees lined the town and we pulled into the Hawking Motel. I sat out in the jeep, as Piper checked in. it only took a few minutes, and then she was back in the jeep, handing me the room key, and then pulling around the side of the building.

We pulled up to a parking spot, and got out; I stretched my arms over my head and then turned, grabbing my canvas backpack, a small duffel bag, and I looked at Piper for instructions on which way to go. After she grabbed her things, she walked around the front of the jeep and walked to the stairs. I followed her and she unlocked he door to room 217.

The wallpaper was yellowing with age, and there was ugly vomit-green shag carpet. There were brown curtains that hung over the window. Two queen-sized beds with ugly yellow-with-floral print duvets. We walked in, dropping our bags by our prospective beds, and, while I pulled the curtains shut, casting us in darkness. Making sure that the door was locked, I turned on the nearest lamp as Piper opened her duffel bag to reveal her weapons.

“You can never be too careful,” she said, as she took out a knife and began sharpening it.

“Like you taught me,” I replied, taking a hand gun out as I began cleaning it.

After maintenance on our weapons was done, I sighed as I looked at the folded guide that was set on top of the TV. Tossing it back on top of the TV, I walked back over to my bag and pulled out some clothes.

“I’m going to shower, and then I might go and scope out the place,” I said.

“Alright,” Piper replied, walking over to her bed and picking up the remote to watch tv.

Taking one of the towels provided, I walked into the small room, which had just a white toilet and a shower with a green curtain. Setting my stack of clothes on top of the toilet lid, I opened the shower curtain and turned on the hot water, which came out as a steady stream.

My shower was quick and I brushed my fingers through my hair, when I was done, getting out as many tangles and knots as I could, and then I put my coat on. Walking out of the bathroom, I walked back over to the duffel and began arming myself; Hawking may have been a small, sleepy town, but I have learned that monsters are everywhere and Hunters have to expect the unexpected, especially when monsters were involved.

“I’m going out,” I said, slipping a sheathed blade into my boot. I took out a smaller pistol, made sure the safety was on, and slid it into the back of my jeans.

“Be on guard,” Piper replied, as she flipped through the channels on the TV—half of which weren’t even working.

“I know,” I responded, straightening my jacket before zipping it up. I walked out the door, into the bright sunlight, shoved my hands in my pockets and started down the sidewalk.

The Hawking Motel was a block all on its own; the residents of the town knew how to get anywhere, if you just found the motel. Even though I hadn’t been in Hawking for five years, I still remembered the place like the back of my hand.

Hawking was such a small town, you could make it from one end to the other—in a car—in ten minutes. Two streets contained the businesses, two streets were the schools, and the rest of the town was residential.

The breeze was soft against my face, as I walked down Maple Street. I looked around at the houses that hadn’t seemed to change; the pastel-colored paint and the popping colors of the gardens in the front lawn.

I slowed down as I came to a house with a chain-link fence running in front of it. A yellow plastic sign, with red lettering, read Caution, do not enter. Unsafe.

I stared at the house; surprised that it wasn’t completely burned down and I was surprised that the lawn was just slightly overgrown, after the place being vacant for fourteen years. The paint that was still left there was chipped and yellowed, windows were broken or cracked.

“Camille?” a familiar voice reached my ears, and I froze. Out of habit, my hand reached behind me, ready to pull my gun out and start defending myself. Keeping my hand on the handle, I turned and looked at the newcomer.

Light brown hair and sun-kissed skin registered in my mind; I remembered her, even though I had only seen her one other time. Heather. The young woman who had lived in the dorm room across from my brother, at Waverly College, the young woman who had helped me after my encounter with The Demon, the young woman who had visited me at the hospital. She was those things, but she was also the young woman who hadn’t said a word as my brother left me at Rosling.

“Heather?” I asked, bringing my arm back down to my side. She looked almost the same as she had five years ago, and she was looking at me with surprise in her brown eyes.

“Are you back?” she asked.

“I’m here for a visit,” I said, saying the first thing that came to mind, “What are you doing here? I mean, aren’t you supposed to be…somewhere after going to school for…?”

“Medical,” Heather responded, “I went to school and got my nursing degree. Then, because Dylan wanted to be back here where he grew up. What happened, by the way?”

“You’re still in touch with Dylan?” I asked, avoiding her question.

“Yeah, we’re married…I thought you knew,” she said, her smile fading.

“No, no I didn’t,” I said, feeling slightly hurt that my brother didn’t even call to let me know he was engaged, let alone married.

“I’m sorry,” Heather looked sorry as she started apologizing, “It was a year after he dropped you off. I told him to let you know, to go see you and tell you—” I held up a hand, stopping her in the middle of her apology.

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” I said, feeling thankful that Heather hadn’t mentioned my break-out last year.

“So, how long are you here for?” Heather asked.

“Just the day,” I said. Now, more than ever, I wanted to find the blade and get out of here.

“I’m sure Dylan would love to know you’re here,” Heather replied.

“Look, it was great to see you, Heather, but my friend is back at the hotel, getting settled. I told her I’d be back to check on her,” I said, smiling, and avoiding her statement.

“Oh-okay, well, it was nice seeing you, maybe we can catch up next time you’re in town,” Heather said, and I could hear the hope coating her tone.

“Maybe,” I said, “I’ll see you next time, then.” With a wave, I turned, and started back the way I came. My face hurt as I fought against the tears that wanted to slide down my face, and my ribs ached, again, as my body shook with dry sobs.

“Are you ok?” Piper asked, when I got back to the room. I wanted so badly to punch something, throw something, break something.

“Let’s get the blade, as soon as we can, and go,” I said, avoiding answering her question, too. Piper, like me, never shared what was going on. So, she didn’t ask any more questions.

After dark, I took Piper to the house.

“Maybe I should go in and get it,” Piper said, as she looked at the chain-link fence.

“No, I’m good, I can climb it,” I said, grasping the cold fence and putting my foot in the fence. It took an incredible amount of strength to pull myself up, and, eventually, I made it over and landed on the calf-high grass. Seconds later, Piper landed next to me.

“Here,” she said, and, in the dim light from the street lamp just a few feet away, I saw that Piper had given me a small flashlight, and then pulled one out for herself.

“Thanks,” I said, as I took out my gun, took the safety off and raise it in front of me; Piper did the same with hers, and then I led the way to the dilapidated porch.

It creaked when we stepped on it, and I jiggled the door handle, which made the door open, with a creaking sound. Looking back at Piper, I nodded inside, and we both stepped in. We clicked on the flashlights, and I wasn’t surprised to see that the furniture that was left was tattered, there were broken picture frames hanging on the wall—it looked like the place had been raided. Not wanting to be there longer than we had to, I started making my way down the hallway, remembering that my parents’ room had been the last one on the right.

The black door swung open, easily, and I stepped inside, shining my flashlight around the room. I was surprised that the walls were still standing, but everything was either charred black or burned down. I stopped, freezing when I got to the spot where the window used to be—looked like it had been blown out and never replaced—remembering how my mom was looking out this window, just before The Demon had arrived in the room.

My eyes moved to the wall, across from the window, where The Demon had killed my parents, and then set the house ablaze.

Suddenly, I felt a pull. “Under the bed,” a voice in my head said. Oddly enough, it sounded like my mother’s voice. I looked at the charred remains of the bed frame, and the pull got more intense.

“Help me,” I said, and Piper hurried over to the other side, pulling, as I pushed. I got down and a floorboard creaked under my knee. Putting my knee on one side of the board, the other side popped up. I caught it, and then moved my knee, pulling the board up and putting it aside. I saw a white glow, and reached down and my fingers wrapped around a handle. I pulled up and out came the glowing blade.

“There’s your shadow blade,” Piper said, staring at the blade, seemingly mesmerized. A loud thump from another room pulled me from staring at the blade. Looking towards the doorway, I thought I heard footsteps.

“Let’s go,” I said, sliding the blade into the side of my pants, and I replaced the board, before going over to the window. Piper went out fist and I followed, Piper steadied me when I landed and almost fell. We pressed against the side of the house, out of sight as the light from a flashlight cascaded out the window, between us. Once the light was gone, and the mysterious footsteps receded, we bolted from the side of the house, climbed the back of the fence, and then got back to the jeep.

My chest was heaving and my ribs were aching as I sat in the passenger seat, but I was content, because I had my blade, and, I was sure I would never have to set foot in Hawking, again.