I knew I shouldn't have worn a white shirt today; blood stains are a hell of a nuisance. My hand instinctively went to wipe the red spatters from my face. I tried to drown out the murmurs of Holy verses as the ever-so-faithful Matthew read from his bible. Instead, I focused my attention on the woman in front of me.

Her head was dipped over the bed, so far that she would wake up the next day with a terrible kink in her neck. Her pupils were heavily dilated, and an eerie smile was stretched across her face, much like the Cheshire Cat. There were self inflicted scratches and bites on her skin, and dried patches of bloody saliva stained her sandpaper lips. My eyes trailed to the cuffs that held her down. She arched and strained, never once taking her eyes off of me. Matthew pulled out a vial and I pushed myself back against the wall as far as I could.

The woman screamed as the blessed water touched her skin. A low, guttural sound emitted from her throat, like she was choking on her own blood. She then proceeded to violently shake her head, her dark hair tangling around her face. She'd probably have a killer headache later, too.

"Maryn, now!" Matthew shouted.

I took my cue and placed my hands firmly on her head, holding her still. She screamed before spitting at me again. I ignored the second offense and bore my eyes into hers. For a moment, she stopped thrashing; but it wasn't over yet.

She fell silent for a moment, and then began inhaling and exhaling deeply. She picked up speed, to where she was hyperventilating. I never broke eye contact as she did this, and a vibration coursed through my body. A sudden white light flashed in front of my eyes.

When the light faded, I found myself in the room again. However, time was distorted and slow. Everything was covered in a hazy grey veil, and small particles of light drifted through the air. Facing the corner of the room was a black shadowy figure.

The flowing lines of smoke that seemed to dance around the figure faded. Slowly, the naked and rotted skin of the demon was revealed. I stood and walked past Matthew. A gentle glow emitted from his body. His soul.

If I watched him long enough, I could just barely see his physical body moving towards the woman on the bed.

The demon turned around, a wicked smile made of rows of brown, rotted teeth plastered on his face. Shadows danced in his eyes, and the dark smoke followed his movements as he walked. Black horns broke through the skin at the top of his head and curled down to his jaw.

He tilted his head and let out a tsk. "Prancing around with the mortals now, are we?"

His voice was deep, and like that of a seventy year old smoker, mixed with someone who had gargled nails. I cringed, wondering for a moment if I ever sounded like that. For the sake of my self esteem, I hope not.

"Look, you and I both know how this is going to end," I said. I cocked the gun and aimed it at his head. The demon was amused, and held out his hands like a showman gesturing before the circus began.

I was already anticipating his next move, but I played along and pulled the trigger. Immediately after, I spun around, being met with jagged fingernails clawing towards my face.

I grabbed the demon's wrist and kicked him hard in the ribs. With a crack and an ungodly wail, he doubled over, and I took the chance to retrieve my twin daggers from their holsters.

The demon jerked his head up and slammed his body into me, merging into a dark shadow once more. His body passing through mine was like a metallic kick mixed with internal frostbite. I fell back, crashing into Matthew, whom at first seemed unaffected by the impact.

He appeared again, his grin taunting me.

I leapt forward, throwing my fist towards the creature's mouth. Again he disappeared, and I frantically looked around me. I closed my eyes and felt the heavy vibration of his energy.

He moved all around me in an attempt to disorient my senses. I felt him behind me, and I jerked my arm in his direction. The blade slashed against his skin as he was moving back, and he let out a horrific scream that sounded not like one voice, but many.

His body flickered, allowing me to see where he was going. I moved quickly. In a final attempt to catch me off guard, he vanished again. I was prepared.

In a movement so fast, I nearly missed it, he materialized in front of me, his jaw open wide, his hands outstretched.

He was right where I wanted him.

I plunged the blades deep into his temples, just underneath the base of his horns. His jaw fell slack with shock, and the darkness that had surrounded him now seeped from his eyes and open mouth. In an instant he was paralyzed, and his body chipped away in puffs of black smoke until nothing remained.

Where he went, I wasn't entirely sure. I imagined it was some sort of limbo. A place in between Hell and the mortal world, much like the astral realm. While it's entirely possible for him to come back, it's very unlikely.

Time had resumed. I was back on the floor in front of the woman, and Matthew fell to the ground, the delayed result of my slamming into him.

Whoops.

I walked over and held out my hand, pulling him to his feet. He hurried to the woman's side, freeing her from the leather cuffs. I stretched my arms into the air before tucking the blades back into the holsters, along with the gun.

Matthew was holding the woman's trembling hand, comforting her, assuring she would be alright. He made the sign of the cross on her forehead as tears ran down her face. He then pulled out a bit of cloth from his pocket and used it to gently wipe away the blood around her mouth.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!" Cried the woman.

She pulled Matthew into a tight squeeze, and he graciously returned the favor, holding her as she sobbed. I frowned down at my blood stained "let's summon demons" t-shirt. The woman looked to me and hurried over.

"Thank you!"

She threw her arms around me and I gladly accepted her embrace. I always was rather surprised when being met with affection such as this. I'm certainly not complaining though.

She pulled back and pressed her lips against my cheek. Alright, I'll definitely accept that.

"I'll send a colleague of mine to check in and bless the home. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, contact me immediately," said Matthew. 

The woman grasped his hand in a firm shake. Small tremors ran up and down her body as she nodded.

"I will. God bless both of you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Matthew shot me a look. I instead smiled politely at the woman and threw on my black denim vest.

The door opened, and in walked another priest.

"You're done already? It's really gone?" He asked in disbelief.

"Just as promised," Matthew said with a smile.

The priest gave Matthew an eager handshake before turning to me with unpleasant surprise.

The older gentleman eyed my tousled hair, stained shirt, and the blasphemous symbols and phrases I had on my vest. Not everyone was a fan of the "Sinner" or "666" hand-sewn patches. I thought they were a nice finishing touch.

He scoffed and attended to the woman, all the while I held back my amusement.

Matthew packed up his bag and we left the dingy apartment. I hopped into the car, pushed the seat back, and propped up my feet.

"That's another one down. We've gotten like, four demons this week," I said, pushing back the long strands of dark brown hair that had fallen in front of my eyes.

"Two. The others were poltergeists," Matthew corrected.

He pulled out a disinfectant wipe from the glove compartment and wiped down the dashboard and the steering wheel. I lifted my feet as he wiped, only to slam them back down, accidentally shaking dirt off the boots. 

He inhaled sharply but said nothing, and instead stuffed the used wipes into a plastic lined cup holder. He used to keep his miniature trash can in the glove compartment. The last time he opened it, a few condom wrappers fell out onto the floor, no doubt traumatizing the poor man. I neither confirmed nor denied if they were ever put to use in the vehicle. Either way, he hasn't opened that compartment since.

"If you wanna get technical. Either way, I say we celebrate."

Matthew glanced at me, raising his thick brows that rested above green eyes. His biracial background graced him with a warm tan. Stubble rested above his mouth, on his chin, and reached his faint sideburns. He was a good looking guy. When I first met him, I was almost certain he worked on the side as a Calvin Klein model.

He ran a hand over his shaved head and buzzed his lips before turning the key in the ignition. He glanced at me again, this time with a sly, knowing grin.

"Duke's?" He suggested.

"Hell yeah, now you're speaking my language!"

~~~~~~

My fingernail tapped on the glass of water in front of me as I stared absentmindedly out the window. The smell of fluffy pancakes, greasy bacon, and juicy burgers made my mouth water. Food never really did anything for me as far as sustenance went. I might as well be taking gulps of air. But how could I possibly resist the taste of a double bacon cheeseburger?

Duke's was one of the most popular diners in the city. It had basically served as Matthew and I's place to conduct "important business meetings" over a nice meal.

Matthew set down the menu. I could feel his eyes on me.

"Any luck?" He asked.

I sighed, my mind drifting back to the exorcism.

"No. It wasn't him."

For the past eight years I have been tracking down the same demon: Caranneth. And for the past eight years, I have been unsuccessful. Even with Matthew as my sidekick (though he claims it's the other way around), I was beginning to lose hope.

On top of that, the numbers in demonic possessions have been on the rise. It's been getting harder for us to keep up.

"Alrighty, what can I get started for you gentlemen?" Asked a bubbly waitress.

As Matthew was ordering, I caught a glimpse of someone watching me from a corner in the restaurant. The voices around me faded into the background as I eyed him from my peripheral vision. He had a gruff look to him, with his hair unkempt and his clothing stained.

Anyone else would see him and think he'd had far too many beers and far too many cigarettes. When I saw him, though, the man looked as though a leech had sucked the life from him. It has dulled his skin and started a nasty rot in his mouth.

I turned to look directly at him and he immediately stared down at the table. A small dog was tucked against him under his oversized jacket. There was a dark aura around him, as if something sinister was clinging to his soul.

"And for you, sir?"

My attention snapped back to the waitress. Matthew has noticed where I was looking and briefly checked behind him.

"I'll have a double bacon cheeseburger, please." I smiled, though I had noticed the man got up and promptly left the restaurant.

The waitress scribbled down the orders. I handed her the menu, and as she returned the grin, she did a double take.

"Oh wow, your eyes... they're beautiful," she said, seeming to study the mismatched blue and green irises in awe.

"Thank you."

She blushed and fiddled with the menus.

"I'll be out with your orders soon," she said, hurrying off. I watched as she was stopped by another waitress on her way to the kitchen. They spoke for a few seconds before she turned back to look at me, smiling shyly.

I took my time surveying the diner before letting my eyes fall onto hers. I relaxed against the seat and smirked, giving her a teasing wink.

She was mesmerized for a moment, biting her lip as I held her gaze. Her aura pulsed a deep red. I studied the thoughts that ran through her mind. They flickered past my eyes like an old film. Bed. Leather. Chains.

Kinky. This girl has style.

Matthew gave me a discreet kick under the table, and I broke eye contact. She suddenly snapped back to reality, slightly flushed before scurrying into the kitchen.

"You think she's into me?" I asked, watching her disappear through the door.

"Who was that man you were staring at?" Matthew asked, ignoring the question.

"I don't know, I just got a bad feeling about him. Besides, he was eyeing me first."

He furrowed his brows in thought. As tempting as it was to ask what thoughts were running rampant through his mind (or to just have a little peek myself), I knew he wouldn't want to share. Not right away at least. After what felt like ages, he broke from his trance and folded his hands on the table.

"So, where to next, Matto?" I asked.

He frowned at the nickname. "The church hasn't contacted me for any further investigations. So now, we wait."

I hated playing the waiting game. It only seemed to add to the time it would take me to find Caranneth.

The more I thought about him, the bigger the flames of hatred in me grew. I had made a vow years ago to find him, and I would not stop until I had succeeded. You see, I'm not just a demon anymore. Gone are the nights that I spent as another incubus in the dark. I no longer walk among the entities of Hell.

I hunt them down.

~~~~~~

Thank you for reading!