Things That Go Bump At Night Part 21

"It appears the demons are migrating this particular way. I know things have been quiet the past few weeks and I think that's because they've been concentrating out here. The ones we have encountered were by accident, or bad luck on their part. We believe they were simply on their way here. Not out to feed."

"What the h.e.l.l they doing all the way out here?" Ryan asked.

Mr. Wagner's gaze went around the room. It settled on me. Awesome. Dread filled my belly, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"I believe they may be tracking Remi."

G.o.d I hate being right.

Every pair of eyes now went from Mr. Wagner to me. We had all nearly dismissed the fact that I could have been the one. There'd been no more dreams true, I drank a protection every night- and there'd been no more demons lining up along perimeters staring at the house either. There'd been no heightened demon activity, quite the opposite actually, and when we did encounter the few demons we did on our nightly hunts, they didn't appear to signal me out any more than anyone else.

"How close?" Jake asked, his voice was rough. I knew he was both mad at his father for not sharing the info with him and worried for me.

"Right in our back yard." He nodded to the woods that sat less than fifty yards behind the house. Jake swore low and slow.

"How many?" Ryan asked second.

"Can't say for sure. But our scouting has turned up a dozen or so nests. So, could be a few dozen, could be a few hundred."

"You want us to take on a few hundred demons?" Ana asked, incredulously.

"I honestly don't know how many there are."

"So, you just want us to possibly take on a few hundred demons?" Now she was just downright sarcastic. I was pretty sure she wasn't happy about me being the possible "one" again.

"Shut up, Ana." Jake said without looking at her.

"I have the other team on call, in case we need backup."

"They live on the other side of town." Ryan said. That would be half an hour to our rescue at best.

"No, they're close by for the next couple days. Mick's got a cabin about five miles further out from here. They can be here in a matter of minutes."

"If they're after Remi, maybe she should sit this one out tonight." Jake suggested.

"No!" I cried. Again? Really? He was doing this to me again? But Mr. Wagner was already shaking his head.

"No, I need every hand out tonight. Like I said, we don't know the numbers. We can't afford to be shorthanded. But," He continued quickly when he saw his son begin to argue. "We will protect Remi, our focus will be making sure she stays safe. If it looks like we're losing ground, we'll get the h.e.l.l out of there."

"You want us to retreat?" Ana spat, she sounded as if he had insulted her personally.

"I want us to survive. We survive, we fight another day. Now finish suiting up."

"That's just super." Jake muttered. "And I let you talk me into not washing your clothes in protections."

I narrowed my eyes at him and turned with a scoff to pick my gun up off the floor. I swallowed a little bout of panic when I saw Quinn load a duffle bag with extra guns, ammo and knives. Yeah, great timing, maybe we all should be dousing ourselves in protections right now.

I finished loading my guns and slid them into my holsters. I filled my pockets with extra clips, slid my knives into my belt and my boots. Jake watched me, his jaw working like it always did when he was feeling a strong emotion.

I knew it was fear. Not fear for himself, but for me. As we walked to the woods, everyone was silent except for Ryan who was humming Another One Bites the Dust, I had to admit; it was rather calming. I took Jake's hand and he immediately brought it to his lips and kissed it several times, then held it to his chest.

"I want you to stay with me tonight. I mean it Remi, right next to me."

I nodded.

"Seriously, if you even think about leaving my side, I will haul your b.u.t.t out of there and lock you in a room until we're finished."

"I got it Jake." I said, my voice slightly high, but not with annoyance, with acceptance. I wasn't going to lie, I was feeling some fear tonight, and if Jake wanted to protect me, I was going to let him...while I protected him of course.

"Remi, I uh...I..." I looked up to him, waited for him to work out his words. "I need to tell you, I-"

"They're here." Mr. Wagner said, every gun came to the ready. I had only a split second to think d.a.m.n it, what was Jake about to say? when my lungs filled with air and came back out through my mouth long and slow as I looked to the woods before us, suddenly filled with twinkling red dots. Demons. Lots of them. Woohoo, lucky us. That night that now seemed so long ago- that we'd fought nearly thirty of them...well, I'd love for that night again. There were definitely more than thirty here, and they fell on us like a wave. Suddenly the night was filled with the popping of silenced guns and the howling of demons only we could hear as they went down one by one. They had spread out and as a result our resources had to spread out as well, leaving holes that we were scrambling to fill.

Jake should have moved off further to the left of us, should have covered the area that had opened up when Ryan had turned his attention further down, but he wouldn't leave me, and technically those had been his orders, his father had said to protect me, but it turned out that he was pretty good at covering two areas at once. That killer aim of his was s.e.xy as h.e.l.l. I'd have to remember to tell him that later.

I heard others in the team yelling as they quickly ran out of ammo, our rate of shots was alarmingly high and it seemed like we had barely made a dent in the oncoming horde. Quinn was tossing out ammo to the team about as much as he was shooting. I knew pretty soon that bag would be spent and we'd have to go hand to hand. I had had the opportunity to do so several nights ago, but it'd only been two at the same time. Tonight was a whole different ball game, and while Jake had taught me well, I honestly didn't know if I could take on this many.

Know or not, I guess I had to. There really was no choice. So time to buck up and stop being such a wuss.

"Remi!" Jake hollered. "Your four o'clock." I glanced over my shoulder. A demon had broken through the line and was advancing on me from the back, I turned one of my guns and shot him in the head then immediately turned back to the line. I gasped when I saw that in the split second it had taken me to shoot behind me, two had come within reach of me. Jake was on it, he took out one, I got the other. But then he'd left his line unattended for that split second and several more were able to advance on him. His ammo spent he dropped his guns and went for knives, calling out and waiting for another clip would have put the demons right on top of him. He went low, slicing at legs, bringing demons down, cutting the two down behind them before finishing those two off.

Panic was coursing through my veins, I knew my ammo would be out any second now, and I'd have to go hand to hand as well.

Click, click; click. My guns were spent. Really?

I couldn't be wrong just once?

I dropped my guns as well and went low as Jake did, pulling my blades from my boots as I went. I spun as I sliced at the legs of the demons to my left and right, went high as the next that stepped up to take their places, low again at the next, I realized quickly if I could hobble enough without killing them I could almost create a blockade in front of me. I did so, several of the fallen reached for my legs and I sliced off clawed fingers. I realized the flaw in my logic in the next moment; this particular technique was losing me too many precious moments. I had to stab heads and let them melt. I kept going, swinging my arms in graceful arcs, one of my blades caught in the neck of one demon, he began to yank away from me, like tug of war, so I let the blade go and grabbed another from my belt. I should have remembered my note to myself from weeks earlier; don't let a demon get a hold of your weapon, they'll use it against you.

During one particular successful spin I saw Ryan go down, the line was now broken. Several demons turned their attention towards what they considered was an easy meal. Oh, how wrong they were. Ryan pulled a broad sword he liked to carry in a scabbard I always thought of pirates when I said that word- at his back, he gave a mighty swing, taking out at least four in one swoop. I could not locate Ana or Quinn, but Mr. Wagner was to my far right, and he was becoming overwhelmed as well. And yet, more demons came.

Wasn't this the part where we were supposed to retreat? Live to fight another day and all that? I sliced at two more demons in front of me, nearly severing the head of one before he melted to black ooze in front of me. Then I suffered my first injury since my very first demon sighting over a month ago. I hadn't quite gotten the second demon while severing the first one's head and he swiped out at me with his long claws, leaving a gash over my bicep. I felt a burning sensation shoot through my arm, and some of the strength left it. I forced back a scream and willed my strength to come back with everything I had. I could not distract Jake right now. He was still next to me, but had been forced a good few yards away. Come on Jake, you said if I didn't stay right next to you, you were going to haul my b.u.t.t out of here. Well, haul my b.u.t.t out of here already!

But I kept at it. My right arm burned something fierce and it wanted to stop, but I wouldn't let it. I kept slicing, going low and then high just as Jake was.

Then it hit us. Almost like it had been planned. But the demons didn't plan. They didn't work together, right? That's what I'd been told. That's what all hunters had believed for years and years. Yet here it was, like a beautifully planned ambush. A second wave of even more demons, as if they'd waited back in the shadows and watched until our ammunition had run low and our bodies became tired, wounded. Weakened.

And they crashed into us with force.

I saw every single hunter taken down. Mr. Wagner didn't even get a chance to call for a retreat before several demons had him down. Still he fought. They all fought, like demons themselves. The attack on me next seemed very pin pointed, as if this were their goal, as if this was what they had come for tonight. Several hit me from all sides, knocking me to the ground, but I fought my way up. I lost one of my blades in the scuffle, but made a pretty good arc with the other on my way up, I didn't take any out, but I hobbled two. Then suddenly, there was a stabbing pain in my shoulder blade and I pitched forward, fell to my knees. The pain was intense, it knocked the wind out of me and nearly caused me to pa.s.s out.

I had been stabbed in the back with my own blade.

I heard Jake shout my name.

There was more intense pain as the knife was pulled from my shoulder and slammed back into it, I fell onto my stomach. Now Jake screamed my name. My face turned towards him, he had several demons over him, and by several I mean five. He was so strong that's how many it took just to hold him down. Yet he still fought, determined to get to me. I pushed myself back to my knees, I guess I was pretty determined too. I felt the knife slide out of my flesh again, it made my stomach roll, and I braced myself for another stab. It never came. But I couldn't catch my breath, it came in short little gasps, and I suddenly felt very tired. Every demon around me stepped away and I watched as one, just one, knelt before me. Hmm, so you're the lucky devil that gets to swallow my soul, huh? How'd you win that honor? Draw the long straw? Win paper rock scissors? Was your name picked out of the hat?

Jake shouted for me again, shouted my name, shouted for me to look at him, so I did, I looked to him one last time. He ordered me to keep my eyes on him, to keep looking at him. I knew I was about to die, and if I was going out it was going to be while looking at his beautiful face, not some ugly horned beast with red eyes. No. Way. In. h.e.l.l. I saw a demon yawning over him, Jake's light began to shine, it warred between staying with him and being swallowed through the gaping hole that was now the demons mouth and I felt a surge of anger. That was Jake's light, and it was mine. I wanted Jake, I wanted him to live. I wanted to hear him say he loved me one day. I wanted to tell him that I loved him. I wanted Jake. I wanted him, wanted him, wanted him, and go back to h.e.l.l you demon p.r.i.c.k, you couldn't have him! HE WAS MINE!

I felt a power well up from low inside me. My hands fisted at my sides with the intensity of it. I screamed then, long and hard as a blue light burst from my entire body and flashed through the trees around us and beyond. Like the bottom of an atom bomb when it exploded and sent out a blast in a radius that took out everything in its path. Except my explosion only took out the demons. They did not melt into a piles of black ooze this time though, the actually disintegrated. Poof, gone. Ash floated to the ground around us, while every living thing around me continued to live, glowed blue for several seconds after the explosion. I was still on my knees and now fell forward onto my hands as well and coughed blood. Spat it all over the ground in front of me. I heard Jake call for me again, but his voice sounded as if it were coming to me through water. My short, quick, pained gasps for breath slowed. My vision blurred. I felt Jake's hands on me, he pulled me into his lap. My vision darkened. Jake was talking to me, I couldn't hear him, but I was so happy he was alive.

And oh lord was he beautiful.

Then everything went black.

12.

My eyes fluttered open, but closed again, as if coming up from a deep sleep and I just wanted to sink back into it again. No, mom. It's too early, can I be late for school today? Can I just stay home altogether, I'm tired?

"There you are. Come back to me, baby." Jake. His voice reached me through a fog. No mom? That made me sad. No school? That kind of made me happy. Why couldn't I open my eyes? I felt heavy. Not heavy like a weight was on me, but like I was heavy. Like my body was filled with lead and I couldn't make myself work. "Come on, baby." Jake said again. I forced my eyes to open, I wanted to see him. I liked looking at him. I finally got my eyes to crack open and stay that way for a few seconds before I had to blink around the light again. It took them a moment to focus and when I did I noticed the room was lit with low light, but it still stung at first. Okay, now that my eyes were somewhat- open, I started to make my other sense wake. The first thing I noticed was a dull pain in my shoulder, it trailed down my arm before fading off into my fingertips. Curious. There was music. Not loud Dance Dance Revolution music, but some bluesy stuff playing really low in the background, and I was definitely in bed, when I turned my head towards the sound of Jake's voice I could tell I was laying on a pillow.

Jake, there he was. Wow, he looked like h.e.l.l. Well, a really tasty h.e.l.l that I wouldn't mind spending eternity in, but h.e.l.l all the same. His hair was disheveled more so than normally- and the whites of his eyes were red. There was a bandage wrapped around the hand that held mine, his thumb skimmed my knuckle just below the IV that was tapped into the back of my hand. And I could see another bandage peeking out from his shirt sleeve.

Wait. IV?

I focused my attention on it, then realized shortly after that that we were in the clinic.

What the h.e.l.l? I frowned.

"You're okay." Jake whispered. "Look at me baby." I did. Did I mention I liked looking at him? Ow, why did my shoulder hurt? I opened my mouth to ask Jake, but no sound came out. My throat felt like I'd eaten sand. Scratch that, my throat felt like I'd eaten gla.s.s. I brought my hand up the one that wasn't sporting an IV- to touch my throat, but there was still lead in it, and the thing just sort of flopped around for a second. I focused all my attention on it, and very slowly and shaky I brought it to my throat.

"You need some water?" Jake asked. Bless him. I nodded. He reached the table behind him and got a cup with a straw and held it to my lips. I took a few sips, I guess it was probably sitting there most of the night because it was luke warm, but lordy, it was some of the best water I'd ever had. It magically soothed the cuts I'd received while eating that gla.s.s. I took a deep breath. Double OW! Note to self, deep breaths rip your shoulder apart Rem, refrain from doing so till you figure out what's wrong with it.

"What..." Hmm, okay, so I was able to push back the gla.s.s in my throat, but now a frog had taken its place. Jake let me take another sip of water. Nope, frog was still there. Okay, I'd just talk around him. "...happened to me?" Well that was easier thought than done, that frog was pretty determined I don't speak.

"You don't remember?" Jake asked. He'd set the cup aside and had my hand in his again. His other hand reached out to smooth my hair back from my forehead. I shook my head. No, my handsome man, if I could remember what happened, I wouldn't have asked. Sarcastic humor still intact. Score one for me. "We fought a large nest of demons...nearly lost..." He watched as I frowned in thought.

Nearly lost? No way. That didn't sound like us.

But...memories did start waltzing back into my head like they belonged there. When I got to the part where Jake was on the ground, his life being sucked from him my eyes widened and I looked back to him quickly.

"You okay?" I croaked.

"Yeah baby, I'm fine. You took the brunt of it. And I'm sorry, I couldn't get to you. I shouldn't have left you." He was on his feet now, he still had my hand, but he was now kissing my forehead.

"...didn't leave me." Well, I could be annoyed as well as sarcastic. I guess I was going to be okay. "You were fighting. We all were." Saying so many words in a row had me feeling like I'd swallowed gla.s.s again. I tried to clear my throat but that only made it worse. Luckily, Jake was handy with the water. I remembered being stabbed in the back. Ahhh; that explained why my shoulder hurt something awful. Good to know. That must be why Jake looked like h.e.l.l too, he'd probably spent the whole night with me without sleeping. I looked at him again, he was back to sitting next to the bed, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles of my hand he was holding. I smiled.

"...so beautiful." I said, and he smiled too, a quiet laugh came from his nose.

"So are you." I could see his throat working. Was he fighting not to cry? My big tough Jake? "I almost lost you."

"Nah, you're stuck with me." Oops, sentence too big, more gla.s.s in my throat.

"Can't think of anyone else I'd rather be stuck with." He said softly.

"How'd we get away?"

"You don't remember?"

I shook my head. The last thing I remember was getting stabbed in the back and watching as Jake was having his life sucked out of him.

"Ah! She lives." Mr. Wagner strode into the room, a gentle smile on his face. His bruised face. He had a nice shiner over one eye and one around a split in his lip. "How you feeling?"

"Okay, considering." I said.

"Yeah, you took a beating. You're tough though, I'll give you that." There was nothing but affection in his eyes. See, I told you I'd win him over. "You've been out for a few days."

My eyes widened. A few days?!?! How many was a few? Three, four?

"Three." Jake answered, as if he could read my mind. "It's Tuesday morning."

Well that explained the gla.s.s slash frog in my throat. But three days?

"School..." Oh s.h.i.t, if I didn't show up today, they'd have called Bob!

"No, we took care of it." Mr. Wagner explained. "We didn't know how long you'd be out, or how long you'd need to recover from your...light experience. So we came up with an excuse that would give you a couple weeks at least. You, my sweet, have contracted a bad case of mono."

I had to chuckle at that.

"Yes. Your physician called the school personally to let them know you'd be out for an undetermined amount of time, and since I can't seem to force Jake here to leave your side, you unfortunately gave it to him, so he will be out as well. But don't think it's going to be a vacation, I'll be picking your homework up for you every couple days. Don't need you two falling behind."

I smiled again, he really was a good man.

Wait. Go back. Light experience? What did that mean? I had to ask.

"She doesn't remember?" Mr. Wagner's gaze flicked to his son. Jake simply shook his head, kept his eyes on me. Mr. Wagner looked back to me again, "Do you remember what the attack was like?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, they seemed organized. Like they'd planned it."

Mr. Wagner nodded, thoughtfully.

"We didn't know they could do that." Now he turned that thoughtful gaze on me. "But...you took them all out. You don't remember any of that?"

I took them all out? All of them? How bada.s.s was that? But now that he mentioned it...I remembered the attack on Jake. I looked to his face, he watched me closely, but didn't press or say a word. I knew he was just going to sit back and let me work this through in my head, even if it took me all week. It wouldn't take all week though. It'd only take a few seconds. Because the moment I started to feel that anger deep inside again, I remembered. I'd been angry over the demons trying to take Jake's light. I'd been desperate for them not to. So very desperate. Desperate to save him, to have more time with him...so that was the "light experience" Mr. Wagner was talking about.

"You remember." Jake whispered. I nodded.

"Do you know how it happened?" Mr. Wagner asked gently. I was careful with my deep breath, my shoulder thanked me.

"I don't know exactly how. I remember seeing..." I looked to Jake. Did I say that Jake caused it? Or would that embarra.s.s him? Would it upset everyone else to know I'd hadn't been thinking about them at all? Ooo, everyone else. "How is everyone else?" I asked.