Going on Hiatus
My muse has disappeared on me. I’m really sorry. If people want to drop plots, that’s absolutely fine but please send me a message to say so. I don’t know when I’ll be back but hopefully I won’t be gone too long.
Sorry.
May 2013
1 post
April 2013
29 posts
Going West
Callie chuckled at Logan’s teasing threat. She knew it was an empty threat but she wasn’t willing to chance it, not with Logan and his appetite! “Like I would eat a load of pies by myself…I’m a lady Logan…a lady…” she joked, pulling a tongue at the male, enforcing the common opinion that she was more of a lad than a lady! Callie watched Logan double-check the room, thankful that he did so, because she’d completely forgotten; a sad effect of tiredness and pain!
The protection needed for hunters was far greater than people would expect. Demons were constantly evolving, finding new ways to creep up on them, and all together causing greater damage with their new adapted knowledge! Being a hunter opened Callie’s eyes to how the small things made a big difference. Attention to detail, extra care and all round common sense could be the different between sending a demon to the ground and being sent to the pits of hell yourself…
Nosily, Callie crept behind Logan. Taking a peek at the journal, she squinted for a moment, trying to decipher the, in her opinion, scruffy handwriting. The young woman had completely forgotten how distinctive John’s handwriting was. She could spend hours trying to understand his birthday cards to her, and somehow it fascinated her. She calmly placed her hand on Logan’s shoulder, showing support and care, and handed him a drink. “You could use one…we both could…” she sighed, sliding herself onto the edge of the desk…
Logan chuckled as Callie clumsily crept up behind him to look at his father’s journal. Not many people could decipher John’s handwriting which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing that his research couldn’t be read by the wrong people. A curse that the right people couldn’t read it either. A lifetime of staring hard at his father’s handwriting made Logan an expert but there were still times Logan had to struggle to discover what John had meant to write after leaving a barely legible scribble on the page.
“Thanks,” he muttered, taking the drink Callie had offered him. He sipped at it, letting the alcohol burn down his throat slowly and send a warm sensation across his chest. He looked over at her as she perched on the edge of the desk and smirked at his friend. “You’re not allowed to drink. Painkillers and alcohol don’t mix. Well, they do but that would mean another trip to the hospital and I’d rather stay away from that place for the time being, thank you.” He sipped his drink again before putting the half filled glass on the desk in front of him. He picked some more at his fries and chewed thoughtfully while still staring at the journal.
“You know what I don’t get? Why didn’t Dad tell me about any of this? Some of this stuff is dated from months ago, when me and him were still hunting together. He didn’t mention anything about this demon but this journal make it seem like he’s been tracking it’s movement since it killed your father; like this is only one part of the collection of journals. I still have what I thought was his main journal, the one with all the information on all the other cases we’ve worked on. Turns out he was working this case all along and he didn’t tell me. It’s like he don’t trust me or something.”
Going West
Callie looked at Logan with a typical look of tiredness. She’d just awoken, from a bad dream, so it wasn’t surprising for her to look that way. Her hair was a mess, her eyes quinted as she readjusted to the lights in the room, which seemed extremely bright having just woken up, and her throat felt dry. “It was just a nightmare…I’m fine…just a bit…eurgh!” she explained in her croaky and rather raspy voice. Callie’s eyes finished adjusting and fixed on the items that her companion had just brought in. “Is that food?…I’m starving Logan!” she sighed, sliding herself off the bed. In her half-asleep zombie state, Callie wandered over to the bathroom for a moment. She quickly splashed water against her face, put on some comfy clothes and tied her hair back.
Walking back into the main room, Callie clapped excitedly, now near enough awake fully, jogging over to grab some food. “Thank you!” she squealed happily, hugging Logan for a minute, forgetting briefly of her rip-injury! Callie’s hands skidded across the surface of the items lay on the bed. “So much choice…hmmm…what do you want? I know there’s two of stuff but I know what you’re like…” she teased.
Callie was glad they were both safe in the room. She wanted to fight back but of course she needed to heal, and in a way so did Logan. She couldn’t imagine the emotional trauma of seeing your father inhabited by a demon. The time they’d spend healing wouldn’t be completely wasted, as they’d research continually and devise a suitable plan! Callie didn’t know exactly what the future held; Logan had only called her for this one hunt, but maybe they would continue together. She herself wasn’t sure. She loved the life of a sole hunter but, in all honesty, she was growing fond of life on the road with Logan…
Logan laid out the food neatly on the bed while Callie freshened herself up in the bathroom. She was acting jumpy, much more jumpier than usual but considering everything she had been through in the last couple of days, it wasn’t a surprise. Even the steadiest, most fearless hunter would have frayed nerves after having a demon beating all kinds of crap out of you. Logan decided her jumpiness would fade in time and be healed along with her injuries. She was a tough person who didn’t give up easily. She might be down for a while but she wouldn’t stay down. It wasn’t in her nature.
“I’ve already had a burger,” Logan informed her as she emerged from the bathroom. “Just help yourself and make sure you leave me some pie. Otherwise you’ll be sleeping rough tonight. And I ain’t joking about that.” He liked to tease her, especially since she had been having it rough recently. He didn’t like to think of her dwelling on what happened when the demon dragged her out of the house and into the cave. While she helped herself to the food, Logan went around the room and made sure all of their supernatural security measures were still in place. There was salt lines underneath every window and door that led to the world outside of the room. There were talismans and charms hanging up in prime spots around the room, all with the intention of keeping bad things out and the good things safe.
Logan grabbed some of the fries and sat at the desk. He picked at the salty fries while looking through the new journal that had belonged to his father. Every page was written in John’s scrawly handwriting. To anyone else, it would have looked a mess but to Logan it was all hauntingly familiar; like John was here and was telling him everything he knew about the demon. The journal detailed how John had managed to track the thing and his best guesses as to what the demon was up to. Most of it was guesswork but there was enough in there for him and Callie to work from. That work would have to wait until Callie was better but the journal gave Logan hope that they might find a way to defeat that demon.
Going West
Callie agreed with everything Logan said. John was truly in danger until the demon had fully been dealt with. She knew that either herself or Logan would make sure of the demon’s demise, the question was when? She needed time to heal and Logan would surely not go after it alone. They both knew first hand just how deadly the demon was, and they’d need both their fighting spirits to take it on and win!
“Fine!” she sighed as Logan left for the store. Callie paced up and down the room bored. She’d been alone on the road for several years but now, strangely, she was used to Logan’s company, and she missed him every second he wasn’t around. Of course, she didn’t like that feeling and she knew it’d pass eventually, because she was a lone-hunter and she liked it that way. No distractions. No ties. And no guys! Simple!
She slid herself onto the bed and flicked on the TV. The channels were filled with reality trash and Callie soon got bored. She left it on a random news station and hoped it would bring something interesting to watch soon, or else she would have to go off exploring, even if Logan didn’t want her too. Callie could feel her eyes drifting and suddenly she was asleep. Her dream was one of confusion. Her father was walking, hand in hand, with her along a beach. Without warning, a demon screeched in front of them, taking her father and waking Callie up with a loud scream. As the scream escaped her mouth, the door opened slowly, making Callie jump senselessly!
Logan got back into the car once he had made sure the motel door was locked and Callie was safe inside. He drove out of the motel parking lot and found a pharmacy that was still open and got Callie’s painkillers. Next stop was a diner that was also close by to the motel and he bought enough food to feed a small army. He wasn’t sure about Callie but he was famished. He had barely eaten any of his breakfast before they faced the demon and he hadn’t eaten since. Now they had the time to take pause, his body let him know that he had been neglecting it and made it clear it needed nourishment immediately. He bought burgers and fries and two types of pies for him and Callie to share but he demolished one of the burgers before he even made it back to the car with the boxes of food from the diner.
He made a quick stop at a convenience store to grab the latest local newspapers in case there would be any more hidden clues for their case, as well as grabbing a few obligatory snack foods just in case the food he had got from the diner wasn’t going to be enough (knowing him, it wasn’t going to be enough so better safe than sorry). The whole time he was out running these errands, he tried to not think about everything the demon would be putting his father through. Demonic possession never played out well for the person being possessed. Most people would be tortured by the experience for the rest of their days. If they managed to send the demon back, John would never be the same man again.
Logan got back to the motel and parked the car outside of the room he was sharing with Callie. He clearly piled the boxes and bags of food into his arms and carefully unlocked and opened the motel room door. He nearly dropped after everything when Callie screamed. “Dude! It’s me, it’s Logan.” He called out as he staggered through the doorway with his armful of food. He placed everything on the bed and looked over at Callie with a great amount of concern. “You OK? And don’t brush it off and act all tough with me. Are you OK?”
Going West
Callie could sense Logan’s weirdness over her mirror-checking. She was pretty baffled herself, when she came to think about it. She’d never been a vain-kinda girl, but the scar had brought it out in her. It felt like a battle wound that would show her determination to persevere. A cute grin appeared on her face as Logan explained the plan. “It sounds perfect…to be honest I fancy a break from the ass kickery; I’m exhausted!” Callie explained, as a yawn escaped. Callie knew the danger she was in, both on an average day and lately with Logan, but she didn’t care too much. There was the doubt of wanting a normal life, but she knew she wouldn’t stop hunting. She didn’t know how to. The idea of ‘normal life’ sounded perfect, but in reality Callie wondered just how fulfilling that would be!
“No…when did you find that?” she questioned intently, wondering when and where he’d obtained the new diary. The penny dropped after a moment, as Callie had momentarily forgotten of her abduction, but the memories flooded back; filling in the gaps where she wasn’t with Logan. “Oh when I was preoccupied with the demon?” she chuckled, trying not to relive the trauma of the past few days. Callie tried to use laughter, at times, to uplift the atmosphere.
“At least you know he’s safe…” she added, placing her hand on Logan’s knee for a moment. She swiftly moved her hand away, awkwardly, and looked at Logan for a second. “He’s gonna be fine, I promise…we’ll kick this demon’s butt and your Dad’ll be fine…somehow…someway!” she soothed, hoping she hadn’t worsened Logan’s internal pain. Callie had a habit of saying the wrong thing, which was fine for a lonesome hunter, but the quality wasn’t so great in the company of a loyal friend, whom she valued greatly…
“I found it moments before you went flying out of the second floor window. It’s Dad’s writing and from what I saw, it’s all about that god-damned demon,” Logan said with his face set in a deep frown. The whole situation troubled Logan a lot and the demon was haunting him and everything he decided to do to try and save his father. He knew that him and Callie needed to re-group before facing that thing again but the longer they spent recuperating and recovering from their last encounter, the more danger his father was in. People who had been possessed by demons never made a full recovery. The experience would haunt them for the rest of their lives.
“He’s not safe until that thing is either dead or back in Hell,” he spoke the words firmly, indicating he didn’t want to discuss this matter any further until he had no choice to. Tonight they needed to rest and to rest, he needed to not talk about it any more. He hoped she would understand and that he hadn’t offended her. She was all he had now and without her, he had nothing. He really would be on his own and without hope; he couldn’t afford to be that way.
He pulled the car into the parking lot of a motel and parked it outside the main office. He got out and checked them in, getting them a twin room using a fake credit card. He went back to the car and helped Callie out. He took her to their room and got the door open. He lowered her onto one of the beds and gave her a stern look. “Stay here. No moving around, no trying to do anything. Doctors’ orders. Hell, they’re my orders. I’m going to the store to get your prescriptions and some food. I’ll be gone no longer than half an hour. Do. Not. Move. Read my Dad’s journal if you have to, but that’s it.”
Going West
“Did he say that? I didn’t hear him…sorry…” she teased back, not wanting to admit how injured she was. Callie’s stubborn attitude often got her in trouble back in school, all those years ago, but on the road as a hunter, it had done more good than bad. She rarely, if ever, gave up on a case, and never gave in to anything or anyone! As she sat in the passenger seat, strapped in thanks to Logan’s help, she thought of the past few days, and how, although challenging and rather painful, they’d been slightly enjoyable. “It’s been a nice change having some company…” she sweetly said, smiling at Logan. Not wanting to appear like a soppy little girl, a teasing after-thought popped into her head, and was blurted out, carelessly with a smirk. “…and surprisingly, I haven’t had to save your ass, it’s been the other way round…” she giggled, moving a strand of hair from in front of her eye. Callie looked back at the hospital as the car pulled away.
Vain as ever, Callie pulled a small pocket mirror from her bag and flipped it open. “I’m not gonna lie, I think the stitches suit me…” she chuckled, looking at the stitches on her forehead. Although injured and still emotionally damaged by the demon’s viscous remarks, Callie couldn’t help but plan her revenge. She’d been hurt twice by the same demon now, and it frustrated her deeply. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me…” she merrily said, still checking herself out in the tiny mirror. Callie wasn’t sure exactly how she’d get the demon back, but she knew, with time, she would!
“So what’s the plan?” she asked, hoping for some exciting and thrilling response. Callie enjoyed all aspects of hunting, from the research to the hunt itself, so she knew Logan’s reply would be totally fine by her, either way. She knew, of course, that her wounds needed some time to heal, but it wouldn’t stop her from doing whatever she wanted. Her stubbornness was at an all-time high and she was ready to argue her case with anyone who tried to oppose her; especially if it was a demonic being!
“Like you need any more encouragement to be badass, Callie,” Logan teased as the female hunter insisted on checking out her new scars in her compact mirror. He rolled his eyes but he understood the appeal of scars. They were like a badge of honour, proof that you had fought to survive, that you shouldn’t be taken lightly. He nodded as she recited the old cliche and smirked to himself, proud of how she seemed determined to keep fighting. This was one of the reasons why he had called her for her help. She didn’t give up easily.
“The plan is,” Logan said as he drove the car out of the hospital car park and back onto the highway, “Food, motel, sleep, research, ass kickery. That cool with you?” He glanced over at her, trying to show he knew what he was doing. He had been on many hunts on his own in the past and knew exactly what to do. This time they were up against something much more powerful than anything else they had ever faced. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he was more than a little concerned that there was going to be more trips to the emergency room for the pair of them before this case was over.
“Did I tell you about the new journal I found?” The last few hours had been a blur so Logan couldn’t recall if he had told Callie about the journal of John’s found at the house. “Dad had left his old journal with me when he took off but it looks like he started another while tracking that demon. We should take a look through it once we’re settled in the motel. Hopefully it’ll give us something to help us. Because God knows we’re gonna need all the help we can get at this point.”
Going West
Logan’s response to a ‘normal life’ was one of many hunters. Callie had heard it before, through her father, and she did sometimes think it herself. However, it did pain her that her life was passing by saving others, when deep down, an aspect of the young woman needed saving herself. Scarred by her childhood memories of hunting, and the loss of her mother, and then father, gave personal trauma to the usually strong and fierce warrior McIntyre. “I don’t know, I just feel like, it’s not our responsibility…but then…who’s is it?” she puzzled, trying to think herself.
Callie smiled almost awkwardly as Logan mentioned her father. She knew he was a good man, but the demon’s wicked words had stirred deep within her soul. Maybe he had gone to ‘hell’? Callie loved her Dad deeply, of course, but a part of her resented him for demon hunting in the first place. She could only imagine a life without hunting, it could’ve been better, or it could’ve been worse. Would she feel as accomplishing? Could you cope with everyday problems? Nobody could ever say, because fate had chosen a certain path for the McIntyre’s and so far, they’d all stuck to it…
Unexpectedly, the doctor returned, merrily waltzing into the small room. “We’re just going to take an x-ray of your leg and your ribs, as a precaution. Then a nurse will come stitch your cuts up…that okay?” he explained, as Callie nodded. The cut on her head was significantly bad and Callie herself was prepared for stitches on this region, though she feared the pain slightly. Having had an x-ray before, after falling carelessly as a young girl, she had no worries about having a few more. “Bring it…” she teased, lowering herself off the bed, moaning in pain as her ribs ached from the movement.
The x-rays took several hours, after having to wait for a free procedure and then waiting for the results. “Thanks for this, for waiting, you have other things to worry about without adding me to the list…” she whispered to Logan as she patiently lay back on the bed. The doctor revealed that no significant damage seemed to have occurred, minor problems, but nothing life-threatening or in need of desperate assistance. The nurse fixed up the bruises, and a stitched up Callie tried to hobble out of the ER, tired yet thankful…
When the doctor came back into the room, Logan pulled away from Callie and stood by the side of her bed, hands in his pockets, listening to what the doctor had to say. This guy had the decency to not give Logan incredulous and accusing looks and gave Callie the verdict Logan had been expecting all along. He knew he would feel better knowing the hospital had done everything they could for his friend. He winced as Callie gasped out in pain and he helped her walk to the x-ray department since she was stubbornly refusing to use the wheelchair the nurses had provided for her.
Logan didn’t mind waiting around for hours while Callie was checked over by the x-ray technicians and doctors, and had her wounds and bruises treated by nurses. The wait gave him time to calm down and take stock of everything that had happened. It meant he didn’t hit the road and go after the demon half-cocked and get his ass kicked. Knowledge was power and if they were going to have a shot at defending this monster, they needed all the knowledge they could get their hands on. He knew this now and he wouldn’t have known this if the hospital staff had rushed Callie through and not been as thorough as they had been. Relief flooded through him when the doctor gave the verdict that Callie was going to make a complete recovery from her injuries. Logan thanked the doctor and the nurses before following Callie out of the hospital.
“You’re gonna be stubborn and not use the chair, huh?” Logan came up and put his arm gently around her, using his weight to take her across the parking lot with minimum effort on her part. “You know that part where the doctor insisted you take it easy, you gonna pay attention to that or am I gonna have to restrain you?” He was kidding and teasing her but there was an element of seriousness in his voice. He helped her to the car and got her strapped in. He got in himself and got the car going again, intent on finding a motel nearby and settling down the night.
Going West
Callie felt softened by Logan’s embrace. It felt good to feel someone close, someone who cared. Through everything, Callie always had her father, and the Sullivan’s and now only Logan remained. Her comfort was enough to heal the mental wounds, and she knew he would do whatever he could to heal the physical ones too; it was his idea to visit the ER after all! “This demon’s going down…big time!” she whispered, pulling Logan’s arms tighter around her body. His comforting arms, almost the tears, and at least allowed her to believe his words. Maybe he was right. Demons do lie, just not always!
As they lay on the hospital bed together, still waiting for the doctor’s return, Callie couldn’t help but think about life without demons. She occasionally thought about that kind of stuff, but often pushed it to the back of her mind, dismissing any consideration. “Do you ever think about life without hunting? I think it’d be nice…sometimes…” she softly spoke, her voice strained from all the screaming! She knew the price of hunting when she started, and her father always disapproved, but something drew her to demon hunting. The thrill, maybe? The adrenaline, maybe? The honoring of her father, yes! “I always liked bonding with my father over the demons, it was our thing…but what if I could’ve been something, something more than this…” she thought aloud. Callie knew that her career choice was more helpful than anyone could imagine. She was a true hero, as was Logan. Though at times it didn’t seem like it to her….
“I didn’t want to upset you before, but I wanna show you now…” she abruptly said, sliding her hand into her tight trouser pocket. A small piece of folded paper returned from the slot, concealed in the palm of her hand. She opened the folds with her delicate touch and placed it in Logan’s hand. “It’s from years ago, it’s me, you, and our fathers…remember it?” she sighed, thinking of the memory. The photograph, now fading away, was a time capsule into what once was. If Callie could go back and change things, then she probably would. Most of her decisions were her own and she’d always stick by them, but there were some where the doubt still remained in her mind. Not saving her father being one of them…
Logan’s thoughts were all wrapped up in the demon and his father. The demon had said it had locked itself inside of John’s body. If the demon could lock itself in, then there must be a way to unlock it and get John back. This meant that once Callie was discharged from the hospital, they were going to have to hit the research books hard to find the answers Logan needed. Logan sighed, not having the patience for research at a time like this. He just wanted to go after the thing that was wearing his father. But research would give Callie time to heal and them both time to regroup before facing the monster again. Even Logan knew that would serve them both benefits in the long run.
Her question about wanting a ‘normal’ life stirred him out of his own thoughts and he tilted his head to one side as he considered how to answer her. “When I was a kid, I only wanted to be like my Dad, even when he used to lie about what he did. I knew he was going after monsters and I thought that was the most badass thing ever. Now, I have days like today and sometimes I question why I put myself in so much danger for such a thankless job that doesn’t even pay.” He paused to collect his thoughts and put them into words for her. He looked down at her, their eyes meeting as he spoke again. “It’s not about being thanked or getting paid. Those things, those monsters, they aren’t supposed to exist in our world and someone has to deal with them. Every time a hunter goes out to fight something supernatural, they have to make a choice to do so. I will never choose to not go out and fight. If I don’t fight, someone will lose their life because I chose not to act. I can’t live with that on my conscience.”
Logan sighed again and shrugged. He didn’t see himself as a hero. He only saw himself as someone trying to do their job to the best of their abilities. Whenever someone tried to call him a hero or something similar, he would brush their words away with a brief thank you and a wave of his hand. When Callie produced the photo, he smiled and took it from her to get a better look at it. “Your Dad was a good man, Callie,” he whispered as he stared at the photograph. Logan handed the photo back to her and placed a small, soft kiss on her temple. “He raised you right. You’re the best of all of us.”
Going West
Callie shut her eyes briefly after Logan apologized for not sending the demon back to hell. “It’s fine…” she soothed, trying to calm herself down whilst also showing Logan that it wasn’t his fault. She was eternally grateful for what he’d done, and apart from her kindness to come along, she knew somehow she’d repay him, eventually! “Fine!” she sighed as he appeared with a wheelchair, lowering her figure into it…
The nurses were rather suspicious of her ‘fall’ yet didn’t make a huge fuss. They repeated questions and gave sly glances in Logan’s direction, possibly suggesting a domestic situation rather than the climbing fall which she used as her excuse. “I fell…yes…I know what happened to my own body!” she growled after having explained several times before. The doctor showed the pair to a private room, simply because she was pretty injured and the ER was seemingly quiet. “Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be back to do some tests soon...” the handsome doctor explained, leaving Callie and Logan alone for a short while.
“Thanks for…everything!” she said, holding Logan’s hand for a minute as she rested on the bed. The room smelt of cleanliness and was covered in blue. The bed sheet was like a sea of light blue, hovering over the high support for the patients. Logan had his own chair, and of course, the doctor stood, when he was actually present in the room. Whilst they were alone, Callie looked at Logan with saddened eyes. “He…I mean, it…told me that…my father…well ummm…he’s in…” she stopped, choked up on even the thought. Callie knew the past day or so had been rough, and she was emotionally and physically weak, but she still cursed herself for being so upset. Hunters were strong, fierce protectors, not weak and emotional cry-babies, or at least she thought! “…he’s apparently in hell!” she sobbed, her lips quivering with pain…
Logan didn’t appreciate the dirty looks he got from the hospital staff as they treated Callie for her injuries. He could tell what they were thinking and he tried to not lose his temper over it and give them some kind of proof that he was a hot head who beat up women. He wouldn’t dare raise his hand against a woman, unless she was a demon but he couldn’t tell them that because they would never believe him. It wasn’t until someone was faced with a demon or some other kind of supernatural creature that they would believe in their existence. Until that point, anyone who claimed that those creatures were real were deemed crazy and usually thrown into jail. So Logan had to suck it up and try his best to not let the looks and the whispers get to him.
Finally they were left alone in Callie’s private room. He had insisted on staying with her and once the medical staff were gone, he put up a couple of protective talismans in the room to keep the demons away while she healed. He moved the only chair in the room to the side of Callie’s bed and held onto her hand. He patted her hand as she started to speak, her voice quiet, weak and tired sounding. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at her face and see the sad expression in her eyes. It was killing him that she had to go through all of that torture at the hands of the demon. It deepened his resolve to get revenge on the damned thing, even if it was the last thing he ever did.
When Callie started to sob, Logan climbed up onto the bed and wrapped his arms around, cradling her to his chest as gently as he could considering her injuries. He let her sob and didn’t try to quieten cries. He knew it would be better for her to let it all out now rather than bottle it up like he did. It was funny how he couldn’t take his own advice when it came to emotional matters such as this. “Demons lie, Callie,” he said, trying to reassure her. “They say whatever they think will get into your head and fuck you up. It’s all part of the game they play. But we’re not going to let this one win. He might be able to get the better of our parents but he won’t get the better of us.”
Going West
Callie couldn’t have argued with Logan if she’d tried. She was too weak to think of a comeback and agreed to his plan. “Sure, I’ll go with it” she smiled, laughing through her pain. She could see the pain in Logan’s eyes, the way he’d chosen to almost give up the one thing he’d been searching for. She knew it must’ve hurt! She’d have given anything to save her own father from the demon, so Logan’s decisions were highly commendable!
As they drove to the next town, Callie lay calmly on the backseat. It pained her to sit upright for too long, and the comfort of lying down was far greater. She felt her eyes drifting off, tempting her into a sleep, but her mind fought it off. She could still see the demon, well John, attacking her. The flashes of memories. The sight of the floor as she collided with the stone walls of the cave after being thrown. The vision of the glass falling with her from the window of the abandoned house. Callie knew it would take a little while before she would feel totally herself again, it always did after confronting a violent demon!
Callie could just about see Logan from her position in the back. She wondered what he was thinking. How he felt. “I am truly grateful Logan…” she praised once again. Another tear trickled down her delicate cheeks. Callie knew that somewhere, somehow, her father was watching and would hopefully be proud. “Did the demon say anything about my…umm…my Dad to you?” she asked, trying to hide her emotion from Logan. The demon’s wicked taunts to Callie had struck a nerve and yet another piece of her heart had been broken, by the exact same monster!
Every couple of minutes or so, Logan would check the rear view mirror to see how Callie was doing. He could see she was in a lot of pain but she was trying to tough it out. They were going to reach the next town soon enough, according to the road side signs anyway. Logan hoped the ER doctors and nurses weren’t going to ask too many questions as to how Callie had gotten so injured. Logan had managed to charm the ER workers in the past but this was different. His mind was distracted by the demon currently using his father as a meat suit. He needed to focus on Callie and getting her healthy again. Once she was fixed, at least physically, then he could concentrate on sending that hellspawn back to where it came from and get his father back.
When she thanked him again, he shook his head and tried to act like it was no big deal. “You’re welcome,” he said, giving her a small smile via the rear view mirror. He saw the tear rolling down her cheek and he had to swallow hard to suppress the lump in his throat. Now was not the time to fall apart. “He didn’t say anything. Sorry Callie. I’m sorry I couldn’t send him back to where he came from. We’ll get him, next time, we’ll kick his sorry ass back to Hell,” Logan tried to infuse a sense of hope into his words, even if he wasn’t so sure if he believed in them himself. The demon was the most powerful thing he had ever experienced.
They finally arrived in the next town. It was a small place but it was big enough to have a hospital with an ER. Logan got them to the hospital and parked the car as close to the ER entrance he could manage without parking illegally. “Wait here, I’ll get a wheelchair for you. And don’t argue and say you can manage. You can’t manage. You got that?” Logan got out of the car before Callie could form the words to argue back and retrieved a wheelchair for her. He opened the door for her and helped her out, carefully handling her as he did. “Remember: we were hiking, you fell and that’s it. Got it?” He said as he wheeled her into the ER.
Going West
Callie had no control over her body’s reactions during the moments after her latest collapse. She felt the demon pulling her closer, back into the main cave. The image of Logan became clearer than before, and she now knew that it wasn’t a hallucination. “Logan…” she panted, scrounging for oxygen. Her physically form was battered and bruised, lying coldly against the floor, but mentally she was there. She could see Logan chanting against the demon’s vicious replies. She could hear his swearing whilst the demon laughed. And she knew of the sacrifice he made for her life.
Hours later and the brunette woke up in Logan’s car. Slightly disorientated but aware of the situation, Callie sat up, her pained body crunching together with each bone bending. “Ouch!” she sighed, looking around for Logan. It didn’t take her long to find the guy who saved her life. She knew that, of course, to save his father over her would’ve been selfish, but he still chose to save her. He didn’t have an obligation to! “Thank you…” she awkwardly said, wrapping her arms him, absorbing their embrace. “You should’ve saved him…not me…I know how much he means to you, and how badly you want to save him!” she added, resting her head against his muscled shoulder.
Callie’s faced was covered by a waterfall of tears for a while as she processed the sacrifice that Logan had truly made for her safety. He’d risked his life for her, and put his father’s survival on the line too! In all her years of hunting, nobody had ever done anything close to that for her, and she felt honored yet baffled that he would!
“We’ll still save him Logan, I promise! I’m not that injured…nothing a good night’s sleep can’t solve!” she laughed, pressing her palm firmly against her rips as she spoke. “Urgh…argh!” she clenched under her breath, padding around her stomach. The pain was immense, but as a tough girl, Callie knew how to handle it. Her head was still covered in blood and her leg, though slightly better, still limped along the gravel as she stumbled back towards the car…
Logan had managed to navigate his way out of the caves and got Callie back to his car. He drove away from the caves and the houses as fast as he could, not wanting to run into the demon again yet. Tears rolled down his face as he put Callie carefully into the car, making sure her seatbelt kept her upright and safe. He knew he had made the right choice, the only choice. He had to keep Callie safe. His father had been foolish enough to go after that demon alone and Logan and Callie would find him again and next time they would be more prepared.
He pulled the car over when Callie started to come around and he watched her with concern etched into his expression. A small smile appeared on his face as she thanked him and hugged him. He gently put his arms around her, mindful of the injuries the demon inflicted on her. “You’re welcome,” he whispered and pulled back a little so he could look her over and decide if she needed medical attention. He shook his head when she stated that he should have saved his father. “No, can we not talk about that?”
“You need more than a good night’s sleep. You might be concussed and I wouldn’t mind if we got your ribs x-rayed.” Logan said firmly as she clutched at herself after laughing. He frowned, knowing how badly it hurt to have cracked ribs. “No arguments from you either.” He smirked at her as he started the car’s engine again and got the car going again along the highway. “The next town we get to, I’ll get you checked into the ER. We’ll say we were hiking and you fell. I have some insurance you can use. As soon as you’re fixed up, we’ll find a motel and regroup.”
Going West
Callie could faintly see the outline of Logan, charging protectively into the torch-lit cave. Confused by what was reality and what were her hallucinations, Callie stumbled to her trembling feet once again. Slowly guiding herself by sliding her hand along the wall, Callie hobbled past the figures, who appeared to be Logan and John. Her ears caught the harmonious sound of Logan’s latin chanting, though she was still uncertain it was really him. “Arrghh!” she howled, falling to her knees. Having stumbled her way through the endless tunnels for several hours, Callie’s legs had become weak and almost fragile. For the minutes that proceeded her recent fall, she continued to tumble to the ground, picking herself up with each descent of pain!
Her head felt like it could exert it’s contents all over the dirty-filled tunnels. The dim lights around her faded into flashes of brightness, stabbing at her eyes. The hallucinations continued as she made her way through the tunnel, hoping to find Logan, and proof that it really was him. She didn’t consider that the latin chanting figure was him, simply because she had no reassurance of it…
“HELP ME!” she cried, now crawling around helplessly, once again! Callie’s inner compass had worked into overdrive and she now had no clue which direction was which. Which tunnel had she come from? Which should she take? Confused, she bundled herself up, resting her tired body against the soiled walls of the tunnel. “Please…just someone…some…hel…help…me…me help…plea…” she mumbled, her eyes fading to blackness. Her head fell patiently to the side, leaning against her shoulder, whilst her eyes closed, sending her into a slumber!
Logan could feel tears stinging behind his eyes as he chanted the latin at the demon inside of his father. The demon laughed, using John’s throat to make the sound and Logan knew he would be hearing that laughter in his nightmares for a very long time. He tried to not let his emotions get the better of him as the demon approached him, seemingly unaffected by the exorcism Logan was chanting. “Son, stop. It’s not going to work. You see, I’m locked inside of John’s body now since it fits just right. Now, be a good little soldier boy and sit down.” The demon waved a hand and Logan went flying across the cave, slamming into the rock.
“You bastard!” Logan cried out, growling and struggling against the demon’s psychic grip that held him in place, pinned against the rock. The demon went after Callie again, bringing her back into the main cave. Logan could see that she was unconscious and he was worried that the demon had done too much damage. Guilt flared up inside of him as the demon laid Callie’s unmoving body on the cave floor. This was his fault that she had gotten hurt. How was he ever going to make up for this to her?
“Language, Logan.” The demon smirked over at him. “What have you done to her? I’ll kill you!” Logan screamed at the hellspawn, causing it to laugh again. It pained Logan to see his father’s body move around while being controlled by the demon. “I should have known you would try and come after John since you’re such a loyal son, Logan. Did it ever occur to you that John always had such high hopes for you and you’ve yet to reach them?” The demon smiled at Logan and Logan thought he might vomit. “Shut the fuck up, you vile piece of shit. Get out of my father and leave Callie alone.” The demon smirked at Logan’s demands. “Well, which is it? You only get to pick one, Logan. Your father, or the girl?” Logan’s eyes darted between Callie and John, panic overtaking him. “Callie,” he blurted out, believing that they could save John later but Callie needed medical attention now. The demon nodded. “Good choice, Logan.” The demon clicked his fingers and he was gone, releasing his grip on Logan and he fell onto the ground. He scrambled over to Callie and picked her up and carried her out of the caves.
Going West
Callie stumbled to her feet, staring at the John Sullivan look-a-like whilst she did. “John? Is that you?” she wondered, unsure due to her growing blurred vision. Having had a sharp blow to the head, Callie was uncertain of if she’d be drugged in addition. The head injury alone could’ve been enough to cause her blurred vision and hallucinations, but having spent years hunting demons, she knew that many could emit harmful toxins, drugging the victim and causing terrible conditions to the body, as one final blow before their death! “Help me…” she whispered, leaning out her arm to him. The figure took a step back, letting her tumble to the floor with a sudden thud!
Moments later, Logan’s companionship rose to her trembling feet once more, this time ignoring the figure, and heading the other way. Her head was banging, and covered in blood, whilst her leg limped in pain. She slowly made her way through the never-ending tunnels of the underground cave, trying to desperately find an exit, or at least a way to Logan. “Help! Somebody, help!” she occasionally shouted. Callie knew that her only hope with Logan, who else would be in the caves? But her human, and non-hunting experienced, instinct told her to call out for help, rather stupidly!
Within minutes the shadowy figure was back, only this time Callie didn’t know. Without warning, her hair was pulled aggressively by the force behind, as she wept in agony. With foul words and growls of pain, Callie tried to fight off the demon. Her weapons were of no use as she became attacked by the powerful spirit. ‘Remember me Callie?’ the demon mumbled, smirking smugly at the bleeding young woman. Callie gave a concerned look as the blurred complexions blended into one. ‘Daddy says ‘hi’ from hell sweetie…but I wouldn’t worry about him right now!’ it continued, with the same smug smirk spread from ear to ear. Anger exploded through Callie’s veins as she tried to stand. This was the demon from months ago, that nearly killed her, and successfully killed her father. “Where’s John?” she screamed. “Look at me Callie…you know where he is!” it whipped, as she let out another scream for Logan…
It took Logan some time to find the entrance to the underground cave system. It was tucked away from the highway, so anyone driving past wouldn’t even know they were there. For every second and every step it took Logan to find the damn entrance, the more angry and panicked he became. He was more than aware of the statistics of these kinds of rescues. The longer it took to find the victim, the more change they were horrendously hurt or worse, dead. Logan tried to not to think about such things, holding onto the tiny sliver of hope that when he did find Callie, she would fine and they could walk out of this place and never look back. However that sliver of hope was getting smaller and smaller with every passing moment.
Logan climbed through the entrance and using a flashlight, began the descend underground. The floor of the cave was dry and sandy, providing Logan with some grip under his boots as he fumbled along. The entrance led him to a fork, two tunnels going off in different directions. He looked between each of them, hoping he would have some clue which one would lead him to his friend. A terrified, blood curdling scream echoed out of the tunnel on the left and before the scream ended, Logan was already running down the tunnel.
Logan ran for what felt like an eternity. The tunnel got smaller, causing him to crouch as he hurried along. His legs screamed at him in pain but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop, not until he had found Callie. More screams spurred him on to go faster until the small tunnel suddenly opened out into what could be described as a room within the cave rock. It was lit by a couple of torches and Logan could make out two figures up ahead. One was Callie, on her knees and crying for help. The other was too recognisable for Logan to think it was anyone else. Straight away he knew what was going on. Straight away he knew the demon was using his father as a meat suit. He wanted to vomit but he held the urge back. Instead he started to chant the latin exorcism to try and eject that thing from John’s body and send it back to Hell.
Going West
Callie could see Logan sprinting after her in the corner of her eye. Her mind was preoccupied with struggling to break free from the demon’s tight grasp, but she felt reassured that he was coming to get her. As they reached another house, the female hunter could tell she was in for some more trouble, because the demon surely wasn’t taking her there for a tea-party! She continued to scream, unable to see a single thing in the pitch black of the house.
As Logan shot the demon, it’s grasp on Callie loosened, allowing her to break free, temporarily. She crawled helplessly, not caring which direction she traveled as long as it was against the direction she came from, therefore away from the demon. Her instincts told her to go back for Logan, but in the sheer pain and shock her body was in, she couldn’t. Her hands slid along the wooden grooves of the floor-boards, reaching further and further into the darkness, hoping for some hope of survival. As her hand jittered its way round what seemed like a sharp weapon-like object, her feet began trailing backwards. The demon’s grasp was tighter than before and Callie’s body tugged sharply back towards the demon. Her cries for help almost silenced by the bitter chill and wind, as she was dragged somewhere underground, though this time with light. Her eyes caught sight of the demon as something caused a blow to her head, knocking her unconscious and bleeding…
Hours later, and Callie slowly came around. Her eyes stung as she tried to open then, with the light seeming stronger than the sun. With her vision blurred and her hands covered in blood, Callie crawled once again through the eerie tunnel which she had been forced into. She tried to focus her eyes, but nothing worked. In the distance she could see the dark figure of a man, running towards her aggressively. “John?” she questioned, confused by even the thought of Logan’s dad having an involvement in her torturing ordeal…
Logan lost track of time since he was so wrapped up in trying to get into that damn house and get to Callie. He could hear her screams and every single one of them was like a dagger piercing into his heart. He had gotten her into this. This was his fault. If he hadn’t asked her to come with him in the search of his father, she wouldn’t be in this trouble and he wouldn’t be stuck on the outside trying to fight his way in. He had failed her, the one person he had left in this world. Whatever the outcome was going to be, Logan was never going to be able to forgive himself for this dreadful mistake.
For reasons unknown to Logan, he was suddenly able to get into the house. It was as if the demonic presence had vanished, taking Callie with it. Logan swore as loudly as his lungs would allow after he had searched all of the houses for her. The only thing left was the leather bound journal he had found in the first house. That was his only clue as to where the demon might have taken Callie. With his hands trembling, he leafed through the damn thing and left his blood run cold. It wasn’t the same journal that he remembered his father using over the years. However every page was written in his father’s scratchy scrawl.
He soon realised that the journal in his hands was the continuation of the journal he had seen his father use. In it was his journey after he had left Logan alone. John had been going after the McIntyre demon and had tracked it to these houses. The journal ended abruptly with the mention of some undercaves nearby. Logan knew immediately that he would find Callie there. After memorising the location of the entrance to the caves on the map and armed himself to the teeth with weaponry, Logan set off to find Callie and maybe even his father. All he could hope for was that they were alive by the time he got to them.
Going West
Already searching a room for clues, Callie could only faintly make out Logan’s voice. She moved closer to the doorway to see him pick up something, though now having a broken flashlight, she couldn’t make out what it was. Having made sure he was fine, she continued to delve deeper into the room, feeling her way around. The light-bulb of the room began to flicker as Callie looked around confused. Without warning, the door slammed shut, unprovoked and clearly demon controlled. “LOGAN!” Callie screamed, running to the door to open it and reunite with her partner before taking on the demon itself. Her hand wrapped around the door-knob as she helplessly tried to open it, unsuccessful, due to the demonic control, which had purposely trapped her inside the room, alone. “LOGAN! LOGAN!” she continued to shout.
Callie’s croaky screeches echoed through the room, and the house, as she turned around to fight the spiritual being. As her body rotated to face the other way, her eyes caught sight of nothing. There was nothing in the room, well, nothing in plain sight. Her eyes became fixed on the window, something outside had caught her attention and for a moment she forgot the sheer danger she was in already. Taking a few steady steps forward, creaking more floor-boards, she reached the window. Her hands pressed against the window pane, allowing her to lean forward and peer through the window further. An array of lights had appeared from the other houses, all of which had been submerged in darkness yet moments before. “What the f…” she began, stopped in her tracks by the addition of a demon to the window. The addition of a demon to the reflection in the window, to be precise. “Oh my god…” she yelled, turning around to face it. Her natural reaction was to fire her weapon, though this failed. The bullets ricocheted into the door, creating holes in the wood, as Callie was thrown across the room. “LOGAN IT’S IN HERE!” she howled, stumbling to her feet.
Although Callie was experienced with demons, she wasn’t expecting this one to be as strong. Of course, they suggested the storms were linked to John’s obviously powerful demon attacker, but they weren’t sure. Callie was violently thrown from side to side of the room as blood trickled from her forehead. In all her days of hunting, she’d never experienced physical pain like this. The door flung open, as the demon vanished. “It’s okay Logan, I’m fine…” she panted, walking towards the door. As she reached the doorway, a force from behind pulled her backwards, straight through the window. Shards of glass fell carelessly as Callie’s body hit the graveled ground. “LOGAN!” she screamed, helpless and scared. The seemingly invisible demon dragged her powerless body through the gravel and towards another house, as Callie tried to struggle her way free!
Logan was about to suggest that they leave this house when the door slammed, shutting Logan outside of the room in which Callie was trapped. A torrent of swear words flew out of Logan’s mouth as he dropped the journal and threw himself at the door, trying to get it open. He could hear Callie screaming his name on the other side as he threw his shoulder up against the solid mass that was the door. This house was falling apart but suddenly this door felt like the most solid thing in the whole place. Even with Logan’s full body weight being thrown at it, the door wouldn’t budge. He called out her name until his throat was raw and his lungs were screaming for air.
Just as suddenly as the door slammed, the door fell open and with it, Logan crashed through the entrance into the room, only to see Callie being dragged out through the window. A loud scream erupted out of him as he tried to reach for her but he was too late. Her body hit the ground below with a sickening thud. Logan watched as the demon dragged Callie over to one of the other houses. Without forming any kind of real plan, Logan ran through the house and down the stairs as fast as his feet could take him.
The cold night air hit him as soon as he got outside. Ignoring his body’s urge to shiver, Logan raised his shotgun to aim at the demon. He couldn’t get a clear shot at this distance so he ran over the demon. “CALLIE!” He screamed, hoping that he wasn’t too late. He could see that she was still struggling against the grip the demon had on her. She was still alive. He had managed to reach the house the demon was taking her to and he raised his gun again, this time being able to get a clear shot. He was about to pull the trigger when a demonic force pushed him back, knocking the gun out of his hands and forcing him to the ground. He scrambled to get back onto his feet but by the time he did, Callie and the demon were gone from sight, presumably inside the house. Logan ran up to it and started to hammer on the door, screaming Callie’s name. Just like before, the door was solid and immovable, even when Logan threw his full weight at it.
Going West
Callie sensed Logan trailing close behind, even though she could hardly see. The homes were near pitch back, with only minimal sunlight shining through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. Hitting her torch sharply, Callie managed to get some light in front of her, if only a minute amount. Unsure of which way to go, Callie followed her intuition and headed upstairs. She knew not of why she chose to go that way, nor did she question it, it just seemed suitable!
Her boots once again made her presence known, even with the delicate footsteps that she took. Each floorboard creaked with pain as she crept up and up the stairs. “It’s so dark in here…god knows what we’ll find!” she whispered to Logan, hoping he was still right behind her. Callie finally reached the top of the stairs, disappointed somehow by her chose to go up them but not wanting to turn back, she walked around disturbed, looking for anything suspicious. “Eww!” she groaned in disgust at the sight of a dead rat, lying painfully across the floor. The dried blood which accompanied it had splattered far and wide, adding yet another crunch to her step as walked past the corpse.
Callie’s ears picked up on the faint sound of another being, demonic or otherwise, in one of the rooms nearby. She couldn’t tell where or what it was, but it was something. “Logan…Logan…there’s something in here, in this house…” she fearfully explained. The darkness exploded around them for a moment as Callie’s torch flickered. “Oh shit!” she sighed, continuing to hunt for the demon. The light emitted from the torch became to fade as they were engulfed by the darkness. “Logan, where are you?” she asked, praying mentally that he’d be right behind her…
Logan used all of his senses to navigate his way through the house and stay close to Callie. In the near pitch black of the inside of the house, he used his hearing to keep track of Callie as she crept along ahead of him, and his touch with his hands and his feet to work his way along. He didn’t use his flashlight because he guessed his eyes would adjust to the blackness eventually. Instead he followed behind Callie, using the light from her flashlight as a guide through the crumbling remains of the house.
As Callie started to climb the stairs, Logan waited at the bottom of the staircase for a moment, his head cocked to one side. He was listening to the house, searching it for any sign or sound of a resident hiding in the shadows. He could only hear Callie’s careful footsteps as she ascended to the second floor. Even though he couldn’t hear anyone else moving around inside of the house, he was sure that they weren’t alone. Someone or something was setting off his hunter’s instincts. This house wasn’t safe for either of them and a bad feeling began to make Logan’s stomach twist painfully.
“Callie,” Logan hissed, hoping she hadn’t gone too far ahead without him. He climbed the stairs as quietly as he could manage, creeping along the corridor once he had reached the top. He headed in what he thought was the same direction that Callie had taken. “Callie,” he hissed again, his tense whisper fracturing the silence in the house. He stumbled, causing him to momentarily lose his balance and curse under his breath. He righted himself and crouched, his hand reaching out to see what had caused him to stumble. His hand landed on top of something bound in leather and his breath caught in his throat. The object felt too familiar for his liking. It couldn’t be, could it? Logan grabbed the object, which was a leather bound journal, and straightened up. Clutching the journal to his chest, he continued his search into the darkness, hoping that a journal that felt just like the one his father used happened to be here in this house by coincidence.
Going West
Callie read Logan’s silence like a book. She knew exactly what was going on in his head, or so she thought she did. Her mind flickered back to an old memory from years ago, of John and Logan, and a typical day on the road with them. She remembered the way they appeared to be extremely close, and how she envied Logan having a father, since her’s had died so tragically! Memories were often Callie’s only company and she’d grown to love each and every one, nobody how bland, vague or boring! A smile slid from her face when she recalled another memory of John. A fire fueled inside of her suddenly, urging her to find him. Of course, she planned to find him all along, but with the memories came the reminder of just how kind John’d been with her, and now he needed her more than ever, if not for him, but to support Logan!
As they approached their destination, Callie felt a huge lump form in her throat. The air was already bitter and sharp, without the addition of the supernatural chill that lay dormant yet present! She slowly followed Logan to the trunk and helped herself to a few items. “This place gives me the chills already and we’ve only just got here!” she exclaimed, tightly grasping a weapon for extra mental support, as the trunk closed. Although she had addition help from Logan, the thought of having someone else to worry about wasn’t exactly appealing to her, and so she removed it from her mind, temporarily!
“Well let’s go check out some creepy houses…” she sighed, walking towards the derelict homes. The heels of Callie’s boots collided with the ground, causing her presence to be echoed through the street. She sharply took a breath as the approached a house, and glided up the front porch steps. Callie was about to knock, out of courtesy when she remembered the reason for being there. Suddenly, her right boot was flat against the door as she kicked it open…
Logan was slow in his approach to the scorch marked houses. The gravel on the ground crunched underneath his boots every time he took a step forward, causing him to wince. There wasn’t a quieter way of getting closer so he proceeded, mindful that anyone or anything hiding in the houses would be alerted to his presence before he had been alerted to theirs. It wasn’t an ideal situation to hunt demons in but this was going to be the closest thing to a potential lead they had. He needed to keep pressing forward.
He glanced over at Callie to see her progress. She had made it to one of the houses and was making her way up to the front door. Logan looked around at the house he now found himself front of. It looked like it had been abandoned years ago. It was falling apart and no one had bothered to make any repairs in a long time. It was perfect for demons to hide out in. No one would assume anyone would still be living in these dilapidated houses and they were miles away from the rest of civilisation. It was a surprise that the electrical storms had even been reported in the news.
The loud crash of Callie kicking the door in echoed around the houses. If the demons hadn’t known that they were there before, they definitely knew it now. Rolling his eyes, Logan quickly but quietly jogged over to the house Callie had crashed into to provide back-up for her. She might be one of the best but he didn’t trust the atmosphere around this place. Something demonic was here, waiting. What it was waiting for, Logan didn’t know, but he wanted to make sure it didn’t hurt Callie as they investigated for signs of his father.
Going West
Callie had a smug grin as the song blared through the stereo. She knew Logan at least tolerated it, or else he wouldn’t have had the tape in the first place, but she did have a feeling he’d been more found of heavier tunes! “Such a gentleman Logan, always well spoken and respectful!” she teased, clicking her fingers and waving her hands to the beat of the music, an attempt to tease him further.
Having a friendship like their’s was sweet. They knew the boundaries between too far and teasing, and they cared for one another, though knew not to show it too much, or else it became soppy and girly! Callie had missed their connection. Having another hunter on the road with her was a nice change from the solitary loneliness, even if she had to listen to the same recycled Metallica tunes over and over again!
“We’ll find him you know?…even if it’s the last thing we ever do!” she soothed. She knew Logan probably wouldn’t entertain the conversation but she had to say it. It’d been on her tongue for a while, and she knew deep down he could’ve possibly wanted to hear it. Callie knew the risks of hunting, as did Logan, and so did John, but this didn’t mean missing or dead hunters was easy to handle. The loss of anyone was painful enough, but John being the closest person to Logan, made Callie well aware that his world would collapse without some form of closure on whether his father was alive, dead or potentially possessed!
As the REO Speedwagon blasted out of the car stereo, Logan found himself humming along with the tune of the melody. This was one of the those stadium rock bands that he wouldn’t ordinarily admit to liking, let alone owning any of their music. He would claim that this was one of his Dad’s tapes, not his. But even so, there had been times when he was travelling alone and he would put in something like REO Speedwagon or even Bon Jovi and singing along at the top of his lungs. He wasn’t going to do that now since Callie was in the car with him.
Logan grimaced when Callie mentioned them finding his father. He didn’t want to think about, let alone talk about it. It was too painful to consider what they might find at the end of their journey. He was going to have to face the conclusion of their search eventually but he was trying to put that off; not think about until he had no other choice. The change of conversation clashed in Logan’s mind with the choice of Callie’s song. He didn’t want to associate negative feelings and experiences with this song so he stayed silent.
The car sped along the highway and after another fifteen minutes (and a change of tape back to Metallica), they had arrived at the sight of the electrical storms. Logan parked the car close by the small group of houses located off of the highway. There didn’t appear to be anyone around and Logan felt chills, making him shudder ever so slightly. “Come on,” he said as he got out of the car. He went to the trunk and opened it up, revealing an arsenal of weapons and supernatural charms. He armed himself with a sawn-off shotgun, loaded with rock-salt rounds, a flask of holy water and a book with the latin exorcism written inside. He looked over at the houses, guessing they had been abandoned after the storms. There was charred markings on the sides and roofs of the houses, left from the lightning no doubt. There was something in the air that set off Logan’s instincts. They weren’t alone out here.
Going West
Callie sat almost calmly in the car as they travelled along highway after highway, road after road, and it almost became boring; though Logan’s selection of music kept her intriguingly entertained! She couldn’t tell the difference from any of the roads, as they all seemed to blur into one, making her feel rather drowsy! “This has taken forever…” she whipped, as they turned into the gas station.
She patiently waited for Logan as he went inside to pay for their much needed gas. He was pretty quick though allowed her enough time to call her own Dad, without being seen by Logan! “Daddy I miss you, and I know you’re watching me…but I’m safe! I’m with Logan…” she explained. Callie knew her circumstances were different from Logan’s, cause her dad actually was dead, but the sound of his voice made her feel at ease, and she would often call just to leave a random message. She felt as though somewhere, wherever he was, that he could hear here message, and would know she was safe, if he didn’t know already! She slowly pressed the ‘end call’ button and slid the phone back into her pocket, hiding her sadness from Logan and those directly around her…
Callie smirked when Logan arrived back in the car. She’d slyly already picked the next song that would repel through the car’s interior, and knew Logan would potentially like it himself. He should do anyway, it was from his collection; but ‘should’ and ‘would’ are very different words and Callie knew that! “Ya don’t mind that I chose a song for once do ya? Passengers should get some say…” she laughed, pulling a tongue at her companion. Callie hadn’t paid attention too much to the songs beforehand, only knowing that she enjoyed their therapeutic affect, but now, on the final leg, just before arriving at the stormed area, she fancied a little sing-song to cheer the pair up!
Logan had one rule. Actually he had several but this particular one was the one he would reiterate whenever the time called for it. This one rule: driver picks the tunes, shotgun shuts his or her cake-hole. It was a rule passed down to him from his father when this used to be John’s dad. It helped that Logan liked the same music as his father but not everyone was into the same kind of classic rock as the Sullivans.
When Callie started to fiddle around with the stereo and swapping the tapes around, Logan had to hold back the urge to slap the back of her hand and make her stop. She had been told the rule many times over and she still didn’t listen. A tiny voice in the back of Logan’s mind reminded him that she had been through a lot lately and that he should let her pick at least one song. He made a deal with the tiny voice: one song of Callie’s choosing, then they were going back to Metallica with no arguments or he would leave her on the side of the road. He wouldn’t actually leave her but he would threaten her with it.
“If you pick some soppy girly crap, you know I ain’t gonna be happy,” he groaned as she pushed her selected tape into the ancient car stereo. It was one of his tapes so chances of soppy girly crap was minimal but he couldn’t see which tape she had picked out. After a moment of just the roar of the engine as the car hurtled along the road and their breathing, REO Speedwagon kicked in over the stereo, causing Logan to groan. “You picked ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’?” He shook his head but he didn’t move to change the music either. He was allowing her this one song and then Metallica was definitely going back on.
Going West
Logan’s reassuring words calmed the brunette down. He seemed genuine about not blaming her, and though she wasn’t entirely in agreement, she did see his point! “I guess you’re right!” she responded, taking another mouthful of food. Callie could tell something was up, because Logan didn’t usually push his plate away so quickly! She smiled sweetly as he left the cash and walked to the car.
The brunette continued to eat her meal, not rushing particularly, allowing both herself and Logan to have some moments alone. She knew, just like other hunters, that time in your own company was pretty much needed for the sake of your sanity. She enjoyed being with Logan, but of course, it was human nature to want to have some time away from him. Her hands collided with the plate as she neatly lay the knife and fork onto the plate, before sliding it into the middle of the table. “Thank you!” she awkwardly exclaimed, pursing her eyes at the bills on the table, so that Millicent would understand what she meant! Callie knew that really she should’ve handed the money to her herself, in order to prove she wasn’t giving less than she owed, but she didn’t care; there was just over enough, so Millicent would obviously pocket the change, and maybe even crack a smile!
Callie slowly paced towards the car. She grinned at Logan, sliding into the passenger seat. “Ready to go kick some demon-butt buddy?” she buzzed, strapping the seat-belt into the slot. Logan’s car already felt like a temporary home to Callie. It was one of the only places she felt comfortable, and in some ways she looked forward to the journey she’d be taking with Logan, though tough, scary and emotional, it looked like it may also be slightly fun and exciting, and it sent goosebumps down her spine!
Logan sat in his car and waited for Callie to finish her food. It was a good thing that he got the few moments alone because he was honestly so angry, he didn’t know if he was going to be able to contain it. Did his father really not have enough faith in his son to tell him what was going on? Logan pulled out his cell phone and called his father for the thousandth time since he had disappeared. Of course, John didn’t answer and Logan’s call eventually went to voicemail.
“Dad, call me. Please. I got this nasty feeling you went after the McIntyre demon alone. Call me and tell me that ain’t the case. Please tell me you haven’t been that stupid. Just… call me, OK? I’ve got Callie with me. We’re coming after you.” He hung up and threw his cell phone onto the dashboard. He put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on the steering wheel for a long moment, while he tried to wrap his head everything that was going on. What John really be as stupid as going after the McIntyre demon alone? John had always taught him to never go into a case blind and to always call for backup if the case was bigger than you.
Logan looked up from his hands as Callie climbed into the passenger seat of his car and offered her a tired kind of smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said as he started the engine. A genuine satisfied smirk appeared on his face as the engine roared into life. No matter what was going on, that old familiar roar always had a calming and uplifting effect on Logan. After a quick stop to get some gas, they were on the road again, heading towards the area worst hit by the electrical storms. It didn’t take them long to find it.
