Hunting for Hatred

Izrael was not someone that people generally liked. In fact, he wasn’t even someone that other angels generally liked. Izrael was a Guardian, and not one of those pansy ass Guardian Angels that humans went on and on about. The proper title for those wusses was “Guides” and they were the weakest of the angels, sent only to guide souls to their proper resting place. That was the white light people generally saw when they died, one of those angels sent to guide them through whatever psychological process they needed to go through to accept their death. If a guide failed in their mission the human tended to become one of two things. Either a spirit left to haunt the world for eternity, or in the worst case scenario a demon.

Once again, humans had it wrong with the whole Satan thing. Demons didn’t have one all powerful ruler. All demons began as humans, humans who wouldn’t accept death, and instead wanted power. On that same note not all demons were per say evil, out to hurt and nothing more. In fact Izrael had met his fair share of demons that he could have passed quite a pleasant hour with. However, that could only happen if he let them live, which was not likely.

Guardians were one the strongest of angels. Almost as strong as Seraphins, who had direct contact with the almighty. Their one and only purpose in life was to find Demons and destroy them. Evil ones were the first priority or course, but any demon at all was fair game for a Guardian. Izrael happened to be one of the best, and because of that he was strongly disliked. Then again, he could be such a pariah simply because he was unpleasant to be around. Who really knew with him?

So he found himself walking the dark streets of yet another human city, hunting down a demon that was possessing souls so that he could kill them while in the midst of an exorcism. The humans couldn’t do it properly anymore, forgetting over time the proper inattentions and what not to properly dispose of demons. Some however, still had enough of the skill to at the very least banish the demon, even if they couldn’t kill them.

This particular demon was using their lack of ability against the priests, and feeding of the mistrust and hatred that erupted each time someone died during an exorcism. Izrael was sent to stop such actions.

“The Underground?” Izrael asked, quirking an eyebrow. Something about Ester had the uncanny, and rather uncomfortable, habit of making him loosen his restraint just a bit. Enough so that his voice wasn’t completely toneless, but most certainly not enough for him to show any real emotion.

“If you know why I’m here then you shouldn’t be wandering nearby.” He finished. This human seemed to just love to get into sticky situations that someone else had to get her out of. She knew how susceptible she was to Demon attack, and with her ability to see them he would think she would avoid them altogether. ‘This is why humans are not supposed to know we exist.’ he thought to himself with resignation.

How did she always know about this kind of stuff? The information for that case had just been presented to him but hours before he headed out to track this demon. Not only did she know what was going down, but she knew the location as well? And of course, knowing Ester, she would probably waltz right into what was assuredly a ploy to lure unsuspecting humans to become dinner for demons or their minions. Izrael should have just bound her in the street, led some cop to her, and went alone. He should have never started talking to her in the first place. Instead he had to rise to the bait once more, just like their conversation three years ago.

“What might interest you is learning some healthy human habits and stop harassing demons and angels alike. You’ll get yourself killed, or worse you’ll get one of us killed in your foolhardy attempts to help us.”

His words were harsh. The truth was that he meant them to be. For some inexplicable reason he didn’t want this human to get hurt. Blame it on his make-up, the fact his existence solely rested on destroying the demons who tended to hunt humans. However, he also knew the truth. Angels didn’t hunt demons to protect humans, they hunted them so they could continue winning. All either side wanted was power and dominance over the mortal realm. That was why they fought.

So as much as he wanted to blame it on his creation, he also knew the truth. For some reason he didn’t want this human to die, and if it meant being cruel to keep her alive then so be it.

Izrael would have sighed. Hell, he could have thrown up his hands in exasperation and shook her wildly screaming obscenities at her. Instead, he simply grunted and kept up his pace thoroughly ignoring the human beside him. If there was one thing that Izrael could boast about other than his insane demon hunting record, was his ability to remain completely unflustered no matter what seemed to happen around him. He’d seen comrades die, demons laugh manically as they went in for what they thought was the killing blow, seen his own imminent death at the hands of another, and yet he always remained calm. He’d be damned if he let a human girl break that impeccable record.

Amidst thoroughly ignoring the human beside him, he didn’t think twice about disguising his wings. Essentially he made himself visible to all other humans, though his wings of course were hidden now. To her sight they would have appeared to pull themselves into his body, leaving a smooth human back. Izrael now looked every inch the human, albeit a very scary looking one.

Even without his wings Izrael did not have a friendly appearance. While he didn’t look heavily muscled he carried himself in such a way that told everyone that he was not one to mess around with. Stepping into the back door of a tavern, the many customers saw exactly what he wanted them to see. A human male with broad shoulders and a “Don’t fuck with me” attitude that even the most brawl driven of the bunch wanted to avoid. Taking a table he leaned back in his chair and surveyed the crowd, watching for the demon who was bound to make his appearance eventually.

Izrael didn’t pay attention when she walked into the tavern with him, took no notice when she sat beside, but of all the inane questions she could have asked this was the one that took him by surprise.

“You want to know my age?” he asked incredulously, keeping his eyes on the other patrons, refusing to show her how much her question had caught him off guard. He had expected questions about the assignment, questions about the demon, hell even questions about what he was going to do about the information she had “supplied” him with. Of all things he had not expected a question directed towards him, about him.

“Why would you want to know something like that?” he asked, his voice taken on the hardened tone as the surprise wore off.

Izrael was in every sense of the word dumbfounded. Was this human girl serious? She seemed to be. Yet, how could she say something like that so nonchalantly.

“You don’t know me.” He muttered, closing the subject. What he meant was that how could she find him attractive when she didn’t know his dark nature? Didn’t know about the many people’s lives he had cut short, the terror he had caused, the destruction? No, she didn’t know and that was why she could make such a statement. However, understanding all that from four words would be unlikely.

Before he could elaborate he noticed his target saunter in the room. A human female was the form this time as he noted the girl’s appearance. Long dark hair, brown almond eyes, attractive for a human. It helped that she was wearing a skin tight black dress that accentuated every curve in her body. Every male in the room collectively eyed her, wondering what it would take to get her to sleep with him. If only they knew what sleeping with this monster entailed.

While he could see the features of the human girl, Izrael could also see what the demon desperately wanted to hide from the humans it currently hunted. The grotesque form of this demon barely fit within its host, its contorted body occasionally breaking the mold of the girls shape. A human wouldn’t notice such things, but it was clear as day to Izrael.

Of course, Izrael remained perfectly hidden amongst the humans gathered. The demon wouldn’t pick up on him at all unless it was quite powerful and the deformed shape of it told him that it was most certainly not powerful enough to sense him amongst so much food. The easiest way to tell the power of a demon was by its appearance. The more human it looked on its own, the more powerful the demon. It was that simple. Being able to possess others spoke of some power, but not a lot. This would be an easy kill.

He watched it closely as it made the rounds, deciding which human would be its supper that night. Of course it would be Izraels ill luck that of all the humans the demon sensed, it automatically zeroed in on Ester.

Izrael watched as Ester tried to make her escape, seeing the demon watching her hungrily. The minute she stepped out that door the demon would be on her before she could even begin to scream. Yet, there was nothing he could really do if he wanted to keep his cover. Not just his cover to the demon, but to the humans around him as well. If a seemingly human girl suddenly went flying into a wall then the others would wonder what the hell had thrown her.

So Izrael did the only thing he could do that would make the demon back off. Standing abruptly he pulled Ester into his chiseled chest and let his aura fly. His wings stayed hidden but that didn’t change the demons reaction to him. There was only one aura that held such a powerful signature and every demon with any sense had memorized it from the moment they learned of him.

It looked at him with fear evident in its eyes, taking an involuntary step back. Izrael continued to glare down at the demon, making his claim obvious and what kind of horrific death would await the demon if it dared go after Ester now. In the span of a few seconds understanding dawned on the demon and without waiting for Izrael to change his mind it ran. Another human would die tonight so that the demon could change its form to try and hide from his hunt. For now it knew what it meant to truly be hunted.

Sighing Izrael released Ester and ran a hand through his hair. He was trying to think of the best way to take out the demon now that it knew he was hunting it. He paid little attention to the girl he had just saved at the sacrifice of others.

Izrael turned to look at Ester, skepticism clearly written across his features. How did this girl think she could ever help him? The best she could be used for was bait, and that idea was completely out of the question. Then again, it was her fault that the whole hunt was now more complicated. At least Izrael tried to rationalize it that way. If she had just minded her own business and not followed him into the pub, the demon would have never targeted her, and he would have never had to defend her.

“How could you help me?” He decided to ask, curious for her answer. He wondered what this demon magnet, no that was too kind. This magnet for trouble thought she could possibly do to help him.

((No worries! lol I was a little preoccupied with the hogwarts one were doing. I almost forgot about this one!))

“I will not use you as bait.” He said, his tone leaving no room for questions. Yet, what she said was the truth. The minute she left his side she would be hunted like teenagers sought ways to get in trouble. This demon in particular would want to kill her simply because he had claimed her. If it told any others of a higher caliber than itself, Ester could actually be in trouble.

He looked at her exasperated, his mind working in overtime to try and find a way around the inevitable.

“You truly are a magnet for trouble.” He muttered.

Izrael merely grunted and made his way out of the bar. There was no point in staying there any longer since the demon had already fled. He figured that Ester would probably follow him out so he didn’t worry about saying anything to her either. What he needed to do was think, and think quickly. He had to keep this human safe. By defending her so bluntly he had broken one of his own laws. Never get involved in a humans affairs. Too many of his fellow Guardians took a special liking to a human and saved them from certain death only to find themselves dead at the end of it. They either died protecting the human, or broke one of the Gaurdian laws and was killed by a higher up as penance. Protecting humans on more than a global basis was fool hardy at best.

And Izrael had done the one thing he swore he would never do. Mind you he was not particularly attached to Ester, at least he refused to believe he might be, but he had put himself in a nasty position. Should other demons find out about his protection of her, especially his protection of her then she would be marked for life. Constantly hunted until she lay dead, or worse became one of the demons he hunted.

There was no help for it. He would have to find this demon and kill it before things got out of hand. Turning to her he asked suddenly, “Tell me what you know about this demon. Everything you know.”

Maybe there was something he had overlooked or deemed unimportant when he first took the mission. Now, he needed to know everything.