Run To Earth (Power of Four) (43 page)

Aaron carefully stepped around the collapsed body of the Abarimon, trying not to look too closely at it or its broken neck. He hurried after Kyran, who was standing at the edge of the hut, scanning the area, waiting for the right moment to slip indoors. He met the stares of the frightened children again and quickly held a finger to his lips, winking at them. The children nodded, taking in deep gulps of air in effort to calm down and stem their tears. Taking their chance, Kyran and Aaron slipped inside with only the children watching them.

The hut was small and dark but pleasantly cool. Aaron wiped a shaky hand across his sweaty brow, breathing out in relief. Kyran had already moved towards the single table in the far corner, upon which rested their familiars.

Kyran picked up his sword with a grin. “Hurry up, Ace,” he said. “Get your stuff.”

Aaron picked up his pistol. A blissful feeling of calm overtook him as soon as his fingers touched the cold metal. He picked up the holster and quickly clicked it around his waist before sliding his pistol safely inside. Kyran did the same for his twin pistols. They worked quickly, snapping and clicking their leather bands and straps back onto their sweat-drenched bodies.

“What’s the plan?” Aaron asked, slipping the last of his daggers into his pocket.

“We go out. We kill,” Kyran replied. “What more you looking for?”

“Bullets will...will kill them?” Aaron asked, his voice shaking a little.

“The bullets have Aric’s mark carved on them,” Kyran said, slotting the last dagger into his pocket. “As do our blades. One shot, doesn’t matter where, will bring the demons down. You just have to make a hit.”

Aaron paled but gave a jerky nod.

Kyran looked at him and narrowed his eyes. “Ace?” He moved closer. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” Aaron said. “It’s just...” He swallowed heavily before looking up to meet the intense green gaze. “I’ve never...killed...before.”

“Aaron,” Kyran started, reaching out to hold him by the shoulder. “I need you to focus.” His grip tightened. “I know you haven’t had enough training. I get that you’re nervous, but we don’t have a choice here. It’s just you and me, Ace. We’re the only Hunters in this valley. There are kids out there who need our help.” He shook his head. “I can’t take out a whole valley on my own. I need your help.”

Aaron’s mind went back to the crying children, trapped in a cage, waiting to be killed. He steadied his resolve, his hand gripping the gun at his waist before he gave a slow nod.

***

Aaron took in a steadying breath and stepped out of the hut. He stood at the threshold, watching and waiting for the Abarimons to notice him. The demons went about their business, taking no notice of him, until one Abarimon turned its head and caught sight of him. Its eyes widened and mouth dropped open, showing glistening, sharp teeth. A hand came up and a clawed finger pointed at him before a shrieking sound left the demon. It was as if Aaron was watching it happen in slow motion, as every demon head turned in his direction. The Abarimons growled. Almost at once, the back-footed beings came at him, dropping what they were doing. Aaron waited, forcing himself to stay at the threshold, watching the demons race closer. He counted down in his head.

The countdown wasn’t even complete when Kyran attacked. His bullets rained down on the distracted Abarimons. Standing on the roof with a pistol in each hand, Kyran fired bullet after bullet into the demons. Aaron watched as the wounded Abarimons dropped to the ground, their flesh turning grey as life evaporated out of them and their bodies turned to dust. The others scampered away, fleeing from Aaron, eyes turned upwards to the roof – to Kyran.

One Abarimon took the risk, dodging the bullets as it came for Aaron. Aaron’s trembling hand gripped the pistol and he raised it, willing himself to pull the trigger. He found he didn’t have to. In a heartbeat, Kyran had jumped down, standing directly before the door, shielding Aaron. Holding up both guns, Kyran fired two bullets into the approaching Abarimon. The rest of the demons had hurried back, growling and grunting to one another.

“Oh come on!” Kyran called after them. “We were just starting to have fun.” He darted after them, chasing them into the dark forest.

Aaron raced out of the hut, straight to the wooden cage with the frantic children inside. He found a thick stake slotted through two loops, holding the lid down on the cage. Aaron pulled at it, trying to get it out but the thing wouldn’t budge. It was jammed right in. Aaron didn’t waste time fighting it. He pulled back and pointed his gun at it.

“Move back!” he told the kids.

The children did, as much as their limited space allowed. Aaron fired two bullets, splintering the wood so the stake weakened. It slid out easily and Aaron quickly threw back the lid. The children scrambled to get out, lifting themselves off their aching knees. Aaron helped the younger ones out of the cage.

“Come on, quickly,” he said, leading the panicked children to the chief’s hut. All thirty children ran out from under the scorching sun into the cool shade of the hut. “You have to stay here,” Aaron said as he grabbed the table that had minutes before held his weapons. “Just until the Abarimons are gone.” He pulled the table towards the door before stepping out. He tilted the table to stand on its side. “We’ll come back for you,” he promised before wedging the table into the doorway, successfully blocking it. There was only a tiny gap at the top, enough to give the children some light in the dark hut. Aaron eyed the mark Kyran had carved on the underside of the wooden table. Aric’s mark would keep the children safe. No Abarimon could touch the table now.

Aaron turned, pistol in hand, searching for Kyran. He saw him in the far distance, fighting the Abarimons with a combination of guns, blades and kicks. Aaron raced forward to Kyran’s side.

Kyran swerved out of the way of the vicious claws aiming to tear his chest open. He retaliated with a point blank shot. Turning around, even before the dead Abarimon could hit the ground, Kyran fired another b
ullet into the nearest Abarimon.

The demons seemed to be in two minds: fight or flee. Some had already torn down the murky path, running deeper into the forest. Others were trying to get to the Kyran, to take him out before he killed all of them. In the midst of the growling demons, Kyran spotted the furious chief. Kyran smirked at him and beat his hand, still clutched around his gun, to his chest.

“Hunter!” he introduced, mimicking the chief’s rough accent. “Gonna kick your ass!”

The chief growled but backed away, joining the frantic crowd running away. Kyran fired shot after shot, dropping Abarimons to the ground, where they turned to dust. One of the demons approached from behind, claws out and teeth bared, as it prepared to rip into Kyran. A shot just missed the Abarimon, hitting the tree next to its head. The Abarimon fell back and turned to see Aaron racing towards him, his pistol still aimed. Before Aaron could aim a better shot, Kyran took care of the Abarimon, delivering a bullet to its chest.

As soon as Aaron reached Kyran, both boys darted behind the large tree, taking refuge for a moment. Kyran slid out the empty magazines from both guns, dropping them to the ground. He pulled out his last full magazine. He gave it a long look before slotting it into one of his pistols.

“How many bullets you got?” he asked.

“Two in here,” Aaron panted and held up his pistol, “and this.” He pulled out his one and only magazine from his pocket.

Kyran stared at it, green eyes narrowed and his glistening brow furrowed. Aaron met his troubled eyes with a sinking heart. They didn’t have enough bullets. There were still at least thirty or forty Abarimons left. Maybe even more hiding throughout the valley.

“What do we do?” Aaron asked.

Kyran pocketed his empty pistol and pulled out his sword. “Close combat,” he said. “Stick close and don’t waste the bullets.”

Kyran took in a breath, pushed himself out from behind the cover of the tree, and paused.

The Abarimons were gone.

Kyran looked around, his fierce gaze darting this way and that, searching for demons.

“What now?” Aaron asked.

“We have to get every last Abarimon,” Kyran said. “We can’t leave this valley otherwise.”

They hurried down the dark path, searching for the demons. With every step, Aaron’s heart pounded, expecting an Abarimon to jump out from behind a tree. He kept a firm grip on his gun, aimed it before him, but feared he might not react fast enough. The only thing keeping him somewhat calm was Kyran’s presence by his side.

“Maybe they left?” Aaron suggested, hoping that was the case. “If all of them run away, that makes the valley ours. Then the enchantment in the air ends and we can leave too, right?”

Kyran nodded, his eyes scanning the area.
“Yeah, but...but Abarimons don’t do that,” he said. “They don’t abandon their valley, not that easily.”

“You call that easy?” Aaron asked.

Kyran stopped and turned to give Aaron a look, shaking his head at him. “Come on,” he said. “They’re here...somewhere.”

They crossed the clearing. They searched for what felt like hours, but there was no sign of the Abarimons. They came to another clearing, a bigger one, marked in a perfect circle by the surrounding trees.

“Kyran, they’ve left,” Aaron said. “I say we get the kids and get out of here.”

“Abarimons are territorial creatures,” Kyran replied, still scanning the empty grounds. “They wouldn’t leave, not because of two Hunters.”

“Maybe they got scared?” Aaron suggested.

“Fear?” a voice growled from behind him.

Both Kyran and Aaron whipped around, guns aimed. The chief Abarimon, looking no more than a deranged beast, walked out from behind the tree. Its darkened gaze stayed on Kyran, glaring at him with fierce hatred.

“Fear not my feel,” it said in strained English. “Fear you be.”

From behind the trees Abarimons appeared, holding their own weapons. Long wooden spears with sharp-pointed ends were clutched in almost every Abarimon’s clawed hands. Kyran and Aaron looked around to see they were completely surrounded. Aaron’s back pressed against Kyran’s as both boys held out their weapons, targeting one Abarimon, then another, but both of them knew it was useless. There were at least seventy Abarimons closing in on them. They didn’t have enough bullets and there was only so much close combat Kyran could do on his own.

“Kyran?” Aaron called.

“Stay by my side, Ace,” Kyran said. “Shoot till your last bullet. Leave the rest to me.”

Aaron swallowed heavily and gripped his pistol tightly, steadying it with his other hand. He took aim at the closest Abarimon. He sucked in a breath and held it, willing himself to fire the first shot and start his first, and probably last, battle.

Shots rang out, deafeningly loud, but they were from neither Aaron’s nor Kyran’s gun. Startled, Aaron turned to see a whole group of teenagers clad in long coats and boots come spilling out from the darkness of the forest. They fired at the Abarimons, dropping the demons to the ground. The Abarimons turned, momentarily forgetting about Kyran and Aaron and focusing on this new threat.

From the crowd of boys and girls in dark coats came a flash of ivory white with a glint of studded silver. Aaron’s breath rushed out of him in surprise. Skyler was here. The sight brought a reassuring comfort that confused Aaron. Never did he imagine he would be glad to see Skyler. With a closer look, Aaron realised it wasn’t just Skyler; the rest of the Hunters were here too. Ryan, Julian, Ella, Zhi-Jiya – the whole lot of Salvador’s Hunters were here but so were the Hunters of Balt. A glimpse of Bella slicing off the head of an Abarimon confirmed that. It was only when Aaron felt Kyran’s firm grip under his elbow that he snapped out of his shock. Kyran pulled him quickly to the side, practically throwing him behind a tree.

“Stay here,” he instructed. “Any demon comes near you, shoot it.”

With that, Kyran sprinted forward to join the battle. This time it was the Abarimons that were surrounded, having no place to run from the Hunters. They fought back with their sharp spears, trying to impale their attackers. Aaron’s blood ran cold when he saw one of the Abarimons plunge the spear into Zhi-Jiya. Without a moment’s thought, Aaron was running towards her. Ella shot the demon before Aaron could get near enough to aim. With a sharp tug, Ella pulled the spear out of Zhi-Jiya’s torso and threw it aside. Zhi-Jiya staggered forward, bending over, with both hands clutched around her stomach.

“Zhi-Jiya!” Aaron came to her side. “Oh God! You okay?”

Zhi-Jiya was breathing heavily, head lowered as she stayed doubled over.

“Give me a...a minute,” she managed to say.

Slowly, she straightened up, panting past the obvious pain. Her face was covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. Her hands were stained with blood, but she simply brushed them down her legs and pulled out another magazine from her pocket.

“Get my gun, will ya?” she asked breathlessly.

Aaron picked her black and red pistol up from the ground. “You okay?” he asked again, as he held her gun with one hand and steadied her with the other.

Zhi-Jiya grinned, even though her eyes with bright with pain. “Please,” she scoffed, but Aaron could hear it lacked her usual charisma. “It takes more than a flimsy stick to get the best of Zhi-Jiya Hau.”