the Fucking Apple
Gunner stood in the middle of a Mall and sighed as Ari and Finna stepped up beside him. He looked around as all of the shoppers remained frozen in time. It was not that they were actually frozen, not in the “frozen in time” sense of the word, but to explain it completely I guess I can just say this: a Hellhound and any creature, other than a human, works on a different time table, as in between seconds, the moments that humans do not see all around them. So as we battle, we fight in the moments of time they are not even aware of. If we stay long enough we see eyelids starting to move ever so slowly to blink, small changes in expression. But like I said, we move faster than they can see.
Tercia stepped out of a store and shook her head as Gunner scanned the upper deck of the mall and then they all heard it. One long howl. They bolted towards the escalator and ran up it, weaving in between people as they rode it unsuspecting of their presence. Once at the top, Gunner sniffed the air and looked to his right as he saw a flash of something and knew immediately what it was. He ran as he pulled his blades and slid across the slick floor as two shadows jumped over him from both sides. Ari raised a hand and stopped Finna as she started to rush towards him and Tercia stood her ground too as Gunner rose up and pivoted on one foot, swords extended. She crossed her arms on her chest as she watched him, knowing that she always enjoyed watching him battle. Gunner lowered his goggles and he could now see the beasts as they were, black wolves darting from here to there almost as quickly as the vampire.
Suddenly a shadow flashed up into his face and he sliced the air so quickly with his sword that it looked like a blur. The shadow would dart into his face and out, over and over again until finally he dropped the swords and simply snatched a shadow from the air and the girl cried out as everyone but Gunner covered his ears. He turned her and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle the terrible noise. Ari lowered his fingers and saw blood on them as it made his ears bleed. The girl looked all of 90 pounds and probably 17 perhaps 16 years of age. Gunner leaned into her ear.
“If you stop, I will let you go.”
She hissed and then bit his hand so he dropped her. But Tercia ran towards them and dropped to the ground, sliding on her side and then grabbing the girl’s foot and causing her to fall. She held on until Gunner could reach her and he jerked the girl to her feet and grinned as she spit at him.
“You are seriously feisty,” Gunner said as she tried to kick him and Finna knocked her on her ass and placed a large axe to her throat as she bit into an apple and tossed it.
“Listen up. We are not here to battle you. Something much bigger is coming and we need to speak to your pack leader.”
She then started to howl and Finna blinked as all of the glass rattled in the malls dome above them and a small crack ran up the lens in the man’s glasses standing closest to them. Gunner looked over at him and sighed.
“Tell them we mean no harm or you will be dead before any one of them get here.”
She narrowed her eyes and howled again. This time it did not sound desperate at all. Gunner nodded to her and Finna pulled her axe away from her throat. Gunner reached down and offered a hand to the girl and she took it, still looking a bit irritated. He pulled her up and she looked him over.
“What is it you want dog?”
“Moxy, mind your manners,” a voice said from behind all of them.
They all turned to see a man standing there in jeans and a black button down shirt. He also wore black military style boots, his hair was black and shaggy, framing his face and hanging in his eyes unless he moved it aside, which he did as he looked at all of them one by one. He was very attractive, almost chiseled in his features. His jaw was not too square, but definitely defined.