Page 15 of Capturing Sin

Of my father’s voice telling me to run. Of my legs failing to move.

The hungry growl of a demon.

I shoved the memory back before it could suck me under. It had taken me a long time to pull free from the nightmares of my past. Some nights, they still won.

I continued the long walk home, winding through the quieter streets until I was alone with the rain and my thoughts, save for the occasional scuff of a shoe against the pavement from Rhia, trailing behind me.

The ghost of my father’s death haunted me.

If he’d have had the defensive serum that my uncle was pressuring the scientists to develop, maybe he’d still be alive, running the Riverside hunters. He’d pushed me to my limits with training, even though I was still a child, but my uncle shoved me past them.

My father might have been a cold bastard, but didn’t I owe it to his memory to stop more people from being killed by parasitic demons?

I couldn’t face letting a demon bite me, day after day. But what kind of monster would that make me if I let some innocent person suffer in my place? My job already made me sick, witnessing all those demons captured and hurt while I just stood by and did nothing.

Or worse, helped keep them there.

Sometimes the weight of my guilt was too much to bear. I’d wake with the lingering sound of screams in my ears. The image of demons begging me for help.

The echo of their torment seemed to follow me into the present.

I paused, frowning as another muffled scream pierced the haze of memories again.

My heart pounded as I spun, assessing the street for threats. Rhia was nowhere in sight.

A thud sounded from deep within an unlit path, just a few paces back.

Another pained cry rang out, and I plunged into the darkness.

Halfway down the alley, a horned beast pressed Rhia against the bricks, drawing me up short.

Fear held me in its vice as I absorbed the familiar scene.

This was how my father had died. Just a few streets over.

The monster buried his face against Rhia’s neck, and she screamed against the hand clamped over her mouth.

“Not again.” The plea slipped into the night, and I sprinted towards them.

The demon reared back, tearing bits of Rhia’s throat out. Blood dripped from his fangs as he hissed at me. It stained his mouth like smeared lipstick.

He dropped his prey, smirking as I closed in. Horror churned my gut as Rhia collapsed at his feet.

I cursed myself for coming unarmed, but there wasn’t time for regret as I swung for his smug face. He dodged in a blur of speed. Demons were naturally fast, but the fresh blood meant he’d easily outpace me.

He cocked his head, branched horns catching the moonlight. “You know what I am, don’t you?” Thin lips split wide, showcasing a nest of fangs. “Surely such a weak little girl can’t be a hunter too?”

His hand darted out before I could flinch, gripping my throat and shoving me into the bricks hard enough to see stars. Claws dug into my neck, and I shoved down the fear that my next breath would be my last. With a snarl, I slammed my knee into his balls, but he swept back, narrowly avoiding the blow.

I slid into a fighting stance, the wall at my back. Adrenaline narrowed my focus to the monster before me, licking a drop of my blood from his pearly claw tip with a look of ecstasy.

“It’s almost too easy.” The demon sniggered, eyeing my raised fists. “Not much sport in devouring a skinny runt, is there? You’re barely a mouthful.” Glowing red eyes ran the length of me, leaving a sticky feeling in their wake.

“If it’s so easy, why are you backing away, leech?” I hissed back. “Come take a bite, see what happens.”

He took another step back with a smirk. “I’m a touch full for another snack actually, but don’t worry, I’ll come find you when I’m hungry.”

He turned and walked off, sauntering down the alley.

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