Hell Fire: A New World Order

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The year, unknown...the time, uncertain...the place, earth...

Ten years ago, based on the new age calander, the Dark Wars came to an end. They had been occuring for five long years before that, blood shed and violence painting the world. Demons had come, sent by whoever their commander may be, to destroy the human race. They had been tactical. First destroying power hubs, computer technologys, weapons and nuclear houseing...we were defensless without it. Atleast, thats what people thought as there world leaders were murdered and chaos began to rule. The demons swept across the planet, obliterating towns, killing, the human race was barely hanging on. Then it happened. Proud believers from every faith came together to save the world. They began to fight, to drive hell's spawn back, they killed the demons. Converts flocked to the group, unsure what exactly they had to do to be followers but wanting to be saved from the chaos. The men who had come together had not intended to start a church, not intended a new world order, but as things progressed and the power of the union grew the New Age Church of the Holy was formed.

That marked the end of the Dark Wars. Technology is gone, humans have survived, demons still wander and infest certain areas, and the church, as most call it, rules supreme. During the ten years since the war, coruption has filled the ranks of the church. The men who had originally come together for the greater good have vanished, and those in their place are ruthless for power. They control the world now, and they want to control everyone but with any new order comes conflict. Many refuse to convert still, even if most have. As these "heretics" "disappear" it becomes clear that the church has something to do with it. Scare tactics are being employed to maintain their following, and chruch officials are placed in every town and city within their control.

That is where we stand now. Thankfully, not every city can be controled, not every man a convert, so perhaps there is hope in the end for the corrupted and battered earth...

Name: Niro
Age: Unknown but looks about 21
Race: Demon
Gender: Male
Appearence: Tall, muscular and lean, shaggy silver hair, red eyes with stark white pupils. Tends to dress in a tight white shirt, black ankle leangth trench coat, grey jeans and black combat boots.
Powers: Lightning, he can control electricity. He also has unnatural speed, even for a demon.
Weapons: Jet black Katana, it is a special kind of blade dubbed a Hell Bringer.
Short Bio: In Hell, or wherever you would like to say demons come from, Niro was a bit of a top dog. He earned the nickname of The lighting Prince. Once sent to earth, something inside him changed. He had been leading a hell battalion and over time had gotten sick of watching the blood. He particularly disliked how the mothers tried in vain to protect their children and those kids became his weakness. His fellow demons caught on, and brought him a little girl of about eight years old. He couldnt kill her, so when the others attacked him he killed them instead. It was a long fight, Niro was badly injured, but he survived and took the girl with him. Her name was cassidy. Niro now services as a demon hunter. He is considered a traitor by his own kind and his dislikes his own kind with a certain passion. Over the years he has been captured by the church, escaped, he has been torn up by demons and hunters alike, and all the while he has never changed his resolve. The girl cassidy and he now share a brother/sister like relationship.

Name: Cassidy Merlot
Age: 19
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Appearence: Small and petit with long brown hair and deep blue eyes. She is fond of dresses and skirts and always has a red ribbon in her hair.
Powers: None
Weapons: A small dagger she keeps in her boot just in case, and a small prayer book. It isnt much of a weapon but it makes her feel secure.
Short Bio: Cassidy was the soul survivor of her town, the girl Niro couldnt kill in cold blood. She still has nightmares reguarding the day she met him, but over the years they have become close friends and she thinks of him as an older brother. Cassidy has little to no fighting abilities, but she makes an excellent medic. She is smart and tactical, having been able to break Niro out of the church's prison once and managing to keep herself alive when the venture out to earn some money on the various bountys posted on demons in free citys. She is strong in her own ways, even if she isnt much of a fighter. She is also better at talking to people, making "friends", and gleening info from others that her brooding anti-social counterpart.
 
Name: Calypso "Caly" Orten
Age: 20
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Appearence: She has long black hair, with pure white stripes running through it. While most would think it dyed, it is her natural haircolor. Her eyes are a camouflage green, hooded and mistrustful. Her face is of average beauty, in her eyes. She has a thin, straight nose, almond-shaped eyes, and vaguely Danish features. Think of her as a mix between Asian and Anglo-Saxon. She is thin as a rail, having never eaten properly her whole life. On her right hand, she wears a steel ring on her middle finger, inscribed with Hoc non semper essent (Things weren't always this way)
Powers: She has unusually high charisma for someone her age. She also is extremely good at breaking in and out of places, and knows how to infiltrate and exfiltrate any building in the church's main cities.
Weapons: Fantasy_Sword_by_konishkichen.jpg This is hooked onto her beltloop by a piece of string, which with one pull, comes undone.
Short Bio: Born to a rebellious family, Caly grew up taught that what the church was doing was wrong, and to fight back, no matter how weak it may seem, that every victory, no matter how big or small, against the church was good. When her parents were killed by church officials in their own home, Caly further took their words to heart, leaving their home for the safer cities out in the west. There, she started again, harboring people in need of hiding from the church. She never wanted to be in a position where she couldn't save someone, and took to doing this at no charge. She's learned a few tricks through this, and has several sides to her because of this. Currently, she goes by the alias Night, to keep her real identity hidden from the church

Name: Uri Abaddon
Age: 19
Race: Half-Human, Half-Demon
Gender: Male
Appearence: Uri has ashy gray-white hair, worn down to his shoulders. To match, his eyes are gray as well, a stormy cloud color that hides most of his emotions. He wears an all black knee-length jacket, buttoned from bottom to top, with a clasp in the shape of a one-lined Celtic cross. Its collar reaches almost up to his chin, and he hardly ever takes the jacket off, even during the summer. For his age, he has a childish face and build, causing many to mistake him for one. Beneath his jacket, he wears black slacks and a tight black undershirt.
Powers: Uri can control shadows, solidifying them into solid beings and such. He can also use his childish innocence to his advantage, as people are more likely to trust a child than an adult these days.
Weapons: rifle.jpg
Short Bio: Born of a human mother and a demon father, the church once sought to eliminate him, but, rather than kill him, they took him back to the church's headquarters, and raising him to believe that he was born to the church and is loyal to them. He was brought up in a stark white room, with no human contact for the first fifteen years, while they made sure he wouldn't just ice everyone. As such, he is a little cracked, and believes that "the Voice," who was just a church official who spoke through an intercom system to him, is his father. He doesn't remember his own parents. Uri whenever he did something wrong, was subjected to all sorts of punishment one could give a demon until he was 'perfect.' After he turned fifteen, the church realized that he was "tame" enough to be trained, and used as a weapon. As of now, he is on his first solo mission, to bring back a notorious rebel, they don't care who, but he has a list of every one of the wanteds.

Tell me if I've done something wrong ^^
 
ooc: I believe they are both perfect! lol we have a nice mix of characters here to start so we shall begin! lol

"So...who is the chick we are suppose to find out here Cass?" Niro asked before taking a huge yawn, the demon fangs in his mouth glinting slightly in the patchy dimming sunlight. They were wandering through a small forest now somewhere out west. Cassidy had caught wind of a woman who went by the name Night. Supposidly she gave refuge to those looking to avoid the church, and since it was atleast another days walk to the next free city they would need some lodging if only for the night. Cass had slept in a few too many trees and shanty camps lately. Niro didnt seem to mind, but he didnt mind anything.

"Her name is Night. Somewhere around here in the woods she has a hide out and she takes in those who are hiding or running from the church." Cass said in responce to Niro's earlier question. The Demon seemed uninterested.

"Hiding? Who says we are hiding?" Niro asked, glancing at cass who went from calm to fuming in all of two seconds.

"You are an idiot..." she said "They got you once, you got away, I helped, your a demon for crying out loud...of course we are hiding from them! Particularly since you stirred them up in the last city!" she snapped.

A cocky grin slipped onto Niro's face then. "I might have caused a fuss but they asked for it. Trying to snatch you up like that...and besides, we got away without a problem."

"A problem? Is your shoulder not a problem?" Cassidy asked smacking the a for mentioned shoulder. Niro whinced and stepped away from her. So he had taken an arrow to the shoulder, usually not a big deal...but this one had been blessed and blessed weapons were Niros weakness. The wound still hurt, and it had been three days since he had been shot. By now he would have usually healed but a blessed arrow was a bad arrow and the wound was healing much slower and only healing at all right now because of Cass and her talents.

"Smacking it wont help you know..." he growled at her after a moment. He resembled a kicked puppy with the way he was only half looking at her. Cass just smiled and giggled a bit.

"Yes but I have to keep you in line somehow...now are you sensing anything at all? Or does this woman Night not actually exist, all I had to go by were rumors you know..." cass asked. Niro took a deep breath and looked around, what he was seeing or sensing was beyond Cass. She didnt knw how his demon powers worked, only that he never got lost.

"Cass..." he started out sighing "you know its called a hide out because its hidden right? Hard to find?" Niro honestly didnt care if they found the place or not, but apparently cass did. "Is this all cause you want a decent shower again? I mean the river was cold but it wasnt that bad..." he trailed off as he noticed something unusual. A twig snap. Too large to be a bird or squirrel, to small to be a deer or other large animal. Whatever it was it was trying to be sneaky. Natural predators were actually quiet so the fact that he heard this one let him know it was probably human. He barely caught the twang of the string in time to snatch Cassidy out of the way and behind a tree.

A grouping of arrows were now stuck in the ground where the two had been walking. Niro had a hand over cassidys mouth to quiet her. Only someone who knew what to watch for would have seen him move. It was rare that Niro actually had to use all of his speed. Judging from the angle of the arrows, the attack had come from behind which meant they couldnt leave the tree cover without a fight. Not unless Niro wanted to chance making Cassidy sick enough to pass out. She got motion sick when he ran with her. They had done it before but it wasnt ideal, esspecially with ranged weapons and an unknown number of attackers.

"Ill take care of them and catch back up. You run once they are distracted." he whispered to cass who nodded reluctantly. She never actually ran like he wanted her. She would go far enough to be out of the way but close enough to interviene if needed. Niro had given up trying to make her run a while ago.

Appearing back where the arrows were, Niro looked around the wood. "Excuse me?" he called loudly in a sarcastic tone "You missed, if you would like to play an honest game come on out. There are many of you and only one of me. How bad can it be?"

He picked up an arrow and quickly dropped it. It had burned his hand. "Wow, blessed...Im betting yall are more of the churches cowardly little bastards huh?" he egged, and finally he got something. Another faint snap of a twig. "Bingo." Niro charged, having pulled his sword out from no where and came down on top of a bush. The man hidden there screamed and rolled, but two arrows zinged past Niros head and he was forced to jump clear.

Cass took off running, but she stopped soon after. She was far enough away to avoid the fight, but close enough to still see it.
 
"They're coming, they're coming, they're coming, they're coming, Night!" Analyss shouts, her voice quickly becoming hysterical. She was the youngest of the group of three that Caly was currently hiding, only five. While she did know that the church was coming, as someone had supposedly seen lights on in the house, she knew that Analyss's shouting would certainly only bring them trouble.

"Dammit, I know that, Analyss!" Caly shouts, her commanding voice silencing the girl. "Now help me get these sheets over the furniture!" Xavier and Jason, the former being twenty and the latter being fifteen, were already working on the kitchen, placing any food into bags and moving it to the secret basement, the table and chairs already covered in a fake dust and an off-white sheet. Analyss moved into action, helping Caly get a sheet over the couch. The living room done, Caly went back into the kitchen to see Jason and Xavier debating what to do with an old set of salt and pepper shakers. "Leave them out," she said. "It'll make it seem like it was once lived in. But remember to put the Counter-Dust on it," she left them to it, knowing that her panicky voice couldn't be good for morale right now.

Moving into the small bedroom she left to herself, she covered all the furniture, stripping the bed and shoving it into the hallway to take into the cold basement. She took and entire drawer from the chest of drawers, it being filled with candles and matches. It also contained a powder in a vial that glowed without giving off heat or requiring oxygen, something to use if the candles ran out. She moved quickly, knowing that they had only a few more minutes, if that. If her contact hadn't gotten intercepted for some stupid reason, they would have had hours to prepare. But nooo, he just had to get hung up. Silently, she berated herself, knowing that it wasn't his fault, and that they would be get through this okay. And if not, well, let's cross one bridge at a time.

She moved to the second bedroom, covering the furniture there, and taking the sheets off the bed there, too. As she was moving to the kitchen, where the entrance to the basement was, she got Xavier to help with the things, as she took off a plain round, silver necklace off of her neck, placing one side against a small indentation in her counters, twisting it counterclockwise while she nervously glanced out the windows. "Jason, go make a final check. If there's anything wrong, don't try to cover it. Just bring it along with you if you can." She spoke rapidly, and he ran off, the hydraulics and gears already moving. Soon, a five foot tall entrance opened up, and Caly ushered in Analyss first, before allowing Jason and Xavier to go in. She made a quick once-over before realizing she had made a mistake. "Shit," she cursed, taking the necklace and throwing it down the opening, calling down to them, "If you hear three knocks, one loud the other two soft, open it. If not, wait until morning, and come back out. I won't be here in that case."

Before the three could protest, Caly took a spare can of Counter-Dust and began to spray down all the rooms, slowly moving back to the kitchen. She could hear tires rolling up her long driveway. Cursing repeatedly under her breath, she quickly sprayed the windows, knowing it would probably ruin them, but not willing to risk it. Spraying the kitchen once more, and leaving a few particles in the air, she knocked on the counter, hearing the gears moving. As soon as the opening was wide enough for her to get through, she squeezed in, whispering fiercely for Xavier, who had the necklace, to lock it once more.

The hydraulics finally stopped hissing just as she heard the front door opening. Heart still pounding, Caly fumbled around in the dark, trying to find her candles and matches, so that they would be able to see eachother. Finally finding them, she struck a match, and lit up the small room in light. She took a second before saying, "I think we're okay, for now. Better stay here for the night though..."

Uri's demon heart thudded in his chest from excitement. This would be his chance to prove to his father that he actually had learned what he had tried to teach him. He smiled, even though he knew that too much excitement now might compromise the mission. Gripping the wheel of the stolen vehicle harder, he pulled up to the driveway of the woman named Night.

Earlier that evening, he had seen a man who looked just a little suspicious, and he questioned him, meaning that he had beat him within an inch of his life and gave him the option of death or information. As any sane human would, the man had spilled everything, telling all about the harborer of dangerous criminals of the church.

He hoped she was scared, the demon part of him howled for it. If he could see her terrified face when he placed the medicine into her, knocking her out for three days, at the least, than he would surely be happy for a few days. The thought made him smile.

Soon, he saw the house, a ramshackle medium-sized building. She had obviously been doing this for a while, knew how to cover her tracks. It certainly looked as if no one had lived here in decades. But he knew better. While some of the windows facing the front of the house had been darkened, the other windows hadn't been touched. Mistake number one, Night, Uri thought to himself, chuckling a little. Getting out of his car, he went to the front door, his gun held ready at his side.

He tried the front door. Locked. Mistake number two, Night. Any abandoned house surely would have been broken into long ago. Hefting his gun, he took it off safety, figuring he'd have to at least shoot the bitch in the leg to get her to comply. He hoped so. Taking aim, he shot the doorknob, leaving only a perfect, immaculate hole in its place. Pushing open the door, he could distinctly smell a lot of Counter-Dust, something that had been found at nearly every place Night had been known to stay at. Counter-Dust was a stupid thing, made of ground up sheets of paper and various other chemicals. If there was too much of it, it would leave a very pungent odor, that wouldn't leave for a while. Mistake number three, Night.

Heading left, into the kitchen, even more Counter-Dust must have been sprayed, as the smell was worse. Must have been the last place she sprayed, too, since she left so much dust. Mistake number four, Night. He would continue his search, as long as it would take until he found where she was hiding. No matter what...
 
Niro was standing over the last church official, twirling his Katana in his hand. "Your alone buddy, how does it feel? All your little buddies are knocked smooth out..."

The man was pathetic, begging for Niro not to kill him. Niro just rolled his eyes. "Take this to heart you damn church lacky...I dont kill humans anymore but I will kill you pathetic slimy bastards if you dont start leaving me and Cass alone." he yawned then. "Nighty-night." and smacked the man on the head with the handle of his katana. There had been six church men total, all armed with bows and arrows. They werent the churches elite forces, that was for sure. Most of the elite carried guns with blessed silver bullets in them.

Niro turned around to cassidy standing behind him, none to his surprise. "Can you shoot a bow cass? Might come in handy..."

"Yes." was all she said. Cass looked disturbed and niro quirked a brow.

"Whats wrong with you?" he asked. Cass didnt look at him and just chose to reply while picking up arrows instead.

"Nothing, your just an imbicile sometimes. Always managing to find trouble." she smiled then and looked up at him "Atleast your right, you can handle it. Now lets go find this Night lady and see if we cant have a decent bed for a change..." it had grown dark during the little fight in the woods. Niro nodded and lead the way. It was Cassidys turn to question him "Just were are you going?"

"You wouldnt have seen it cass, but there was a light off in the woods a distance. I figure lights mean people of some sort." Niro said. Cass followed without question.

It was a silent walk as the pair approached where Niro swore he saw the light, sure enough there was a house but it was so run down it looked like no one had lived there in ages. Suspiciously, there was an automobile out front. Few people had cars anymore. Most had been wrecked an destroyed, but there were still a few to be found in larger cities.

"Whats a ca-" Niro slapped a hand over cassidys mouth and motioned for silence. She had been whispering, but even that must have been too loud. Niro only acted this way when he thought something was up, something bad. He sniffed the air, something was off but he couldnt quite tell what yet.

"Stay here, stay quiet, stay hidden." niro said in a barely audible whisper. Cass decided she would do just that this time around.

As she hunked down Niro stood up slightly and ran. His steps were completely silent, and he was nothing but a mild blur to most eyes. He crept to the doorway. Gunpowder. He could smell a lingering hint of it, and when he saw the hole where the knob he knew what the gun had been used for. He had two options, go in and investigate or leave and head the other direction fast. He considered what cass had said about this mystery woman housing people and decided he was going in. If there were people who needed help then he might as well see what he could do.

Slipping inside Niro smelled counter-dust. He fought the urge to cough or sneeze as he continued through the house. He stopped only when he got to doorway into the kitchen. A man was standing in the kitchen with an impressive looking gun. The smell of counter dust was stronger here as well. Apparently, whoever was hiding had disappeared somewhere in this room and if he was correct in his assumptions then this man was trying to find whoever was hiding.

Niro opted to hang back and wait, observe, but the counter-dust was getting to him. He had never figured out why the the stuff made his nose itch so bad. Niro tried to be silent but after a moment he couldnt hold in a sneeze. He covered his face and held it in, muffling the sound almost entirely but there was still a sound and it seemed loud in the silent house.
 
The four waited in the basement, Analyss crawling into Caly's lap as they heard an ungodly bang! followed by the opening and shutting of the front door. Footsteps directly above them echoed into the hollow space. This was a crucial moment. If any of them so much as coughed, it would surely be heard in the house. In her arms, Caly could feel Analyss's tiny heart fluttering about her chest. She was obviously scared, and Caly was trying her best to silently comfort her.

A minute of silence passed, and then, the door could be heard opening and shutting once more, but extremely quiet. Caly could see Analyss was about to say something, and she quickly clamped a hand over the child's mouth, upon hearing a second set of footsteps above them. The cadence of the quiet stretched on for several minutes, until the group heard a small sound above. None of them knew what it was, but even if they could place it, there was no way to. As quietly as he could, Jason handed Caly one of the blankets, and she wrapped it about herself and Analyss. Jason and Xavier were sharing soft cookies, a rarity now.

The three had brought it with them, when they first asked for shelter, through what means of obtainment, Caly didn't know, nor was she going to question. Cookies like those were so rare now that even some of the richer people in the cities couldn't get them. Xavier handed a few to the two girls, and Analyss seemed to relax a little at the comfort, food, and warmth, even if they were in semi-darkness, and the shadows cast by the flickering candles were ghastly.

Then, just like earlier, they heard that ungodly sound, something that Caly was finally able to pinpoint as one thing. Gunfire.

Uri examined the room, trying to figure out where anyone would be able to hide in this small, decrepit kitchen. He was so transfixed with this dilemma that he failed to hear the soft opening and shutting of the door. He had let his guard down slightly, thinking that he would have heard something if anyone else was in the house.

After a few minutes of thought, just as he was about to examine the drawers and cabinets of the kitchen, he heard the smallest trace of a sound, that small noise someone makes in their nose when they try to hold back a sneeze. He blinked, not turning his head. The sound had been close enough that whoever had made it was probably watching him. He only paused a second before kneeling at the first cabinet, opening and shutting it repeatedly while trying to figure out if it did in fact contain a hidden latch, or button, or keyhole.

Without warning, though, he spun around, rushing into the doorway of the kitchen, and sending a shot to the hallway going to the left. He didn't think he hit anything, but the way the sound bounced around, it sounded like he wasn't alone. Backing into the kitchen slowly, he readied the gun once more, its semi-automatic capabilities coming in handy.

"Night," he said into the darkness of the house, "I know that's you. Come out now, and I'll only have to shoot you in the shin, not the kneecap," in the dark, he smiled, knowing that he was lying through his teeth. He'd shoot the bitch in the kneecap anyways, for using this goddamned Counter-Dust, its various chemicals irritating his nose a little. He'd have used his shadow powers now, but he actually have to be able to see or visualize who it was, and no one had any sort of image of Night, only vague descriptions that didn't give any sort of solid idea about who she was. "Come on out." He said it almost caringly, like a father playing that silly hiding game with his children. He shook his head in the dark, knowing he had to keep a clear mind right now.
 
Niro managed to duck and cover without getting shot or seen. Lucky break, he needed to be more careful. Clearly this guy wasnt just any old looter. He listened as the man talked, it explained a lot. So this was the hide out of the mysterious Night. Niro considered his options once more. He could try and lure this man away, he could stay hidden and plan a sneak attack, he could call him out perhaps...None of the ideas seemed very appealing, even he couldnt out run a bullet. Perhaps hearing a mans voice would through the poor fellow though.

"Seems you have me mistaken for someone else, sorry." Niro said, throwing his voice so that it was neigh impossible to pin point. "Im not Night, but I am irritated with all of this counter-dust. How about you?"

If Niro could distract him by speaking he might be able to find an opening for a decent attack. Using his electricity was his best bet, he could attack from a range and possibly stay hidden. The issue was, that unless he wanted to zap every living creature in the house he needed a visual on his target. That or he needed to pin point the location of anything he didnt want zapped so he could avoid it. That clearly wasnt going to happen so he started to creep slowly from his hiding spot down the hall. If he could just see the guy.

"By the way, you know that threatening a persons knee caps is not the right way to try and coax them out of hiding dont you?" he continued talking and throwing his voice "Some people might find that kinda rude."

------------------------

Outside Cassidy heard the gun shot and was now flat on her belly in the brush. Just what on gods green earth had Niro gotten himself into?!?! She would have to trust that he would get out on his own. Guns were the one thing she knew better than to mess with.
 
The four in the hidden basement were able to hear the two men in the house clearly, their voices echoing slightly. Caly ground her teeth, knowing what the smart thing to do would be. If only she went up there, she could throw the key back into the basement, trying to 'protect her hiding spot,' and give herself up. At least then Xavier, Jason, and Analyss would get out okay. Silently, as the second voice, probably the one that wasn't the soldier's spoke about the Counter-Dust, Caly cursed, knowing that she had used too much, but hoping that she hadn't crossed that line between odorless and smelling.

Gently, even though she too was scared, Caly stroked Analyss's long beautiful blonde hair, trying to comfort the child. Whoever was up there with the soldier was either entirely brave, entirely stupid, or entirely desperate. No one in the right mind would try and trick a soldier like that. Most of the time, those who did ended up dead. That guy obviously really had done something to the church to make it hate him enough for him to go to all these lengths.

The group held their breath, knowing that each one they take could be their last. Finally, taking her sword, the glowing green vial, and the necklace key, she made up her mind. She wasn't going to wait for whoever was up there to be slaughtered by the soldier. The sword's tip trailed on the ground a little, its string coming undone again. She'd have to get some more later. But that was a thought for later, she decided, as she slowly crept to the entrance of the secret basement.

As the man spoke, Uri silently crept back until he was against the counters and could see both entrances to the kitchen fine. The dining room lay on one side, while the arm of a couch could just be seen in the dark on the other side. The sheets gave the entire house a ghastly appearance, like it was a ghost house. But, obviously, it wasn't.

After the initial startling from finding out that whoever else was in the house was a man, he recollected his senses, and rolled his shoulders, the kick from the gun still hurting a little. Kneeling down a little, he answered the first question with, "That is none of your concern, sir," his voice low so that it would be hard to pinpoint his voice's location.

Silently, he reached his hand into a nearby cabinet, looking for anything that would help him. His hand came to rest on a canister of spray paint (Mistake number five, Night). At least, that's what he thought as he pulled it out. Readying his gun, he threw it into the hallway, shooting it straight through. If it had been spray paint, the paint would fly everywhere, covering whoever was in the house, and possibly getting a scream. However, it wasn't spray paint.

It was Counter-Dust. The filaments went everywhere, the canister's pressurized contents filling Uri's lungs. Forgetting his years of training, Uri coughs, gasping for breath as tears spring to his eyes. His eyes stinging from the damned chemicals, he decided he was definitely going to kill that bitch Night and anyone who she was housing.
 
Niro reacted quickly, drawing his trench coat up around his face and blocking out most of the counter dust. He still ended up coughing as the chemicals he had inhaled irritated his lungs. Niro had tears in his eyes as well, but he took advantage of the incident. The counter-dust had created a decent cover, still filling the air and making it hard to see anything besides vauge shadows. Thats all Niro needed though. He sprang up from hiding, looking through the dust filled air in the direction that the other mans coughing and gasping had come from. It was in the kitchen and Niro moved so he could see through the doorway. He was standing in the dining room and he knew he would be visible to his counter part as well. The counter dust was just starting to settle out of the air and Niro spotted his adversary.

Pulling out his sword, just in case a direct attack was needed, Niro raised his other hand and snapped his fingers. A current of electricty seemed to materialize from no where, and shock the other. If they were human, the attack would be enough to stun them. Niro could retrieve their gun, restrain them, and then figure out what the hell was happening. If they werent human, well It would probably hurt and get their attention. Niro figured atleast this way he would know exactly what he was dealing with.

Outside cassidy heard another gun shot and cursed under her breath. She was starting to get worried, but Niro had been shot...a lot...bullets wouldnt be enough to kill him outright, usually...Cassidy started to wonder if there were others in the building. She didnt suspect Niro would have stayed to fight if there wasnt someone in need of a little help. That also ment whoever was shooting was more then likely with the church. "This is all just one big cluster fuck!" Cassidy cursed again, unsure what else she could do.
 
Caly started when she heard yet another gunshot, almost stumbling, but not quite. She held up the small vial like a lantern, giving her a bit more light to see by while she reached the door. In front of it, on the other side, she could hear coughing and gasping, then a grunt of pain. Soon, footsteps could be heard in the direction of the dining room.

Taking a deep breath, Caly readied her weapon and her mind, not knowing what sort of bloodbath she might find once she went back outside. Swallowing her fear, she took out her necklace. She waited in the green semi-darkness, trying to hear sounds of movement, a cry of pain, anything to tell her where the two people were in her house. She gripped the handle of her sword so tightly her knuckles turned white. Slowly, as if by being slower she could prolong the moment, Caly moved the pendant towards the indentation in the wall, where the door lay.

Half a second later, the familiar hydraulics and gear-shifting was to be heard, echoing through the house and the basement. Throwing the necklace back down to Jason, who was running for her, pleading with his eyes for her not to go into whatever Hell lay in the house, she set her gaze on him. "Remember," she said, squeezing herself through the quickly opening doorway, "it is better to live on your feet than to die on your knees."

And with that, she stood up, untying the string attaching her sword to her beltloop. A slightly manic grin grew on her face. She'd had a good run. As the door shut behind her, she held it ready. For some reason, Counter-Dust was everywhere, and she raised an arm to protect her eyes. Her human vision could hardly make out two shapes, both moving about. And suddenly, the shadows of the dark house started shifting.

Uri quickly pinpointed the direction of the other man's coughing, even if he was currently incapacitated by the damn Counter-Dust. Visibility was nearly zero, but he made out a vague shape as the man approached him. He was about to solidify the shadows and kill the fucker in front of him, when electricity shot at him, coursing through him.

"Fuck!" he cursed, baring his teeth in anger. So the bastard was a demon like him. Interesting to know. Shaking off the shock from the electricity, no pun intended, he smirked as he made out the position of the bastard. Behind the man, he could hear the sound of gears moving, like a tightly sealed door was opening. But he had no time for that now.

"You just bought yourself a place in my personal Hell, motherfucker," Uri said, his voice dangerously low. Letting his gun sling to the side on his shoulder, he held out both his hands in front of him, extending his consciousness to the shadows of the house. Solidifying them, he made the ends into points, and shot two the man's way, not daring to hope that he had hit him. If he had, it would surely kill a human, but it would only injure the other man, being at least half a demon.

Again, he sent another volley of solid shadows towards the man. Returning to his own body's consciousness, his silver eyes were like silver coins in the dark. He was going to enjoy killing this bastard. As some of the shadows shifted back to their original position, the silver cross clasping his jacket shut glittered, catching what little light there was.

The shifting gears stopped moving, and he heard the whispered words of a young woman. Night. His smirk grew wider. So, he had finally drawn the bitch from whatever hole she had hid herself. Once again, he extended his consciousness, pinpointing her position by the sound of her voice and the silhouette of her figure. She was a small little thing. It was hard to believe that she was the mastermind behind the largest housing of those running from the church. He probably wouldn't get much fun out of her, judging by her size.

He saw the glint of a sword. So, the bitch had a weapon. Cute, he thought. As he solidified the shadows once more, this time pointing half at the woman and half at the man, he smiled openly, liking the feel of power.
 
Shadows, an interesting game. Niro dodged the first two with ease, then shattered the next with a swipe of his sword. The Hell Bringer was no regular weapon, it could deflect most attacks when used properly. The key was to not get distracted. The sound of gears and hydraulics behind him startled Niro and it made his next block shaky. He managed to deflect the projectile but instead of shattering it, the solidified shadow simply cleaved in two, one half slicing open the front of niros shirt and leaving a nasty wound on his stomach.

"You son of a bitch!" Niro couldnt help it. He had anger issues and seeing his own blood tended to bring out the worst in him. A ferral growl emminated from his throat. He looked in the direction the gear noise had come from and saw the firgure of a small woman. She had a sword. He vaugly recalled that Night was suppose to be a woman, but it didnt matter. He could see the next set of shadows preparing to attack.

Niro sent a surge of electricity through his own weapon then, the power strong enough to create visible crackles of lighting on the black steel. With one swift move he attacked the forming shadows. They partly disipated from the light, some of it shattered like glass. He looked at this supposid Night then. "You are a fool for coming out of hiding." he told her "I suggest you run."

Niro's red eyes shone slightly in the darkness as he turned back towards his opponent. "Clearly, you have never seen the likes of Hell..." he called out. "If you did, you clearly would not have chosen to fight me...." Niros voice trailed back off into a growl as he showed his demons fangs and bolted. He looked like a shadow himself in the slowly clearing dust. The crackles of electricity along his blade ignited as he took a hard sidelong swipe at the man before him, the attack hard enough to slice through the walls of the old house with ease. Niro knew his enemy was atleast half demon, and if the cross glinting on his jacket said anything he was also with the church. Those facts formed an instant hatred in Niro. "When you get to Hell tell them Niro sent you!"

----------------------------------------

Cassidy, who had been watching the windows saw the flashing lighting that characterized Niros fighting style. If he was using that much force, whoever he was battling was not human. Niro could handle most people without the use of his powers. Deciding that perhaps she did need to keep a closer tab on this fight she slipped from the woods up to one of the non blotted out windows she had been looking through from a distance. Cautiously she poked her head up and peered through the dirty glass.

She saw the vauge figure of a woman, but not Niro...then the flashing of electricty caught her attention across the room. She saw Niro then, sword swinging at another man. Both were vauge in the darkness, but she could see that there were two men and clearly the one with the electric weapon was Niro.
 
Caly's heart nearly stopped as she saw the shadows changing forms, but she forced herself to stand her ground. She was Night, a beacon of hope for all those running from the Goddamned church. When one of the two men, the larger, and older, of the two, dispelled most of the shadows, she replied to his words with a fierce tongue.

"I am not a coward. I will not run." She told him, tipping her chin up defiantly. Even in a situation like this, she was still able to stand up for herself and her pride. She had taken note of his red eyes as he looked to her, one word appearing in her head. Demon. Of course. Just another load of trouble for her to clean up afterwards. Still, she held her sword tightly, prepared to fight, not willing to let this man who had saved her life die, not willing to not help.

Running back through the kitchen, and into the living room so she could approach the other man from another side, she arrived just in time to see the first man, the one who saved her, rush forwards in an attack, his sword slicing through the walls. In any normal circumstance, she would berate him for doing that, as it looked unsightly and let in a draft, but she didn't, knowing full well that her sharp tongue and angry words wouldn't do any good right now.

That bastard's sword would certainly be a problem, Uri thought, nonchalantly chewing the end of his thumb's fingernail while he spoke to the bitch who was supposedly Night. His father, in the paper he had given him with all the names of people he could go after, had suspected that Night was a woman, but no conclusive evidence had been made. This was conclusive enough, Uri thought, already thinking of the praise he would receive once he brought back Night. Sure, she would be alive, like he wanted, but only barely, he thought darkly, getting a little overexcited as he imagined all he could do to make her cry. Maybe he could make her beg for him to kill her, but he wouldn't, because his father wanted her alive.

Uri had been so encapsulated about thinking on this that he barely registered the other man had spoken until he heard the growl. Clearly not human. Surrounding herself with demons. Mistake number six, Night. Coming to his senses just in time, he waited until he believed that the other man was certain he'd hit him. When that moment came, he too ran forwards, sliding on his knees, beneath the legs of the taller man.

The hood of his long jacket fell from his head, revealing his gray hair, as he grabbed the man's ankle, tripping him up. The only injury sustained: a small nick on his right ear. Not too bad, Uri, he thought to himself as he stood over the man. Quickly, he thought about where he could shoot him, causing the most pain, but still leaving him alive long enough to get to Night. Stepping slowly over to the man's arm, he kicked his hand, aiming to send his sword clattering away. Multitasking now, he solidified the shadows near Night, threatening her with them, so she wouldn't move.
 
So he was fast, nearly as fast as Niro could be. That was impressive. However Niro was not impressed with the fact that he was now flat on his back with this guy standing over him. He felt the kick that sent his sword clattering away. For most it would be a problem, but thankfully Niro could call it back to his hand. He didnt though, not yet. He saw the gun being aimed, and with the guy standing over his upper body he was in a predicament.

"You know..." he said, trying to draw the mans attention. Perhaps if he got the guy to break his concentration it would give Night the chance to attack since she clearly hadnt been lying about not running away. "I really hate guns." as he said it Niro kicked up, catching the man in the lower back to take him off balance before grabbing his ankles and pushing hard, causing the man to fall forward. At the same time niro tucked up and rolled away. Out of the immidiate line of fire, Niro had another idea. He jumped on the guy. If he could get the gun away that would help some, plus by wrestling the man he had the chance to hit him with some stronger electricity. Niro slapped his hands together before slamming them into the guys chest. They acted somewhat like a difibulator, sending a high power bolt through the others body. As soon as he did it Niro grabbed for the others gun aiming to disarm him.
 
Caly was shaking a little, not from the fear of dying, but from the fear that she'd leave Jason, Xavier, and Analyss without some form of hope left, only a dark room and candles that would run out in a few hours' time. The solid shadows kept creeping a little closer to her, occasionally one would move as if to strike her, but pull back, and only tear at her clothes a little. She didn't like where the shadows cut her clothes, tearing at the cloth of her pants above her middle thigh, and along her bra straps and the parts of her shirt covering her chest. Each time a shadow did that, a light blush would creep to her face, not one of anything good, but one of shame. However, one of them cut her along her cheekbone, leaving a thin, bleeding gash. She cursed repeatedly, but still she didn't run.

As the man on the ground spoke, a few of the shadows pulled back, but not enough so that Caly knew it was safe once more. In a flash, the first man was standing up, and the other one was on the ground. She gasped as she heard electricity crackling through the air, and the scream of the second man. The shadows surrounding her disappeared, and she moved forwards, warily, ready to attack if she needed to. She could still smell electricity in the air, that tangy, metallic taste you get when you scoot along carpeting in socks. Who was this man, she wondered as she approached.

Uri had let his guard down a little, only a little, when the man beneath him moved again, too fast for him to react. Suddenly, he was on the ground, with the bastard above him. Now, the bastard was on top of him, clapping, and slamming his hands into his chest. Lightning coursed through his body, and his hold on the shadows dissipated. "Fuck!" he cursed, quickly glancing about as his entire body was encapsulated with the pain of the shock. The sight of the bitch's clothes all torn up because of him made him feel a bit better, but not much.

His heart pounded so fast, it felt like it might stop any moment now. He could feel every artery and vein inside him expanding and contracting with each heartbeat, an experience that both amazed and scared him. His hands clenched uncontrollably, his knees bucking beneath the bastard. He tried to summon shadows again, to kill this bastard, but he couldn't concentrate enough, the pain taking up too much of his body and mind.

He cursed again as the man got ahold of his gun, his body still shaking slightly from the shock. This bastard would die, he promised that.
 
Niro was breathing hard as he took the gun away and threw it. Extending an arm and opening his palm, his katana snapped back into his hand. He raised it, only to hesitate. Gashing the mans stomach in a nearly identical wound to the one he had from the shadows earlier he looked at him with glowing red eyes. "Be glad your only a half demon...thats the only reason I am letting you live now. Maybe, just maybe you can find the side of you thats human. If we meet again you will not be so lucky."

Niro shook slightly. He had pumped enough electricity into the halfie to keep him down an stunned for a while. Niro looked at Night then, a sly grin creeping onto his face. "I kinda like your clothes like that sweet cheeks, now is there anyone else in the house? Cause you clearly cant stay here anymore. Not unless you wanna die." he said. Then his smile disappeared. "My name is Niro, I have a partner named Cassidy. We are both heading to Fluggerville. Its a free city a day or so away. No reigning church group, decent bounties, you would be safe to sleep there a night before disappearing off into a new hiding place."

Cassidy, realizing the fight was over for now, walked around to the door. She only caught the end of Niros speech as she poked her head around the corner and through the door. Niro glanced behind himself and saw her before looking back at Night. "Thats Cassidy. Shes a good medic if anyone your keeping is injured." he said then added "We can travel as a group. Saftey in numbers in case this guys gets up sooner than I think he will and comes after us."

Cassidy stepped inside then and shyly walked up. "Hello." she said with a slight smile. "Its nice to meet you. We were actually hoping to stay with you for a night, but it looks like we found you in a bad predicament instead."

The two couldnt be more alike but different. Cassidy was a small girl, her little blue dress so innocent looking compared to Niro who was easily over the six foot mark and dressed like a bad assasin. She seemed sweet, he was a natural ass...but they were both fighters underneath and something about the shine in cassidys blue eyes made that obvious.

It was then that Cassidy noticed the rather large stain of red on the front of Niros white shirt. The stain was starting to spread to his jeans even. She sighed "You know your bleeding pretty badly right?"

Niro only shrugged and said "We need to leave." he looked at Night once more "Coming or not?"
 
As the man spoke to her, Caly's face turned red, and she crossed her arms over her chest. Thankfully, only a little part of her panties were showing. She responded, "Three people, in my basement." She nodded as he told her his name. Niro. It was vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. Maybe, when she had lived in the larger cities she had known someone by that name. Shaking away that thought, she said, "Night. But you probably already knew that, if you knew to come here."

Turning away from him, she turned back when she heard the voice of a young woman. She nodded her direction. "It's okay, I've got a second safe house not too far from here. We'll be able to get to it within an hour, if we move quickly." Turning away again, she went to the cabinet, and shouted at it, "Xavier, it's okay. Bring what's left of the candles and whatever food you want. We aren't coming back."

Within seconds, the gears were moving and the hydraulics were hissing, Analyss coming out from the opening first, with Jason and Xavier following second and third. Xavier handed her the necklace once more. She smiled softly, reaching behind her head to clasp it, where it would be most safe. Jason hefted up Analyss as Xavier spoke.

"Thank you for keeping us with you for the last month, but we've decided to move on. We're heading North. There've been rumours that it's safer up there," he placed his arms around Caly's shoulders in a loose embrace. As he pulled away, Jason allowed Analyss to embrace her, too, and the little girl whispered in her ear, "I'll always remember you, Night." Finally, it was Jason's turn to give her a hug, and he did, although it was a little shorter than either Xavier's or Analyss's was. He wasn't much for sharing his feelings.

"We'll leave a little after you do, Night," Xavier said, giving her a weak smile. Caly turned to Niro, "I'm coming." She readjusted the sword so it was back in its makeshift sheath, the string tearing a little at its weight. "Whenever you're ready," she said to him.

"Son of a bitch!" Uri grunted as the man cut him, in almost the exact spot the younger man had with his shadows. As the man spoke of finding the human side of him, he said, "I have no human side. Not anymore." His heart was still pounding in his chest, his lungs heaving, making talking a little weird, but he was able to get the words out.

He smiled as the man spoke of his plans, thinking, So he isn't as smart as he wants people to believe. He even told his name, one he recognized from the list given to him by his father. As the bitch went to get the three runner bastards, he rolled his eyes. Everywhere north of Utah is nothing but wastelands and bandits now. The three would never make it three feet out there.

Except, right now, he was totally immobilized, and wouldn't be able to do anything while his limbs were still shaking and his heart was still pounding.
 
Niro nodded good luck to the other fugitives before giving Night one last solid look. Niro was an enigmatic character. A mix of serious and sarcastic. He turned on his heel, re sheathed his blade, and strolled out the door. Cassidy watched him then smiled at Night with a shrug of her shoulders, as if to say ignore his weirdness, before following him out the door. Cass caught up to Niro quickly. "Are you going to let me stitch that up?" she asked.

Niro didnt respond at first "Later. Im fine for now." he finally said. In truth, the wound hurt like hell and the bleeding may not have been life threatening but it was enough to slow him down slightly. Even slowed down Niro took long strides. He stopped by the car out front, poped the hood, and took a moment to fry the motor. No need to leave their little friend with a fast mode of transport and he wouldnt find another car around here anytime soon.

After the car was delt with, Niro headed into the woods. Her walked for about ten minutes before stopping and turning around. He knew Cassidy had been behind him but he hadnt even looked to see if Night had really followed. Cass had been the one to look over her shoulder and occasionally say a word or two. Now Niro looked at Night and sighed heavily. "Do we want to go to your safe house or keep moving towards town?" he asked.

"If we go to the safe house we can all rest and I can patch you up..." Cassidy suggested tenetivly. "Im a little tired." she added. It wasnt exactly the truth. Cassidy didnt think she could sleep with the sound of gun fire fresh in her mind. She was more concerned with Niro than herself in truth. The big lug would never admit it in front of a stranger, but using that much power and lossing blood so soon after his shoulder injury was bound to have left a bit lacking for energy. Normally the minor shoulder injury wouldnt have had any effect on him, but the demon was still walking off the effects of the arrows blessedness. He would be groggy and tired by morning if they didnt stop.

Niro and Cassidy both looked at Night then, waiting for a reply.
 
Caly followed the two others, wondering what Niro's look at her meant. She was silent most of the time they were walking, only speaking when the girl named Cassidy asked her a question. She was happy not to, still trying to figure out the strange pair. Cassidy seemed nice enough, but Niro, she didn't know about him. The cold winter wind blew through the slashes in her clothes, stinging the cut along her cheek a little. However, she ignored it, figuring she could get a change of clothes later.

As Niro turned around to speak to her, Caly listened to the both of them, and nodded, finally after they had finished. "I think we should go to the safe house. I don't think any sane town would let me in looking like this, and Cassidy is right. We should take the time to recuperate. Plus, it's safer than the one we just left, underground, but..." she trailed off, not wanting to give the reason she didn't just stay there full time. "It's easier for those who need help to find me if I stay aboveground, you know?"

Truthfully, the underground safe house terrified her. It made her feel terribly claustrophobic, enough so that she would rather test the dangers of living above than stay there. It rarely had electricity, only when she was there and certain it was safe enough to put out the small solar panels she had. Which was rare. Another thing about the bunker was that it was nearby an underground river, and she could always hear the water rushing through the ground.

Putting on a brave face, Caly took the lead of the group, taking them all west, keeping her gaze on the ground. She was looking for an olive colored rock, halfway buried in the dirt. It sat next to a patch of dirt that, when cleared away, would reveal a hatch, and an one-hundred foot drop into nothingness. Yet another reason why she hated the safe house. You had to jump down there, hoping that the net below would catch you. Before long, she saw the rock, and knelt in front of it. "Here it is," she said, deciding not to tell them about the drop until she jumped.

It took Uri at least an hour before he could move again. "God damn..." he muttered, slowly sitting up and rubbing his head where he had hit it on the ground. A shock like that would surely kill a human, if they weren't dead already, or send them into a coma. Which, in today's society, there wasn't much help for you, not unless you lived close to the church headquarters. A wave of nausea passed through him as he tried to stand up.

Muttering curses to himself, he sat back down, trying to keep from throwing up. He vowed to himself that he'd kill the bastard and the girl he was with, and then beat Night within an inch of death. The fame he'd get from bringing in Night and killing the fugitive named Niro and his counterpart would certainly teach the rest of the heretic trash not to fuck with him again.

After a few minutes of collecting his energies, Uri finally stood up without needing to sit down immediately. Walking was another thing altogether, and he had to thoroughly think through every tiny movement he was making in order for his legs to listen to him. If that demon fucker screwed up his brain, Uri would make sure he'd be the one to kill him, and make sure he watched Uri kill his girl. He still couldn't control the shadows anymore, something that worried him.

Retrieving his gun, he tried slinging it over his shoulder, but it was too difficult of a movement to preform. Instead, he just held it in his hands, slowly but surely making his way to the car. The bastard had killed the engine, so all he could do was sit there and wish it would work. After a while, he moved to the back seats, where there was more room for the young man to stretch out. Tiredly, his lay his gun on the floor of the car, closing his stormy grey eyes, and falling asleep soon.
 
Cassidy was glad when Night said she wanted to go to the safe house. Niro crossed his arms, grumbling something about wanting to get further away from the half cooked crazy with the gun but he didnt outright argue. Instead he just took up the back of the line as Night took the lead. It was easier for him to watch the girls and keep alert from the back. They walked for quiet a while before Night stopped and informed them they had arrived.

Cassidy looked around, confused, before she remembered what Night had said about the place being underground. When the hatch was opened Cassidy walked up and looked down into the darkness. "Umm..." she said hesitantly "Just how far down is it?"

Niro chuckled then. "Scared to fall Cass? Ill go first if your too scared."

Cassidy scowled and punched Niro in the stomach. He whinced, she had damn good aim when it came to hitting his injuries. "No Niro, I assume Night would more than likely like to go first. I am following her, because if this thing is as deep as it seems I am possitive she is a smart enough woman to have a catch net down there or something. Since both of us girls are small and light and human we are jumping first because your big ass will likely break the net. Hitting the ground shouldnt kill you." Cass said in a nonchalant manner as she gave Night a wink. "Unless you want to push him down first Night, then if whatever catch device down there does break he can atleast catch us."

Niro took a step back from the hatch "Demented little child..." he grumbled to himself. Cassidy just smiled. She really enjoyed being able to get under her partners skin so easily. Cassidy looked at Night then, waiting for her to take the lead in some manner. It was her safe house after all. She whispered "Sorry about that, hes just a grump and easy to mess with."

Niro, arms crossed again, just watched the girls waiting to see what happened next.
 
Caly had knelt down at the small, almost unnoticeable catch in the ground, pulling it upwards as she revealed a seven by seven hole, and a gaping black eternity leading downwards. Just kneeling at the edge of the chasm was enough to give her thrills. At Cassidy's question, Caly replied, "One hundred thirty feet. It's about a four second drop," As Caly looked up into Cassidy's eyes, an almost manic light filled her eyes. Although she was scared to death of the fall, it was still the most insane thrill she had ever gotten from life. "It's only four seconds. If you're calm enough, you could count heartbeats to estimate, but it's never worked for me."

Caly smiled as her two companions spoke. However, her mind was elsewhere. She was sort of glad that Jason, Xavier, and Analyss had decided to leave. She was certain that Analyss wouldn't be able to make the jump herself, and knew that Xavier was terrified of heights from Jason's teasing. Which meant that now, she wouldn't have to push anyone in. Coming back to the present as Cassidy made her suggestion about pushing Niro in first, she smiled again, before saying, "I'm pretty sure that the net is still down there. If you don't hear me laughing like a maniac after five seconds, don't jump. I think I remember putting the net back up the last time I left, but I cannot be certain..." she trailed off, realizing that it probably wasn't good for group morale to say stuff like that.

"There's another entrance, but it's far away, and in the town closest to my old safe house, so we're going in through here. Sorry." Caly backed up a few steps until she felt the giant abyss before her. "You know, people used to say that if you gazed into the abyss long enough, it gazed back at you? I'm sort of getting that feeling." Caly smiled, before letting herself fall backwards into the chasm.

Sleep proved to come much harder when Uri realized that he didn't have command over the shadows like he normally did. For some reason, that had always helped him sleep better at night, knowing that he could control the shadows, that he had nothing to be afraid of in the dark. He didn't believe that now.

He lay on the seats of the car, one of his hands reaching down to the floor to gently touch the gun, to give him something to make him feel better, that he at least had some form of a weapon. Soon, however, he realized he wasn't going to be getting any sleep any time soon. If it wasn't nighttime, he would certainly go into the nearby town and demand a way to contact his father at the church's headquarters. But it was nighttime, and he'd have to wait.

The thought, the idea, that he'd never be able to control the shadows scared him. What if it was permanent? What if that bastard forever severed that part that made him what he is. But even worse was the thought that it would be as hard to move as it is now for the rest of his life. Surely, then, the church would have no need for him, wouldn't want him. He'd just be another failure. Anger flooded through him at that thought. No, he decided. I won't be like those fugitives, he thought, I won't be so weak-minded that the church wishes me dead. I won't!
 
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