Chapter 101 Chapter 101
“Are you ready to leave?” she said as she walked up to Travis, and he nodded, grinning cheekily.
“I’m always ready.”
She snorted amusedly and shot him a look. “Last time, you overslept, and I had to call a thousand times to wake your lazy ass! Seriously, I have never heard of such a lazy demon hunter,” she teased.
“Hey, I’m very successful at my job, being a half-demon has many perks,” he replied, not mad at her for pointing out the obvious. “Besides, sleeping a lot is very healthy.”
“Exactly what a lazy bum would say,” she said, smiling brightly. “Did you pay a visit to your friend yesterday, by the way?”
“Yeah, we set up his new computer and ended up eating a ton of candy.”
“Sounds like you were rewarded generously,” she giggled while they followed the trail into the forest, passing the treeline. It got a little darker in this area, and out of habit, she conjured a ball of light to illuminate the rocky path in front of them.
“What about you?” he asked.
“Oh, I didn’t do anything, honestly. Just stayed home and that’s it,” she said.
“You were moping around again,” he summed up and hit the nail on the head, seeing through her palliating words. “You should have called me. My friend and I wouldn’t have minded your company.”
“I don’t want to be a burden, Travis, but thanks for the offer.”
“You’re not a burden.” he grumbled and crossed his arms, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing in exasperation. “You’re a great partner, don’t sell yourself short,” he added in a softer tone.
“Thanks, I guess,” she mumbled sheepishly, keeping her eyes on the trail. The woods were quiet, and barely a sound was heard other than the occasional pitter-patter of the rain. It unsettled her and felt unnatural since she was used to hearing the happy chirping of birds in the treetops and the laughter of other hikers who passed by.
The area appeared to be deserted, but she was convinced that they would find who or what they were looking for if they went deeper into the woods. That was their only option anyway, since she doubted their target would show itself without a good reason.
“How long do you think this will take?” she asked, holding in a yawn. Work had been tiring lately, which resulted in her feeling drained constantly. If she were honest with herself, she should have asked Travis to postpone this undertaking to another day.
However, she had decided to get it over with before even more people vanished. She had chugged an energy drink earlier and hoped its effect would last for a while.
“Probably all day,” he answered and sighed. “I would prefer lying in bed right now, but this monster has to be stopped.”
“Agreed,” she said, letting her gaze move over the bushes and trees that they passed. The cold and the rain made this undertaking much more uncomfortable than it had to be, but it couldn’t be helped.
They walked on for another fifteen minutes without spotting anything out of the ordinary, their only company the faint rain that fell on their heads and shoulders. They both wore raincoats that protected them; nonetheless, they would have preferred better weather for this.
“I’m hungry,” Travis groaned suddenly, pulling a face.
“You’re such a baby,” Valerie retorted teasingly. “I think I have chocolate bars left in my car.”
“Great; cause your car is like a forty-minute walk away from us,” he grumbled.
“Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
“Nah, I wanted to sleep in. No time for that.”
“You are unbelievable,” she commented, having a hard time hiding her amusement at his grumpy expression. “Do you even need food? You’re a half-demon.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So? I love eating, and sweets are the best thing ever. Why would I not eat them?”
“Dieting must be hard for you.”
“Oh, you have no idea! It’s impossible to take a pass on candy, but luckily, my work is keeping me fit.”
“I can imagine,” she said.
They walked on until they reached a fork, the trail splitting up in two different directions—East and West.
“This is annoying,” he sighed and rolled his eyes.
“We could split up,” she suggested, and earned a death glare.
“Suuure, like those stupid people in horror movies? The ones who die first? Don’t be ridiculous, Valerie. We’re staying together. It’s safer.”
“Why are you comparing this to a horror movie? We’re able to use magic, that’s an advantage that idiots in horror movies don’t have. Your analogy is ridiculous if you ask me.”
“You’re too reckless.”
He was right, she was. Ever since the mark had vanished and its protective magic didn’t warn her of impending danger any longer, she had become careless and often acted imprudently. She had always relied on those warnings so much that she felt strange without them. It gave her the illusion that she was never in danger, and she constantly needed to remind herself that this wasn’t true.
“I know, I know,” she huffed and put her hands on her hips, stubbornly glaring at him. “View it this way: If we walk together, it will take us forever to cover ground, but if we split up, we’re saving half of the time. That’s a huge advantage. And in case something happens, we still have our phones to call each other and our magic to defend ourselves.”
“Cell phone reception isn’t the best in this area, though,” he grumbled, not liking her idea. “And you’re human, Valerie… Humans die so easily.”
“Not like you’re a full demon either,” she retorted sassily, prompting him to roll his eyes.
“You’re missing my point. What I’m trying to say is that I would feel better if we continued to work as a team.”
“How about a compromise? Each of us walks for fifteen minutes in a different direction, and if we don’t find our target, we’ll head back and meet up right here, okay? If I’m not here in fifteen minutes, which isn’t going to happen because I’m punctual, then you can go after me,” she explained with a grin.