Aless sat in the large comfy chair, with her head in her hand, thinking. She rubbed her temples with her thumb and middle finger, in an attempt to relieve some of her building tension. It didn't work. She tried to get some rest, but every time she began to nod off someone would brush past her, immediately jerking her awake.
Abandoning her, failed and boycotted, attempts at rest, Aless's thought fell to her father's killer -- whom she needed to find and punish, as soon as possible -- and the concerning lack of activity in the demon community as of late -- short of the one she had encountered earlier that day, which had been the first in 7 weeks. She knew that the demons were out there, but they were lying low, which she considered a bad omen. She knew that they were up to something, but what it was she couldn't figure out.
Frustrated by that topic, she turned her mind to the day's earlier events. There was the strange demon that had ravaged the woman, taking a considerable amount of her energy, before leaving her for-- alive. Aless had never encountered anything like this before. The woman hadn't been bruised, beaten or raped. It didn't make sense. And then, there was the voice that had spoken to her today, which kept echoing through her mind, taunting her, daring her to find it. She wished she knew why. She wished for once something could just be simple and easy; but, things had stopped being simple and easy since she was 14.
It was only upon hearing the loud repeated coughing, very close by, that she opened her eyes. She saw the haggard waitress scowling down at her.
"Anything else I can get you?" asked the woman.
Somehow it sounded more like a subtle 'get the fuck out', rather than an invitation to purchase more product.
"No." Aless said getting up out of the chair, stretching to her full height, which was a full five inches taller than the cranky waitress. Aless paused before moving away, asking, "Do you know of any decent, and affordable, places to stay around here?"
The waitress stared off aimlessly into space for a moment while she tried very hard to think. And, it was an effort for this one. She was neither the brightest woman, nor the nicest woman; but, she was not an evil person. Her sins only went skin deep. She wasn't evil, just irritating and bitchy.
"Sorry ma'am, not many nice places around here. There is a motel down the road a bit, Sunshine Lane Motel. The owners are real nice people, but it is still a rough area. Rooms are pretty cheap though." she responded. She then shrugged her shoulders in dismissal, and returned to her work.
Without another glance at Aless the waitress snatched the coffee cup off the table, swiped her towel across its surface, and shot back off into the crowd.
Aless sighed as she carefully danced her way through the tight crowd in the small cafe, trying to avoid bumping into or rubbing up against anyone. She hated being touched by strangers; it always caused an unpleasant crawling sensation through her body. Therefore, she just tried her damndest to avoid physical contact.
Once she had made her way out, she turned up the street in the direction the waitress had indicated. She habitually scanned the area around her, checking for anything out of the ordinary. Assured that there was nothing wrong, she relaxed slightly and slipped her hands into her jean's pockets. She dropped her head and shoulders against the cold, damp cutting wind.Her heavy worn boots splashed and squished on the wet sidewalk. She couldn't wait to get out of the damp mist that permeated the air, and her bones.
Aless trekked down the desolate dark street, in search of the Sunshine Lane Motel. She had decided to splurge for just the one night; since, that was all she could afford to spend, from what she had got for the pendant. She had promised herself one good nights rest before she began searching for the owner of the voice and resumed the search for her father's murderer.
She needed time to think, and that meant she needed rest. She was almost at the end of her rope. She was running out of money and places to go. Unlike her father, she didn't work with the other Hunters; or, more accurately they did not accept her in their ranks.
That was fine with Aless. She didn't need people trying to tell her what to do, and she sure as hell didn't need to associate with the very men who insulted her, by refusing to acknowledge her as a true Hunter. Her skills proved otherwise; she was a true Hunter, whether they wanted to believe it or not. But, this left her alone, without aid, in a world where she was unappreciated by the demons she was charged with killing, and the very people she protected.
They, the walking sheep of society, weren't even aware of her existence or of the threat she protected them from. It was the worst job in the world. No 'Demon Killer of the Month' award for her. She heaved a sigh, frustrated by her lack of allies now that her family was gone.
All she really wanted was a hot home cooked meal and a solid night's sleep; and, they didn't even have to be together -- she wasn't greedy after all. Money, it always came down to money; which was her biggest problem. She never had any. She still had a few heirlooms left, but they were the ones she was unwilling to, and never would, part with. The protection pendant had been the last piece that she had been willing to sell - not that she had truly wanted to, but necessity dictated. Her parents had told her to never let the heirlooms out of her possession; but, she had little choice, she had to do what she had to do to survive. She firmly believed her parents would have wanted that more -- her safety and survival.
Aless had walked six blocks before she finally saw the big bright flashing sign of the Sunshine Lane Motel; it was still a few blocks up ahead. She picked up her pace, as she passed by alleyways filled with junkies, dealers and prostitutes. Her skin crawled and her senses went into automatic overdrive. She was surrounded by depravity and sin, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. She felt bombarded by their twisted thoughts, emotions and souls.
These were the bottom feeders. They fed and lived off the remnants and garbage of a frailly functioning society. It wasn't that she judged them or couldn't understand where some of them were coming from, because she was only a few dollars short of being one of them too; but, she worked her ass off to remain separate from them. They were the invisible individuals. The people that no one wanted to see or hear; or, even know of their existence -- just like her. But, Aless was aware; she felt their presence.
She pushed herself faster, trying to put as much distance between she and the bottom feeders as she could; but, in this area, that was almost damn near impossible. She needed to escape, even just for a moment, because what she was receiving from them was almost crippling, and she was too tired to block them out. She just wanted a bed, four walls and a door that locked. That wasn't too much to ask for, was it?
The little bell above the door rang as Aless stepped into the small warm office of The Sunshine Lane Motel. She walked up to the small desk and the two people sitting at it, who watched her suspiciously as she approached them. She didn't blame them, since she didn't look any hell these days. Her clothes were dirty and getting a little ratty; and, her jacket was torn from her last encounter with a demon. Her hair looked black and hung limply around her face, from water and grease. She had no make-up and her eyes were darkly smudged from exhaustion. As well, due to the lack off regular food, she was looking pretty gaunt. All in all, she looked like one of those people from the alleys.
Thomas and Carol McCloud, the proprietors of the motel, were a sweet middle aged couple. Aless explained that the waitress down the street had told her about the motel. She apologized for coming in so late, and for her appearance. They seemed to slowly warm towards her, as they realized that she was not one of the riff raff off the street. They were happy to have someone looking for a room for the night, rather than just by the hour. They seemed a little hesitant when she told them she was paying with cash, but Aless soothed those concerns by offering them a considerable deposit, for them to hold on to until she checked out the next day. They seemed to relax, realizing that she wasn't out to screw them. Aless smiled warmly at them; they truly were good people, and she was always an accurate judge of character.
Aless climbed the stairs, key in hand, to the second level and wearily walked down to room 28. The lock was a little sticky and required some elbow grease; but, at least that meant it wouldn't be easy for anyone to break in. The room was spacious and spotless; and, and had a bathroom and bed. It was everything she could possibly ask for. The décor was frozen in the 70's and she was pretty sure that the furniture had been there since the 1970's; but, since she was no fashion bomb herself, nor was she accustomed to luxury, so she was in no position to critique.
Aless locked the padlock and linked the chain, before kicking off her boots and walking into the bathroom. She stripped off her dirty clothes and turned on the shower. Once the steam was billowing out from the stall, she stepped into its hot stream. She relished the tingling and burning sensation that the scalding water caused on her flesh, as it banished the chill from her bones.
After she had scrubbed her flesh clean and washed her thick hair, she grabbed her clothes and cleaned them with a bar of soap, under the hot water. Once she and her belongings were clean, she turned the taps off and stepped out of the shower. She tossed her clean clothes over the shower curtain rod and slowly toweled herself dry; which took much longer than usual, because she was so exhausted and sore.
Nude, Aless walked into the bedroom. She tore back the sheets and flopped down onto the decently comfortable bed. It was better than the park benches she had been frequenting lately. Pulling the covers up to her chin, Aless curled into the fetal position and immediately fell deeply asleep.
Aless knew she was dreaming, when she looked down upon the unfamiliar scene; but, oddly she could not pull herself out of this dream. She was watching a large, broad chested man with shoulder length blond hair, who was kneeling on the ground, crying, beside a fresh pile of earth. He wore elaborate clothing from a different era, which were covered in dirt, just like his hands. He wasn't wearing a jacket and his shirt was plastered to his sweaty body. The man was whispering something in a foreign language, which she couldn't understand. Something seemed familiar about him, but she didn't know why. She had never seen him before; and, she would have remembered a man as strikingly gorgeous as him. He kept whispering in the strange tongue; and, even though she couldn't tell what he was saying, she could feel his sadness and despair. She felt like an intruding voyeur.
