I put on my oversized hoodie and baseball cap and opened the window, preparing to drop to the alley three floors below.

“Where are you going?” Beth asked cheerfully, suddenly materializing behind me.

I jumped. I’ve faced some of the most terrifying demons in Hell, but they never startled me like she could.

“You’re learning to hide yourself really well,” I said, trying to hide my annoyance. “I didn’t even know you were in the room.”

“Well, I had a really good teacher! So… where are you going?”

“Out. I have some business to take care of… You can come if you’d like.”

I knew what she would say even before she answered. Her smile faded, and she backed away from the window slowly.

“I… I’d better not.”

“Okay. Suit yourself.”

I was about to jump down to the alley when I caught her reflection in the window. She was scared, as I knew she would be. I had previously assumed that something was compelling her to stay inside the apartment, but that was only part of it.

She was also terrified of being outside, and the mere thought of it would drive her to the corner of the attic where she would stay whimpering throughout the night. I’d been roommates with Beth long enough to know that it wasn’t the easiest thing to pull away from her once she started talking to you.

A ghost is nothing more than a patchwork of memories from their previous lives, but Beth could fill half the night talking about any one of those memories. These weren’t anything important, like how she died. They were all just useless crap, like the ribbon collection she used to have when she was alive.

Those damned ribbons! She talked endlessly about them without ever repeating herself!

I’ll make it up to her later, I told myself. Maybe buy her that book of quilts I saw in the bookstore the other day. She’d like that. Then I jumped down to the narrow alley, landing in a puddle that splashed the sides of the buildings.

Beth was like a dragonfly, flitting from one stalk of grass to another, not understanding the forces that compelled her. But was I so different? I’d clawed my way out of all nine levels of Hell to get to where I was then, surrounded by people who cared about me, but here I was, in the middle of the night, hunting for a demon that could take all of that away from me, leaving me once again with nothing but the agony of losing everything that I love.

So why am I doing this?

I told myself that these thoughts were the result of living with humans and straying from the path that I had laid out for myself. Once I got another kill notched in my belt, all those doubts would go away. So I pulled the brim of my hat over my eyes and joined the flow of the other misfits and freaks that roamed the night.

Finding a demon is not an easy thing, even for another demon. If we don’t want to be found, we can blend in and become just another dreary face—like that homeless person digging through the trash, or that woman covered in tattoos, or that businessman wiping ketchup off his tie. When a demon takes human form, it’s indistinguishable from a human if you don’t know what to look for.

Another benefit of taking human form and blending in with society is to stay hidden from the Guardians. People think these angels are out here to protect them from falling trees and slippery bathtubs.

Laughable. Their only job is to hunt down rogue demons like me, and they’re very good at it.

The first time I saw one was shortly after I arrived on Earth. I was following three demons in human form, two guys and one girl, after picking up their trail at a club. After dancing and drinking half the night, they left, carefree, not knowing what fate awaited them. As I followed from the rooftops, they headed into an alleyway. I might have had a chance with one of them, but not all three. I stayed in the shadows, biding my time.

But then, the three of them suddenly stopped. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who had picked up their trail. At the end of the alley was a man in a tailored suit. I couldn’t see his face because he was silhouetted in black, but I knew what he was, and so did the demons.

Before they could react, the man rushed toward them, an armor of light forming around his body, and his Soulbright, the sword of the Guardians, materializing in his hands. His hair grew into flowing, luminous locks, and his golden eyes blazed.

The three demons took a step back. Perhaps the two male demons knew running was pointless, because they chose to charge and meet the Guardian. Mid-stride, the demon on the left transformed into a beast that resembled a black tiger, and the one on the right turned into a giant, writhing serpent that coiled its body for the strike.

The Guardian rolled and sliced the tiger in two and pierced the head of the snake with blinding speed. He then got to his feet and faced the girl, who was shaking uncontrollably with terror. She screamed and released a stream of Ethyr at him, but it was too late. He had thrown his Soulbright with both hands, and like a spinning axe, it sliced through the Ethyr and cleaved her in two.

Thinking of that night sent cold chills down my spine. That was why when I was hunting, I had to do it quickly and discreetly. Otherwise, the second time I saw a Guardian might be my last.

***

A Soulbright is the weapon of choice for Guardians. It’s focused Ethyr that’s powerful and can be sustained longer. Resembling a vortex of flames, it can cut through anything—almost anything except another Soulbright. Even the armor worn by angels and demons will break under it eventually. With it, a strong Guardian becomes practically invincible.

In Hell, I was able to forge my own armor and Soulbright. But in the Earthly realm, the domain of gods and angels, I was still too weak.

I cursed myself as I walked deeper into the city, continuing the hunt.

One way to find a demon is to follow its trail. The few fundamentally evil humans can throw you off, but wherever there’s a spike in death and destruction, a demon may be lurking nearby. Like when a CEO gives himself a multi-million dollar bonus after laying off 10,000 employees, or when a maniac throws hot coffee in a cashier’s face, or when a guy kicks a dog for no reason other than to vent his anger—a demon may have released its dark Ethyr, so you may be able to track it down.

Another method is to look for when two demons fight. The more powerful they are, the greater the release of their dark Ethyr.

The final way is when a demon announces its presence. The strongest is able to release enough energy to circle the entire globe. It’s a challenge of sorts to the other demons to come take it down if they are able.

I’d felt that power only once before, centuries ago, when I was still in Hell. I was much too weak back then to answer the calling, but others did. They were all quickly defeated by that demon, whose face I’d never even seen. This demon was the first to escape Hell. Once it was gone, we all felt its absence.

It’s also rumored that it was the only one here on Earth powerful enough to wield a Soulbright. One day I would need to face it, but I was a long way from being able to do that.

***

After spending half the night trudging through the city, I hadn’t picked up the trails of any demons. Just the usual—a mugging, a store robbery, a stabbing. The kind of stuff that happens on most corners of the city on any given night.

I did come across a murder that looked promising. A boy, who looked no more than thirteen, had pushed an old man off the Bay Bridge. From the back of the crowd, I scanned the body as it was being pulled out of the water by cops. Usually, when a demon commits violence, dark Ethyr is released and clings to its victims.

But there was nothing but a bag of skin filled with shattered bones and a lungful of dirty water from the Metro River.

I scanned the boy next as the cops were cuffing him and shoving him into the back of the patrol car. Again, no sign of dark Ethyr. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t a demon, but most likely, he was just some bored little shit who wanted to brag to his friends.

I headed deeper into the heart of the city. Being on foot was slowing me down. I needed a car, any car, but preferably… I scanned the streets… That one.

It was a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS parked in an empty lot. Two drug dealers stood on either side of the car, serving as lookouts. Another was conducting business with a buyer—a young woman in high heels who looked to be an office worker. The fourth was behind the wheel of the car, smoking a cigarette.

When the buyer left, I pulled the bill of my cap lower and approached.

The men saw me coming. I walked up to the one who had sold the drugs to the young woman.