Interlude I Police intervention

Aisha ran to the very bottom though expecting the darkness to continue what she found was a scene from hell itself, it was a forest within the depth of a dark room engulfed in flames with corpses burning to a crisp upon branches and grass, at its center a grand tree burned with a green flame, it's wasn't burning down but rather slowing banishing from existence itself, She raised her gun as she walked forwards there was smoke raising everywhere but there was something else calling her, it sounded like the wailing of a woman, she tried her best to walk towards the fire till she saw at the border of the flaming tree a skeletal figure banishing, she knew the figure to be the devil her brother contractor, she covered her mouth and walked forwards towards the wailing devil.

She saw the tree breaking and a figure falling from inside it, she had no doubt it was her brother and immediately hurried towards him, the blue flames weren't burning him, but the lack of air had made him pass out, she went pale as she did her best to get him out of the tree, she could only be thankful for all the physical training she had endured as a hunter, as she did she felt her hand being burn but manage to get out of the flames fast enough, the bride floated above them and banished as i believing they could leave the rest to Aisha.

She put him over her shoulder and began to walk away from the tree, she knew there had to be another exit down there, it was too risky to carry him back the same way. She looked around and finally saw a flashlight at the other end behind the tree, someone was running away down a tunnel probably a survivor of the Ocassio.

''Hold on I'll get you out...'' The heat was unbearable and the burned skin on her hand was painful, but she carried her brother trying to stay away from the burning center. She was glad to have come, she needed them both to survive.

''Stop right there.'' Aisha heard steps behind her and she was hit by the light of a headlight, a woman had come from the same dark corridor she had entered from, judging by her uniform she was a member of the police. A chill ran down her spine as she saw the woman pointing at her with a gun.

"The man on your shoulder...I remember his face, he was the hunter back then...Dont move a muscle or I shot you!"Aisha felt confused, how did this woman know his brother...but then she remembered there had been two police who invaded the tower, and her brother let one of them go..."

"I knew it, I knew you people from the tower make it inside the city, It doesn't look like you are a devil so dont even try anything you will both come back with me, both of you are coming to the police station this is an order!" Aisha breathed slowly but then a branch of the tree fell making a horrible sound and the policewoman aimed towards it for a moment by instinct, Aisha pulled out her gun and they both stared into the barrel of a handgun now.

"Never...I will take him out of here no matter what, we will not be separated again." Aisha flinched as Detective Eva shot a warning shot, if she had aimed at her head it would have been over already, the other woman didn't hesitate, Aisha could tell the policewoman was not afraid...she was angry.

"No, enough, I knew it, He killed the people in the Korean district, he killed my partner, im sure this hell is his fault too, if you dont come and face justice...I will do it with my own hands!" The woman screamed as she prepared the trigger again. Aisha looked her in the eyes, she must be holding back from pulling the trigger, her hands almost shaking in anger...Aisha thought then...that it was all true, his brother was a murderer now, but she couldn't let him behind even if it killed her.

"I will not, I know if we go with you we will never see each other again, so I will not!"

"You will not take him out of here, whoever you are, you are a danger to this city!" She pulled the trigger first once more but the bullet missed, as in that moment a knife was thrown at Eva's hand, Abram had recovered his consciousness and threw a knife at her, Aisha let him go and immediately ran towards the detective. Eva punched her in the face but Aisha still managed to throw her away and quickly kicked her gun out of the way aiming back at the police woman.

"That's enough...we dont need to kill her, there is no point." Abram stood up very weakly, As a demon it was clear he would recover soon, but so much of his skin was burned, that he was probably using all of his strength to remain alive.

"But...she knows you..." Abram walked toward her sister and grabbed her gun.

"So...that detective sacrificed his life to save her...even I dont want to kill in vain, I only hunt devils..."Aisha gritted her teeth as a fog began to envelop them both, Eva crawled towards her gun but by the time she aimed at them all he could see was the fog surrounding the room, She screamed as she pushed the trigger over and over in vain.

"Damn it...im sorry, I can't ever do anything right arg!" She kept shooting into the fog till she ran out of bullets completely. She needed to stand up again, but she could only scream in anger.

"Sorry, I couldn't get the man who killed you. Im so useless."She finally stood up but with the fire spreading all she could do was to turn back and return from where she had come, Eva ran off into the dark in tears, having no choice but ot retreat.

***

Above the ground Aurora was also being carried on Rock's shoulders, she still had most of her bones completely broken so the best she could do was just to bare the pain and hope her squad would get her to safety and indeed all of the hunters were already on the street splitting according to plan, the police may have arrived but they didn't seem to have enough people to surround the café, so there was still plenty of runs to escape, still Aurora hated her luck, to think the police will come all the way here just for a piano crashing outside, what a poor day it was.

"Dammit, stop you all, I can see some pigs ahead," Jeong told them as he hid from a gunshot behind the walls of an alley, Mr.Rock furrowed his braw still holding a gun with his free arm.

"We have you surrounded, lower your guns and raise your hands immediately."They could hear someone speak in front of them, Surprisingly a man walked from beyond the wall on the corner not caring at all to risk being in the line of fire. But his presence alone made the hunters stand still, he was an unbelievably tall man, clearly a devil as he had long horns like those of a stag, and rather than feet he had the hooves of a goat, he was bent over and wearing a long brown coat specially made for his almost inhuman features.

"Well, look at that, guess that dumb girl's hunch led us to something alright, you there drop that devil woman to the floor." He raised a long steel baton towards Rock who remained quiet pointing his gun at the tall demon, Aurora still couldn't move, but she could tell that man was beyond what her group could handle, but even this possibility had been taken into account, Aurora smiled weakly.

As the demonic man approached Jeong retreated behind Rock not even bothering to point his gun anymore. The tall stag man grinned.

"You are under arrest, but we are authorized to use violence as we please if a Demon is involved, little humans you should think twice before shielding that woman." He raised his strange iron baton and poked it at her, he could easily smell that odor of sulfur around Aurora but at that moment someone screamed from above them and he turned back instantly.

Rush Collins fell from above the roof of the nearby building with this his shield, the tall man blocked the hit with his baton but was forced away from Aurora.

"I debt you one now Collins." Aurora laughed and the three of them retreated through the alley. Rush Collins waved at her before lowering his shield and looking at the man who was even taller tha he was. His face darkened with disgust staring at Rush.

"Hehe, well that's a surprise you are still alive Rush Collins? How the hell did you even make it to our city, you outskirts savages shouldn't never be able to." Collins gritted his teeth, suddenly he was furious and his shield burned with a red light.

"You...you were back then I remember you, the lack of that police chief" Collins screamed at him and the man smiled. He was Detective Miles the man who accompanied the police chief when he was forced to become a devil.

"Ah yes, I was there when the chief gave you Sabnock, I remember when you did your little rebellion you were with an old man too, I think." He punched him with his shield and the policeman blocked it with his baton they seemed even in strength, The iron classed but both men refused to take a single step back.

"You were such a waste, the chief was nice enough to give you a devil so you could keep the savages in check and yet here you are, sorry but you are in our city now and here you are nothing but a criminal Mr.Collins, so Ill burn you, just like I burned the face of that vice-captain of yours. We have no more use for you." The baton he was holding began to glow with a red color from its base and it was stirring.

"Everything I touch heats up, so im gonna brand your face like the criminal you are." The baton was extremely hot now, just being close to it was making Collins sweat, he remembered how that baton had burned the face of his friend...but he breathed slowly.

"Sorry, but Im on my way out."

"No, your scorched body is going straight to jail."Collins wanted nothing but to kill this man, but that was not his job With that in mind he swung his shield again, Miles struck back with his staff it barely touched his skin as he moved out of the way, but the head scorched his skin with a touch. The detectives were skillful, but the baton wasn't his only weapon every so often he tried to grab Collins with his open palm, that baton was an unusual weapon but it was his hands that caused that intense heat that would have let burned with a touch, Collins had seen it happen, he could never forget, but he was now a devil and pain meant nothing to him now.

He tackled the detective with his arm covered in steel, Miles grabbed it burning a black print upon the steel but Collins hit him on the head before he could swing down his baton. He released the spikes from his shield to lock Miles against the wall.

"You think, this will stop me, you should have stayed in your little pond." He grabbed the cables holding him against the wall and they turned into an intense red, it was hard to tell just at what level of heat his hands could reach, but Collins couldn't risk it.

"Fine, is not my role to kill you." Rush released the cables from Sabnock and quickly ran away through the hall as the policeman finally managed to make the iron cables snap, but there was still another one holding him in place.

"Haha, I get it now, that woman was right, run all you want I know you are going to that stupid town of your sand I'm gonna get you soon enough!" He trashed as the cables snapped and Detective Miles hit the wall at his side with his iron batton breaking it to pieces.

"You savages are not above the law!" The brick wall was left with a black deep mark, as the tip of the baton burned it to a crisp, but all the hunters were already gone.