How to Bring Down a Wolf

Police lights flashed as the officers stood at the edge of the barricade, rain pouring down hard. The evacuation was nearly complete. They had been at it for half an hour, and they could still hear the roars and screams from somewhere inside the quarantine zone. The officers all hated demon calls, especially the big ones which required entire neighborhoods to be emptied.

“Where are the other three exorcists?!” one officer shouted, angrily slamming his fist into a car hood.

“A situation in Chiba!” another called back. Those were the wrong words. The first officer kicked his foot into a tire several times.

“Well how incredibly convenient!” the officer raged. All five of Tokyo’s exorcists engaged at one time, split between two separate encounters? It was either pure, evil luck or someone had planned it. Either way, it meant no supernatural backup was coming to help with the demon tearing up the streets of Kabukicho. The officer picked up his bullhorn and began barking out orders. “Guns ready! Prepare to shoot! First sign of…”

The poor guy never had the chance to finish yelling at his men. An exorcist with an incredibly tacky green suit flew through the air, arcing over a building and crashing onto the police car next to him. He moaned and writhed there for a moment, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead, more blood spilled on his suit, though most of those stains were possibly not his own blood.

“I’m alive?” Gaku asked slowly, sitting up. Tiny bits of glass and debris fell from him as he shook his head.

“Y…yeah,” the officer said, stepping back a bit. God, do I hate demon crap, he kept thinking over and over.

“Well, how incredibly unfortunate,” Gaku said, hopping off the car roof and cracking his neck. His head was a bit swimmy and he was having a hard time remembering how he had gotten on top of the police car.

A night splitting howl rose through the air, and a car slammed across the intersection down the street. The terrified officers raised their guns, pointing them in the general direction of the chaos. Gaku, however, simply raised an eyebrow, as well as his hand.

“Oh guys, no, don’t,” Gaku said, crossing the police line and heading back into enemy territory.

“Don’t what? Shoot?!” the officer shouted.

“Yeah. It’ll make him pretty mad. Not smart,” Gaku said. As he walked away, he could hear the officer with the red face and the bulging vein on his forehead ranting at the others. Gaku could hear Reo in his head yelling at him about jerking the police around. Good thing Reo was fighting for his life instead of bossing him around, he thought. Speaking of, Gaku realized as he held up his hand, willing his magic bo staff to materialize in a crackle of energy. “Must have blacked out for a second. Otherwise you wouldn’t have left my side.” He gave the ornate metal pole a quick kiss before jogging to the intersection where the car had been tossed.

“Guys! I’m back! The furry bastard didn’t kill…” Gaku started to say as he was interrupted by another car being thrown. He collapsed to the ground, sprawling flat as the car sailed over his head before he straightened up, pointing his staff at the snarling Fenrir about 60 feet away from him. “Knock it off! One more car and I’m gonna smack you silly!”

“Look, Gaku’s still alive,” Reo said, his gun trained on Fenrir, the barrel smoking.

“Finally, I can sleep at night,” Harry said, his voice strained as he limped forward on a bloody leg. Both men were showing the strain of fighting the wolf demon, though in fairness Fenrir was covered in blood and wounds as well. All four were near their last legs.

“So? Thoughts?” Gaku asked as he joined his friends, staring down the monster.

“Yeah. Are the police all here?” Reo asked.

“Yup,” Gaku said with a solid nod.

“Good,” Reo said, turning to walk into the nearest building.

“Where are you…” Harry started to ask, his voice cracking in irritation.

“Phone call. Distract him,” Reo said, holding his phone up.

“Phone call?! Seriously?!” Harry shouted, not sure if Reo was insane or only an asshole.

“If you’re bored, I’ll kill some cops,” Fenrir said, beginning to casually walk down the street. As the beast lumbered over the cracked road, a large chunk of rubble smashed into his skull. Fenrir turned, blood whipping out into the air as his chains rattled around his body. Harry glared at him, another large clump of brick at his feet, his hammer held like a golf club. Fenrir snarled, howled, laughed, all at the same time, then lunged.

“You’re nearly in position?” Reo asked as the battle began once more outside. The restaurant he was in was small, cramped and dark, meals abandoned when the evacuation order hit. The bowls of miso rattled as something large hit the side of the building. “Three good spots? I’d choose the highest, personally.”

Harry flew past the window, screaming as he crashed into a car down the street. Fenrir chased after him, Gaku on his back and holding on to his staff for dear life as he tried to use it to strangle the demon.

“Harry? Oh, he’s doing fine,” Reo said.

Fenrir reeled into a storefront across the street. Harry’s hammer smashed into the wolf’s stomach, causing a spray of blood to eject into the air, mixing with the rain.

“Have him in the open at the intersection. Right,” Reo said.

Fenrir backhanded Gaku away and wrapped Harry in his chains, squeezing him until the burly man screamed in agony.

“Of course. You’re the best shot I know. Right. Gotta go,” Reo said.

Harry and Fenrir crashed through the wall of the restaurant Reo was in, destroying the bar and multiple tables as the demon landed on top of the exorcist.

“Bye,” Reo said, pocketing his phone. His sword materialized again and he jammed it into Fenrir’s side, causing the beast to howl in pain. Reo darted his hand out and pulled Harry free from the chains wrapped around him. “Are you okay?”

“No,” Harry said, wiping blood from his face.

“We’re pulling out. We can’t win against him. Follow me,” Reo said. Harry had about an eighth of a second of righteous indignation pass through his heart as he wanted to insist they could finish the monster. However, he saw the look in Reo’s eyes. The bespectacled bastard had a plan. So Harry followed like a good soldier, stopping only briefly to help Gaku back to his feet as they barreled down the road. They heard the roar and snarl from Fenrir behind them as they headed for the intersection up ahead.

“You know, I don’t like having to run away!” Harry yelled. Reo pulled them down as a chain slashed over their heads.

“Thanks!” Gaku asked as they began to sprint again, wondering how his friend had the peripheral vision of the gods.

“Move!” Reo shouted, pushing both other men off to the side as they reached the center of the intersection. Harry and Gaku leapt away and Reo turned, firing his trusty pistol until the clip emptied. “Eyes on me, monster…” Reo said softly.

Fenrir reached Reo, bleeding, bullet riddled, and barking out a laugh which he hoped would echo in Reo’s soul as he slid down into Hell. He reared up to his full height, claws ready to descend, yet Reo made no effort to move. He stood perfectly still, even when the sound of the sniper rifle cracked across the Tokyo night, the flash of lightning giving a clear view of the bullet entering Fenrir’s eye and exploding into his skull. The giant wolf snapped backwards, his body going limp.

All three men looked up to where the shot had come from, and Reo gave a little salute. Harry’s jaw lowered in disbelief when he saw nine tails and bright fox ears stand up on one of the tallest buildings in the area. Hinata gave a small wave herself, hoping Harry knew she was waving at him as well.