Seattle City Streets

Seattle, the birthplace of grunge music and Starbucks coffee. It is based in Washington, and is a coastal city where many people live, and it is also where Radical is situated.


Rifle walked directly out of the Radical base, and out into the city streets of Seattle. Since it was a Tuesday, and now around three in the morning, the city was pretty much asleep. He stopped in his tracks, breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, simply loving the air of the city, even if he slept in it's alleyways. It was his home. Soon, when he breathed out, instead of an older teen standing there in his place, there was a black German Shepherd. His eyes were blue, just like how Rifle's were when he was in his humanoid appearance. Around his neck, was some sort of black necklace, which wasn't a chain as such, but it looked more like a thick piece of black cotton with some sort of Egyptian style amulet as a locket. It glinted in the moonlight as the dog began to walk on, his paws silently treading the pavements. On his right paw however, was a scar, which looked like it was slicing his leg in two. It was easily noticeable considering that it was white, but Rifle didn't appear concious. Then again, who would? There was no one around. Just Rifle.

---

Melee stepped outside the base and looked up towards the moon and stars, smiling as she did. The streets were silent, just the way she liked them. She glanced up and down the road, expecting something to jump out at her, but she was ready. Her hand rested gently on her gun in her pocket, ready to pull it out at any second. She sighed lightly then turned towards the door of the base and waited for Cannon to join her.

Cannon stepped out of the base a few moments after her, after he had smoothed his shirt out that is. He, too, looked up at the moon, it's aluring call to the wolf inside of him as powerful as ever, he was half tempted to howl to it like he used to when he was out in the wild after being set free of the Husky business. But he didn't. "Come on. Let's go find a place to relax." He muttered softly, walking past the small lass and heading down the street.

Melee followed after Cannon quickly. She didn't really know where Cannon would go to relax but she decided not to question him. She peered into every window they passed, curious as to what was inside. Finally Melee spoke, her curiosity as to where they were going, getting the better of her. "Cannon...where are we going?" she asked quietly.

"Nowhere imparticular. Just walking, I guess, until I think of a good spot where we could just sit to rela- Wanna go to the library?" He asked over his shoulder, rolling his shoulder to coax the cello case to the middle of his back instead of on his shoulderblade.

"It won't be open now...will it?" Melee replied as she watched Cannon. The library was actually one of her favourite places to be. So quiet and relaxing. She would go there for hours sometimes and just sit enjoying the silence as she read.

"Nope." Was all he said upon turning the corner, now set on going to the library even if it was locked up. He stopped when a strong smell of death hit his nose, causing it to crinkle up and causing his eyes to burn slightly. With a small questioning whimper, Cannon lifted his shirt to his nose and sniffed at it, deciding that it was not him that smelled so strongly, although he did smell of solphur slightly because of the gunshop he had been at. "Roadkill...?" He questioned quietly, lifting his nose to the air and inhaling, perhaps a bit too deeply for the scent overwhelmed him and caused him to go into a light coughing fit. "Yuck.. Hurry up Melee... It stinks out here.."

Melee smelt the wretched stench as well, deciding to hold her breath as she ran to the doors of the library. She wasn't fond of breaking into places, but the strong scent frightened her slightly and she wanted to be off the streets as quickly as possible. She pulled a few pins from her hair, knowing that most people thought that old technique used in the movies didn't work, but she knew otherwise. She fiddled the pins around in the lock until she heard the familiar click of the door unlocking. She grabbed Cannon's arm and with strength that she normally wouldn't display, pulled him inside the library and closed the door quickly. "Somethings wrong here..." she said quietly as waves of nervousness washed over her.

Melee wasn't wrong in saying such a thing at all. The whole library was completely deserted, apart from shelf upon shelf full of books which could last a whole country if any of it's inhabitants felt like reading. The lights were out everywhere, apart from one lamp which was slowly dimming on the reception desk in the middle of the library. But it's lighter was no where to be seen at all. The lamp's light caused dark, eerie shadows to perform dances on the walls. Many shapes were formed, and some were not so comfortable to watch or look at. But.. even though the library was dead, there was still.. a cold air breathing it's way around Melee and Cannon. It slowly made it's way onto the back of their necks and their cheeks, and then the next minute, it would disappear without a trace.

Cannon's hand went to the strap holding his cello case to his body, his form slightly shaking like it would before a big play in a football game on television. He was actually excited about whatever was going to happen, somewhat anxious, but excited nonetheless, and the small smile on his face showed it. "Come on. Whatever's going to happen, I'd rather not destroy this place just to do it." Tossing his empty water bottle into a nearby trashcan before letting his hand fall to his side, the agent walked on without even a bit of hesitation.

Melee pulled her gun from her pocket and held it tightly in her hand. She walked slowly forwards, heading in a different direction that Cannon. She knew that if they split up they could find out what was going on quicker. "You might as well come out now, i'm going to find you where ever you are." she called out, her voice unusually strong. She pointed her gun at various different objects within the library, ready to shoot.

Cannon knocked his elbow on the side of his case, a compartment on the side of it opening up to reveal the silver of his handgun and the magazine that went with it, he grabbed them and shut the compartment with his opposite elbow. He turned the safety off and slid the bullet holding magazine into the gun's base, pulling the barrel back and heading up the staircase that lead to the second floor, every so often glancing in Melee's general direction to make sure she didn't find whatever was emitting such a heavy atmosphere first.

As Cannon headed up the staircase however, there was an almighty smash from one of the huge windows next to the main entrance of the library. Shards of glass flew in all directions, some slicing books in two and forcing them to be thrown off their place on the shelves. "MOVE! Go UP!" A male voice demanded in a loud bellow as a dark canine shape darted around the shelves at an almost inhumane speed. As the shape moved, the cold air returned again as it licked its way up the stairs behind Cannon, eventually pausing and somewhat moulding into a shape of an extremely beautiful woman with long, white hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a white dress which was rather long, but the straps on it were falling from her shoulders. She giggled a little as she looked at Cannon shyly, and took a small step towards him up the stairs.

Melee quickly knelt on the ground as the glass shattered and covered her head. She felt a shard pierce and stick in her shoulder but she refrained from screaming from pain. When the last sounds of glass hitting the ground sounded she stood slowly, wincing as the stabbing pain of the glass filled her whole body. She moved quickly towards Cannon then stopped when she saw the girl. She raised her gun and pointed it towards the stranger. "Who are you?" she growled through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain.

He took a second to look past the female, glancing at Melee's small form. "Are you alright?" The canine knocked the gun's base against his hip, upsetting the bullets slightly, and aimed the gun at the female with vague interest. "Don't take another step. Answer her question." Cannon said evenly, ready to fire his special bullets at the woman if she disobeyed him, still waiting for Melee's answer.

The woman simply giggled again and she bit her lip as she shook her head, almost teasingly as her oceanic blue eyes watched Cannon's with their own deep interest. "Can't a girl be mysterious..?" She asked, her voice extremely soft, as she took another step without any fear in her eyes or physique at all. But as she stepped forwards, she smiled widely, flashing a large set of fangs which looked a lot like those of a shark's. The male voice who had cried out before, yelled again as the black shape leapt up onto the banister of the stairs with great ease. The woman turned, and she snarled at the black dog who glared at her with his own blue eyes which almost matched hers. Only his were dull looking. "Get away from this place." The dog growled at the woman before he leapt again, this time towards the beautiful goddess who quite simply disappeared and materialised into the cold air which had surrounded Cannon and Melee earlier. Followed by her disappearance, came the sounds of the woman's laughter which echoed around the whole library. "Dammit." The black dog growled and cursed under his breath. "She's a demon. We need salt." He muttered.

"And I suppose you don't have any in your fur." Cannon said dryly, letting his arm fall to his side as he passed the black canine, heading straight for his partner with steady steps. "I keep a lot of stuff hidden in this case, but I don't think salt is one of them. But, who knows? Maybe that shop owner wised up and decided to hide some in there for me." He shrugged slightly, hardly noticing or caring for the laughter of the female, focused on the smell of Melee's blood. "Bandage yourself up. If you can't protect yourself then you don't deserve to be here." He said rather harshly.

Melee glared at Cannon. She raised a hand and reached her hand to where the large shard of glass was implanted deeply into her shoulder, then with a quick movement she pulled it painfully from her skin. She threw the bloody shard at Cannon's feet then walked towards the stairs and to the strange dog. "There should be an employee's lounge in here somewhere...theres bound to be salt there." she said to the dog, her quiet nature seeming to have vanished due to the situation they were in. "You can leave if you like Cannon..." she said as she began to climb the stairs, walking past the dog.

The black dog turned his eyes to look at Cannon after Melee had spoken to him, and his ears pricked forwards slightly as if he was waiting for an answer. But soon, they fell back, and he bounded up the stairs after Melee, following her. His black necklace around his neck swung this way and that as the golden amulet glinted in the light of the dimming lamp. The dog sighed as he looked around the library from his post on the top floor now, and still, the woman's laughter filled the emptiness. "I told you that bad things would happen when I'm around." He said to Melee, averting his gaze from below and looking to Melee instead. Had she remembered a certain someone back at the base just a few minutes ago, it would be obvious as to who this dog really was.

"Melee, why would I leave this excitement?" Cannon asked rhetorically, finishing the trek down the stairs and following the direction of the path leading through the bookshelves, his thumb fiddling with the small charm he kept on the gun; on all his guns there was atleast one charm on them somewhere, all centering around the atributes of animals such as a feather, the moon, a claw, even an animal it's self. He headed past one of the librarian's desks and opened the door up that was behind it, checking out the bathroom in search of the demon.

Melee looked at the dog quickly. "Rifle!" she said smiling happily. "I knew there was something familiar about you." She walked past him now, glancing round. "The stench of coffee is so strong up here...the employee's lounge must be up here." she said then staggered slightly where she stood. She touched a hand against the open wound and when she brought it back round to look at, it was dripping with blood. She took a deep breath but said nothing. She didn't want to seem weak.

Rifle rolled his eyes at Melee, if it was at all possible for a dog to do so, and he started on again, walking towards the girl. "Come on. No hanging around in this place when there's a demon close by." The dog murmered, nudging Melee in the back with his nose, urging her forwards. He then walked past her, but he still spoke. "Her name is Arwende. She's a cold demon. She can suck out every last bit of heat that you have in your body if she wishes to. She may be beautiful, but really, she isn't at all. The girl you see is dead. Her body has been posessed by Arwende and she is being treated like a toy. A ragdoll, maybe. Salt is the only thing that can kill her for good." Rifle paused, both in his tracks and speakingwise. He hadn't spoken so much for a long, long time, and he almost felt breathless doing so. "Don't ask me how I know so much. Because I don't know, either." He said low, walking on again towards where he could also smell the coffee.

"Thats horrible..." Melee replied as she followed Rifle. "Does...does the person have to be dead to be possessed?" she asked quietly, feeling slightly nervous as she was the only live female in the place haunted by a female demon.

Rifle looked at her briefly before looking away again and answering. "No." He said simply, his voice rather toneless as he looked straight ahead of him. "Anyone can be posessed. No matter how strong they are, or how much they fight it, the demon almost always wins." Once the smell of the coffee grew stronger, Rifle's eyes met an oak door which was slightly ajar. Again, there was no light coming from within it, but still, Rifle stepped right in. "Turn on the light." Rifle said without looking at Melee, instead letting his head drop so he could sniff out the salt.

While Cannon was down one floor, the demon, Arwende appeared out of no where yet again, this time behind the blonde haired agent. She was smiling without showing her teeth with her head slightly tilted as she watched him carefully. "What are you looking for..?" Arwende asked, her voice again, as soft as silk and sounding very innocent.

Melee followed Rifle inside the room turning the light on as she did. "We need to hurry, I don't want to leave Cannon on his own with a demon like that running around. With the way she was acting, he was a definite target." she said as she began searching cupboards. She suddenly wrapped her fingers round a large canister of salt and she turned to Rifle, a smile on her face. "Told you there would be salt here."

"I'm looking for a monkey dancing to screamo." Cannon said somewhat sarcastically as he turned to face the demon, a small smile on his face once more like when he had felt her presencse after entering the library. He kept the gun held at his side, his nostrils flaring and his body tensing up, typical reactions for him when face with an enemy, though, his gun was usually pointing at the being rather than at his side. "Why are you here?"

Arwende kept her gaze on him, and her smile remained painted on her lips also as she took a small step towards him. She kept her hands behind her back however, like they were tied. "I'm looking for some fun.." She whispered, her blue eyes almost seeming to glitter in the darkness. "Do you think that you would be able to give it to me?"

Rifle nodded as he turned and raised his head to look at her. "Load it into the gun with the bullets. It sounds stupid, I know, but trust me." He instructed calmly, then simply sat down on the spot and watched her rather lazily. "The sooner she is rid of, the better." Rifle added with a small sigh.

Melee carefully opened the compartment that held the bullets then slowly poured salt into it. "There...done. Now can I go kill it?" she asked Rifle, having to work hard to focus on him as her eyes blurred from the blood loss.

"Depends on what you mean by fun. In this gun there are specially made bullets that I pay the shop keeper to make. He put's the gunpowder, in the bullets, makes the skeleton of the bullet.. Oh, yes, I forgot. He also mixes in various ingredients depending on what I pay. The guns in my case, they hold tracking powders, explosive ingredients that basically turn my gun into a flamethrower. Same thing for the extra bullets in my case. These, they hold sodium chloride. Salt. What I consider fun, it's killing demons like you." He raised his gun and fired at the female's head, his own brows furrowed and his free hand clenched in a fist as his side, his fingernails biting into his palms to steady his shaking.

But before the bullet could hit Arwende in the forehead between her eyes, she disappeared in a flash instantly, materializing ito thin air. Her disapperance was followed by her laughter as she seemed to travel out of the room and back into the main library area. "You'll have to try harder than that!" Arwende called out, her voice sounding rather unnerving.

By this point, Rifle had already bounded down the stairs after hearing the gunshot, and he sped into the bathroom beyond the librarian's desk. He sniffed around the room, and then frowned. "I forgot something." The dog murmered, his nose close to the floor, his eyes not looking at Cannon at all whatsoever. "She has to die by a female's hand. A female can kill a female demon, and a male can kill a male demon. I should have mentione that sooner." Rifle raised his head and he looked out of the room and up the stairs. "Melee! Shoot her! Shoot her now!" He yelled as Arwende appeared at the bottom of the stairs, smiling without showing her teeth again and trying to look as innocent as she possibly could.

Melee quickly appeared at the top of the stairs then slowly began to descend towards Arwende. "You picked the wrong people to bother." she said stopping only a few steps above the demon. As quick as a flash she raised her gun and fired straight, forgetting for a few seconds about the pain she was in.

"Whatever." Cannon shrugged, walking past the black canine and rounding the desk, setting course for the front door of the library. "I'm hungry, and we've accomplished something. I'm not bound to your side any longer. Have fun." He waved over his shoulder boredly.

The bullet which Melee fired hit Arwende directly in the chest where her heart was. Her eyes widened, and her mouth suddenly opened as she let out a horrific scream which sounded like no other. Something black, perhaps thick smoke willowed it's way out of her mouth, and it looked as if it was pulling at Arwende's heart inside her body. Rifle, who had been watching this closely, leapt forwards, his jaw open, and he snapped at the black smoke furiously with his fangs, causing it to break in two. It was like elastic, since as soon as it snapped, Arwende's body was plummeted back towards the front of the library, and towards Cannon where she slammed to the ground by his feet. She was no longer giggling, and she was no longer smiling. The only thing she was, was dead. But there was one difference. Her eyes were now a dull hazel colour. These were the eyes of the innocent soul Arwende had posessed just a few hours before.

Melee slowly dropped the gun in her hand, not able to look at the now lifeless body of the girl. Finally she sank to the floor, the pain and blood loss proving to much. "Wh...what do we...we do with the body..." her head leaning against the wall her eyes closed.

"We bury her." Cannon put plain and simply, knocking his elbow against the cello case once more, letting the door to the compartment drop again. He stuffed the gun into the case after pressing the saftey, shutting it in with his elbow before kneeling down next to the female and lifting her in his arms, shutting her eyes with his hand that was near her face. "I'll go on my own.." The male muttered halfheartedly, exiting out of the library quicly after.

Rifle sighed and he looked upwards towards the ceiling where the other half of the smoke had vanished to. "Arwende is still around, and she'll be looking for a new.. victim to posess very soon." He spoke of the word 'victim' as if he didn't really want to at all. The dog sniffed at the ground briefly before he gave his shoulders a canine shrug. "But she isn't here." Rifle added low, before he, too, walked out of the library himself without really waiting for Melee to follow him.

"Wait please..." Melee called weakly as she summoned the strength to pull herself to her feet and put her gun in her pocket. She staggered outside after Rifle, stumbling every so often as she did. "I don't feel very well..." she whispered as a wave if dizzyness swept over her, the bag of her top now soaked in blood.

Rifle paused when he heard her weak voice, and he rolled his eyes slightly before he turned on his heel and stepped towards her. While he moved however, he looked around for anyone else walking around the streets other than himself and the agents. When he decided that the coast was clear, Rifle's form began to shift into a different shape which was very humane; the same teen who had been brought to the base earlier. As he stopped in front of Melee, he reached out his hand and took her by her armpit gently. "C'mon. Blood attracts them." Rifle said low, lifting her slightly and slinging one of her arms over his shoulders as he began to walk after Cannon again, but slowly as to not put any pressure on Melee's wound.

Melee gripped onto Rifle's shoulder as tight as she could glancing at him slowly. "I'm sorry...you must think me pathetic...i'm only fifteen...so i'm not fully aware of the dangers or how to protect myself. I don't blame you if you want to leave me here." she said quietly. "But...I have an idea..." she said suddenly. "I am weak...and covered in blood, a thing that they are attracted to...use me as bait, to lure the demon out into the open...i'm sure she would love to get her revenge on me, after I tried to kill her..." she finished, waiting for his reply.

"No." Rifle said said firmly, not looking at her, his bright blue eyes looking straight ahead of him instead towards the base which they were now extremely close to. "The demons can posess anyone in a heartbeat. Don't risk your life for that." He said, his eyes still looking ahead. "Besides, do you really think that you can run when you're as weak as this?" Rifle questioned, again, still not glancing at her at all. "Don't get me wrong. You wouldn't be an agent if you were weak, but everyone has to throw in the towel sometime or another." He added, his voice actually sounding rather soft this time surprisingly.

"I wouldn't need to run...I would kill her as soon as she came into contact with me...or you would if she did possess me." Melee replied. "It's the only way...trust me. I've gotten out of a lot worse situations than this, if you can believe that..." she said with a weak smile. She pulled herself away from Rifle and with a lot of strength stood up straight and removed her jacket so the smell of blood was stronger.

Rifle watched her for a moment, and he then almost glared at her. Why can't she understand? Arwende will kill her before she even gets the chance to scream. He thought through gritted teeth. "Quit it. You need to rest." He said, his voice firm yet again. He moved towards her and quite practically slung her whole body onto his back so he was giving her some sort of piggyback. "If you don't get cleaned up, then I won't stay here with you." Rifle muttered, his hands holding her lower legs as he carried her up towards the base with her coat now over one of his shoulders.

"You don't understand..." Melee replied as she struggled against Rifle. "The people in this base are my only family, I must protect them!"

Rifle scoffed and he smiled widely, obviously finding what Melee said rather amusing. "Oh, yeah?" He asked sarcastically. "You need to learn how to protect yourself before you go and protect over fifty employees working here. Dream all you want. I'm not letting you go out there like this." He paused, and his smile suddenly disappeared. "You have no idea what demons are capable of. You haven't seen what they can really do. So quit whining, and go to goddamn bed." Rifle growled, stepping inside the base and slamming the door shut behind them which locked automatically considering that the door's locks were on a timer, and would lock shut every night at four in the morning. The only people capable of opening the door being Agent Gray and Howitzer.

***

Cannon hardly noticed the city as he passed through it on swift legs, not really concerned that there were few people out driving either going to a job or coming home from a job. He really didn't care what people thought of him, he knew the truth and that was all that mattered. He took a moment to glance at the dead woman in his arms, a sympathetic frown on his face and a slight furrow to his brow, only to be brought out of his small trance fromt he sudden 'hoot' of his baby owl. "Shh. We're going to get you some food right now. You'll find lots of mice in the woods around the cemetary."

He pressed on, nearing the park that held the cemetary deep within it. When he got to it he pushed the gates open with his foot easily, walking through and shutting it the same way. With a small sigh, he jerked his shoulder sending the owl flying off into the trees, a smile slowly creasing his features as he followed after it. The owl always seemed to lead him to the cemetary when he let him out to feed. He weaved through the trees, keeping the corpse's head pressed to his chest so as not to smack it against a tree or swing it too violently during the trek to the graveyard.

When they reached the graveyard, Cannon opened the gates and walked in, finally looking away from his pet as he slowed to a walk, his eyes scanning about the grounds to glance at the names on the headstones. Walking through the large area with the fragile body in his arms and without stepping on any graves, the agent walked to the back of the graveyard, deciding that would be the proper place to bury her; at the end of a row of graves that he would remember. It would not be his last time visiting her grave. He intended to make her a headstone once he figured out her identity, and that would be easy seeing as he had her blood on his coat, and seeing as he was going to steal some of her hair for a proper DNA matching.

Death was really the only thing he respected, seeing as the dead was the only thing that was ever quite and because they could not fight back... most of the time. When he found a proper spot for her he laid her down against a headstone and removed his coat, shifting forms to that of his canid self; His long gray and white coat being a contrast to the dark night sky. With a small pant, he set off to digging a grave for the girl, small bits of growls and snorts coming from him the further he dug down. When he was finally done digging, he shifted back to his humanoid appearance and pulled himself halfway out of the large hole, grabbing the leg of the corpse and pulling it to him. He got her down into the makeshift grave and got out, but not after pulling some of her hair from her scalp. He swiftly burried her, not even taking a chance to shift back to his wolf shape. He had heard voices in the distance and wished not to be there to be questioned. He hated being questioned.

When she was burried, and with a solid howl to the forest, Cannon grabbed his coat and slipped it on before turning and running off. He was soon joined by the owl, belly full and satisfied, as he ran through the cemetary, still being careful to not step on any graves, though he did use the headstones as a route. Soon he slowed to a stop, but only when he came upon a crypt. It was suitable enough for him to stay for a while just so he did not have to go back to the base. So he did. He folded the hair up and slipped it into his pocket before jumping ontop of the crypt and finding a good place to sit, lying back and relaxing with a suttle, contented sigh. "Go and have your fun. Stick to the skies. When you tired, come back to me. I don't trust cats, especially since they find birds to be a delicacy." With that he shoulder the bird off and watched it fly into the night sky.



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