- 7 -

Adrenaline still high from the kill, Pandora's attention was drawn by the sounds of a fight. She turned in time to see James land a solid punch across Gamal's jaw. The gorilla turned his face and spit blood. The sight of red splashing across the ground brought a smile to her face.

"Give him another!" Pandora cheered before turning to Fennel. "So why are they fighting anyway?"

"When James held the beast in place, the moment you were about to strike it down, Gamal pulled it away."

Pandora stood slack jawed, unable to process the idea. She was still, waiting for confirmation that took the form of a somber nod from the woman. It wasn't a joke, that jackass had actually pulled the youkai away from a killing blow. Her whole body went stiff. Rigor mortis, except it was Gamal who was the dead man.

Pandora stomped over to the traitor. Her hand moved to where her shotgun normally rested. It was missing, knocked away when the barghest charged her. No problem, she always carried a backup.

Pandora reached below her cloak for the holster that sat against her back, just below the shoulder blades. She wrapped her fingers around the grip of her revolver. She ripped it free and whipped it forward. Dim moonlight glinted off an engraving. The gun's name, Tomorrow, was carved in capital letters across the barrel that now rested against the bastard's forehead.

Gamal's arm shot up to take hold of the gun and he ripped it to the side. Pandora didn't hesitate; the gun went off in an explosion of smoke and fire. A deep red line cut across the side of Gamal's head, but he had managed to avoid death.

Slobber launched through Gamal's gritted teeth striking Pandora. "You could have killed me!"

Despite the large caliber, Pandora was surprised by the lack of recoil. He had counteracted all the weapons kick with just the grip strength in his fingers. Then she noticed he held the gun in his left hand; presumably not even his dominant side.

This man is a monster.

"You could have killed all of us!" she shouted back.

Pandora pulled at her gun but there wasn't an ounce of play in his grip. As she struggled, Gamal wound up his free hand and delivered a punch right into Pandora's gut. The jab carried enough force that her feet left the ground. Her vision flickered to black for a moment and when she landed, her knees were close to giving out. Desperation gripped her. She gritted her teeth, reared back, and drove her head down into his with all the force she could manage.

There was a loud crack and Gamal stumbled back bringing his hands up to clutch at his nose. "You fucking bitch!"

Pandora finally had control of the gun back but her legs failed her and she dropped to one knee. Her vision grew blurry at the edges but the in the center was the clear sight of blood pouring from Gamal's nose. She raised her shaky gun hand to meet it.

Before she could fire, Gamal drove his hand into the ground, buried to the wrist. Every muscle in his arm tensed as he ripped a tree root up. The earth in front of him fractured in a line as more of the root pulled free. In danger of having the ground disappear from below, Pandora was forced to scramble back. When she tried to lift her gun again a hand pushed it down from behind.

Pandora turned to find Fennel. "That's enough," she said.

"But he could have killed us all."

"And you got him pretty good for that, but we've had enough hunters die in this town. Save it for when you're back in Eden."

Pandora looked back to Gamal. Blood dripped from his now crooked nose onto James's white cloak. The church hunter was holding the much larger man back, though Pandora suspected if Gamal wanted past him he would have been. She clicked her tongue, then stood holstering her weapon.

"Fine, but keep him away from me until I can collect my payment and leave."

"Deal."

Fennel was true to her word. She allowed Gamal to nap on the hillside past the tree line. A few hundred feet away, Pandora sat at the side of the river in the spot Fennel had picked out for her. Both church hunters stood nearby at the barghest's corpse. Pandora couldn't help but see the inequality of the situation.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company, Fennel, But is there any reason I get two babysitters and the ape gets none?"

"He's asleep," Fennel said. "Besides, he didn't bring a gun. If he wants to continue your fight he has to come over here."

Pandora hated the answer. She had no argument against it and that pissed her off, so she sat in silence and watched James trace a knife along the gut of the barghest. The blade skited harmlessly across the tough skin. Fennel leaned over his shoulder observing.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "The first step is to hang the beast and slit the throat to drain its blood."

"I'm retrieving what's left of my wife. Nothing comes before that."

"James, that was a month ago. By now..."

Fennel trailed off, likely unwilling to tell him his wife would have long since been digested and expelled. Her endless compassion was attractive, but in this case misguided.

"And here I thought you were the observant type," Pandora said. "Normally you'd be right... but normal isn't a word I'd use to describe that thing."

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Fennel raised an eyebrow, then turned to examine the corpse. Pandora jumped to her feet, then rested her arm across Fennel's shoulders. Her free hand pointed to the youkai's back end. "No asshole."

"Then how does—"

"Don't know. But maybe we'll find out. There's no harm in letting him gut the thing."

James, who hadn't been waiting for permission, broke through the inner wall of the stomach right as Pandora finished speaking. A torrent of river water rushed out pulling with it the contents of the beast's stomach. At least a month's worth of human and animal remains in various states of decomposition. The putrid stench of rot overwhelmed everything.

Pandora retched, nearly adding the contents of her stomach to the youkai's. "Holy shit, that's wretched."

Fennel had dropped her face into the pit of her elbow in a vain attempt to block the scent. As if the smell didn't affect him at all, James crawled on his hands and knees digging through the chunks. While searching, his head shot to the side before he unfastened his cloak and set it in his lap. With careful hands, he lifted a piece from the viscera and wrapped it in the cloth.

After storing the bloody bundle in his bag, James leaned back and pressed his hand into the river. He shook it against the flow, leaving a trail of murky brown away from him. The moonlight gleamed off a small plain ring as he lifted it from the water. He pressed it onto his ring finger where the band caught on his second knuckle. He closed his hand and began to weep. Whether they were tears of joy or mourning Pandora couldn't tell. Probably both.

Guess he found his ring.

Pandora searched her bag for her notebook. Apparently, whatever a barghest eats stays in its stomach for at least a month. She had never seen that detail listed in any bestiary, maybe she could sell the information off for a few mils. Her search was interrupted by a sudden yelp. James had wrapped Fennel in a tight embrace, smearing blood and dirt across her white clothes. After a moment of hesitation, Fennel returned the hug, a bright smile plastered across her face for her friend's victory.

"No fair. Where's my hug?" Pandora asked with a chuckle.

James cocked his head towards her. Before she could react, his arms had made their way around her, coating the monster's insides on her outside. She was going to have to wash her clothes ten times to get the smell out. Pandora's arms hung limp at her sides as she was crushed in the embrace.

"I meant a hug from Fennel."

"You don't know what it means to me to have all of my wife back. How it felt to let that fucking dog steal a piece of her away. Thank you. For everything."

That's what she gets for trying to flirt. A grown man wrapped around her sobbing like a baby. But as awkward as it was Pandora understood. She slid her arms around the man and rubbed his shoulder. The raw pain of losing someone she loved was a feeling she could never forget.

All that had been left after your death was ash and bone.

"What the hell happened while I was gone that you're all good friends now? You forget you hate the church?"

To Pandora's displeasure, Andor had returned. Gamal trailed along behind him; a parade of bastards. James released his hug and rushed over to the older man. Andor paid no attention as James showed him the ring, instead beckoning Fennel over. When she was close enough he leaned over and whispered into her ear. The color fell away from her skin. Pandora took a moment to look around as Andor repeated the whispering into James's ear.

"Where's Gregor?" Pandora asked.

"He's back at the village." The way Fennel's head dropped at Andor's response sent a clear message. There was more to the story than he was letting on.

"Something came up," Andor continued. "We have another hunt we'd like you to help with. The rate will be double the barghest job."

"Double?!" Gamal was practically drooling at the offer. Pandora felt the urge to step back before he slobbered all over her. Who knows what she might catch.

The barghest was already a high-ranking youkai. What could they have that's worth double?

"What, did a dragon torch the town while we were out?" Pandora asked.

"Succubus. Went after the vicar's son."

"Doesn't matter what it is, I can kill it." Gamal boasted.

Or set it free on all of us. Pandora's stomach rolled. The thought of spending another second hunting alongside Gamal or Andor was nauseating. The only one she had any interest in still working with was Fennel, and that was mostly from some vague hope she was attracted to women. And for what? Pandora couldn't hold a relationship past a one-night stand, let alone one built on such a poor pairing.

"Sorry, I'm out."

"Suit yourself. We'll get you your money once we get back to town and you can be on your way."

The group was silent on the long walk back to Coventry. Pandora didn't mind awkward silence; in truth many of her jobs ended with it. She wasn't payed to be anyone's friend after all, but that implied she was being properly paid. It was that crucial step these hunters failed.

Once they were back in town Andor sped off with James and Gamal in tow, leaving Fennel to handle the administrative work. Pandora followed her to a small church at the edge of town, eager to collect her pay and leave.

"Go ahead and sit anywhere," Fennel said as she pushed the main doors open. "I just need to head back into the office and open the safe."

Pandora nodded and slid into the closet pew. Fennel's footsteps clicked against the plain wooden floor. Pandora didn't waste the opportunity to stare, her eye tracking Fennel's swaying hips as she disappeared beyond a doorway. That distraction gone, she turned her attention to the small chapel. She was generally uncomfortable around churches, but the small one room layout reminded her of home. It was remarkable similar to the building her broker worked out of; the one she had accepted this job in.

Fennel's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "There's a problem."

Pandora's eyes narrowed, anticipating bullshit. "If you're trying to screw me, please don't try to tell me you were robbed. I've heard that lame excuse a hundred times over."

Fennel's head dropped. "Not stolen, misplaced." She crossed the room and sat on the pews hand rest. Looking down at Pandora beside her, she continued, "I have the money, but the vicar was the last one to handle the return tickets. I thought I would find them in his office but they're nowhere to be found."

Pandora let out a sigh and sank deeper into her seat. A reaction that didn't go unnoticed by Fennel.

"Andor said the vicar made it back to town alive. If you stay till the morning maybe he'll be able to tell us where the tickets were left."

Was that what this was? A ploy to keep her in town a little longer? Maybe convince her to join this extra hunt? No, she didn't think so. She had no doubt Andor would pull some stunt like that, but she didn't think Fennel was the type to go along with it.

Pandora looked up at Fennel. The light was dim in the sanctuary but her large eyes shone bright. For just a moment Pandora considered agreeing; considered telling Fennel she would stay the night if she could do it in her bed. But she decided not to make a fool of herself. If it was unlikely Fennel planned to delay her departure to recruit her for another hunt, than the idea she was trying to recruit her into her bedroom was laughable.

That the tickets had been misplaced was surely the truth. If Pandora stayed, maybe the vicar would reveal their location in the morning, but maybe he died before the sun rose. It was best to cut her losses and leave.

"Just pay me what you owe and I'll find my own passage back to Eden."

For just a moment, Pandora thought she had made a dent in the woman's unending smile, but the moment passed so quickly it could just as easily have been a trick of the light. Her idea faded from her mind when a pouch dropped into her lap, the coins inside clicking against each other as they settled. Pandora opened the bag and quickly counted, finding every milliliter accounted for.

"Thank you," she said, standing. She fastened the pouch to her belt, then stepped past Fennel. Just before pushing through the main door, she turned back and said, "Good luck with your hunt."

"I appreciate that, Pandora. Safe travels."

Pandora considered telling her to worry about more for herself, but held her tongue. She was only being kind. There was no reason to remind her that her hunt still continued. Pandora simply nodded and left, content to leave both Gamal and the succubus behind and go home.