Hunters Series - Burn Part Eight

We pulled up to the Boulder Station casino and looked around for a minute. It was a little run down and was way off the strip. C.J. parked the car in a spot close to the casino so we had a good view of the front entrance.

“Now what do we do?” He asked watching the door.

“I guess we wait.” I answered before I really thought about it. I wondered what the hell I was doing. Burning my own soul just to help my dad? I took a deep breath.

“You don’t have to do it.” C.J. turned his head and looked at me as he spoke.

“If there’s any chance at helping my dad, I do.” I answered.

“I don’t think he’s want you to do it.” C.J. countered.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m a grown woman. I’ll do what I need too.”

C.J. just looked back to the casino instead of answering. “She’s here.”

Max was waiting by the front door with her hands on her hips. She looked almost like she was bored and wanted to go back to that other crappy hotel. We got out of the beat up old car and walked towards her.

“About time.” She snickered. “Do you want to do this or not?”

“Tell me where to go.” I snapped back at her.

She raised an eyebrow at me and then turned back to the doors of the casino. The lights were bright from inside to out and the casino seemed to glow once you were inside.

We followed her through the lobby and down a long hall. It seemed to change from fancy to more like a back hallway of a mall. The hallway started to slop downward and I realized we were going down under ground.

“No one will hear us down here. The movie theater is too loud.” She was pointing up to show where the theater was in relation to where we were.

We followed her till we got to a large door that was obviously locked. Max pulled out an electronic hotel key and slid it through the door. The door automatically unlocked and she pulled it open towards her. “After you.” She said holding the door.

I hesitated and C.J. stepped in front of me. He slid his hand over the wall and popped the lights on overhead. The room didn’t look as I had thought that it would. There was a fancy couch against one wall and what looked like a fireplace on the other. The carpet was a rich red color and the walls were beige. It looked nothing like I thought a witches home should.

“We can do the big stuff in the back.” She echoed behind me shutting the door. “Everything’s already set up there.” She walked through the front room and down a hall that was painted in the same fashion. Even the carpet remained the same.

At the end of the hall was a closed door. Max opened the door with ease and then came the crazy looking room.

The walls were bare brick from when they had first built the place. The floor was still cement and had no carpet to be seen. Along the far wall of the room there were jars of herbs and liquids. There were also books that appeared to be older than the building itself. To the middle of the room was a padded table with straps for the arms and feet. I cringed when I saw it and thought about turning tale and running.

“You’ll need to take off your jewelry and anything that might get hot.” Max was standing at a small table beside the padded one. “When I say burning your soul, I mean it, from the inside out.”

I took off the only jewelry that I wore, my mom’s ring and sat it on the table.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She said not turning to face me.

“I don’t have a choice. I have to help my dad.” I said looking at the padded table again.

“Get on the table and I’ll get you strapped in.” She said as though she was going to buckle my seatbelt in a car.

I sat on the table and swung my legs up to the bottom. When I lay down, I got a good look at the ceiling. It was an old style tin one with designs that seemed to make this whole scene surreal. As Max was strapping my legs and my arms down, I couldn’t help but think about when I used to go to the dentist as a child. I used to study the ceiling so I wouldn’t have to face what they were doing.

“I’m going to start the spell now.” Max said leaning over me. “You won’t understand the words, but you’ll feel them when it starts.”

I just nodded and closed my eyes. I had to remember why I was doing this. That was the only way; I was going to get through it.

Max started talking in a language that I didn’t understand and then it didn’t matter.

The burning started in my chest, just below my heart. It seemed like a sort of bad heartburn. Then it seemed to get wider until it was at my throat. I curled my hands into fists as the burning got hotter. It rose higher in my body until it was in my throat making me couch and gasp. I could taste the ash on my tongue. My face started burning from the inside out, making my eyes water. I didn’t want to open them, but was forced too from the smoke that was begging to leave my body.

I wanted to scream, but couldn’t force it through the burning of my body. I pulled my arms against the restraints, begging them to let go so I could grab the source of the burning. If I could get it, I could make it stop.

The smoke kept coming for what seemed like forever and then suddenly stopped. The room came into view and my insides no longer felt like they were boiling me alive. I gasped the air as though I’d never breathed.

“That wasn’t so bad. Huh.” Max said hanging over me with a smile on her face.

I raised an eyebrow at Max as I sat up on the chair. “How do you feel?” C.J. asked me concerned.

“I need a drink.” I choked out. My throat was dry and still burned from the spell.

“Here you go.” Max was already there with a tall glass of water in hand. I didn’t question it, I just took it and chugged it down. “Not many people will be able to tell that you had a soul burn.” Max started saying as she was picking up things in the room. “The only sure fire way is to look at your eyes.”

“What’s so different about my eyes?” I said putting my feet on the ground. I felt a little wobbly, but not as bad as I was afraid I would feel.

“Those that have a soul burn will have a red ring around the irises.” She didn’t turn to face us. “You should go if you plan on having a chance to save your dad.”

“I have to figure out how to get a hold of the demons first.” I stated to her, still holding onto the table for support.

“That’s easy.” She turned around to face us. “I’ll call them.”

I know my mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“They hire me to do things for them sometimes.” She offered seeing my reaction. “Or I could give you the number and you could call them.”

“There’s only the one demon that I would want to talk too.”

“Let me guess, Karchak.” She smiled a half smile and crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s the big shit around here.”

“He’s who would have my dad.”

“I’ll show you the pay phone.” She said still smiling.

Max took us down the hallway to the pay phone that sat in the hotel lobby. She hesitated for a second before handing me a slip of paper with a number on it.

“This is his number.” She looked almost sad, but I didn’t know why she would. Max had only done what we had asked. The rest was my problem.

I picked up the receiver and started dialing the number. It did feel odd to be calling 1 800 demon, but that was what needed to be done.

I recognized the voice on the other end of the phone the minute it answered. “So, you want to get your dad back?” It echoed.

I didn’t even stop to ask how he had known who it was calling him. “I have something you want and so do you.”

“So, you are willing to trade the lives of all the hunters in the US for one little dad? That’s pretty bold.” He waited a minute. “What makes you think I just won’t kill both of you and take the list?”

I smiled and thought about my words. “I don’t know. Call it a hunch.”

“Hmm, how about we meet somewhere in between Vegas and here.” I waited knowing he was thinking about where a good place would be to kill me. “How about you call me when you get to Salt Lake City. That seems like the perfect place.”

“Will my dad be there?”

“Of course. That way you know he’s still alive before the trade.” He hesitated. “Just make sure you bring the list and we can talk.” There was a smile in his voice that made me shiver.

“I’ll call you when I’m there.” I stated and hung the phone up on him.

C.J. looked at me a minute and ran his hand through his hair. “So, do you think you’ll need some help on this little trip?”

“Well, I am short on transportation.” I smiled as I spoke.