Summoned

~`~`~`~`~` ( Author Notes ) `~`~`~`~`~

Ok, here’s Chapter 29. This next one will be a filler chapter containing Harley’s meeting with Gavin, Trisha and Louis. Also, a possible set up for the next kill scene but not sure yet since I’m juggling a few ideas at the moment. Anyway, go enjoy now!

Jackpot7374 – Thanks for the review! You seem to like Slaiden as much as I do. I love writing scenes with him, he’s turned out to be just what I wanted as the evil demon wanting to steal the girl away. I had fun writing that scene with him and Jeff, one of my faves that I keep going back to. Here’s the next chapter for your enjoyment. :)

Thanks for all the Reviews, Hits, and Rates!

Enjoy and Please Review or leave feedback in the forums!

Note: Story is in Harley’s POV unless stated otherwise in chapters.
“Blah blah” – Normal speech
“Blah blah” – Thought of character
(Blah blah) – Author comments

Chapter 29

Wednesday rolled around before I knew it. It was my last class of the day and I couldn’t wait to get out of here. I was hardly focusing on what Mrs. Gibs was saying about mitosis, the only thing on my mind was the meeting that I had later with Detective Gavin, and CSI’s Trisha and Louis. I had spent the last few days roaming the halls, keeping my eyes peeled for any suspicious people and activity but so far I have come up empty handed. No clues at all on who Slaiden’s summoner could be.

So far the only idea that I had come up with is what kind of person I should be looking for. Since Slaiden had at least confirmed that his summoner was a male then I was only paying attention to the guys at my school. Also, since the most obvious motive that I could come up with of why the summoner would want all those people dead was that he wanted revenge. But revenge for what, I didn’t know. I couldn’t figure out how each victim fit together but maybe tonight, we could all come up with some theories.

I glance around the biology room at my fellow classmates, taking note of the different type of guys. There are the athletes, the artsy guys, the preppy guys, the quiet loners, and the nerds. While I’m not one to judge on appearances, since after all, my group of friends are a bit diverse yet we all click in some odd way, I had to look at these sorts of qualities to figure out who the summoner could be. The nerdier type seemed like a good option since they tend to get picked on a lot but so far all of the guys that I have observed don’t seem to appear angry or negative in any way that suggested that they would want to summon a demon. They would be more likely to do it for kicks and to live out some fantasy world dream then kill a bunch of people in cruel and painful ways. Besides, most of them seemed to be nice guys, just enjoying their own interests. The loner types seemed to fit better and since there were only a few of those around this school, it had been easier to do some investigating. Except, so far the few that I observed didn’t fit the bill. Sure they came off as moody and reserved but not necessarily angry or mean. I had three more boys that I wanted to check out by the end of this week which hopefully might bring me some good fortune.

*RIIINNNNGGGGG!!!*

There’s the bell. Class was over.

I nudge a snoozing Conner next to me with my elbow. I get the hint that he would be borrowing my notes for today’s lecture, not that they were going to be much help due to my own wandering mind. Conner gave a small yawn as he started to rise. I get up with my stuff and head out the door. “Come on sleepy head.” I say over my shoulder.

Conner just mumbles and follows behind. We go our separate ways to our lockers and will meet up near the exit. I toss my book in my locker and grab my backpack full of homework. Tossing it over my shoulder, I lock up and meet up with Jeff along the way to the doors. He doesn’t notice me at first so I put my arm around his shoulder in a side hug.

“Hey.” I say with a smile.

“Oh…Hey, Harley.” Jeff returns with a small smile of his own. I release my arm and let him finish grabbing his stuff.

“So what’s up?” I ask.

“Nothing much, just another day and work later.” He replies as he clicks his lock in place. He hoists his own bag over his shoulder and we start walking towards the other down the hall. “How about you?”

“Same old, same old as well. Probably going to workout at the dojo later to clear my head a bit. I just can’t seem to focus lately.” I say casually, which is the truth in a way.

“Hmm.” Is all Jeff replies, seeming to get lost in his own thoughts again, something he’s been doing a lot lately.

“You O.K.?” I ask with a bit of concern. “You’re spacing out on me.”

He is silent for a minute which makes me wonder if he even heard me. But he proves me wrong by shooting me another small smile. “Yeah, just a bit tired lately since this weekend. Too much fun I guess.”

“Oh yeah, well back to reality now though.” I say jokingly.

“Yeah, reality.” Jeff comments, only a bit quieter.

“Must’ve had a good time since he sounds like he didn’t want it to end. Not that I blame him, school is boring especially as it gets closer to summer.” I think as we make it to the rest of the gang. Ryan had his arm around Claire as they were listening to Tina talk about something and Conner talking to one of his other friends, Gil, another skateboarder. Gil was similar to Conner in ways of laziness but with a bit more of a hyper personality, always talking to anyone and everyone. I also notice Courtney and some friends heading over to their direction to my surprise. I greet everyone as we approach them. “Hey guys!”

They greet us as well and then Courtney catches our attention as she steps in front of Conner. “Hey, Conner.” She says, “I was wondering since we both have Economics together that we could study together tonight, at Biggby’s Coffee, maybe? If you’re free that is.”

I think this was the first time ever that Conner has been speechless about anything. He just stands there, staring at her. “Say something, Conner! Say yes!” I think as Ryan coughs to get his attention. Luckily Gil butts in. “Sure he’s free! Aren’t you Conner? You’d love to help this fine young lady.” Gill says for him, shooting Courtney a wink and smile. Her friends giggle at this.

“Thank God for Gil’s overly friendly nature.” I think with relief as Conner regains his voice.

“Yeah, sure.” Is all he manages to get out.

“Thanks! I’ll see you at 7 o’clock, O.K.?” She says with a bright smile.

“Yes you will, count on it.” Gil answers again for him.

“Sound great then. See you then. Bye!” She says looking at Conner. She then gives us all a wave and walks off with her giggling friends, waiting to talk.

“Bye.” Conner says, a cute goofy grin appearing on his face.

“Aww how cute, Conner’s got himself a little study date.” Tina says, putting her arm around Conner as we walk out the doors.

“Simply adorable.” I add, doing the same on his other side. We give him friendly kisses on the cheeks, playing around. I think I see Conner blushing at this point. Ryan and Jeff are laughing behind us with Claire in tow, giggling herself.

“So ladies,” Gil says slyly as he walks backwards ahead of us. “How about spreading that love around?”

I hear Jeff make a chocking noise behind us. “Aw, Jeff’s getting jealous.” I think with a small laugh. “Sorry, Gil. Maybe next time.” I say giving him a wink. Tina is laughing herself and shoots Jeff a small smile in reassurance.

We all just laugh the whole way to our cars, the playful event giving me a nice distraction from my more serious evening up ahead. “Normalness, how I’ve missed you.” I think to myself as I enjoy the company of my friends.

( That Night - 8:50pm )

I pulled around to the back of the dojo to see Detective Gavin already there waiting. He was dressed casually in jeans and an old t-shirt, giving off the appearance of an average guy. I park alongside him and get out with my things.

“Hey Gavin, nice to see you.” I say with a smile, for once meeting on normal, completely safe terms.

“Nice to see you too, I hope you’re alright since this weekend. Sorry again about that.” He says with a half smile, trying to be causal about it.

I just wave it off, having gotten over it since my talk with my dad. “Don’t worry about it, Gavin. I’m fine now.”

He is about to say something else but Trisha pulls around the corner with Louis right behind her. They both park next to us and we all greet each other.

I then lead us all inside and have Gavin help me with the long table used for testing days. We set it up with four chairs in the middle of the room. Trisha then pulls out her case full of files, setting it on the table as we sit down. She empties all the contents on the table, revealing pictures of the crime scenes and reports. “You don’t have to look at these Harley if you don’t want to.” Trisha says as she gets organized.

“No, it’s fine.” I reply. “Even if I don’t want to, I need to see what Slaiden has done to all those other men.”

I swallow my nerves and start picking through the photos of the other scenes. Looking at the graphic scenes puts a knot in my stomach. Slaiden really did a number on these men, some weren’t even recognizable from my dream. Their faces and bodies disfigured in painful ways. I nearly want to gag at the sight of Steve’s. “Oh dear God, that’s horrible! All that blood!....Poor Steve, he didn’t deserve that! Slaiden was so cruel! So unbelievably evil!” I think as my hand comes to cover my mouth in shock.

“Why don’t we put those away for now.” Gavin says, having catching a glimpse at whose picture I was looking at.

“Yeah…sure.” Trisha says as she collects the pictures out of my sight. “Let’s get started.”

Louis pulls out his laptop onto the table and starts pulling up information on demons. All seem to be photo copied documents from the books at the library. “So far I haven’t come up with anything new so far, just what pages I copied to study more. Some of the books have been helpful though but that’s old news.”

I nod in agreement, having seen them all myself before. I take out my notebook as well, having written down information back at the library. “Some of them had some interesting information about demons, some relating to Slaiden actually. Like about making deals and the price but I don’t have any leads to what Slaiden wants. I doubt its money though since Slaiden says he’s a lord so I’m sure there isn’t much he doesn’t already have. I’m curious to what the summoner can offer since he’s probably around my age but I don’t think that’s all that important right now. I think we need to focus on finding the summoner at this point. Slaiden has mentioned in passing that his summoner was male which makes sense since most of the victims were male and on the rougher side. And Jeanette wasn’t the nicest of girls so she must have done something pretty mean to get on the list.”

“A guy huh?” Gavin comments, “Have you been looking into the guys at your school?”

“Yeah I have but the only victims I had any connection with were Jeanette, Steve and Jackson but I haven’t seen Jackson in years so he’s not much help there. And while I knew Steve a lot more then Jackson, he didn’t go to my school so I don’t know who he knew the summoner. Also, I’ll be honest. I wasn’t Jeanette’s biggest fan, not a lot of people were. There were quite a few guys who didn’t like her for rejection reasons or something like that. Even some of my friends had been hurt by Jeanette by one way or another in the past. There are still a few guys that I’m going to look into though so maybe I will notice something of interest.” I reply.

“I understand. Unless we figure out who the summoner is or the next target, we don’t have much to go by. Slaiden and his summoner will probably strike again sometime between tomorrow and Saturday night. If the next target ends up going to your school then we might get some new leads but as an officer of the law and a human being, I feel guilty of another person having to lose their life for a greater good. Justifiable? Yes. But moral? Not really.” Gavin says.

“I agree but with we may not have any other options at this point. We tried to think of connections between the victims but all we know is that they all haven’t had the most innocent of lives.” Trisha comments.

“I don’t even see how we could even know where Slaiden will be this time. It’s been pure bad luck that I’ve been around where he’s been.” I add in.

“Well let’s think about this for a moment,” Trisha says. “The only vic that went to your school and you have the most insight about is Jeanette Miller. She was at a college party thrown by your friends’ brother and she was with other high school friends. Both college and high school kids were in attendance. Is there any event this weekend that you know about that a lot of kids would be at? While it’s a long shot, Slaiden’s next target may be another kid at your school so we may have to take the chance of focusing on them then other possibilities. Most of the vics, related to you or not, have been young between that ages of 18 and 22 excluding David Manning and his men as well as a few of the Steel Snake gang members.”

“Hmm…think, what have I heard of this weekend? Richie hasn’t thrown a party since that night…Ryan goes to a lot of parties with team mates so he must’ve mentioned something. Hmm…..I know! I’ll text him, see what his plans are.” I think as I take out my cell. “I’ll text my friend Ryan to see if he’s heard of anything.” I explain to the others as I type up a quick message.

To Ryan – Hey got any plans this weekend?

I hit send and we all wait in silence for a few moments. A minute later I get a reply.

From Ryan – Probably going to a movie on Fri with Claire, date night. Don’t know about Sat yet, maybe Kevin’s party at the lake. Why?

I read the text out loud then write a reply.

“Good, we may have an opportunity.” Louis comments as I text.

To Ryan – Just was trying to make plans for the weekend.

“Just keep it vague and see what he says. Let’s hope he asks me to tag along.” I think as we wait in silence again. I get a reply within seconds.

From Ryan – K, you should come to the party on Sat then, I’ll ask everyone. It should be fun.

I read it out loud and hear a sigh of relief from Louis on my left.

I type up a quick reply saying ‘that will be fun’ as Trisha makes a comment. “Well most of the murders have been on Friday but if the next target is a student then this might be our best bet. Who’s Kevin and what’s his place like? Do you know the location?”

“Kevin Donnelly is a guy at my school.” I explain. “He plays on the basketball team with Ryan. Nice guy, but a bit of a show off sometimes. He lives on a lake in his neighborhood not too far from the school. It’s an older neighborhood with a lot of trees and a lot of space between neighboring houses so noise isn’t an issue, I’ve been there a few times. His parties are fairly big. If you go to our school, you’re basically invited.”

“So a lot of people will be there?” Gavin asks, arching an eyebrow which tells me he wants to know if any possible suspects could be there.

“Yeah, definitely. All sorts of people so we may get lucky.” I reply.

“Alright then be on the lookout for Slaiden but keep as natural as possible. Slaiden still might attack on Friday too since he’s done several kills in one weekend before. I’ll make sure I’m out on the field those nights. Harley, have you phone handy to get a hold of me if anything happens.” Gavin says, all business.

“I will.”

“Don’t call me unless there’s a body please. I’d prefer to keep living.” Louis says half jokingly, but the slight hint of uneasiness is showing through.

I shoot him a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, Louis. I’ll protect you from the big bad, scary demon.”

Trisha gives a small laugh and Gavin actually cracks a smile. The hint of playfulness helps lighten the mood and helps ease my nerves about this weekend.

“Let’s hope I can, not that I’ve done so well so far.” I think somberly, remembering the past events. I shake those negative thoughts away though, not wanting to put myself in a bad place. This was not the time to be unsure of myself. I look at each person at the table with serious expression. “If he does show up Saturday though, we can think of a plan to confront him. Maybe his summoner will be there as well, trying to blend in with the crowd.”

“Alright, give me the address so I can be in the area at the time of the party. I’ll keep watch on the skies for any sightings.” Gavin adds.

“Even if you are, Slaiden will still know you’re in the area. He said he won’t hesitate to kill you or Louis if you get in his way so he will either confront you first, Gavin, or let us confront him just to mess with us. Every possibility puts you or anyone else in danger, I don’t know if I’m willing to take that risk again.” I say bitterly, the last thing I want being to make anyone a bargaining chip in this deadly gamble again.

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take if we can save a life. My job is to serve and protect, putting others in front of my own life, Harley. I take that seriously. I couldn’t protect Fletcher or you that night so I don’t want history to have to repeat itself.” Gavin says sternly, his face expressionless but I know that he means his words. “Besides,” he continues, “if we catch the summoner or at least put Slaiden at a disadvantage then everyone and all of us included will be saved.”

We all soak in Gavin’s words in silence. Coming to terms with the cold, hard facts that no one is safe, myself included, unless we take the risks to stop Slaiden and his summoner.

“I got an idea,” Louis announces, breaking the ice. “At the party Harley should keep tabs on all the guys…or girls, that are most likely to be targets. Anyone with a history of mean behavior or illegal activities. That way Harley can keep them in a heavily populated area so Slaiden can’t interfere. He won’t want all those witnesses and too many deaths would cause too much attention.”

“Great idea, Louis. Think you can do that Harley?” Trisha asks me.

“Sure, no problem. With Detective Gavin nearby, we might be able to pull this off. I just hope our theory is right.” I reply with a bit of enthusiasm for once tonight.

“Same here.” The detective replies. I notice Gavin glance at his phone, most likely for the time and I get the feeling that this meeting is coming to a close. It’s confirmed when Trisha starts gathering her papers and packing them up.

“Well I think we should call it a night for now. Let’s stay in touch if anything comes up. Good luck on Saturday Harley, let’s hope we are a step further at ending all of this.” Trish says as she packs everything up. I nod in agreement and close my notebook.

Louis follows suit and closes his laptop which has been clicking away this whole time, copying down what was discussed. “Well I’m out then. Personally, I hope I don’t have to show up at the party to collect DNA.” He says as he gets up. He bids us good night and lets himself out.

Trisha is the next to leave, saying she is going to swing by the lab to return the files. She actually surprises me with a warm hug which I welcome. I think I’ve found a second mother in Trisha Melrose for life. I give her a warm smile as she leaves then start packing the chairs up with Gavin. Once we have the table taken care of, I hit the lights and we walk out. Locking up behind us, we go to our cars in silence. Our minds occupied for the possible event to come.

“Well,” I say as I open my car door, “See you same time next week.”

“Or sooner.” He replies softly, hinting at Saturday with troubled tone.

“Yeah.” Is all I say, not wanting to dwell on the subject. “Have a good night, detective.”

“You too, Harley.” He replies with a rare smile. And with that we get in our cars and I watch the detective drive off into the night.

I’m about to leave myself when my cell goes off, Tina’s name appearing on the screen.

-------------------- ( Third Person POV ) --------------------

(Mean While)

Jeff enters his room after a night of working and changes quickly. Once comfortable, he crosses the room to the far side where his open window is located.

“Hey Slaiden.” Jeff calls up to the roof from his window.

“Yes boy?” The demon answers with a bored tone as he marks his place in his current book.

“I want to talk about this weekend, about the list.” Jeff replies, ignoring Slaiden’s tone.

“Hnnn.” Is the only response he hears as he backs away from the open window to allow the demon inside. Once inside, Slaiden leans against the wall with his arms crossed, his face void of any expression.

“I’ve been thinking that since some of the police know about you that we can afford to pick up the pace a bit with my revenge.” Jeff says as he sits at his desk, facing Slaiden.

Slaiden arches an eyebrow at this, his interest spiked. He remains silent though so Jeff continues.

“Since you plan to kill them anyway if they show up again, we can afford to scratch a few of the remaining names off this week. There is supposed to be a big storm tomorrow but how about shedding some blood Friday and Saturday?”

Slaiden smirks at this, flashing his fangs and curling his claws in anticipation. “Fine by me, human. Any blood on my claws is welcome.”

Jeff flinches at this, not liking the predatory gaze in Slaiden’s gold eyes. “Yeah…anyway…Friday and Saturday will both be guys I go to school with but they travel in different social circles so you won’t find them close by each other. One is Reed Kent, a bit of a street wise guy. He hangs around with a tough crowd. I also work with him. I wasn’t going to even put him on the list since he’s never given me that much trouble besides hustling money out of me but what I overheard today changed my mind. I know this doesn’t mean much to you for obvious reasons, but today he was bragging to a friend of how he raped this chick, drugged her and everything. The girl goes to our school too so I figured since you’re here, might as well do some extra work. Rapists deserve to die.” Jeff shoots Slaiden a knowing look, his meaning behind his last statement is clear as a bell to the demon’s ears.

Slaiden glares down at the boy, not sparring a comment. His eyes get his message across just fine. Jeff flinches under the hard stare, regretting his words. “Umm…uh…what I mean..is…um..” He fumbles over his words, trying to recover. “I have really got to control my mouth. I do not want to be on the receiving end of Slaiden’s claws again.”

“Silence boy, you’re getting on my last nerve.” Slaiden demands coldly, closing his eyes as if to block the boy out. “The other night was a lesson for you, be a good student and apply it. Otherwise, you won’t like the punishment. Younglings learn to hold their tongues quicker than you around their betters.”

Actually listening to himself and Slaiden, Jeff remains silent. He doesn’t dare continue until Slaiden says so. The glint of the demon’s claws in the dim light are enough warning. Slaiden then continues, satisfied for being obeyed. “Also, don’t think for a second, boy, that doing a small sense of justice for someone else will help ease your conscious, much less your soul. But regardless…since you humans view this as a crime then I will see to it that he pays. Now, what of the other?”

Slaiden reopens his eyes at this question, staring the young man down with sharp golden eyes. Composing himself, Jeff clears his throat. “The other is much more personal to me. Well…more like personal concerning Tina.”

Slaiden raises his eyebrow at this, intrigued. “Ah, a lover’s revenge. There is hope for this pathetic human yet. Thinking more like a demon every time.”

“This happened earlier today actually. Tina wa--”

*Bzzz* *Bzzz* *Bzzz*

Jeff is cut off mid sentence by his phone vibrating, telling him he has received a text. Picking it up from his desk, he views it. His face changes from confusion, to worry but then surprisingly to satisfaction. “Actually,” he says, “This might work out better than I thought.”

“Care to include me, boy?” Slaiden says, growing annoyed with every second wasted.

Jeff looks up at Slaiden after typing in a quick reply. He gives Slaiden a smirk that would make any demon proud. “For once, I might be able to watch the show and still be able to keep Harley from suspecting me or even noticing me.”

Slaiden smirks back, definitely intrigued by this sudden turn of events. “Now boy,” he says, flashing his fangs, “You have my attention.”


~`~`~`~`~` ( Author Notes ) `~`~`~`~`~

I got stuck along the way writing this but near the end I got some help from a friend for an idea that will make my original plan for the party scene even better. I can’t wait to start writing it in the next chapter. The first kill will be different than usual and the second will be bigger in a way with a lot more going on. Deception, Action, Murder, what could be better? ;)

I should have it up by Sunday or Monday since I work Thru-Sat so not much time to write. I’ll try to get it up sooner but no guarantees.

Please Review!