Palindrome

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny didn't think it was possible to store a ton of weapons in a car trunk. She knew you could store a lot, but these hunters cars seemed to betray the laws of storage space. Penny held a machete in her hands and she was slightly ashamed to say they shook. She saw Charles, Annie, and Dylan hop out of their cars a block ahead of her and she sighed. She was two blocks away from the vampires house. This was it. It was time for her to get her revenge. Christian sat in her passenger seat, still invisible to the hunters. They started approaching her car and she reached for Christian's arm. She wanted to tell him everything she could before this happened.

"Christian, I-" Penny made eye contact with him and gave him a watery smile. "I care about you. A lot. You've been with me through all the hard times this past month and I couldn't be more grateful." This was true. Penny owed him her life, regardless of him saying that she did almost everything herself. She pulled her own weight, but not without Christian aiding her in some way. Her heart beat hard in her chest and she blamed it on her nerves. She was about to behead some vampires- only a crazy person wouldn't be nervous... or a hunter.

"I promised I wouldn't die again and I swear I will try my hardest to keep that promise, but I have no combat experience. I don't think I even have the strength to behead a person." Penny chuckled and saw Charles quickly approaching her car. She didn't have much longer to say what she wanted before they thought she was crazy. "I just wanted to say thank you and say that if... no, when I come out of this alive, I want us to stay friends." Penny squeezed his arm with her trembling hand.

"I know you said that you'd stay with me while I fought these things and I really do want you to be by my side as I finally put everything behind me, but I'm afraid that if something does happen, I won't be able to stop myself from asking for your help. I don't know what kind of trouble you had to go through for my sake when we first met, but I don't want you to have to go through with it again." Penny realized how self-absorbed that statement sounded. Maybe Christian didn't care about Penny the same way she did. If she was in trouble, maybe he'd turn his back and just let her get hurt or die for real this time. He helped with the Redcaps though. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't care.

Regardless, Penny couldn't rely on him to save her everytime something bad happened. She could feel a thread of dependency beginning to form and attach itself to Christian and it scared her. Not for her sake, but for his. Penny gave Christian a smile and exited the vehicle. She waved at the three hunters. Charles gestured with his hand for Penny to lead the way, and she did. Not before glancing back at her car to see if Christian was following, still in the passenger seat, or gone.

"Whatcha lookin' at, kid? Did you forget something?" Annie spoke up beside her, her own machete resting on her shoulder. Penny wanted to tell her that she was most definitely not a kid. She was almost 28, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe kid was the equivalent of newbie in the hunter world.

"Oh, nothing. Thought I forgot my keys, but they're right here." Penny held them up after digging them out of her pants pocket. They approached the front door of the house and Penny felt sweat run down her spine. Here goes nothing. Penny looked at Charles as if to say, 'what now?' and he grinned. He raised his fist and knocked three times on the door before Dylan kicked it in. Penny rushed in last, her machete in her right hand, ready to behead the villains that turned her life into a nightmare.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny gave herself a small mental pat on the back for successfully creating a story that would make them less suspicous. She felt happy with Christian's reassurances. She was finally going to get her revenge. The first step was done! "I don't, sorry. Like I said, I'm new. I've been doing as much research on vampires as I could. All different kinds of lore from different cultures and everything. Do vampires really die by wooden spikes? Or garlic? I don't know what's fiction and what's real anymore." Penny knew that these things were something she could've asked Christian, but it must've slipped her mind.

Annie shook her head. "There are a lot of different rumors and gossip about vampires. Most of it is false and useless information. Wooden stakes don't do anything. Sunlight doesn't kill them, and I have no idea where the garlic thing came from. There are a few ways to kill off vampires though." She gestured to Charles and Dylan. "These two know more about them than I do."

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny felt angry when Dylan all but accused her of being a pet to the Vampires that tried to kill her. Her nails ghosted over a bitemark scar on her wrist and it itched. She wanted it off of her. Her mind wanted to go into a frenzy, but she closed her eyes for a few seconds and focused on Christian's words. His voice calmed her and he was right. She needed to be careful, but she also wanted Dylan to know his place. She wasn't very good at making people regret insulting her though. There were often times she wanted to, but she never found the words or courage to do so. There were plenty of unsavory things she wanted to say to him, but she refrained. She needed to make friends.

"Far from it. My best friend died to them. She was visiting me for a weekend and they decided to break into my house and take us in the middle of the night. My friend..." Penny made her lower lip tremble. "She distracted them and told me to get out and to run." Penny looked at Dylan and conveyed what she hoped was anger. "She's dead and I want them to pay for what they did. Now they're scared. Their prey got away and I assume they don't want me coming back to kill them."

Penny looked to Charles and tilted her head to the side, anger and grief still evident on her face. Her memory of the night was still beyond fuzzy. "There were... at least four. Maybe eight? This happened about a month ago, so I'm sorry, but my mind doesn't exactly remember. I know for sure there were no more than eight. As far as their patterns... I know their boss used to go to the library every week. That's where I worked. I guess that's how she decided to pick me. I got to know her as a friend. I had no idea what she actually was, until she revealed herself to me and my friend that night. The house they live in is a two story plus a basement." Penny wondered if Christian had any input. "Oh! And every Friday night, they would have a party. You know- the kind college kids have with loud music and lights? I figured they were just a bunch of college students."

"I'm sorry, I wish I had more information. It was all super traumatic and it comes back to me in bits and pieces." This was the truth, at least. Penny felt bad abot not being able to give more concrete info. "I knew there was something off about them since the day I moved into that neighborhood. I should've left, then I wouldn't be in this situation." It was hard bringing all of this back up, but Penny knew it would be and it didn't scare her anymore. She was ready to face it head on.

Annie gave Penny a small smile. "I'm sorry you've had to go through that. It sounds like it was difficult for you. Trust me, Penny, we hunters have our fair share of horror stories. It's only natural you'd want revenge."

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny's shoulder was still warm, even after Christian removed her hand. She smiled at Charles and nodded. "That's correct. There's a den of vampires living in a house next to my old one. I want them dead." Despite how nice Charles seemed, she was hesitant to share the specific details on why she wanted them dead. She'd have to come up with some sort of lie that didn't include them basically killing her and her somehow surviving.

Her eyes flicked to Dylan. His dark eyes were fixed on her and it made her uncomfortable. It was clear that Dylan had seen stuff. Stuff that Penny herself hadn't seen and probably couldn't hope to see. Even so, she wished he would place his gaze on something else. She wouldn't put it past the guy to try something murderous if he thought she was lying about something. She saw him glance around warily and she somewhat understood the paranoia he was probably feeling. Penny took a quick glance around the diner, just in case, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. There were no demons or supernatural creatures in here with them. Well... except for Christian.

Annie on the other hand, seemed reserved, but nice enough. She gave Penny a smile and a nod. She was average height for a woman, probably around 5 foot 4 inches. She was skinny, but Penny didn't doubt that she had some muscles underneath the brown leather jacket she wore over her flannel. In fact, Penny looked between the three of them and noticed they all had flannel or plaid on. Who wore flannel these days? Was there like a hunter dress code?

"I hate to admit it, but I'm completely new to all of this. I had a run in with them and now they're sending assassins after me. I figured getting into contact with someone who knew what they were doing would help my chances of living when I went up against these guys." Penny didn't know if she should've told them about the assassins, but it was done. Now she just needed them to help her form a plan. "So, what do we do first?" Penny itched at her skin under the table, eager for a plan. She hoped that getting rid of these vampires would get rid of her psychological itchiness.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to hunt some vampires. It surprised her a little bit, just because the last time she felt so energized had been before her kidnapping. Christian remained in the living room area of her hotel suite when she came out all dressed and ready to call some hunters and she'd expressed to him how grateful she was for his vigilance. She wondered what he did all night if he didn't sleep, but she didn't ask.

Penny felt his presence behind her as they stood outside a diner one town over from where she was staying. She looked back and gave a big smile. "A little bit of both, I suppose." Penny's hands shook in anticipation and nerves, but she couldn't help but feel hopeful and excited at the prospect of those vampires being dealt with. She felt like there was a ball of energy in her stomach that wanted to be free, but couldn't. It sent twitches and electricity throughout her body. She wanted to turn around and converse directly, but she didn't want to look like a crazy person talking to herself. She could see Christian, but he informed her that others would not. Even the hunters. "I've prepared all that I can, but I feel like I could've prepared more somehow. I'm just glad I was able to get a good nights sleep."

Penny watched as two cars drove into the parking lot and a few people hopped out. Two men and a woman. They looked normal enough, but Penny could tell they had a different vibe to them. They stood up straight, confident. The two men looked pretty rugged, though the woman looked well groomed and taken care of. That must be them. Penny laced her fingers together. "Well, here we go." She muttered, loud enough for Christian to hear.

The three hunters conversed before turning and pointing at Penny. Penny gave a small smile and a wave. They headed over in her direction. Penny took a breath in and let it out. She was going to put on her people face and play nice. Hopefully they did too. "Hey! You must be Charles, Dylan, and Annie?" Penny called out as soon as they got closer.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny heard the distant longing in his voice as he talked about sleep and human needs. Penny wondered how a reaper would go about experiencing those things. Can he sleep if he so desires or does his body just… never feel tired? It fascinated Penny.

Penny felt his gaze on her and she turned onto her side to give a small smile in his direction. She didn’t know if he could see it in the dark, but she offered one anyways. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone.” She felt giddy when Christian said nobody else could know he was there. She figured as much, but it would be their little secret. It felt silly, since she didn’t even know any hunters in the first place, but she felt as if this gave her an advantage. In other words, a leg-up. Penny wondered if they would be able to see Christian as she sees him. At first he didn’t want her to see him, but she was able to anyways. Granted, she has to focus really hard at first before invisible things become clear, but she can see, nonetheless. Maybe that was a question for the morning.

“Well then, goodnight, Mister Reaper.” Penny said quietly, a small lighthearted lift lingered in her statement. It was a little silly how Penny was relying on a servant of death to watch over her in the night, but for some reason, she’s never felt safer.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny hesitantly sat down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. She watched as Christian closed the curtains. Her heart jumped in her chest at the thought of Christian staying the night and she felt comforted that she could sleep in peace without any disturbace. She was positive he wasn't going to let anything through. Why would he when he risked everything to make sure she lived? "Are you going to stay up all night? Do reapers even need to sleep? That sofa turns into a bed." Penny would be damned if she let anyone that stayed with her sleep on a couch or stay up all night.

She felt nervous when Christian said he'd stay while she hunted those vampires. She really did want him there. Penny was usually pretty shy. She enjoyed talking to friends, but it took her a while to approach random people. She knew reaching out to these hunters would be difficult for her, especially if they were a bunch of rowdy adults that liked to kill things. Having a steady presence there would definitely help her confidence. Not that she needed him to give her confidence... she just liked having him nearby. Penny worried for her growing dependency on this man. She hadn't been depended on anyone for years now. She was a grown woman and did things for herself, by herself.

Yeah, and you see where that got you? You became vampire dinner. Penny's thoughts interrupted her peace and she frowned. Okay, maybe she was nervous to see these vampires again, but once they were dead, she and Christian would part ways. They'd probably never see each other again. Penny just hoped that when it was her time to actually die, Christian would be the one to reap her soul again. "I do want you to. It would bring me some peace and quell my worries if someone I knew was there." Penny turned off the room light and laid her head down on her pillow. The darkness felt heavy at first, but after hearing some rustling from where Christian last stood, Penny relaxed. "These other hunters, are they difficult to get along with?" Penny hinted at what she was most worried about when it came to reaching out to these hunters.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny sniffled and looked up at Christian. “You’re right, but still… without you, I wouldn’t have been here in the first place to save myself.” Penny didn’t want to let go, not with the comforting pressure of his warm hand on her back, but she let go anyways and took a step back. She wiped the tears and snot with the sleeve of her shirt and chuckled. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “I actually read about Redcaps a little while ago. I’m surprised I was able to recall anything about them under the pressure of almost dying. Again.”

Penny crossed her arms in front of her and gave Christian a smile. Her hands still shook a little bit, but Penny found that she wasn’t as traumatized from this experience as she was from the vampires. Penny saw this as a win. If she was going to hunt down the supernatural, she couldn’t be traumatized after every encounter. “I’ve been putting off hunting down the vampires. I guess I’m still scared. Plus, I’ve never killed anyone or anything before… well, until now. But still, vampires look like actual people. Redcaps don’t.”

Penny sighed. “I was going to call those people on the list you gave me in the morning, but I think I should call them tonight. I’m tired of being scared and waiting to kill those monsters. After all, they sent these things after me. It’s time I returned the favor.” Penny bit her lips and took another step back to easier look at the man in front of her. “It’d be nice if I had someone by my side when I did. I’m not asking you to kill them for me, but maybe you could stick around for a little bit?” It came out as more a question than a statement and Penny mentally cursed at herself. She didn’t know how to feel about Christian, but she knew she wanted him there. It would make things easier. She didn't know what his work schedule looked like though. Do Reapers even get time off? It sounded absurd in her head, but she didnt know anything about his world.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Relief spread through Penny's limbs and she rested her forehead on the dusty floor. She let out a sob and moved her arms to pull herself out from under the bed. Her wounds ached, but she pushed through the pain. It was nothing compared to the feeling of having your body drained of blood. These were little bruises and wounds from rocks being pelted at her. They would heal. She blinked a few times when the light hit her eyes, but finally, she was able to stand up. Christian stood in the middle of the room, casual, as if nothing had just happened. Penny blinked and before she knew it, she was directly in front of him, her arms thrown around his torso. For a second, she thought she would walk right though him, but he was solid and warm. Penny buried her face in his shirt and let a few tears escape.

A small voice in the back of her head told her this was ridiculous. She was a grown woman and Christian was someone who she hasn't known long. Not just that, but he was a supernatural being. Surely her seeking comfort in a reaper was absurd, but she realized that she didn't care. Christian had been there during the two biggest traumatic experiences in her life. First, the vampires, and now the Redcaps. Christian gave Penny a sense of comfort and safety and right now, she needed that.

"You saved me again." Penny gave a watery laugh, face still buried in his shirt. "I'm so pathetic." Penny would call those phone numbers Christian gave her tonight and then in turn get her revenge, but Penny couldn't muster the courage to let go. She was too embarassed.

Hidden Among the Shadows - A Supernatural Inspired RP

Penny opened and closed closets, looked under her bed, checked the bathroom.. heck, she even checked under the couches and in the trashcans! There was nothing. Penny rubbed a hand through her hair in frustration. She was not crazy. Something was in here with her. She was sure of it. There was a suffocating aura within the room that made it hard to breathe. Almost as if she were being scrutinized. Penny took a deep breath and steeled her nerves.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Penny felt super ridiculous talking to what seemed to be an empty room. She was glad no one besides whatever entity she was talking to was here to see her make a fool out of herself. There was a grunt and multiple pairs of heavy footsteps surrounded her. She could see their imprints in the hotel carpet and she wondered how she hadn't seen those before. Penny squinted her eyes and willed these creatures to appear visibly to her. Her new sight ability was something she still wasn't used to. Some creatures were immediately noticeable, but with others, she had to almost focus on the area they were in. If she didn't, they would remain invisible. Penny's heart felt as if it were about to burst through her chest. Her hands shook and she felt sweat build up on her brow, but sure enough, five ugly looking creatures appeared. They looked like old men, with long stringy hair and sharp teeth. They were surrounding her in a circle, her at the center, but the first thing she noticed were the blood red caps on their heads. Penny's eyes widened. She recognized these creatures. She thought back to the online article she read yesterday about Goblins. She remembered reading about Redcaps and the thought of 'man, I better not run into any of those anytime soon', had crossed her mind at the time. Penny cursed her bad luck.

"I know what you are. Why are you here?" Her voice trembled. These guys killed their prey for sport and bathed their caps in their blood. She wondered whose blood stained the caps of them this very second.

There were some grumbles and grunts before one of them spoke up. "You're very unlucky, human. You have some very bad people who want you dead."

"Who?" Thoughts raced through Penny's head. She was lucky she got them to say anything. She didn't even think they spoke her language. She tried to remember how to get rid of Redcaps. The article said something about scripture? A crucifix? Penny cursed. She didn't have a crucifix with her, but all hotels had a bible in the drawer next to the bed. If she read out of that, would they die?

"Some old friends." Somehow, Penny knew they were talking about the vampires that kidnapped her and her fear was pushed to the side to let anger and dread settle alongside it. She waited too long. She should've gone and killed them already. Now they were after her again. The Goblin that spoke produced a rock in his hand. Penny didn't know where he got it, but that didn't matter. He had it and Penny didn't like what he was planning to do with it. He drew his arm back, almost in slow motion, and threw the rock at Penny. She yelped and ducked to the floor as the others threw rocks immediately after. There were crashes as they put holes in the walls and knocked down pictures and mirrors. If those rocks hit her, she would be in big trouble. They were so fast. Penny looked across the room at the nightstand that stood next to her bed. She needed that Bible.

The Redcaps, seeing she was on the floor, aimed the rocks downwards this time and Penny all but jumped up and bowled right through their small statures. She felt a rock hit her in the back and exploding pain traveled up her spine. She cried out, but kept stumbling towards the drawer. Another rock hit her in the arm, but she pushed through the pain. Opening the drawer, she grabbed the Bible that sat there and flipped open to a random page, crying out again when another rock hit her. There were footsteps trampling after her and she flung herself under the bed in an attempt to get away from the barrage. She felt itchy blood run down her arm and back. She laid on her stomach, Bible laid out in front of her. There was enough light to barely make out the words. Here goes nothing.

"Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress; my bowels are troubled: my heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled; abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for ally my transgression: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint."

There was yelling and groans of pain. Penny could tell it was working. She continued reading what she could see. After a few more verses, there was the sound of burning before the yelling and rock throwing stopped. Penny remained under the bed, shaking. She sighed in relief, which then in turn caused her wounds to burn and hurt more than they were before. Penny groaned and rolled out from under her bed, careful to avoid the broken vase and the glass shards on the floor. She needed to make some calls. Tonight. But first, there was a presence in the corner of her mind and she knew exactly who it was.

"Christian?"