Several days later...
The ride was disturbingly bumpy and seemed to be going on forever without a single stop. Synder looked about the back of the semi trailer at the four others that were riding with her among the boxes of frozen food. None of them were in any mood to talk to the other, but neither did they want to risk being alone either or at least not in their weakened conditions. Physically their wounds were gone but it would no doubt be several days maybe even weaks before any of them were back up to their full strength after the beating they all went through several nights ago. Even with Synder's ability to heal she was finding it difficult to even move around let alone fight should some Devil cross her path and kill her, this was the one reason that they traveled together and in the back of a truck so as to increase their chances of survival. It's worked so far and as long as they didn't do anything or make the truck driver angry she figured they could keep going like this until they got their strength back.
Thorne who was without a doubt Synder's closest ally was probably the closest to reaching his full strength as he wasn't hurt as badly as the rest of them, yet Synder doubted that he'd be much stronger than a human at this point. They all agreed though that until such a time that they regained their strength they'd all stick together before going their seperate ways. Cerberus was dead and Synder so no need for this alliance of theirs to continue especially after what Gurda had said about Logan not being a threat any longer. Still Synder couldn't help but feel that something bad was heading their way and she had a feeling that it was going to happen sooner than she thought.
The other Originals thought that she was being paranoid, but being paranoid is what helped Synder survive as long as she has and she had no intention of changing the way she lived now. She lifted her head up from her knees when she felt that the truck was beginning to slow down. The others felt it too because they were all slowly getting to their feet as did she, they might just be stopping to unload again and if that were the case they had to be ready to get in the far back to hide. They all paused to waiting for the sound of the beeping that would indicate they were in fact about to unload but it never came. All of them kept their ears open listening to the faint sounds of the truck driver talking with someone. They couldn't quite understand what it was that was being said but they all heard the driver's voice getting progressively louder to the point of shouting.
There was a moment of silence before they all dropped down to the sound of a gunshot and glass shattering. Synder and the other Originals all looked toward the cab of the truck and the sounds of someone screaming along with the grinding of metal being bent. Still they waited even when it all went quite, their breathing was shallow and their hearts were thundering in their chests as they slowly followed the muffled sounds of footsteps moving around the truck until they were all looking at the door. Then suddenly the trailer was alive with the sounds of several somethings being beaten against the outside of the trailer which just made it sound like there were hundereds of them out there.
Synder was panting at this point as her hand went over her still slightly swollen stomach and the child that rest within which had somehow managed to survive the beating suffered by Thym. She'd never been one to really care for her children even after her first one she didn't care much for what happened to them, but this one was different somehow, she couldn't quite explain it but she felt the urge to fight for her child even if it meant dying. It went against everything she knew but it was just so hard to imagine someone taking the life of this child away from her just cut her so deeply that she almost wanted to scream. The banging outside was intensifying and the Originals were gathering together in front of the door ready to make a break for it when all at once the banging stopped.
For several moments the only things to be heard was the sound of their own breathing until a loud banging from the door in front of them practically made Synder leap out of her skin. Again the door and the entire trailer shook with the loud bang as they stood and watched only able to imagine what could be lurking on the other side of the door. They all knew that it would do no good to hide, whoever or whatever was out there knew that they were in her otherwise they wouldn't be rattling around out there. The door shook again before another loud crash busted the door in and the Originals were left looking at ten shadowed figures peering in at them four of them were women the rest men, but the one in the middle appeared to be far older than the rest.
The Originals stood motionless as the ten figures just stood there staring at them like statues completely unmoving. Finally the ones on the outside surged forward coming in after them but none of the Originals were willing to be taken without a fight. All five of them rushed the figures their human skins tearing off from their bodies as they knocked over their assaliants before jumping outside. All the Orignals were pulling away from the truck leaving it far behind them in a matter of seconds, they weren't strong enough to fight but they were at least able to run away from their pursuers no matter how much it damaged their pride.
That's when she heard it, the sounds of pursuit and when Synder looked back she saw nine massive shapes giving chase and gaining rather quickly. Then right before her eyes one of them grew wings and took to the air in the form of a massive falcon and going right after Mina who was doing her best to lose it in the sky. The falcon though dove and caught Mina in its talons dragging her down in the trees and shifting again, though Synder couldn't see what it'd turned into once before they vanished into the trees.
Her eyes came back to the ones behind them when she saw one more pull away from the rest of the group until it caught up to the slowest among them in Rose. She turned and lashed out at the attacker but was lost once the rest of them sprinted past the rest of them. Synder looked at Thorne who was already looking at her before he nodded and stopped dead in his tracks and lept at one of the attackers who'd jumped up as if they'd expected him to do it. The two of them crashed into each other before rolling into the woods a tangled mess of tooth and claws. Synder and Widow were the only ones left running along the road and it finally occured to them that the woods would be much safer and offer an easier way to lose these pursuers.
Tree branches snapped and large aged trees swayed as the two of them ran, and behind them Synder heard the remaining six figures. She glanced at Widow and for a moment she contemplated the idea of tripping the other Original but decided against it at the last moment. She might need her if they came to be cornered somewhere further in the woods which was a very real possiblity since she hadn't a clue as to where in the world she was at this point. She could be all the way across the country for all she knew or maybe not nearly as far as she thought. Either way she didn't know where she was and for some reason these people or maybe they were Devils were hunting her and her group down. Three of them could be dead already as far as she knew, and if that was true what did that mean for her and Widow she wondered.
"Synder," Widow's crackley voice said to her right and when she looked the Original Arax was looking her in the eye. "Sorry, but I'm not dying for you."
Then before Synder could even blink a insect limb shot out from Widow's shoulder blades and skewered her right up against a large tree. Synder cried out as the spear tip of Widow's limb broke off while she went further into the woods. Synder felt such rage toward the other Devil that if she had the strength to kill her right now she would but before she could call out her intentions of killing her two large wolf-like shapes darted out from either side of Widow, each siezing and arm and throwing her violently down to the earth. Both of them shook their heads effectively ripping her arms right off of her body before they set to work on her shoulder blades and middle back where her limbs would come from. Widow's screams of agony filled the twilight air and by the time they were done with her all Synder could see of the Arax was a shredded chunk of meat on the ground.
Snorting Synder got to her feet as quietly as she could manage thinking that maybe she hadn't been noticed by the two that were standing over Widow. Maybe she'd be able to get away and save the life of her and her unborn child, she'd be willing to sacrifice Widow, Thorne, Rose, and Mina a thousand times over if it meant protecting the life of her child. She was just slinking off behind the tree that Widow and speared her against when Mina's motionless body landed right in front of her. Synder let out a shriek before turning the other way only to have Thorne and Rose land in front of her then. Like and animal in a trap she whirled around only to be faced with four impossibly large wolves snarling at her before being bowled over by another wolf that was even larger than the others.
Not seeing any point in remaining in her Devil form to fight Synder reverted back to her human skin leaving her naked as she clutched her slightly swollen belly and scooted away from the wolves. All of them began to close in on her all nine pairs of eyes glowing with a fury that she didn't understand as thy prepared to tear into her. All that ended though when a loud whistle sounded and the nine wolves turned their heads and made way for an older man in his late fifties, with two near perfect streaks of grey disappearing behind his ears. As he neared her Synder watched as all the wolves began to shrink down to nearly half their size before turning into nine younger people all of whom had almond skin and dark hair, and all of them wore a black leather vest with fur ringing the collars, sleeves and the hems. No, she thought looking up at them all as they all sized her up and down feeling a bit of rage begin to stir in her belly. She was not hunted down by humans, she told herself, humans don't hunt a lone Original let alone a group of them yet these ones had hunted and brought them all down systematically like a real pack of wolves.
"You're the one they cal Synder am I right?" The older man asked in a voice that was as cold and calm as any she'd ever heard. "My name, as Joshua Firekeeper, and I as I'm sure you're well aware am a skinwalker. I believe you knew my son Kyle and I was just wondering why I haven't heard from him in over a week and a half?"
"Kyle was your son?" Synder asked sincerely as she remembered the skinwalker that she'd recruited after saving him from a pack of Vulcher Devils. He'd never mentioned his parents only that he didn't agree with their outlook on life and left to find his own way. "I- I don't know I haven't heard from him either." She said her hand unconsciously moving to cover her stomach. "I sweat on all things you may hold sacred and my place as Original that I do not know where he is."
"Liar!" One of the younger looking skinwalkers snapped moving to go after Synder but was held back by two others. "You know exactly where he is you monster now tell us where he is!"
"Laura, that's enough from you." The man Joshua said and the young girl guarded her tongue after that. Joshua turned back to Synder, his dark and ever so slightly slanted eyes narrowing at her before he spoke again. "We're a group of skinwalkers that travel the land hunting and killing you and your kind. We're very good at it too as you've seen. I know what you are Synder, I know that you and this band of yours are what you call Originals, and I also know that the only reason we've conquered you so easily is because you're all recovering from some big fight. So tell me who or what did this to you and I give you my word we well kill it. We can't have something strong enough to hurt five Devils such as yourselves walking around unchecked. Do this and we may just let you live-"
"What!?" Another one of the skinwalkers exclaimed but held their tongue with one look from Joshua.
"Broken Devils are no threat to this world and so you'll be allowed to live so long as you tell us who did this to you." Synder looked up into Joshua's eyes for a moment before she glanced around at the other skinwalkers who were all still eying her hungrily as if she were a slab of meat. What could she say, she wondered as Joshua raised his hand as if ready to signal them all and she saw them all visibly tense up. "I won't ask again Synder and you're trying my patiance... Okay ki-"
"Greg!" Synder said without even thinking and Joshua's eyebrows perked up a little. "A demi-Devil named Greg, his brother, he's the one that did this to us. He and all of his friends are strong enough to match an Original, his brother even more so, I warm you they are not to be trifiled with. I- I don't know where they are but if you can find a man named Hathaway, something Hathaway then you're sure to find Greg and his brother along with all of his friends. Now will you let me and my child go?"
"You Devils," Joshua said shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. "You really do turn on your own kind as easily as breathing don't you? Very well, you may keep your wretched life if you so choose, as well as the rest of your group." Joshua turned his head to the side and nodded before all nine of the younger skinwalkers shifted into enourmous birds before taking to the sky. Joshua though turned to fix his gaze on Synder one last time. "Enjoy your time on this Earth Devil, I allowed you to live today because I always keep my word. However this world as it is, will not live much longer once I get what want. And remember my name, for that is the name of me and my band of skinwalkers, Firekeepers. The next time you hear that name will mark the beginning of the end of your life."
And with that last ominous warning Joshua's raised his arms before he shifted into a form that took Synder soo off gaurd that had she not seen it she would never have believed it. His enormous leathery wings were thin enough to let a bit of light through and his emense jaws opened before letting out an agonizingly loud scream before he lifted himself into the air. Synder watched in stunned silence as Joshua now in the form of an enormous Harpy flew above the treeline and disappeared from view. Once he was gone Synder felt the child inside her give a hard kick and she looked down at her belly and wondered if her even child had felt the presence of that unnatural event. A skinwalker that could shift into a Devil.
A/N: :O AHHHH!!!! So I got a message from a fan of this story asking me about why I didn't have more skinwalkers or at least more about them, so I decided that they would be the center piece of book 3. Anyone exicted for that??? I am and seeing as this marks the end of Devil's Touch I'm leaving the floor open for name suggestions to book three. Try to keep the word 'Touch' in it is the only requirment. Also I probably won't be writting book 3 for a while I'm going to focus on another story just so I can take a break from Greg and them but I'll keep you all posted for a release date okay???
Leave your thoughts, name suggestions, and any questions you have down below!!!! (I'll answer them all in my Check With Jay book.