Haunting the Unknown[Adrian]

[Jefferson]

Rumors have begun to spread across Austin about a house that children used for dares. Jefferson did not pay much attention to the rumors, until the disappearance of some children began to happen. Research had brought him closer to the truth, but he still didn't know what the being was. Common sense pointed to a ghost, but it could also be a poltergeist. Shuddering at this thought, Jefferson grabbed his wallet with one of his fake i.d.s and continued downstairs to the basement. Opening the case with the weapons, Jefferson grabbed a knife. Twirling it around on his hand, Jefferson placed it withing his belt. Covering it with his shirt, Jefferson made his way upstairs, ready to face the problem. Grabbing his keys, he was ready to leave when the door opened.

"A visitor? Not now; I don't have time for them." Seeing as it was still daylight outside, there was no way for him to be able to tell the person they were closed. It was times like these that made him hate owning a hotel. A bar would have been much easier to own, and this made him feel jealous of Deacon. Waiting behind the front counter, Jefferson stared at the door, trying to imagine what the person would look like.

[adrian]

Adrian walked in, glad to get out of the Austin sunshine. The sun did not land as harshly on Texas as it had on Egypt but he had been living the soft American lifestyle for a couple of years now and the day felt uncomfortably hot for someone who was used to venturing out mostly at night.

He squinted around the interior of the hotel, looking for some indication that he was in the right place. He took out his I-Phone and touched the screen so that the map relit. He was supposed to have a job interview around here and he'd thought this was the right place...He hoped it was. After getting fired a couple of weeks ago for being late one too many times he was reaching the ends of his reserves. He really needed at least a trickle of money coming in. He saw some guy behind the counter and figured he might as well ask and try his luck. If this wasn't the right place maybe this guy needed a driver or something.

He walked across the lobby trying to look somewhat respectable though he hadn't really dressed for an interview. His hair was actually combed and done today which was to say that it was spiked up. He was dressed in worn jeans with wash patterns he'd made himself with bleach and a free afternoon and his t-shirt was thin cotton and simple beneath the black leather jacket. His sunglasses hung on the cord of his latest necklace, this one containing a simple metal pendant with the Nordic Rune for Strength carved on it.

He stopped in front of the desk and the man that stood behind it. "Is this," he looked down at his I-Phone and then recited the address to him without looking away from the small screen, telling him even the area code. He looked back up after asking his question.

[Jefferson]

Time was wasting, and he needed to finish the job fast. It should have been simple; all he had to do was figure out which of the family members that died in the house was the ghost. His research pointed him to the path that a family had been murdered inside the house. The Robinson, as was the last name of the family, were composed of the father and mother, John and Mary, the son, Abraham, and the grandparent, Joseph. Each of them were brutally murdered during a quiet family dinner. At least that is what the report had said. The job would have gone by easily, get the information and then burn the body. That was all he had to do, but now the disturbance of the man was wasting valuable time.

"Yes sir. This is the place you are looking for. Now what can I do for you?" Jefferson answered the man's question, with a sudden suspicious feeling. Not many people who walked inside the hotel were asking questions. They just walked in, rented the room, then went on with their business. He wondered what the guy actually wanted, and if he should be on his guard. Just to be on the safe side, Jefferson had placed his hand next to the bulge where the knife was. In case things got dirty, he would be safe.

[adrian]

Adrian nodded as he locked his I-Phone and slid it into his pocket. This was the right place. Too bad for him he didn't realize he'd typed in the address wrong when he'd left his house this morning. There was only so much help technology could offer. It had led him to the place he'd requested to go. It just wasn't the place he needed to be.

"Someone sent me here," Adrian said, looking up. He'd forgotten the guy's name who had referred him to the job interview that was actually across town. "I'm just looking for a job. I heard you needed help so here I am," he answered with a shrug, chewing on an old piece of gum. "So what's the deal with this place," he asked, looking around the lobby a little. "You need help or what?"

[Jefferson]

Help? Hand dropping from his side, Jefferson realized why Adrian was here. Casey must have sent him to become a member of the faction, because Jefferson really didn't need any help in the hotel. Cleaning was a cinch for him alone, seeing as hardly anyone has ever come to stay at the hotel. The hunt for the Winchester's had gained a member, but it had fallen onto Jefferson's hands to lead the guy. Aiden had already started, wherever the kid was, at leading a faction. The vacation was over and it was time for Jefferson to start the job Casey had left him.

"Yes, I'm looking to hire, but it isn't the job you are expecting. Casey had probably sent you here, and I will be glad to show you the ropes," Walking around the desk, Jefferson made his way toward the door, "if you want the job, follow me to my car. The first part of a long career is walking out this door." Jefferson held the door opened, waiting for Adrian to make his decision.

[adrian]

Adrian shrugged. He had no idea what the guy was saying but he'd said the magic word, Job. Adrian was more than willing to check this out if there might be money in it for him at the end of the day. "Sure, yeah. Casey sent me." That could have been the guy's name. He honestly didn't remember but let the potential employer believe whatever he wanted believe.

Adrian turned and fell in behind the hotel owner as he began heading towards the door. He put his sunglasses back on and sighed behind the guy's back as he slunk out of the door, no urgency in his step at all. "Sounds good boss. Career, fantastic." Every boss said that. You have a chance to have a long career here. Yeah right. Who wanted a career at Walmart. And what career was there to have here? Serving this guy for the rest of his life as a bell hop or something? The only real life there was in the hotel business was to own your own. But he didn't really want to do that anyway so, as far as he was concerned, this was just another gig to pay the bills and keep his fridge full of food and beer, cigarettes in his pocket and beautiful bodies in his lap.

"Where we headed?" he asked, as he reentered the Austin sunshine, pain flaring behind his eyes, his hangover just starting to fade away. "And am I following you or am I leaving my ride here?" he asked, nodding towards his car.

[Jefferson]

"Leave the car, you're not going to need it." Jefferson walked over to the car and opened the trunk. Looking back and forth to make sure no one was looking, Jefferson flipped open the covering to reveal the amounts of weapons and charms he had hidden. Taking out a Walther P99, he loaded the gun with salt bullets. Clicking the saftey on, Jefferson hid it in his pants. Taking out the knife, he faced Adrian and held it out to him.

"I haven't introduced myself, the name is Jefferson. Your job with me isn't working at the hotel, it's banishing the supernatural. That's right kid, we are going to kill ghosts, vampires, zombies, poltergeist, etc. If you don't believe me, I can easily change your mind if you just get into my car and I'll drive you to the truth. It's your choice, but remember this job doesn't have that many rules in them. The only rules are kill the being, or get killed by it."

[adrian]

Adrian nodded but headed towards his car anyway. If he was gonna be leaving it behind he wanted to get his cigs from his seat before he went.

At home they'd called them fags but this was not exactly PC in America. Not that Adrian gave a shit about being politically correct but he had stopped using the term all the same. Most people didn't know what a faggot was and why the name fit cigarettes much better than men, but Adrian didn't like the dark, menacing history behind labeling someone a stick fit to be burned, a piece of kindling.

Egypt was a much older land than America, or at least the layer of American culture slapped on over this ancient civilization like a cheap but persistent layer of paint. To Americans the Salem witch trials were ancient history but his people had longer memories and they understood that it was not so long ago that people could be burned at the stake for their transgressions. Humanity had been brutally murdering each other over its beliefs much longer than it hadn't.

Here, in this land, these people existed in a bubble and didn't appreciate the purity of it. Every once in a while there were reports of some hate crime that had resulted in someone's death and, to Adrian, it sounded like wolves prowling around outside the gates, not quite brave enough to declare themselves and unleash humanity's true savagery into this society. In America it was the cunning that ruled, not the savage. But the rest of the world was not quite so "civilized," if that was what you wanted to call this land. Some would call it soft.

Americans were arrogant enough to believe the whole world looked to them. The thing was, they weren't wrong. Some watched them with hope, watching one of the greatest social experiments in history, waiting to see if it succeeded or fell. 250 years and the jury was still out because 250 years was nothing compared to 6000. "We know," the nations of the world thought as they watched the young upstart that was America with ancient eyes. Watched him revel in his youth and beauty and strength, remembering their own days of youth and the rise and fall of their own empires before they settled down into their maturity. But would America survive its turbulent youth to truly become one of the great nations of the world?

Would this new system that drew on the knowledge of the Greeks prove enough to manage all the highest and darkest sides of humanity's nature? Or would it crumble when faced with the darkest evils inside its own borders? No, a mere 200 years was not long enough to tell. It had wiped away and destroyed it predecessors on that land, a culture as ancient as the Sons of Ra, the fruit of Zues' lust, the warriors of Odin, the followers of the Southern Dragon. It had killed them to make room for this "new" thing. Only time would tell if it had been a wise sacrifice.

Adrian grabbed his cigarettes out of the front seat, scoffing at his own thoughts. Since when had the birthrights of ancient cultures bothered him. If americans wanted to set up shop and defy the world let them. Earth's youngest children could teach earth's oldest a thing or two.

He turned and walked back towards his new boss just as he held out the knife to him, haven missed a show of his vast supply of weapons. Behind his sunglasses his eyes grew hard with suspicion and hostility but it was all hidden. He wondered what man offered you a knife blade-first to begin a friendship. So perhaps Americans had something to learn as well.

"Whatever you say," Adrian said accepting the knife and nothing else. He wasn't going to deny anyone else's beliefs and if this man was going to pay him to run around and chase off ghosts it sounded like Adrian was making out like a bandit. "Adrian Scott," he said as way of introduction. His actual name was Adrian Mosrour but he'd found it hard to get jobs with that name after some people from a land far away from his own had crashed two jets into the towers of country he hadn't even been in at the time.

He opened the passenger side door of the car and climbed in. "So let's hit it boss."

[Jefferson]

Climbing in to the car, Jefferson started it and began the drive. He briefed Adrian on the hunt at hand. He told him every detail about the family's gruesome death and it was their job to figure out who the ghost was. Jefferson couldn't believe that Adrian was going along with the story. Even though it was the truth, most people would either call the police on him or tell him that he was insane. Maybe Casey knew what he was doing when he chose this guy. Which brought up the question if Adrian was actually a hunter that Jefferson didn't know about. If that were true he wouldn't have asked for a job at the hotel, but that didn't matter. The hunt at hand was first, worrying about Adrian would come later.

After a ten minute drive they had arrived in front of a house. It was built during World War II, and according to history, it had been owned by the same family since. Jefferson stood quietly for awhile, out of respect for the family. He then continued on his way and came to the front door. Breaking an entrance was not something Jefferson enjoyed doing, but seeing as no one had lived here in over five years, it really didn't count. Opening the door, Jefferson placed one foot inside and stopped. Working alone all this time had made him completly forget that he had company. He stopped to explain to Adrian what he should look out for.

"All right, if you see anyone inside the house that looks out of the ordinary, meaning dead, tell me. The knife will do you little good against a ghost, seeing as it isn't made out of iron. If you see any black goo, that's ectoplasm, that means that we are dealing with one pissed off ghost. Another thing, unlike the movies, real ghost can touch and harm you, but we can't them. The only way we are able to beat them is to burn their body or burn something that was close to them. Sad part is, the bodies were cremated, so we are going to need to find something that is dear to the ghost."

Jefferson had stepped inside the house, and began to curiously look around. The house seemed like a normal home. There were pictures hung around the house, but the one that interested him the most was one that had the whole family. It was actually a painting, with the grandfather sitting, holding onto his cane, and the rest of the family around him. Above the painting was a cane, and Jefferson took a mental picture of it. If it turned out to be the grandfather, he would come back and burn the cane. Jefferson turned around and told Adrian to head towards the bathrooms. Every inch of the house had to be inspected, and as quickly as possible.

[adrian]

Adrian stared out of the window as they drove to the house. He was wondering if he should try to make conversation. This gig had the potential to be the easiest he'd ever had and he wanted to cement this new boss' good will if that was possible. The guy didn't seem to mind his attire and if he could work in a place where he didn't have to wear some stupid uniform he was grateful. Seriously, this looked like it was gonna work out pretty alright. He just wondered what the pay was. Jefferson hadn't mentioned it yet and Adrian was a little hesitant to ask. Talk of money was always stressful and he wanted the job so he decided to put it off until after this exorcism thing.

As they walked up to the house Adrian muttered a slight curse. The place had a bad feeling. As he walked closer to it he felt an odd pressure and had the feeling that he'd forgotten something, that there was something he was supposed to have done except...except he didn't know what it was. He felt an odd sense of guilt. This was his fault. What this was he couldn't have said but it was his fault all the same.

The sudden on-surge of guilt made him agitated. He didn't like it and he tried to throw it off. Whether this was a wild goose chase or not, and he was sure it was, he shouldn't have come. He didn't like being around the dead, had never liked it. For as long as he could remember the dead had always held a sickening call for him. And he couldn't stand it. This Jefferson guy may be deranged but he was right about one thing, someone had died here. Adrian could feel it, could almost smell it. It was thick in the air and he felt like he was going to choke on it.

He stopped at crossing the doorstep and looked down at his own feet. He looked up and saw a flash of red, a smear of blood. Do not enter here he had been commanded...once. He crossed the threshold and followed Jefferson, shoving his unease into a small corner of his soul. This was all foolishness and when they had said a couple of words, waved some incense, he could go home and tell this Jefferson that he didn't really want the job after all.

His hand clenched possessively around the knife as Jefferson delivered his last instructions and his warnings. What had seemed laughable in the bright, Austin sunshine felt a little more possible in the dark and silent house with its stink of death. "Yeah ok," Adrian said and began to walk away. The sooner this was finished the sooner he could get out of here and forget about all of this. About responsibilities thrown aside. About things left undone.

Adrian turned a corner and Jefferson disappeared from view though Adrian could still hear him. He shook his shoulders as if to throw something off or to settle a weight more comfortably but it didn't help. "This is buggar," he muttered to himself as he pushed open a bathroom door. "Hello, anyone dead in here? If you are raise your hand." He waited and there was no response. "No? Oh good then." He glanced around the bathroom once more, not willing to step all the way in it and trap himself in the small room.

He saw something in the corner of his eye and glanced up quickly to look at the mirror. There was nothing there. "Foolish buggar. I don't need a job this bad," he muttered and began to turn away but he saw something in the corner of his eye again. He turned back more quickly this time and caught the face staring at him from behind the mirror.

Adrian felt a moment of utter shock and there was silence and then a guttural and rage filled scream rent the air between them and the dark shade surged forward through the mirror. Adrian screamed in surprise, the sound ripped out from deep in his throat, and backpedaled quickly, instinctively bringing up the knife in front of him.

The ghost struck his arm aside as if he only possessed the strength of a ten year old boy and Adrian ducked without thinking about it, immediately going into something like a fetal position. The ghost sailed past him and Adrian found himself trying to backpedal on his knees. It resulted in a chaotic and messy scramble of limbs over the floor as he tried to put as much distance between himself and the ghost as possible. He felt splinters enter the pads of his hands and didn't care.

"JEFFERSON!!!!" he screamed as the ghost turned around and regarded him. "Stop! Stop! I'll," Adrian took the knife and cut his own hand before throwing the blood towards the ghost. He had never believed in ghosts but those that did had often told him that khus could only be appeased by a flesh offering. Blood wasn't flesh but he wasn't quite panicked enough to cut off a finger.

The blood splattered on the floor boards between them, a few drops landing at the ghost's feet. It hissed as the blood touched it or sailed through it or whatever it did, Adrian hadn't really been able to get a close look, but besides for the sound of displeasure the blood seemed to have no effect. Well there went the old biddies' credibility. He would have to tell them they were wrong.

Again a moment came when Adrian stared down the ghost and neither one of them moved. This time it was Adrian who broke the look first as he scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. The ghost was close behind him. Or maybe in front of him or maybe not there at all. It was a ghost after all.

[Jefferson]

Looking for more clues, Jefferson wondered where Adrian was. He had not heard any sound coming from him, and was beginning to worry. What if Adrian couldn't speak out of fear of the ghost? Jefferson shook his head, unwilling to think such things anymore. If Adrian was in trouble, he would definitely call out, or would he? This small thoughts of denial were beginning to have their affects on Jefferson, seeing as he had completely missed the black ectoplasm on dripping down from the air vents. Jefferson stopped looking to go and search for Adrian. The scream of his name caused panic on Jefferson, rushing him to the sound of the voice.

Adrian was lying on the ground with his hand bleeding. Jefferson quickly ripped off part of his shirt and tied it around, to stop the bleeding. He then gave a quick glance at the ghost, and saw the figure of an old man. Thinking carefully, Jefferson remembered the cane hanging above the painting. Telling Adrian to keep the ghost busy for awhile, Jefferson left to get the cane. Barely able to reach it, Jefferson flicked it off and watched as it rolled on the ground and landed next to the door. Jefferson left it there and ran to the car for the gas. Just enough, Jefferson rushed back inside, got the cane outside, and poured gas all over it. He looked first to make sure no one was watching him, then lit a match he had in his pocket, and burnt the cane. He rushed back to where Adrian was, hoping to see the ghost disappear in a fiery light.

[adrian]

Adrian ran into Jefferson on his way out the door. Jefferson stopped him and wrapped his hand as if they had all the time in the world. Adrian watching him do it, literally dumbfounded. How could he just stand there when there was a...a thing ghost thing behind them.

Adrian looked from Jefferson to the ghost and back again, his mouth hanging open. "Keep him busy for a while." Adrian turned around looking for who Jefferson was talking to only to see Jefferson walking away. Adrian didn't think it was possible to be more surprised. Good thing life wasn't predictable.

"What the fuck," he shouted and then promptly ran out of the room. If Jefferson wanted to play with ghosts that was his business. Adrian had seen way too many scary movies to be the stupid guy that volunteered to stay and get killed. Everyone knew that common sense would tell you to run away from the bad things and yet the characters kept running right into danger. Well Adrian wasn't a character in some story and he wasn't about to throw his life away for dramatic effect that no audience in the world would ever appreciate.

He didn't know if the ghost followed him, he didn't care. Adrian beelined for the door and gratefully burst back out into the hot, sweet, clean, not ghost containing sunshine.

He got outside in time to watch Jefferson light a nice bonfire and then brush past him to look into the house. Adrian could have gotten offended at the slight but he'd already decided that Jefferson was insane and you didn't beat on insane people for knocking your shoulder. Everyone knew they couldn't help it, it was just how they were. So Adrian just walked past him and headed for the car and then thought better of it. Did he really want to ride in a car with an insane man? Who knew what odd, death causing idea such a man might get into his head. Damn, he wished he hadn't left his car back at the hotel. He hated walking.

These are the thoughts he was contemplating when Jefferson walked back outside.

[Jefferson]

The ghost was gone, the hunt was over. Smiling to himself, Jefferson took his time on walking outside to try and figure out what he should say to Adrian. There was nothing that he could think of to tell Adrian, seeing as this was a life changing decision. Jefferson had no choice when he was young, but Adrian does. Not wanting to force Adrian into the life of a hunter was almost impossible this time of day. Reaching the door, he realized he still did not have anything to say.

"Adrian, I'll drive you back to the hotel. If you have any questions about anything that has just happened here, tell me. I don't want you to stay and help if it bothers you, but now that you know those things exist," Jefferson motioned to the house, "then there is no going back from that. If you do decide to stay, I'll teach you everything you need to know, including how to use the different weapons I have. I will not lie to you, there are worse things out there then a ghost. Think about it carefully, don't answer yet, tell me when we return."

Jefferson had gotten inside his car, waiting for Adrian to get in. Jefferson wondered if Adrian would decide to stay, and a part of him hoped he would. They needed his help to find the Winchester brothers, a feat of incredible difficulty.

[adrian]

Adrian stared at Jefferson and then looked back at the house. He stood there for a couple of minutes. Do not enter here, a soft voice whispered to him. Do not enter here. He didn't know what it meant but it wouldn't go away and he was surprised to find out he didn't want it too. The phrase, the words, it wasn't good. Whatever they were connected to he could feel it wasn't good, not to him, but it meant something. And suddenly it felt like that something was a whole lot more important than all the nothing he was living with.

He turned around and climbed into Jefferson's car without a word. "Yeah can you drive me back to the hotel," he muttered, slouching in the front seat and sticking his hands in his pockets. He set his eyes on some point in infinity outside his window and stared out there for the rest of the trip back to the hotel. He didn't care if he was being antisocial or impolite, let Jefferson think whatever he wanted.

When they got back to the hotel Adrian climbed out of the car across the hot driveway to his own, palming his own keys out of his pocket. He opened the driver's side door before turning around. "You said this thing was picking on kids?" he asked calling over to Jefferson?

[Jefferson]

Adrian was quiet throughout the car ride. Poor guy must have suffered some major psychological issues right now. He didn't know what to tell the guy to make him feel better. Some people could just accept the fact that there was more out there then meets the eye, and some just couldn't. Jefferson wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. They had arrived at the hotel, and Jefferson was watching Adrian. By the looks of it, Adrian was heading for his car. This is why Jefferson was surprised when Adrian had asked him a question.

"Yeah, the ghost was attacking kids, but not anymore. We defeated it, and I do mean we. I alone would have not been able to defeat the ghost if you hadn't been there to distract it. The problem with that ghost is that it isn't the strongest thing out there. There are worse things, much more dangerous than a ghost. I will understand if you wish to leave, but if you wish to stay, I'll give you everything that benefits the life of a hunter.