The Demon Hunters

14. Training

The next morning I jump out of bed and push Beau off the other side. I imagine my training clothes on and head down stairs. I snap and breakfast is on the table.
"This smells amazing." Katie mumbles still half asleep.
"Did you cook this?" Hunter asks.
"No." I say and they all look at each other.
"Then who did?" Jamie asks.
"I got it from a diner." I say and we all dig in.
We eat in silence but I can't tell if it is from hunger or if everyone is still half asleep. We take about ten minutes before we are all up.
"Everyone ready?" I ask everyone makes sounds of agreement.
"Let's go then. We need to be back before six." Josh says.
"You realize it is only four thirty." Daniel says.
"How fast can you run six miles?" I ask.
"Six?" Luke asks dramatically.
"Yes now come on." I say and start running.
"Last three back have to do it again." Josh says.
"Seriously?" Katie says.
"Yep." I say and run ahead.
"You know this is torture for them right?" Josh asks.
"Yep and I love it." I say and laugh.
We are all silent, well as silent as you can be while running with five very out of shape people. Until the last mile. I look at Josh and smile, he nods and I hang back to talk to Beau.
"Will you show the others the way home?" I ask.
"Yeah that's fine. What are you going to do?" He asks.
"Beat Josh." I say and run to catch up with Josh.
"Ready?" Josh asks.
"Yes." I say and we sprint off.
We run the last mile as fast as we can back to the house. By the time we get to the block our house is on we are sprinting both trying our hardest to beat the other. When we get to the house we are literally side by side. We stop at the lawn and lay on our backs breathing hard.
"What are we going to do to them when they get here?" I ask.
"Give them water and make them do strength training." He says.
"They are going to kill us." I say.
"Nah, we are going to kill them." He says just as the others come around the corner.
Beau and Luke are side by side in the front, Katie and Jamie are in between them and Daniel and Hunter. At the last minute Katie runs around everyone and beats them.
"Dang, when have you ever liked running?" I ask.
"Never." She says while panting.
"Okay let's go to the basement." Josh says.
"Seriously? You two got a break." Daniel complains.
"Yes that is why you finish first." Josh says and jogs in the house.
"Grab water before you head down." I yell from the kitchen.
After about five minutes including a short break from the run we are all sitting on the basement floor in a circle. We have been stretching and resting for a few minutes before Josh walks in.
"Okay one hundred pushups." Josh says and everyone groans while I smile.
We are all quiet while doing pushups. I am at ten before I get bored.
"Seriously Josh we should have put a movie on or something." I say.
"Race you?" He says.
"Okay but clap between them." I say.
"Okay. Go." I say and we start clapping in between pushups.
I keep a quick pace slightly ahead of Josh, I know he is keeping his pace behind me thinking he will beat me at the end. A few minutes later we are finished with Josh barely beating me.
"How are you two finished?" Katie asks.
"Practice, how many do you have finished?" I ask her.
"Seventy two." She says straining.
"Almost there." I say in a semi encouraging voice.
"You better finish first if you want a break." Josh says.
"Are you two sure you aren't interrogation specialists?" Beau asks.
"I was at one point. You Meg?" Josh says jokingly.
"No but I was told I would be good at it." I say as Katie finishes.
We all are quiet while the others finish. Daniel finishes first then Beau, Luke, Hunter, and Jamie. Jamie has just finished her last one when Josh rolls onto his back.
"Okay now do one hundred sit-ups." Josh says.
No one says anything but the slightest grunt as we do the sit-ups. It is nice to have some time to think. Or so I thought until I start thinking of what we are going to do about the hunters. They aren't going to stop until we are dead. What was they talking about Beau and I being unstoppable? Will we learn to work together? Will we be able to take the hunters on?
"Does she realize she has been finished for a while?" Luke asks.
"She seems to be concentrating really hard on something." Beau says.
"Meg, come on, snap out of it." Josh shouts.
"Meg?" Beau says and starts to shake me.
"What?" I say and he stops shaking me.
"You have been doing sit-ups for a half hour. We all took a break and you done about a thousand." Luke says.
"Oh, I was thinking." I say.
"Okay, I was about to show them some fighting moves." Josh says sensing I don't want to talk about it.
"Okay, let me go pee and I will be right back." I say and jog up stairs.
As I open the bathroom door I nearly have a heart attack because Beau is standing beside the door.
"What the hell?" I scream and nearly hit him.
"Whoa. I was only making sure you are okay." Beau says.
"I'm fine. I just started thinking and one thing led to another and I wasn't paying attention." I say as we walk towards the basement.
"We will be okay you know." He says and I smile and jog down the last few stairs.
"Josh, you ready?" I ask kind of excited.
"Sure, let's get started." Josh says.
For the next three hours Josh and I show the others basic blocks and strikes. I keep up with Josh easily. I continue to zone out, Josh doesn't say anything just making sure to snap me out of it by landing a hit.
"Okay were done for the day." Josh announces.
"Finally." Katie says and runs up the stairs.
"I think she is afraid Josh will change his mind or something." Jamie says.
"Run before he does." I say and they all head up stairs.