Andrea Sanders, legendary hunter, is the kind of legend that only the brave and stupid dare to whisper about at night. After ditching the foster system at sixteen, she follows her father's footsteps into the only life she's ever known: hunting down...
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My hand trembled as I held the megaphone. I'd figured I'd have to use my curse on a larger scale at some point, so it was typically something I kept in my back pack, but I'd never had to do anything like this before. Charm one or two people, sure. But who knew how many people were in here? And what if the Lotus Eaters were immune? I felt my pulse race. Was I really going to share my secret with another hunter I wasn't about to kill?
Dean had gone down with our psycho blonde chick, waiting for my signal to light up the joint. But I had to do my part first. Adjusting my back pack and sweeping the hair out of my face, I flipped on the megaphone and raised it to my lips. It was now or never.
"Come to me, Innocents, Without blood on their hands. Those worthy of redemption, Those lost in the dark, with heads in the sand. Hear my voice, your dreams draw near. Leave this place of doom, And flee from fear. For evil lurks, and the end is nigh. But if you wove this deception, Stay where you stand and burn as you die."
My voice was haunting in the dark corridor as I made my way without candlelight. Each note rang out with a chill, stealing the free will of all within earshot. I just hoped Dean had listened to me about the earplugs, but at least the innocents were obeying. Many began pouring out of rooms, staggering as though they could barely stand on their feet. They passed by me without a glance as they swarmed the hallway, trying to get out as fast as possible; each was guided only by the command in my voice. Words were dangerous. I was fatal.
Fighting the crowd, I kept going, singing as I made my way to each floor. I couldn't help tensing up, waiting for a Lotus Eater to get wise to my little quirk and spring at me, but I met no resistance. It wasn't until my second sweep that I even noticed them stuck in place by my song. They were pale and disfigured with rows of teeth bared at me. Each one was found the same: writhing in terror and frustration while their feet remained unmovable. Black stringing hair hung in their eyes, and while some wore the same green hotel uniform, others were completely bare, oozing pink liquid from their blackened eyes and contrasting against their ashen skin.
I was disgusted at the thought of these creatures feeding on these people, and I let the emotion pour into my song. It took longer than I had hoped to get out all of the innocents, and I kept having to return to the Lotus Eaters to keep them in place, hissing my lullaby into the megaphone. After checking for innocent people on each floor, I used my lighter to catch the drapes in each room, trying hard to keep my voice steady as I attempted to beat the flames and ignore the smoke. The first fire was supposed to signal Dean to catch fire to the ground floor so that the Lotus Eaters couldn't run even if they had been able to shake my charm. The only problem was my ability to get out.
Pushing down the loathing I held for myself and my enemies, I made my way to the third floor window, and gazed out. Many of the cars that had been parked in the lot were gone, and only a few people were outside waiting for more instructions, unable to shake my voice from their minds. Making eye contact with Dean, I ignored the pang in my heart at the disgust I saw mirrored in his face. I could deal with his hate and his questions later. The signal was quick and he immediately ducked his scowling face to ignite the socks he had dipped in peoples gas tanks to throw into the lobby.
