Closing Time

58.

Shot.

Shot?

Shot...

He was shot.

"You guys need to stand down from the search." I hissed at the demons sitting in front of me. "A demon is dead!"

"So?" The demons sitting at my right scoffed. "What can I do about it? Clearly wrong place, wrong time."

"Listen to me, dammit!" My hand slammed against the table, frustration leaking into my voice. "The reward is off! No more drinks on house!"

"Excuse me?" The one sitting across him narrowed his eyes. "Did you just make me waste three days only to cancel the reward?"

I could see the ink rise in his eyes. A sigh escaped me. "Fine! Sorry. Drinks on the house tonight in compensation."

"That won't do. You promised a week."

"I did. But I also didn't expect one of you to die." I snapped.

"Well..." The angry demon raised an eyebrow, eyes turning back to normal. "What if I did find out something?"

A chill crossed through me. "Don't tell me... Hunters?" My voice was low, filled with fear.

He shrugged. "I can't be sure. But I've been following the essence signature of the missing demon and the angel. The demon seemed to have been following the same. And both their essence vanish in the same place."

"What's the place?"

"Free drinks for a week?"

I groaned, throwing my hands up. "Sure! Yeah! Fine! Tell me!"

The demon shifted uneasily. He was lying. He was affected by the other demon's death. If not that, then the circumstances of it.

"It's in... It's in the same place the demon was found."

My gut curled. No confirmation of it being Hunters. But no confirmation that it wasn't them either. "Is that demon dead?"

"What do mean?"

"Is his essence gone? Or was that just his vessel?"

"I can't be certain but-"

"The essence is gone." The first demon cut in, drawing my eyes to him. "I knew that one. It's gone."

I bit my lip. This is bad. Very bad. And...

"Fuck." I whispered, placing a hand over my eyes. "This is my fault."

"Kind of." Soothing words. "But it's fine really. There's enough of us."

"Yeah." The other joined in. "Besides, you're the only one who noticed and did something about it."

"Something that got one of you killed." I dropped my hand. "Fuck. I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. How do you guys live like this?"

"We don't." He snickered. "We're not alive."

"I-

"Ryleigh?"

Rob's voice jolted me out of my recollection. I looked up from my plate. "Yeah?"

He gave me a small smile. "You seem distracted."

I did. I was. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about this since I saw the news yesterday. "Yeah. Sorry." I shifted, sitting up straight and rolling my neck. "Sorry."