Chapter 6: Sharkk

The stranger held out a gloved hand, to shake, Errol presumed he just stared at it.

“Y-you killed him!” Errol said in disbelief, but then realized what he meant. He gripped the man's shoulders in an embrace “thank you!” he said breathlessly “thank you” he pulled him into a crushing hug, the man awkwardly patted his back. And then shoved him away “ok kid, i don't do hugs, thanks but no thanks.”

“That's fine!” errol said excitedly “whats your name”

“Uh, its-” the man mumbled something intelligible.

“What?”

“s-Sharkk” 

“Cool! Is that what people are named nowadays?”

“Uh not exactly, see kid, uh just come with me”

“Why?”
“I need to explain something to you” they turned and walked down the street leaving the dead bodies of the oscars behind 

“That wasn't the only oscar, there are more, and they will come after you, my job is to hide you, they are a large coven of witches, and and they will undoubtedly try to take out the blades and you are the last one, the last of the blades, and I want to protect you”

“Oooooooookkkkayyy?” Errol said, he had been tricked once again tonight, and he wouldn't be tricked again “who may I ask wants to protect me?”

“I do!”
“Yeah sure, and then you kill me? Yeah no, bye” he turned and walked away 

“Your making a mistake” Sharkk said anxiously “the Oscars will come after you”

“Ill take my chances, thanks for helping me with clayton”

“Please!” Sharkk said, grabbing Errol's arm. Errol whipped around and slammed his fist into Sharkks face, who staggered backward and fell onto his back. The gun he used to kill Clayton clattered to the ground,  Nose bleeding profusely, he clutched at his nose and spoke “Blease'' he said, sounding odd with his clogged nose “Bim not here to burt you” 

Errol stopped, picked up the gun, and checked it. He was used to revolvers, so he was surprised to see it was odd looking, shaped like a black L.

“At least let me tell you how that works, take out the magazine.
“The what?” Errol said, confused. He clicked a button on the side and the “magazine” fell out it clattered to the floor he picked it up and inspected it 

“ a  9mm” 

“A what?” 

“ a revolver, but it holds more bullets, put the square thingie back inside it” 

Errol complied”

“Now you just pull the trigger, just like any gun, but for other guns you may need to turn of a safety, that a little button you press so the trigger will go back, this 9mm doesn't have one”

“Ok thank you, i will be going now” Errol turned and walked away 

***
Three days later

Purple jets of light whizzed past him, he dove and rolled as a jab of lighting flew past. He turned around a fired a precious bullet from his 9mm off, he heard a cry of pain as one of the Oscars pursuing him fell and hit the ground bleeding from a wound in the chest, he kept running, his feet pounding the floor,

Three days! And these cursed Oscars wont stop trying to kill me! Whatever state i'm in, wherever I walk to, wherever I hide in these mountains, they always come 

Since then, he had returned to the dogs, sledded to another mountain, then gone up it. He had been surviving there for the past few days but the oscars had come, with their shotguns, rifles, knives, torches and magic. Even as he thought these spells flew past him, he had tried a few spells in the few hours of solitude he had gotten, but to no avail. And he only had a few bullets left, he had attempted to steal some from the Oscars but again, to no avail, and he was running out of options. He slid in  the mud as he ran, up ahead, he saw a  crevice. He picked up speed and lept over it, sliding to a stop, he saw something that made his heart stop, a cliff, it went down, probably several hundred feet, and there was no water at the bottom. The Oscars were closing in fast, and there was nowhere to run. He pulled out the 9mm aimed and  fired, an oscar fell, there were ten of them, he fired again, another fell, he knew it would not be enough, but he used his final bullet to slaughter another oscar, he then picked up a stick and a rock nearby. And held them ready, the oscars were clearing the crevice, and they came closer and closer. He could see their faces now, grins etched onto them, they came even closer, and that was when Sharkk came, like a force of nature, sharkk bore down upon his enemies, like a wolf attacking the helpless faun, he attacked, bloodthirsty and dangerous  .  knife in hand he hacked away at one, sending him down, a girl came upon him, she   drew a spell in the air and touched it but as the fire spell flew forth, Sharkk took his knife in hand and sliced the bolt of fire down the middle, and the flames sputtered out. Sharkk then grabbed one by its collar and threw it, right off the cliff, he screamed all the way down, he drove the knife up under someone's ribs, twisting until it reached her heart, hands covered with blood, he spun and shot a lighting bolt in one that closed in on Errol, more Oscars came out of the bushes, they grappled at Sharkks elbows and arms, grabbed onto him, and held him fast that was when Errol joined the fray, using all his might he smashed the stick into one, sending the oscars face on collision course with the floor, he threw his rock, and an oscars skull was fairly crushed under the stone, sending blood and brains everywhere Errol lowered his shoulder into the next and sent him sprawling, the rest fled for their lives, running through the brush as though there was a great monster snapping at their heels. 

After the battle, Sharkk picked up his knife and looked over at Errol. if he had a mouth, Errol was sure he would be smiling 

“Thanks kid, now where were we when I last left off?”
“I was walking away” Errol said a bit venomously  and turned to go 

“Wait! Kid!” Sharkk said “I just wanna talk! I wanna help! I wanna take you under my wing! Show you a couple spells, make sure you can ACTUALLY live!!”

“Look, pal, I don't need your help! A demon KILLED  MY FAMILY! I can't trust another demon, no offense”

“Ah, was that exactly where we hit that snag?  I'm a half demon, does that help?”

“How exactly does that happen?”
“Er, long story, basically my mom was a demon, my dad was a witch, and they fell in love, blah blah blah had a couple hundred children, yknow, usual demon stuff.”

Errol stared at the demon and the demon started back. 

“And you can prove this…how?” Errol asked 

“I can't, you'll have to just trust me!”

Errol started once again, the  demon, once again, staring back, 

Errol ran through his choices, on one hand, the demon may kill him, but on the other, to hunt a demon, wouldn't the best guide be a demon himself? It did make sense he ran through everything in his head, sorting it into neat boxes and carefully selecting each thought and putting it back. 

Errol broke into a smile and grinned at the half demon in front of him, the demon, if it had a mouth , would have grinned back, but instead just stuck out his hand, Errol took it in his.

“Welcome, friend” Errol said, a bit pompously