Part 12 (2/2)

'Gruesome.'

'It will also burn your retinas clean off if you don't have protective eyewear on when you fire it,' Derek said, pulling the sungla.s.ses he wore off the top of his head and slipping them over his eyes.

'These are specially designed to protect against the UV flash. They also serve as night-vision specs, replacing those unwieldy goggles you all wore during the game. They utilize a combination of light enhancement and thermal imaging technology, allowing you to see everything around you. And they're as light and thin as regular sungla.s.ses.'

That much was true. The lenses were nearly transparent. Gina could make out Derek's eyes quite clearly.

'You'll each get a pair. Keep them on you at all times and make certain you're wearing them when you fire the weapon. A blind demon hunter doesn't do us much good.'

He set the rifle aside and grabbed what looked like an ordinary handgun, only when he dropped the clip, the bullets were thick, rubbery, and black.

'Demons have better senses than us. So higher concentrations of light or sound, like ultrasonic waves, can do some ma.s.sive damage to them,' Derek said with a smug grin. 'These are sonic bullets. When you hit the target or the nearby vicinity of a target with one of these, they'll explode with sound waves. The waves are so strong it'll liquefy the tissue clean off a demon; their brains start to bleed and they're in some d.a.m.n serious pain. It's a beautiful sight to behold.'

He was actually enjoying this. As she looked to the other hunters, she saw them all grinning and nodding. Then again, after what these creatures had done, no wonder vengeance was on the mind of every demon hunter. No sympathy. They deserved none and they'd get none.

'Once again, if you get close enough to the shock wave it can also damage your hearing. You'll be given special ear devices that'll not only com you in to Lou and the other hunters, but will also protect your eardrums.'

'You've thought of everything,' she said.

'We try,' Lou replied. 'But believe me, the Sons of Darkness are as cunning as we are. As soon as we figure out how to hurt them, they come up with a way to defend it. We have to stay ten steps ahead to gain five steps on them.'

'We also have sonic grenades,' Derek continued, grabbing what looked like a regular grenade. 'Same philosophy as the bullets, bigger sound wave in case you run into a horde of demons.'

'Nice kick-a.s.s weaponry,' Gina said, itching to get her hands on the guns and grenades and take them out for a test run.

'Oh, we're not quite finished yet,' Derek said, cracking a wicked grin. He reached behind the table and drew out a long, slender black rifle with a spiral barrel. 'This is the microwave gun.'

'What the h.e.l.l does that thing do?' Ryder asked.

'Heats all the liquid in the body to boiling. Fire this at a demon and it'll shoot invisible microwaves. Cooks the sonofab.i.t.c.h from the inside out.'

Gina's brows lifted. 'You mean nuke them?'

'Holy s.h.i.+t,' Trace said.

'Oh, I want one,' Jake added.

'Every hunter does.' Derek laid the weapon down on the table and turned back to them, hands on his hips.

'When you shoot at a demon, make d.a.m.n sure of your target. Though both the laser and microwave weapons have pinpoint accuracy, hit your fellow hunters with one of these and it'll have the same effect on them. Be careful where you're aiming.'

A sobering thought. But still, the weapons were incredible. Gina was shocked, amazed, and, she had to admit, excited as h.e.l.l.

'Now that we have the weaponry, what's the plan?' Olivia asked.

'Today we'll work with you on the weapons. Tonight we'll break you up into teams with the experienced hunters and go out tracking demons.'

He led them onto the beach and gave them instructions on the weapons. Of course they weren't going to be allowed to fire the real weaponry for target practice, using regular guns instead. Too bad. But still, guns were always fun to play with.

Weapons practice. Now they were talking. Gina was ready for it, primed and eager to get serious with fire-power. Part of her was anxious to see how everyone else handled the weaponry and how she measured up, which was kind of amusing. Sort of like men comparing their 'packages' to see whose was bigger.

She snorted.

'What's so funny?' Olivia asked.

'Just thinking about target practice today. Since we finally get to fire real weapons, you know, really get to see who's the best, it'll be like comparing d.i.c.k sizes.'

Olivia looked down at the ground, her lips quivering as if she fought her half-smile, then laughed softly. Shay snorted on the other side of her before saying, 'Well, I can't wait to see who's got the biggest, then.'

'The biggest what?' Derek asked, stepping next to them.

Gina turned and couldn't help but drink in the sight of him. He cut one h.e.l.l of a figure, dressed in combat fatigues and a sleeveless s.h.i.+rt. Ripped to the max and s.e.xy as h.e.l.l.

She looked to Olivia and Shay, then back at Derek, and smirked. 'The biggest d.i.c.k.'

Derek arched a brow and Gina resisted the urge to laugh. But then he made the connection when he saw the weapons in their hands. 'We have some d.a.m.n good marksmen here. What makes you think you'll qualify?'

She picked up the handgun in front of her, pivoted, aimed at the wooden target twenty-five yards away, and fired, hitting the bull's-eye point-blank center. When she was done, she laid the gun down, crossed her arms, and grinned.

Derek looked at the target, glanced down at the gun she'd used, then cast his gaze back at her. He nodded, crossed his arms, and said, 'Nice d.i.c.k.'

'Thanks.'

Hey, a girl had to score points where she could.

Though target practice was fun, what she really enjoyed was getting her hands on the high-tech stuff, even if they couldn't fire them yet. The real weapons were kicka.s.s and scary as h.e.l.l. And every time she thought about wiring one up and cranking it out, she thought of demons stealing into her home in the dead of night and taking her mother, robbing her of her childhood, her warmth and security, her sense of love and belonging.

Everything had changed for her that night. The demons had screwed with her head but good twenty years ago.

And tonight, she'd start making them pay.

Chapter Eleven.

A re you scared?' re you scared?'

Gina looked to Shay, not sure how she should answer that question.

Dusk had begun to settle on the island, sprinkling a dusty orange glow over the horizon. She looked out to sea, then back at Shay. There was a tightness in her stomach, but she felt that before a major shoot, too. Then again, she wasn't in Hollywood and this was no movie. Any blood spilled wasn't going to be the special effects variety. 'Not really,' she finally replied with a casual shrug.

'How can you not be scared?' Shay asked.

'I guess because I'm more angry than frightened.' Which was the truth. 'So rather than cower in fright over what might happen to us, I'm going to do something about it. And stop these things from hurting anyone else.'

Shay nodded, her shoulders relaxing a little. 'I guess that's a good way to think about it. I'm angry about it, too. But I have to tell you, a part of me is scared as h.e.l.l.'

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