On The Train

Mars smiled at him knowingly. "Yes, well...I don't think I got into quite as much trouble as you did. Maybe close, but not quite. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

Mars yawned and leaned back in his seat, finally retiring his expensive camera to its case. He wouldn't need it any time soon, he figured.

Priestly laughed as he noticed. "What? Am I uglier close up? I thought you wanted my picture so badly."

"Oh, no, I just...well, I'm really more into scenery, and I, well..." he shrugged. "I can if you want."

"Go ahead, if you'd like. I can pose however you want me to--I've never been a model, but I'm more than willing to try." He beamed, resting his face on his palm. "Go on, tell me how to pose."

"Don't be silly, you look the best without trying. It looks less forced," he explained. "Tell you what, once we get settled together I'll find some place to photograph you. How's that?"

He beamed. "Sounds excellent. I've never been a real model for a real photographer before. I'm excited--now I can finally add model to that long list of jobs I've had. Good story to tell strangers on the train, right?" He waggled his brows.

He grinned at him. "Say, what sorts of jobs have you had, then?"

"Oh, tons. I've gotten jobs whenever I need money--I've fixed roofs, I've cooked, I've cleaned, I've...escorted. Of course, you'd laugh if you knew my most frequent occupation, these days."

Mars rose an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Try me."

He shrugged, slicking back his hair. "Don't say I didn't warn you. It's exorcist. People pay me to cleanse their homes from demons." He waggled his fingers.

Mars stared at him incredulously.

"...you're kidding."

"Nope. People pay me, and I kick the demons out. Complete with crucifixes and rosaries and chanting gibberish in Latin, just like the movies."

Mars narrowed his eyes.

"And what, exactly, do these demons look like?"

He laughed. "Come on, you won't believe me."

"Try. Me." Mars replied.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Well, sometimes they look like monsters. Depends on the demon--they'll be anything from a fast shadow to a giant beast with glowing red eyes. Some are more powerful than others.

"But, when they don't look like monsters--that's when it get really scary. Because a certain portion of them look like people, just like you and me. Sometimes you can only tell the difference once it's too late. If people are lucky, they call me first."

Mars stood up suddenly.

"Come with me," he said, looking at Priestly with the most serious expression he had had since they started talking.

"Yeah?" he said, standing up at a leisurely pace. "Where we going?"

Mars grabbed him and lead him down to the lower part of the train, shoving Priestly into the tiny family bathroom. He unbuttoned his long sleeve shirt and then quickly removed his t-shirt.

"Do you see this?" he asked seriously, showing him the burned indentations of a deep scar over his heart.

He frowned, his demeanor suddenly much more serious.

"Can I?" he asked, holding out his hand to touch it.

Mars flinched slightly, and then with a slight sigh, relented.

"Uh...go ahead," he replied quietly.

He gently ran his calloused fingers over the area and the pale flesh surrounding it. "...I see what you mean by 'trouble,'" he said quietly.

Mars shuddered as Priestly felt his chest. He pulled away as soon as he could.

"...I told you I was serious," he replied, looking away. "So...you have to know something about this, right? I...I can't find a single hunter who will tell me anything about it. It's like...they're afraid of it. I think I'm in some really deep shit," he replied, covering his face with his hand.

"Is it still alive?" he asked, raising his brow. "I'm assuming it is, because that's still there but you're here as well."

"Yeah, he's...he's alive," he gritted his teeth. "But...I don't really even know what it is, other than that it attracts other demons to me."