Chapter Text
Dmitry had plenty experience in being haunted. The difference was, they used to be ghosts of dead people. Now his ghosts are very much living and breathing. Whether it was Yan himself or the Demon Hunter, Dmitry kept seeing glimpses of the man he used to call a friend. He was actually rather unsure if it was really him. Considering his recent lack of sleep he didn’t deem himself or his eyes reliable enough. His sleep deprivation could only go far enough until it started interfering with his duties and causing troubles, affecting his critical judgment.
That’s how he found himself seeing illusions of Yan. He saw him at the base, he saw him whenever he had a mission. He was almost certain it really was him but every time he double checked, ‘Yan’ was already gone, leaving him to believe it was all a figment of his imagination.
Dmitry hadn’t heard much about the Demon Hunter. He knew he was still in Oxford, hadn’t moved elsewhere but lingered around. He never saw him with his own two eyes, but there was always a whisper on the street about him and his whereabouts. He wasn’t sure, he didn’t rely on his mind much those days, but he noticed the Demon Hunter was coincidentally in close proximity to him and the squad. Wherever the Demon Hunter was that’s where they had previously been, too. He didn’t care much to share this thought with anyone else, though, he’d just keep it in the back of his mind, ignoring it most of the time.
Following Yan’s departure, there had been questions about what happened, where’d he go and what it all meant. Dmitry kept his explanations brief and his answers short. There wasn’t much to talk about and he wasn’t one to share. He had a feeling his sister might be suspecting the truth, but he didn’t dare to touch the subject, knowing he would give himself away if he were to do so.
Frustration would run deeper in the squad, Yan’s usefulness being a constant reminder of his absence. Half the time they were met with a question, Yan would have been given them an answer. There were certain dead-ends that his contribution would resolve.
Lester would complain, “The members of The Order were dropping like flies and you had to get rid of the only nepo baby.”
It was comments like this that Dmitry could easily dismiss, he wasn’t notorious for playing along with them, anyway. His not responding would not be a shocker but expected.
The serious and genuine questions were the ones he had a hard time dodging. He could only use the same answers and excuses so many times. He was running out ways to rephrase what happened while still withholding information, unsure to what extent of the truth he should reveal.
Questions like “Why isn’t he coming back?” and “Can’t you tell him to?” followed him around the most. He didn’t know what to say as much as he didn’t know where to find Yan. The fact that he’s still in town didn’t exactly immediately lead Dmitry to him.
Now, they were yet on another mission without his former friend. Former friend and as of late, former squad member. They were on their way to the cathedral where, as Lane had explained, they would meet Cain and his brother. There were a lot of questions surrounding this subject, not just about him being Cain’s brother but also regarding his survival and his return to the base, or rather his escape from the base. They still didn’t know how he managed to escape that abandoned lab, why he escaped now and not earlier. The intel came from the moment Abel ran into Lane at her old room, everything before that was unknown.
Their every move was undercover, or as undercover as a squad of six people could be. They believed they covered up their tracks pretty well but you can never be sure enough. And safety was not something they could take for granted, not if they considered all the hotspots surrounding them. This mission could go really bad really fast if luck wasn’t on their side.
All they got was a few quiet moments before abominations swamped the place. Between defending themselves and trying to stay intact, it was getting hard for them to escape. By the time they made it to the ground floor, there were still under attack. Having arrived at the cathedral on foot to avoid raising suspicion, they did not have a quick or fast way out.
Somewhere, in the middle of fighting and keeping up with Lane’s newfound abilities, Dmitry heard tires screeching. Despite his fast reaction, he still missed the driver. All he saw was a dark figure moving among the abominations, ripping them apart.
The Demon Hunter.
Things were getting better and worse at the same time. They were getting better because they had extra help and they would be able to get out of there faster than expected. Between the immortals, the Demon Hunter and Lane helping, the last one more than the rest, they should soon be able to go. However, things got worse when a couple appeared, running for their lives and seeking shelter.
A hand landed on Lester’s shoulder from behind, making him jump and squeal in response. He turned around, still tense but relieved it was a friend instead of a foe. “You scared me, man. I missed your creepy—“ he stopped himself, “pretty. Your pretty face. Mask. Whatever.”
“I need you to take these.” Yan dropped the car keys on his hand. “Get them in as fast as possible and drive away the second they’re secure.”
“Okay, general,” Lester teased but obeyed.
He started gathering the squad, starting by the ones in most danger and leaving the most skillful ones for last, letting them hold the fort so all of them can drive back safely.
He knew it didn’t go well when he tried getting the couple into the car only to find them running for their lives, trying to hide inside the cathedral.
Lester made an attempt to go after them when a hand was placed on his chest. “Don’t. Leave them to me,” spoke the Demon Hunter, rushing after them.
The general caught sight of the incident, his head looking from Lester to where Yan disappeared in disbelief. “What is he doing?” he yelled. “He’s gonna get himself killed!”
“He’s got more chances than any of us going in,” Noah replied.
“This is bigger than that, he is clearly outnumbered.”
“Have some faith in him,” Lester shouted back.
One by one, the car was filling up. Their biggest issue was the return of the defenseless couple, being the only thing delaying their escape.
“What are they doing? We need to go, our guns won’t hold up for much longer,” Noah said.
Dmitry nervously glanced towards the entrance to the building. “I’m going in. Greg come with, cover my tracks.”
“Dmitry!” Anna yelled but he was already gone.
The cathedral was eerily quiet. He expected a lot more chaos and a lot more noise coming from three people and a handful of abominations. The place seemed almost empty. Silent, except for the occasional echo of abominations screaming. It didn’t sound like the screams were coming from inside, though, it sounded more like they were echoes of the fight outside.
Dmitry walked further into the space, Greg following close behind him, both armed and ready to shoot.
“Yan?” he called out but there was no answer. Everything was oddly quiet, their steps making the most noise in the room.
“Yan?” Dmitry repeated, but this time louder.
Finally, he heard another step of footsteps. One that belonged neither to him nor Greg. Looking to his right, without taking the turn around the corner, the image before him stopped him dead in his tracks.
The darkness of the room covered most details but the image was clear to Dmitry. He saw an arm splayed out, an arm familiarly covered in bandages. His breath hitched, he didn’t even noticed he lowered his gun. The sounds in his ears were muffled, barely noticing the shot being fired, people running and Greg’s desperate attempts to get him moving.
In these few seconds, Dmitry had entirely missed the abomination that snuck up on them and Greg shooting it down when he saw the general frozen in place.
It was Greg grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking him that caused the general to unfreeze. He snapped his neck towards him, feeling less and less paralyzed as he was brought back to reality.
“We have to go,” said Greg urgently.
“The people—“
Greg interrupted before Dmitry could finish, “They’re safe. They already ran out and left. Come on, we have to leave.”
“We can’t, Yan is…” he looked back at where Yan’s hand was previously lifelessly lying and was met with an empty space instead. As if he left, or he was never there. As if Dmitry had imagined it. “He was just there,” he said confused.
More abominations were approaching. Greg boldly grabbed his arm and tried tugging the general towards the exit, but he wouldn’t budge.
Anna’s worried voice came from the radio, “What are you still doing there? Get out so we can go.”
“I’ve been saying that but your brother won’t budge, I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Well, get him out of there!”
Just before Dmitry could surge through the room and delay them further, Cain landed in front of him and blocked his way. “Don’t.”
“I can’t leave a squad member behind,” Dmitry growled back at the immortal.
“Good thing, he’s not." Cain’s eyes flashed red. “The squad’s outside. I suggest we leave before we put actual members' lives at risk.”
“Hate to agree with him, but he’s right,” Greg chimed in. “We gotta go. I’m certain he’s fine but we can come back to check up on the hunter another time. Now, though, we got to go.”
For what felt like the first time since he became general, Dmitry felt this nauseating punch in his stomach, a feeling he failed, a feeling he didn’t act like his title. He felt like he walked over his personal code, his own morals as well as he felt like he failed his own squad. He knew getting the majority of members to safety was the right move. He knew he had to leave and abandon this place and yet, getting in the car as Lester drove away felt like the wrong thing to do. It didn’t matter when they were securely far enough from the cathedral and it didn’t matter when they safely arrived back to the base. Dmitry never left that battlefield. He was still inside the cathedral.
He helped the two people to the infirmary, getting the doctor to help them and then assigned Noah to find a place for them to stay for the foreseeable future.
Everything seemed to be fine, except for that lingering fear that made Dmitry’s chest tighten.
How much of what he saw was true? How much did he imagine? How much was he overreacting?
He’d been in a position where he had to watch Yan’s seemingly lifeless body on the floor. He wasn’t sure if his mind was playing tricks on him, replaying a moment that haunted him even past Yan’s return or if what he saw in the cathedral was real.
But if it was, wouldn’t Greg have noticed? Wouldn’t Greg have nudged him and agreed to explore further?
The possibilities seemed endless and the thoughts kept racing through his mind.
Was he ought to wait? Was he supposed to drive back? Under what pretense?
As much as Cain’s word hurt, they were true. He didn’t leave a squad member behind, he left Yan. And somehow that was worse.
He let the squad’s reassuring words take him to sleep. They were sure he fled and that they’d hear about his whereabouts once again. He laid in bed, tossing and turning sides as he kept himself from assuming the worst. He knew Yan and he knew of the Demon Hunter. The way he fought and the way he handled these creatures was like no other. He was too strong, he would be fine. But he was outnumbered. No, he will be fine. His head was a battlefield of his own. He let the night roll into day, hoping the next day would bring news and whispers about the Demon Hunter.