The Guardians

Ella was at the dining table having breakfast when Max entered looking wearied for he had not slept for three days.

"Whoa, you look terrible." Ella commented.

"I know." He replied as he sat down. "I've searched all the books in this house for anything on the guardians but I found none."

" I've searched for my dad's journal but it seems he took it."

" I just want to know who they are and why my mother was part of them." He said frustratingly.

Jake entered. " Good morning, folks."

" Folks?" Ella replied.

" Yeah, what else should I have said?" He said as he took his seat.

Ella then said to Max. " Since we have no clue on who they are, I think I know someone who might."

Magog was tied to a chair in a dark room which had spells that kept her powers in check.

Ella entered the room with the boys.

" Why are you here?" She asked them smiling.

" We want to know something." Max answered.

" Then you've come to the wrong place."

"Please, we need your help." Jake pleaded with her. This made the other to stare at Jake.

"What do you want to know?" She asked them.

"About the guardians." Ella answered.

There was silence in the room for about two minutes.

"Why do you ask of the guardians."

"None of your business." Max answered.

"If you want my help, you need to fill me in." She replied. " Or you can chose to let me go when I tell you."

" We'll let you go after you tell us." Max replied.

" Max!!!" Ella yelled at him.

" I'm sorry Ella but I need to know."

" Good enough for me." Magog smiled. " The Guardians are an ancient race of bookworms. Thats all I know but I can tell you where they are."

" Where?"

" Pineroad city." She replied. " Now, let me go."

" About that, it will be when I get back alive." Max replied.

" But hunters keep their words."

" We never said we weren't going to keep ours." Ella said before they walked out of the room and closed the door behind them leaving Magog in darkness.

"We need to go to Pineroad." Max said to the rest.

"Then who will take care of demon queen?" Ella asked.

"I will." Jake interjected. " I will stay back."

" Are you sure you can handle her?" Ella asked him

" She's tied up, isn't she?"

Ella faced Max. "Let's be on our way."

Pineroad city was lively and filled with all kinds of people.

Ella parked the car and she got out with Max. It was dark already.

"So, how are we going to find these guardians?" She sked Max.

"I don't know." Max said tucking his fake FBI badge inside his suit jacket's pocket.

"We can't just go round asking about the guardians. It could be detrimental to both we and the people."

"I never said we were asking anybody, did I?" He smiled. He looked up and saw a store across the road with a signboard above the door on which was written: Abode of The Guardians.

"That's it!" He pointed at it for Ella to see but all Ella saw was a signboard with toys shop written on it.

"That's a toy shop." She said to Max.

"Can't you see what's written on the signboard above the door."

"Yeah, it's got toy store written on it." She replied.

"That's strange, cause I'm seeing something different written on it."

"Is this some sort of magic?"

" Maybe, but we have to find out." He replied. They both crossed the road and entered the store.

A black young lady in her twenties sat on the counter.

Ella and Max walked to the counter where she was and they showed her their IDs.

"And what would the FBI be looking for in my shop." The lady asked them without letting them introduce theirselves.

"We got report that a certain substance, illegal substance is being kept in this shop. So we've been given permission to search it." Max said.

The lady smiled. " I don't engage in illegal activities but since you have been sent to, please do "

" Thank you, mam " max put his badge back in his suit pocket.

Max took the north wing of the shop while Ella took the south wing. They were searching for anything that will be able to give them a clue on the guardians.

Max entered a row where he saw a hooded person standing in his front.

" Who are you?" Max asked her.

She stretched forth her hand and Mad started choking till he passed out.

Ella searched each bookshelf. She was so focused that she didn't know when someone crept up to her. Ella turned to see who was behind her. Then she was knocked out by the lady at the counter with an iron rod.

"What should we do with them?" The counter lady asked the hooded person.

The hooded person pointed at Ella. "Dump this one elsewhere but the other bring him to see the Arch."

Jake sat in his room watching a program on the TV. He wasn't enjoying it but he couldn't sleep and there was also no other thing for him to engage himself with. Then he remembered the demon in the basement. He got up and went to the basement.

The basement always have Jake the creeps, the cold and loneliness in the basement always scared him.

He put on the light as he entered the basement.

" Awwwn, it's the baby hunter." Magog mocked at him the moment she saw him.

" Thank you." Jake replied.

" My pleasure." Magog replied. " So why'd you come down here?"

" Upstair's really boring."

" So you think I'll be more fun than what you were doing up there?"

" I hope so." He answered. " So tell me, how did you get such terrible name, Magog?"

She replied. " My father gave it to me."

" You have a father?"

" I was born like you humans are."

" But what happened?" He asked. " How did you become such fearful being that the bible even spoke about you."

" My people were there in the early times. You know, before the flood. God wiped them all, my friends and family were all killed by him."

" I'm sorry."

" Don't be. I promised myself that I'll cause men to destroy themselves. And for ages, I had suceeded. Raising empires and when I got bored of that empire, I raise another. It was all fun till He left."

" Who left?"

" I can't tell you."

" But we are friends, aren't we?"

" I don't have friends only allies and enemies."

" Did you stop because he left?"

" No, I stopped because-"

" Of what?"

" To be a honest demon, I stopped because I saw the damage I had led humans to do and I can't stand it anymore. I don't feel but somehow I'm feeling pity for the humans."

Jake touched her hands. " Don't worry, it's for the best."

Ella woke up in her car in the middle of nowhere. How she got there she didn't know. In fact, she couldn't remember her mission with Max in Pineroad city. She started the car and drove home.

Jake unlocked the padlock used in holding Magog's chain together.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I'm letting you go."

"Why? I'm a demon."

"Yes, you might be. I believe you are more than that." He finished the untying her. Then he heard sounds of Ella's car entering the garage.

"They are back." He said to Magog who was very weak. "Let's go."

As Magog stood up, Ella stepped in.

"What's happening here?" She asked.

Jake was shocked. "I can explain."

"Yeah, you better explain what you are doing in my house with a demon." Ella replied. "You can start by telling me who you are." Ella said with a gun pointed at Jake.

"Ella, is this a joke?"

"How did you know my name?"

"Ella, what happened in Pineroad city? Where's Max?"

"Pineroad city? Never been there in my life, and Max? Who's he?"

Ella put her finger in the trigger. " I don't even want to know who you are. As long as you work with Gog, you are just another monster." She was about shooting Jake when suddenly she bounced upwards hitting her head on the ceiling and fell down unconscious.

Jake stared at Magog. " Hey!"

" She was going to kill you!" Magog replied.

" Really? What happened to her?"

" Brain wipe. The guardians are experts in that."

" Can you fix her?"

" We can try but it's up to her."

Max stood up and looked round him. His head hurts and his vision was blurry. His vision slowly became clear and that was when he saw that he was in a white room. The room had no windows or doors apparently. Everywhere was just white.

"Ella, Ella! No, no, no." He touched the wall searching for traces of a door but he found none. Where was he and what happened to Ella?

"Hello! Anybody there?" He called out but no answer came.