Byron drove through the forest road. Holding tight to the steering wheel of his van. 

Do you still think the world is against you? That’s how they get you.

The man’s words echoed in Byron’s head. “What does he know?! 

Byron noticed the freeze-burn scars on his hands. The men had the same kind, covering his arms and neck. Marks of being touched by the frigid cold those monsters carry. That man was an experienced hunter, but Byron was a tracker. Finding the locations of those monsters was his job. The hunters did the rest, but they did not spare Byron. 

On the passenger seat was a silver container with a red ring sealing the top. His ticket to paying off his debt and having more than enough to start over. 

“I can leave this job behind me.” He mumbled.  

He pressed hard on the gas, but the van didn't respond. Instead, it was slowing down. He did it again, but still nothing. The van came to a complete stop.

He slammed his hands against the wheel. “This can’t be happening!"

A harsh wind greeted him as he stepped out of the van. He zipped up his gray overcoat, then checked under the hood and tires, but couldn’t find the problem. He took out his radar, then held it close to the car. It didn’t respond. He turned it to the silver container. It went up to three.

“At least it’s still there.”

He stepped back into his van to look up the address of the nearest mechanic. Next to the front wheel was a red flower. 

 After Byron dropped off his van at the mechanics, he walked to the bank on the other side of the Shopping Plaza. He checked his right pocket for the silver container. “I can leave this job behind me,” he mumbled. 

Along the sidewalk, a little redheaded kid bumped into him. “Watch it!”

“Sorry.” The kid yelled.

“Brat.”

When Byron got back to the garage, the mechanic, Mike greeted him. “Hey, so, there was some trouble with the fuel pump.”

“What was wrong with it?”

“Some Vines were squeezing the life out of it.” 

“Vines?”  

“Yeah, but there’s still some tinkering to do here and there. We could fix it up.”

Byron thought for a moment, then checked his pocket. He froze when he couldn't feel the silver container.

“Sir? Is something wrong?”

“It’s gone!... The Banshee is gone!”

The kid was walking out of the shopping plaza when Byron drove his van in front of them. They turned to run, but Byron rushed out and grabbed the redhead kid by the arm.

“You have something that belongs to me!” Byron turned the kid around, revealing a thin teenage girly boy in a sleeveless navy blue shirt and black jeans.

“Let go!” The boy struggled, but Byron barely felt it.

He snatched the kid’s book bag and took out the container. “You- you opened it!?”

 The kid reached for his bag, only for Byron to grab the boy by the collar. “Where’s the Banshee!?”

“Banshee? You mean that little trick that came out of the jar?”

Byron tossed the kid aside.

“My bag!”

“I’m keeping this. If you want it back, then give me the banshee.”

“What? Wait, a minute! I can’t do that!”

“Then you better help me find it or you’ll never get this back.” Byron opened the back of his van. He tossed the bag inside before climbing in and closing the doors.

“Give me back my bag!” the boy shouted’s.

“That stupid kid.” He found a small book and flipped through the pages. “That's all I need to do, huh?” He unlocked a black case and pulled out a gun.

The boy sat in the front seat as the van passed a neighborhood before entering into another shopping plaza.

“What’s your name, mister?” The boy peeked at the radar Byron was holding. “What’s that thing?”

Byron shoved the boy back into the front seat. “ Shut up and stay still. This is going to help me find the banshee you freed.”

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Let’s say I did free a Banshee. What's she going to do?”

He glared at the boy. “Listen, brat, its scream can cause your ears to bleed. It can put a curse on you and your family until there’s no one left.”

“Did she do something bad to you? Is that why you hunted her?”

 “It’s a monster that shouldn’t exist. What other reason is there?” 

He parked next to a building plastered with posters hanging in a row. He stared at it, then at his radar.

“It's a movie theater,” said the kid.

“I can see that. Is there anything else?”

“The Popcorn’s good.”

“That’s not what I meant! You're trying my patience, brat. Are people in there or not?”

“Okay, okay. It’s closed right now. So no.”

Banshees live in isolated places where humans are unlikely to go. A movie theater isn’t a place for it to hide, but he couldn’t deny the reading the radar was picking up.

He tucked the gun in his pocket. “Stay here.” He walked closer to the movie theater and checked his radar again. The reading was low. “What? This better not be broken!” 

Under Byron's boots, red flowers grew.

“Hey, why’d you lock me in here? ” The kid shouted, banging the van window with Byron's cell phone.

“Stop that!” He ran back to his van.

The Red flowers curled back into the ground.

He snatched his phone, then grabbed the boy by the collar. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Calm down. The Banshee isn’t here, is she?”

As Byron grumbled, he tossed the boy into the van. He pulled out the little book from his pocket. After looking through it, he turned to the kid. “Where’s the nearest body of water?”

                       ***

“Why are we going to Trident Stream?” The boy asked.

“You see this ring? It kept the inside of its container hot. All of its kind are weak to heat. That’s probably why it didn’t have the energy to make your ear bleed.”

“Yeah, right. She's a ghost, how can fire hurt her?”

“Who cares, it's always worked on them… Except for the Flame Witch." 

"The Flame witch?"

The most powerful monster of them all. Finding out her location is a small fortune.

“Have you tried?

“Do I look like I have a death wish? ” 

Of course, he had tried. That monster was his goal during his early years as a tracker, but as time went on he had to give up on it. Hunters and trackers all disappeared when any lead was found on that watch. Byron even knew a few of them too.

Byron stopped the van by a large stream. “Come to think of it. I’ve heard the Flame Witch has long red hair. Maybe you're related to her? ” He laughed and got out.

The boy followed Byron. “Why would she come here?”

“Monsters like the Banshee restore their energy in two ways. Moonlight and bathing in water at night. There’s a new moon, so this is its only option. ” Byron tossed a white ball into the water.

“What are you doing?”

He put on sunglass and pressed a switch. The stream glowed light that rivaled the sun.

The boy shielded his eyes. A splash ripped through the water as a woman in a gray dress flew into the sky. She stared down at Byron with dark circles around her eyes, a path of black where tears had fallen on her face. 

“So that's what it looks like?” Byron pulled out the container when the boy rushed into him, making them both fall. “What the hell!”

The Banshee flew away. Byron coursed. “Get up! We’re going after it! ” A red flower almost caught Byron’s boot as he ran. The boy saw this and signed.  

Their pursuit took them to the town square where they lost her trail.“This is your fault!” He grabbed the boy's shirt and lift him off his feet. If you hadn’t gotten in the way-”

Rapid beeping caught Byron’s ears. The radar went off with a high reading. He moved the radar away from the kid. It went down, then up again towards the kid.

“Put me down!”

He plucked a piece of the kid’s red hair.

“Ow! What are you doing?”

Byron shoved the boy back into the van. He opened the back and took out a jar of white liquid, and put the strand of hair in it. It changed to a little purple color. 

“Is he? A monster’s offspring? That skinny little brat? If this is true, then he’s a bigger score than the banshee. ”

He drove out of town back onto the forest road. The car’s headlight cleared away the dark. Byron kept on driving and still saw the trees and the red flowers. On and on and on.

He stopped the van, holding tight on the wheel. “What’s going on?”

“We’re looking for the banshee, right?”

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

He tossed the kid out of the car. “Don’t give me that!”

But even when looming over the boy. He showed no sign of fear or hopelessness and picked himself up.

“You’re not used to this, are you? I bet you weren’t the one who caught her.”

“What kind of magic is this?”

The boy said nothing and glanced at the mini garden of red flowers at Byron's feet.

“No, this can’t be happening.”

“If you leave now-“

“I’m so stupid.” Byron took out the gun and pointed it at the boy. “Lift the spell! Now!”

“Sorry, but that’s impossible for me if you just-.”

“This isn’t a joke!”

“I’m not!’

A shot roared. The bullet dug into the ground next to the boy’s feet.

The boy expression broke into defeat. “I tried.”

A sweet and intoxicating scent overcame Byron. Stunning his entire body. The red flowers underfoot grew into vines curling up his legs, consuming his arm as the gun dropped. His eyes froze on the red-haired boy.

The boy sat in the van. The Banshee tapped his shoulders, getting his attention. She points to her mouth.

“I’ll get it off. Just wait a little longer. ” He held his phone up to his ear. “Hi Mike, could you pick me up? I’m on the edge of town. Bring your tow trunk. ” He looked out the window. The man was covered in vines and red flowers. “Also gardening shears.”