Rosa followed Louie out of the car and strolled across the parking lot.
"I'm not going insane right? That wasn't there before," she stated confused, her eyes unable to leave the towering cathedral.
"Hmm. Oh, technically no. The entire area it cloaked. You can only see it after coming through the boundary," Louie explained, gesturing at the car park's entrance.
"Cloaked?"
"Magic, sorcery, witchcraft. Whatever you want to call it."
"Magic is real!?" Rosa exclaimed, stunned. Completely stopping in her tracks.
Louie glanced at her amused. "After everything you seen, magic being real surprises you?"
She felt her cheeks flush. "It - it just didn't cross my mind" Rosa stammered before entering a small jog to catch up to him.
Louie chuckled.
As they got close, Rosa could see the front entrance had been sealed and boarded off. She thought maybe it was another illusion, but instead of heading up the cathedral's steps Louie led them around the side of the building. They walked down an overgrown side pathway, just about wide enough to fit a car. Louie brought them to a stop by a small door, around a quarter of the way along the building.
They entered into what Rosa could only imagine to be a humongous nave, or at least that's what she thought it was called. Maybe it was called a sanctuary.
The room was a vast, hall, filled with rows of wooden pews, opaque and painted windows and its walls were lined with art and tapestries depicting what Rosa could only imagine to be the hunter's history.
"Wait on one of the benches," Louie told her before vanishing through one of the many doors along the nave's walls.
The vast room was completely empty, not another soul in sight. It was honestly a little eerie, Rosa felt she'd be terrified if it was not for the strange, unexplainable feeling that she was safe here. She didn't understand why but, like a sixth sense was speaking to her, it felt as if no monster could enter here.
'Which wouldn't be too farfetched,' she thought. 'It is the home of their enemy.'
Rosa sat down on a church pew and waited patiently for Louie to return. Her gaze travelled around the room, running over its ancient stone architecture. There were bizarre runes and symbols carved along the pillars and walls. Just how old was this place she wondered.
"I take it your Rosa," a deep, gruff voice suddenly emerged. It almost sounded like a growl.
Rosa practically jumped out her seat. She hadn't heard anyone approach. She turned to see a huge man, even taller than Louie. He had dark skin, short black hair, a thick beard and was dressed loosely in a shirt and tie with a long black coat. Rosa's gaze continued travelling up and was caught by commanding, brown eyes and she instantly felt obliged to nod.
"John Ruthor," the man greeted. "My condolences for your loss. James was a great man."
'A hunter like dad? Maybe a friend?' Rosa wondered.
Despite his monstruous frame and gruff voice Rosa wasn't frightened. She could see a subtle kindness in his eyes. He offered out his hand, it was covered and scarred by callouses. Rosa went to shake it.
"Ruthor! the hell are you doing here?!" Louie exclaimed as he reappeared into the room. He wandered over to the man and firmly shook his hand.
"James asked me a month ago," Ruthor informed him.
"I never thought anything would get you out of London."
"It's the least I can do," Ruthor said. "Anyway, I could say the same for you. I'd have thought I had a better chance of meeting god than you returning. What changed?"
"Same as you," Louie shrugged.
Ruthor clapped him on the back and began guiding him away.
"How long has it been?" Ruthor asked as he took Louie away.
Their conversation began to fade away as they wandered across the room. Rosa awkwardly remaining sitting, not knowing if she should follow or wait. She quickly caught Louie gesturing for her to join. A small smile formed on her face and she hurried after him. Ruthor began leading them through the HQ, down old crypt like halls.
"Are you sure the south is going to be alright without you?" Louie asked.
"They have plenty of capable hunters and officers down there. I'm sure they'll manage," Ruthor replied.
"You hope."
"I do," Ruthor admitted. "But when it comes down to facts they don't need me. This place does, James did. There's something brewing up here and I'll be damned if I let it fester while I still breath. And with you here we have a fighting chance. Hell we may become the greatest division in the country."
Rosa trailed behind them silently. Trying her best to make some kind of sense of their conversation.
Louie let out a small chuckle. "We'll need more than just you and me. But Liverpool definitely has the potential," Louie said happily.
"We do have more," Ruthor informed him. But without another word he carried on walking.
Ruthor led them into a nicely furbished room at the end of the hall. Inside was a large desk, cushioned chair and some storage units on the far wall.
'Must be his office,' Rosa guessed. From the plain walls Rosa guessed it hadn't been long since he moved in.
Ruthor wandered around his desk where he unlocked one of its draws and pulled out a plain folder. He offered it to Louie. The hunter's face creased.
"What's this?" Louie asked, cautiously taking hold of the folder.
"Your case. Well cases."
Louie's brows furrowed further as he glanced over the folder's contents. The folder slammed onto the desk. "Give them to someone else," Louie stated. "I'm working on James and Mary's murder".
"You're not. no one will be currently," Ruthor stated. "Jame's orders".
"Given from where. The grave?" Louie stammered.
"Pre-mortem."
Rosa joined Louie in his annoyed disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could they not be trying to avenge her parents? Especially if her father so important he brought them back together.
"With all due respect Ruthor, I'm still just part time. If I want to work the case I will," Louie said bluntly.
"They're the cases James told me to assign you," Ruthor sighed him, before slouching into his chair. "He made sure that folder would get to you no matter what."
Rosa watched as Louie carefully picked the folder back up and flicked through the files inside.
"All of them?" Louie asked sceptically.
"The back one. The others are me asking for your help," Ruthor admitted. "Chaos is taking over the city from the shadows. This division needs a jump start."
Louie let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright". He then turned on his heels and left without a word.
"Louie," Ruthor called out. Louie stopped in his tracks. "That case, James was working on it before he died."
Louie nodded and then kept walking. Rosa quickly followed, giving Ruthor an awkward wave on her way out. In silence they walked back through the HQ and back into the lobby.
"Wait here a moment," Louie told her. He then vanished back into the room he'd entered earlier and emerged a moment later holding a pile of new documents.
"What are those?" Rosa asked.
"Nothing for you to worry about," Louie said. Annoyingly.
He then gently patted her on the back and guided her towards the exit. "Come on let's go. No point in us staying here."
They left the Hunter HQ and walked back across the car park. Rosa climbed into the passenger seat of Louie's car, the conversation earlier still biting at her mind. She turned to Louie.
"So no one is going to avenge my parents?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly as each word left her mouth.
Louie hesitated, a darkness fell over his eyes.
"I will" he said calmly before turning on the ignition and handing her the folder to hold.
A smile grew on her face, and suddenly it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She looked down at the folder and documents in her lap.
"Why did Mr Ruthor tell you that my dad worked that case?" she asked.
Louie went to speak but paused. As if he was considering how to break bad news.
"It's most likely what got him killed. It's basically a way for Ruthor to let me work your parent's case without disobeying orders," Louie explained. "If this case and your parents' murder are truly connected, then solving it exposes the monster."
Rosa nodded, she relaxed into the car seat, feeling a subtle but bizarre happiness in the depths of her soul for the first time in what felt like centuries. Her family would be avenged.
"Can I control the radio?" She asked optimistically.
"No." Louie said. He then pulled out of the car park.