"It's dead." Selina whispered, a mix of relief and disbelief in her tone.

Klaus staggered toward her, each breath labored and heavy.

"It should be. That was enough to put it down."

Aven's voice cut through the stillness charged with awe. "Three shots in a second? How's that even possible? His eyes, wide and disbelieving, scanned the blood-soaked ground, thoughts scrambling for an explanation.

Klaus managed a small, weary smile. He'd heard the question before. But now wasn't the time to explain.

Aven's pupils were slightly narrowed as his thoughts swirled into chaos.

Over his years of web surfing, he had never heard or seen such a thing.

Such a level of expertise was basically impossible.

Such a veteran gunslinger would only exist in fairy tales or fantasy stories for readers to indulge in.

But now, such a surreal experience was taking place right before his very own eyes.

This filled him with a whole lot of questions.

Amongst many would be: Who's the man in front of him, second of all. What's their real job. The way they had handled that monster of a creature. The calmness amidst the tensed atmosphere was literally... too good to be true.

I-It almost feels like this isn't their first time handling such a creature.

And upon reminiscing on Klaus's words of warning to Hander.

He was more certain of this.

This now raises a question. If they aren't mere detectives. Then what exactly are they?

Perhaps they are from a secret agency that combats this kind of monsters!

He finally came to this conclusion, nodding his head in agreement.

If Xavier and Klaus had really heard his thoughts. They would have probably laughed their ass out.

Xavier's steely gaze remained fixed on the dark, twisted figure lying motionlessly ahead.

"We need to make sure." Xavier spoke with a wary gaze. With how cunning it's. It could as well be faking its death.

Klaus nodded, recalling the moment he'd almost fallen prey to the cunning of the Berserker Wendigo. Their survival hinged on vigilance, and underestimating such a beast is the fastest way to meet death. "Approach with caution."

Xavier's jaw clenched. "I'll do it. If it moves, you need just three seconds to take it out."

"No." Absolutely not. Klaus's refusal was swift. "If it's alive, even our strength won't guarantee your safety."

A tense silence fell between them until Xavier finally spoke.

"This is the best way. We both know it."

Xavier's gaze shifted to the Berserker Wendigo lying lifelessly on the ground leaving him with no choice but to believe it were really dead.

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But what's a supernatural creature? A supernatural creature isn't just any creature, or some sort of wild animal. It's literally an entity that defies all sense of logic to a certain extent.

And he knew better than ever to be careful when facing one.

As an hunter, that's one of the strictest rule one must abide by and it was also one of the rules that has been keeping them and other hunters alive till this moment.

With only one lifetime whereby any slight mistake would result in certain death! This is one of the best methods to stay alive.

Without knowing any of this. Trying to endeavor into the "hunting business" is the same thing as courting death.'

Xavier exhaled deeply. "I know you are worried about me. But we both know deep down that this is the most feasible method of approach."

Klaus exhaled, the fight leaving him.

"Fine. But if you see so much as a twist, jump back three feet." That should be enough to put it down.

Xavier's nod was barely perceptible. He stepped forward, each movement slow and deliberate. His hands shook, legs trembled, the wind gnawing at his skin.

The forest seemed to hold its breath as his shadows crept towards the creature's emaciated form. The stench of decay clawed at him, mingling with the metallic tang of blood soaking the earth.

Unbeknownst to Xavier, his hold on the gun had grown tighter.

He slowly moved towards the gaunt, emaciated dark-ashen creature that had blood flowing down its skull and body. Dyeing the ground dark-red as a result.

It suddenly twitched, its abyssal pair of eyes flaring to life with a powerful glow that sent cold chills running down Xavier's spine as his heart leapt to his throat. Fear tightening around his chest like a vice.

Before he could even think, instinct took over. His finger tightened around the trigger.

KAAA!!! KAAA!!!

PUCHIII!!!

Two gunshots pierced through the air, easily finding their way through skull and tissue as blood spluttered into the air.

The Wendigo's skull split, dark blood spraying like ink across the cold ground.

The blood seemed to let out an eerie ghastly glow as a sense of relief and a soothing calmness suddenly washed over everyone. The forest included.

It was finally over.

Xavier let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His grip on the gun loosened as the weight of the monster settle. Supernatural creature or not, even they had that will. A unique trait that exits in every single living being, creature or entity.

The will to live, thrive and survive

Yet despite it showing such blazing will. He knew he couldn't afford to be sentimental when it came to such a creature.

And ironically enough, he did hesitate for a second there. But at the end of the day, he was still able to deliver the final judgement on it.

"Is it really dead?" Aven's voice trembled, hope flickering through the doubt.

"Yes." Klaus confirmed, eyes on his brother. "Go on. We'll handle the rest."

Selina realizing that they probably needed to speak alone nods her head. The subsequent course of events alone had dismissed any strong facàde of hers.

"Please do help me find my younger brother." Her hands shook as she handed Klaus a worn photograph.

"I know you have seen him before, B-But I still felt like giving it to you.

That's the least I can do to help out." She stuttered, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

Klaus took the picture, the face of a dark-haired teenager staring back at him. "We'll," he promised.

"We will be taking our leave." Selina gave a slight bow, whilst Aven nodded at the siblings before he and his sister both headed back home.

"You sent them away to discuss about its hideout, right?"

Klaus nodded in reply to his approaching brother.

"We don't know if there's any hidden danger in its hideout. Not to even talk of the fact that trying to trace it to its hideout with it being dead spoilt our previous plans.

Now one way or another, we will have to find the hideout without its aid."

Xavier turned to Klaus, the weight of the task at hand sinking into his bones.

"Yeah. We need to find its lair. Without it leading us it could take hours."

Klaus ran a hand through his hair, frustration and exhaustion mixing in his gaze. "We'll search. But first, we need the flame propellant and ensure any surviving victim lies about the incident."

"And Amanda's case..." Xavier's voice trailed off, the exhaustion evident.

Klaus exhaled sharply. "Seems we have a lot of workload on our hands."

"But first things first. After we are done here, we will sneak into the hospital. Then after we are done with Amanda's case, we leave California behind."

Xavier was silent for a whilst before nodding in agreement.

Both brothers took one final glance at the dead monstrosity before heading back for the car to get the flame propellant.

As they headed for the car, the dead creature behind them served as a cold reminder that in their world, survival wasn't always guaranteed and at the end of the days... all things shall eventually return to Nothingness.