Ryan and Nick sat around the armoured car as the sun emerged from the horizon. After sending the footage to Dogma, Nick and Ryan spent almost the entire night converting the first floor of the pub into a makeshift armoury. They counted what weapons they had, which ones were still operable, and what equipment might need repaired or salvaged once the mission was over. They did it all as they waited for reinforcements.

To Nick’s surprise, he could see a large plane flying overhead. To his disappointment, only one person parachuted out.

‘Is that our backup?’

Ryan grinned, ‘yep.’

‘Shouldn’t we have like an entire squad to deal with that creature?’

‘Eh… maybe.’

The lone figure landed in the middle of the football field east of the town. Without hesitation, the two men approached the stranger to greet them. Nick however froze as he saw what the man looked like. A badly scarred reptile, their green scales being an inconsistent shade of green made Nick wonder how old the reptile was. Scars overlapping one another was either a sign of foolish actions or constant battle. Nick wasn’t a fan of either possibility. The only thing welcoming about the figure was their blue eyes. The reptile had a backpack; he wore an armoured dark-blue trench coat, and he wore a strange gauntlet-device on left hand, though Nick couldn’t make out what it was.

Ryan shook the hand of the reptile. ‘It’s an honour to work with you, sir.’ Ryan said, towering over the figure.

The reptile replied with a simple nod and a blank expression. He walked up to Nick as soon as he noticed him and his bandaged arm. ‘Name,’ the reptile asked, their voice deep and so expressionless that a text-to-speech tool could assert more emotion than what he could muster.

‘Uh, Nick.’ He uncomfortably replied, ‘and you are?’

‘Jackson,’ the reptile responded. He turned to Ryan, but besides saying anything. Jackson just stared and waited for Ryan to say something.

Nick knew that after the Cascade, about a percent of the human population had mutated. Perhaps he just had the worst of it? Nick reasoned, not trying to be prejudiced towards the reptile.

Awkwardly, Ryan spoke. ‘So, we got most of our equipment in the pub. And we are the only ones alive.’

Jackson gave a nod before he walked over to the rows of bodies that Nick and Ryan placed near the service station. He removed the tarp to examine the corpses, looking at their wounds and how the venom turned their skin black and rotten.

‘So… do you know what it is?’ Ryan asked.

‘Bunyip,’ Jackson sharply replied. ‘Shouldn’t exist here.’

Nick inserted himself into the conversation, ‘wait, what!? You’re telling me that a mythical monster is real?’

Jackson and Ryan ignored Nick’s question. ‘So, Jackson. How do we kill this thing?’

The reptile reached for their bag and gave Ryan a box of 7.62×51mm ammunition with the label “enchanted” taped on top. ‘Same strategy, I’m bait. Tripmines?’

‘Still active sir.’

The reptile respectfully put the tarp back on the bodies, ‘deactivate them.

‘Do I need to know anything else?’

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‘Creature is fast and strong. Aim for legs, don’t bother with the skull. Anything else?’ Jackson responded, his answers direct and to the point.

Ryan smirked, Nick could tell he was going to say a joke. ‘Are we going to get cake after this?’

Jackson didn’t reply, not by words or by body language. Instead, he walked over to the convenience store. Their conversation was over.

Nick watched the reptile in shock as to why they would repeat the same strategy again. ‘Are you two mad?’ Nick commented.

Ryan shrugged, ‘how do you think I took this gig? Besides, I know the guy. Man is good at his job, even if he is a bit weird. So don’t worry partner, we are in safe hands.’

Nick followed the reptile, he wanted answers from the reptile as they believed Ryan was unreliable.

At the store, Jackson tugged on the door only to find out that the building was locked. Besides walking away like Nick thought he would, he kicked down the door and made his way inside.

Nick pursued the reptile to see them opening a pack of Tim Tams and eating them. ‘What are you doing?!’ Nick shouted.

Jackson paused as he looked at Nick. ‘Eating,’ he replied, taking another bite of the chocolate snack. He offered the pack to Nick, but he declined.

‘You shouldn’t be taking stuff from here, we don’t own it.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Well, it matters to me!’ Nick argued. ‘We can’t just steal from good people here, it ain't right.’

The reptile finished his snack before taking out another chocolate treat. ‘This place will be cleaned, this entire shop will be stripped, and food thrown out. Better eat before it goes.’

Nick gave up and sat down by the entrance, Jackson offered him some food, and that time he took the offering. He forgot how sweet chocolate tasted. ‘Jack…’

‘Jackson.’ The reptile corrected, though Nick couldn’t tell if his response was out of annoyance, kindness, or sincerity. Nick could easily read people, but he couldn’t figure out Jackson, to see if he is a threat or a friend. He stood out, yet his detachment made him a ghost to everyone around him.

‘Jackson,’ Nick continued. ‘You said that the bunyip shouldn’t be here. What do you mean?’

‘They were only in the southeast of this continent. It being here is strange.’

‘Well, why is it strange?’

‘I killed all of them.’ The reptile bluntly responded.

‘I don’t understand, for a secret organisation. How come you are just revealing all of these details?’

The reptile took a bite out of a half-melted chocolate bar. ‘We control the narrative.’

‘And that is?’

‘If you die, we can blame you. If you live, we can use you as a recruit. Why keep secrets when we already won?’

‘Well, in that case. What does that make you? Are you just a hunter or are you something else in this narrative?’

‘Human.’ The reptile replied before he left the store to talk to Ryan. Yet through his tone, Nick could tell that Jackson was sincere when he said that. Even if his appearance told a different story.