“They got away.” Taylor says before letting out a sigh.

“They got away?” A voice says over the phone before a long moment of silence settles in.

Taylor doesn't care and maintains his poker face.

“But you found them? Is it multiple people?” The voice asks.

“Two people. I tracked them to a house. Double-checked the information on the house; they used fake identities to purchase it. Bank account was off-shore and leads to a bunch of dummy corporations. I'll send a report in soon. But even if they got away, I managed to find out what they're trying to do.” Taylor says, taking control of the conversation.

“What? Are the missing people dead?” The voice continues to ask.

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“They’re probably dead.” Taylor confirms before taking a drag off his cigarette and letting out a puff of smoke. “Apparently, the Naturalists are the natural predator of the rest of the supernatural world.” He continues to say, aware that this could set the stage for a massacre. “At the fifth stage, the Naturalists gain the ability to feed on the life-force of other supernatural creatures to strengthen themselves, and I assume to continue advancing. The people who went missing have probably been eaten and disposed of.” He says with a breath of cold air. Oh, sweet winter… Even you aren’t able to hold back the heat… Taylor thinks with a sigh.

A moment of silence once again lingers.

“This is grave news.” The voice says, the gravity bearing on the simple words. “Send in your report. This issue will have to be escalated to the top.” The voice says with a sigh. “Was there anything else of note?” The voice asks, feeling the urgency of his future report.

“The Naturalists… They… They can experience the memories of those they feed on. The things these ones have seen have enraged them. They seem to believe that people are being raised and controlled like cattle. They want vengeance.” Taylor says. The stage is being set once again. Another war is brewing. Taylor comments.

“This… This is not good. There is presumably more of these creatures out there. Hiding and lurking in the shadows. I doubt others haven’t come to the same conclusion.” The voice says with some worry. “Well, thank you for your work. We’ll contact you if there’s anything else.” The voice says before ending the call.

Taylor puts his phone away and throws his cigarette to the ground before stepping on it. I want to get drunk. He says before walking back to the house.