"Mom...It's dark...I'm scared..."

I couldn't see anything. The darkness was starting to overwhelm me. I couldn't move, and it's hard to breathe. What's happening to me?

"Why the fuck did you grab the kid too? We were just supposed to take all the valuable shit they had!"

"I don't know, man. I panicked. The little bugger came out of nowhere. I ain't the type of person to shoot a kid, man." A deeper voice responded.

The two voices echoed from another room. Who are these people? Where is my mom and dad? What did I do to deserve this? I've been a good girl. I ate my vegetables every day. I did all my homework and did not say any bad words. Is Mari a bad girl? Please help me. I swear I will be good again. My body jumped as I heard the door open. Fear gripped my chest, and I tried to retreat from the approaching sound.

"Please don't hurt Mari. I will be good now, so please don't hurt me. Let me see my mommy!"

I pleaded with the voices.

They didn't respond. The footsteps drew nearer. I backed away, but the wall stopped me. I felt my heart sink, tears streaming down my face. The footsteps stopped right in front of me. Their heavy breathing sent shivers down my spine.

"Here. Deal with your mistake."

"I can't do it, man. She's just a brat. The guilt is going to kill-"

"DO YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT? WE WILL BE BOTH DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU."

Deal with your mistake? What does he mean by that? Are they going to let me go back to mommy? A glimmer of hope flickered within me.

"My daddy is rich! I can ask him for money if you help me! I promis-" A deafening bang interrupted me. The fear subsided momentarily. All my anxiety left my body. I fell to the ground, weakness overcoming me.

"Fuck, man. I can't believe I did that. Fuck, man." The deep voice sobbed, and then silence enveloped me. My body felt numb, immobile. Fear crept back. What happened?

"Mari...."

A voice echoed. Who was there? My voice couldn't leave my mouth.

"Mari...Wake up..."

My eyes started to open. A flying creature bumped against me. Where am I? What is this animal? What happened to me?

"Mari! I'm glad you're finally awake. I was worried for a second there! Anyways, hurry up! We're late to the hunter orientation!"

Hunter orientation? What's that? What's going on? Who is this? Wait. HOW IS IT TALKING? "Who...are...you?" My voice barely audible, as if my throat had been struck. What was happening? I tried to speak more, but words wouldn't form.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot to introduce myself. My name is Desire. Your personal assistant, here to provide support during the jobs you'll be assigned. Think of me as a friend, I will always be here for you when you need help!"

Friend? Hope flickered again. The thought of having a friend filled me with joy. A small smile crept onto my face. "Okay...Desire...friend"

"Your throat seems to still be bothering you. I mean, it is pretty obvious since there's like a massive hole in it. BAHAHAHAHA" Desire's laughter echoed. A hole? Panic surged as I touched a gaping hole on my neck. Fear overwhelmed me. I tried to scream, but my voice wouldn't leave my mouth. What...what happened to me? Why is there a hole there? My body weakened, and tears fell.

"Hey now! Don't start the waterworks, you big baby. You're fine! You just had...a little accident! It will get better, don't worry. The nice ladies in the hunter orientation will fix you right up!"

I nodded, standing again, wiping away tears. It's okay, Desire said they would fix it. Desire is my friend. Friends don't lie. Desire floated toward a large triangle building, and I followed, wiping my tears.

I don't like this place. The stench of rotting food and sewage filled the air. I want to go home...to my mom and dad. Will I ever be able to go back home? The people here looked like they hadn't eaten anything in months. Am I going to be like them, too? Just the thought of that made my body shudder. Some of them don't even look like people. They looked like machines. Their glowing eyes and metallic bodies frightened me. What is going on? A giant building loomed over me as my thoughts ran through my mind.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Here we are! Welcome to the Pyramid!"

The Pyramid? It looked like something from the evening cartoons I used to watch with daddy. Its bright neon lights and spotlights were blinding. Blaring sirens could be heard from the right of the building.

"Hurry Mari! That's the last bell for the hunter's orientation!" Desire darted towards the alarms while I tried to catch up. My legs still felt weak for some reason, but the idea of being left alone again pushed me to keep running.

A crowd swarmed the entrance to the Pyramid. Massive machines, resembling men, stood guard on either side, each holding open a gate.

"LAST CALL FOR HUNTER'S ORIENTATION. FAILURE TO ATTEND IS PUNISHABLE BY TERMINATION."

The sirens blared even louder as the door robots announced their message. Panic gripped the crowd, propelling them forward in a chaotic rush. It was overwhelming. My small size made it hard for me to catch up with the crowd. Desperation set in as I began to lose sight of Desire. My vision blurred, and strength waned. Drowning in the sea of people, someone lifted me from the crowd.

"Oh shit! Careful now, little girl. This is a dangerous place for a child like you. Wait. What the fuck. Why do you have that? This messed up system is starting to recruit children? That's sickening."

My vision was still blurry. A large figure was holding me up by my arm.

"AH SHIT! The doors are starting to close! Argh, fuck it. Hey, kid! Hold on to me tight if you want to live!"

I held on to the stranger's jacket with all my strength. Her legs started to whir as fire started to climb up her legs. With one swift motion, she leapt, blasting us towards the doors. WAIT. HOW IS SHE FLYING!? We both barely made it passed the doors. My soul left my body. My body shook in fear.

"WOOOOO! Hell yeah! That's what I'm fucking talking about! That rush never gets old. How was it, kid? Pretty fun, huh? Am I like, the most badass person you know or what?" She glanced over her shoulder just to see my paralyzed body, barely holding onto her leather jacket.

"OH MY GOD! KID, YOU GOOD?! WHAT HAPPENED??"

She shook me, desperately trying to wake me up. Gaining consciousness reminded my body that I felt nauseous during this stranger's little joyride. Unable to control my urges, my body released everything I ate that day toward the stranger. I felt guilt and embarrassment as I realized what I did.

"Are you serious right now?! I just bought this jacket, man! It kinda is my fault, BUT STILL! At least warn me before you do that, bro. I could have just gotten you a bag or something."

"I'm...so...sorry...Not...mean...to..." I tried my hardest to apologize, but I figured that the gaping hole in my neck was still a problem. I needed to get this fixed. Desire. Where are you?

"Mari! Are you here? Did you get in?" A familiar voice echoes the lobby. That's Desire! I tried to call out, but my voice couldn't reach him.

"Mari? That you? I'm guessing you also know the one calling that name out?"

I nodded in response.

"Got it. HEY! MARI-KID IS HERE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!" She exclaimed in the direction of Desire's voice. Desire noticed her call and flew towards us.

"Thank god you got in, Mari. I would've lost my job if you became a failure on your first day BAHAHAHA." Bright lights come out from his eyes. They started to run down my body, almost like it was scanning me. "Scan complete. No problems here other than the gaping hole of yours. BAHAHAHA" His amusement towards my injury concerned me, but he's my friend. I can trust him.

"Woah. Is that the new Desimaro that people are going crazy about? How did a brat like you get a high-end PA like that? Are your parents rich or something? They're contractors or something? Might've hit the gold mine when I decided to save you." Her eyes gleamed like they had large dollar signs on them.

"No. Unfortunately, my hunter does not have a family. I was merely assigned to Mari in order to fulfill my purpose."

His purpose? What does he mean by that? Was he made to protect me? My trust in Desire grew as my head filled with optimistic thoughts. I knew I could trust him. He even said that he was my friend. He would never do anything to hurt me.

"Dang it, man. I really thought I was 'bout to get my express ticket out of this dump. You're one lucky brat to have a Desimaro like this guy right here. He's equipped with the best battle and support tech you could ever dream of. You're basically set to start hunting with just him around." I had no idea what she was going on about. Desimaro? Battle tech? Support Tech? What exactly is Desire? What is going on? Why am I here? A voice interrupted my overwhelming thoughts. The room that was once filled with chatter switched to silence.

ATTENTION HUNTERS. EXPERIENCED HUNTERS PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TOWARDS THE RIGHT SECTOR. NEW RECRUITS WILL MEET IN THE LEFT SECTOR. FAILURES WILL NOW BE TERMINATED

The voice paused. Metal sounds could be heard from behind the large metal door. The screams of the people left outside echoed throughout the room. A familiar deafening bang was heard. Many more of them followed suit. The excruciating screams fell silent. Are they...dead?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. PLEASE HEAD TOWARDS YOUR DESIGNATED SECTOR. THE PYRAMID WISHES YOU ALL THE BEST. PROVE THAT YOU ARE USEFUL.

NECA NE NECERIS