NOTE: This series starts off slow burn for purposes of fleshed out world building and character development (which, understandably, isn't the normal speed on RR). So for the first 32 chapters or so, Nero and his team will be undergoing trials/field exams for their entry into Hunter Corp.
Book 1 will be about 190k words
From hunter evaluations to entering a tournament for big prize money, there will be monster slaying, mystery solving, rank leveling, and sponsor rewards!
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CHAPTER ONE
Nero
Calling all talent! Calling all talent!
Take your career to the next level!
Become a hunter and earn easy money!
Collect fame points, gain sponsors, and become the hero of your town!
Well, what are ya waiting for?! Registration is easy. Head to your nearest sign up station today!
Easy money, huh? Ma would beg to differ….
Being a hunter was all I ever dreamt about, but it wasn’t an easy gig in the slightest. Reason number one– the application process. It was ridiculously selective. Only talents could sign up, people who were lucky enough to be born with a gift. Whether it be bending metal with your mind or shooting ice out your ass, if you got a super power, you were eligible to be a hunter. And even then, there was a preliminary review you had to pass, where your stats were judged by a council of seven elite meta-humans. Safe to say that even if you didn’t enlist, having a meta ability was pretty damn badass. Despite talents being regulated all around the globe, just being in that 10% in town was a special feat that nothing else could compare to.
And here I was, slouched over my kitchen island, wishing that I had a meta ability….
Having a special skill would be such a game changer. And being a hunter, even more so. It was the best badge in the world by a long shot. Being a licensed slayer came with perks, like a butt load of money, prestige, and being idolized as a hero. But there’s also a scariness to it that the giftless hunter fan base tried to ignore, and that was completing assignments.
Which brought me to reason number two, shadow-walkers. Shadow-walkers, flesh-eaters, demons, monsters—it didn’t matter the slang. They all meant the same thing. They were the creatures you heard bumping in the night, the ones that lurked in the corners of your back alleyways and backyards, stalking and terrorizing you and everyone you love. They needed to feed on blood to survive, and they fed relentlessly. Shadow-walkers were the reason why the Hunter Corp existed in the first place, where teams of three would hunt them and their collective territorial asses. Unlike every other aspect of being a hunter, killing flesh-eaters was the most dangerous….
“Serve all over the globe, collect fame points and become a star!” the perky Molly Melody chirped in her enthusiastic voice, the teal-haired icon enticing a grunt out of me as she continued her stunts on the flat screen TV.
“I’m trying, Molly, I’m trying…” I pouted, ruffling my fingers irritatedly through my black hair until I heard my mom’s sandals clacking my way.
I turned to her to see her face twisted in a disapproving frown. “Her again?!” she hissed as she wiped down a wet plate, her eyes looking at the TV in the living room of our open-floor-plan flat. “Don’t they ever get tired of her being on the big screen?”
I snorted amusingly. “She’s a symbol of Hunter Corp. She’s always going to be on TV. According to statistics, her ads reel in the most hunters by far.”
Ma huffed.
“And, she’s a cute bat girl with talent. She represents the demi-human population, too.”
“Well, the least she could do is put some clothes on,” she moaned, sucking her teeth.
I laughed. “Ma, she has clothes on.”
She snapped her eyes at me with a gasp. “You call that skimpy leotard an outfit?!”
“It’s all part of the image and branding. Besides, I bet it’s comfortable in combat,” I said in a cheeky tone. “And you have to admit, her acrobatics are pretty impressive.”
She rolled her eyes and then shifted her attention back to the screen. After she muttered something about her wild conspiracy theories under her breath, I chuckled again, shaking my head. “You’re just hating on Hunter Corp, as per your anti-establishment tendencies.”
She heaved a sigh, the sigh sounding more like a groan. The flamboyant advertisement ended with Molly Melody striking a pose and then flipping backwards off the screen in a flurry of bright, seizure-inducing colors.
“Nero, you know where I stand on hunters. I have every reason to hate Hunter Corp,” she whispered seriously, her grip on the plate tightening. “Sending those kids out there to fight problems adults should be handling. It’s unethical!”
“Meta-humans are at their peak between the ages of 16 to 22, Mom. You know that. If you’re lucky, that range could be longer, but it’s rare.”
My mom’s face scrunched up as she continued to watch that commercial. She said that the positive spin they loved to broadcast made her sick to her stomach. Sure, being a hunter came with all the glory one person could ever dream of, but it was also risky. Going out there day in and day out, saving the population from vicious monsters easily ten times your size…. She called it torture, something kids shouldn’t be doing on a regular basis.
“Ma, you’re overreacting,” I whispered to her gently, watching as she settled the plate right next to me on the counter. “Hunters are trained. Why else would they have mentors?”
“Training? Does that guarantee that they’ll come back in one piece? Back to their families? Their mothers and fathers? Does it, Nero?”
I sighed. “No, but it lessens the possibility of—”
“Being eaten alive out there?!” she cried, her voice breaking. “You know, they rarely talk about it! About those who don't make it? They glorify this as a grand adventure, but they never stop to mention the hunters who lose their lives... not once!” she ranted, her gaze shifting from my face to the plate she was holding on the countertop. Her knuckles had turned white from gripping it too tight, my mom’s stand on this topic unwavering. “It doesn’t make up for the horrors behind closed doors. You can’t convince me that there’s nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I feel sorry for all of those families….”
I sulked.
“I know being a hunter is all you’ve ever wanted, Nero, but I have dreams of you being so much more….” She turned to me and smiled sweetly. “Like a doctor! You remember Grandpa Benjo, right? I want you to amount to something. To become an important part of society that cannot be replaced. In these dark times, we need more heroes in the medical field. You know this, I am sure you do. You’re a very smart boy, Nero. I know you can do it!”
“Of course, I know you believe in me,” I said disappointedly, perching my chin on the ball of my palm. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have emptied out your life savings on that snobbish high school.”
She chuckled as she walked over to the fridge behind us, pulling out a tray. “You only say that because the tuition in Acadia High is expensive.”
My eyes softened on her as I turned my head her way. “Mom, we could put that money to good use.” I sighed. “Having to kill yourself so I can get this so-called top notch education. You’re working like a dog as it is. I mean, three jobs? Hell, I hardly get to see you. I’m surprised you had the time to set all of this up and—”
“Nonsense!” she blurted. “I wouldn’t miss this very special day for those pencil-necked hussies at Spenser’s Jewelry Boutique! It’s my baby’s birthday! His 18th birthday!” she sang, settling my birthday cake right next to me on the island counter. She lit up exactly 18 candles, the heavy fumes getting in my throat as I coughed.
I fanned my hand over my face and teased, “Seriously, you’re gonna burn the house down!”
“Oh, stop being dramatic! Isn’t as bad as the last time we lit some candles, right?”
“You were turning 43. I’m shocked the sprinklers didn’t go off.”
“Hardy har-har, smart-ass,” she sassed cheekily. “I don’t care. I still look sexier than you.”
I smiled. Traditionally, a birthday song would be sung, but of course, Mom wanted to be different. After lighting the candles, she proceeded to do this very awkward and embarrassing birthday dance. She swayed her hips side to side and spun around the small kitchen in a twirl, her face beaming with unfiltered joy. She had no rhythm, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. But I loved her. The woman who had held my hand on my first day of school. The one who had nursed my scraped knees and tolerated my daredevil phase, and the one who continued raising me after dad left when I was nine years old. She was my best friend, and undeniably the brightest light in my life, and I’d do anything for her.
“Okay mom... okay….” I managed, mustering as much sternness as I could. But it was difficult to hide the grin spreading across my face. “You’re going to hurt yourself with that sorry excuse for dancing!”
“Quit being a sorry stick in the mud!” she tweeted playfully, then proceeded to shimmy toward me with her round hip poking out. “Instead of being a loser, dance with me!”
I shrugged. “Well… if you insist—” I got right down to it, pumping my fists up in the air and gyrating my waist back and forth like Bully Maguire. My mother laughed, her contagious chuckles harmonizing with the 90’s pop music she had playing softly in the background.
“You’ve always had two left feet!” my mother interjected, mock frustration painted across her face. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she placed one hand on her hip and pointed a finger at me. “You’ve got to let the music move you, not just flail around like a rusty windmill.”
“Ha! I know you’re not talking about my dance moves!” I teased. “If I’m that horrible at dancing, you know where I got it from.”
“All right, all right! Shots fired!” She laughed. I knew I was far from a dancing prodigy, but seeing her in such high spirits was worth any amount of personal embarrassment. The worn wooden floorboards of our living room creaked and groaned under our synchronized hip bumping. We looked like two goofballs, but being silly with mom was commonplace.
The only reason I was being a sour-patch earlier was because I was bummed out about what this 18th birthday really meant for me…
“Oh, what a workout!” Mom heaved, finally catching her breath. She then went into a bout of coughs, the ones she’d go through about 20 times a day.
Countless clinics and over 30 doctors later, and we still couldn’t get a diagnosis. “You all right, Mom?”
“Yeah, yeah. My throat is just dry. And my feet…” she said, trying to brush it off, before grabbing her knee as she leaned over. “They are still killing me from landscaping. But I’m fine.” She smiled. “The beauty of aging, am I right?”
I snickered. “Thanks for putting all of this together, Mom.”
“Of course, Nero,” she said, cradling my face in her hand. Those beautiful brown eyes shimmered like diamonds, filling my chest with wholesome feels. “Happy Birthday, nugget!”
I rolled my eyes playfully at that baby name she refused to let go, and then I gave her a hug, my mother holding me tightly. “I wish I could give you the world… I really do.”
“You’ve given me plenty, Mom.”
“You’re so understanding, Nero. I couldn’t ask for a better son….”
I peeled gently from her, feeling her body tremble. “Oh no, none of that!” I hissed playfully. “Kill the water works. There will be no crying on my birthday tonight!”
She giggled. “Sorry. I’m just getting emotional.”
I wiped her tears away. “I mean it, Mom. Quit pushing yourself so hard. We have a roof over our heads. That’s what matters, right? I hate that you’re killing yourself for me. You’re already not well….”
“Now you’re making me feel like a basket case,” she teased. “Nero, don’t you worry about me. Just focus on making it through Acadia. Big grades equals big rewards. Your success is my investment. No one said it was going to be easy….”
I knew that, but… it could be easier….
She tried hiding her eyes glancing over to the fridge, where a legion of post-it notes cluttered family photos and shopping lists. Reminders of bills being overdue, shifts at her three jobs, medical bills, and small things to do around our tiny apartment that would generate the desperate income we needed to keep things afloat.
We weren’t the richest family in the world, but my mom swore we were the poorest. Unlike any other town in New York State, Xion was one of the few places where you could live in a doll house and still pay over four thousand dollars for rent. The once small and peaceful town in upstate New York now had a higher cost of living than the Big Apple itself, and the reason for that was because Xion was recognized as the birthplace of the gifted. Understandably, people began flocking over to Xion right after the first gifted infants were born decades ago.
“Don’t let that ruin your moment, Nero,” Mom said, noticing I was looking over to the fridge.
I cracked a smile. “No Ma, it’s not that….”
“Then, why do you look so sad?”
“I’m eighteen… which means, I’m definitely not getting a gift….”
“Oh, who needs powers nowadays?!” she said, trying to cheer me up. “You got better things! Wit, charm, street smarts, and a heart of gold! You don’t need powers to go a long way in life.”
“But… they said there’s a 5% chance of getting a meta-ability before turning 18…. Midnight is only a couple hours away, and—”
“So quit grumbling about it and make a wish for the future,” she said, handing me a knife to cut the cake. She looked up to me passionately, with a confident motherly glow that made my chest flutter. I already knew what she was saying—good things were coming. Don’t let one shortcoming close doors for the possibilities around the corner.
I enveloped her hand in mine, letting her know that I wanted both of us to cut the cake. “I have a lot I want to ask for, Mom. But there’s only one that means a lot to me….”
I didn’t say my wish aloud so it could come true. It was the same wish I had every year–to be able to support my mom, so she could stop stressing out about me and focus on her health. She never took the time to take care of herself, and her situation wasn’t getting better anytime soon. They said money didn’t solve problems, but in our case, it would by a long shot….
I felt a chill run through me as we drew the blade down, cutting a line through the strawberry-filled lemon cake. I’d made my wish, and then just as suddenly, a whistle blew. And not the partying type of whistle, either. How ironic that everything around us went dark the moment I sliced that cake, the sound of low churning making Mom and I look around, noticing that the power had gone out.
Immediately, Mom panicked, turning around and fishing for something as she ran her hands over the counter. With the street light from outside shining some light through the kitchen window, she opened the drawer where all of her final notices were stashed. “No, no, no!” she huffed, rummaging through the stack of bills before she found the one she was looking for. “Ugh, the 15th?! It’s not due yet! Those bozos! What ever happened to their grace period?!”
This wouldn’t be the first time our power went out. Luckily, I had planned in advance, installing battery-powered LED lights all over the apartment. I clapped my hands and they all went on at once, bringing light to every room.
I went over to comfort Mom, who was being more hysterical than usual. I could only imagine what was racing through her head right now, already blaming herself for ruining my special day. But I didn’t care about all of that.
“Hey,” I said, taking my mom’s shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll pay for it on my card. I can take up extra hours at the shop and—”
“No,” she retorted, quickly rejecting my offer. “You need that extra time to study, Nero. I don’t want your grades slipping. You’re barely making it along as it is. I will take care of it.”
“What? Seriously, I—”
“Final answer, Nero. You know I don’t like repeating myself.”
I scrunched my face at her and looked down at my mom sternly. “You know, next time, I’m not going to ask. I know you might think I don’t know this, but I see a lot. More than you want me to see….”
“Please, Nero…. I don’t want to talk about this right now.” She sighed, raking her fingers through her brunette hair anxiously. “I need to think about how I’m going to get the power back on.”
I grabbed her wrist gently and turned her attention to me. “We need to talk about this,” I begged, but before I could say another word, we both jumped from the loud thud coming from the front door.
“I’m back!” Sophie, my adopted sister, tweeted, kicking the door behind her closed with the heel of her shoe as she hauled three stuffed paper bags in her arms. Her short blond hair bounced over her shoulders when she took a step back with a startled look across those blue eyes. “Whaaat?! I was hoping you wouldn’t cut the cake before I came back from work!”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You said you were working the third shift. We didn’t expect you back until 3am.”
“Yeah, I know, but I gave the head chef a piece of my mind today!” She hissed, her furry hamster ears flaring up whenever she got all hot and puffy. She dropped her bags on the kitchen counter, where I noticed she’d brought decorations for my birthday. “I told him I needed just one day off out of the year. Just one! I told him way in advance! I’m talking months! And he had the nerve to flat out deny it! That kitchen wouldn’t last one day without me! I deserve respect! I deserve some appreciation! So I stormed into his office and gave him a piece of my mind. I put my foot down and said, if you’re not going to honor my day off, then I quit!”
Mom gasped. “You quit your job?”
“Sophie, please don’t tell me you quit your job for me!” I begged.
“I was gonna! But Dorian said I could take the rest of the day off!”
Mom clenched her chest and took a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness…. Please So, don’t go around burning bridges. We can’t afford any one of us losing our jobs.”
“Oh, I didn’t burn any bridges. They need me more than I need them,” Sophie retorted, pouting slightly, but there was a flare of triumph in her eyes. “Though, I guess I might’ve singed a few, heh!”
I snorted, despite the earlier tension in the room. Sophie always had a knack for defusing situations with her eccentric remarks and zany attitude. She was unpredictable to say the least, but if there was one thing she was an expert on, it was cooking.
God damn, that girl could cook…
She’d already promised me a home-cooked birthday meal, I just didn’t know which day she’d have the time to make it. “Alright,” she continued, deflating her rowdy emotions. “Let me get started on dinner then. You only turn 18 once!” She started pulling ingredients out of a bag—lamb chops, potatoes, Penne noodles, ground beef…
I was getting more and more excited with every item she pulled out!
“I’m making your favorite meals tonight, birthday nugget!” She beamed. “I also dashed to Party City and grabbed all of this cool stuff so we can decorate and celebrate proper! But I see that you guys already partied on without me, so—”
“No, no, no! Party on!” Mom interjected. “So, I’m glad that you can take some time off and celebrate with us. We actually hadn’t eaten the cake yet. And the both of us only had frozen dinner a few hours ago. Nero could use a home-cooked meal on his birthday….”
Sophie smiled. “Okay, good because I—wait a minute, why are the back-up lights on?” She gasped. “Oh, it’s for the party? Gotta say, I’m not hatin’ it!”
“No actually. It’s not for the party. The power went off. Just a few minutes ago, actually.”
“But don’t let that stop our fun!” Mom chirped. “Please, decorate, cook, dance, enjoy yourselves! It’s still early, and there is no point in killing the mood for one small mishap. I’ll get the lights back on, don’t worry, okay? I just… need to go to the bathroom and make a quick phone call….” She took her phone with her to her bedroom and locked herself inside as she fought another bout of coughs, my eyes following her every move until she shut the door.
Sophie turned to me and asked, “Hey, Nero? Is everything okay?”
I looked down at her and smiled. “Yeah. Everything is fine. Mom wants us to party, right? So let’s party, Sophie…”
++++
If there was one thing that I didn’t like about Mom, it was her stubbornness. She’d never let me spend a penny for anything around the house. Not even for something as small as groceries or internet and cable. The money that I did make went to help pay for my tuition, and even then I had to fight her about the idea of me taking a part time job. According to her, more time away from the garage meant more time I could study and better my grades, but she couldn’t understand that her stressing out with all of this was making me stress out, too.
Not to mention, Acadia was no walk in the park, either. I was surrounded by eggheads there. A simple guy like myself was in the bottom percentile. Most teachers there saw me as a joke because my grades were laughable compared to everyone else on campus. At school, I was just the class clown, the guy with the smart mouth, or the laid back dude who hung out with the geeky kids and traded ‘anime’ cards. They were so lame that they didn’t know what Magic was…
Not to say that I didn’t try. No one knew how much I tried more than myself, it was just that killing myself was something I couldn’t do—to myself, or to Mom.
Sophie got me in better moods when she cooked us that amazing five-star dinner once the power came back on. Even though Mom tried dodging the topic of our crippling debt situation at the table, I could tell that she didn’t have an answer for us about how she got the lights back on. But I didn’t push it on her. I didn’t want to unload the can of beans tonight and ruin the evening for everyone. She wanted to focus on me tonight, and I was going to let her.
For one night, I wanted her to stop worrying about our problems. My family always had it rough. Things just seemed to go from bad to worse. Other people would ask with a doctor in the family, how could folk like us have money woes? Well, Grandpa Benjo had like a gazillion kids, and those kids had kids. Mom was the middle child. You know, the sorry kid who gets forgotten in family transactions? And Mom was never the type to speak up about being left behind, either. She’d always been very independent. And honestly, for a while, it was enough to push us through year after year. But then dad left, and shit hit the fan. Since then, we’ve been living in the struggle.
Struggling seemed to be the theme of our lives, and honestly, I was sick of it. “I didn’t think things would get this tough…” I whispered to myself, checking the time on my Android again for the umpteenth time. It was nearing midnight now, and I was sitting in my room counting down the seconds. Sooner or later, I’ll feel this strange sensation in my chest…. My muscles will tense, and then my stomach will get filled with butterflies…. “A strange power will take control of me, and before I know it, I will have a gift….”
Yeah, just like that one guy in Lockstead…
He was about to turn 18 too when he got his powers. Five percent didn’t mean zero. And if there was hope for me to become a hunter, then I wasn’t going to give up!
Suddenly, I jumped, hearing a tap. My reaction might have been a bit over the top, seeing as it was a soft knocking on the door. But I had my hopes up that it was something else, like the sound of destiny knocking…
The power to concentrate sound waves? Corny, but shit, I’d take just about anything right now….
“Nero? I know you’re not asleep yet. Can I come in?” Sophie said, and I prompted her to enter.
“Yeah, sure.”
I’d planned on sitting in the dark alone, counting down midnight on my phone, but Sophie’s company sounded good, too.
She slowly crept in with a small muffin holding a single lit candle on a saucer, the light flickering off the candle illuminating that devious smile on her face.
I chuckled. “I know that sneaky look,” I sang, Sophie finding me on the rug with my back against the bed.
She joined me by my side and admitted, “I stole the last one from the kitchen before I left.”
“Muffin raspberry cheesecake…” I whispered as she handed it to me, along with the smallest spork I’d seen in my life.
“I know it’s your favorite dessert from Pochetti’s!”
“Aww, how thoughtful of you… thieving for your best friend. Melts my heart.”
She tossed a playful punch on my shoulder. “Oh, shut up!”
“I just hope you don’t expect the same from me. Mom would beat me silly with that old crusty sandal she keeps in her closet if she ever heard about me thieving.”
She giggled. I blew the candle and fixed myself to take a bite. “You’re lucky she’s not as strict with you as she is with me.”
“Well, you’re her son. I’m just an orphan.”
“Hey, you know I don’t like it when you degrade yourself like that. You’re part of the family.”
“I know, I know. But it’s different for you. You know that. Not to say that Nataly doesn’t care for me. I know she does. And I care for her, too. But her little nugget gets to be mama bear’s target for her extra rigorous disciplining!”
“Okay, now you’re just messing with me.”
She huddled her knees against her chest as she smiled at me. Sophie patiently waited for me to take that first bite of my muffin, and when I did, my soul melted like putty.
“Mmm, this tastes better than the last batch you stole.”
“Oh, jeez, thanks for making me sound like a certified crook!”
“Just a certified cook.” I snickered. “Although, on my defense, this was like the seventh one you snatched.”
“And the eighth one I’m gonna steal is going down this donut chute!” she argued playfully, pointing at her own lips.
“All right, all right, you don’t have to get nasty, Sophie! Here,” I offered, giving her my spork.
Her eyes grew, Sophie taking it hesitantly. “What? You never shared your muffin cake before.”
“I’m feeling generous today. Sue me.”
“Oh no, that’s not it,” she said, taking the tray with her. “Something’s on your mind. I can tell.”
“Heh, really? You know me that well?”
“Spill it.”
I snorted. “Nah, don’t worry about it.”
“Egh, you sound like Mom. Always with the don’t worry about it. Not exactly a flattering trait. If something is nudging you, you have to talk it out. You know I’m always here to listen, right?”
“Yeah, I just… don’t want to bother with it anymore.”
“Bother with what? Come on, tell me,” she insisted as she ate.
“I’m just… conflicted…” I admitted, rolling up the sleeves to my flannel shirt, “between what I want and what she wants.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah. For the longest time, I’ve wanted to be a hunter. She’s loved putting a bad spin on it, every chance she gets. At some point, I stopped mentioning it so often because I always knew it’d put her in a mood. But then she enrolled me in that preppy high school. Her saving up for me to go there was a surprise. Hell, if I’d known all of her hard earned money was going there, I would have stopped her a long time ago. She’s doing everything she can to set up this career path for me, but here’s the thing—it’s not for me. Being a doctor—shit, I can’t even see myself in a blinding white coat let alone in a cramped office spitting discharge orders to Nurse Cathy!”
She looked at me funny and asked, “Ughh, have you been watching my soaps again?”
“…Yes, but that’s beside the point!” I protested playfully. “That’s her dream, not mine. But how do you say that to someone who has spent nearly two decades bending over backwards for you so you could have a decent life?”
“Nero, Mom has always been like this. Why is it bothering you now?”
“Because,” I uttered, shooting up on my feet and pacing anxiously down my rug. “Because….”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Is it because you’re 18, and you think you aren’t getting a gift?”
“This was my year to make a difference for her… for all of us….”
“Not getting a gift isn’t your fault, Nero.”
“Then why the hell do I feel like I’m the only one to blame?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s not something you can control.”
“There’s 10% out there… and then there’s me.” I scoffed, and then I turned to her defeatedly. “When the hell are we going to catch a break? Ya know?”
“We ‘gotta face reality, stare it right in the eye sockets and realize that fate has different plans for us! Mom is right. Being gifted isn’t everything! There’s so much work behind it that you’re forgetting about. You have an image to upkeep, and a bunch of people watching you 24/7. Honestly there is no privacy in the career at all. Then there’s endless training, contracts, Hunter Games—”
“I thought you said you liked watching the games?”
“Pfft, yeah! Doesn’t mean I’d want to be part of it! What I’m saying is, I think you’re giving this whole being a hunter thing too much credit. You’re totally beating yourself up about it.”
“Mom’s health is declining… if I had the money, she could—”
“Don’t worry about the bills, she’s—”
“It’s more than that.” I held my breath. “She’s working with a loan shark, Sophie….”
She jumped on her feet. “What? How do you know?”
“I know my mom well enough to figure it out. She’s been acting different lately… secretive, always dipping in and out. She’s hiding shit, and she’d never done that with me before. We’ve always been transparent with each other. With the both of us. I just don’t like where this is heading at all. I’ve kept my mouth shut about it long enough, waiting for her to tell me….”
“Nero….”
I shook my head. “I don’t want her getting hurt is all. And if I had real cash, she wouldn’t have to get mixed up with the wrong kind of people.”
“We’re only speculating.”
“I have all the proof I need. I overheard a conversation. Her side only, but it was enough to come up with a pretty solid conviction. Shit, I just feel so stuck,” I said, letting a hard breath out as I raked my fingers through my hair. “Without a talent, nothing will ever change. We’d have to continue fighting the hard way. And I get it, life isn’t supposed to be easy. But I’m so sick and tired of pushing and pushing with no give. She won’t stop until she sees that silver lining, Sophie. Her free pass has always depended on my success. This pouring money into me, trying to mold me into a high-paying, outstanding citizen of Xion has always been her dream! And don’t even get me started on leaving this forsaken expensive dump! I need to stay in this Ivy League high school…. I need to enroll in an Ivy League college! It’s so much pressure, and I just….”
“Don’t want to disappoint her?” Sophie said behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Disappoint her or… disappoint myself…” I sighed.
She gave me a wholesome grin. “Well, you don’t have to worry about all of that! Because you will be passing all of your classes and that SAT with flying colors with my help!”
“But, we go to different schools. We don’t have the same classes, and—”
“So?! I can still be your study partner! Besides, your extra-curricular activities are impressive, especially for someone who works part time. You have also done some volunteer work, colleges look at all of that. It’s not only about academia, Nero. If we really sit down and focus on a mission here, it doesn’t have to be all that hard. You can get into any school you want!”
“Sophie—”
“Remember when you saved me, Nero?” she asked, her eyes softening on me. “When we were young? Remember what you said? That… you don’t need to be strong physically to win a fight. You just need to be smart, and patient, and honest with all the things you can and cannot do at the moment. So what if you can’t be a hunter? And so what if you don’t want to be a doctor? The world will keep spinning, and you’ll keep on living and surviving. Choose a career that you do want, one that you can do. Everything else will fall into place….”
My alarm went off with the clock on my phone hitting midnight.
“It’s official!” she tweeted excitedly. “You can finally move on and stop stressing yourself out! We’re the meta-less duo, and that’s what we are always gonna be! Which is perfect, because I would have been lonely without you.” She winked.
She got a chuckle out of me. “Hey, maybe you’re right.”
“I know I’m right!”
The art of forgetting… Sophie was onto something here….
“A new career…. Well, I’ve always been into fixing cars, basically learning how stuff works.”
“There you go!”
“I could be a mechanical engineer….”
“We’re talking electric generators, escalators and elevators!”
I chuckled. “Yeah, stuff like that.”
“I can totally see you in a hard hat!”
“I just can’t let those super powered assholes at school rub it all—” I stopped short, looking down at the tray in Sophie’s hand. My face sulked, trying hard not to give her a stone cold look. “Sophie….”
“Yeah?”
“You… you ate all of my cake….”
++++
image [https://i.imgur.com/huqml2h.jpeg]
Naomi
Age: 18
Meta: Telekinesis
Career: Pending...
----------------------------------------
Last night was rough, but I was feeling pretty damn good about myself this morning. I thought I’d have a tough time falling asleep, but I knocked out like a thumb-sucking baby. Having all of those sweets must have hit me big time, giving me the best seven hour snooze of my life. Once 7:30 am struck, I was out of bed, ready to head back to school one more time before the weekend.
When I woke up, I didn’t see Mom anywhere. Usually we’d all head out at the same time, where she’d obsess over how crooked the tie to my uniform was. But today, all I got was a little sticky note on the door saying that she went to work early to pick up some overtime. I scratched my chin, unable to think of the last time her job offered overtime in the morning. But I didn’t dwell on it too much longer than I had to.
“Stop dragging your feet, Nero! We’ll miss the bus!” Sophie said behind me, stuffing a piece of toast in my mouth before she dashed out the door in a hurry.
After I watched her get off at her stop, she stood along the curb and waved me goodbye. I saluted her from inside the bus, before she took her fist and slammed it inside her hand with a mischievous look on her face. At a quick glance, the gesture looked like a dirty joke, but what she was really referring to was the time I’d slipped on pound cake, when I had taken my last step off of the bus on a fluffy golden loaf straight to hell. My back was gone for over a week, but honestly, I blamed that hostile old lady for shoulder bumping me as she got inside the bus holding her dessert.
The sharp-tongued, impatient scrooge was more worried that I’d flattened her winning entry for the county fair baking competition as I lay on the sidewalk in pain.
I rolled my eyes at Sophie as the bus drove off, and then I tried to distract myself with everything and anything from Hunter Corp. Which honestly, was the hardest thing to do, considering being a hunter was all you’d see in the streets. Ads were up on billboards, on benches, on storefront posters, even on the back of the seat I was sitting behind. I picked up the magazine and shuffled through, landing on a page where Molly was posing with last year’s top hunter, Ramus.
I scoffed. “That egotistical maniac. He had to go ruin it for himself by being a junkie.”
Once I reached campus, my eyes glossed over the usual scene. Acadia High was a cesspool for segregation, talent sticking with other talent on one side, and regulars wishing they were talent on the other. Using powers on school grounds was forbidden, but something small like a light show usually slipped under their radar. By now, the gifted knew how to dodge enforcers of the code, but every now and again, a showboat would get expelled for not following the rules. Which was perfect, because the rules got rid of everyone’s brolic bully, Bruce Seynaro.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get rid of his loyalists, too.
As soon as I flung the double doors of General Hall open, a bunch of push-over metas known as Brucers cocked a sneer at me. Their pissy faces instantly brought a smile on mine as I remembered our last encounter a few days ago, when they’d tried to jump me for getting their big boy expelled last week. Bruce was all brawn and no brain, his metal sheath skill getting to his head. I’d caught him passing questionables around campus, vials he swore would give us regs powers. But Compound 7 was illegal in New York, as well as the rest of the United States, and he knew if he got caught that he’d be out of the running for a hunter career when drafting season came. So when I saw him and Ashton exchanging big cash and big product behind the bleachers, I made a nasty comment that had him swinggin’.
Bruce was strong, but with all of that muscle and metal, he was slow. I barely had to lift a finger in our fight, letting his rage do all of the work. Each punch he threw was telegraphed and easy to sidestep; his kicks couldn’t land either as I danced around him, light on my feet. His supporters, the Brucers, didn’t dare step in to help him. That’d ruin his rep and make him look pathetic. There’s no reason talent needed help fighting a reg.
There was nothing they could do but pull up a chair and watch the show, their smirks slowly turning into grimaces as I made a joke out of their leader. In exploding frustration, Bruce had finally resorted to his metal sheath extender skill. An impressive feat to say the least, but a glaring weakness to those who knew a way around it. The layer of steel around his body made him almost invincible… if he could manage to hit anything. The thick armor weighed him down, sapping his energy and making him even easier to dodge.
It was only a matter of time before a crowd formed and the principal caught on to all of the noise outside. The mess Brucester made rallied a bunch of campus enforcers, who then hauled him away.
His doormats kept their eyes on me as I made my way to my locker, their faces only splitting my grin wider. Connie, the tall blond guy out of the pack, flicked me off, and I saluted him with a middle finger bouncing off of my forehead.
“You’re a magnet for trouble, you know that?” I heard someone behind me say, and when I veered my head, I noticed my best bud Chen giving me a cheeky smirk.
I snickered. “Isn’t that why you hang out with me?”
“Oh yeah, because I absolutely love being called to PD’s office every other day to vouch for your sorry ass,” he said, rolling his eyes with a playful grin on his face. We’d been through this routine countless times before, and though he complained, I knew Chen secretly enjoyed the thrill of our escapades.
But lately, Bruce’s crew had been on my case more than usual. Chen was afraid that one day the bunch of wannabe campus thugs would risk it all and come at my neck. Despite his seemingly unbothered demeanor, I knew that he had been analyzing the situation just as carefully as I had been. All his jokes and banter aside, Chen was perceptive, always watching and always calculating. He’d been my friend for years, and just like Sophie, he’d throw hands against a meta for me if he had to.
We walked side by side along the rows of lockers, ignoring the whispers that followed us like a stray puppy. Connie pulled away from the group and started to slowly follow us, some Bruce-wannabe jackass who sported a shaggy mop of hair and a scowl that would have made the big Brucester proud. Which was funny, because he was stronger than his boss by a bit. He was one of the more powerful meta-humans on campus, with an electricity thing going on which he’d used to scare off freshmen. It didn’t bother me one bit though. Guys like him got his ego stroked all the time. I’d be damned if I were a typical femboy bending over backwards for this guy, like the group of regulars who’d just intercepted him from stalking us.
Nice save.
“You look paranoid, Chen,” I said, looking over my shoulder at him as he turned to me sheepishly. “Stop worrying. He isn’t going to get expelled and hurt his chances of being enlisted.”
“You say that, but Bruce had no problem trying to squash your ass last week.”
“That’s because he’s dense, and registration wasn’t open last week.”
“But they are open now. Now until Saturday morning.”
“Not even a full 24 hours… such a tight window.”
“Hey, I know you’re crapping out about not getting an ability, but I hope you were still able to enjoy your birthday.” He smiled. “Did you get anything awesome?”
“Nah. Told the familia that I didn’t want anything this year. Money is tight enough as it is.”
“Really? Sophie didn’t give you anything?” He cheesed, then nudged my arm with his elbow mischievously. “Egh? Egh? Maybe some dessert after a filling dinner?”
I snickered. “Well… she did get me some dessert from her restaurant… damn, it was good….”
“Come on, man! Don’t hold out on me!”
“We’re just friends, Chen. She’s like a sister to me.”
Chen mocked a barf and shook his head like he was getting chills. “Dude, you got to stop saying that.”
“Just because we are childhood amigos living together doesn’t mean—”
“Man, maybe you do have a fucking super power. It’s called Oblivioso!” He grunted and I laughed. “Don’t make me kick you in the ass for letting this one go.”
“You’re relentless.”
“I’m serious! Sophie is a babe! She’s super sweet, super funny, and she can kill it in the kitchen! I’m talking about loyal wifey material, man! You better not take her for granted!”
“Sophie is great, don’t get me wrong, but we don’t vibe like that. Besides, I like how things are between us. Why ruin it by making things weird?”
He dropped his shoulders and looked at me starkly. “Dude….”
“Wanna grab some protein smoothies in the caf before class? I didn’t have much for breakf—” I stopped, being thumped in the shoulder by the long ivory-haired girl brushing past me.
I held myself up by my heel and then turned around to watch her and her long sashaying ponytail go, Naomi unfazed from nearly pushing me over. I swore that was intentional, because she would do this type of shit at least once a week and not say a damn thing about it.
“Out of your league,” Chen said before I could get a word out.
I snapped my head at him with my mouth hanging off the floor, shocked. “What?”
“I see the way you look at Naomi. She’s out of your league, bro. So don’t even bother.”
I tittered nervously. “What? No. I’m not even looking her way.”
“You got a type, an alt girl. A hybrid between punk and goth. And she’s gotta be quiet and smart–hard to get, too. But she’s not for you, brother.”
“She’s cute, but the thought honestly never crossed my mind.”
“Good. Because she will grind your heart and have it for dinner. There’s something about her that feels off. She’s just... weird. And a real pissy bitch, too….”
I laughed. “You’re still mad about the time she hooked you?”
“She nearly knocked a molar right outta’ my mouth!”
“That’s because you were poking under her skirt like a perv!”
“I WASN’T—” Chen cut himself short and reeled his loud voice in, then grabbed my arm toward him as he walked us to a quiet section in the hallway. “For the last time, I wasn’t peeking under her skirt!” he whispered through his teeth. “I dropped my text book and went down to pick it up!”
“And her ass happened to be there. Yeah, I know, I know. Heard the story about a thousand times.”
“And you still don’t believe me!”
“Just admit you don’t have a grip on your urges, buddy. Bet you’ll never do it again!” I teased.
“Hey, look over there,” Chen said, pointing at the electronic bulletin at the end of the hallway. “The school already has a list of top talent. Their favorite picks to become hunters.”
“Damn, that was quick.” I followed Chen to the crowd gathered around the interactive bulletin smart screen at least twice my height. There was a long list of names and stat sheets, where only 30% of the school’s meta population were listed.
My eyes fell on a few, one of them catching my immediate attention:
Career Level: --
Name: Marcus Cross
Hunter Attributes:
Gender: M
HG-Vitality: --
Age: 18
Endurance: 5
Rank: --
Strength: 6
Fame: 0%
Agility: 3
Infamy: 0%
Dexterity: 5
HG-HP: 0
Stamina: 50/50
Specialty: Blitz Barrage
Squadron:--
Sponsor Count:--
Mentor:--
Assignment Location:--
Fame Points:--
(FPs Accumulated):--
Items:--
HG-Respawn Token: 0
Currency:--
“His attributes aren’t insanely high,” I said to myself. “Pretty average in my opinion. Which could be a good thing…”
“Sign up list is on the bottom, over here,” Chen said, pressing the next arrow to a different list that was several screen-pages long. “Heh, most of these students aren’t even gifted!”
“Let me see.” I glossed over it, realizing just about every name on the school was on this list. “What, this list is a joke. Who is going to sit down and waste time filtering through this?”
“At least we get to see the potential team-ups. Three talents per hunter team. A perfect way to make enemies out of friends!”
I snorted. “With only three spots to fill, yeah, it’s tough.”
“Sorry man,” Chen said. “I know how badly you wanted your name up there.”
“Nah, I’m good. Really. It’s history now. I’m going to take the advice of a very sharp cookie and keep to things I can do, not things that I can’t.”
“Well then, that’s the spirit! Now, if we want to get to block A on time, then I suggest we swing by the cafeteria now. Let’s go.”
++++
Seeing that list had the blood in my veins on fire to be a hunter again. Right after I got over it, I had to be reminded of the adventure of it all. I couldn’t keep my foot still, my jitters going through the roof. Classes seemed longer, and the time slower. I was itching to be as far away from that bulletin board as possible.
Seeing those stat sheets made me remember that being qualified to become a hunter wasn’t all about high attributes. It was about character, charisma, and likability. The more likable you were, the more sponsors you could get, and the more money and recognition they’d get. After shooing the school bully off of campus grounds, I scored a few popular points among my peers, which would have bumped me big time if I had some spark…
“Cut it out, would ya?” I hissed to myself as I closed my locker shut. “Big dream, big fall. It doesn’t mean the end of the world, though.”
“See you next week, my guy!” Chen waved at me as he headed off, taking his bike home while I waited for a few minutes more for the bus.
After school, I went to work at Greeley’s Auto Shop, finding Mr. Greeley himself underneath a suspended F150. I gave him a shout, and he greeted me back, keeping his eyes locked on the engine block. I moved around the labyrinth of car parts scattered about, and then I hung my backpack on the rusty hook along the door before heading to the bathroom to change out of my school uniform. Once I was in my dingy, oil-stained overalls, I rolled up my sleeves, ready for work.
“Got anything special today, Mr. Greeley?” I looked over at him, wiping my hands on a rag.
“Nah, just the usual kid,” he replied without looking up from his work. “Got a few oil changes and tire rotations waiting for ya.” His voice rumbled under the clatter of tools against metal, his thick Brooklyn accent heavy like a tailpipe belching smoke. “And don’t forget about that transmission job on the ‘67 Impala. Old beaut needs some tender lovin’ care.”
“Aye, Mr. Greeley,” I agreed, heading over to my workstation. I walked toward the back lot where a row of cars were waiting like patients in an overcrowded clinic. The sun was starting to dip low, sending long shadows sprawling over the yard and painting everything in hues of orange and pink. The scent of fresh rubber, metallic oil, and decades of hard work and sweat filled the air. Picking up my tools, I was ready to plunge into the mechanical nuances of the evening.
After working eight hours at the shop, it was finally time to go home. I was starving, and I couldn’t wait to eat Sophie’s leftovers from my birthday last night. I took the bus and had a few blocks left to walk before I reached my apartment. But I was starving, so I took a shortcut through Monument Park.
I could feel the full moon over my shoulders shining down my path, but the grass was still dark as shit. Chills started to creep up my back, the air so quiet that I could hear my own rushing heartbeat. Areas with tall trees and hidden clearings were perfect hunting grounds for walkers. Even though my stomach was begging me to get home faster, I’d rather take the longer route than risk crossing paths with those monsters.
“I can’t do it,” I whispered, feeling my legs shake before they made a complete stop.
I’ll turn back now. No shame in pussying out….
I don’t have anything to prove, I said to myself, and then a chime startled me, my phone buzzing from a text.
Sophie messaged me; she sounded worried. My signal was finally back up, so I told her that I was fine. I texted her that my boss had an emergency and I had to stay a little late, but I was on my way home now.
I turned back, ready to take the smart route home, before a scream forced me to turn my head toward the park, the echo of a desperate woman making me freeze.
At first, I tried telling myself that it was the paranoia messing with my head and making me hear things, but then I heard the scream again, “Someone, help me!”
I tightened my fist and grounded my feet. Her echo was coming from deep within the forest lines of the park. For a second, I was frozen stiff, the sound of my heart knocking against my chest holding me down. Her next scream knocked me back to reality, where I fumbled with my phone to dial the Hunter Hotline Number.
“Come on, come on, come on!” I grunted to myself, realizing my signal went out again. “Damn it!”
Help wasn’t coming. It was just her, the threat, and the sweat around my collar trickling down my back.
I’d never be able to live with myself if I let my doubts keep me from helping someone. This was what hunters did on a regular basis, so I should at least see what was going on….
With a deep breath, I ran toward the grove, ignoring every muscle in my body telling me I shouldn’t. The best case scenario was bumping into a street thug. I had a pocket knife that I could use if anything. The worst case scenario was finding a god damn shadow walker, and with the streets so dead, I doubted there was a hunter around. If there were, they’d have been here by now. So I planned on taking her and running to the nearest safehouse, an abandoned church I knew was a few blocks away from here.
“Please! Someone!” the voice echoed again. I ran faster, rushing deeper into the park. With every step, my heart raced as the sound of growling confirmed what I was afraid of.
That grunt sounded deep… I wonder how big it is….
Those heavy clouds in the sky blocked the moon, leaving everything around me in shades of black. That didn’t help me one bit as I tried to assess my surroundings. Figures formed out of shadows, making me doubt every step I took. I followed her voice the best I could as I slowed down and moved cautiously. When I pushed aside a thick curtain of knobbled branches, I finally found myself in a small clearing. And in the center was a young woman huddled on the ground, with a five meter behemoth hovering over her.
I held my breath. She was cornered and helpless, the menace drooling over her ready for his meal. I whipped out my pocket knife as I watched the bones along his dark leathery spine extend, a reaction from the asshole getting excited after the chase. He looked like a cross between a werewolf and a giant rabid bat, with claws six feet long and narrow ears that could hear everything from a mile away—including me.
When his furry ear flicked and his snout poked up the air, I knew he’d caught my scent. He turned around and gave me a looming look, those fangs in his mouth stretching wide.
“Ahh, another entrée,” he taunted in a deep raspy growl with a twisted smile plastered on his ugly face. “I love food that delivers itself!”
I braced myself as his red beady eyes flickered satisfyingly, his long whipping tongue lapping over his lips. He looked like a category C threat, but I couldn’t be sure until he started attacking.
Not that it mattered anyway. I wasn’t a hunter, so I didn’t have much in my arsenal to compete with him.
Even so, I squared my eyes on him and scoffed. “Honestly, I’d be a terrible meal!” I jested. “All skin and bones, really. How about you turn back around and try your luck elsewhere? Let’s say, hell?”
“Been there, done that,” he hissed, the brute turning his body to me fully. “Why go anywhere when I’m having so much fun in this petri dish of a city?”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, pal, but this city is about done with your kind. You’re all but a bunch of misfits causing chaos,” I retorted, my grip on the knife tightening.
The sick piece of shit let out a horrifying laugh and sighed. “Is that so?” he rumbled. “Well, I’ve got news for you, human... you runts are our playthings. And we’re not finished having fun in the playground!”
I sucked in a deep breath and firmed up my posture. Knowing what I was up against now, I should have tried my luck and ran off. Any sane man would. But I couldn’t run, no matter how much my body begged. There was something about these freaks that really got under my skin, and even though I didn’t have a gift, I wasn’t going to let them terrorize my city.
“Judging by that puny knife of yours, I’d say you aren’t a meta-human. So what are you? A punk kid with a death wish?”
I smirked. “Honestly, all of you blood-sucking pricks are so fucking full of yourselves! Believing that the world is yours to eat up. Well, you keep on with that narrow-minded and ignorant thinking. And you keep making your nests and swarming into territories. The day will come where you’ll all be snuffed out! It’s not a matter of if, only a matter of when. And I promise you, that day is right around the corner.”
“Oh, really?” he sneered, his claws stretching out as he crept closer to me. “And who’s going to get rid of us? You?”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my bravado intact. “You go on and keep thinking that Hunter Corp is a joke. Dumb monsters are dead monsters. Your ego is going to be your downfall.”
His malicious laughter echoed through the clearing before he snarled. “I doubt it. I’ve eaten my way through a handful of them already. They are simply mouthwatering when they wail and scream, and when they cry for their mommies, it’s just icing on the cake! The taste of fear on my tongue is something I can never get tired of, and I can smell it all over you.” He whiffed, getting down on his fours. “You’re truly pathetic to think you can hurt me. But it will amuse me to see you try!”
Just like that, the asshole lunged at me with a guttural roar. My breath hitched at his bulking muscles and his quick speed. I wasn’t ready for the quick movement on this guy as I lifted my pocket knife defensively, not letting my eyes leave him for a second. The first thought that crossed my mind was how my knife was more of an annoyance than an actual weapon against this monster, but it was all I had. Since I was limited, I took the second I had to think of a plan to give myself an edge. The pouch along the side of my backpack had about a half bottle of motor oil in it that I was planning to give to one of our unit neighbors. Without wasting time, I reached for it and popped the cap open, then gave the beast a grease wash as soon as he crossed me.
I splashed his face before I leaped back. My side-step carried me behind a tree, the same tree he recklessly crashed into. I had aimed for his eyes, temporarily blinding him while I ran to the girl. She had a hard time getting up, so I helped her, realizing she had a twisted ankle.
“I think I can make it,” she whispered, her voice trying to hide the pain shooting up her leg. Her watery eyes turned to me, where I could see the genuine appreciation for me coming here to help her. “Thank you.”
I smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. Mr. Steroids over there isn’t dead.”
Her eyes grew. “I hope you don’t plan on fighting him alone? You have no gift.”
“No, I’m not. I’m going to buy you time so you can run on out of here.”
“What?!”
“Run, as fast as you can, all right? You know the abandoned church up Elric Place? Go there. You’ll be safe.”
“But what about—”
“No time, he’s getting back up. Just go, now!” I ordered her, the woman not wasting any more time. She hobbled down the forest and left me behind, my eyes turning over my shoulder to the brute getting his bearings.
“You insolent whelp!” he bellowed, “You’ll pay for that dirty trick!”
I had to calculate my options quickly. I knew carrying her to safety was out of the question. I couldn’t cap my speed with her broken ankle, however, I could buy her time to escape, and that’s exactly the route I took as I turned around to face this monster a second time.
He paced his way back to me, his heightened sense of smell helping him locate where I was. Knowing that, I circled him, watching as he continued to scratch the oil from his beady red eyes.
“Oh, I’m going to take my time ripping you apart! I’ll crush every bone in your body, you hear me, boy?!” He lunged again, using his massive claws to try and swat me away like a fly. I dove to my right, narrowly avoiding the swipe. The ground shook under his weight as he came crashing down where I had stood just seconds earlier. My head kept focused, on my own movements, and even more on his. I wasn’t a seasoned fighter, but I did pay attention to those talent electives at school, where only promising gifted students were allowed to enroll in combat courses. From the full-glass walls of Master Jen’s classroom I watched, dissecting every turn and every swing. Adrenaline ran through me as I implemented what I’d learned, doing more dodging than actually getting my hands dirty.
It was how I was able to outsmart Bruce.
I ducked and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another swipe that would have sent me spiraling. When the beast noticed he wasn’t landing any hits, he broke his stride and grinned with a squint. “Quick on your feet, I like that. This will not be as boring as I thought. But if there’s one thing you should know about shadow-UGH!” he yelped, feeling my pocket knife plunge deep inside his foot. He roared in pain, my move risky as fuck. I’d only gotten close after I was sure the woman had run away far enough. Now, it was my turn to get the hell out of here.
I turned around and hauled ass out of the ring. Fight smart, not stupid. I knew from the very beginning that I was no match for this guy, so as soon as I found an exit, I took it. But my moxie move angered the beast, his roar giving me goosebumps as I ran away.
“That’s it! I’m done playing with food! If you won’t stand still, I will make you!” Without another word, his entire body began to glow a bright beaming white. His power sent a tremoring pulse wave along the ground that instantly made me stop dead in my tracks when it reached me. I staggered back, trying to keep myself from falling. With one look between my feet, I started to freak out, realizing they wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I tried to wedge them up.
“What the hell?!” I muttered to myself, my heart pounding against my chest. My entire bottom half was numb, allowing the beast to inch up to me.
I didn’t have to turn around to feel how terrifyingly close he was. As a matter of fact, I was too afraid to, knowing shit only went south from here. I could feel his rancid breath roll over my nape as he sized me down. My eyes went wide as I tried to wrack my brain over my crisis right now, but shit… I was fucking out of options…
Everything went blurry and it felt as though my mind was being dragged through sludge. I had to think, to act, but my traitor body refused to cooperate. I could smell the beast now as he drew closer, the stench of sulfur and hot iron filled my nostrils, making me choke.
“Luck can only get you so far,” he sneered as he circled me. “That move takes a lot out of me, and I haven’t eaten. So you could imagine the insatiable amount of hunger I’m enduring right now!” He cackled. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t saved that girl. Risking your life for a complete stranger. My, you really are as dumb as they come!”
I tossed a punch against his snout when his face inched close, the walker unfazed. I didn’t leave a scratch on his long muzzle, my face wincing as the blinding light over his body suddenly faded away. “Like I said, taxing skill. But it does come with some perks.” Just like that, he jerked his huge arm into my chest, my throat clenching up as he yanked out my heart.
It happened so fast that my body felt like it lagged a reaction. Signals fired through my head, and I couldn’t make any sense of them. I felt dizzy and weak as a wave of shock heated my blood. When he reeled his arm back, he wagged my heart in front of me, taunting me. My vision blurred as the world around me started to spin uncontrollably, the feeling of death not too far behind. I vaguely heard him laugh; a deranged, satisfied snicker before he slurped my heart whole down his meat chute. “Truly delectable…”
My body dropped hard on the ground, whatever spellwork he had locking my legs gone. After collapsing with my chest open for the stars to see, I tried to move my lips, nothing but gurgling noises coming out.
Was this really how I was going to go? Was this my defining moment?
Reg faces off walker, thinking he’s meta. Secures his death bed by being a wannabe hunter.
I could see the headlines now, and I hated that the first thing that crossed my mind was regretting how weak I was….
The feeling that chased my regrets was the idea of leaving mom so vulnerable, and that shit was ten times worse.
A tear slid down my cheek at the thought, my shaking hand instinctively clutching at the gaping hole in my chest. The wound felt so viscous and raw as if he had carved out a piece of my very soul. The world was quickly becoming a fevered dream. Sounds were muffled as though submerged underwater, colors blending into an indistinguishable mess of swirling darkness. My eyes felt heavy like they were sinking through the back of my head with the edges of my vision fringed with black. Every shallow breath I drew was a struggle, until I told myself to stop fighting the inevitable.
The beast loomed over me, ready to finish the job. Eat me down to the bone, right? The least you could do is knock me out first. His thin, long fingers sprawled over my face, the cold touch suddenly sharpening my senses and jolting me from the edge of unconsciousness. His red eyes glared down, those beady orbs reflecting my defeated gaze back at me. I could see my life ebbing away in his eyes, and feel my essence being sucked down some fucking abyss. Without a thread of fight left in me, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head.
A shred of peace was all I asked for before I died….
“Hmm?” the beast grunted, lifting his head up like he heard something behind him. And then just as something caught his attention, his head exploded….
I was showered with monster blood, both inside and out. I didn’t have any brain cells left to try to work out an explanation to what the hell had just happened. All I knew was that one moment the behemoth was about to eat me, and then the next, his head was gone. His body dropped to the side of me with a loud thump, confirming that this wasn’t some last moment illusion I was going through.
Weirder than that, I had a visitor approach my impending grave….
I couldn’t make out the features at all, my vision leaving me. The only thing I could compare it to was pulsing static blur of a black and white movie on one of those ancient tube televisions. The newcomer knelt beside me with their form indistinct, but I was conscious enough to realize that it was a girl. Her hand reached out, hovering hesitantly over the bloody wound on my chest. Even though I couldn’t see clearly, I could feel a warmth radiating from her palm.
“Who…?” I wanted to croak out, but my voice was gone. The effort was too much, the world threatening to fold in on me again.
She cradled me on her lap, where I then felt her soft fingers brush along my dark bangs. Her silhouette against the moonlight was beginning to look familiar, as I realized that I may actually know who this mystery chick was….
Suddenly, a strong pull clenched my chest, the pain so unbearable that it made being punched in the chest feel like a paper cut. It was nothing I’d ever experienced before in my life! I tensed, feeling my body jump up and freeze up like I was being shocked by live wires. I could feel myself struggling to breathe, my desperate gasps filling the silence around us. She didn’t hesitate, nor did she stop whatever the hell she was doing to me! My body couldn’t take it, this weird, overbearing energy taking me to hell and back. Unable to tolerate it anymore, I sunk into the void of black, finally letting death collect its due.