Wheels spinning on the ground, scraping the road’s granite, increasing in volume. The three of us stared ahead and witnessed a large shape, the sun obscuring his face, on a last generation motorcycle, smokeballs coming out of the engine. He drifted as he got near us and stopped the bike just a few inches away from my face.
It was like a slow-motion scene out of a movie. He seemed to have calculated the exact moment when he should have turned his bike to end there - a demonstration of his perfectionism. He didn’t wear any protection other than a pair of red gloves that he removed as soon as he jumped off the motorcycle. He used his hands to straighten his shoulder-length gray hair before he even looked at us.
He cleared his throat, "Interesting" he said, looking at what was left of the monster, "I'll talk to you in a minute."
We didn't answer him. The surprise of having a Hunter level S in front of us, prevented us from speaking, almost as if we had four balls stuck in our throats. His clothes emanated a sparkling glow - from the black cloak with a pocket on each side to the gray pants of a lightweight fabric. He knelt, his gray hair spindly without moving a millimeter and peered into the monster using a small flashlight. He shook his head, muttering to himself, lost in his own thoughts. The cops were removing the police barrier and the captain walked to us.
"You didn't tell me you were friends with someone so strong. Rank S? I've never seen one before. Let me tell you, I even thought they were a myth."
"He's not our friend." Maggie told him, wiping her hat, "I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"Difficult. Nobody knows who they are," I said with a warmed heart, never before being in the presence of an S rank.
I had already met some A's as teachers and speakers, but there were only 5-6 of such high level on this continent. They weren't in commercials, TV, magazines, nothing. They took shelter in the shadows, where the night embraced them and there they thrived.
"The three of you defeated him, right? Without help?" He asked as he picked up the pieces of the camera, "You have to come with me." And he got up.
Strong rays of sunlight fell on his mantle - traces of blood appeared in the corners of the fabric, until he realized and slipped his foot on the floor until he was sidelined, his curved nose accentuated by the shadow on the floor.
"Yes, we did," I answered him by taking a step forward, "Without help."
"I'm surprised. You know, this monster is not a normal level 2 monster. I don't like to repeat myself, but I will. You must come with me, whether you like it or not." He said it and put his hand on the handle of his sword.
"We're going, we don't want any trouble," Maggie answered immediately.
Kendra spat on the floor and walked to the car. The Hunter, who soon after introduced himself as Ashen, mounted his motorbike and waited until we got into the car to hit the road. Behind us, the policemen waved, the red and blue lights of their cars reflecting on the back of mine.
He entered Okinawa, following the main road until there was a sign indicating that we were about to leave the city limits. The city was very different from Laverne, the city where the Hunters' building was located. There were no tall buildings or blue and red lights pointing at the floor or advertisements being heard in the surrounding blocks. A humble city; rows of second-hand clothing stores, separated by a few cozy cafes, where the scent of snacks came out and was transported throughout the sidewalk. Only the scraps reached the road, a soft sweet taste at the end of its ephemeral breath. People smiled and said hello to those who passed by, also waving to the acquaintances on the other side of the street.
Ashen accelerated until we got off the main road, following a secondary alley, the gravel-filled ground, which led us to an empty camp. Dust rose up and clung to the windows, blocking our view and getting our tires dirty. Ashen signaled with his left hand to stop there, in the middle of nowhere, and so we did. As soon as we got out of the car, the sand stained our clothes. The gusts of wind rocked the trees and the bushes that gave color to that place.
Little boulders were scattered across the sandy terrain. Soft windy breezes sailed through the trunks, whistling as they left. The edges of Ashen's cloak were covered with a brown layer, and as I looked down, I noticed that my pants were as well. The dust was spreading and clinging to our clothes. Sometimes a few grains would get stuck in my eye and tears would burst through the corners, descending my cheeks.
"The rest of the way has to be done on foot. It won't take long." Ashen said, fixing his cloak, some of the dust dancing through the air, blurring our vision.
We followed a man-made dirt road, as we could see from the sidelines, flanked only by a few bushes with nearly no leaves. The smell of wet grass became more intense even though it hadn't rained. I had verified the weather in all the surrounding areas fearing that I would end up soaked on my first day. My mother would tell me it was a bad sign, my father would tell me that the rain strengthens the weak. It was around 3:00 p.m. and the sun was glistening high up, illuminating all the way before us, warming our clothes until we had sweat pooling in our skin.
"I don't like this at all. Can we really trust him?" Maggie asked, looking at me, her sweet green eyes blinking.
"I'm not sure, but we don't have a choice either. What happened during the fight? You looked scared... Didn't you train for that?" I asked her, while Kendra picked up her short hair and put it in a ponytail.
"I... Ah... I've never been to an academy." She said, quietly enough so that Ashen, who was a few steps ahead of us, wouldn't hear her.
"You what? What do you mean? It's mandatory for all Hunters to spend three years training." I answered her, a bit overwhelmed by what she had said.
"Not when you have a father who owns one of the largest arms manufacturing companies and has connections within the government. Actually, I think he just wants me as Hunter so I can be his guinea pig and experiment new features on the field. See this glove?" She said, pointing to the red glove on her right hand, with dozens of blue filaments, "They're not even on the market yet."
"A rich girl..." Kendra murmured, the words coming out muffled without her dislodging her lips.
"It's not like I had a choice..."
"Didn't you have any training?" I asked her, doubting what I had found out.
"I did, of course. Private training with someone who was Rank A before retiring. However, when we were face to face with the monster, it seemed as if I had unlearned everything I knew. I'm sorry." She said and leaned against my chest, her cheek rubbing against me.
I stroked the back of her head and told her she didn't need to worry. Kendra bit her lower lip and walked away from us. Sometimes she'd look back, and seeing us still clinging, she'd roll her eyes.
The road narrowed as we got closer to a black smoke that sprang from behind one of the hills.
"We're almost there. Let me do the talking." Ashen said, never looking back.
We reached the end of the road and there was nothing, but a verdant wall covered in gray rocks, several of them sharp. Ashen whistled until a shadow popped up above us with a wooden ladder. The sun struck him on the face, darkening him, his huge shade providing us a shadow as we went up. I helped Maggie climb by placing my hands on her curved hips and pulling her up, where Ashen held her by her arms. Kendra then went up on her own and I could swear that she was swinging her ass as she did, as if having me focused on her made her feel good.
"You're the only one missing, James," Ashen said, even though I had never told him my name.
"Ah. How do you know my name?" I asked him, grasping at the wood, taking care not to scrape my hands on any loose splinters.
"You'll understand everything." He said, a fat, shrill laugh behind his back, drowning out his words.
I climbed the ladder. Ahead of us was a two-story wooden house, smoke coming out of the chimney, and next to it a small lake of crystal-clear water, glowing due to the sun's reflection. The contrast between where we had come from, dusty and impoverished, to that space, isolated from the world, where the brown roof, harnessing the sunlight, matched the floor that was the base of the house as well as the five steps of the staircase that gave access to the door. A few birds were chirping, hidden among the trees of the orchard a few meters away from the house, the trunks still damp, as well as the artificial turf underneath.
"Rank E? What are you doing, Ashen?" The big-bellied man, with no shirt, asked him, scratching his right sideburn. He had to have 50, or even 60 years.
"They destroyed one of the new beasts. I've got an idea. We better get inside." He said, smiling at the man and starting to walk to the door.
We followed them until we entered the house. The main room consisted of mahogany walls, a dusty piano, different cushioned benches and picture-filled walls with photos of iconic missions. From there, access to the kitchen, the main hall and a spiral-shaped staircase in the corner farther from the light was available. Ashen slipped his finger over the piano and nodded his head in disagreement, twisting his fine lips as well.
"Don't judge me, Ashen. Do you know how boring it is to be here? How long has it been since I've had visitors? We can't all be visiting the continent, killing monsters and eating in good restaurants, you know? Either I'm dipping my feet in the lake or I'm upstairs being an observer." The man replied, ending with a long sigh, which quickly became a burp, "I'm sorry. I just ate a while ago. So why did you bring them here?"
"Are we safe here or do we need to go upstairs?" Ashen asked, looking around. Most of the lighting came from the kitchen, where the windows were open, and faced towards the sun.
"The whole house is blocked. They can’t track us. You don't have to worry." The man said, "But we should go upstairs. Better safe than sorry."
While we were going up, the man asked us for a few seconds before heading for the kitchen. Sweat ran down his hairy chest, some of the drops getting stuck between his hairs. Even Maggie and Kendra had small lines of sweat running from their necks to the crack between their tits.
Upstairs, everything was different. The classic walls and the rural layout were replaced by iron walls, a grey floor and instead of a piano there were dozens of monitors, all with footage from different parts of the continent, plus a map with a flickering red light all over it. The man, whose name we still didn't know, appeared shortly afterward, already wearing a red T-shirt that still left his navel out and a plate of cookies with chocolate chips in his left hand, in addition to having some of the remains of those he had already eaten on his lips. Maggie leaned against me again, now more tightly, her fingers pressing against my ribs. Kendra had her ass and soles on the wall, her back curved and her head millimeters away from the wall.
The man sat on the only chair in the room, the sides of his belly sticking out. He pulled out a keyboard from under the desk and pressed a few buttons with his dirty fingers. A recording of my group defeating the monster showed up right up to the part where Kendra stepped on the camera.
"You shouldn't have done this. Ashen, did you pick up what's left? Maybe I can salvage something." The man asked and stretched his hand until Ashen dumped the scraps he had put in his pocket, "All right, explain to them what we do here while I take care of this."
He laid down the filaments and small parts on the table, spread them out and started trying to put them together, using some of the machines he had in a box hidden in the far ends under his desk.
"Well, where do I start... You've certainly heard of the Reapers, right?" Ashen asked, leaning against the wall.
"Yes, of course. They're the group behind the beasts. A couple of scientists and renegade Hunters." I answered him. All the teachers talked about them in the academy and how dishonor would drop on us if we followed that path.
"We don't know how but they've had access to new technology. We're trying to figure out if they developed it themselves or if someone else supplied them. What we do know is that there is an increasing amount of beast reports and, barely two weeks ago, we discovered that the latest models not only contain cameras that record everything even after the monsters have been destroyed, they are also becoming stronger and smarter as well. What you defeated was probably a level 4, not a 2. We also don't know how they dodged the level processing." Ashen answered, sometimes pausing to see if we were paying attention.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Apparently you don't know very much," Kendra said.
Ashen laughed before continuing, "You're right, we don’t. I was at one of our other secret bases when I received a signal, similar to these red ones but black, and ran to that place. You gave me an idea, I don't know how the hell no one had thought of this before, but we need you. People from lower ranks who can defeat weaker monsters. It would be suspicious if a rank S was fighting a supposedly level 2 monster, you know?"
"Are you saying you want our help because we're weak?" Maggie asked him, her light eyes popping out in the darkness of the room that only had a small, flashing light on the ceiling.
"I wouldn't say it that way... But a bit, yeah." Ashen answered her.
"I think it's a good idea," I said, "If the rewards are good... We'd be delighted to help, but we want new weapons, payment for everything, and when this is resolved we want our photos on the headquarters wall."
"It's a deal. I'll talk to my superiors. However, you will need a few adjustments. To begin with, follow me. Gordon, stay here and take care of that. I'll take them to the warehouse." Ashen said and waved his hand for us to descend again.
We followed him to the main corridor and entered the second door on the left. He turned on the light and a double bed was revealed to us, as well as a bedside table on each side of the bed, with tiny lampstands and a purple cover book on the left side, in addition to a large wardrobe in the opposite corner. Skipping everything, Ashen continued to walk and stood in front of a wall. He knelt and pressed an almost imperceptible button. The wall moved to the right and an even bigger room appeared with dozens of weapons, items, maps, climbing and swimming instruments and a few other objects, which I had no idea what they were for. The guns were organized by type and then by size.
"I know what you must be thinking. You were expecting a warehouse, weren't you? I don't know why we call it that. When I came here, somebody had already given it that name. Anyway, pick whatever you want. You need to reinforce yourselves. The monsters will have no mercy. Neither should you."
I was the first one in the room. I traversed the corridors with guns, from small to semi-automatic with bullets capable of piercing most beasts' shells. And yet my eyes didn't stray from a simple weapon, with golden and black strains, a two thin barrels and bullets with sharp tips. The gun seemed to be calling me and I couldn't ignore it. I picked it up, swung it, and it seemed to fit right in my hand as if it had been waiting for me. As I did, Kendra and Maggie wandered around the room, looking for something that would be worthwhile.
It didn't take long before Kendra picked up a whip similar to hers but of a superior metal, just as Maggie held a thin layer of protection, a new invention that adapted to the person's body and protected it from normal attacks and even falls but, on the other hand, the more shocks it resisted the heavier it became.
Then I took a cloak like Ashen's, but even darker and unblemished by blood or dust. I folded my sleeves so the fabric wouldn't cover my hands and put the new gun in my holster. Ashen signaled us to put the old ones on a metal plate that was on a table.
"Leave them there. Gordon will then use the components to create something better. He might be gone for a while. The best thing to do is to show you your room." Ashen said.
"Ours? There's only one?" Maggie said, "I usually sleep alone..."
"That's all there is. This place isn't supposed to be so crowded. Surely, you'll find a way, won't you?"
"Yeah. No problem for me. I’m sure we can find a solution.” I answered and the girls agreed.
We left the room and Ashen took us to the lake. We lay barefoot on the edge, cold water cooling our toes while the orange ray lights burned our faces. We spent the afternoon between comfortable silences and Ashen's stories about how he achieved the S rank. He didn't tell us much, just enough for us to realize that he was the real deal. He shared that he had been a Hunter for almost 15 years and told us about the first time he defeated a beast alone, ending up spending a whole week in the hospital with serious injuries.
The sun had hidden behind the hills, the wind roared, and the trees answered it, and sometimes a breeze would make the water sprinkle over our clothes. In the distance, the violet horizon hid the city' darkness and the population's fear that the night would bring new beasts. It wouldn't be the first night my mother called me, complaining about the weird noises she heard outside, when in fact, most of the time, it was the wind bumping into poorly closed windows or some drunkard walking around, bumping into the doors and tripping on the floor.
"It's getting late... Can anyone cook? Knowing Gordon as I do, there should be very little in the fridge and we can't order anything to this location."
"I can fry eggs, and if all goes well, fries." I said, "I usually buy pre-made."
"I know..." Kendra said, her voice more acute than usual, her cheeks rosy in the light of the rainbow lake.
"Cooking?" I asked her, while I was wetting my hands.
"Yeah. I've been living alone for a few years. Somebody's got to do it," she answered and stood up, "Don't follow me. I don't like having eyes on me while I'm cooking." She said, and went to the kitchen, leaving us there, the sun's rays about to fade.
Ashen told us he was going to see how things were going with Gordon. I was left alone with Maggie, leaning against each other, listening to her light breathing and sometimes the birds whistling.
"I should have told you the truth before we ran into the monster. It could have been worse." She said, her voice as sweet as cotton candy on a bright night.
"You should, but there's not a lot to do now either, is there? Don't worry about it. You'll get the hang of it." I told her, and I took the liberty of putting my hand around the back of her head.
Our eyes met for seconds before she briefly laughed and laid on the grass.
"You know, I never thought I'd end up here. In a secret hiding place, on a secret mission. I've been spending my days in the lounge between naps and listening to others talk. I've always liked to keep an eye on the conversations, you know?" She said, her wet hands under her hair.
"Neither did I, much less on my first day. I still don't know if I got lucky or this is a mistake, but at least I'm in good company." I replied, "I have a feeling we have a lot of adventures ahead of us. I don't think the Reapers will simply give up." I added, also lying down, both appreciating the view of a fine light purple stripe disappearing, giving way to a dark blue, the stars scattered all over the painting.
"I don't know if I should tell you this, but a few weeks ago I heard my dad on the phone. I don't know who he was talking to, but he said that Reapers were good for business and that he wasn't the only one who didn't want to see them disappear. When Ashen said someone was helping them... I..." She said, pausing, covering her face with her hands.
"Do you think your father might be involved?" I asked her even though I already had an idea of her answer.
"Yes. Him and his close friends. Owners of other companies, and even his company. I think they're all in on it. I never felt comfortable in their presence again. I think that's why I finally accepted my father's offer, after a year of insistence, to be a Hunter. I just wanted to spend as much time as possible away from that hell. I usually just have dinner there. Lunch and snacks at headquarters. I'm sorry I'm talking too much. I do that when I get nervous." She said, her voice failing her in the light of the starry night, "Don't tell anyone. At least for now."
"That's interesting. From what my father told me when I was a teenager, I distinctly remember him saying that it all started after a lecture on morality in experiences. Some scientists wanted to operate outside the law, unregulated, but were denied the possibility. What began as a fight for science became a battle for world domination. Perhaps there is more to it than we know, but there is also no point in thinking too much about it for now. Let's focus on surviving the next battles."
"You're right. We'll see how everything goes. Thank you." She said and turned her face to the same side as mine.
Her warm breath grazed my skin, between my nose and my lips, and we drew closer, our knees bumping into each other. She closed her eyes and moved her head close to mine when a scream from the door abruptly pulled us away.
"Dinner's ready. Are you coming or not?" Kendra asked, at the door, her silhouette accentuating her hips.
"Yeah, we'll be right there." Maggie said, "Maybe next time." She said and winked at me before she got up.
I still grabbed her hand, ready to pull her towards me, but with Kendra staring, I didn't think it was the best time and Maggie's fingers slipped through my hand. Truth be told, both attracted me for different reasons, but having both at the same time would be a mission in itself and one false step would knock everything down.
The dinner was quiet. We all ate in silence, the sound of our teeth shredding the pieces of slightly undercooked meat that Kendra had cooked, the blood still visible, filling the whole house. Even Gordon joined us, his shirt full of oily spots, while Ashen had left his cape on one of the couches and was now wearing a black V-neck shirt, showing some chest hair.
"I found something," Gordon said, food between his teeth, still chewing.
"Eat first," Ashen said, his low voice, carrying the weight of his request as if it was an order.
As I ate, I exchanged tender glances with Maggie, who laughed, a dimple appearing on her right cheek and lowered her gaze, while at the same time sometimes also exchanging them with Kendra, but with her they were lust-filled glances, she is smearing her fresh red lips and dragging her teeth through her frail skin. I almost choked and Ashen had to hit me on my back, asking me if everything was okay. I told him yes, that a piece of the food had got stuck in my throat and a glass of water would fix the problem. I could handle women, but I knew I had to tread carefully so as not to mix pleasure with work.
"I found out..." Gordon started and burped towards the table, the smell spreading through the kitchen, "I think I know who made that camera. Do you know how sometimes gun manufacturers and such have their mark? A little inscription that helps us know where they come from? If you ask me, it's a little egocentric, but I do it too. Not going to let anyone say they did it on my behalf." He said, speaking quickly, some of the words being shortened.
"Get to the point," Ashen said. He pulled a toothpick out of the box and brushed it between the gap between his two front teeth.
"You know I don't like being interrupted." Gordon said, his black eyes mixing with the dark layer underneath them, "As I pieced together all the chunks of the camera I noticed that there was a little black dot on it and I know exactly whose signature that is, but I don't know if it's a place where you want to go... Hunters aren't welcome there. And I can't go either."
"What's the place?" I asked him, "And why can't you go in?"
"The black market. It's impossible to get in without a password. Hunters' entry is forbidden and I... well, let's just say I'm not very well-liked there." He said and glanced at Ashen, lowering his head after doing it and taking a few bites out of what little was left on his plate.
"How do we do it then? We need to get to the bottom of this. Find out if this man is involved or if it was just a gig." I said, my blood boiling, realizing more and more why my father was excited to speak at the table.
"Dr. Asa," Gordon said.
"There's a way in... but you won't like it." Kendra said, and everyone's eyes fell on her, “I didn't want to tell you, but the situation demands it. Have you ever heard of someone called Esfinx?”
"Yes, of course. The police, and even Hunters, have been trying to capture her for years. Weren't they close to catching her a few months ago?"
"Yes, they were. She's my sister!" Kendra said it fast, like she was ripping off a band-Aid and the quicker she was, the quicker the pain would go away. I had never seen her so nervous before.
"Sister? That's not in any of our files. All we know about her is that she entered the arms business a few years ago, has enough soldiers for no one to stand up to her and governs with an iron fist." Ashen said, "I had to look at your files too. Is there anything else you'd like to share? All the secrets spilled over the table."
I looked at Maggie, but she didn't say anything. She kept her lips closed, her eyes on her plate, stirring the fork around the bone.
"It’s not a surprise that you don’t know. It's been years and you still don't know her first name. I won't tell you why, but she owes me one. I can get us inside and find a way to talk to that doctor Asa." She added.
"In a normal situation I wouldn't accept it, but this isn't normal, right? If you think she can help us, you're allowed to communicate with her. I'm going to go get some rest. Today was a turmoil. In the morning, we prepare ourselves." Ashen said, excused himself and left the table, his lips still in a loaded red that contrasted with the whiteness of his skin.
Gordon also left a few minutes later. Before leaving the kitchen, he warned us that he was a heavy sleeper and that if we needed to wake him, we would have to shout in his ear. Strange, but each to his own.
Soon after, the three of us went to bed. We were as cozy as we were tight. Their hands on my chest, going down, running over my semi-nude body. We had agreed to act like it was a normal night. I was just in boxers, Kendra with a black thong that gave wings to my imagination when seeing her crotch folds, a black bra that almost burst and Maggie had a pair of transparent shorts, blue pants that accentuated her ass and a red bra that covered her tits to the point of not being able to see their mere inclination.
"Forget it. I can't sleep here. I'm suffocating. I'm going to the couch. But don't think I'm going to sleep there every night." Maggie said, standing up with her pillow in her hand.
She closed the door cautiously and yet a sound of it dragging on, because of how old it was, spread all over the house, sounding like someone was destroying the furniture.
As soon as Kendra heard her, from afar, sitting on one of the sofas and yawning, she climbed on top of me.
"Finally, time to ourselves." She said, "I'm stressed. You know what I like to do when I get like this?"
"I'm about to find out." I laughed, put my hands on her naked hips, and turned her over, so that I was on top, "You've already been on top once, it seems to me it's my turn now." I added. She smiled and bit her lower lip until a thin thread of blood came down her chin.
I leaned over and kissed her neck until her warm breath fluttered the hair near my ears. Her heart beat faster, louder, and between her half-open lips short and muffled moans gave life to the moment. Her hair smelled like vanilla and her lips were swollen and wet.
"If tomorrow goes wrong, at least we'll have today." She said, pausing between every word.
"This isn't the best time for you to talk," I told her, as I went downstairs, my lips pressing her stiff nipples.
I didn't stop there. My body was heating up too, and my heart was racing. My fingers touched her skin, following out her silhouette all the way to her hips. She nailed her fingernails in my back and pulled me closer to her.
"I can't wait." She said, in a frail moment...
She dragged my boxers down and curved her hips until we both fit together, swinging until we found the perfect balance. My lips were still on the soft skin of her breasts, which sometimes I also bit, as I moved inward, increasing speed, following through her now louder moans, and by her hands that clutched the sheets as she squirmed.
The bed was shaking, all four legs scraping on the floor, and there was another sound. A unique sound, each time more perceptible. The more I repeated my actions the moister she became, the more the impact of our bodies released a sound similar to a splash. She ended up covering her mouth, preventing more than mere muffled groans from coming out.
It didn't take us more than 20 minutes between the beginning and the end; a mutual, long-lasting climax that ended with my chest crushing hers as I finished inside her and her sharp nails scarred my back. In the room stayed a sex aroma mixed with sweat and a faint smell of vanilla. I rolled over to the other side of the bed and we both looked at the white ceiling, with a chandelier in the center, until she turned to my side and put one of her legs on top of me.
"Thank you." She said, letting a quick smile slip away.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep shortly after. I remained awake for a few minutes thinking about the turnaround my life had taken. There I was, with a beautiful woman beside me, another on the sofa, with the idea of having both for me, and at the same time risking my life on a secret mission.