by Dave Austin
"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. However, there is also no point in overthinking 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 I didn't think it was the best time with Kendra staring, 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, 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. Simultaneously, sometimes also trading them with Kendra, but with her they were lust-filled glances. She smeared her fresh red lips and dragged her teeth through her soft 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 to not 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, babbling, 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. Esfinx is my sister!" Kendra said it fast like she was ripping off a band-Aid, and the quicker she was, the faster 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 typical night. I was wearing my boxers, and Kendra had a black thong that gave wings to my imagination when her crotch fold, and a black bra that barely contained her boobs. 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 more than their curve.
"Forget it. I can't sleep here. 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, 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 w
as heating up too, and my heart was racing. My fingers touched her skin, following out her silhouette 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, her sharp nails scarring 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 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.
Chapter V
A sudden jolt woke me up. Everything around me seemed to be spinning, and I'd barely opened my eyes. The objects had not yet taken shape, and a shadow beside me was still hazy. Her lips opened, and words came out but seemed to dissipate before they reached me.
"Come on, we got to go." The high-pitched voice said.
"What, what?" I said, rubbing my eyes until the silhouette took shape. It was Maggie, already dressed.
I looked sideways, and Kendra was already standing, getting dressed, her tits bouncing in the air every time she ducked and got up to make sure her ass wouldn't stop her skirt from ascending.
"A beast appeared in the city of Luzuri. We have to go as soon as possible. It's a level 4." Maggie said, throwing my clothes over the bed, without asking any questions about the moaning or why the sheets were waddled in each other and had tiny patches of toasted yellow.
"We? Now? Well, I suppose someone has to. I'm just going to get dressed." I told her, and I started putting on my pants, "Is it a level 4, really 4?"
"Yes, exactly 4. The same level of the previous beast." She said, "I hope none of us get hurt this time." She breathed a long sigh.
Gordon and Ashen were already in the room, both in their pajamas, sitting on the armchairs, their eyes still half-closed. Gordon had a tablet in his hands and pressed the buttons at a dizzying speed, informing us what was going on step by step.
"He's already in town. Some citizens have been... You know what I mean. Check this out. You know I hate blood." He said it and passed the tablet to Ashen.
"The police have already gone to the scene, but they won't last long. Hurry up. Move on. We've blocked the transmission to the remaining Hunters. The mission is yours." Ashen said, "Oh, take one of the cars in the back of the house. There’s also a man-made road there. From now on, use that road only."
We waved and left the house. The night sky shone in all its splendor. Where I came from, it was possible to see one or two stars and, if I was lucky, a shooting star on clear sky nights. But not there, we could see everything there. There were no secrets under the moonlight, the lake with a white layer, nearly auroral. Crickets broke the silence, in a chorus, and in the depths, the answer came from crows, hidden among the blackness of the trees, perched on the trunks.
Ashen gave us three communicators to plug into our ears. That way, we could communicate with each other and listen to his suggestions and get a visual of what was happening before we got there.
We ran behind the house, where three cars were parked, all the fastest on the market, the bonnets still shining despite the dark colors.
"Let's do this," I said, getting into one that looked gray in the moonlight. It was a model that I had drooled over many times through the shop’s windows, "Maggie, how many minutes are we from there?"
"At least 15 minutes."
"I can do it in 10. Hold on tight." I answered her, and I waited for them to buckle up.
I was careful getting out of that area, breaking several branches and bouncing up and down on slopes, but once I got to the highway, I sped up until I couldn't anymore. The lights became just constant blinkers, the wind-scraped off the car, the moon still above us, and the empty road paving the way for us. GPS guided me to the midtown, an intersection between a bank whose golden walls were still shining and a clothing store with the alarm beeping. Red and blue lights mixed and illuminated the place, the smell of rotten blood being a decoy.
"Ask them how the situation is and where the beast is," Ashen said, in the communicators.
At least three police cars in front of us, stationary, with their doors open even though there was no sign of a single living soul.
"What's going on here?" Maggie asked as soon as we got out of the car.
"I don't know but watch your back," Ashen answered her, as we approached the cars, weapons in our hands, looking around, watching the buildings that made up the street, the roofs and windows, and even the interior of the shops, whose uncleaned glass had dulled them up.
Of the four lamps on the street, three blinked constantly, their light disappearing for seconds, and as for the remaining, the lamp was fused. We pulled up to the police cars; drops of fresh blood spread over the still fogged windows. I put my hand on the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. A human head rolled out. At the place where the eyes were supposed to be, there was only a space left, with nothing but blood, human skin that had been dragged until it looked wrinkled and deep rips all over his face. Maggie was close to me with a fireball in her hand, ready to throw it if one of the beasts popped out of nowhere.
"Kendra, did you see anything?" I asked before I looked inside the car.
Five bodies piled up, still in police uniforms, with no eyes and bites of different sizes, all with a circular shape, all over their bodies. A sticky green liquid covered them, gluing and blending their skin.
"Still nothing. I don't like this at all." She said, closing her fist tightly on the handle of the whip, the joints between her fingers red due to the effort made in the cold.
"We're looking at all the cameras and nothing. The beast seems to have disappeared or is inside one of the buildings. Be careful." Ashen said. He was about to continue, but the transmission became mere static, a few loose words standing out in the noisy fog.
"My comms stopped working. Yours?" I asked, taking it out of my ear and putting it in my pocket.
"Same here," Maggie answered.
"It doesn't work." Kendra said and paused, "Do you hear that? Shut the fuck up. Listen."
None of us said another word. Metal clawing, scratching the ground came from one of the buildings on our right. Some people peeked through the windows, facing downwards, only their eyes and hair showing, hot breathing blanking the windows. I waved my hand so they'd be safe, but they pretended not to see me.
"It's getting closer," Kendra said, placing one foot in front of the other, the extension of the whip going from her hip to the floor.
The sound escalated. The sheer metal hitting on the ground rose to an excavator drilling through the floor.
In less than a minute, the glass from one of the balconies on one of the highest floors broke into hundreds of small pieces, and a beast jumped down. I looked up and saw its shadow; a fat belly and four tiny legs on each side, with metal tips, the green liquid dripping down from it, falling from the sky.
&n
bsp; "James, it's going to fall on you!" Maggie screamed, throwing two balls of fire at the belly of the beast, only for the flame to dissipate into sparks as soon as it hit it.
I only had time to run out from under the landing target, and that didn't stop me from rolling down the street to the nearest lamp. The beast landed, and the impact caused all the glass around it to shatter, the dustbins to topple, and for me to be thrown back. Kendra used her whip to hold on to one of the lamps while Maggie hid behind the corner, crouched, her hands on her face, the heat scorching her cheeks to a greyish color.
"Shit. Are we sure it's a level 4?" I asked, now looking at the beast, three times bigger than the wolf, like a giant metal spider with a viscous liquid being pumped out of the shell.
"That's what Ashen said. What do we do?" Maggie asked, standing up and walking towards me, crossing the road to the other side, using the police cars as a cover.
"What we've been trained for. We defeat the beast and collect information and experience points." I answered and got up. I rubbed two fingers on the back of my head and rubbed them on a scar that I had gotten, hidden by my hair.
"Do you have any ideas?" Kendra asked, joining us.
The beast unleashed sonic sounds, close to a metallic voice, and marched towards us, destroying everything that was in its way, the liquid gluing itself to the ground. The street got narrower and the buildings taller. My legs froze for a fleeting moment, my heart almost imploding as my thoughts raced. I had dozens of ideas on how to solve the situation, but they all ended up with me risking myself to get on the beast's head to blow his brains out. The adrenaline was running through my veins, the danger being its aphrodisiac.
"All right, let's do this—Maggie, fireballs straight into its eyes. Kendra, flog one of its legs. We have to put him down."
"What are you going to do?" Maggie asked, her soft voice struggling to hide her concern.
