The cold night air caressed my hair while it flowed from the breeze. Walking down the street, I turned around and walked pass the ruins until I reached the fields where I found myself at a red barn that had decayed for possibly a hundred years. The grass around me was long and wild as it hadn't been cut for a long time while the vicinity was littered with tracker parts and farming tools. The sound of cattle mooing in the distant was heard, but I didn't care about that. I had a job to do and I'm willing to complete it.
I trailed my fingers across an old tire. I felt the rust and dust against the tips as I twiddled them off. Suddenly, I heard a rattle coming inside. Keeping my guard up, I sauntered inside as quiet as possible, reaching for my sword and unsheathing it from my back just in case.
Despite how soft I was, each step creaked against the rickety floorboards. I stopped and waited a few seconds for any response and continued moving forward, but right when I heard rattling coming from the cans the far left, my body quickly responded as I saw something fly at me. I dodged and felt the spike graze my arm while I cringed in pain.
"Fuck!"
When I got back on my feet, I gripped the wound. The damn thing hurt like hell and it was just a booboo. However, my vision started to become blurry. Apparently, the needle that hit me was laced with some sort of neurotoxin. Lucky thing it wasn't strong enough because I was still able to move but with some motor problems.
"Alright! I know you are in here! Come on out~!" I shouted with a slur. It was already starting to affect my speech, which meant I had to get this job done already before I'm left vulnerable.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, something leaped and began clawing at my face. From its' rabbit-like appearance and cat-like appendages, I could tell that what was attacking me was a gremlin. These things have been terrorizing these areas for a couple of weeks and have been known to dwell in abandon buildings while fiddling with mechanical equipment for god-knows-what.
Blood began dripping from the scars on my face while I tried to pry the creature off of my face. Fortunately, the neurotoxin numbed some of the pain, which made it easier to remove the gremlin like a band-aide. After I got it off me, I quickly took off my gakuran jacket and wrapped the little monster within the fabric tight enough, so it wouldn't escape.
"There! That should do it!" I sighed exhaustedly. I seethed as I touched my face, feeling the neurotoxin beginning to wear off. "God, that little bastard did a number on my face! Sylvia is not going to like this!"
I had to sit down for a moment. The night was short, but it was extremely tiresome, especially since it was almost twelve in the morning. However, I didn't have to worry about that right now. Putting my attention back at the jumping bag, I recalled that I still had a job to do, which wasn't my favorite part. Lifting my sword, I finished the job as I drove the blade straight down and watched the gremlin drew its' final breath. Blood leaked out and only a faint twitch followed after. The saddest part out of all of this was that I had ruined my favorite jacket.
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An hour had passed since I left the barn. Carrying the makeshift bag in hand, I trudged my way back to the city, which took longer when you're on foot. Finally, I reached the gates where I stood by the 20-foot-tall metal door where I proceeded to the automatic gatekeeper on the side. I swapped my card but it rejected it on the first try. Even after five times, it still rejected my ID card.
I groaned softly and hit my head on the wall. "Oh, come on! I just had this damn thing renewed a week ago!"
The thing about these cards was that it was just like a key card at a motel. You had to be very careful because of how overly sensitive the system can be. Luckily, after the sixth swipe, it finally accepted me and in a matter of possibly twelve seconds, the door slowly slid open and I didn't hesitate to go through before it fully opened. I didn't stay for it to close behind me.
The city was quiet, which was normal since most of the population was already in bed save for some people still working in these late hours. Sauntering up the street, I headed straight to a tall gray rectangular building with the sign "monster hunter headquarters" on the front. I walked through the double doors and up to the front desk.
