Beast Hunters 8 Read online

  "Why?" Kendra asked.

  "He wants to know who you are. The cameras must have identification programs."

  We positioned ourselves a few meters from the cameras, stepping on the artificial turf, and waited until we heard a click. A door opened amidst the black wall, and a man with an AK-47 to his chest received us.

  "Come in." He said it and leaned against the outside wall.

  Chapter II

  A row of well-armed men flanked the dozens of concrete stones that led us to a glass window. They all had the same tattoo on their necks; a red skull with two arched horns. As soon as we got to the window another soldier slid it to the side and asked us to follow him. He was a younger boy, with blond hair, short on the sides and wavy on top, medium height and wore some candle shoes whose bump on the marble floor echoed through the house's thick walls. He had a black book in between his arm and ribs and his back lined up perfectly straight.

  "The teacher is waiting for you."

  "Teacher?" I asked.

  Lipa frowned as soon as I uttered those words.

  "Don't you know who you came to talk to? The great teacher and merchant Dr. Poe?" The boy asked me. He had stopped in the middle of the kitchen. All the objects glowed, and the walls were made of black marble with whitish spots. There was only one modern light bulb in the center of the roof, but it was enough to illuminate the whole room that was half the size of my mother's house.

  "Of course, he knows. He was just kidding. Don't mind." Lipa told him. She smiled and hit him slightly on the shoulder.

  "We're not fans of that kind of humor around here." He said, "Anyway, the professor is in his cabin. The rules are simple. Put your guns in that basket, you can't raise your voice and you can't stay more than 10 minutes. Are we clear?" He added and pointed to a basket, one of those I was used to seeing in snake charmer illustrations, in the corner of the room that was next to the kitchen.

  "Yeah. No problem. We accept the terms." I answered him.

  He took us to the next room. Everything there was practically the same as the entrance. There was a glass window and a concrete stone path. But instead of soldiers, there was only one pool where two children, a boy, and a girl, swam and tossed water at each other. In the upper left corner was a metal hut, similar to a nuclear shelter. The door was open, and somebody was shuffling through objects lying on a table. The sun rays that reached there reflected themselves on the ground and on the grass that stretched over the rest of the yard. I only saw the man's slender silhouette and the strange way he walked, staggering at every step and clutching the table to do it.

  "You may go. He's waiting for you," the boy said and walked away from us.

  "Shall we?" Victoria asked.

  "Yes, it's better. Lipa, you didn't tell us he was a teacher or a doctor."

  "Or Dad" Maggie added, "Poor them. You guys better get going. I'm going to stay here and talk to them for a while."

  "He's not any of that. He's a self-centered narcissist. But don't fight him. Let the conversation roll." Lipa answered me. Then she looked at the children, "I had no idea he had children. I didn't even know he had a wife."

  "It's hard for anyone to want a man like that," Victoria said.

  The man stepped out at the shelter entrance. He had an iron crutch with a diamond on top in his right hand. The daylight fell on a scar he had on his forehead, accentuating the stretched skin and sparse dry blood along the wound. He wore a brown polo shirt over a white shirt, grey trousers and a black hat with a circular flap.

  "Come in." The man said. He had a strong, rugged voice, "Will she stay with them?" He asked, looking at Maggie who was just by the pool talking to the kids...

  "Yes. Is there a problem?" I asked him.

  "No. Their psychologist keeps telling me they need someone to talk to besides me or armed men." The man said, "Let's get down to business. Hi, Lipa. Acix, then? That's interesting. I didn't know Hunters were that needy. Unless they need the bullets for a new kind of... beast."

  "Then you know what we're doing here," Lipa answered him.

  "I know what they're doing here. I just don't know why you are here yet. All for your sister? Sounds weird to me."

  "I need some information."

  "Let me guess... you need to know if the albino has any more attacks prepared on any of your warehouses." He replied with an ironic grin, his lip writhing in the corner, "From your reaction, I will assume so. Come with me."

  We followed him to the shelter. It was full of shelves with dozens of items, from weapons, grenades, high level technology and even documents stored in micas. There was everything there. Kendra gave me a slight nudge on the shoulder. I looked at the place she was looking at; the disassembled body of a beast, the filaments disconnected, some burned, the arms and legs on the floor and the chest on top of the bookcase beside a flying explosive device.

  "I've got everything." The man said as he sat in a chair beside the metal table that was in the midsection. He seemed to have been working with a small flame thrower and metal parts that were still in the process of scarring.

  "We just want the acix anyway," I told him.

  "All right. 30 or 50 bullets?" He asked and took a box out from under a shelf.

  "50. What do we have to do to get them?"

  "Good choice. Obviously, the mission will be more difficult but for 20 bullets will pay off." He said and had that convinced grin in his mouth again, "I hope you're ready for a good adventure."

  "What do you want, Poe?"

  "Take it easy, Lipa. We have time for everything. So, this is your sister?" He said and signaled Kendra to come forward, "your sister saved you, you know?"

  "Poe, that's enough! Tell us what you want and let's go." Lipa told him, with her fists clenched, controlling herself to keep a moderate voice tone.

  "Oh, she doesn't know? You didn't even tell her that?"

  "What are you talking about? Lipa? What is he talking about?" Kendra asked.

  The man laughed, "Your father knew you were smarter and not so impulsive. He wanted you to earn his legacy, but your sister sacrificed herself for you."

  "Lipa? Tell me he's kidding. Tell me you're not the person you are now because of me!"

  "That has nothing to do with it. I'd still end up being this person. You never wanted this. I wanted it. I told dad several times, but he always wanted you..."

  "Is that why you paid all my expenses to travel to the Hunters' Academy? That you paid me to stay there?"

  "It was the only way! I knew what was waiting for you and I knew you weren't cut out for this. I couldn't leave my little sister in danger."

  "And you didn't think it was right to discuss it with me? To tell me?" Kendra replied and walked up to her, her pupils were dilated, and her teeth were creaking.

  "I didn't want you to feel like it was your fault! It's not. I made my choice. I wanted this." Lipa answered her and looked at Poe, "This isn't going to stay like this!"

  "Two minutes." He said, "You have two minutes left. Do you want to accept the mission or not?"

  "Yes, we do," I answered before the deadline ran out.

  "What do you want from me as well?" Lipa answered him, on the verge of raising his voice.

  "Nothing. This little moment was enough. Conflict is always beautiful." He told her, and grinned again, "Besides, they'll need your help for the mission I'm about to give them."

  "What mission?" Vic asked her while her eyes were wandering through the shelves.

  "Nothing big. It's actually good for you. I want you to destroy one of the Reaper labs." The man said and stood up with the help of his cane, "You can take five bullets out of here. The rest you get when you finish the job."

  "The Reapers? Why?" I asked him.

  "Who do you think provided them with all the acix? Instead of paying me the exorbitant amount we had decided on, they thought they could pay me with all that whole conversation about me having a place in the world they are planning."

  "Doesn't the professor b
elieve they can do it?" Vic asked.

  "I don't care if they can do it or not. I'm a pragmatist. I don't want to join sides or get paid with promises. Even if they do, there'll always be others I can sell to. But not paying me? I won't allow anybody that. They have to suffer the consequences. And better than being left without an important lab is being destroyed by their rivals. Yeah, that's beautiful." The man said, rubbing his hands with a glow behind his brown eyes...

  "What's so specific about this lab? If we're going to do this, I want to know everything," I told him.

  "I expected nothing else from a man." The man said, "I'm sending the location to Lipa's cell phone. I've got the building blueprints here, and I've pointed out how many guards are in each place. It's going in, setting a bomb and getting out. The red X marks the place where you have to plant the bomb for the whole building to collapse. You don't even have to fight."

  "What if we get caught?" Vic asked him.

  "Well, then that's your choice. Either you run like the girls you are, or you fight under his command."

  Elisa yawned. Even I was tired of hearing him, but we had no other choice.

  "30 seconds." He said, "Any questions?"

  "Just one. How long do we have to do this?" I asked him.

  "Good question. Today's Tuesday, right? You have until Sunday." He said and pointed his cane to the door, "just one last thing. If you get caught, you're on your own. I don't know you. Now you can go."

  At the door, two armed men were already waiting for us. They were looking at the silver watches on their wrists. Kendra was the first to leave. She shoved the two men and stepped into the house, scrambling, with her fists closed, talking to no one. Nobody stopped her. It didn't seem like the first time something like that had happened. I picked up five bullets in the midst of dozens of them and left, along with the girls, to the street. The sun was still shining, drawing silver stripes in the water. Maggie was still talking to the kids.

  "Now what?" Vic asked me.

  "We blow up the building. We get the bullets and then we'll see. Maybe we can even find something new in their building."

  "Should we tell Tom?" Elisa asked, "I don't think we should. He's going to want more Hunters to join in, and we can't risk getting caught. It's a job for a few people."

  "Have you ever had one like it?" I asked her.

  "Yes, two or three times. Did you bring the blueprint?"

  "Yeah, I got it right here," Vic said and showed her other hand, holding a blue wrapped paper.

  "Let's get going then. We need at least two days to plan the in and out." Elisa said.

  Maggie waved goodbye to the children and joined us. She told us that they wanted to get out of there but knew that their father's work forced them to stay there. If on the one hand she seemed sad about their situation on the other hand she seemed happy to be able to relate and mentor them.

  Once again, we strolled across the concrete stones and the marble floor to the other side of the house. The blond man followed us, silently, accompanied by the same two men who had waited for us.

  "Thank you for your time." He said and opened the exit door.

  Kendra was leaning against the van, smoking a cigarette, the sun hovering over her silhouette. We were at the height of the heat and the wind had calmed down.

  "Kendra, can we talk?" Lipa asked her.

  "No. You had no right to decide for me. Let's go." She answered and got in the back of the van.

  "Give her time," I said to Lipa.

  "I know. Let's get going. I hope she cools down over time. She wasn't supposed to find out."

  We kept the same seats in the van. The journey was carried out in silence. Lipa was just focused on the road. I texted Kendra halfway along the way, asking how she was, but she didn't answer me.

  We went back to Lipa's garage. Once again, the transition was made quietly. It was as if death had fallen on us and no one knew how to deal with the afterlife. Nothing else happened during that day. We returned to our base. I told Tom what had happened but skipped the mission that had been given to us. The day finished with the shadow of all that had happened hovering over our heads.

  Chapter III

  Three days had passed since we were at the top of the mountain. Those were long, exhausting days that emotionally drained us. Besides some missions done to not lose our shape I still had to deal with Kendra being apathetic. She had received several messages from Lipa but ignored them all. She spoke very little to us except during battles or the hours we spent arguing and planning how we would get in and blow up the building, aided by Lipa over the phone. We decided that we were pretending to be fruit transporters, using one of her vans and that someone had dispatched us to that address. We talked about what was at stake. It wasn't just the bullets. It was also the possibility of us finally striking a powerful blow against the Reapers.

  It was time. Saturday morning. It was still 9 am when we left the base garage. I sent a message to my mom. I wanted her to know that I was okay and that I was going to visit her the following week. Grey clouds peered through the still overcast sky. The sun was sleeping and so were most cities. Even the rich city was half-dormant with only a few of the coffees open, the lights still not lit, and the places empty except for two or three early risers. The highway was roughly the same. The lamps along both sides were still lit even if no more than five cars were driving alongside us. The grass on the prairie slopes wavered with the wind gusts.

  "If something happens to me... I want you to know how much I love you." Maggie confessed as we were leaving that town...

  "Nothing will happen to anyone. Cut the crap." Elisa replied.

  "What if it does?" Maggie counterattacked.

  "Let's try not to think so negative," Victoria said.

  "Girls, we're going to make it. Just follow the plan."

  "You're very confident," Maggie told me.

  "I trust us." I told them, "It's a unique opportunity for us. We won't fail."

  They smiled and said I was right. They talked about how easy it would be to get in and out, and how no one would notice us. The truth was that I wasn't so sure. I wouldn't admit it to them, but I was also afraid of what could happen. All it took was a guard to stare back, use the wrong time to go to the bathroom, anything out of the ordinary to catch us and raise the alarm.

  Lipa was waiting for us in front of her warehouse. She was holding a cigarette with her left hand. She had black gloves, a scarf, and a leather jacket. The smoke was dancing in the rotten air until it dissipated in the mist. We all came in through the front door. The atmosphere was heavy and scarce. Kendra, Elisa, and Vic took the lead while I stayed behind to talk to Lipa.

  "Are you better?"

  "Yeah, I don't have time to be miserable either. I had some big business days earlier this week. A huge headache. Let's just take care of this so I can get back into the business."

  "Are you going to ignore everything that happened? With your sister? With our group?"

  "Our? I'm not in your group. I don't even intend to be. What happened is history. I'm going to help you with this, and then I'm going to go back to my life."

  "What do you mean, Lipa?"

  "I have had enough. Ever since I started hanging out with you, I've only been getting weaker. It's over. Let's hurry up."

  "What about your sister? You're leaving her?" I asked her, as we walked down the hallway that led to the garage.

  "To her, I have already abandoned. Does it make a difference?"

  "Maybe more than you think," I answered, just before we joined the other girls.

  I helped her open the rusty door once again. Only two vans were in the dusty garage. We held the same seats as before. Lipa and I wore white T-shirts and trousers, both with the custom-made fruity symbol in the upper right corner. She had it all mapped out in detail. She was more responsible than usual. There was no sarcasm or all that mischief that characterized her. Just the desire to finish it as quickly as possible. She started the engine and hit t
he road.

  The streets, even in that place forgotten by the rest of the world, were empty. The market had already opened. The little natural light that shone there, at those hours, amidst the haze of the factories, which did not rest even on weekends, was enough to enlighten the whole place. Not even a dozen people headed there while two others left, full bags already in hand. The smell of bread and hot cakes flowed out of a couple of nearby cafes and spun through the air until it reached the van.

  "How about a short stop? Just to get us something to eat?"

  "Haven't you eaten?" Lipa asked me.

  "Yes, but not much. Isn't it better to stuff ourselves with food before a mission like this?"

  "Being Hunter has fewer and fewer perks." She said and stopped the van in a nearby alley. The aroma still lingered there but was already very dull.

  "I'm going with your sister."

  "Don't tell her what I told you. She doesn't need to know. It's better if that's the case."

  "I didn't think to tell her. It's something you have to tell her yourself if you have the guts."

  "And I do! I just think it's best to walk away without saying anything. It wouldn't be the first time."

  "Do whatever you want. I am going to call her."

  I jumped out of the van. The wind blew and froze my bones. I could barely move my fingers anymore. Damn it. I had no idea it was going to be so cold or I had dressed up a lot more than a simple black sweater and a black cloak similar to what Ashen had given me. Tom had informed us that he should be healthy enough to leave the hospital within a week. This mission was also for him, to make him proud, to show him that we had not given up. I also wanted to see the building explode. I wanted to dedicate the victory, even if it was a small one, to my father. He who had never given up even when everyone opposed him.

  I opened the back door of the van. Elisa was the first to ask what had happened for us to stop so early. I told her I was going to buy us something to eat and asked Kendra to come with me. She was dressed all in black, with eyeliner and dark circles under her eyes, like she was going to a funeral and I just didn't know if it was hers or if it was the funeral of her relationship with her sister.