Charred: Eight

Valiant Outpost

Hours after his brief fight against the succubus, Alex pulled his motorcycle up to an

outpost. It was a boxlike structure, small, made of concrete, with glass

windows a few inches thick. The desert winds whistled around the building,

carrying dust and sand. The two men inside looked surprised to see him as Alex

pulled up alongside it.

"Uh... name?" Said one. He had close cropped black hair, and wore the same

matte-grey uniform as his friend. He also had an assault rifle in his hand, mirrored

by his partner. It was beat up, with scratches along the metal and smudges on

the wooden sections. His uniform was just as beat up, with patches and stitches. His friend was in the same boat.

Then again, Alex mused, a lot of people in the world tended to be dressed that way.

The other man, a tall blonde haired man as thin as rail with a small yellow stain on his chin from food, was staring at Alex. “Where did you get a motorcycle?”

Or he was staring at his bike.

“From Las Vegas.” Alex answered as he handed his passport over.

Both men’s guns were suddenly pointed at him. He stopped, still holding his left hand out with the card. His right hand however, had drifted down to grip a handle next to him. For a moment, only the sound of the wind and the three men breathing could be heard.

“Something wrong, fellas?” Alex asked calmly.

“Vegas is succubus territory.” The blonde said. A bead of sweat fell off his nose as Alex watched. “You could be controlled.”

Damn. Apparently word had traveled. The fact Vegas had become succubus territory hadn’t been well known when he’d last headed out to Valiant.

“Check my passport.” Alex said calmly.

“What for?” The black haired man said, in what he probably thought was an intimidating voice. “Why shouldn’t we just kill you?”

“Because it would hurt my feelings.” Alex sighed as the two men simply glared. “Just look. I have a pass to go into certain areas.”

They stared a bit longer, eyes hard, hands tense around their weapon handles. Then the black-haired one reached out and took his card. He walked away, leaving the blonde to keep his gun pointed at Alex, and placed the card in a port connected to a computer. The computers screen flashed briefly, then began to display information in a scrolling list. After reading the screen carefully, the black haired man pulled the card out and walked over to Alex. He seemed disappointed.

“He’s telling the truth. He’s just some guy.”

Alex felt mildly insulted. He took his card back as the two men gave him disappointed stares, the blond one aiming his gun away with a grimace, he pulled out a device from his pocket using it to scan Alex.

Alex sighed in annoyance as the scanner beeped. “I'm

obviously not a werewolf. I'm a human that looks like a werewolf before it

becomes a werewolf.”

“What?” The man with the black hair asked confused.

“I look like an untransformed werewolf.” Alex replied simply.

The black haired man seemed even more confused.

“He's clear.” The blond said skeptically.

“Enjoy your day sir.” The black-haired one said with a sigh, obviously not eager to go back to the boredom of earlier.

Alex let go of the handle he’d grabbed with a bit of relief. He looked down at the

shotgun next to him briefly. Even after all his traveling, killing humans still made him uncomfortable. “Thanks.”

He revved up the motorcycle and took off, ignoring the two guards, who were still glaring him as he pulled away. Soon he’d left them behind and was headed into the city.

As he began to leave the desert behind, buildings popped up next to the road.

Some were shaky affairs, built from plywood, clay, and pieces of metal. Others

were made from the shells of building from the old world were more prominent,

homes with signs outside that still displayed tacos and large yellow M designs.

Office buildings had become apartments, apartments were now market places. Soon Alex was in Valiant proper.

------

The city had history. Before it gained the name Valiant, the monsters and demons that had been at war with the human race made a final run on the city after a decade of humanity and their allies holding them back. They came at the harbor, a force of thousands. On ships powered by magic melded with technology, flying on wings, swimming through the ocean. Demons, mages, even the powerful Dragons, beings thousands of years old in charge of an army, all charged towards the city, intent on killing or dominating the inhabitants.

The United States military couldn’t help. They were preoccupied with the months of war against forces from fiction, researchers finding themselves depending on professors of folklore for answers, negotiators speaking across tables with beings from the lands of the Fae and the knights of orders thought to have been dissolved in the middle ages. The sacrifice of one city was unfortunate, but necessary.

Only one battleship stood in the harbor. The USS Valiant had stopped for repairs. The Captain should have run. They stood no chance, not against the force before them.

Captain Ron Wayne chose to stand. He gathered the inhabitants of the city on the harbor, and prepared for war. Humans, orcs, beings of the Fae, weak practitioners of magic, men and woman who knew only scraps about warfare. And finally, the werewolves. He pulled them together, and made an army.

The USS Valiant had been a normal ship. By the time the army reached the harbor, it was something more. There were no ‘real’ practitioners of magic in the city. There were priests who could call on healing chants for small coughs and defensive spells that would turn away clubs, mages who could summon tiny flames and water droplets. But these men and woman pooled their efforts into the Valiant for hours on end.

When the army came, only the Valiant stood between the city and the forces of darkness.

The city was now named Valiant. Though the ship was destroyed in the battle, there was no greater testament to its victory.

------

That was a long time ago however. The city that had survived that battle was now split in half by a massive wall, the history that had once brought it together now only represented by its name. Alex drove into the human-side. Past the skyscrapers he could see the wall that represented the barrier to the ‘Racial’ half of the city. 

According to what he’d heard, the Werewolves worked as the government of that side. They accepted all species, except humans. Whereas the side Alex was now weaving his way through was almost entirely human.

And as he drove through on his motorcycle, he saw the reason why. Alex didn’t look around as he focused on the road, but he could feel the eyes that had been focusing on him. While the city streets were in good condition, the vehicles that once filled them before the portals came had long since disappeared. So Alex’s motorcycle brought him a lot of attention. People in restaurants, shopping in stores, and walking along streets would first look up at the unfamiliar sound of his engine before openly staring as he drove past. Others on horseback or on bicycles found themselves giving him room to pass, watching him roar by with open mouths.

There were some vehicles however. Large military green jeeps, blocky things, some with deep pits and scratches marring them. They dotted the streets like tumors against the gray skin of the city. The jeeps were owned by the Hunters.

Alex avoided looking at them. He didn’t approve of Hunters. Once a paramilitary organization that fought demons in the days before the portal, they now controlled half the city. Those now in command of them were partially responsible for the building of the wall.

Their soldiers, wearing the black military uniforms they always did when they

patrolled the streets.

Alex ignored their hard stares, choosing instead to continue on to his destination.

Alex had only been here for a few minutes but the dust already coated his mouth. He spit out a glob of dust.

He looked around the city in search of food. He passed a gas station that looked

like it had been abandoned long ago, along with a few forgotten cars park in front of it. Down the street there was a marketplace with a crowd of people gathered, bartering.

In front of him was a long container with a few windows and a door cut into it and

a makeshift sign with the word DINER written sloppily on it. He smiled to himself and reaches out to open the door. A hand appeared out of nowhere and stopped him.

Alex looked from the hand, to the shoulder and into the face of a man that looked like he'd seen better times. “Hello, friend.” The man said, turning to his much smaller friend and laughing as if he's told a funny joke.

“Friend?” Alex looked between the two, smiling. Even as he did, an experienced fighter would have seen the way he slid his feet to better balance himself. “Do I know you?”

The man turned to him, no longer laughing and shook his head. “No.”

“No?” Alex said, also shaking his head. “Well, I have heard a friend is a stranger

you haven’t met ye—“

“Hand it over.” The man had a hard glint in his eye as he grinned toothily.

“Hand what over.” Alex asked leaning towards them, as if telling a secret. This hid

the fact he was also moving his body into position.

“Your wallet, money, valuables, anything really.” The larger man chuckled.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Why would I do that?”

The first man turned to the smaller man and chuckled, before turning on Alex,

revealing a knife with the flick of his wrist. It was small, but wicked sharp.

“Woah, woah, woah.” Alex said. He raised his hands in surrender. “I don't think you

want to do that.”

The man waved the knife in front of Alex dangerously. “Oh yeah?” He asked.

Alex grabbed the man by the wrist and twisted his arm. The man screamed in pain. He pulled the man closer, then twisted the arm further. He looked over at the smaller man, raising an eyebrow.

“How about it? You gonna back up your man here?”

The smaller man glared back at him before launching at him, snarling.

Alex twisted the larger man to get into the path of the smaller one, then punched the smaller one in the neck when he tried to circle around. Alex followed up with a

kick to his knee before elbowing the coughing man in the face.

He grunted and hit the floor as the first man got up, already stumbling as he made

a grab for Alex with his uninjured arm.

Alex sighed before grabbing his outstretched arm and pulling him in towards him.

Alex met the man’s stomach with a knee.

“Ugh.” The man said eloquently, eyes bugging out as Alex’s knee ground into his

organs.

“I know right? Hurts like hell.” Alex grabbed the back of the mans shirt and threw him towards a nearby wall. The man slammed into it, finally getting knocked out.

He dusted his clothing and looked down at the two men on the floor. He shook his

head before entering the diner.

------

He hadn't been on this side of Valiant in a while and it hadn't changed. Just as

bad as he'd remembered.

“Hi! Can I take your order?” A waitress with bright red hair asked as she chewed on

a large wad of gum, making a bubble once in a while.

Alex looked down at the menu in front of him, “I'll have a large burger, a glass of

water, no ice and uh, ketchup on the burger not in the water.”

“We no longer get ketchup on these parts.” She said as she jotted his order down,

before finally looking at him. “Oh my god. Is that blood?”

He looked down at his clothes. “Don't worry, it's not mine.” He replied. “I'll

just have mustard then, if you have that.”

She nodded before she hurried away.

He looked out the window and watched as people passed not really looking at

anything in particular.

The waitress brought him his order and put it in front of him.

“Anything else?” She asked her voice rising an octave.

He shook his head, before picking up his burger and taking a bite.

She was already gone, gossiping with the other workers, no doubt.

He chuckled as he took another large bite of his burger. This is why he hated cities.

Everyone had something to say.

Once he was done with his lunch he headed towards the harbor where the Grey Night Bounty Hunting Offices were located. A grandiose name for what really amounted to little more than a hole in the side of a building. The smell of the ocean,

salt and dead fish, filled the air. He could see men fishing in the distance, and wondered if they were actually catching anything or trying to stick to old habits.

Alex finally stood up and walked into the Office, putting his keys away and slapping his sword onto his back.

A large burly man was seated behind a barred window, wearing a fluorescent orange shirt. He looked up as Alex entered and put away the books he’d been reading.

“How can I help you?” He said gruffly.

Alex pulled out a paper from his leather jacket and set it down on the counter in

front of him. The burly man crossed his arms and looked down at Alex for a long

time.

Alex flashed a toothy grin and slid the paper closer to the man. The man stared at

him a moment longer before he snatched up the paper. He put on the reading glasses that were dangling from his neck and quickly scanned it.

“Killed the succubus, I see...”

“That I did.”

“Proof?” The man asked an eyebrow raised.

Alex pulled out his proof, and put it on the counter in front of him.

The man picked it up gently, it already showed signs of decay, a peculiar smell came

off of it. The man put the thumb on a device that read fingerprints. He looks at the screen in front of him and glanced at the paper carefully.

He put the paper down, picked up the hand and tossed it into a container labeled

'Hazardous'.

Alex had to smile at that. The whole world was a hazard these days.

The man then turned to a cabinet and handed Alex some keys, and a box of supplies.

Alex rummaged through it finding some MRE'S, ammunition, batteries, and other items.

He took out the knife, canteen, and other supplies he already had, handing them

back to the man.

“This is the best I can do.” The man said putting the other supplies back, “If you

want fuel for the bike,” He gestured to the bike. “You’re going to have to do

some work for the hunters.”

Alex put away everything and picked up the keys, “Thanks, I'll figure it out in the

morning. After I get a nap I guess, killing succubi is a tiring business.”

----

In the morning Alex made the decision that he'd be better off doing some odd jobs for the hunters and getting gas rather than crossing his fingers and hoping that

fuel would fall from the sky.

He looked towards the direction of the Hunters Society building. It wasn't hard to

miss, it being one of the only skyscrapers untouched during the war. It loomed

over all the other buildings. From where he stood it looked like it was touching the clouds.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the building by foot, with its heavy gate made of titanium steel wrapped around it, two hunters in their familiar black uniforms stood at the gates doors at either side, their expressions blank as they stared ahead .

Alex let out a sigh before walking up to one of the hunters, a brown haired woman.

“Here goes nothing.” He said to no one in particular, before speaking to the hunter. “Hey, uh, I heard I could get a job in exchange for gas.”

The hunter looked him over, her brown eyes staring him down for a moment. She

pulled out the same hand-held device the guards had used at the gates of the

city and scanned him with it.

“Sorry, just a precaution.” She said, putting away the device. “Just head inside, the

person at the desk should be able to help you out with what you need.”

“Uh thanks.” Alex replied.

“No problem.” She said already turning away.

He strolled to the doors, and pulled them open, cold air hitting him full force.

Inside it was quiet, LED lights lit the room making it all the more brighter even

with the sun shining through the many windows. The area was large and mostly

empty except for a man at the front desk and a few other people behind him milling

about speaking in hushed tones.

“Hello!" The man with bright green hair seated at the front desk said, cheerily as

Alex walked over to him.” Welcome to VHS! How can I be of service?”

“I heard you have jobs.” Alex said simply.

“If you'd like a job, there's a bulletin board located in the back.” The man

replied.

Alex drummed his hands on the desk and turned to look at the bulletin. “Thanks.”

“If you'd like anything else...” Alex shook his head, letting the man get back to

work.

Alex walked over to the bulletin. There were mostly listings for missing people, not

his cup of tea. There was a listing for a guard for a food shipment, exceptional pay. He looked it over.

Good shot. Check. No Mental Issues. Half-check.

There was a shout behind him and then a crash.

He turned around, spotting a woman with unruly clothing who wasn't there before

crumpled on the floor. On the opposite side of the front desk the man with green hair was standing with a massive gun pointed at the woman. Alex's eyebrows raised, contemplating where the man could've pulled out the gun in such a short amount of time. Especially one so large. A metal chair was upturned behind him, explaining the crash he'd heard.

He turned away again to study the listing again. Physically strong. Okay, 

Check.

If he got this job he wouldn't have to worry about finances for a while, which was ideal, especially in this bad economy.

“Look here, lady, we've told you numerous times that you've got to leave. Now I dun

wanna shoot you or nothin' but you have gots to go.” Someone said, nervously.

Full blood human… Check.

Alex winced at that. He didn’t approve of it. Racism had always bothered him. Still, the money was good. As long as he wasn’t expected to hurt anyone based on race alone—

The woman began yelling. “My son has been missing for days but you haven't done

anything. Nothing!”

Alex shook his head then turned around to glance at the woman again. She was still on the floor, her face covered in tears.

Before he could cross over to her, a hunter with spiky blue hair came around, a gun

pointed directly at her.

The woman looked up at him and pulled out a knife. She began swinging it

dangerously, she didn't seem like she wanted to hurt anyone and from the way

she held it and the way she stood, you could tell she'd probably never wielded

a knife with the intention to hurt someone, a quality that was rare in these

times.

“My son has been missing for weeks and no one is doing anything.” She said, the knife now between her hands, she eyed everyone in the room carefully. “This way I have your attention.”

The man with blue hair had a nasty twitch in his hand and a shifty gaze, making Alex

uncomfortable.

Alex got closer to the group. Up close now, Alex could see the woman's eyes were

wide with fear.

His face scrunched in confusion for a minute before he turned to the men. “What's

going on?” He asked.

The nervous hunter turned to him, gun still pointed at the woman. “Stay back,

citizen.”

“I thought there was a rule against pointing guns at citizens.” Alex said

carefully.

The man with the twitchy fingers ignored him, this time the one with green hair turned to him. “I suggest you leave this to us, citizen.”

Alex smiled tightly before turning away from them, the men's attention back on the

woman.

He walked a few steps before he turned around again. “See now, I would do that,”

Alex said pointing a finger, “but I have this funny thing where my brain tells me I have to do the right thing. I believe it's called a conscience...now my conscience isn't always right, but, in this case-” He said gesturing toward the woman. “I like my odds.”

The one with the green hair is once again the one to react to Alex, he pointed his gun at Alex. “Listen here, we're just doing our jobs. Now if you'd turn around and

leave, I'll forget about this and you can go on your way. On the other hand, if

choose to ignore my warning. I won't be held responsible for my actions.”

Alex's eyes were on the man with the unsteady hand who looked to be growing nervous by the minute.

The woman is now desperate. “I just need you to investigate. That's all. Please.”

She said, her voice breaking.

“Seriously? Guns?” A woman with long strawberry blond hair said striding over to them.

“Rangers.” The man with green hair muttered under his breath.

The blond woman strutted over to them and glared between the two men with guns. “I was called in to handle a situation. By the looks of it, this must be the

situation.”

The two men lowered their guns and one of them nodded not meeting her cold glare.

The woman smiled at them, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, I

believe I can handle it from here.”

The man with the twitchy fingers started to argue. The one with green hair nudged him to calm down.

The woman turned to the lady with the knife and smiled gently. “If you would put

the knife down. I'd be happy to hear your story.”

The woman with the knife squinted her eyes suspiciously. “You would?” She asked

carefully.

The woman with the blond hair nodded. “Yes, you can trust me.” She said as she

walked over to the woman, she put a hand out.

The woman handed her the knife.

“You'll come with me.” She said before turning to Alex. “As will you.”

“Uhhhh, no can do, Lady. I've got stuff to do. People to fight, food to eat, woman to

woo—“

“I insist.” She replied. Her voice had a dangerous tone to it.

Alex stayed silent for a moment. He could probably take her. Granted, he was

confident of his skills to protect against most people. But as it was, she was

the one with the power in the building, compared to himself especially. He

glanced at the listing and then finally nodded. “Alright, I suppose I can spare

a minute, or two.”

He followed the two women, the green haired man and twitchy fingers glaring at

them all the while.