-So you got to level five just by getting demons of higher levels by accident? How many missions have you been on anyway?
-Well, I lost track of it somewhere on the way, but a lot. Although I haven’t moved from level five in a while. I guess the level five’s are just scared of me. – She said with a smirk on her face.
And so they kept in a silence for a few minutes, before Gabe decided to break it.
-So what kind of a demon do you think this is? – He asked.
-Well, it very much could be the Boogeyman, a standard level one apparition. Although I’m also suspecting a level two Shadow Walker. Seems to me that it can’t be a level four or six one, since the village is still pretty much alive.
-Heh. Makes sense. Though you don’t think it could be a Wendigo, do y’a? Long claws, skinny body, really fast. . . I mean all the signs are there, right? – He said, worried he’s right. A Wendigo is a 7th level demon.
-Yeah, I guess all the evidence is there. Except for one, crucial evidence that points out that it is indeed not a Wendigo. – Her serious face suddenly gained a big smile – We’re still alive.
Gabe just stood there in misbelief. Are the higher level ones really that strong? That’s a really scarry thought. But not to Gabe. He made a promise to himself. He will kill them all. Of course, he has a long way to go until then. He’s just second grade in the Academy, trained professionals have been hunting for years and yet they can’t get to the 8th level. There just aren’t so many 7th level ones out there. And anyway, one hunt of a 4th level demon can get you a month’s worth of money, so why risk your life, huh? Well for some it’s to earn a lot of money and go to an early retirement. Lucy does about three to four hunts a month, but she doesn’t earn as much because money in group hunts is spread equally. Although not the best option for making a lot, team hunting is good for survival. Groups of four to five are usually made by the headmaster of the Academy to ensure safety in his students. Very nice place, the Academy. Its marbled floors, its massive front door, its large, wide entrance hall. It’s all made to just leave speechless whoever walks in. In the student program there are a lot of important classes like: Defense against demons (DAD), Dark magic, Demon theory. . . But there are also a lot of normal subjects like Math, English, Biology, Physics . . . If you want to blend in with the society you have to know the basics of the outside world. I'd tell you all about it, but my notes aren't with me right now. Maybe some other time; soon.
A little bit later Lucy’s phone rang. It was the Academy with the instructions.
-So what does it say? – asked Gabe.
-Damn. They seriously think that that old man is not a lunatic. I have been on so many wild goose chases like these and I’ve seen enough delusional people to know that this guy is sick in his mind!
-Still don’t know what it says. . .
-Oh, yeah, sure. They want us to go around the village and see if there are any rumors or sightings of any sort. I swear to God, if we don’t find any clues and they still want us to engage, I’m sending a request letter to switch with another team. I at least have that much of an influence.
-Well, should we go?
-Nah, it’s getting dark. Dumbasses didn’t even bother to check for our text until now and it’s already 7 pm. If there is a demon out there, we can’t get caught by it at nighttime. We can’t see as well as they can and the moon is young. We'll go in the morning.
They spent the rest of the evening talking and playing some old chess that Gabe brought with him. About 10 PM they both decided to get up early tomorrow, so they went to their beds. Unfortunately, they stayed up much later, causing them both to wake up late again. Gabe woke up first and stayed in his bed for an hour before Lucy woke up. They both just stayed in their beds like that for about half an hour more because, really, there is something odlly satisfying with staying in bed after you wake up. It feels all warm and fuzzy, and you feel so nice half asleep, half awake. But after that half an hour, Lucy decided to check her phone for any new instructions from the Academy.
-Holy shit! – She yelled, waking up Gabe.
-What? – He said with a sleepy voice.
-Its noon, we’re late again!
-Damn. – Gabe said, and immediately went back under his sheets.
-What do you think you’re doing?
-Well, we skipped half a day, we might as well skip it all, huh?
-NO! Get up! We need to go! – She said, uncovering Gabe, throwing his sheets on the floor.
-Great, now these are dirty and I gotta get new ones for tonight. Thanks a lot. – Gabe’s voice was still very sleepy. Lucy started running around the shack, trying to find new clothes out of her bag. – You know, if you’re going to run around in your underpants, I’m gonna run around in my underpants too.
-I’m not running around in my underpants! This pajama looks more like a dress too me!
-I’m not saying you are, I’m saying if you’re going to. . .
-I’m not going to!
-Just suggesting, it’s more comfortable. – Gabe said with a smirk on his face.
Lucy went to the bathroom annoyed, while Gabe slowly got out of his bed. He just barely got his sweater on, when he heard Lucy scream from the bathroom. He immediately rushed towards the door, but stopped right in front of it.
-What’s wrong? – He yelled.
-The mirror’s broken!
-So what, it’s an old shack, of course the mirror in the half-decaying bathroom is broken!
-No, you don’t get it, it wasn’t broken yesterday!
Gabe stopped to think. Yeah, it wasn’t broken yesterday. So how is it broken now?
-See what I’m talking about now? – Lucy said, coming out of the bathroom and seeing Gabe’s confused face. -Well, I guess i was wrong, huh? Maybe there is a demon in this village. So, are you ready to track it or what?
-Sure, just gotta get ready. – Gabe said, still obviously confused. He stood in the bathroom for a long time, just staring into his many reflections on the broken down mirror. That dream he had the other night. . . It was no dream, wasn’t it? But he was too scared to tell Lucy. If a demon snuck into the house past her, it must be a high level one. And Gabe really wanted to fight a high level demon. He was scared that, if Lucy realized it was a high level one, she would have sent him home. So he kept that dream to himself.
After about twenty minutes of getting ready, they headed off into the village to do some research with its residents. They went from home to home, trying to see if there is anything to show as for where that demon is, and if there is one in the first place. But every house they stumbled upon had an old woman or man living inside, and those people never got out of their houses. Naturally, they only told them what they already knew and what was in the assignment detail file: some strange noises, scratches on a grave, nothing that couldn’t be done by a wild animal. Then they found a house near the end of the village. The house looked like it was built in a near past, so they decided to give it a try. Out of the house came a woman much younger than the village’s residents. She was in her mid-forties, blonde, very tall and skinny. She asked if the mail had new employees, and was pretty surprised to know that foreign tourists came into the village. Gabe and Lucy introduced themselves as some ghost story hunters (they couldn’t say they were from the Academy, not very much people know about that place).
-Well, I didn’t hear any ghost stories. – The woman said – But there was something that happened here a couple years ago. I personally think the “weird” noises have nothing to do with it, but if you ask everyone else, it does.
-Please, ma’am, could you tell us about it, if we’re not bothering you?
-Oh no, you’re not botherin’ me at all. You kids want some coffee? I’ll cook you some coffee. – She went to her kitchen to make the coffee while Gabe and Lucy waited patiently, in silence, in her living room. When the coffee was done, the woman placed it on her coffee table, and they all sat down to hear her story. – Well, a couple of years ago this village had two more residents. A little bit more in the woods lived a mother and her son. The mother’s name was Merilyn, and the son’s name was Matthew. Merylin ran away in this village with her son because she had had a divorce recently before. She had divorced from her husband because he cheated on her. She knew he cheated on her because recently before they got divorced she got AIDS. See, before she gave birth to Matthew, she didn’t have AIDS, and after she gave birth to Matthew she was already married and there was no one else she could’ve gotten AIDS from but her husband. And he couldn’t have got it unless he cheated on her, because he didn’t have it before they married. That’s why Matthew didn’t have AIDS.
Jesus Christ she's so vocal about things.
-So he made a mistake, the cat was out of the bag, and he told her everything. She was devastated, packed her and Matthew right away, and moved to a house here that her deceased uncle used to own. Everybody in the village loved her.
She stopped to take a sip of coffee, while Gabe and Lucy listened carefully. – A year after they moved here, Mery got really sick, and died soon after. The residents took over the care of Matthew afterwards. We worked in shifts, day and night, to make sure he is safe and has everything he needs. For three days we worked around him non-stop. The third day after Mery passed away, it was Mike Kaluie’s turn to look after him. He fell asleep on their living room sofa while Matthew was sleeping in his room. Because he was sleeping, Mike thought that it would be the best to lock him up while he sleeps on the sofa. Mid night, Mike woke up. He went up to Matthew’s room to check on him, but what he saw will leave a scar to all of us. Matthew had hanged himself! – Her eyes started tearing up – Even thinking about it is. . . I . . . I just don’t understand. . . Why would he do that. . . How did he do that. . .
-Wait, ma’am, you’re saying he couldn’t have done it? – Lucy asked.
-No, I’m saying he must have planned it before and took the rope from the basement because he was locked but I don’t understand why he was just beginning to eat more and get out of his room more and. . .
-Ma’am? Ma’am, calm down, you’re hypervenaleting, please, this is clearly an unpleasant thing to talk about, we shouldn’t bother you more. – Lucy insisted.
-Yes, thank you. Well, I hope I was at least of some help.
-Of course you were, ma’am. -She said, then turned to Gabe. – Let’s go.
-But I haven’t even finished my cof--
-We’re going! – Lucy insisted. They went out the door, while the woman went after them to see them out. – You were of great help, ma’am. Thank you for your time. – Lucy said, then took Gabe and took him into the forest.
-Wait, what’s going on? Where are we going? – Gabe insisted.
-We’re taking a shortcut.
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