I know that we were just about to get to the big climax of this interaction. We were about to find out just how exactly Poriyander would get out of this situation, if at all. I’m sorry to have to do this to you guys, but in order to make the next part make sense, we are gonna have to go back in time a bit. Only three days, so we’ll be revisiting this moment in no time.

It’s May 13th, three days before Pori and Adrian’s fear-inducing encounter with creatures from the other side. Pori lives a rather mundane life, void of any mythical creatures or amazing superpowers, but I will assure you they do still exist. They tend to more often keep themselves, hidden from view, but praying on those they believe would make for a good meal..

Pori’s day begins with her awakening from bed, the morning sun lighting up her skin, warming it with its gentle heat. It’s shortly after the crack of dawn. It’s a habit she has gotten used to from her time in high school, which only ended about 1 year ago when she graduated. In college she has gotten used to a more flexible time schedule, but continues to get up in the morning, because it is her favorite time of the day (and totally not because she has to work before school.)

She gracefully walks into the kitchen while tying her light blue hair back into a bun, keeping two strands in front of her ears; her preferred hairdo. It seems that yet again, her grandfather has beaten her to waking up. He is Carter Briggs, the man who has raised Pori since she was a little baby. Despite their differing family names, (Pori’s name on all documents and papers is Poriyander Briggs, but this is merely for legal reasons and in actuality, her full name is just Poriyander,) Carter has raised her like his own child from the moment she was born. Even then, he is still her grandpa, just from her mother’s side of the family.

Carter, with a smile shining as bright as the sun, and a plate full of pancakes, can’t help but shout his each and every word out of sheer delight, “Good morning Pori! I already made breakfast!”

“Oh, grandpa, you didn’t have to do that!” Pori puts a big smile on her face.

“It’s my pleasure! After all, your finals start today, and I don’t want’chu wasting a single ounce of energy!” Carter turns to face the hallway. “Eric! Breakfast is ready!”

“Coming grampa.” Eric Briggs, Pori’s younger cousin, makes his way into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“You doing anything after school?” Carter asks.

“Not today,” Eric says, “and I think I will take the bus today also.”

“Oh you sure? I wouldn’t mind driving ya!” Carter grins.

“It’s okay.”

The three of them sit down at their little apartment table and begin to eat. Pori isn’t feeling too hungry, but takes her fill and decides to get going. Eric walks out with her.

“Have a great day you guys!” Carter waves and smiles as they go down the apartment complex hallway.

Action Pact

The Invasion

Story by Connor Perry

Demon Hunter

2

Pori and Eric separate at the bus stop. Pori makes sure Eric has everything he needs.

"You can let me go Pori, I'm not a little kid anymore." Eric says somewhat sarcastically but also purposefully. Being 14 now, he would rather not his cousin act like his mother.

"Okay, have a good day!" Pori waves goodbye to Eric as she walks away. As soon as he's too far for her to hear him, she pulls out her phone and begins messaging her coworkers. She continues walking across town to get to her morning job for seven. With due time she approaches, but not before encountering one familiar face.

"Oh, hey Danny," Pori waves to her coworker, Daniel Jinn, who is walking the same way as her. His black hair compliments his gray glasses. He’s already wearing the Distant Diner work uniform, whereas Pori plans to change into it when she gets there.

“Hey Pori.” Daniel waves back, and moves closer so that they can talk on their way there. “You’re really working before school again?”

“Yeah, I wanna try saving up for my own place, so I decided it’s time I pick up more hours!” Pori chuckles.

“Well if you think you can handle them!” Danny laughs alongside Pori. They continue chatting the entire way until they get there.

Pori arrives, enters the ladies’ room to change into her uniform very quickly, and is immediately thrown into work. Her boss, a tall Greek man named Dorotheos, pulls out a ticket and hands it to Pori right away.

“A’right Pori, this customer wants you to stop at these places for him,” Dorotheos explains.

“This is like five different stores,” Pori protests, “that’s over the order limit of four or less stores!”

“Ay, times are rough. Now get moving!”

Pori sighs behind his back while she heads out back to grab one of the store mopeds. Her A.M. job is a bit interesting, it’s a food delivery service, except Dorotheos has bent the rules so much that they can deliver pretty much any good the customer requests in the specified criteria section for their order.

She is now forced to hop all over town scouting out five different stores, three of which aren’t even for food. This order alone ends up taking her over an hour, and she is just mostly thankful she isn’t paid per delivery.

After over an hour passes, Pori is able to make it to the customer’s address in due time. She pulls up and immediately, everything around her feels a bit odd. For starters, she’s on the side of town she can’t help but admit she doesn’t like. Nextly, this house looks quite decrepit, and void of any inhabitants besides bugs and rats. Thirdly, the yard is strewn with weird toys, laundry machine parts, downed power wires, and a lot of garbage. And if all of that wasn’t enough, there are creepy noises emanating from the house. Pori checks multiple times to make sure she has the right address, hoping that she doesn’t have to walk up to this decaying house. Alas, Pori is well aware that if she wants to keep her job, she’s gonna have to muster up the courage to walk up to this creepy old abode.

She crosses the filthy yard, ascends the putrid stairs of doom, and arrives at the peeling, grimey, wooden door. She knocks on it ever so carefully, as to limit contact with the foul door. For the few seconds she has to wait for someone to arrive, an eternity passes in her mind, which is only halted by the noises she hears behind the door. They sound like an otherworldly moaning of a creature on its last legs. Fear strikes Pori’s heart. The noise gets louder, and seems to ring inside of her ears. She considers leaving, but doesn’t get enough time to as the door opens. From within the blackness, a silhouette begins to emerge. Pori almost flees, but is again halted by the silhouette coming into view, which to her surprise is actually human.

He has gray hair, a well trimmed beard, and clothes that look brand new. Pori is surprised that such a person who takes care of themselves to this degree resides in such a dump.

“Sorry I took so long to answer, ma’am.” He grabs the bag out of Pori’s hand and reaches into his pocket.

“You have a good day sir!” Pori smiles with her eyes as an act, and starts to walk off as quickly as possible.

“Wait,” the man’s right hand emerges from his pocket with a fifty dollar bill, “here’s your tip, you deserve it for grabbing all of the things I needed.”

Pori doesn’t even move with the fifty dollar bill in hand while the man closes the door. She has just never gotten a tip so high before. And the best part, she gets to keep it all for herself!

When she finally regains her senses, she only has a few words to say, “that … was … quite interesting.”