2 Chapter 2

My feet thundered against the pavement as I sprinted through a narrow alleyway, the tall buildings on either side of the dirty alley looking over me in enjoyment. Panic coursed through my veins as I burst out onto the street, turning my feet and pushing myself to the left, toward my apartment. Despite the busy day, nobody batted an eye at the sight of someone running as if they had the devil itself chasing after them. They didn't need to. They knew what was happening.

I pushed through crowds of people, all of them with their eyes downcast and looking away from me. I could barely see there expressions cause of the tears streaming down my face, fear overtaking me. I lost track of time, all sense of reasoning and logic forgotten. Before I knew it, I arrived in front of the tattered and run down building that housed the apartment complex I stayed in.

Throwing myself up the stairs, I took them four at a time, flying up before I took a sharp right at a landing that had a door on it marked forty three. I fumbled with getting the key out of my pocket and into the key hole, scratching the lock in the process before finally shoving the door open, slamming and locking it behind me.

I took deep, shuddering breaths as I pressed my back against the door, listening for movement in the landing outside. I had heard the stories, of people being visited by suited government officials, seeking out the newly Selected. I hoped that I got here fast enough to avoid whatever method they use of finding Selected, but with a sinking feeling I realized that my mad rush had probably alerted everyone to the nature of my circumstance.

I pushed myself off the door, still gasping for air, and stumbled my way to the bathroom, using the walls and furniture of my living room for support. I entered a narrow dark hallway before taking the first door on the left, flicking the dim yellow light on. Despite the filth of my apartment building, I tried keeping my little apartment and bathroom clean. It provided me little comfort now.

I leaned on the sink, coughing into it, still trying to regain my breath, before turning it on and getting some of the cool water in my cupped hands. I splashed it onto my face, rubbing my eyes, before glancing at myself in the mirror.

Pinkish eyes with a hint of purple looked back at me, the result of a pigment disorder I've had since I was born. I used to be self conscious about them, but I had gotten used to it. Dark, short hair was plastered on my forehead from sweat that I rinsed off. But just as a turned the water off, I heard a knock at the door.

I froze in place, hand still on the sink handle. The knock came again, more insistent this time. I flicked the light off the bathroom and stepped into the dark hallway, considering my chances of escape, though knowing that it wasn't likely. And the knock came again, this time a loud pounding that threatened to break the fragile door down.

"HEY, YOU'RE GONNA BREAK IT!" I shouted angrily, striding purposely forward and yanking the door open, remembering far too late what the pounding was about. 

In front of me stood a woman with a Bob haircut cut, a pretty face, and tired eyes that looked like she hadn't gotten enough sleep in weeks. Behind her stood a tall intimidating man wearing a Grey suit and sunglasses, with a shaved head.

"Alaric Rindall, I presume? I'm here with the Selected Department of the Federal Government, about your new status as Selected. I have a video to show you as well as some information, so if we could get this over with quickly that would be great. I'm probably gonna have 6 others before the end of today." The woman said all of this in a deadpan voice devoid of emotion, her eyes not changing or acknowledging my presence the whole time.

"Uh, uh, yeah, I guess, come on in," I stuttered out, while not really meaning what I was saying.

She nodded silently and stepped through the door, the tall man following behind her. She spoke again while pulling out a small, portable table from a purse I hadn't seen before. She didn't bother to get to far into the small living room, instead opting to stand by the door.

"So, I'm gonna tell you some things, and you're gonna stand there and listen, cause I don't have the time or the patience for the usual bullshit that newly Selected spew. I'm not gonna bother telling you my name, cause you'll probably be dead before tomorrow's done." She spoke in such a manner of frank tone I almost didn't register what she said. When I did, I clenched my teeth and nodded, fear of what her authority could do to me keeping me silent.

"Excellent. First, I'm going to explain to you how the underground actually works, explain payment, and then show you a video followed by your assignment, understood?" She glanced at my questioning. I nodded again, silent.

"Good. Now, we kept this information from the public, so mass panic wouldn't set in in cities across the world, but the caves underground don't all contain monsters of the same difficulty and strength." She said nonchalantly.

"Wha-" I swallowed my fear. "What exactly do you mean?" 

She looked exasperated for a second before composing herself and continuing. "Essentially, urban areas, as in, big cities that contain a large number of people, house the strongest monsters, the ones that only the one percent of the one percent of Selected can face and defeat. The more rural and unpopulated an area, the weaker the monsters, understand? 

I nodded in wonder. So, could I stay in a weak area and not be forced to fight stronger monsters? I kept the question to myself.

"Now, as for payment for you, since this will basically be your job until your late twenties, we pay our starting Selected around sixty five thousand dollars a year, but that pay increases as you face stronger and stronger monsters. For reasons I'll get into. No need to give us bank info, we already know everything about you"

At the mention of money, I perked up. Wait. I could get paid for this?! This could solve all of our money problems! I thought to myself. I kept silently staring.

"Now, we never explained this to the public either, but the way Selected get stronger and get paid is simple. When monsters are killed, they release an invisible substance into the aid. Part of that substance, that mist, is absorbed into Selected, strengthening them. But some of it is released into the air. We've set up devices that can capture that released mist, and through means that I don't know how they work, that mist is then converted to electricity. Stronger monsters release thicker mist. So there's monetary value attached to killing monsters." She then turned to the tall man. "Aren't many cities in the world powered by monster mist now?" He nodded silently.

She turned back to me and handed me the tablet she had pulled out earlier. "Now, this next point is a bit harder to explain, so I think this classified footage that you could get killed for revealing to the public will explain it much better than I could."

There was a giant play button in the middle of the screen, the white arrow taunting me with the knowledge it contained. I knew that if I pushed the button, it would cement my role in society. I glanced up at the woman and said in an offhanded way "and if I don't want to fight?" 

She responded immediately and with no hesitation. "Then we kill you and throw your body in with the other newly killed Selected. We don't have time for cowards who aren't willing to fight, and we're always willing to cover up and deaths and try again with the next person." She leaned in and dropped her voice down, tension suddenly filling the air. "Your call".

I stared into her tired eyes and realized the truth behind her statement. I slowly tapped the white arrow in the middle of the screen and ripped my gaze away from hers, focusing on the screen.

I was greeted by what appeared to be helmet cam footage of a soldier who looked to be in a cave of some sort. He was accompanied by five other soldiers, each equipped with flashlights through which they were lighting the environment, night vision goggles on their heads, and powerful looking assault rifles, each one aimed to kill. 

They slowly crept along the the cramped and narrow space, the helmet I was watching bringing up the rear. For five minutes, they crept along silently waving their guns in every direction, the only sound with them being the silent click of boots on hard rock, and their breathing.

The first soldiers voice rang out, a twinge of annoyance accompanying his words. "There's nothing down here, I don't even know why-" and in the footage, he vanished in mist of bloody screams.

The second soldier yelled out in terror as he opened fire, automatic fire ringing off the cave walls as shells cascaded around him. It didn't matter. He too fell, blood splashing through the air as he collapsed against the cave wall, bloody claw marks appearing on his chest, straight through his bulletproof vest.

And what followed was the bloody decimation of the whole squad. Member after member fell under a haze of bloody mist and gurgling screams, a black shadow moving from soldier to soldier. Until finally, the black mass reached the soldier with the camera.

I watched in disbelief as the soldier unloaded a full magazine of ammo straight into the head of what looked to be a humanoid dog, complete with a snarling mouth and razor sharp teeth. And every single bullet bounced off of it as if they had been darts from a toy gun, no more harmful than sand at the beach. And the last soldier was brought down as well, the camera picking up his last struggled, dying breaths.

I was frozen in place with fear. What was that?! Bullets don't work against them?! I was having an internal panic attack at the revelation. Then my thoughts grew out of hand. What if no modern weaponry works against them? How do we kill them? How do we fight? How do we live, how do we survive, how do we get just one more minute of life. Question after question. I was interrupted by a faint clearing of the throat. I glanced up at the women, sweat from fear streaming down my face, and was greeted with the sight of her holding a gleaming knife.

End of chapter 2