New ally

Next morning, B gathered all 134 exterminators from Company 5. 

''Good morning everyone. We are all gathered here to bid farewell to one of our closest friends and comrades, captain T of Division 7.'' B said.

''Though he is no longer with us in the physical sense, his presence will forever be felt in our hearts and memories. T lived the life of an exterminator, just like all of us that are here today, he did a lot for the community and helped save a lot of lives. If it wasn't for him, a lot of us wouldn't be here today.'' B continued.

F closed his eyes during the speech, and fell asleep a few minutes later. When the speech was over, N poked F to wake him up.

''Wake up, we're doing the smoking thing.'' She whispered, but F didn't wake up.

''Wake up, F.'' N whispered again, but instead of poking, she punched F in the stomach.

F's eyes suddenly opened and he tried to scream.

''FU-'' Was all could say before N covered his mouth. She put a cigarette in his mouth and tried to light it but F moved to frantically.

''Don't move. This is part of the funeral.'' N whispered and lit the cigarette.

B looked at F and N with a mixture of confusion and concern, unsure of what was happening. N looked at B and gestured to F's cigarette and then her lighter and then mouthed ''he doesn't have one'' before lighting her own cigarette. B shrugged and decided to continue with the ceremony. After the ceremony concluded, B approached F and N.

''What was that about?'' She whispered to avoid attention from the other exterminators.

''He didn't have a lighter so I did him a favor, that's all.'' N said.

''I see. Are you ready for your mission at Exterminator block 27?'' B asked.

''Yeah, I'm ready.'' F said.

''I'm ready too, we just need K to show up.'' N said.

''Speaking of K, where is he?'' F asked.

''I saw him leave with L after we were done here.'' B said.

''Well that's a problem.'' N said.

''Why?'' F asked.

''Ask him when he comes back.'' N said. 

''Will do. Anyway, do we have to wait for him?'' F asked.

''K is an important asset for this mission, you can wait for him. Besides, Exterminator Block 27 won't go anywhere while you wait.'' B said.

''Okay then, commencing waiting I guess.'' F said and pulled two chairs for him and N.

''Ay, thanks buddy.'' N said.

''You're welcome.'' F said.

F and N sat down on the chairs and began waiting for K.

"You think K's gonna show up soon?" F asked, breaking the silence.

"He better. We don't have time to waste." N replied.

"You think he's okay?" F asked.

''Probably, L is a nice girl.'' N said.

''What do you think they're doing?'' F asked.

''Whatever thing gloomy people in their late 20s do, I don't know.'' N said.

''Fair enough, knowing K, he probably just lost track of time.'' F said.

''Let's just hope he hurries up. We've got a mission to complete." N said.

After an hour, K finally arrived to the office.

''You ain't gotta say a word, I know I'm late.'' K said.

''What were you doing?'' F asked.

''Nothing.'' K answered.

''Let's go already, we have work to do.'' K said.

''Who's driving?'' F asked.

"I'll drive.'' K offered. 

''We'll head out as soon as you're ready." N said and got up from her chair.

K nodded, and the trio made their way out of the office, ready to embark on their mission at Exterminator Block 27.

K threw F and N in the sedan and drove to Exterminator Block 27. As the car moved through the streets, F started to notice that the streets and buildings were unfamiliar to him. F closed his eyes for a moment, just as the car turned the corner, and when he opened them, he was in a part of the city that he had never seen before. Brutalist buildings that looked abandoned, yet F could still see clothes drying outside. The place wasn't abandoned after all. K slowed down a bit as the road was covered in holes and he tried to avoid them. F grew bored of watching the gray buildings and dirty walls, so he decided to talk to N.

''Hey N, what do you call a gym that used to be a church?'' F asked.

''No idea, what's it called?'' N asked.

''Jehovah's fitness.'' F said.

''Isn't that a song?'' K asked.

''I don't know, probably.'' F said.

''Now that's awkward.'' N said.

''So what even is Exterminator Block 27?'' F asked.

''Basically a living space for exterminators during the Cold War.'' K said.

''During the Cold War, Exterminator Block 27 served as a covert training and living facility for exterminators," K explained. It was designed to operate independently from the rest of society, providing everything an exterminator might need while on assignment. Nowadays the blocks are used only for exterminators to live in when their houses are destroyed, some exterminators live in them by choice. Block 27 however is abandoned and no one lives in it. It was partially destroyed after a large amount of monsters suddenly appeared in it and fought for territory." N explained. 

''And yet a person lives in this block?'' F asked.

''She doesn't count as a person by human standards.'' K said.

''How so? Is she a bad person?'' F asked.

''Yes.'' K replied.

''Rumors say that she was sent there by her company after killing her entire division in a fit of rage.The rumors also mention that she killed all the monsters in Block 27 and took it as her own territory, that might not sound impressive but keep in mind that a large amount of those monsters were supposedly on the level of a grade 2 exterminator. A single exterminator in grade 2 is as dangerous as a firing squad with RPGs. Imagine a couple hundered monsters as strong or even stronger than that.'' N said.

''I don't want to imagine.'' F said and looked around. The brutalist buildings were starting to disappear behind them and the road in front of them was just a field of grass.

''Where even is Block 27?'' F asked.

''It's a few kilometers from here.'' K said.

''I thought it was in the city.'' F said.

''It used to be.'' N chimed in.

''It was left behind after 1989.'''K said.

"After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War, many facilities like Exterminator Block 27 were abandoned or repurposed. In Block 27's case, it was abandoned.'' N explained.

''So an entire part of the city was just cut out and abandoned after 1989?'' F asked.

''Yeah, pretty much.'' N said.

''No wonder that part of the city was taken over by monsters. All that negativity from losing everything and having to move to another part of the city would bring monsters for sure.'' F said.

''It's sad but true. Anyway, we're almost there, get ready.'' K said. 

K stopped the car and got out. He opened the door for N and then went to the trunk and opened it. He pulled out extra exterminator gear, gave it to N and started gearing up. F got out of the car and grabbed an extra suit.

''Why are we doing this?'' F asked.

''Remember how I said that grade 2 exterminators and monsters are like a firing squad with RPGs?'' N asked.

''Yeah, what about it?'' F asked.

''Our suits can't block a hit like that. We have to be careful just in case that any monsters are left in the vicinity of Block 27.'' N said.

''That's why we need this extra layer of protection.'' K confirmed.

''So after we're done suiting up, do we just leave the car here or what?'' F asked.

''No, we'll just park it a bit away from the ''entrance'' to avoid any unwanted attention.'' K said, adjusting his gear.

''Then why did we stop to gear up now? Couldn't we have done it before we started the mission?'' F asked.

''We would have drawn too much attention. No one just goes for a drive in a special hazmat suit. It's more common to see three people in regular business suits than three geared up hazmat boys.'' N said and finished gearing up.

"Exactly. We needed to find a discreet spot to gear up without attracting suspicion. It's all about maintaining a low profile until we reach our destination." K affirmed.

''What about these?'' F asked and pointed at the guns in the trunk.

''We might need these if any monsters appear.'' K said.

''Are we ready to go?'' F asked and grabbed a gun.

''We're ready.'' K said and got inside the car.

N and F entered the car and K drove to Block 27. After a few minutes they arrived at the location. A few dozen destroyed brutalist buildings, some having big holes and cracks in them, others missing chucks of them. In the middle of this stood a 18 story tall red building, it's colors faded and dirty, with a giant hole the size of 4 stories. The sight of the destroyed buildings and the towering red structure with its gaping hole filled the trio with a sense of unease.

''This looks like a warzone.'' F muttered, eyes scanning the dilapidated surroundings.

''That's the aftermath of all the monsters fighting here.'' N said.

K maneuvered the car carefully through the debris-strewn streets, navigating around piles of rubble and avoiding the worst of the damage. Finally, they reached a spot where they could park the car safely away from the towering red building.

"We'll leave the car here. Let's proceed on foot.'' K said, turning off the engine.

F and N nodded in agreement and stepped out of the car. The trio started walking towards Block 27, using the fallen chunks of buildings as their cover.

"Let's stay focused and keep our guard up. We don't know what we might encounter here." N advised.

''The block isn't that far from here. Let's move quickly.'' K said.

The trio continued moving through the destroyed streets, using pieces of buildings and walls as cover. When there was no cover, they moved quickly and hid in the shadows cast by the still standing buildings. As they were moving, N tripped and fell, making a lot of noise. F who was behind her, quickly picked her up and dragged her behind a wall. 

''Are you okay, N?'' F whispered.

''I'm fine, just a bit lightheaded.'' N replied.

''We can't afford a second fuck up like that.'' K said and handed N a bottle of water. 

''Thanks. I'll try to be more careful.'' N said and removed her helmet to drink.

An explosion was heard in the distance. A faraway building collapsed and a lot of dust and debris flew into the air. K and F looked at each other and nodded, F picked N up and the two men mad a run for it.

''This is our only chance.'' K said and started running even faster.

''We have to make it to that building over there while they're still distracted.'' F said.

F ran as fast as he could even jumping over obstacles insdead of running around them. As they sprinted through the debris-strewn streets, the cause of the explosion closing in even faster than they could run. With one last jump, F reached the building and hid behind it. A second later, K reached the building too.

''We're in a lot of shit.'' K said and loaded his gun.

''Take N and run to the next checkpoint. I'll break that support beam over there to slow the fucker down.'' F said.

K nodded, took N and ran to the next building. F aimed at the beam and shot it, breaking and causing the building to collapse. The monster crashed into the fallen building and came out of it, heavily injured. The monster was big, blue and spiky, similar to the one F faced before becoming an exterminator. The only difference was that this monster was twice as big and many times stronger. 

''Ooh ohoho, look at what we have here!'' F said, his smile growing bigger.

''What's up, you spiky bastard?'' F taunted the monster.

The monster attacked F, but the dodged its arm and shot it off. The monster reeled back from the pain and shot a bunch of spikes at F. F grabbed a chunk of the fallen building and blocked the spikes. 

''Are you too hurt to attack properly?'' F asked mockingly before shooting the monster again.

The monster fell back and crashed through the fallen building, rasing dust into the air. The monster used the dust as a cover and started spinning like a ball before growing more spikes. The monster started shooting spikes like a gatilling gun, using the best most of its spikes and dust cover. When the dust settled, F was in the air, having jumped off a big chunk of stone to avoid the spikes. He smiled and aimed the shotgun at the monster.

"Curse activation: BLAST!''

The cursed shotgun blasted a hole through the monster's body, leaving a blue, smoking corpse.

''I guess this is it. Thanks for letting me kick your ass, buddy.'' F said and ran towards K and N. He quickly reached the wall they were hiding behind and jumped over it.

''So, I killed the monster, It was pretty weak, I doubt that it was the one to destroy the building.'' F said.

''We should get going, we wasted enough time and energy on that.'' N said and got up.

''We've got one more checkpoint before we're at Block 27.'' K said.

''Let's get this over with.'' F said.

The trio ran towards the next cover, which was more than twice as far as the previous one. F ran the fastest and reached the cover before them. Another blue monster crashed through the wall of a nearby building and tried to attack F with its spikes.

''F! Look out!'' N yelled.

Before F could jump away, another monster, a giant with the body of a gorilla and three skulls: One of a deer, one of a bull and one of a snake. The gorilla monster crushed the blue spiky monster into the wall, splattering it all over the place. The gorilla monster turned to F and tried to punch him. F jumped back, the monster's fist creating a crater into the ground.

''Shit! THIS IS THE ONE WHO DESTROYED THE BUILDING!'' F screamed and shot at the monster.

The gorilla monster dodged the slugs by jumping on the wall of the building the blue spiky come out of. The gorilla monster's deer skull started glowing and opened its mouth.

"F! GET OUT OF THERE!'' N yelled.

F tried to get out of the way as quickly as he could but it was too late. The monster shot a shockwave that made a 20 meter crater, causing all the buildings to shake. F got out of the crater and crawled inside one of the buildings.

''I'm still alive? Good.'' F checked himself to see if he was dead or not.

Outside, N shot at the gorilla monster, making it retreat inside the broken building. She then rushed into the building F was in to get him.

''F! Are you alright?'' N asked, panic evident in her voice. She picked F up and started dragging him out of the building.

''I'm fine, just a little disoriented from the shockwave.'' F said and tried walking on his own.

''You were lucky that the monster missed the attack.'' N said.

''It still hurt like a bitch.'' F said.

''Get moving, we have to enter Block 27 before the damn gorilla comes back.'' K said.

''I don't know if I can run.'' F said.

''I'll carry you.'' K said.

''Alright then!'' F said and jumped on K's back.

K and N ran as fast as they could to reach Block 27 before the gorilla showed up again. 

''We're almost there. Just a few more meters.'' N said.

''25 meters and we're safe.'' K said.

Just as they were about to reach Block 27, the gorilla monster attacked them agin, trying to punch them. 

''N! Take F!'' K said and threw F at N before dodging the gorilla monster's punch.

''Got him!'' N said and carried F to Block 27.

The gorilla tried to punch K again but he jumped over its hand and kicked it in the face. The gorilla monster stumbled back before trying to hit K again. K dodged and ran towards Block 27. When he reached it, the gorilla tried to punch him again, but this time it immediately stopped and jumped back.

''Just as I thought.'' K said.

''What is it?'' F asked.

''It won't get within 5 meters of the entrace of Block 27.'' K said.

''Do you think it's because of her?'' N asked.

''I'm sure of it.'' K said.

''So we're safe in here?'' F asked.

''Yes, we're safe as long as we're here.'' K confirmed.

''Let's go find her.'' N suggested.

K nodded and the trio entered Block 27. They split up and searched the entire first floor. A couple of minutes later, they returned to the hall of the first floor.

''Nothing here.'' F said.

''Let's check the next floor.'' K said.

The trio took the stairs to the second floor and split up again to look for their new ally.After thoroughly combing through the second floor, they reconvened in the hallway.

''No luck.'' N said.

''Next floor.'' K said.

The trio went up to the next floor and searched it thoroughly. They went to the next floor after they found nothing. After searching the fourth floor, they went to the fifth and then the sixth. After finding nothing on the sixth floor, they went to the seventh and then the eight floor. 

''Damn it! She's not here.'' K said.

''The next floors are destroyed so I don't think she's up there either.'' F said.

''Let's check the ninth and if we don't find her we call B.'' N suggested.

''Alright, but we have to be careful, the floor is probably very dangerous.'' K said.

The trio went to the destroyed staircase leading to the ninth floor and climbed over the debris carefuly one by one. They split up and started looking through the apartments to find their ally. After a few minutes they returned to the staircase.

''I found her but I think we should be very careful with approaching her.'' K said

''What do you mean?'' F asked.

''We don't know what state she's in or what she's been through. That's why we'll have to be careful.'' N explained.

''Agreed. Let's proceed with extreme caution.'' F said.

''Follow me.'' K said and started moving towards one of the apartments. N and F followed him.

The trio reached the apartment and stopped in front of it. The apartment's door was missing and the trio could see the living room from it. The room had no furniture, it was covered in dirt and debris from the hole in the wall, the same one that could be seen from outside the block. There was a single bathtub in the middle of the room, a few puddles of water around it. 

''This is the place, get ready.'' K said.

N and F nodded and the trio entered the apartment. They hid in the hallway and looked at the living room from the corner, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, a pile of pineapples fell from the bathtub. The unexpected sight of pineapples tumbling out of the bathtub left the trio momentarily stunned, exchanging bewildered glances with one another. Before they could even ask the question, a figure appeared in the bathtub: a woman with wild long, unkempt pink hair and a tattered exterminator business suit, her blue eyes looking around every corner of the room, as if she was searching for something. She grabbed one of the pineapples off the floor, sat in the bathtub, raised the pineapple in the air and began speaking.

''Freedom, it is such a beautiful word.'' The woman said.

''It means so much to some and it means nothing to others. But what is freedom?'' She continued as if she was talking to the pineapple.

''Is she talking to the pineapple?'' N whispered.

''Looks like it. She's probably crazy.'' F said.

''What is the meaning of freedom? Is it to do as you please with no one to stop you? Is it to be somewhere where the things that trouble you can't reach you? Or is it something else?'' The woman asked the pineapple.

''This is a discussion, you fool, I need your answer!'' The woman said and threw the pineapple against the wall.

''I'm stuck with absolute morons!'' She said and rached for another pineapple.

 "We need to be careful, I don't like how violent she is." N whispered.

''Yeah, no kidding.'' F said, eyeing the woman warily.

The woman reached for another pineapple, but instead of talking to it, she took a bite out of it. 

''Disgusting.'' She said and spat out the skin of the pineapple.

''You there! Come out!'' She said and turned to look at the hallway, where F, N and K were hiding.

''I can't see you, but I can hear your fingers trembling.'' She said and got up. 

''We're not your enemy.'' K said and came out of the hiding spot.The woman walked up to K and looked at him for a long while.

''You don't feel like an enemy, you certainly smell like a monster though.'' The woman said.

 "Appearances can be deceiving. We're exterminators, just like you. We're here on a mission." K replied.

The woman regarded K with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, her intense gaze lingering on him for a moment longer before she finally spoke.

''Exterminators you say? And what brings you to this forsaken place?" The woman asked.

''We were sent here to recruit you.'' K said.

''You should've started with that. Please have a seat.'' The woman said and gestured to the nonexistent furniture in the room.

''Sure...'' K said and sat on the floor.

''You can tell the woman the other man to join us.'' The woman said.

''It's alright, you can come out.'' K said.

N and F nodded and entered the living room, they sat on the floor next to K and prepared for whatever the woman was about to do.

''Now that we're all here on the table, let's have a meal.'' The woman said and gestured to the nonexistent food and table.

The trio stayed silent and didn't know what to do. The woman seemed surprised by it. She picked up a pineapple from the floor and used it like microphone.

''Is this thing on? Testing. Testing. Can you hear me?'' She asked, her tone slightly mocking.

''As I said, have some food, you must be hungry. Don't be shy, you can have as much as you want.'' She said and took a bite out of the pineapple.

''Absolutely disgusting.'' She muttered and spat the pineapple's skin on the floor.

The trio exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond to the woman's peculiar behavior. They had expected their encounter to be unusual, but this was beyond anything they had imagined.

"We appreciate your hospitality, but we're here on official business. We need your help." K said, trying to sound diplomatic.

''Help? You've come to the wrong place, my dear. There's no help to be found here, only madness. This place is full of idiots with no idea of what freedom is." she said, tossing the half-eaten pineapple aside with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

''We understand that you may have had some difficult experiences, but we believe that together, we can make a difference.'' N her voice gentle yet firm.

"And what makes you think I would be interested in joining your little crusade?" she asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.

K took a moment to choose his words carefully, knowing that their success depended on convincing the woman to join their cause.

 "Because we believe in freedom too.'' K said, his voice unsure.

 ''Freedom? What do you think that beautiful word means?" The woman asked, a huge grin on her face.

"To me, freedom means the ability to live without fear." K began, his voice steady.

"It means having the power to choose your own path in life, to pursue your dreams and aspirations without being held back by the chains of oppression or tyranny." K said. The woman listened intently, her grin widening as K spoke. She seemed genuinely intrigued by his response, nodding in approval as he continued.

''Well said. You may be onto something there. Perhaps there's more to you than meets the eye." The woman said, still grinning.

''I've decided that I'm going to help you out. I want to see what the world thinks freedom is. That and I have someone to meet, I bet she'll be shocked to see me.'' The woman said and took a bite out of another pineapple.

''We have to deal with the monster outside first. It's a grade 1 monster and the three of us can't beat it. I think we'll manage if you help us.'' N said.

''The little gorilla?'' The woman asked.

''Yeah If a 30 feet tall gorilla with three different heads is small.''  F said.

''He's grown a bit. I hope he's not afraid of me.'' The woman said.

''Aren't you the same person that cleared this block out of monsters entirely?'' F asked.

''I remember killing a few weak monsters, yes.'' The woman replied.

''If you think grade 2 monsters are weak then it makes sense that the gorilla is afraid of you.'' N said.

The woman chuckled at N's comment, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

''Well, I suppose we'll just have to remind him who's boss, won't we?" With that, she tossed the half-eaten pineapple aside and stood up, dusting off her hands. 

 "Lead the way, exterminators. Let's show this monster what happens when it messes with us." The woman said.

''He's outside, you can see him from the giant hole in the wall.'' K said.

''About that...I'm blind.'' The woman laughed.

''Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me.'' F said.

"So, you can't see at all?" N asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Nope, not a thing. But don't worry, I've got other senses to make up for it." The woman replied nonchalantly.

She walked towards the hole in the block and smiled.

''He saw me. Now I know where he is.'' She said.

''How did you know?'' F asked.

''He started shifting the positions of his heads. He's handing control to one of the stronger heads.'' She said and laughed.

''Isn't that bad for us?'' F asked.

''Bad? Oh no, this is good. Very good indeed! I can hear him tremble like a little girl in a horror movie!'' She said and jumped out of the building.

The trio watched in amazement as the woman leaped out of the building with fearless determination. They exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to expect next.

''Do we just follow her?'' F asked.

''Yes.'' K said and activated his curse. F saw the stone mask for a slit second and smiled. 

''Thanks, big guy. I needed this!'' F said and leaped out of the building.

''Let's go, K.'' N said and jumped through the hole.

''Fine.'' K said and fell out of the hole.

F landed on the ground, cracking it. N landed with a roll, to disperse the impact. K fell like a rock. The trio rushed the gorilla monster, only to see that the woman was already dominating the fight.

''C'mon, fight me, you little asshole!'' She said and hit the gorilla monster's deer head with both her knees, sending the monster crashing into a building. 

''I'm not letting you run away!'' She said and jumped towards the monster, hitting it with a dropkick. The gorilla monster roared and shot a shockwave from its deer head. The woman laughed and propelled herself with fire coming from her hands.

''Eight.'' The woman said before fliping through the air and kicking the monster into the ground. The woman landed on the monster and activated her curse again. 

''Seven.'' She said and shot flames at the monster like flamethrower. The monster was severely burned by the attack. The woman grinned.

''You should've used a stronger head.'' She said and stomped on the monster before walking away from it.

The trio watched in amazement as the woman effortlessly dispatched the gorilla monster, her power and skill leaving them in awe. 

''Well shit, she kicked his ass without us.'' F said, a bit disappointed.

The gorilla monster suddenly got up, the bull head taking control of the body. It attacked the woman from behind. Its hand landed on the ground, the woman standing on it. She turned around and grinned.

''Now that's what I'm talking about!'' she said and jumped into the air. The monster opened its mouth, shooting lightning at her. The woman laughed and propelled herself with fire to dodge the attack.

''Six.'' She said before shooting another blast of fire, propelling herself through the air and kicking the monster.

''Five'' The woman said and jumped up, hitting the monster with an uppercut. The monster stumbled backwards before recovering and clapping its hands. A stream of water came out of the monster's hands and it made its way towards the woman.

''Four.'' She said and activated her curse yet again. A sphere of fire formed around her body and vaporized the water that came into contact with her. She started walking towards the monster, vaporizing the water in her way. The monster shot more water at her, but she laughed and the sphere expanded, before exploding, vaporizing all the water and burning the monster's arm into charcoal. 

''Was that all your water?'' The woman asked, her tone mocking.

The monster switched head, now the snake was in control. The monster launched a barrage of punches at the woman, all of his hits twisting and bending in the air. The woman laughed and dodged all the monster's punches. She jumped into the air and propelled herself with her flames.

''Three.'' She said and kicked monster in the stomach.

''Two.'' She said and shot a giant blast of fire so massive, that it oculd be mistaken for a beam or a laser. The blast destroyed half of the monster's body, along with the building behind it. She landed back on the ground and watched the monster drop.

''Yuck, my boots burned, now my feet smell like burnt leather. Look at what you've done.'' She said to the monster.

''Holy shit, she's unstoppable!'' F exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.

''I've never seen anything like it,'' N added, her voice filled with awe.

K remained silent, his gaze fixed on the woman as she stood triumphantly amidst the wreckage, her expression one of absolute insanity. 

''Hey, exterminators, we're done here. Bring me some shoes please.'' The woman said.

The gorilla monster, who was somehow still alive, grabbed its heads with its bloody hand and crushed them, merging them into the chimera head. The monster roared with all it's might, causing the ground to shake, then it collapsed and died.

''Not good. We have to get out right now.'' The woman said.

''Did he just call for backup?'' K asked in disbelief.

''Yes, he called everything that lives here.'' The woman said.

''I'm guessing you're out of juice and you can't fight now.'' F said.

''Not entirely, I have one more shot.'' The woman said.

''I have 3.'' N said.

''I have 1.'' K said.

''I don't have a curse.'' F said.

''Oh this situation makes me want to fight all over again.'' The woman said, her grin growing larger.

''You literally said that we would die!'' N said.

''No, I didn't.'' The woman said and turned around. She smelled the air and smiled.

''239 so called grade 2, 56 grade 1, 200+ grade 3, half of them smell like spikes.'' She said and laughed.

''We can't stay here! We get to the car and we get the fuck out of here!'' F and N said.

''No, they will follow us into the city. We have to kill them, we have no other choice.'' K said.

''I like your way of thinking, stone exterminator.'' The woman said.

''How did you know what my curse is?'' K asked.

''Smells like stone curse.'' The woman said.

''Makes sense.'' K said.

''By the way, what should I call you? I can't keep calling you exterminators, especially when we're about to fight an army.'' The woman said.

''I am K, captain of Division 6 in Company 5.'' K said.

''I am N of the research division.'' N said.

''And I am F, the exterminator.'' F said.

''I'll try to remember your names.'' The woman said.

''What do we call YOU though?'' F asked.

''Just use my name, you know it.'' She said.

''You never told us your name.''  K said.

''Where are my manners?! I am so not me today!'' The woman said.

''But what was my name? I'm sure it was something like Blaze or Flame or Fire... No wait, that's my curse. Wait what is my name? Was it something with a B? No, maybe F. No no, I'm sure it was-

''Blaze, look out!'' F screamed. Blaze dodged the spikes without even turning around to face the monster that shot them at her.

''I told you that it's not my name! I'm trying to figure it out!'' ''Blaze'' said.

''They are right behind me, aren't they?'' ''Blaze'' asked before turning around to face the monsters.

As ''Blaze'' turned to face the oncoming horde of monsters, her mind momentarily distracted by the elusive memory of her name, she found herself surrounded by a sea of snarling, grotesque creatures, their eyes gleaming with malice and hunger. 

''They smell spiky. Fighting these ones might be a problem.'' ''Blaze'' said.

N activated her curse, her aura becoming electric. K put his hands up, preparing to box with the monsters. F loaded his shotgun with malicious intent. The four exterminators faced the horde of 500 monsters, ''Blaze'' trying her hardest not to burst out laughing.

''It's showtime!'' She said and charged at the monsters.

To be continued.