“We have to distrust each other. It’s our only defense against betrayal.”

                                -Tennessee Williams

A hunter must fend for himself; there is no one he can depend on. He must be agile and calculating, or pay for it with his life. Mercy only amounts to an early union with Death. Daenni knew the code well. It was what had kept him alive.

Thirteen years had passed since the loss of his parents. He had learned early on that trust was a one way street to ultimate destruction. His heart held fury in its deadly grasp, fueling his hatred for the night crawlers. To a hunter, they were nothing more than filth. Night creatures fed on the life of humanity. They lived to destroy the single, most beautifully complex life form that ever existed.

Daenni slipped a cigarette between his lips as he walked out into the night. The neon outline of the local bar illuminated the lonely street corner as the sound of shredding guitars drifted through the atmosphere.

The wind howled around him as his steps put him farther away from the warm glow of the bar. A cry captured his attention, halting his footsteps. Daenni strained his ears for any sign of where the cry came from. He whipped around as a light rustle sounded through the bushes.

“Help me!” cried the figure that was fast approaching his spot on the street. The figure collapsed at his feet in sobs.  “Help me, please!” she pleaded.

Daenni leaned down and placed his hands gently around her shoulders, taking in the sight as the nearby street lamp flickered. Her eyes were distraught as she looked around wildly for her attacker. He noticed a trickle of blood ran down her collarbone, staining her white blouse.

“Where’d you go, darling?” called a raspy voice from the direction she appeared from.

Daenni’s blood froze as the voice reached his ears. His eyes narrowed as he straightened his posture.

“Oh, why thank you for finding her. I was beginning to think she got away.”

Daenni did nothing as his fingers twitched. He noticed that the young woman had been reduced to pained whimpers as she clutched her chest.

“I would greatly appreciate it if you could return my plaything. I do miss her,” chuckled the man before him.

“Over my dead body,” Daenni snarled. His hand slipped a silver dagger from his sleeve.

“My pleasure,” the man replied. He let out a monstrous roar as his clothes ripped at the seams. He hunched forward as fur covered his body. The beast snarled viciously as it bolted for the hunter.

Daenni dodged the monster easily as he raised his foot, connecting with the beast’s abdomen. An audible crack split the air as it went flying through the air.

It growled and sprinted back to him. This time, he ducked and pierced the dagger through the creature’s underside. A howl of pain escaped the beast’s mouth as it fell in a heap to the ground. It convulsed as its fur slowly caught fire.

Daenni pulled his dagger out and cleaned it before slipping it back into his sleeve. He walked over to the young woman and lifted her into his arms. A layer of sweat coated her forehead as her body trembled in pain.

He easily let himself into his flat before gently placing her on his sofa. Under the light, Daenni saw that she was a beautiful young woman, perhaps no older than himself. He glanced at the wound at the base of her neck before reaching for his phone.

“Hyung, I need you to come over, quick,” he muttered into the phone before tossing it to the side. He was rummaging through his cupboards when a knock at the door stopped him. Daenni quickly strode to the entry and threw the door open.

“You know, if you really wanted it that bad, you could have just waited for me in the elevator,” said a slightly amused Joon as he leaned against the door frame.

“Shut up. I didn’t call you over for that. I need you to have a look at something,” Daenni replied.

The seriousness in his tone caused the older man to straighten himself. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Daenni said nothing as he walked over to the young woman. “I found her on the street. Well, more like she found me. She was running from a werewolf or lycan of sorts. I killed it, but when I went to go check on her, she was out.”

Joon frowned as he inspected the bite marks on her neck. “Definitely a lycan, the fangs are pretty close together,” he mumbled. “How long has it been since she was bitten?”

Daenni shrugged, “It must have been at least fifteen minutes since she ran into me, but the bite was already there.”

Both men froze as the young woman stirred. Joon motioned for Daenni to follow him, and led him to the kitchen.

“It’s probably been at least a half hour since she was bitten, judging by the bruising around the wound. If she was gonna change, it would have happened by now,” Joon reported grimly.

“So, she’s gonna die?” Daenni asked in disbelief.

“There’s nothing that can cure her. Not since the witches decided to ally with the lycans. They’ve refused to make any more antidotes,” he quietly replied. “Keep her company. We’ll perform the rites when the time comes.”

Daenni nodded and slowly paced toward the waking woman.

“Where am I?” she groaned weakly.

“You’re at my flat. You were attacked,” he replied.

She nodded her head in remembrance of the earlier events. “Am I going to be alright?” she asked softly.

A stab of guilt entered his heart as he opened his mouth to answer. “Yeah, you’re gonna be fine,” he answered.

“Liar,” she mumbled. “I’m not that stupid. My dad was a hunter, just like you.”

Daenni stared at her in shock as she called out his bluff. “I – “

“Don’t worry about it,” she chuckled, wincing slightly at the action, “I knew what I was getting myself into. I just wanted to get the monster that killed my dad, that’s all. I knew there’d be a chance that I wouldn’t get out of it alive.”

“Then why’d you scream for help?”

She stared into space as her mind seemed to search for an answer. “I don’t know. Panicked, I guess. I’m not a trained hunter. I only know what my father told me, which isn’t much, if you think about it. He just taught me how to defend myself, not fight them.”

“What’s your name?” Daenni asked.

“Why? So you know what to put on my gravestone?” she asked amusedly. “Song Mina. I’m 19 if you’d like to include that little bit as well. You?”

“Park Daenni,” he replied.

“Well, thank you, Park Daenni, for trying to save my life. It’s too bad, I’m gonna die regardless.” A small smile lifted her lips before she began to cough violently. Her hands reached up and pulled a silver chain from around her neck. She reached for his hand as the coughs became more intense. “Keep this safe for me, will you?” she said, rasping. “It’s a good luck charm.”

Daenni nodded as he closed his fingers around the small pendant. He felt her hand become limp in his as the violent coughs ended.

Joon walked up behind him and placed a firm and on his shoulder. “We should perform the rites.”

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I'm sorry! I've been away for ever. This chapter kind of , in my opinion, but I've left this story alone for so long, I felt it needed an update. Well, I suppose all my stories need an update. I've been on a kind of hiatus (still am) since I've been lacking in the inspiration department. I need to read like five more books and I'll have that writing spirit back again. (Hopefully) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to crank out another one asap. With that,

Comment and subscribe!

~Emylie<3

P.S. Yes, that's Lee Joon.