"We need this gig. Simon, act professionally, don't take no for an answer, and no matter what, stay calm and collected," Sam instructed me while placing his hands into the pockets of his trousers and giving me a firm look. "I got bills to pay and beer to buy," he added, and a small smile appeared on his wrinkled face. He's not old, but a tough childhood and a lot of bad decisions made his life difficult, and wrinkles are proof it's starting to catch up. Well, I can say the same about me; neither of us has any family members alive, and money is scarce. Hard life leaves hard decisions, and eventually we ended up doing suspicious jobs to survive.
"I got it, don't worry about it; it's just a meeting, don't be so anxious," I replied and stopped at the front of the small bar where the meeting took place. Sam gave me a small nod, mumbled something I did not understand, and went off to deal with other obligations. I entered the bar and stood in front of the door. I did not know who I was exactly meeting and had no information on what the mysterious contractor looked like; it was a strange job, but it pays well. Furthermore, I looked around the small bar; in one corner was a small family celebrating something, and a few lonely men were sitting next to the bar drowning their sorrow in the bottle, but none of them caught my eye.
Deep in my thoughts, a hand landed on my shoulder. "I think we should sit down, Sam." A calm and youthful voice I didn't recognize sounded behind me. I turned around, and what I saw made shivers run down my spine. It was a Hunter. Real hunter, with a long-sleeved white academy uniform and the logo of the serpent on his right shoulder. Hunters are strong and vicious, but he looked rather friendly. Long brown hair tied into a ponytail, baby blue eyes, a warm smile, and a welcoming feeling around him. He pointed at the empty table at the end of the bar, and we made our way towards it. No words have been said by me; I was starstruck. "This job is going to be interesting, I thought. Usually the military doesn't hire guys like us. When we sat down, he grabbed his drink that had just arrived, a whisky glass with transparent fluid and three ice cubes in it, in one hand, raised his head, and looked me in the eyes.
"I guess you can tell already how I make my living, so you have some ideas why we are here, I assume," he said while keeping intense eye contact, making me swallow my tongue. I just blinked and nodded my head slowly. "We had some bad luck recently, and a few spots opened up. We are going into the portal tomorrow, and we need non-military personnel with us." His gaze dropped, looking at the ice in his drink and slowly spinning the glass, making the ice rotate in it. Portals appeared on Earth 40 years ago, long before I was born. First nothing happened; they just stood there, glowing with a hypnotic blue color. Then, out of nowhere, monsters came out of them, pure nightmare material. Most of the human population was wiped out within the first few months, until Hunters appeared. Some humans got stronger and faster; more powerful ones got godlike powers. They were at the top of the food chain, a true apex predator. "It's simple; I need to get a sergeant certificate, and one of the tests is protecting non-military personnel on travels through portals." He took a sip out of his drink and placed it back on the table. "You and your friend just need to follow my and my crew's orders; there will also be a higher-ranking officer to make sure everything is okay." He explained and waited for my reaction. "So we go into the portal, walk around, go back out, and get paid. Is it really that simple, or are you leaving something out?" I asked with suspicion in my voice; it all seemed too simple to be true. "You know the risks; you can still be killed if I fail. That's why; it seems obvious to me," he answered and smiled at me like I just asked something really stupid. I thought about it; it seemed too good to be true. Usually I don't accept jobs if my gut feeling doesn't agree with me, but I haven't worked with the military before; maybe they are different, and I also needed that money badly. I stood up and put my hand in front of him, waiting for a shake. In the small bar, a corner of the city, a deal was made.