He was one of the very few contractors who knew her name, and didn’t speak it in disdain. Dr. Tash was a reputable doctor who she’d seen save more than one soul, and cared for his practice. He even built up a company that travelled between the towns and the city, transporting medicine and patients who needed his care. Through his patients he heard many gruesome stories of beast attacks. One patient, though, had told him about the female hunter who’d rescued him, and taken him to the doctor in the closest town for medical attention. Dr. Tash had reached out to Ashlin, and offered a working relationship where as long as she kept the roads between towns clear of any beasts, so his caravan company could travel with ease, in return he would place any contracts he had in her hands. Most, if not all, of his contracts came from his patients, to slay whatever attacked them. Her reward was always half of what the patient paid Dr. Tash, keeping Ashlin’s purse mostly full. She kept her working relationship a secret from the other hunters, knowing well that it could put a target on her head.
Xael was the only other hunter who knew, because she trusted him. Since this particular contract had needed two hunters, Ashlin had automatically wanted Xael as a partner. Now he wasn’t here and Ash desperately wished he was, so she wasn’t stuck between two cocky men.
“So I seem to have underestimated the difficulty of the task,” Dr. Tash's statement brought Ashlin out of her thoughts and back to the room.
Immediately she noticed the two men mulling over her, Braxton's arm around her, and Elijah's hand on her thigh. With a growl she threw them both off and stood up, moving to a seat two over from Braxton.
"Professional guys," she muttered, glaring at Elijah and sending a softer look at Braxton.
Dr. Tash took a seat before continuing, “As you know Ashlin, what I am looking into is a large supply run for my practice. What I haven’t been able to relay to you yet is I need you to get into a fairly large hospital, situated in the middle of an abandoned city.”
“A city?” Ash’s throat dried, “You want me to go into a city for a few drugs?”
When the outbreak hit almost three decades ago, the cities across the world had been affected the worst. Over half of the population on Earth had died, and those that did survive were split amongst the unaffected and the affected. In those early stages, many with the mutagen became creatures of unknown terror and strength. Some retained their sanity, but most didn’t. After three decades Mother Nature had taken over most of the world once again, lush forests surrounding every town. Only the Cleansed City remained as the largest town, still vastly underpopulated, but by far the biggest settlement in the area.
And now the forests were home to all those beasts and more. Animals and even the dead had been affected by the mutagen too, becoming a whole new evolution of creatures. Beast hunters were the only thing standing between humans and an evolution of monsters. And like Ashlin, most hunters weren’t human either. Mortals couldn’t be hunters; they were too slow, vulnerable, and weak. In order to fight monsters you needed to match their incredible speed, size and strength.
But even with all those qualities, no hunter willing entered an abandoned city. They were infested with all kinds of creatures, hard to navigate, and worst held little cover or escape routes. If you got trapped on a street with a horde of zombies chasing you and a werewolf coming at you in the opposite direction, the crumbling houses or buildings around you become a hindrance, not a safe haven. Hunters only ever traveled to cities if they were too stupid or brave, or travelling in large groups. Ashlin was only aware of one or two hunters that had made it out of a city alive, and most swore not to return.
And that’s what Dr. Tash wanted.
He wants to send us to our deaths if he thinks we can all survive a city.
“I understand what I’m asking is no easy task Ash, and that is why I’ve raised the reward per hunter-”
“Excuse my bluntness, but two hunters would be slain in hours, and three might last a day,” Ash interrupted looking appalled, “If you want these items so badly, I’m going to need four, possibly five hunters.”
“That’s why I asked for four,” he nodded, “Doubling the efforts. And I’m offering a thousand gold a head, here.”
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