Chapter 3: The First Mission
Lying down on his bed in room 103, wondering about the life he will live from now on. Still, Lorian was glad that the debt had been paid off and that his sisters were safe. They will now be able to live worry-free of expenses and focused more on their studies.
The memory of what happened inside the containment room kept him awake this late at night. He would be dealing with those things from now on and he feared that his mental health can't handle this type of stress.
The morning sun rose outside the abandoned hospital, and Lorian's room lit up on its own. He was still awake sitting on his bed and hugging his knees. His eyes were weary and dark circles appeared under them. Negative thoughts made his mind go out of control with all the overthinking, this worsen his insomnia.
An annoying tone rang inside the SDD. It was so loud that it would wake up anyone asleep, but annoy the living hell of someone who lacks it.
Lorian stood up, his face distorted in irritation. Dashing out of his room still wearing his pajamas, he proceeded to the reception center where Ann stayed.
He saw Ann, fresh as a daisy. Her wet black hair looks like a waterfall flowing down peacefully. She sat down at her table, inside her own world enjoying her morning coffee.
"Ann, can you stop this alarm?" Lorian asked in haste.
"It will end after 10 minutes." She answered calmly.
"Ugh, kill me," Lorian groaned.
He went back to the living quarters. It was located on the left side of the reception center. The living quarters consisted of 5 rooms, four rooms are bedrooms with bathrooms inside, while the last room was the kitchen.
Lorian went inside the kitchen, eyelids sagging down. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out two pieces of marshmallows, using both of them as earbuds. His distorted face calmed down after not hearing the loud tone.
Lorian now at peace, decided to make an espresso for himself. He loved the taste of it after Pablo taught him how to make it. It was also one of the reasons why he couldn't sleep.
After squeezing every extract of the grounded coffee beans, he poured some condensed milk into it to add some sweetness. He also got himself some bread to dip in his cup and snacked it. Ever since he was young, he never had the luxury to drink this type of beverage before. The only thing he can afford was coffee in sachets, those cheap bitter ones.
As he was enjoying his morning coffee, Pablo called his name through the PA system. "Lorian, come to my office right now,"
Lorian looked at the analog clock on the wall and wondered why he was being called this early in the morning. He drank all of his coffee in one gulp and rapidly ate his bread. Cleaned up the table and placed all the dishes in the dishwasher machine before rushing out of the kitchen.
'Am I going to start working today?' he thought.
Shivers ran through his spine when the thought of working came to his mind. This supernatural thing would send him to many sleepless nights for sure. But what can he do? By the contract, he couldn't escape this faith anymore.
When Lorian reached the reception center, Ann was not sitting on her office chair, and her hot smoking cup of coffee was left behind. 'I wonder where Ann went?' Lorian pondered.
He proceeded to Pablo's office, knocking on the door before opening it. When he opened the door, he saw Pablo sitting on his chair, while in front of him were Ann and a stranger. They were discussing something, but they are interrupted when Lorian opened the door.
"Lorian, you're finally here. Please have a seat." Pablo instructed.
"Excuse me," Lorian said as he sat next to the stranger.
"Now that you are here, let me introduce you to your partner. His name is Sao Panelo. He is the one I told you that is coming this day. Sao, this is Lorian Moreno." Pablo introduced.
"Hi, Lorian, nice meeting you. Let's have a lot of fun working together," Sao cheerfully greeted as he reached his hand to Lorian.
Lorian shyly grinned at the energetic Sao. He shook Sao's hand and greeted back, "Nice meeting you too."
"Now that we are all here, let's start with our meeting," Pablo initiated.
"Uhm, question. What about the other one?" Sao asked.
"Oh, forget it. That Dante is a lone wolf. You will know each other someday." Pablo answered.
Then he proceeded, "We are this region's SDD so we covered a large landmass with our meager numbers. Other regions have a lot of employees but in my opinion, they are lacking. That is why I only hire people who are fit for this type of job. In just 5 months after our opening we have already disposed of 10 and sealed 2 supernatural beings. Quality over quantity is my motto. You are here now because you passed my initial assessment. Because I see something more in you."
'A stalker?' Lorian thought.
"Now prove me your worth. Ann, show them their task."
Ann stood up, with a remote control in her hand. She pressed it, and a projected light hit the wall showing a grotesque image of a woman with mangled guts.
"The woman's name is Pricilla Dela Cerna, age 20, 6th month pregnant. She died of blood loss and shock due to an open wound in her stomach. We speculated this is the deed of a ghoul. Ghoul variant, unknown. Her husband said he heard wings flapping followed by a loud sharp shriek of a bird before he reached his home. Speculation, it was either a Bat Ghoul or the Immortal Ghoul. That is all." Ann reported.
"Thank you, Ann," Pablo thanked before turning to look at Sao and Lorian. "I would like you to find the culprit and dispose of it. Here are each of your 33Tins cellular phones to contact us and debit cards for your food allowance. If you need extra money, just text us the reason and we will consider it. The location is San Vicente village, it will be set in the GPS of your vehicle so you don't need to worry about getting lost."
Paolo pulled a cigar and lit it up, puffing thick smoke out of his mouth. "That would be all. Tomorrow will be the day you will begin the disposal. Ann, you lead them to the company's vehicle tomorrow. Any questions?"
Lorian tried to raise his hands but Sao stood up and asked a question first. "Sir, what is a Bat Ghoul and Immortal Ghoul? And how do we deal with them?" Sao asked.
"Don't worry, Ann will bring you to the containment room tomorrow. She will give you the necessary information there," Pablo answered. He then turned next to Lorian whose hand was still hung up. "Yes, Lorian?"
"Ye-yes, sir I would like to ask how dangerous this mission is?" Lorian inquired.
"Based on the reports, the danger level is Corporeal: Type C. It will kill. Please, be careful both of you." Pablo calmly answered.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone