Hunter's Retribution pt.1

He pushes up to one knee, turning toward Blake.

Kellan (shouting): "STAY BEHIND ME!"

He rises, hand trembling as he regains focus.

Kellan (to himself, rapid thinking): "That wasn't a Tier 4. Not even close. Fast. Heavy. Controlled."

He looks forward. The figure now stands in shadow, hunched, breathing slow.

A breeze passes. The figure slowly tilts its head, revealing a human-like face. Glowing faintly. Eyes hollow, but not empty.

Kellan (quietly): "It's not feral... But am certain it's not human either."

Kellan (swallowing hard): "That's not a Tier 2… is it?"

He steadies his stance, eyes narrowing. Breathing sharper.

Kellan (tense, thinking): "If I had my gear… this'd be a fair fight."

A beat.

"But like this... I'm wide open."

INT. D.V. FORCE COMMAND CENTER | SECURE OPERATIONS FLOOR | SAME MOMENT

ALERT SIRENS begin flashing red.

Walls of monitors come alive — heartbeat-like pulses blinking rapidly across maps of East Africa. A digital globe zooms in — Kilimanjaro marked in crimson.

Tech #1 (shouting): "We've got a spike! Energy surge just lit up Grid 9 — west outskirts!"

D.v force chairman (rushing in): "Threat level?"

Tech #2 (eyes wide): "We can't clearly get the readings but signature's very high, sir this isn't random. It's focused."

Operation officer (tense): "Comparison cross-match… possibly Tier 1 behavior."

A HUSH falls across the floor.

D.v force chairman (grinding his jaw): "That's a civilian zone... do we have anyone close?"

Tech #1: "Haile. Kellan Haile. Local contact. Off-duty."

Chairman: "Patch him in. Now." He slams his palm against the alert pad.

Chairman (firm, dark): "Get every available unit airborne. Deploy Black Division protocols.

If this thing moves into the city—

who knows..."

Warning alarms screamed louder, filling the command room with a rising wave of urgency.

The screen shows one lone Hunter beacon in the red zone... and next to it, a second, unknown pulse.

The sun dipped low behind the ridge of the abandoned mine, casting long shadows that swallowed the cracked earth and rusted remnants.

There stood the Mindless. Still as stone—half-hidden in the gathering dusk. Its face, unnervingly human, was illuminated only by the faint, cold glow of its eyes.

No flicker of emotion crossed its features. No twitch, no grin. Just an unblinking, silent gaze, as if it were patiently waiting—watching everything and nothing all at once.

Kellan Haile grits his teeth, blood on his lips, and rushes forward with a furious leap.

WHOOSH

CRACK

Kellan lands a clean punch across the creature's jaw. Then another. And another.

Each blow echoes through the canyon, his fists glowing faintly from impact energy. But the Mindless doesn't move. Doesn't blink. With every strike, Kellan's knuckles split open.

Blood drips down his hands, staining the dirt red.

Kellan (thinking, panicked): "No reaction. Not even a flinch, what the hell is this thing...?"

He swings again—this time with a desperate roar.

The creature's hand shoots up like lightning, catching his fist mid-air.

Then—

It grabs his head with a sudden crack of pressure, lifting him clean off the ground with one hand.

Kellan (gasping, legs kicking): "—khh!"

Veins rise in his neck as he struggles to breathe.

Kellan (in his mind, fading): "Too fast..."

The creature stares into his eyes, calm, unmoved, like it's reading something inside him.

Kellan's body convulses. His fingers twitch.

Mindless (calm, deep, slightly curious): "...I sensed a powerful presence."

beat

"...you are weak."

Kellan (mind racing): "So this is it...?"

A sharp breath. Vision blurring. Not even in uniform. No blade. No backup. No time to warn the city. The grip tightens. Bones creak.

Kellan (last thought): "Damn it, Blake… I brought you into this. You didn't even get a chance to run."