Anachronistic: Endless Masquerade

20 | Falling Back to Earth

- 20 -

Pandora worried that the shaking she struggled to hold back might cause her shotgun to misfire. She pulled her finger from the trigger to be safe. There was always a bit of fear when fighting a youkai, but it was hard to suppress this time. Usually, hunts took place after days of observation and research. She was used to fighting monsters she understood. Now, she was charging into the unknown unprepared hoping she could stay alive on luck long enough for observation to fill the gaps in her knowledge.

        Before Pandora could swing open the ornate double doors to the smoking room a looming figure darted around the corner. She drew her shotgun up at the shape. A large man dressed in the same uniform she had seen that morning. Was he another security officer? Pandora glanced down at the shotgun the man had leveled at her. Small scars dotted his hands and his left pinky looked to be missing altogether. No, these men weren't simple security; the ship had hired hunters. Did the company know there would be a youkai on board?

        "Return to your room. We can handle—"

        He was cut off by a deafening caw from inside the smoking room. Pandora's speculations could wait, they wouldn't help stop the rampaging creature inside. But she did take note of the sound it made. It's cry reminiscent of a bird. That matched with the feather she had found earlier, but helped narrow the field down. A sphinx or harpy would have feathers, but would their human head produce a sound like that? A pegasus didn't make sense either, for much the same reason.

        "Whatever, do what you want."

        Pandora had nearly forgotten about the hunter in front of her. It's not like she would have left just because he told her to, but this did make things easier. She didn't have his approval, but she did have something approaching permission. There was a crack as the ship hunter kicked in the set of doors that led to the first-class smoking room and they both entered together.

        Pandora couldn't see the youkai as she rushed in, though its chirps echoed through the space. The smoking lounge had a U-shaped layout that didn't allow you to see the full room at one time. The creature must be around some corner, possibly lying in wait for them. She returned her finger to her gun's trigger and headed further inside.

        As she crept forward, Pandora was struck by the duality of the space. Meticulously decorated but thrown into disarray. The room's green color scheme was contrasted with rust-colored smears of fresh blood. The chips and cards from unfinished poker games were scattered across the floor. Many of the room's armchairs, upholstered in a brilliant emerald, lay on their side. Some with men cowering behind them others with corpses strewn over them. Several of the dead men were adorned in the same uniform as the ship hunter. If only the stained glass depictions of goddesses lining the walls had given them their blessings.

        A limp body flew across Pandora's periphery followed shortly by a loud crash. She spun and leveled her shotgun at an upturned chair still rocking from the impact. With held breath, she stepped forward and more of the lounge revealed itself from around the corner. A brilliant fireplace stood as the centerpiece of the room, and beside it stood a drunk old man brandishing a fire poker. What he was fighting off was still obscured from her position, but the fear in his eyes told her what she needed to know. She had found the youkai.

        Pandora readied her weapon and burst forward. The ship hunter must have had the same idea as he set off at the same moment she had. With two hunters there was a good chance to save the old drunk's life assuming he could last until they could reach the fireplace. He would be alone for those few seconds; more than enough time to die.