A Cold Heart

Initiation 2 - The Past.

2 days earlier...

The car turns on. beep. Jake walks out of a hotel on the side of the road and gets in his car. He looks worn out. He starts driving to a place. A location on his phone. It was raining in the cold evening. He turns on the radio to listen to some music. It wasn't working at the moment. "The rain must be interfering with the frequency." His phone begins ringing,

Jake: Hello?
unknown 1: Have you reached the location, Mr. Nightingale? omminously.
Jake: Not yet. It's a three day journey. What am I supposed to do there? Who are you? When am I getting paid?
unknown 1: You will know when the time comes, Mr. Nightingale. The details of the job has been uploaded to your phone. Until then, take care.
Jake: Wait, wait, atleast tell me what these Night Crawlers are.
unknown 1: Go to Bar Ambroscious and order off menu.
Jake: Wait, what do you mean order...

The call ends with Jake seeing a bright light in front of him. A bike was laying down on the ground with its headlight on. A man waves at him from the distance. "HEYYY! OVER HERE!" Jake stops the car and gets out. With his boots getting dirt on them, he opens his umbrella and starts walking towards the man. He looks at the bike laying on the ground, assuming it must have broken down.

Sam: Hey man. I'm so sorry I had to make you pull over.
Jake: Oh, that's alright. What's the problem?
Sam: I don't know man. My bike just broke down. There seems to be an issue with the parts. I don't think it can be fixed now. Can you give me a ride to the nearest town?
Jake: Yeah, I think I can. Get in.
Sam: Thank you so much man.
Jake: What about the bike?
Sam: I'll just leave it here. I got it for cheap credits anyway.

They get in the car and drive towards The Terminal, a station where all locations connect on the map. The wheels moving on the road, the car's engine, the rain splattering on the roof of the car. It all added to the silence in the car.

Sam: The name's Sam. Sam Riverton.
Jake: I'm Jake. Jake Nightingale. Nice to meet you.
Sam: Yeah, nice to meet you too.
Jake: Are you from around here?
Sam: Not really. I'm from New London, East.
Jake: That's pretty far away. What are you doing here?

Sam explains that he was here looking for work. He had lost his family to a malfunctioning sentry. It came out of nowhere, breaking open the front door. It barged in, scanned the environment and attacked his mother while Sam was outside. He heard sounds and ran inside only to witness his mother's skull being crushed. Sam ran away in vain from the house and got on his bike and drove off. Ever since then, he would do cheap labour and earn for his living. Sam shows him a picture of his girlfriend in his wallet who was killed by a Night Crawler. "Thats really sad to hear. I'm sorry for your loss. Since we both are in need of credits, I- I have a job offer if your willing to take it. "

Sam: I'm all ears.
Jake: shows Sam the location on the phone. 31C, Gracium, West. We need to find this house and investigate what happened here and collect the data drives which are inside of a brown bag and transfer it to the host.
Sam: Who is the host?
Jake: I do not know.

Sam was confused as this was the first time he was offered a private job. He thinks for a few minutes and then agrees on the job offer. Jake hands him a gun. They were told that they would need them. The house would be infested with Night crawlers. Blood thirsty creatures which adapt and mutate to their surroundings. It was a long drive. Two days had passed already. Sam said he would drive the next day and let Jake rest a bit.

The car stopped and Jake woke up. "Where are we?" They had stopped at the bar. Jake ordered some drinks while Sam sat down at a table. The band started playing some Mexican music. "Lovely!" They sit down and browse the menu waiting for the drinks. A waiter walks towards them,

Waiter: What would like to order, Gentlemen?
Sam: We would like two margarita pizza's with some extra cheese..
Waiter: Is that all?
Sam: and something off menu?

The waiter asks them to wait while she goes over to the bartender and speaks with him. The bartender looks at them with a keen eye and calls them over. "You two! Come here. Take a seat! " Jake and Sam sit down in front of the Bartender.

Jake: <thinks to himself> This man has lost an eye. What could be the reason. A night Crawler?
Sam: Tell us everything you know, please.
Bartender: <In a Russian accent> Gracium was once a peaceful town, filled with people and prosperity. Everyone were moving in and living happy lives there. It was all bright and the Night Crawlers decided to crash the party. They just came, aliens, out of nowhere and started feeding on innocent people and started adapting, mutating. They slowly became immune to bullets and the people were slowly forced to run away from their homes.
Jake: What happened?
Bartender: Sentries were deployed. Machines built by the Syndicate to safeguard the citizens. They succeeded in killing all off the Night Crawlers or so they thought. One of them burrowed deep inside and made a nest. It and along with a few others have survived till date. A few days ago, an officer was dispatched to investigate and report back but it never happened. Special agent Gabriel. Till this date, no one has ev.....

As he was telling them about the Night crawlers, chills went down their spines. The man had lost his eye to a Night Crawler but he managed to escape. They were totally unaware of what they were walking into. They decided to plan out their strategy in the night. Thanking the Bartender for the valuable information, they finish their drink and rest up for the night. During his sleep, Jake had nightmares. The Night Crawler waiting for them at the house, later digging its hands into him. Blood spewing all over and Sam dead next to him.

Jake woke up to these nightmares and pulled out his gun aiming in front of him. Sweat rolled down the side of his face. He was gasping and realized it was nightmare. He saw Sam looking at a hologram of a girl. who? Jake thought about it for a while and put his gun back on the table. He asked Sam if he was ready and up for the job given to them. Sam turned around, not knowing Jake was awake, and turns off the hologram. "Wha.. What? I didn't realise you were awake.", Sam sways away from the question. "Lets rest up for tomorrow. " Jake turns off the lights and both of them go back to sleep.

They were on the road again, the following morning. They drove throughout the countryside, looking at all the flora and fauna. Birds building their nests. Cattle grazing in the fields. Farmers doing their jobs. Dogs and cats chasing down each other. Grizzly bears fighting each other. It was all pleasant until it was night time. The car stopped. Jake and Sam get out of the car and start walking towards the dark and dilapidated house.

END OF THE CHAPTER