Who Am I?

1

Today started just like any other day had. Squad 1, including myself, got up for our drills at  seven in the morning then made breakfast. We all lived together in agency housing which is basically a motel that Hunters stay in while on a mission. The agency is also known as The Family.

Sitting in the back of the windowless black van my team and I are stuffed into I go over the plan in my head again for the millionth time. Infiltrate the Lair, kill Vamps, retrieve Alfa Lair locations, escape and blow the place up. Easy. Then maybe go get dinner at Teds Diner on the way back to base. As I close my eyes and try to get this bad feeling to go away I hear my captain scoot closer to me, "Whats got ya so quiet, kiddo?"

Peeking through my lashes at her I see the years of hunting etched in her face. Worry lines weave across her skin like spiderwebs, "Just a bad feeling Captain." I couldn't lie to her even if I wanted to, she was the one who rescued me as a toddler and raised me like one of her own. She always told me I was found in a dark place full of evil monsters and it was her job to protect me and our Family. Well now it is my job to protect The Family too, I became a hunter the moment I hit puberty. Constant training didn't really leave me with much time to know anything else so, at twenty-two, hunting is who I am.

"What is it?" She trusts my gut so she doesn't take my worries lightly.

"I just feel like.. where we are going.. something isn't right.." My stomach is in knots, looking at my crew I try to etch their faces into my memory.

 Ivan Jamison, a twenty six year old hunter born and raised in the Family, he and I had a fling but that didn't work out for a few different blonde reasons. We decided it was best to just be team mates and friends. 

The one driving the van is Tory Lawson, we call him the Grunt because of  his habit to grunt at everything, it's a very on-the-nose nickname. He is a massive six foot eight mountain of a man who doesn't say much but is really good at putting his words in his actions. AKA do not piss him off. 

Finally I look back at my Captain, Irene Simmons, a sweet but tough-as-nails forty year old woman who taught me everything I know. Smiling at me she rests her hand on my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze she says, "Everything will be alright, we have each other."

As much as I want her words to make me feel better I just cant get rid of the shivers running down my spine. I have learned to trust my gut, but this mission is out of my hands. She's the Captain after all and a mission is a mission, it must be completed.  

Returning her smile I weave my long brown hair into a quick braid and reflexively grab the gun holstered to my thigh, checking that the mag is full. I give her a quick nod and she switches into Captain mode, "How close are we to the Lair, Jamison?"

"According to my Navi we will be pulling up to the outer forest at the back of the property in roughly three minutes." Pushing up his glasses he glances at me and gives me a shy smile, a grunt from Lawson confirms that we were soon to arrive at the entry point. 

"Ok, is everybody geared and loaded?" Irene asks while quickly looking us over.

"Yes Captain!" Jamison and I say in unison. Lawson just grunts in confirmation.

Nodding she looks around at each of us, "Remember the plan, stick to it and try not to die. It is important for us not to forget that every mission is life threatening, anything could happen in this line of work."  It was ingrained in our heads from a young age not to get too cocky because that'll just get us all killed.

Turning off the van we all hop out onto the moist soil outside the tree line. The sun blinds me for a few seconds after being in the dark van all morning. Squinting as I look into what is our entry point I get another shiver, swallowing my fear and sensing them behind me we march straight into the woods.