Sugarcoat (Benjamin Burnley x Keith Wallen)

8

"You again! What the hell are you doing?!" I exclaimed when I realized who was standing in the distance from me. It was him.

He stayed calm, and took a few seconds before speaking in his low, smooth voice.

"Hunting. Looking for creatures. And you? Shouldn't you be interrogating people about the body that I discovered last night?" His tone was sarcastic, condescending and playful. It was so snarky it almost irritated me. Why was he like this?

"I was. But then I came here, because..." I was about to say something, how I was curious about what I heard around here last night. But I cut myself off, getting nervous when trying to word it together in front of, well, him.

But he read my mind.

"Because you were curious about what you heard coming from these woods last night. And you came back for answers. I get it. Unfortunately, I can already tell you, there's nothing to see here."

I had so many questions for him. But I could barely think of any in that moment. I spat out the first one that came to mind. "Why did you guide me away from this area when we both heard the sounds? Why didn't you let me check?"

"I'm sorry? Weren't you hurt? Very badly because you tripped? Why would I let you walk into danger like that?"

His answer was reasonable, but still made me feel uneasy. I asked the next question I could think of. "Why are you never around? We could really use your help."

"But I am helping. I'm trying to find the actual source of the problem, while Aaron and you guys get information, so he can give me leads. As of right now, I don't have much to go by."

It sounded valid, and convincing. But he was still suspicious to me. And I didn't even know why. He was the leader, the protector, who Aaron knew and trusted. Out of everything that could've made my feel off about this investigation, somehow it was Ben.

"I'm a paranormal hunter who has killed and captured hundreds of monsters throughout my life. And here I am, stuck having to ask people questions? Why did you even hire us in the first place?!"

"Because right now, we are more desperate than ever." His tone shifted from snarky and teasing, to serious, and almost tired. "I was completely against the idea of having someone from the agency come over, but things have gotten so much worse here recently."

I didn't know what else to say. I just stood there, thoughtless, staring at the man. But soon enough, he began to approach me. The slight light from the sunset gave his dark hair a bit of a shimmer, and illuminated his hazel eyes. His skin looked so clear, so smooth. With him he carried a riffle, strapped behind his back. I wonder what other weapons he had on him. His height still intimidated me, along with his dark attire. I felt captivated, I couldn't look away. Once he was standing right in front of me, he spoke again.

"You know, if you really want to, you could help me on the hunt already. Only if your team is cool with it, though. I figured they could use your help."

I tried to form words, I tried to think of what to say, what to do. Why did he want my help now? Shaun and Jasen hadn't even met him yet. Could I trust him?

Yes, I had to trust him. Something about him simply fascinated me. I wanted to learn more about him, and see for myself. And yes, I would've much rather liked to have been on the hunt by now.

"Thinking, hmm?" He said. "Do you have the proper weapons on you right now?"

"My dagger, pistol loaded with silver bullets, taser...is that enough?" I was full of uncertainty of what I was about to do, but it felt better than wasting my time like I was earlier.

Ben gave me a peculiar look, almost one of curiosity when I mentioned the bullets. "For a small helping hand to me, yes it is." He said. "So, are you down?"

It took me a moment to finally decide. I was still not fully sure what I was getting myself into. But I was sure of my decision. I was sure I wanted to get to know this man better, for myself. I slowly grabbed my small phone out of my pocket. I dialed Jasen's number. It lead to voice mail. At the tone, I left a message.

"Jasen, it's me. I'm going hunting. Tell Shaun I'll see you guys later. I'm safe, don't worry about me. And I have the permission. I'm with Ben. Call me in case of anything."

Ben be hella sus for real lol. ANYWAY SORRY FOR DRAGGING THIS BOOK ON FOR SO LONG I PROMISE WE'RE GETTING TO THE INTERESTING PARTS