Patricia walked around till she got to her apartment, a few minutes walk from the forest. All was dark, and the road was empty for that time of the day.
It was eight p.m., and New York was known for its hustling and bustling, especially at that time of the year, which was a festive period, but all was different since the wolves and weird creatures influxed to the city.
The peace and serenity they knew became a thing of the past, and fear grew in the land.
People were killed in their numbers by the creatures, and people began to relocate. Now the city had become a ghost town, save for a few who remained loyal to New York.
The governor had invited Patricia to help battle those creatures, and she was doing a fine job with it.
She got home, locked her door, and then went to bed after having a bit of dried meat.
She dreamt of more battles to come, and she shivered because it was bloody and frightening.
"That was a very wise decision, my Lord! We need to teach that witch hunter a lesson," a member of the council said as he drank from a bottle of aromatic schnapps.
"Yes, my Lord! Thousands have died by her blade, and we have procrastinated her death for too long."Another said he was dipping his hand into a bowl containing human blood.
They get a fresh supply of it every week. About twenty or more for the king's household. They were served that special meal because the king had ordered them.
"Yeah! I hope you are enjoying yourself."Lucifer asked as he reached for some flesh in the huge bowl.
"Yes, we are. Thank you, my Lord!"
Just then, a loud gong was heard, and they recognized it. It was a sound that heralds the arrival of the head of the witches.
She sauntered in with a blank expression that made Lucifer wonder what the problem was. She reeked of evil, and the stench riled the air.
Her plain white cloth, which she wore everywhere she went, was the only thing pure about her entire life, and now it was covered with dirt. Thick dirt made her look like the old hag she hated being called.
"Hello! What brings you to the palace, head of the witches?" Lucia asked with a flabbergasted grimace as he continued to stare at her.
"This is the same issue I have spoken to you about over ten times. And just take a look at me; I look so Haggard and unkempt, all because of that stupid witch Hunter called Patricia!" She said it with so much hate and venom in her. It was toxic, and the council members had to cover themselves with a thin wrapper against her toxicity.
"What do you mean? What has she done again this time?" Lucifer asked with a deep sigh.
"Just take a careful look at me! She did this to me all because I went to talk to her, to confront her," she said, pretending to be crying.
"Are you kidding me? With all your power?" The king asked, trying hard to keep himself from laughing.
"Are you making jest of me, my Lord?" She asked with boiling anger.
"And why would I? Well, to answer your question and to calm your nerves, I am heading to earth by the next full moon, and I promise to bring her head back with me."He said that and then waved her off.
She gave a low bow and then went away. She sneered in anger and then flew to her coven.
It wasn't news that she didn't like the king. She considered him lenient and inefficient. Yes, he was powerful—in fact, the most powerful king the underworld ever had—but he had one problem.
Mercy.
He was merciful to the core, and it irked her when all she wanted to see him do was evil.
He abolished the age-long tradition of killing about ten thousand humans before the end of each year. He also canceled the feast of subordinates.
In this feast, the top-ranked officials feed on those who have remained at the same level for over a year. It was a bloodbath, which they all looked forward to.
"Tueh!" She spoke on the floor and then brought out her meal of flesh.
It was morning over the earth, and the sun was shining intensely, making its love known to those underneath it.
They misunderstood it and wailed about its severity!
"Damn! This is so hot!" Patricia cussed aloud as she tended her garden behind her house. The heat was becoming unbearable, and the plants she met in the yard were starting to wear off.
Just at that moment, a truck drove past at an alarming speed. Some young boys could be seen in the truck.
They pulled up in front of the house, ten buildings away from hers.
She watched them from a corner of her eye and then nodded in approval.
"I think it's time to set to work!" She said it with a devilish grin as she hurried into the house. She came out a few minutes later with a bush ax and two revolvers she strapped around her belt.
She shut the door tight and then hurried off, towards where the jeepney was parked.
Her fist found its way to the tall metallic door and then thumped against it in a gentle manner that depicted her cunningness.
"Who is there?" She heard a lady's voice from the inside, and she recognized it. She had seen her on about two occasions, and on those occasions, the girl had been speaking with someone.
She thought for a while about the most suitable answer to give her.
"It's me, your neighbor!" She said with a shrug of the shoulder that, after all, she wasn't telling a lie. She was indeed her neighbor.
The door came open, and her gaze fell upon the girl. She froze the moment she saw her and then shut the door back.
Patricia was sure of her instincts. She was a wolf.
Patricia was more swift and sharp than the girl. She placed her hand on the door, pushing it with all her might. It came open, and she met the girl panting like she had just completed a marathon.
"What's the problem with you, girl? Why do you look so scared when you see me?" Patricia asked with a sarcastic grin.
"It's just that I was scared when I saw the ax in your hand!" She said, swallowing hard like she had something stuck in her throat.
"Really? You know something so little as an ax shouldn't scare you. Patricia said that and paused abruptly when she heard a loud noise from upstairs.
"Babe! Who's she, and what does she want?" A young boy of about 19 spoke with his friends, who followed at a close distance.
"And who are they?" Patricia asked, ignoring them completely.
"They are my friends, and I am her boyfriend. Who are you?" The boy asked, locking his arm in his girlfriend's.
"I am Patricia, a top-notch witch hunter," she said, watching the boy's eyes turn pale after she said that.
"You are a witch hunter?" They asked with a flabbergasted grimace, and Patricia knew why.
"Yes, I am, and a ruthless one at that. I see witches, wolves, and vampires, and I kill them the same way I'm going to kill you now!" She said she was swinging her ax over her head.
"Prepare to die!" She said, and immediately, the three boys turned into a medium-sized wolf, growling with all their might.
Their loud voice filled the air, and immediately they dove for the innocent girl beside her, tearing her into a thousand pieces.
"Please have mercy on me!" The girl screamed as they pierced her until nothing but bones were left of her, and then they pounced on Patricia, who was watching their game with pleasure.
She swung her ax in the air, and it landed on one of them, severing its head from the rest of the body.
The rest took a few steps back when they saw what happened. The head of the one beheaded by Patricia rolled and then stopped in front of her. The body was still shaking, and it irked her.
In annoyance, she landed him another blow, putting out the little life he still had in him.
The duo shook with fear at her cruelty and decided to run for their lives. They hadn't gone a few inches when Patricia reached for the two pistols she tucked in her belt, holding one in each hand. She pulled the trigger, and it gave out a loud bang that echoed miles away.
They dropped dead on the floor, and she let out a long, sarcastic laugh.
"Four thousand and one," she wrote it down in a small notepad she fished from her bag, strapped around her neck.
That was the number of strange creatures she had killed since she decided to be a witch hunter some years ago.
That was the highest number of witch hunters ever killed.
Even James Sparrow, the legendary witch hunter, never killed up to that in his entire life, and that was why Lucifer decided to handle her himself.