Chapter 9: Hunter's Association News
**Back on Earth**
"The Tiger's Monitor Guild raid camera feed is ranking number one, sir!"
The excitement in the young reporter's voice was almost tangible as he delivered the news, but his superior's response was tinged with an unease that hadn't been there in years. The old man, seated at his cluttered desk, lifted his weary eyes from the paperwork in front of him, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Number one? That's the first time since… then," he murmured, his voice trailing off as memories of past horrors surfaced.
Without another word, the manager of the Country Hunter's TV rose from his seat, his joints creaking in protest. He needed to see for himself what was causing such a stir. Pushing through the crowded newsroom, he made his way toward the large flat-screen TV mounted on the far wall. Reporters were clustered around it, their faces reflecting a mixture of disbelief and horror.
As he finally caught sight of the screen, his blood ran cold.
"Oh, shit! What the hell is happening... Are they all dying?" His hand instinctively flew to his mouth as the gruesome scene played out before him. A young woman's skull was crushed like a fragile egg under the monstrous fist of a towering Fatek, her lifeless body crumpling to the ground in a pool of blood.
It wasn't just her. All around her, hunters were falling like flies, their bodies torn apart by the Fateks that seemed to emerge from the very walls.
'This is insane. No wonder it's ranking number one,' the manager thought, his heart pounding in his chest. The whole world was watching this massacre unfold in real-time, unable to tear their eyes away from the carnage.
For years, cameras had been implanted into the gear of hunters entering alien portals, broadcasting their battles to the world. It had started as a way to raise awareness, to rally support for the hunters risking their lives. But now, it felt like something much darker—an unintentional snuff film that everyone was glued to, horrified but unable to look away.
"Dear God," someone whispered, echoing the manager's thoughts.
***
Annie Teras felt like she was in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
She had been in her college dorm, hanging out with friends, when the emergency broadcast had interrupted their evening. Her heart had skipped a beat when she saw the Tiger's Monitor Guild's raid ranking number one—her brother Axel's guild.
At first, she had felt a surge of pride. But that feeling was short-lived, replaced by icy dread as the images on the screen became clearer.
"No, no, no!" She had bolted from the dorm, her friends calling after her, but she ignored them, her only thought to reach her brother. She barely noticed the men in black suits who intercepted her outside the building, their faces emotionless behind dark sunglasses.
"Let me go!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she fought against their grip. Her struggles were useless—they were trained professionals, and she was just a terrified girl.
"Ma'am, please calm down," one of them said, his voice flat and devoid of sympathy.
"There's nothing you can do!"
But Annie wasn't listening. Her eyes were glued to the massive outdoor screen broadcasting the Hunter's TV news. The image of Axel, her big brother, was frozen in her mind as she saw the Fatek clamp its massive jaws around his head.
"No… no… Axel!" Her scream echoed in the courtyard as she watched in horror, the Fatek's teeth sinking into Axel's skull, crunching through bone and brain matter as it tore his head from his body. The creature's maw moved slowly, almost savoring the moment, before it swallowed.
"Delicious," the Fatek growled, its voice a twisted mockery of humanity.
Annie's entire world shattered. Her knees gave out, and she would have collapsed if not for the men holding her up. But she didn't feel their arms around her; she didn't feel anything at all. The world around her faded to black, leaving only the image of her brother's lifeless body, and the monstrous grin of the Fatek that had taken everything from her.
"Axel… you promised me… you said you wouldn't leave me, like Dad did," she whispered, her voice broken and hollow. Her screams had been replaced by a dull, lifeless tone, as if all the fight had left her.
But in her mind, the terror and pain roared like an inferno, consuming her from the inside out.
***
The nurse's hands trembled as she clutched her phone, the broadcast cutting to a stark white screen. She had been watching the same feed, unable to look away, even as her stomach churned with nausea.
"They all died… I knew that guy… he was just here last week," she whispered, her voice cracking as she thought of Axel. She had only met him a few times, but that was enough to make his death feel personal.
How could this happen? How could someone so young, so full of life, be snuffed out like that? She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes.
'His sister... oh God, how is she going to handle this? And his mother… what about her? Her hospital bills are already overdue… without him… they're both going to suffer, aren't they?'
The nurse wiped her eyes quickly, trying to push those thoughts aside as she headed down the hall. She had to check on Axel's mother, the frail old woman who had been fighting for her life just as her son had been doing on that alien warship. The thought made her heart twist painfully.
When she entered the room, she was relieved to see that the old woman was sleeping peacefully. The tray beside her bed was empty for the first time in days. Maybe things were looking up for her, the nurse thought, forcing a smile.
'She must be getting better. Maybe she won't need those ten years the doctor mentioned after all.'
The nurse moved quietly, not wanting to disturb the patient. But as she turned to leave, something caught her eye. The television mounted on the wall—she was sure she hadn't left it on.
'What the…?'
Her blood ran cold as she read the words on the screen:
**Hunter's TV viewers discretion… Please read the news via paper.**
The tray slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly to the floor. The nurse's breath caught in her throat as she turned slowly, her heart pounding in her chest. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.
"No… please, no," she whispered, stepping closer to the bed. Her eyes locked onto the heart monitor, the steady beeps that had been her reassurance now eerily silent.
The monitor flatlined, a long, piercing tone echoing in the room.
The nurse's legs gave out, and she collapsed beside the bed, her hands trembling as she reached for the woman's cold, lifeless hand.
"D-Doctor!" she screamed, her voice filled with a despair that echoed through the empty corridors of the hospital.
Axel's mother was dead, and the nurse knew that it wasn't just her body that had given out. She had died of a broken heart, the moment her son's life had been taken so cruelly.
In that cold, sterile room, the world felt like it had stopped, leaving nothing but the echoes of lives shattered by tragedy.