Chapter 5: Unusual Demon

Chapter 5: Unusual Demon Damian went into the cabin, and Troy followed right behind him. "I just don’t want you to be alone, considering the circumstances," Troy said. Troy wasn’t just a driver—he was a Hunter, and a powerful one. His job was to watch over Damian in case something unexpected happened. Usually, that wouldn’t be necessary. But today wasn’t a usual day. The cabin was surprisingly large for such a remote place. It had two stories, and the upstairs bedroom offered a clear view of the lake through dusty windows. On the porch, they found what was left of the victim. Just a pair of severed hands and a foot. Nothing else. "I wonder why demons leave bodies like this," Damian asked. "Why don’t they just eat all of it?" Troy looked down at the remains, his expression unreadable. "That’s a good question. We actually don’t know the answer." He paused, then added, "The most accepted theory is that they enjoy the fear it creates. Leaving something behind makes sure someone finds it. Maybe it’s like a message... or a warning." What Troy was basically saying was that demons were creepy bastards. Damian stepped onto the porch, and the first thing he did was collect the remaining parts of the body and place them into sacks. After that, he picked up his cleaning tools and liquids and got to work. One of the hunters on the porch glanced at Damian and said, "Your job isn’t the prettiest, is it? At least I hope they’re paying you well." The hunter had noticed that Damian didn’t have any mana in his body—he was just a ’normal’ person dealing with demonic stuff. Not everyone wanted to be in that kind of situation. "They do," Damian replied. "Did you find anything? Like a trace of the creature that killed this man?" He already knew they’d found something. Usually, they only called the cleaner once all the evidence had been collected. Unlike ’normal’ crime scenes, they weren’t looking for fingerprints, motives, or CCTV footage to identify the culprit. The hunters were there to track traces of mana left by the demons—and sometimes even footprints or other marks they might have left behind. "We believe the creature is still in the forest," the hunter said. "Why it’s still here, we don’t know." The demon was behaving differently than most. Normally, they killed to eat—something necessary for their survival and evolution—and then vanished. Despite being monsters, they were smart. Staying near the scene of the crime meant hunters would show up and try to kill them. It just didn’t make sense to hang around. All the hunters knew that. Troy knew it. Damian knew it too. That’s why everyone was being so careful. The demon wasn’t acting the way it was supposed to—and that made it dangerous. "I see," Damian said. Damian was there, cleaning everything, when someone came over to speak with the hunter who was standing on the porch, smoking a cigarette and staring at the lake. "We found traces of the demon," another hunter said. "Come." They needed everyone to help fight the creature. No one knew for sure how powerful it might be. "Understood," the hunter replied. One by one, the hunters left the cabin. Only Damian and Troy remained behind. That made Damian feel uneasy. "Don’t worry," Troy said. "Just keep cleaning so we can leave this place as soon as possible. I’ll be watching your back in the meantime." With Troy there, Damian felt more at ease while cleaning the area—but he definitely wasn’t as relaxed as he had been moments ago, when the cabin was surrounded by hunters. While mopping the floor, trying to erase the blood that stubbornly refused to disappear, Damian felt as if someone—or something—was watching him. He glanced at Troy to see if he sensed it too, but judging by Troy’s calm expression, he didn’t. "What is going on?" Damian thought. The feeling wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t like he wanted to investigate it or anything—he just wanted to finish the job and get the hell out of there. "I’m gonna take a piss," Troy said. "Be right back. Yell if anything happens." Of course, that made Damian uneasy. While Troy was off taking a piss, he’d be an easier target—and that’s what Damian feared the most. The feeling of being watched grew stronger now that he was alone, and it scared the hell out of him. Still, he tried his best not to show it. Even though he was terrified, his expression remained calm and composed—like a monk. About five minutes passed, and Troy hadn’t returned. That was odd. Damian knew he’d have to check on him. It was either that or stay there imagining what might have happened to his friend. He dropped his cleaning tools on the porch and went looking for Troy, who had supposedly gone to use the bathroom inside the cabin. Damian found him lying on the floor near the stairs to the second floor. As soon as he reached him, Damian knelt down and checked for a pulse. Everything seemed normal. There were no visible injuries—Troy was just unconscious for some reason. That’s when Damian heard a noise coming from the porch—the same one he had just been cleaning moments ago. As he turned around, he saw a creature. And it wasn’t the one he was expecting. Most of the time, when someone came face to face with a demon, they expected a grotesque, monstrous creature—something far from human. But what Damian saw was almost the opposite. The creature standing there looked almost entirely human. The only things that stood out were its unnaturally pale skin, like a corpse, and its eyes—slitted like a snake’s, glowing with a reddish hue. Its nails were long, sharp, more like claws than anything else. "Well, well, it’s a pleasure to meet you," the demon said, its voice laced with amusement. "I heard you’re the new sensation in town." Despite the overwhelming fear of being alone and vulnerable, Damian kept his composure. "Sensation in town? Why would that be? I’m just doing my job as a cleaner," he replied, his tone calm. He then began walking back toward the porch, passing right by the demon. That simple action caught the creature completely off guard. For a brief second, a chill ran down its spine—as if Damian was far more dangerous than he looked. "I know that," the demon said, a flicker of curiosity in its voice. "I didn’t come here to interfere. I only wanted to see the person who managed to scare one of my subordinates. He said you took his eye in exchange for his life." When the demon said that, Damian froze. This was bad. Another demon had come—probably to kill him—for what he did to the other one.