"Stay back, or else you might—" I was surrounded by three police officers, all pointing their guns at me.

  One of the officers stepped forward with his handcuffs ready to take me away, "Settle down, civilian. This will be over—" the instant he tried to put on the cuffs.

  I felt it coming.

  My eyes were closed as I trembled at what was coming. "I warned you," I whispered, followed by a loud and agonizing scream.

  "BILLY!!!" one of the officers shouted as bullets whizzed by. All you could hear were screams and the demon's animalistic screech.

  Seconds later, I opened my eyes to the horrifying scene in the alleyway. All three officers lay before my feet, completely unresponsive.

  It was still behind me, breathing heavily against my neck, "Xavvvvierrrr, they were bad. I fixed them."

  It's still following me, "Please, leave me alone!" I ran away from the crime scene with my bags of stolen goods.

  I'm cursed by this demon.

  No matter where I run. Somebody will die due to my existence.

  I took a detour on my way home to my ruined apartment. Two months have passed, and I never thought I would return here.

  Since New York City was destroyed, only looters and runaways chose to remain.

  I arrived in my bedroom, which had already been looted. My trophies, clothes, and various belongings were all gone. In addition, my bed was filled with flowers left behind by a previous looter: black roses, marigolds, and lotuses.

  I was getting ready to sleep when I heard a knock at my bedroom door, "Hello, is the cursed looter here?" said the mysterious voice.

  "Yes, that's me. What brings you here? You do realize that anyone who gets close to me dies instantly." I responded to the voice.

  The door was unlocked and swung open. A man with spiky black hair and golden eyes, dressed in a white robe with a sword at his side, waved at me from outside the room. He said, "I understand the risks, but I still wanted to meet you in person."

  My piercing blue eyes stared him down, "Please leave already." I said in a threatening tone.

  He stepped forward into the room, a smirk on his face, "Are you afraid that the monster clinging to you will kill me? You are foolish." he said.

  He noticed it too, "If you know something, please leave. I want to be alone here, but if you're going to cause a problem, I will show you why you shouldn't mess with a former U.S. soldier." I said as I dropped my bag on the floor.

  If I could threaten him to leave, at least I could save a life.

  The man began to walk forward slowly, "During the Red Gate incident, there was an eighteen-year-old who witnessed his family being killed. Now, that young man isolates himself, surrounded by his former glory, in a rundown apartment." he said as he drew his sword.

  I sensed the demon growing angrier and angrier, "LEAVE NOW!" I shouted as I felt something being unleashed.

  But the man dodged the attack, and whatever he dodged left a hole in the wall.

  "Why don't you turn around and see what's behind you?" he suggested.

  Following his advice, I cautiously turned my head to glimpse what was lurking behind me.

  It was the first time I ever looked at the demon. I was staring at something I couldn't comprehend.

  It had a lower body resembling a white snake, two upper arms, and two lower arms. The creature had a short neck with a split mouth, and a face resembling a woman.

  I was in complete shock at what I was seeing, "Is that really how you look?"

  The man advanced forward with his sword in hand, declaring, "Let's not make this harder than it needs to be." He was enveloped in a blue aura as he prepared to strike.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  However, the snake demon intervenes, striking him in the chest and sending him crashing outside.

  This guy is serious, he is trying to kill me.

  "That wasn't nice." he said as he reappeared behind me and delivered a powerful kick to my right arm, sending me crashing through the walls and out of the building. However, the snake demon caught me in mid-air and, surprisingly, gently set me down on the ground.

  I was taken aback by this thing protecting me, "Why are you doing this?" I asked the demon, to which it rubbed its head against my face. I guess it just wants to protect me.

  The demon immediately got in front of me and blocked the incoming slash from the attacker.

  One of its lower arms slapped him back which sent him flying away. The demon didn't stop there; it immediately after delivered a punch against his gut.

  The man coughed out blood before vanishing and reappearing in front of me, attempting to slash my neck. But my instinct took over and I dodged his attack.

  Knowing his intention...

  I immediately followed up with a straight right hook against his face and then an uppercut and a kick that pushed him back, "I give you a choice. Take it next time." I blitz towards him at an unusually fast speed and knee him against the stomach.

  Afterward, the demon wrapped its tail around his leg and flung him towards a house.

  I stood there amazed by what just happened.

  Suddenly I heard the footsteps of someone else approaching behind.

  I quickly turned to face the woman in question, who wore the same white uniform as the man I was fighting. She held a golden sword in her hand, "Settle down, we are not your enemies kid." she said, placing the sword on the ground and looking intently into my eyes.

  The demon held me tightly and released a sinister cry that echoed across the ruined city.

  "Who are you people? Why do you want to kill me?" I asked.

  The girl in question released her brown hair from its ponytail state, "Simply really, that demon which is protecting you was deemed too dangerous due to the concerning high levels of energy within it. If you were to ever go on a rampage, you could potentially destroy countless cities and kill innocent lives. Me and my partner who you just fought were tasked to eliminate you, but we were also given another option depending on the person. You can either choose to become a Hunter who uses his abilities for protecting others or you can be executed and save countless from your potential destruction-" As she continued to speak, the demon turned me around and that guy from earlier was back.

  He seemed irritated, "Hinata, stay back and don't interfere." He dashed forward but much faster than before.

  The demon rushed towards him, attempting to stop the man in his tracks, but he suddenly vanished and appeared behind me, "Curse orphan like you deserve to die." His blade is directed course to my neck.

  In that instant, I had a sudden flashback. It was a moment with my family. My mother with black ink cross on her face, my younger sister black ink cross on her stomach, and my older brother with a black ink cross on his legs.

  All standing side by side. They were whispering something to each other when I distinctly heard the phrase, "Why did you leave?"

  When the flashback ended, the man looked beyond terrified, and his sword didn't even graze my neck.

  The girl called Hinata stopped the attack with her own sword, "Loki, we were told that option B was still available depending on the target. Mr Mizukami would hate it if we killed a valuable asset." She said also noticing that he was stabbed by the demon's claws.

  Hinata jumps back to keep a good distance after the monster pulls its claws out of Loki's stomach and smacks him toward a car. Which blows up seconds later.

  I stared intensely and remorseful at the fire, "Is he...dead?" I asked.

  Before he was sent flying, his purple sword was lying on the ground.

  Hinata appeared behind me with her left arm wrapped around my neck, "He isn't important right now. You are starting to see the type of power you wield. Imagine multiplying the numbers by a couple of thousand, that's the level of destruction you would cause if you were left alone. Now I need to ask, are you going to become a problem or do you want to live a few years longer and protect the people?" She asked.

  The demon was not aggressive; in fact, it appeared quite calm. Yet, I wondered for how long. "If I choose you, what will I receive in return and what will happen to me?" I asked.

  Hinata smiled softly, "To begin with, you'll battle monsters every day of your life, or you'll confront dangerous individuals like yourself. In return, you'll be rewarded with a nice house, you'll be fed, you'll have the opportunity to make friends, or even meet a potential lover, and most importantly, you'll find a purpose." Hinata removed her arm from my neck and retrieved Loki's sword.

  She presented it to me, "It's your choice. Claim your trophy." She said as her red eyes glowed brightly.

  My confusion was evident as she offered his sword to me, "But that's-" I wanted to say something but her eyes were urging me to remain quiet and make a choice.

  There was nothing here for me.

  The only reason I kept on living was that I feared the demon would start killing people. If I suddenly disappeared, would it stay with me or follow another innocent person.

  I choose to be selfish in my life, knowing that I have killed countless people as both a soldier and a cursed man.

  Isn't it the right move to take this opportunity and change the way I live my life? Like she said, I will find my purpose.

  ...

  I reached for the sword and looked firmly at her eyes, "I accept."

  Hinata made her way to her sword, "What's your name kid?" She asked.

  "Xavier Edwards." I replied.

  Once she enveloped both her sword and herself in a dark purple aura, she sliced through the air, creating a rift, "Xavier, allow me to introduce you to the Hunter's Sanctuary." she said, stepping through the portal. "Let's go already, and don't worry about him."

  I cast a brief look at Loki as he was reduced to ashes. Then, I moved onward toward the rift. Stepping through, I found myself in a strange yet stunning land.

  A landscape dotted with beautiful white houses, a grand temple in the distance, and countless people in white robes savoring their days.

  This was the type of world people like me never knew existed. This was the world of the Hunters.