Application Story
The humvee stopped as the troops started to unload from it, having yet another series of patrols in the godforsaken land. East Timor had a knack at the time to have uprisings, and cultural differences that led to an unstable state of the land, and with the grace of the US army, sending troops to assist in restoring peace. To Nora, this idea was quite ignorant and not worthy of their time, but she enlisted, and when Uncle Sam called, she had to answer it.
Though she was not some special type of soldier, she did enjoy assisting the Sergeant on the field when it came to combat planning and perpetually calculating every breathing moment of her unit.
As the small patrol unit started roaming around the village, they started noticing how vile people live in their small homes. The roads are unpaved, and the farms untamed properly. As famine and starvation were striking the town, there was an uneasiness when seeing the guise of a soldier strolling in town.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” said Sgt. Chambers as he looked around. Nora nodded as she walked to the left of the troops, having a closer view of the village homes, and vehicles. As the children in the street played their own version of soccer they’d shout around, enjoying the moment of a calm day in the middle of an uprising. With each increasing step, the mothers of the lands beckoned the children to come inside, as they feared the worse. Like a hunch that something is amiss, like an ill wind blowing on a warm and sunny day.
With the grinning shadows around the corners, Sgt. Chambers started to get stiff, as the unit stopped, Nora continued, not noticing her Sergeant’s commands to hold. As she got closer to a vehicle, seemingly stuck to the sidelines of the road, she looked in it, and as she turned her head to her commander, she saw the fright in his eyes as he was shouting towards her.
Without a moment later she dashed to the side as the car ignited and blew up, sending shards of glass and burning oil to her body, scarring her face.
With the sounds of the chaos, the cries of the children, and the shots fired from her unit, Nora woke slowly, and with a blurry vision crawled to her commander as she finally collapsed.
A month went by as she was finally released from the hospital, sitting in her home she decided to try and rekindle a lost relationship with a friend from the past, who always wanted to go and see the sights of Vegas. Nora, having nothing else going on for her, decided it was a good call, to ease the mind off things and to let loose where she can. After all, her injury sent her home and branded her a “hero” of the army as she was released shortly after from her position.
“And here we are!” Tiffany chimed with glee as she looked at Nora, showcasing the bright lights of the Casino in Vegas, a normal view for the city, but an annoyance to Nora already. “Is it always this loud and bright?” Nora exclaimed as she looked at her friend.
“Come on! You are hardly even giving it a shot, Nora, this is a place to find that special someone and to finally let loose, no?” She giggled as she looked around.
“I hardly call that letting loose. It’s just losing your self-image to a man who will toss you for any other piece of ass they find on the way.” She muttered as she looked at her friend who was already off in the casino, talking to men and having her way.
“Guess I will see you around.” Nora chuckled, as she looked around, noticing the impeding looks she was getting from the various locals in the place. Her face has not recovered, nor did her eye. Though she was not self-conscious enough, she did hate that people gawk and stare at it. It was her defining feature now, and she did not like it.
Before leaving the place, she saw Tiffany talk to a handsome man, tall and well dressed, flaunting her with gracious attempts of courting, a usual view for such a woman.
She then quickly decided that it was enough to stand inside with the gawking looks, and it was perhaps best to leave the Casino and find a place to have a smoke and a drink.
As she left and started walking around the streets she started to notice that she was being followed, perhaps it was her imagination or just a hunch, but she knew something was coming for her.
She quickly ducked into a dark alleyway as she waited behind a dumpster for her pursuers to come by looking for her. And they did. As she looked at the shadow hitting the alleyway, calculating when to pop up and strike them, she started noticing the graffiti on the walls changed. From a first glance, she was sure they were your typical “Monarchy is dead” writings, but this time it altered entirely spelling out “They feed on you.” as the letters turned red, dripping with wet paint. As she sat on the ground waiting, trying to grasp what are these omens she saw yet another. A newspaper headline with simply the word - “Run.” and with it, she did.
She ran inside the dark alleyway only to be cornered and trapped.
She turned to face the individuals, and they stood there grinning.
“Where are you going little lady? All we want to do is play. Ain’t that right?” He asked his friends, as they’d nod, chuckling in the process.
As Nora looked at the group she started to see them for what they are. Although missing a working eye, she noticed the reflection on the puddle is missing, as one of them stood beside it. The glimmering warm light of a bulb beside them did no favor for the group as their skin was pale as the moonlight. She could have sworn that a stench flew up from one of them and that none of them had any indication of breathing. “The omens were right,” she thought to herself as she stood there. And with an inching moment, she stood strong, as her hands were held up in a fighting position.
As one of the kindred came closer to her, she could have sworn that he was going to send a punch to her gut, and so she dodged to the right, grinning in the process. The vampire, confused at the action, kept sending strikes towards Nora, as she kept dodging them, as if foresight was given to her, to read the body language of the entity before it was going to strike. But her luck soon ran out, and a hit landed. Sending her to the brick wall, as she’d crack her head on it, bleeding from the injury.
As the group laughed, walking closer to her, she saw a slightly blurry vision of a man, tall and handsome, and properly dressed.
“Now that is no way to treat a lady. Especially such an individual.” The being smirked as he stepped into the light. “Where did he come from?” The voices of hidden terror ran among the group as they formed a circle around him.
“What are you waiting for? GET HIM!” The leader shouted, and with that ringing sound, everyone pulled out their weapons. One turned their hands into talons, the other brought up tentacles from the abyss, a Lovecraftian horror sight. But he, the being, wore something far more hideous, far more gruesome than the rest. His body shifted and changed as his skin turned grey like the moon, and his hair grew out. But with all that, two wings sprouted from his back, covering the moonlight that hit the alleyway. It was all a flash, a blink of an eye, but the men turned into ash, and Nora did all she could to just stay awake.
The being then approached her, covered in darkness, standing tall and firm, he smiled behind his guise. “You will be alright, child. Sleep now and find purpose.” The being said in a cold and calculating voice.
Weeks went by and yet again, Nora found herself out of the hospital, though these injuries were less severe, they just added more work onto her pre-existing condition. The words kept playing in the back of her head, “Find purpose”, words so true that indeed she had nothing. No purpose, nothing to bring her back to the land of the living. The world itself has changed for Nora. The beings that she saw back then, she sees every day. “Humans”, men in suits, nothing more of another lie to reality. The omens piled up, and she decided to hit the library. Whatever shred she had connecting her to the old life was gone, although she was calm in the act, she was moments away now from a full-blown panic attack to send her to a different kind of hospital.
She quickly learned of the true nature of the entities that attacked her, Vampires. Not too hard to find really, as they just kept popping up in every folklore that insisted on it. Though some were off, as they did not show the being turning into ash, they hit spot-on as the emphasis of what actions they were doing were portrayed rather well. But the questions that remained in her mind were - “What am I? And who was this Wendigo?” looking for answers for a few days bore no fruit, hopeless she had one last idea in mind. You could say lady luck played in her favor, or you can say that fate has finally shown up.
Nora picked up her phone as she called an old friend, her Sergeant - Evan Chambers. He was also released after the shitshow that happened in East Timor, and he quickly picked up the phone. After giving him some prompt details Evan started reading between the lines, urging Nora to come to California, to discuss more in person. And so she did, packing little she had and buying a one-way ticket to Cali.
After the smiles and hugs, Evan sat down in his apartment, as he looked at Nora with a smile. “You know, I had a hunch about you since the very start. You see, these things you fought are no figment of your imagination. And I think you know that as well. You are perhaps the only one that could have come out from that fight in a calculating view.”
“Get to the point, Sarge. What is this? What am I?” She said, demanding to know, and cutting the niceties.
Evan proceeded to explain that they are in fact Imbued and that the omens she was seeing are from the Messengers, choosing them to take the fight for humanity.
“And these beings, they pre-determined what we will be? What we will become? What about you, did you have the same experience?” She started sitting down, delving into the visage of curiosity and taking notes.
Evan went into detail on how he first fought off similar nightmarish creatures, though his omens were vocal and not visual. And he then proceeded to show Nora the ropes, from the use of her powers, her foresight, and to the Hunter.net.
Nora was never much of a computer geek, but she did love the idea of it. She did play games from time to time, as the popularity of it was rising, but it never caught her attention, until now. Things started to click, where once there was a speck of doubt, now lays the cursed truth of the world. She is not alone, and she is not weak. Life turned a new leaf, as her previous self disappeared in that alleyway, and a new one was born into this world of darkness.
Surely it was no easy task at first. Life kept throwing more and more challenges towards Nora, but she did manage to skip above the obstacles. From time to time she’d get in touch with Evan, as they’d go on some hunts together with his crew, but mostly they only touched Vampires, not too sure about the rest. Nora knew that the Wendigo was not a vampire, nor was it a Wendigo, it was the only term she found for it. But she kept calling back to that instance, and with each fight, she grew more.
As Evan brought her more into the crew, she started to show her true self, planning and devising the plans of the hunt for them, gaining some of the trust of the rest, but ultimately she was still on the sidelines, and she accepted it. Nothing fit her better than to be the fallback.
She started small, with each incident she heard in the news she followed up with an investigation, and she got good at it as well. Having the guns from the time she served, she always kept a sidearm with her. Though her face was quite a beacon for anyone to see, she still managed to follow behind her prey. In the warm afternoon in California, she followed a shovelhead she felt as if she was falling behind, and in a moment of rush, she dashed to a corner, only to be almost spotted. The kindred turned his head towards Nora, but he did not see her, he was looking past her. As if she managed to mold with the stone walls of the city, and hid in plain sight.
And such was her life, gathering information for the group, trying to understand more about the Kindred, and perhaps figure out if there is anything else out there. If one fairy tale is true, perhaps the rest are as well.
Months have gone by, and she found herself a part of Evan’s crew once more. Trying to seize control of a Elder’s fortress was no easy task, yet somehow Evan managed to bring up quite a packing force to counter them. Having these beasts control society from the shadows brought up the worst from within, but Nora was confident that her plan would be a success.
After hours of battle, bullet casings falling down, and each Hunter using the most they can to defeat the horrors in front of them, the plan was falling shortly, but they still had the upper hand. That is until the owner arrived, the Elder himself, striking terror in the hearts of her companions Nora herself was twitching in fear. But to be courageous is to know fear and to power through it. That is one of the most important lessons she learned from the army, no matter how bad things got, no matter how vividly your legs shook, if you could walk you walked. If you could shoot, you shoot. That was all there was to it.
One after the other, they dropped like flies, the elder brought upon tentacles to fight for him, and in the panic of all things, the Hunters started losing focus.
She looked around her as she saw Evan cowering in his place, sweat running down his face she scurried towards him.
“Why are you faltering, Sarge?”
“I-I am fine… Corporal. This…” He stopped as he broke down. So many of his men fell, now and then. The feeling was mutual, but Nora knew that he was hitting hard. The fight was burdening him.
“You know what you used to tell me?” She said with a calm smile, trying to be charming while the screams and shouts of battle continued. She then placed a hand on him, raising his head to meet hers. “Life is never about what we do at the moment, it is about what the moment will bring to the next. They died here as heros. They will live on in your heart. Our fight is not endless. It stops one way or another, and everyone here knows it. So how come the lion of the pack is down? You owe it to them to fight, Evan.” She said, raising her tone with each moment, looking at Evan in the eyes, knowing full well that danger is coming towards them.
Evan smiled as he looked at her, quickly loading his rifle as he nodded. As the powers surged from both their bodies, like a transaction of two, exchanging two essences to better the latter.
The fight continued, and alas the Elder has perished. Many were lost, and they were exposed.
The crew stayed low for a while, as they just searched the Hunter.net for any news, or perhaps to gather new men. Nora herself was trying to find any powerful allies she could find, perhaps they could bring some light to the answers she was still looking for.
Hearing about the town of Angel Pine and the weird reports of what has happened piqued her curiosity more as she started delving deeper into what has gone wrong. Stories of hunters, sheriffs and much more disappearing and dying like flies. Never has a “quiet” town had so many incidents. An ill omen, a putrid thick air layered upon itself in the shroudness of mystery towards this town.
And so, Nora decided to try her luck there. Perhaps she could find answers to many of her questions, perhaps she can find news of Wendigo. The future is always bleak, but full of surprises as well.
Tales of Nora's life
Life was not always too terrible to Nora, as in her childhood she had quite the life. Living in a suburban town gave her the freedom to roam around aimlessly, and return for supper time, where her mother would wait with the sweetest pie, and the best-grilled chicken one could hope for. Sidney Caomhain was quite an astute and beautiful lady, yet she always was a quiet person. Not many were her true friends, unlike her husband, Benedict Nic Caomhain, who was otherworldly in his charms. A true patron of the town, and a top of the line investigator, always wooing his team with his extremely sharp intellect.
On hot summer days, Nora would sit on the porch with her father, as they'd play chess with the rays of light glistening through the cracks of the Gazebo. With each move, Nora would hesitantly make her piece hover around the board, unsure of what to really do, and her father would just smile, enjoying the stress-free afternoon.
"Nora dear, if you are contemplating your moves, you outta do it in secret, don't you think so?" Benedict would remark as he'd lean back in his lawn chair, looking at his red-headed daughter.
"Hmmm... Why?" Nora would inquire back as she'd place the piece after she finally decided.
"Well, to keep your opponent on their toes. If you hover your queen around the board, unsure of what to do, the opponent would see it as a weakness to exploit."
"To exploit? Hmm..." Nora would wry her lip as she'd look at her father with her gleaming green eyes and fair skin. She'd sit back in the chair as she'd look at the board, and eventually gets up as she'd walk around the table, looking at it from different perspectives.
"Ah-ha!" She claims in happiness as she'd move a piece, elegantly walking back to her seat as she'd watch her father.
"Now now that move is not too goo-.." He cuts off his sentence as he'd lean forward in his chair, observing the board, unsure how his child got the best of him yet at a young age.
Time passes as the two sit there. Nora, watching the sun rays and the birds' chirp, and Benedict, still in a frozen position, like a statue, muttering to himself as he'd raise his hand from time to time.
"No... That..." He says ever so often as he'd shift in his chair.
A voice calling for them far off towards the house would echo through the yard as the two sit.
"Nora, Honey, supper is ready!" Sidney would claim as she'd step out to the porch, having a bump on her stomach and a summer dress, holding onto a glass of water.
Nora would wave ever so happily towards her mother as Sidney comes towards the Gazebo.
"Daddy is stumped! Haha!" Nora would giggle gleefully as Sidney would approach with her smile.
"Is he now? Honey, you can't become a statue and hope the game will play itself." She'd say as she'd watch the board, unsure of what is even going on.
"Huh? Oh right... Well, sport. You beat me this time." He would smile as he'd ruffle Nora's hair with his dominant hand.
"That is 20 to 3 now, daddy." Nora smiles as she'd pack up the board.
"20 to 3? You are getting better, Benedict."
"You are laughing now, but you try and beat her at the game." He chuckles as he'd fix the chair.
"Now come on, let's go eat."
The rain started picking up as the storm brewed ever so from a distance. It was not your typical day, to say the least, having mother earth react with such anger towards the world was common in these state lines, however, today, on this rainy day, there was a different storm. A harsher storm. A bitter one.
"Detective, your wife is on the phone again. Line 3." The officer says as he'd step into Benedict's office.
Benedict shrugs, having had a long day, as he did not manage to contact his wife. He picks up the phone as he'd press the number 3, waving the officer away with a nod.
"Yes, honey wha--.."
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" A scream would be heard from the other end of the line.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Benedict asks, more concerned than taken aback by his wife's temperament.
"I am in the freaking hospital for the last THREE HOURS! Nora is here as well. My water broke." Sidney would reply as she'd lower her tone.
"Your... Oh... OH! I am coming!" Benedict shuts the phone immediately as he'd take his jacket, lock all his files in a rushed manner, and leave, closing the office. Though with the light of his lamp, hitting his desk, a glimmer is noticed as the light bounces off the metallic compartments of his pistol.
He steps outside quickly, in the rain, getting harder and harder as he'd fumble around with his keys, trying to find the correct one.
The light flickers in the parking lot as Benedict would be exited and distraught. He was an esteemed detective, too good in fact that he garnered too many enemies.
As the rain dulled his senses, he could not hear the stomping behind him. With each foot, heavy and walking in big strides, he grew closer to his victim.
Benedict lifts his head, as he'd see the reflection of a big man behind him, he quickly turned, but it was too late. A sharp pain to his stomach, followed by two more.
"Dominik sends his regards." The raspy voice said as he'd stab him one last time, leaving Benedict's body to drop onto the ground.
With no way to communicate, all the detective could do was reach into his wallet, as the droplets of rain mixed with his blood, creating a bitter mess on the asphalt.
He'd take one last look at his family, his daughter, his pregnant wife, with a slow well of tears filling his eyes, rolling down. As he'd drop the photo from his hand, so did his family drop into an abyss of darkness. Leaving behind so much, for such a pitiful mistake. Such was the esteemed detective.