I was sitting on the closed lid of the bathroom, my clock marked 9:55, the only light of the room, since I had turned them off, and my legs felt numb from sitting in the cold porcelain throne.

The smell of hypochlorite of a just-washed bathroom surrounded me; it stung a bit, but much less than the possibility of getting fucking shot in the face if this failed.

"Ok, explain to me what just happened?" I said, looking at the screen, which remained silent.

BS answer.

"You know what I mean. it wasn't a joke?" I took the pencil from my pocket.

It looked like a very pointy pencil; it felt, weighed, and moved like any other pencil I'd ever had in my life. I slowly pressed it against a tile, and it created a small hole, without even cracking the surface.

The sharpness was enough; I didn't even have to push that hard.

Jeez, so this was what a Hunter can actually do? Was I like, abnormal now?

I looked at my hands, open, holding the pencil. I held my breath and closed my eyes.

I didn't need to answer that. I looked at the screen.

"My what?" I leaned against the cold porcelain tank of the shitter.

The screen went blank for a few moments.

"Hey... Hey... don't 'Oh' me." I tried to put my finger on it, but it just went through the screen.

Suddenly, the screen turned to a photo of me with several numbers

Ok, that is my name and... HP and level?

I pointed at the screen. "I am level 0?"

"Wait, can you quantify this stuff? Like I am... like not that strong, what is Sta even?" I looked at my arm. I had never gone to the gym. Maybe I should start thinking about that?

"So this is how smart I am... Not that much but... Why is my luck so low?"

The 8-in-luck made me feel vindicated. Life was bad, not because of what I had done, but because it was premeditated.

It was obviously never my fault. I lowered my head to the final section.

I shook at the final part. I thought it was a joke this morning, an actual honest-to-God skill. I tried to be a hunter before going to college, and they said I had no chance. And this morning, they gave me an entire skill.

"I have a skill? Like a hunter skill?" I raised the pencil. My hand tightened.

"But still level 0?" I watched the screen again.

I rose from the porcelain cup. "Does that mean I am a hunter now!?" My shout echoed through the tiny room.

The thing went blank for a moment, as if recalculating.

Silence.

Everything turned red, an alarm in the distance that started sounding closer and closer.

I almost fell on my ass, but I grabbed onto the sides of the stall.

"To all civilian personnel, please approach the closest elevator and evacuate the area, I repeat..."

I checked my clock at 10 am.

The voice in the speaker continued repeating the same thing over and over.

I waited a few more minutes, and I listened to people walking around.

"We get paid even if this happens, right?" One young voice said.

"Yeah, the union made a deal for things like that," an older man said as they went down the hallway.

Oh, you got it so lucky, just union politics. I hated the union reps.

I put my ear to the door, waiting. I was sweating, and the smell of hypochlorite was so strong. But I needed to be sure. I watched my smartphone religiously.

I was waiting at the right moment

01 I tapped my fingers against the wall.

02 I Stopped breathing around here.

03 I Grabbed the doorknob.

04 I turned it the wrong way, false start.

05

Silence. I closed my eyes. I wanted to be sure—a lake of shit, or a firing squad. I had no options.

I opened the door, and the hallway was empty, the red lights were on, and the windows were closed by metal blinds.

I nodded to myself and started hugging the walls; it made me feel like some super spy from Solid Gear, stepping in and out. It was the only sound other than the blaring alarms that started to die down.

I passed my old boss's office. I walked through the desks, some with computers still humming.

The monitor I had to replace because it was broken and I will send to fix later.

Everything was almost the same for 7 years... in the future.

Henry used to sit over there on the corner.

Even my desk, which was being hit by a red light, reflected in my eyes. It was like an eyesore, but nostalgic somehow.

"Back to my old life after this." I gave it one last look.

I Walked past it and sighed; Life was so easy back... Or future... Or like... Gah... Life was easy.

My head tilted. "W-what do you mean by that?"

I watched the screen as I moved to the door. It was almost as if the alarms had stopped. I walked past the door to the stairs, and it was as I expected.

Open

The room was wide, a stair going up and down, and behind me a giant number 12 in blue.

Logistics colors.

I moved down the stairs; my shoes resonated with every step.

The red light was still on, and the alarm echoed harder here.

11 Dispatch and communications, 10 Licensing, 9 Human and non-human resources, 8 Medical administration.

I looked up to the darkness above and what was below, one final scan, seven floors of vertigo.

There, 7, Secure storage, black and yellow.

I looked at the door, and it was wide open. I prepared myself to enter.

BARK GRRRRRR.

I jumped back, a dog? Where did that come from?

I turned back, no one. It echoed through the stairs, more barking.

"Get back!" A shout, a feminine voice.

Laika?

I looked back at the 7th floor entrance and down.

You've got a mission to do.

I looked down the stairs and at the door again.

An animal's whimper.

I tensed. I closed my eyes. I turned my face back.

The wide-open door was calling me. I will survive this.

And then laughter, laughter, and voices in a language I couldn't understand.

I took hold of the banister, looking down, a lake of shit... or regret.

Fuck.

Lake of shit it is.

I turned my back on floor 7.

Down the stairs.

I had to save Laika from whatever this was.