4 days ago
Four Days Ago
River woke to the sound of a rooster crowing. She stretched her arms and shuffled down to the living room.
"Good morning, Mah. Is Paw still asleep?" River asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning, Riv. Yes, he's still sleeping. He was tired after the mining shift," her mother replied with a gentle tone.
Hearing that her father was resting, a mischievous idea popped into River's head. She quietly grabbed the key to the old Ford pickup. Her smile grew as she slipped out the front door.
"Yes! I can make some donuts in Paw's truck!" she thought with excitement.
She pulled off the tarp covering the truck, hopped in, and cranked the engine to life. The truck rumbled like a dragon awakening from slumber. River took off, kicking up dirt as she tore around their land, laughing to herself.
As she rounded the barn, she spotted an old wooden ramp built out of planks and stacked hay bales.
"This is gonna be awesome," she grinned.
She gunned it, the truck hitting the ramp with a thud. "Hell yeah!" she shouted until she realized she was veering toward the fence. "Oh no, no, no!"
The brakes squealed, but not fast enough. She crashed into the fence with a jolt. Jumping out of the truck, she examined the damage. The bumper was dented, and the fence was barely holding together.
"Oooh, this is bad. Paw's gonna kill me," she muttered.
She tried to patch the fence to look unbroken from afar. "Maybe he won't notice?" she lied to herself. "Yeah, that's a lie. Looks like I'm getting the belt."
Just as she pulled back up to the house, her little sister Maisie walked outside.
"Hey, sis!" River called out. "Can you do your lovely big sister a tiny favor and put the tarp back on the truck?"
"Why should I? You're the one who used it," Maisie huffed.
River folded her hands dramatically. "Because I'm about to head to the market and get some bacon for Paw. Please?"
Maisie sighed. "Fine."
"Thank you, thank you! You're the best!" River tossed her the keys and ran inside to grab her wallet and motorcycle keys.
On the way to the market, River prayed the bacon might soften the punishment.
As she walked among the vendor stalls, the familiar noise of haggling lifted her spirits. Shouts of "Good morning, River!" and "How's your pops?" came from the vendors. She greeted them all back with a smile.
While buying bacon and other goods, she overheard a group talking about a new doctor who had recently moved into town a doctor her father had always spoken harshly about.
That settled it. River decided she'd pay this doctor a visit.
Later that day, she returned home and handed the bacon to her mother.
"Mmm, is that bacon I smell?" came her father's voice, perking up from the dining room.
"Yep! River brought it back from the market," her mother answered.
Her father looked at her with narrowed eyes, a hint of suspicion hidden in his smile. River swallowed nervously but said nothing.
At dinner, she finally asked, "Hey, Paw… why don't you like the new doctor?"
The room grew quiet.
"Why do you ask, Riv?" her father said in a low, cautious tone.
"I heard in town that he's been helping people, especially the elderly," she replied.
"I don't trust those city folks. Now eat your food," her father said gruffly, ending the conversation.
River fell silent, but her curiosity only grew. Why did her father, kind to most city visitors, hate this doctor so much?
After breakfast, River headed to the forge.
She grabbed some of the ore her father had mined. "Maybe if I make Paw a new pickaxe, he'll be in a better mood," she thought.
As she hammered the metal, something unusual happened. Every strike felt infused with energy like a mysterious force was guiding her hands. When she finished, the pickaxe gleamed with precision and beauty.
"Wow… this is the best thing I've ever made," she whispered to herself.
She tried making a dagger next, but the energy had faded. The result was still excellent but it didn't compare to the pickaxe.
River stared at her creation. Something deep inside told her to keep it.
Instead, she went on to forge some horseshoes and farm tools standard work to support the family business.
As she worked, her father entered the forge.
He stood there quietly, arms folded, watching her labor. When she finished, he stepped forward.
"Good work, Riv. I'll take care of the rest of the orders," he said, picking up his own hammer. "You've improved… but there's still room to grow."
"Okay, Paw. Hey… can I go to the mines and gather some more ore?"
"No. We've got enough here," he replied sternly.
"But I want to get more experience, so you don't always have to go," she insisted.
"My answer's still no. Do your house chores and stay put," he ordered.
Frustrated, River left the forge… but she didn't head back to the house.
Instead, she made her way toward the doctor's trailer.
River banged hard on the trailer door. It creaked open, revealing a jumpy, skinny man in glasses.
"You the doctor?" she asked coldly.
"Y-yes. Dr. Goodfell," he replied.
"You've been sniffin' around our town, talkin' to folks, settin' up here like you belong. Why?"
He nervously held out a folder. "I I've been investigating a spike in elderly deaths. The records don't match. I think something's wrong "
River didn't even look at the papers. "You think I care about papers? Speak straight."
Dr. Goodfell backed up. "I just want to help. Something's off here unnatural, maybe. I've seen it before. I came to stop it."
"Then stop talkin' and start showin'. No more notes. No more whispers. You say you're a doctor? Prove it."
He nodded quickly. "I will. I promise."
River leaned in, eyes sharp. "Good. 'Cause if you're lyin', you won't need a doctor you'll need a priest."
She turned and left, leaving the doctor pale and shaking.
As River returned home, she spotted an older woman sitting on their living room couch.
"Welcome back, Riv," her mother greeted. "This is Ginger. She'll be staying with us for a while."
River blinked but wasn't surprised. Her parents often took in elderly folk who were sick or struggling. Ginger just smiled and nodded gently.
The next day, the doctor showed up at their property.
"I heard Ginger's staying here," he said nervously. "Would it be alright if I gave her a quick check-up?"
River's father stepped forward before she could answer.
"No," he said firmly.
"But it's just a simple exam " the doctor tried to explain.
"I said no!" her father snapped.
The two men argued briefly before the doctor left, visibly frustrated.
That night, nothing unusual happened until River went to the forge.
All the ore had turned to dust.
"What the hell…" she muttered, then called out, "Paw!"
Her father arrived minutes later.
"What happened to the ore?" River asked.
"This is that damn doctor's fault," he growled.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't worry about it," he said quickly, eyes shifting away. "I'll handle it. Just go back to the house I'll follow soon."
River didn't like the sound of that, but she nodded and returned home.
They had dinner as a family. Her mother tried to keep the mood warm, even cheerful.
After the meal, River sat next to Ginger.
"How're you feelin'?" she asked.
"Oh, much better," Ginger said kindly. "That doctor, he's not bad, you know. He even gave me medicine for my legs. Said I should get those old metal braces checked for free."
River nodded quietly.
Later that evening, exhausted, she fell asleep right at the kitchen table.
She woke to the sound of soft voices. Her mother sat beside her, looking pale.
"Ginger passed away last night, sweetheart."
River blinked, not sure she heard it right.
"Your father took her to the hospital… but she didn't make it. He stayed behind."
The news hit like a punch to the chest.
Still numb, River ate a quiet breakfast, then walked out to the forge. To her shock, all the ore was back—perfectly intact, like nothing had happened.
Her father stepped inside minutes later.
"After I dropped Ginger off at the hospital… I went to the mine. Got fresh ore."
River turned to face him, her eyes sharp. "Paw, what's really goin' on?"
He stayed quiet.
"No more dodgin'," she said. "First the ore turns to dust, then comes back. Ginger dies after you argue with the doc. Something's not right and you know it."
"I said I'll handle it," he barked. "You just stay out of it!"
"Why?" River demanded. "What are you so afraid of?"
Her father's jaw tightened. "Because I've seen what happens when people get curious."
They stood there in silence, the tension thick.
River knew now something bigger was happening.
And her father was hiding it.
"Fine I will find out my self as she grab her pickaxe and dagger that she forge" as she walk out at the forge but her fathers try to stop her.
River didn't go home.
Instead, she marched straight to the doctor's trailer, boots pounding the ground like warning shots. She didn't knock. She slammed her fist against the door, once—loud enough to make the tin rattle.
The door creaked open, and Dr. Goodfell peeked out, startled. "Uh Riv?"
She pushed the door open with one hand. "We're going to the mine."
"Excuse me?"
"Grab your kit. Gauze, burn salve, whatever you got. Bring it. Now."
The doctor blinked in confusion. "What happened?"
River's eyes were dark. Angry. Hurt. "Ginger's dead."
He froze. "W-what?"
"She died last night. My mama found her this morning. Said you checked her legs. Said you gave her medicine."
"I I only gave her a topical cream for pain," he stammered. "I never "
"She was fine yesterday," River cut in, voice hard. "Now she's gone."
The doctor's mouth opened, but no words came out.
River leaned in close. "You wanna prove you ain't what folks think you are? Then follow me. Because something down there's not right and we're gonna find it."
The doctor, pale and rattled, scrambled to collect his things without another word.
The mouth of the mine yawned before them like an ancient wound. The wooden supports were old and splintered. A cold draft drifted from inside, carrying the scent of iron and damp stone.
"This place looks abandoned," the doctor muttered.
River said nothing. She ran her fingers along the wall, paused, then leaned in and licked it.
"…Did you just lick the rock?" the doctor asked, horrified.
"Tastes like bacon," she muttered. "Weird."
They moved deeper, light from their lanterns flickering off the jagged walls. Then something caught River's eye, an odd vein of ore glowing faintly beneath the stone. A kind of shimmer she'd never seen before.
She pulled her pickaxe from her back.
The moment she struck it, the mine seemed to groan.
The walls pulsed. The air thickened. Even the doctor stepped back instinctively.
River kept mining, but noticed her pickaxe was corroding edges sizzling like they were being eaten away.
"What the hell is this stuff…" she muttered.
They pressed onward until they found it.
A pool of glowing violet liquid, impossibly still. River stared at it, then at the ore in her hand. A whisper stirred in her mind:
Throw it in.
She obeyed.
The liquid shimmered, and the ore began to change shifting, warping, melting.
Choose, said the voice.
River focused. "Iron."
The glow faded. She reached in and pulled out a perfect, weighty chunk of iron ore.
Her jaw tightened in awe. "It listened."
She turned to the doctor. "Try it."
Hesitant, he threw in a rock. The pool reacted, but no voice spoke to him. Still, the stone morphed slowly, crudely into usable material.
"No voice?" River asked.
He shook his head.
Then the stench hit them.
Rot. Blood. Decay.
They gagged, stumbled forward and there she was.
Ginger's body, half-digested and slumped against the stone. Her face was barely recognizable.
River fell to her knees and threw up. The doctor turned away, retching, covering his mouth in horror.
At the far side of the chamber, a dark tunnel opened one River recognized immediately.
"That's the old well… behind my house."
Suddenly, the walls began to shift grinding inward with a slow, groaning rumble.
"The mine's collapsing!" the doctor shouted.
They turned and ran, but the exit was too far. Rocks started falling behind them, sealing their path.
"There!" River pointed to the well shaft. "Climb!"
They scrambled toward it, grabbing what footing they could. As River climbed, a voice echoed again in her mind deeper, colder than before:
The debt remains. You are the daughter of the one who made the pact. Payment is due.
Her breath caught.
Leave the outsider. He'll do. Just for now.
"No," River growled aloud. "He's not part of this."
She reached the top, ripped off her belt, and tossed it down.
"Grab on!"
The doctor did and as she hauled him up, acid steam seared his skin. He screamed in pain as she dragged him out, her hands burning from the effort.
River and the doctor sat outside the mine, backs against the cool grass, their lungs still recovering from the poisonous air. The doctor's bandages were soaked and sizzling lightly, his breaths shallow. River's legs were scraped and bruised, her boots caked in mud and she was still without her pants, having used them to pull the doctor out of the collapsing shaft.
She sat there in her long shirt and underwear, too exhausted to care, her mind spinning with everything she had seen Ginger, the pool, the voices, and most of all, the mention of a debt tied to her family.
Then came the sound of sirens blaring through the stillness like a slap to the senses.
A police SUV pulled up, tires crunching over gravel. From the passenger seat, a girl leapt out Maisie.
"River!" Maisie cried, sprinting toward her sister and nearly collapsing into her arms. "They're gone! Ma and Paw they left! They took Paw's motorcycle!"
River caught her, holding her tightly. "Slow down, slow down… what do you mean they left?"
Maisie sobbed. "Right before the sheriff came… they just vanished! Took off on the bike… left me a note, but nothing else!"
A tall, broad-shouldered woman in a brown uniform stepped out of the SUV next this was Sheriff Millie. She looked River up and down, then glanced at the scorched doctor.
"Looks like you two went through hell," the sheriff said, voice calm but sharp. "Mind explaining what the hell you were doing in that mine?"
River didn't answer immediately. She looked toward the sealed shaft, then back at her little sister, still clinging to her side.
"We were trying to figure out what happened to Ginger," River finally said. "And we found more than we wanted to."
Millie's expression tightened.
"If your folks are really gone, then you might not have time to wait around. There's someone in Coffin's Bar who can help you find them," the sheriff said. "You'll want to head into the city. Ask for Cali."
River nodded slowly, committing the name to memory.
The next morning, River packed up the old Ford pickup with supplies. Her motorcycle was strapped into the bed of the truck. The doctor, still bandaged and stiff, sat in the passenger seat. Maisie climbed into the backseat, arms wrapped tightly around a stuffed animal.
As the engine rumbled to life, River gripped the steering wheel and stared down the road ahead.
Back to the present
"And so," River said, her voice steady, "here we are."
She sat in the lounge at Coffin's Bar, surrounded by Haru, Yuzu, Cali, and the others.
"That's what happened. The mine, the voices… the deal my family never told me about. And now my folks are gone."
A quiet fell over the room, heavier than anything the forge had ever made.
"I'll make sure we find your mother and father," Cali said, her tone steady and full of quiet authority. "And now that I've heard all of your stories… it's time I told you mine."
Everyone leaned in slightly. Even Haru, who had barely spoken, sat up straighter.
"We're part of something called the Hunter Organization," Cali began. "Our job is to maintain balance between the supernatural and the mortal world. We're not just a group of fighters or researchers—we're keepers of the line between what's hidden and what's real."
She paused to let the words sink in.
"The organization is split into smaller branches called cells. Each cell operates with some independence and follows its own philosophies. This bar Coffin's Bar is part of the cell known as The Nectars."
Cali began pacing slowly.
"The second cell in this city is called Book of Eye a coven of witches and magic-users. That cell is led by Mari."
Yuzu flinched slightly at the name.
"And the third cell is called Beasts of Justice led by Chad. Most of their members are lycans. They believe in direct force, protecting cities by hunting anything that breaks the rules, human or not."
Cali turned back to them.
"Each of these cells has its own way of dealing with supernatural threats. Some negotiate. Some fight. Some... disappear problems."
She let her gaze pass over each of them in turn.
"You've all seen what's out there. So I ask you: do you want to return to your normal lives, pretending none of this ever happened? Or do you want to step fully into this world the one that already knows your names?"
Silence.
No one moved. No one spoke.
Cali smiled faintly. "I'll take that silence as a yes. Come with me."
She led them upstairs to the bar floor. The lights were low, the place closed to the public.
Behind the counter, she prepared drinks one for each of them.
"Haru Hyoudou," she said, sliding over a lime green drink.
"Yuzu Lopez," a violet one followed.
"River Scout," hers was a deep blue, like glacial water.
"And Anny De la Fintest," an elegant orange drink was set down.
"If you drink this, you are officially part of The Nectars. This is your choice and your bond."
No one hesitated.
They drank.
The liquid tasted strange but warm almost familiar, like something from a dream.
"Congratulations," Cali said. "You're now part of this cell."
That night, each of them returned to their rooms.
Sleep came slowly.
And then came the pain.
A burning sensation lit up their bodies from the inside. Not like a wound—not even like fire. It was something deeper. Old. Ancient.
They gasped in the dark, some clutching their chests, others biting down screams.
It was pain they had never felt before.
Not just pain of the body.
It was awakening.