SCREEEECH!
The tires of a Toyota car screeched against the hard ground, and it sped down the road. It ignored traffic rules, stop signs, and even traffic lights.
The man in the car held the steering wheel tightly, his hands trembled, his eyes wavered, and sweat dripped down his body like he just finished running a marathon.
Even his breathing was heavy.
He glanced at his side view mirror, and he saw a motorcycle cycle speeding down the road, hot on his trail.
"Damn! Damn!! Damn!!!" He stomped on the accelerator, and the car's engine roared, disappearing into the night like a blur.
But the motorcycle caught to him easily, and in the blink of an eye, it was side by side with the car.
"You won't catch me that easily bounty hunter!" He pulled out his gun from his holster, aimed it at the motorcycle out the window, and unloaded its magazine.
The man driving the motorcycle leaned his body and skillfully maneuvered the bike around the speeding car. Without slowing down, he aimed for a rising ledge ahead, the tires hit it hard before the motorcycle soared upward, carrying him high into the sky.
"WOOHOOO!" He drew his guns from the holsters strapped to his legs, and the metal gleamed under the moonlight as he raised them. With steady hands, he aimed down at the car below and pulled the triggers, unleashing several rapid shots that echoed through the air.
The bullets pierced the tires, bursting them with loud pops that echoed on the road. The car shook and rocked as the driver lost control, swerving forward in a rough skid.
A moment later, it tipped over and flipped onto its side, crashing hard against the ground. It rolled down the street again and again. It's metal body screeching and glass shattering until it finally slowed to a broken stop.
The man on the bike landed beside the wrecked car, the tires screeching as he pressed the brakes. He leaned forward, steadying the motorcycle until it slowed and came to a complete stop.
"Hmph." He scoffed, and threw his legs over the bike. "That landing was a bit rough, it's so not going into my top five road chases."
He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, slid one out, and set it between his lips. He was too lazy to bother with a lighter, so he raised his gun, fired into the air, and let the flame from the barrel light it.
"Hm?" Before he could enjoy a peaceful smoke, the man in the car crawled out through the broken windows.
He was injured, but not so much that he'd need medical attention.
The man sighed dramatically and put his gun back in it's holster, then he walked towards him.
"Come on man..." The man pleaded with a shaky voice. "All I did was snatch a fuckin purse, you didn't need to go as far as chasing me throughout the entire city!"
"No." The bounty hunter said disdainfully, then let out a puff of smoke. "Your greatest crime wasn't snatching a purse, or stealing a car to get away."
"Your greatest crime." He took a step forward, and his eyes gleamed with anger. "Your greatest crime was thinking you could outrun me."
"What? You chased me throughout the city because you thought I could beat you in a fuckin rac-"
POW
A swift right cross knocked the man out cold, and the bounty hunter picked him up, cuffed and strapped him to the seat of his motorcycle, then drove away.
..
New Central Police Department
The police station was a bit easy and calm that night. A few officers leaned back in their chairs, talking about old cases and laughing at jokes they threw at each other .
Some poured more coffee, the smell mixing with the faint scent of paper and ink.
Then.
The door creaked open, its sharp sound cutting through the laughter in the room. Every officer turned at once, their chatter fading into silence.
Standing in the doorway was the bounty hunter, and in front of him was a man, with his hands cuffed behind his back.
"Another one? That was fast." One of the officers said as the bounty hunter pushed the man through the station.
"Help! Arrest me! Just take me away from this lunatic!" The man that was cuffed pleaded loudly, struggling to break free from the hunter's grasp.
Two officers stepped forward, and took him off the hunter's hands. "Don't worry, we'll put you out of your misery. Let's go." They led him towards a holding cell.
The bounty hunter walked towards a table, where three officers, two women and a man — conversed.
"That's the third criminal today Damien, what did he do this time? Let me guess, he didn't make the shot when he tried his luck with an empty bottle?" One of the female officers — Charlotte, said, and the other one laughed.
"Nah, he stole an old woman's purse, then stole a car to get away from me."
"So, he committed a crime, then because he saw you, he committed another crime to escape? Aren't you the problem here." Charlotte laughed and pressed her palm to her forehead.
"You went through a lot of trouble for an old woman, you're a bounty hunter famous for tracking and capturing the most dangerous criminals in the city. And yet you are interested in spending your nights chasing after a purse snatcher?" The other officer asked, folding her arms under her large breasts.
"It's more of a hobby than interest, well whatever." The bounty hunter — Damien Cross, leaned in closer to Victoria with a smile. "At least I always make it back early enough to see your face before you leave."
"Back it up Damien, you have no charisma when it comes to a lady, didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
"Hey Victoria..." From their seats, the male officer and Charlotte whispered to her, motioning with their hands for her to say nothing about his mother.
Damien leaned back, his smile fading into a serious look. "When I was seven, both my parents were murdered, so no, she couldn't teach me any matters, not anymore."
"Oh my God." Victoria gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea."
"It's fine. That's why I why even as a bounty hunter I interfere with petty crimes. This world is cruel, parents are easily taken away from their kids. I won't let anyone suffer what me and my brother went through as an orphan, that's why I became a bounty hunter, not just to hunt the most dangerous bastards out there. I'm the man that'll instill fear in those criminals and they'll think twice before doing anything." He said with a soft smile curled up his lips.
"Hmph! Your story is so righteous that it almost made me shed a tear." A voice drew their attention to the doors of the interrogation room.
And they locked eyes with the chief of police. He was man built on wars and battles, literally. Formally a member of the military, he spent his life fighting wars and defending the country. Despite his age, he had a vertical scar on his left eye.
The symbol of a soldier who survived a war, but he also lost sight in that eye.
Now, he retired, and decided to settle for something less dangerous. Overtime, he worked his way up and became the chief of police.
"I knew we made the right decision when we decided not to arrest you back then." He laughed with his hands on his waist.
"Say what now? Damien raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, he thought he heard double. "Arrest me? Back then?"
"Hm? You're not aware?" The chief of police snapped out of his laughter.
The officers behind Damien waved their hands and shook their heads dramatically, signaling their chief not to reveal more.
"Oh well, you'll be fine."
..
12:05AM
Damien's Residence
Damien slumped lazily into his couch, and sighed as he glanced at the ceiling. For a moment, it was as if he sat alone in a completely dark world, swallowed up by the shadows.
「My name is Damien Cross, and I'm the most feared bounty hunter across seven continents. My story is simple, when I was seven my parents were brutally murdered in front of me, no one knew why, especially me. But that all changed when I learned they were murdered by the most notorious mafia in the country, and just like that, me and my brother became orphans.」
「From there on, I swore vengeance on the bastards that took my parents away from me, and I did. I tracked down the leader of the mafia, took out all his men, and just like that purse snatcher, I chased him down the road. Unfortunately he was hit by a moving white truck, and he died. Justice served, or so I thought. Despite getting revenge, it didn't really feel like a victory to me knowing people like him were still out there, making orphans like it was their job.」
He sighed.
「So I became a bounty hunter. I became the thing that'll stop men like them, the entity that makes them rethink their life choices. I became the most powerful bounty hunter in the world.」
SMASH!
Without warning, the windows of his house shattered, and several masked men rushed in through it. One by one, they raised their guns and aimed at him with a sharp click.
A man stepped forward and removed his mask. "So this is where you live? It's quite underhanded for a hunter of your caliber, wouldn't you say so?" He chuckled.
Damien looked unfazed, but he was startled. Still, his experience paid off, and he was already on high alert the moment he heard the glass shatter.
"Jason?" His hands were already on the tilt of his gun, he couldn't make a move just yet, otherwise it'd spell his permanent death.
"Yo, it's been a long time hasn't it Damien?" Jason wasn't just another bounty hunter like him, he was his mentor, the man who taught him everything he knew. From his fighting prowess to his marksmanship.
Damien sighed, then took a deep breath. "I assume you were hired to assasinate me?" He sat back in the couch, and their guns clicked sharply at his sudden movement.
"That's right, surely you haven't forgotten what I taught you before you set off for your pursuit of justice? If you call yourself a hunter. You must be prepared to be hunted down as well." The man smirked menacingly, like a mischievous fox, and pointed his gun at Damien.
"Yeah..." Almost at once, Damien pushed the couch over with his weight, just as the men opened fire. Bullets ripped into the cushions, but he stayed low, moving quickly across the room. Without stopping, he hurled himself out the window.
He hit the roof of his car with a heavy thud before rolling off and crashing to the ground with a grunt. Luckily, he came out of it without a scratch.
He didn't want to fight the man who gave him a second chance at avenging his parents. He didn't wish to fight the man who taught him everything he knew, but now that it came to this.
"Now then." He got up to his right knee, and pulled out the two guns strapped to his legs. "Let the real hunt begin."