Stunning Prisoner - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Countless footsteps pounded close behind me.

I ducked around a corner. In that brief moment, gunshots tore through the air like ripping fabric. My pursuers were clearly skilled. Though I’d blown the heads off a few, the firefight raged on.

Feigning retreat, I concealed myself, caught my breath, and squeezed the trigger toward the spot where I expected them to emerge. Behind me, a bomb erupted in a fiery blast.

Boom—! Bang—!

The explosions echoed between the buildings in rapid succession. Warm heat radiated from the lowered gun barrel, the heated barrel radiating heat. This pattern—evading pursuit until a sudden shootout—had repeated itself countless times.

It wasn’t my first rodeo. After nearly three years of being hunted, I was practically numb to it. I could keep running, but I turned back for one reason: my brother.

My brother, who hadn’t returned home in over a week, wouldn’t know our hideout had been exposed.

Click.

The cold barrel of a gun pressed against my temple. Perhaps this had been the inevitable outcome the moment I decided to return home.

Dozens of gun barrels aimed at me.

“Billy Winter, you are under immediate arrest for the murder of Hayel William.”

I slowly raised my hands, wearing an expression of utter, utter weariness.

Beyond the armed police federation thugs, a familiar face wavered—Claire, whom I’d just moments ago considered a friend. Her lover, Arthur, was nowhere to be seen, but I cursed them both under my breath.

“Ha… fucking bastards.”

I glared at Claire, who was hiding behind the Agent, before being shoved into the vehicle. Gritting my teeth, I watched as supernatural power-specific restraints were clamped onto my wrists.

Wait, isn’t it a bit too sudden?

Guess I need to rewind a bit from this fucking situation.

◀◀ 7 Hours Before the Arrest

The outdoor garden lunch party buzzed with the chatter and laughter of guests.

“Ha ha, thanks to you, we’re being treated to such fine food.”

“Don’t mention it. Please enjoy yourselves.”

Amidst the lively atmosphere, I mingled with the guests, chatting and laughing like an invited guest. My eyes darted around, searching for the woman I’d seen in the photos. Though, truth be told, I didn’t really need to search. She was the host and the star of this party.

As soon as the middle-aged woman left her seat, I followed her. She stopped at the restroom. Being a gentleman, I waited outside, counting to myself.

Splash— 

The sound of rushing water echoed faintly.

My client, a thirty-year-old man, had pleaded:

“Please kill the monster that brutally murdered my brother and his wife. I beg you. What did they do to deserve this? They were just living their lives, caring for each other and working hard every day… I’m sorry, I still can’t control my emotions.”

Despite his bloodshot eyes, the man struggled to continue.

“I’m asking you this because I don’t want any more victims. My sister would want that too.”

I took out the photo the man had given me and flicked it with my finger.

The woman in the photo was the middle-aged woman I’d been tracking. In the picture, she had her hands on the shoulders of the client’s younger brother and his wife, gazing warmly straight ahead. According to the client, she had approached the couple under the guise of a benefactor, claiming to have saved them from a pickpocketing attempt.

Clients like him were common. The “monster” he spoke of was a Creature Hybrid. They blended among humans but couldn’t suppress their murderous instincts. The client’s family had undoubtedly met a gruesome end, likely without even understanding why they had to die.

Well, the survivors are just as clueless.

It was like an accident that happened overnight—there was no one to blame. If I had to blame someone, I’d blame the situation itself.

I originally didn’t want to take this job. My principle was never to accept commissions from private individuals. But when the target was a Creature Hybrid, things changed. Of course, the man had offered a substantial advance, seemingly his entire fortune. But that wasn’t my concern.

Click.

I loaded the bullet meant to kill Creature Hybrids.

Just then, a middle-aged woman emerged from the restroom and smiled when she saw me standing there.

“Who… are you?”

Without answering, I casually scanned her. It was a habit, even though I already knew her information.

The middle-aged woman’s violet party dress was stunning—more than enough to mask the stench of decay beneath. The stench of blood, flesh, and bone that clung to her eternally, the lingering scent of those she had murdered.

I peeled myself off the wall with a bright smile.

“That dress suits you perfectly.”

It’s the kind of greeting you’d expect upon first meeting someone, right?

It was meant as a compliment, but the woman’s expression didn’t brighten. Instead, a guarded wariness settled over her features.

“You don’t seem to be on the guest list… May I ask your name?”

“Lizzie? Amanda? Diana? Ah! It’s Diana now, isn’t it? I get confused with so many names.”

“……!”

The middle-aged woman’s face hardened instantly. After all, I had just rattled off her hidden past identities.

The alias I’d recently used to approach my client’s younger brother and his wife was Amanda. Now, as printed on the party invitation, it was Daina.

“If you’re using another name, let me know. My memory’s terrible.”

“…I don’t know who you are, but would you please leave?”

The woman, having composed her trembling lips, issued the dismissal in an elegant tone, like a gracefully aging human woman.

Her acting was so convincing, I almost fell for it. But it was all a lie. I immediately pressed the gun to her head. She continued to feign terror until the very end.

“H-Huh, why, why are you doing this? There must be some misunderstanding… I’ll call for help! Gasp!”

Before she could finish speaking, I clamped my hand over her mouth and shoved her against the wall. She trembled violently, her face a perfect mask of terror.

I dangled the photograph from my fingertips and held it up in front of her eyes.

“Just one question. Do you know the names of the people in this photo?”

I was simply curious. If she’d eaten, torn apart, and enjoyed them, surely she’d know their names, right?

The image of a young, happy couple materialized on her retinas, clear and sharp. For a fleeting moment, the woman’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners—a subtle flicker easily missed.

But I didn’t miss it.

The woman tensed, her neck veins bulging as her lowered eyelashes trembled. In short, she was pretending to be terrified.

“Mmm, mmmph.”

“Ah, I asked with your mouth covered. Just nod, then. Easy enough.”

She knew I was asking just to mess with her. This was purely my whim.

“Nod?”

The middle-aged woman lowered her head.

“Hic. Hic.”

But it wasn’t a sign of agreement. What I heard was laughter. Mocking laughter.

The woman lifted her head, saw me, and her laughter abruptly ceased. Her acting was truly remarkable—she looked exactly like a real person.

Then she arched her eyebrows into a V-shape. As she removed her hand from her mouth, all traces of her earlier elegance vanished from her face.

Her eyes widened in a grotesque glare, the whites around her brown irises expanding. The bizarre expression looked like something straight out of a nightmare. Slowly, she parted her lips.

“I don’t know. Why would I care about a name?”

Good. That’s the answer I wanted

Bang! Bang!

I planted two bullets between her eyes.

The gunshots echoed in quick succession. I didn’t use my supernatural power indoors.

Watching the woman rapidly regenerate the flesh above her lower jaw, I raised my knife. The Hybrid, kneeling on the floor, slumped forward.

Not even a groan escaped her lips. I’d ended her before she could scream. Outside, music still blared for the Hybrid’s sake.

“Honey? Honey, are you there?”

A middle-aged woman’s voice faintly echoed behind me as I turned. She was likely the Hybrid’s next target. Over the years, this Creature Hybrid had lived under various names, hunting down her acquaintances.

Suddenly, the Client’s words flashed through my mind. ‘Make sure there aren’t any more victims,’ he’d asked. I guess I’d roughly fulfilled that request too.

As I left the mansion, I tossed the wig I’d been wearing into the bushes. Untying my hair, platinum-blonde strands cascaded past my waist. Sunlight poured fiercely down onto the sycamore-lined road.

◀ 3 Hours Before the Arrest

The bell jingled cheerfully as I pushed open the bar door. Turning my back, I grabbed the shoulder of the man sitting alone, his back to me.

“Whoa!”

“Why are you so startled? Where’s Claire?”

Instead of answering, Arthur ordered another drink, his face troubled. I crossed my arms, prepared to tune out his excuses as I gazed out the window.

Just as Arthur Dwarker was about to launch into a lengthy explanation of why his lover couldn’t make it today, I cut him off. Something had been bothering me since earlier.

“What’s with that tie?”

Arthur always insisted on wearing only neutral colors.

So it was only natural that my gaze would be drawn to the waterlogged, grass-green tie hanging around his neck. Arthur Dwarker was a diligent bank employee who always dressed neatly and conservatively.

Arthur narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.

“You’d better choose your words carefully. You’ve insulted my darling’s taste.”

The ‘my darling’ Arthur referred to was Claire. I’d known Arthur for 2 years now, and Claire for nearly 4 years.