The Hunter - Chapter 3 Bounty

Stamfort Medical Research and Development Center

After Prof. Marcus and Prof. Robert taken by police, the labs become quiet. No one seems to be around there. And nobody has an idea to look at the storage room, where a body of Reid Blackstone laid there. The body was laid on the floor unmoved, seems breathless when suddenly the body shuddered heavily like being shaken by a quake in high intensity. After shuddered a while, his body arching forward and release a heavy cough. Coughing sound can be heard for some minutes followed with heavy panting sounds.

Reid sits on the floor, he breathing heavily. His face was pale with eyes wide open and mucus flow from his nose and mouth, he also looks disoriented.

“Where … where am I? Why am I here?…. Ugh … my head feels heavy” said Reid while holding his head by his two hands. After his breath becomes calmer, Reid tries to remember what happened to him.

“Argh… can’t remember anything. My head gets dizzy when I’m tried to remember” said Reid shaking his head, tried to remove his dizziness.

He stands up slowly, trying to stabilize his wobbly legs. After he feels he can walk, he steps one by one to janitor quarter. When he arrives there, his supervisor still there doing some paperwork.

“Mr. Ashford, I’m feeling sick. Can I take a leave now?” said Reid in a weak voice.

“My God Reid! You look terrible! You should go to the hospital” when the supervisor, Mr. Ashford, see Reid’s condition he surprised. Reid’s face looks very pale with a bit reddish eyes.

“Do you have a fever? C’mon I take you to the hospital” Mr. Ashford offers Reid to take him to the hospital because he worried about his subordinate health. Reid is one of his crew which most competent, never came late to work and never complaint either. He also never slack when workings make Mr. Ashford satisfied.

“No Mr. Ashford, I don’t want to go to the hospital. I just need some rest because my head feels so dizzy. After taking some Aspirin I will better”

“Are you sure you only have headache boy?” Mr. Ashford still doubting Reid condition.

“I will be fine after some rest Mr. Ashford”

“Alright, you don’t have to work today and I’ll drive you to home. But If tomorrow you still feel sick, you must go to the hospital. Okay?”

“Okay, I will” Reid doesn’t want to refute Mr. Ashford suggestion. He just wants to get home and rest.

After dropping off Reid in his orphanage, Mr. Ashford returns to his work. Reid walks sluggishly to his small room in this orphanage.

Arrived in his room, Reid pours a full glass of water and drank half of it. After putting down the glass on the table, he walks to the small cupboard above the sink to get some aspirins. He takes 2 aspirins and gulps it down immediately, but after swallowing it for some minutes, suddenly a heavy headache attacking Reid’s head. Walk tottering to the table, Reid’s vision blurred as his hands reach out far, try to grab the glass on the table. When he feels the glass was on his hand, Reid drank it in one gulp and walk to the bed to lay his self. What Reid didn’t realize is, there’ still some distance between his hand and the table. The glass just flies to Reid’s hand when he tries to grab it, but Reid doesn’t know it. His head already dizzy and his vision is unclear. The next moment, Reid lay unconsciously in his bed.

Next morning, when Reid wakes up, he feels his head is a lot better than yesterday night. But he still doesn’t understand why he sleeps while holding the glass. After taking a wash and brush his teeth in the sink, Reid comes out from his room. In the corridor, he meets with Sister Christina, a nun which works as the caretaker of the orphanage.

“Good morning sister Christina” Reid greet her

“Good morning Reid. You look pale, are you sick?” said Sister Christina when she saw Reid’s face. It’ seems last night effect didn’t completely disappear from Reid. She put her palm on Reid’s forehead.

“A little warm. You should not overwork yourself, Reid, I know you want to raise some money for this orphanage, but don’t burden your body with that” said Sister Christina gently. She has been managing this orphanage for 20 years, even before Reid was entering the orphanage.

“I just want to help this orphanage sister,” said Reid. He knows this orphanage is not government subsidiary, but privately owned by a church and depend on donation for its funding. With many abandoned kids under their care, the orphanage must strive hard to earn their funding and manage it.

“I know you do. But you also should keep some for yourself. Save some to do plastic surgery to remove your burn scars for example” said Sister Christina while rubbing the scars on Reid’s cheek gently. She knew where this scar comes from. When the orphanage caught on fire when Reid still 7 years old kid, he bravely enters a room that burns to save his fellow orphanage kid that trapped in that room. He manages to save his friend but his cheek was hit by a burning wood log that fell from the roof. It leaves a big burn scar until now. Because that scar no one wanted to adopt Reid as an adopted son.

“I don’t need it, Sister, there are other things that need money than just small scar of mine”

“But if you don’t remove that scar, no girls would willing to marry you,” said Sister Christina in a sad tone.

“It’s alright Sister, I don’t think about married someone or make a family on my own. This orphanage is my family right now”

Sister Christina sighed. Without the scar, Reid will be like another fine young man, unfortunately, Reid himself doesn’t want to remove his scar.

“Then I’ll pray that Lord will send you a girl with kind heart, who can see the goodness in your heart than your appearance”

“Thank you sister” Reid can’t refute Sister Christina word and only reply it with a bitter smile.

“Come, let’s have breakfast together. Other children maybe already waiting in the dining room”

Reid nodded and followed Sister Christina to the dining room.

——————-

[Back to present time, couple days after the incident at Industrial District]

Daily Metropolis office.

Burt Bradford entering his office with a cheerful face, he even whistles a song with his mouth. He’s in the good mood because his newspaper sales increased significantly recently. He stops and said to his secretary that sit in front of his office.

“Sally, if Miss Scarlett Johnson arrive, tell her to come in my office, also, call Jerry to come as well”

“Yes Mr. Bradford,” said his secretary take the intercom to call Jerry.

About ten minutes later, Scarlett Johnson comes into Daily Metropolis, when she about to sit at her desk, Sally called her.

“Miss Johnson, how’s your leg?”

“Oh Sally, good morning! My legs are okay although the bandages make me uncomfortable when walking. I can’t use my high-heel shoes either because the doctor says I can get sprained ankle if I force to use high-heel”

“Really? Poor girl. Anyway BB calling you. He wants you in his office when you arrive” BB is shortening for Burt Bradford, their boss.

“He did? Did he want to give me a raise?”

“Who knows? But with his stingy attitude I don’t think so” said Sally chuckled.

“Alright, I’ll go there”

“Jerry already inside too” add Sally

“Um” Scarlett only nodded, before she entering Burt’s office. Inside the office, Burt still has a conversation with Jerry. Jerry is the art editor for the Daily Metropolis.

“Ah Miss Johnson, you come finally. Please have a seat” said Burt when he sees Scarlett come into his office.

“Good morning Mr. Burt and Mr. Jerry. Is there anything important that need to discuss with me?” asked Scarlett.

“Good. I’ll be straight to the point. Your exclusive reportage on the incident at Industrial District has brought a significant increase in our sales, so I decide to ….” Burt paused his speech, he thinks for a while.

“Give me a salary rise sir?” Scarlett asks with glimmering eyes.

“That not what I’m gonna said. I decide to make you as special investigator reporter to this ‘mysterious guy’ in your reportage. You know what this City lack of? They need a hero! Crime rate tends to rise every year and police only said they do their best to solve this problem.”

“You don’t give me a raise? I really need to replace my old car sir. I almost lost my life because my old car’s engine suddenly broken before that incident”

“If you can make a reportage on this ‘mysterious guy’ I’ll consider it. Also, we can’t call him ‘mysterious guy’ forever. We need a name that will remember by people. You have any idea, Scarlett?”

“I already proposed Silver Mask or Black Shadow, but BB reject it,” said Jerry

“Hummm …. When he talks to that killer he said they are his prey maybe name ‘The Hunter’ will suit him,” said Scarlett.

“No. We need an elegant name for this heroic guy. I want people when hearing his name will remember how he in the shadow, watching all those bad guys silently, and when the time is ripe, he’ll act in such cool action. Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah…but”

“No, but, I want his image is like a beast sneaking in dark and silently caught his prey, no, he’s not beast, this won’t fit, it’s more like a hunter watch the game from afar and when the prey did not aware his presence, he snapped it. Yes! Like that! I think The Hunter fit with the image. How do you think about my choice?”

” …….. ”

“Also we need the picture of him. We can get more readers if we can have his photograph put in the front page with headlines together. What do you say, Jerry?”

“I agree with Mr. Burt, but unfortunately we don’t have any information about him at all”

“Alright, let make a bounty on his picture. We’ll give $ 500 for every picture of The Hunter, No! We give $ 200 for every picture that we consider good. We don’t need any blurred picture of any disguised people claiming their self as The Hunter. You’ll be work together with Miss Scarlett who ever see real The Hunter to sort originality of any picture submitted. She’ll know which one is fake and which one is real”

“Okay,” said Jerry

“And put this bounty on front pages tomorrow. I want to get The Hunter picture as soon as possible”

“I’ll arrange that”

“So, what are you waiting in my office? Get to work out there!” Burt shooed Scarlett and Jerry out from his office.

Next morning in Daily Metropolis front page there’s an article about The Hunter and reward for submitting The Hunter picture, “GREAT REWARD FOR ANYONE WHO CAN BRING ‘THE HUNTER’ PICTURES TO DAILY METROPOLIS”.