Hunters Of Peril Book 2

By D.W. Jackson

chosen by some entity calling itself god Jerico if forced to be a hunter of Peril, a dystopian world overrun by mutant monsters. He had already done this once and failed but given a second chance he wants to push himself even harder. His gold is to stand at the top of the hunters in both the world of Peril and Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.W. Jackson
• Release date: Feb 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781370764020

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Hunters of Peril book 2

Written by D.W. Jackson

Copyright © D.W. Jackson

Smashwords Edition.

Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual event, organizations, or persons, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author

Chapter 1

Jerico stood outside the state capital building and looked upon the stone steps leading inside. With a sigh he took his first steps then reached the front door. He emptied his pockets but knew that it wouldn’t matter. The watch on his arm would set of the metal detectors and it wouldn’t come off unless his arm was taken with it and even then it would reappear after a few minutes on another part of his body.

You will have to take off the watch sir and go through again, the male guard said almost lazily when the machine gave out its high pitched whine alerting them that metal has passed through.

The watch doesn’t come off, Jerico explained though he doubted that they would believe it.

Sir either take off the watch, leave, or get arrested. It is your choice, the guard said with narrowed eyes.

I have to register as a hunter of Peril, Jerico said calmly. The watch is part of being a hunter…It does not come off or did the state put the main register point here just to give an excuse to arrest us? Jerico knew he sounded bitter but he doubted that anyone who had been in his position could have taken things any better than he had.

Just wand him and let him through, an older guard coming out of a side door said.

Jerico was forced to take off his shoes and spread his arms as they moved a plastic metal detecting device over his body. It had not been the first time he had been searched in such a manner so it was nothing new to him. Once the guard was done he was waved through and following the directions he went to the second floor and to a small closed off area that seemed to be recently changed for registering hunters.

Jerico knocked on the door and after a few seconds it was opened. Can I help you? a gravelly voice said as the door swung open and an old man looked at him through his thick glasses.

I am here to register as a hunter of Peril, Jerico said as he placed the paperwork that would be needed on the man’s desk.

I thought it would be a few days before the first of you started coming in, the man said as he started entering data into his computer. Today is the first day and it is just now opening hours. Seems like you were in a rush.

Better to get it done sooner or later but you might want to let the guards know that hunter watches can’t be removed so they will have to search each one. I was threatened with being arrested if I didn’t take it off.

I see, the man said looking at the silver watch on Jerico’s wrist. I will have a memo sent down so that the same thing doesn’t happen again.

Jerico nodded as the man started going through his paperwork. Social security card, drivers’ licenses, birth certificate, and proof of residence among others. As the man started typing and scanning the needed documents he started talking. Peril, hear a lot about it on the news, but what is it really like?

Think of the most dangerous place on earth then make it a thousand times worse, Jerico said coldly.

Picking up that Jerico was not in a talking mood the man continued his work. It didn’t take long and the last bit of information was noted down. That’s everything, the man said as he handed Jerico back the documents along with a yellow piece of parchment. Go down to the first floor and your hunter card will be made for you."

The hunter’s card was to show that a person was a hunter. It allowed them to own weapons and other things that most civilians would be arrested for. It had to be kept on a hunter at all times. Each card had a unique twelve digit number that as used to mark a hunter. When Jerico was a prisoner it was the number that was sewn on his shirt.

Jerico went down to the bottom floor and into the room where they made the security badges and cards for the staff of the capital and handed over the yellow paper to the slightly heavyset woman behind the counter. I am here for my hunter’s badge.

Hunter’s badge. Well you get to be my first one darling. Just stand over there in front of that white screen and smile and we will have you fixed up before you know it, the woman said with a warm smile.

An hour later Jerico was back in his truck and on his way home. Now he could carry his guns with him at all times. The law had started that was because hunters could be called into Peril at any time but that was because they didn’t understand how the world worked yet and were just working off the stories they had gathered. Still it let Jerico move his firearms and now he didn’t need to worry about being arrested just for having them in his house. The 9mm and .45 were already safe but the fully automatics were things that could get you more than a few years sitting in the pen if you were caught with them.

Once he reached his house Jerico checked the computer and was surprised to find out that Bosson had released a short video showing off the new T22. It had people in military gear firing it at moving targets, and just as it was built to, it ripped through them quickly. Jerico checked the stocks and found that they had already risen from 1.34 where they were at the last time he checked to 1.65 over just two days since the video had been publicized.

Seeing the rise in price Jerico couldn’t help but smile. It had happened a little earlier than he had planned so now it would be more expensive to buy the same amount of stock. Jerico had no need to check his bank account yet since it was still Jan and the end of next quarter wasn’t until April first and since he doubted that any sales went out before Jan it wouldn’t be until July that Jerico might see any money.

After checking everything Jerico started searching for the things he would need for the second stage of his plan. Money he could only wait for but people was another thing, but before he could hire anyone he needed to know what kind of people he would need to make the M4A8 medicine. The blueprint had a lot of chemical equations so he figured a chemist would be what was needed but honestly he just didn’t know. After looking through the net for a while Jerico decided to take a different route. There was a college no more than an hour away. Maybe a professor would be able to give him a nudge in the right direction.

Jerico found the college’s website and emailed a professor of medical sciences before logging off the computer and turning on the TV. It had already been a few days since he had entered Peril and he knew that Cari was waiting on him but he hated entering after eleven A.M., it always felt like he was wasting time when he did.

Jerico was quickly bored with TV but he kept watching it since there was little else he liked to do. He used to enjoy shooter games but now that just seemed like a joke. He had tried to play a few of them but they weren’t the same now. Thankfully the world of Peril didn’t destroy his enjoyment of horror movies. In fact he often watched them just to work on his jump reflex since doing that in real life costs you fractions of seconds that could cost you your life. His favorite kinds of movies was the ones with inhuman monsters but part of that was because he liked seeing the flaws in the movie. A lot of the film directors could have done better just filming for a day in Peril.

After watching a few hours of TV Jerico returned to the computer and checked his e-mail but nothing new had come in yet. He didn’t figure it would but one could only hope. After checking his social media Jerico shut the computer and went to bed.

Shortly after waking the next morning Jerico put on his gear and hit the small button on his watch and teleported himself to Hern. As soon as he appeared in the small house he heard Cari call out to him. Welcome home, She said as she jumped into his arms.

Anything happen while I was gone? Jerico asked after he gave her a warm kiss.

It snowed yesterday, Cari said as she frowned. No one in Peril liked the snow. It was a sign of danger as it made it nearly imposable to see the white furred creatures that came out during the winter season. Jerico looked out the slats of the shuttered window and saw the layer of white that covered the ground.

Looks like I won’t be able to go out on a trip this time, Jerico said with a sigh but Cari smiled.

That means more time with me, Cari said giving him a kiss.

Winter while slow for many of the people in Hern was not so for Cari and Lilly who were busy making clothes and blankets for trade once the road cleared. When winter hit the sheep mutants started growing fur at a fast rate. If it wasn’t sheered then it would stop once it was about a foot long but if it was kept trimmed it would keep growing as long as the sheep were fed. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded, if it was cut too short and the sheep got too cold they would die. With nothing to do Jerico followed Cari as she went over to the mayor’s house for her work.

As soon as they walked through the door they were greeted by John the mayor and his wife Lilly who also happened to be Cari’s uncle and Aunt. Jerico you are spending a lot of time at home, John said smiling. Thinking about giving up that scavenging and getting a real job.

No just not dumb enough to go far with winter upon us, Jerico said knowing that John was just teasing him. As soon as the weather warms up I will be back out there searching for what was left behind.

Well while you’re around make yourself useful, Lilly said as she handed him a pair of sharp metal scissors.

Come on she makes me do it too, John said as he showed off the pair in his hands. She says I distract her if I stay in the house for too long.

Jerico and John left the house and headed to a large metal door that was on the east side of the town. Sheep mutants were one of the least dangerous class 1 mutants but they were still mutants. To bring them inside the town was about as safe as using a candle to see in a gas tank. Instead a second walled off area was made for them. To get to it you just had to go through a thick door down a hallway and through another door. Once inside the sheep were kept in a fenced off area. Just like the animals the grass had also mutated with the pink fog. It grew much faster and hardier than before but it still withered during the winter. The town would cut the grass around their fields during the summer in preparation for this and when that ran out they would feed the sheep what they could. Since they were omnivorous they would eat most things, including slightly rotten food, so little went to waste in Hern.

The sheep looked much like the ones Jerico had seen in his world except they were slightly larger but not by much. Their teeth were also not flat and looked more like what dogs had. The shining canines seemed off in a sheep’s mouth but Jerico was used to the odd look of mutants.

The first step to sheering mutant sheep was separating and capturing them. You couldn’t use normal rope with mutants as even class 1 mutants could easily bite though it, instead you used a steel cable. Jerico picked up one of the cables and walked around the fence line until he saw a sheep close enough to capture. Swinging the steel rope Jerico tossed it but it fell far short of the sheep landing a few feet away. Pulling the rope back Jerico tried again but once again it missed but this time it did nick the sheep’s ear. The mutant sheep looked up at him and growled before it went back to searching the snow for some left over grass.

It took Jerico five tries before the steel cord slipped around the sheep’s neck. Once it was hooked Jerico just needed to reel it in which was easier said than done. After struggling for nearly a quarter of an hour he was able to drag the struggling sheep into the small pen, slip a muzzle over its head, and get it tied down so that it couldn’t move. Once everything was ready he could start sheering which all in all was easy enough. After nearly two hours Jerico’s first sheep was done and he started searching for the next one.

Hern had thirty-four mutant sheep in their ranch. They tried to keep the same number but were thinking about expanding in hopes that the size of the town would grow. The first step for that was to extend the wall but that didn’t mean opening a hole but instead building onto what was already there and once the wall was up cutting down the section that was blocking it off once it was finished.

After sheering three sheep Jerico was exhausted. Enjoy the work, John said as he walked over with a large bag of his own work.

I much prefer crawling through an half collapsed abandoned house with a class 2 hellhound nipping at my heels, Jerico said as he rubbed his sore shoulders.

John gave a long hardy laugh. I think I will stick with the sheep, John said. Saw a class 1 hellhound before don’t think I would ever want to see a class 2.

Just like a class 1 just a little bigger and a lot meaner, Jerico said knowingly.

Next time you go out will you keep your eyes open for the parts of an ammo station? John asked as they walked back toward his house.

An ammo station was just the items used to make and refill ammo. All of which could be bought in the Peril store on his watch. None of it was really pricy and if you wanted to pick up your brass it was cheaper than buying ammo but Jerico had yet to do so but he had extra Cor and if the town made ammo it would be easier to buy it and he wouldn’t have to make it himself.

I know a place where I can get it but what will you do about gun powder and other supplies? Jerico asked.

We can get sulfur from the sheep piss though it is not a pretty job we can make much of the other things as well it just takes effort. It’s not something we would make a big part of our trading but it would save us from being forced to trade for it when we need it."

Then I will pick it up when I get the chance, Jerico assured John. Same deal with the sewing machine for the ammo station.

Sure though from what I know you hardly ask for anything. At this rate the trading post will owe you more than it can ever pay, John said laughing. Just don’t ask for everything one day and leave us without even our knickers to keep us warm.

How did you learn of my plan, Jerico said jokingly as they entered the house.

What plan? Cari asked as she stuck her head out from the back room.

Nothing we were just joking around, Jerico said as he looked toward John and both of them laughed.

Cari and Jerico ate over at John and Lilly’s before returning to their own house. Since they had been gone all day the house was cold so Jerico quickly threw a few logs in the fireplace and started a fire. As the kindling caught fire he moved away and took a seat beside Cari on the couch.

How long are you staying this time? She asked as she leaned into him for warmth.

Not as long as I would like, Jerico promised. Only about six or seven days. It is coming up on my twenty-eight day limit before I have to take a mission. So it will be sometime before I can return too. Maybe seven to ten days before I return.

I wish that you could just stay here instead of having to go back to your world, Cari said with a slight pout.

I do wish that I could chose when I went back and forth without the need for timing everything but there is nothing I can do about it, Jerico said with a heavy sigh.

Guess we can only enjoy what time we have then, Cari said as she lifted up