Chapter I

"Yah!"

"Alli, bend with your knees!"

"Yah!"

"Put some more force into that high kick!"

"Yah!"

"Again!"

"Yah!"

"Good! Again!"

"Yah!"

Training practice was nothing more different than what it had been yesterday, or the day before that, or the day before that. Every day it was the same, especially in the life of a "hunter" for the protective company known as the Agency. The Agency was nothing more than a semi-secretive organization that seemed bent on discovering a source, and a cure, for this strange and dead world that is called upon as Earth. Mankind is decreasing in its numbers, it is slowly dying, though they cannot see it, as the world that rest of it lives in is merely a former self of what it once was, a dead and bloody wasteland, where only few places exist in the world that have not been touched by the dreaded apocalypse over the twenty years it has been here. The places could not be counted, as many of them the Agency is unaware of, but the Agency existed in one city in the once great state of California that has not been effected by the dreaded era, a city in which the members pursued normal and average lifestyles, all while trying to protect their city and home, as well as others from the darkness that is there. This poor city that has become nameless over the twenty years is inhabited by only a couple thousand people, in which the population is unaware or blind to the situation at hand. Those that are aware seek protection for themselves and families, or else join the numbers of the Agency. It is a sad time to live in, but it is the generation of the end of the Earth, and mankind, despite the numbers that were in submission, was not going to go out without a fight. The Agency has been proclaimed as the leading stronghold for survival, as well as its members priority to survive, to last, to exist. It is all that has become man's greatest goal, just to survive, just to last in this barren and empty wasteland we have all come to know as our home.

"Alli, aim higher!"

The young woman who stood in the arena along with three other men grinned devilishly, her gray eyes sparkling with an unknown presence that merely showed just how dark and omniscient her personality and presence really was. She leaned down low on the ground, her thin body stretching out into a cat-like position, and then—

Her body seemed to leap into the air, practically flying as her hip swung to a vertical position, her legs swinging out from under her and rising up until at last the heel of her boot smashed across the bar that had been risen to practical ceiling heights, and it was lifted out of its holster, and—spinning her body into a cartwheel loop—was sent across the auditorium, falling at a bullet speed, and clattered to the ground, erupting the entire arena into that echoing and terrifying applause that only signified the strength of this simple minor.

"Well done, Alli!"

The girl landed on her feet perfectly, and that devilish grin did not fade away, but only remained to ensure just how arrogant and cocky she really was. She turned on her heel and went to go retrieve the pole that she had kicked away, and as she walked, her companions watched her, beholding to the great beauty and strength that she possessed. She was a lovely girl, only eighteen, but she had the features of a full grown woman, a woman with long ebony hair and pale skin, yet her body was so mature, her strength composed entirely in her arms and legs, and her body seemed to fit perfectly in the black, yet somehow sexy battle suite that has been provided to her, a battle suite that, from the eyes of a normal, teenage girl, would look nothing more than a normal black tube top with a pair of black, leather pants, accessorized by two black belts and a set of gloves. Yet, this battle suite was more than just a simple fashion statement pronounced to the world, as in this day in age, fashion was as less important as the survival and everyday lifestyles of celebrities. In this day in age, there was need for Hollywood—or whatever was left of it, having been devoured by the filth that has taken over this world—there was no need for publicity and idols. All that mattered was survival, all that mattered was existing, and bringing forth a new world, a world where safety was the main priority, nothing else. But of course, to obtain this world, much struggle was to be had, much violence, and many deaths were to be made, all for survival of man.

"Robert, what was the height of that kick?"

The man who had spoken approached the edge of the arena and looked up to the sheet of glass windows spreading across the auditorium, standing behind the glass were several people that analyzed and studied the people beyond the windows, computer analysis and physical researchers. The man that was referred to was not one of the many people hidden behind the black screens, but merely the man that stood in the center of them all, standing, broad shouldered and arms crossed behind his back, staring out through the glass with a blank, yet cold, stern glare that merely showed the depths of his ocean blue eyes. It was as if the man's voice broke through whatever daze he was in, as the statuesque stance seemed broken when the man moved one hand from behind his back and combed his fingers through his mess of thin brown hair, and—with his eyes concealed behind his hand—he looked over at the computer beside him, and read the data upon it. Then he moved his hand away from his face and back behind him where the other was.

"Fifteen feet," he announced to the people within it. The woman, who had begun to walk away, turned around and proclaimed to the man.

"I can do much higher than that! You know it, Robert!" she yelled to him, showing her arrogance and bold personality, something that was never much appreciated by her peers.

"But you shouldn't. Your body can only take so much force applied to it. If you exert yourself too much, you'll wear your body out," the man, Robert, replied back, but his words only irritated the woman.

"Bullshit! You know what I am capable and not capable of doing! Let me go for higher! You know the last time I did this, I reached to twenty-five feet!"

"Yes, but you also were exhausted afterwards."

"Just let me do it again! You know I can do higher!"

"No, Alli!"

The woman merely glowered at him, but his stare was unbreakable, frozen, and it was not going to break. There was no getting through this man. Arguing with him was like arguing with a rhino, though this seemed to be less dangerous. Finally, she let out a groan and stalked away, her boots clicking on the auditorium floor, and as she approached the double doors, she threw them open in anger, and then slammed them shut, though the slam wasn't nearly hard enough to be the force to shatter one of the glass windows, which cracked only a moment after the doors closed, and then shattered into a million pieces, which caused several people to yell and cry out in fear and surprise, the broken pieces of glass falling to the ground like precious, frozen raindrops that were merely a sign of important and treasured lives having been lost. The men that were left in the auditorium all sighed from annoyance, and then one of the young men that stood in the arena turned to face the man staring down at them.

"Why do you put up with her?" he asked of the man, but he didn't answer, he didn't respond. This man, the leading scientist and head of the Agency, was Robert Fulton, a stern and serious man who has only just prospered into his late twenties. He pursed his top lip, curling it over his teeth, but he did not answer the young man who had called out to him. He didn't want to. He didn't have to. For the time being, the main priority was just to deal with whatever stress was placed on him by the woman, and let it go. Just for the time being, anyway….

When the younger man finally realized that Robert was not going to respond, he said nothing more, but then resumed with training. The female scientists peeked stares and gawks at him, having been charmed by his lively good looks. The young man was probably the most handsome out of all the members of the Agency, his brown hair soft, light, and always seemed to caress his face and his auburn red eyes just perfectly. His body was toned and perfect in every possible way, and his stares just cast away in any direction, giving the sense of dreaming and a wandering mind, while being very serious and collected. He seemed to be the only pleasant dream in many girls' minds, seeking, hoping, and praying just to have the significant attention be thrown onto them and to be noticed by this handsome boy. Yet, no girl ever seemed to be worthy enough to be important to the young man who merely called himself Lee.

A comrade that was frequently seen beside this handsome man was the devilish man that was only a few years younger than Robert, a man with wild, untamed black hair, and deep, brooding black eyes that seemed to engulf and consume every piece of knowledge to ever exist. He could look at one person, and they would instantly be thrown into the snare of confusion, shock, and the knowledge of not knowing what to do as they drowned within the blackness of his eyes. Unlike Lee, who had no name, no age, no true existence in this world, this man was called upon as Jude Iscariot.

Their master, the one who has, for several years, taught them and trained them in every possible martial arts technique, was a skilled and talented master of such abilities, having thrown his entire life into the battle between the living, and the undead. He was a physically prepared and adequate man who has become known as one of the greatest fighters of this day in age. Despite the constant struggle for survival, he has taught all three hunters how to deal with the deadly battles and torments the Vamps can hold on innocent lives and people, he has put these three lives in complete danger by putting them in situations that are equal to the struggles the Vamps place in actual battles, and how to overcome the inhuman strength, speed, and the inhuman desire for blood. This man has become known as Justin.

So, the roles of the Agency are pretty clear. To protect and defend whatever is left of the human race from the dreaded infection of the Vamps. The roles of the members of the Agency are pretty clear as well. There are three main hunters of the Agency, as well as their trainer, Justin, who is occasionally out on missions and protection with them. The head of the Agency is Robert, who, along with his team of intelligent and talented scientists, try to create new weapons for the hunters, as well as search for a cure against this manifestation. Yet, in twenty years, no cure has been brought forth, and no salvation has been given to the race of man. Yet, there may be light lifting over the horizon. There may yet be a way for survival. After all, it is only the darkest just before the moments of twilight come again.