Prologue

So guys, two extra spicy currywursts and because it's so warm today, I'll give you a free lemonade on top."

"Oh," Maddox said, taking his meal. At the promising smell alone, his stomach gave a very emphatic growl. “Eleanor, you are a real angel. If it wasn't for your husband, I would carry you straight to the back of my truck and express my gratitude. "

Eleonore, the owner of the little snack bar on Hautstrasse, laughed heartily. “You old charmer. If only I were ten years younger. "

"Put another ten up, you still wouldn't be safe from me."

While Eleanor burst into ecstatic giggling, his partner Gian rolled his eyes and began systematically to devour his food.

Even if Maddox gave the impression that he was not aware of the world around him, he did. Gian and everyone else in his life thought Maddox was a casanover who didn’t miss a rock and he did everything to maintain this image. Very few knew that he had no interest in women, but it was better if it remained a secret. After all, you didn't have to hang up everything and that was nobody's business.

When Eleanor turned to the next customer, Maddox slid to the side a little and then started on his own food.

"Did you notice what was going on over in Florida?" Gian asked between bites.

"You mean the thing with these animal rights activists, because of whom four people are now dead, but two cranes were able to escape the Venators?"

Gian nodded. "But they weren't just any animal rights activists, the people were from Live for Animals."

The piece of sausage caught in the air halfway to Maddox's mouth. "You are incinerating me."

"Nope." He shook his head. "You must have confessed to the incidents."

"LFA? Really? ”The group had crushed it after they brought this plague of proles over humanity two years ago.

“It seems a few of them have banded together again, only their goals have shifted drastically. You feel responsible for these beasts for setting them free. Not that that would be a mistake in their eyes, but somebody has to protect these poor creatures from monsters like us. "He bit off a piece of his bun and then said with his mouth full:" I caught it this morning at the boss's by chance. "

At least that explained why Maddox hadn't heard of it yet. “Nice shit. First let the ... "He interrupted himself when the radio cracked on his belt and immediately afterwards a tinny voice announced: " Rauxeler Weg two, children's birthday, three seven seven, proles unknown. "

"That's right around the corner," said Gian, while the tinny voice was still mutilating his eardrum.

Maddox nodded and while he was still reaching for the radio, he left his food and hurried to his car with Gian without saying goodbye. "Here team eight twelve, we're very close and we're going there." He tore the car door open, jumped into the passenger seat and was happy to have his legs in the car when Gian stepped on the accelerator.

" Understood eight twelve, reinforcement is already on the way."

A child's birthday, oh god. Proles, these genetically engineered animals were monsters and Maddox had already seen with his own eyes what these beasts could do. He didn't want to imagine what she would be waiting for at her destination. But he would find out, because he was Venator, a state-approved hunter whose job it was to get the prole plague under control.

For five tense minutes Gian drove the car through the streets with a lead foot. Fortunately, he knew his way around this part of town very well and so it was easy for him to find the address. However, he stared at the proper roadside parking. He just stopped across the front of the house and then they just had to follow the screams.

Maddox just took the time to rush to the trunk and get his hunting rifle when he followed Gian across the driveway of a local family house.

The front door was wide open, the wood on the door frame was splintered. Broken up.

The moment he stormed into the house behind Gian, he heard a shot from the garden, followed immediately by a second.

Maddox accelerated again and only marginally noticed the many family pictures on the walls in the hallway. He ran into the kitchen and immediately wanted to storm through the open back door, but had to brake, because right in front of the door was a blood-covered woman with blond hair, right next to a dead Proles - more precisely an Iuba.

This creature was in the shape of a German shepherd, but was at least a head taller, if not more. It was striped gray and black and had a lion-like mane that was only a little darker than the rest of the fur. It had a long tail with long hangings and a little goatee under its chin.

In fact, like all other proles, a Iuba was a beautiful being, with an innate elegance and grace, but when you looked into the piercing yellow eyes of these beasts, you could see their true nature. They were monsters, created to plant nightmares in people's heads and this sight would cause Maddox again one or two sleepless nights, because before someone had put a bullet in this Iuba, he had ripped the blond woman's throat out .

Maddox gritted his teeth and jumped over them outside into the garden and into a bloody hell. There were screams, wails, and sounds of pain. The Iubas growl and bite filled the air. There were so many that at first glance he couldn't see them all, but what he saw were the two little, red-haired girls on the hedge in front of the fence. And also the big Iuba, who jumped straight at her.

While one of his colleagues was killing one of these critters behind him, Maddox hastily raised his rifle. The shot was risky, but if he didn't try, the two girls would be dead anyway. He didn't hesitate for a moment. While the Iuba was still burying the older of the little girls, he pulled the trigger.

The bang resounded through the whole garden, the Iuba winced violently as part of its head practically flew away and then the cattle slumped lifelessly on the child.

Maddox immediately ran to pull the heavy bastard off the girl.

The little one was crying and sobbing, my face was all bloody. The fucking beasts got them.

"Hey, take it easy, little mouse." He crouched down next to her, but she was so scared that she didn't seem to hear him. "Are you okay?" What a stupid question. Obviously she wasn't, but Maddox had always struggled with children.

He glanced at the other girl. It had huddled, its ears pressed and its eyes narrowed. It hummed softly as we rocked back and forth. Over and over again.

God, he wasn't made for that. "Hey, don't cry," he tried to reassure the little one, but his words didn't seem to really resonate with her. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

When there was shooting behind him, the little one winced and looked around in panic at the growling and drooling beasts.

Maybe he should take care of her injury. "That doesn't look so bad, it'll be okay," he tried to calm her down once more, but when he reached out his hand, she shrank back from her, sobbing fearfully. "Okay, stay here then." He looked from one girl to the other. The younger one seemed unharmed. "Nothing can happen to you anymore."

Another shot lashed through the garden and when Gian yelled something, Maddox looked up in alarm and just saw a group of several Iubas running around the house.

"Stay here," he said to the little girls again, then jumped to his feet and went into chase.

Gian and two of his colleagues were already hot on the heels of the bastards, but Maddox was quick and had no problems catching up with them. He ran across the garden, past the house to the driveway and even before he was around the corner of the house he heard more shots. His colleagues had lined up and tried to shoot the escaping proles before they could escape.

One of the Iubas howled and fell to the ground. He tried to get back on his feet, but another shot had already been fired.

Maddox joined their line, raised the rifle to eye level and aimed at the largest of these critters. His breathing became calmer as he narrowed his eyes a little. Then he pulled the trigger.

The bang made his ears ring.

The Iuba screamed and stumbled. The mane on his head turned red, but he ran on and disappeared into the next side street with the rest of the pack.

"Damn it!" Maddox cursed, reloading his rifle and starting the chase with the other Venators. The monsters were not allowed to escape.