"Boarding for Zone 12 in Sector 8. Repeat, Boarding for Zone 12 in Sector 8."
The automated voice blared over the underground tunnels filled with traveling people. Some arriving in Zone 3 and others traveling from it. The tunnels were always busy and usually crowded in daylight hours, making it hard for a woman with (h/c) to reach Sector 8 in time.
She shimmied her way through the crowd, apologizing whenever she bumped or shoved into a passerby. Finally reaching an open area, she saw the gate leading to Sector 8 and booked it from there. A mother had to pull her child back out of the rushing lady's way. But received a quick sorry from the said lady.
The guard stationed at the Sector 8 gate looked up from her book when the (h/c) lady approached. She set her book down and pulled out a card reader. "ID please?" she asked, voice tired from dealing with other travelers.
"Yes, yes. Here you go." Out of breath, the (h/c) lady pulled out her ID from her coat pocket, handing it to the guard.
Name: (L/N) (Y/N)
Age: 23
DOB: (00/00/2414)
Zone 3
The guard swiped the ID into the card reader and returned the card back to the lady after it pinged a green light. "And which Zone will you be heading to?"
"Zone 12. Did the shuttle depart already?"
"Nope. But it's about to." The guard lazily ripped a ticket out of a machine and handed it to (Y/N). "I suggest you get going before you miss it."
"I will, thanks!"
(Y/N) shoved the ticket into her pocket and picked up her luggage. After passing through the gate, she ran over to the shuttle leaving for Zone 12. A worker was about to close off the doors but stopped when he heard the yells of a lady to stop. He reopened the doors and allowed her to enter.
(Y/N) dropped her luggage on the ground and tried to catch her breath. An elderly woman looked at her in worry, "Are you alright, dear?"
(Y/N) nodded her head and smiled at the woman. "I'm fine... Just need to catch my breath. Thanks!"
(Y/N) picked up her luggage and headed to her assigned seat. She passed by families, workers, and individuals who were all preparing to rest for the night. (Y/N) looked at her watch to see that it was close to midnight, but she wasn't going to rest, she had to fill out some paperwork she forgot to do.
Arriving at her seat, she pulled out a folder and her headphones before placing her luggage into the overhead compartments. She sat down just as the shuttle began moving, the view of the busy tunnels through the windows soon turned into a view of dark metal walls, pipes, and wires. She shut the window and put her headphones on, clicking a button on them to play her "favs playlists".
She got started on the paperwork. Filling out her general information and other fields, including her assigned job role, a Keeper. She would be assigned to watch, care for, and study a demon. Or more if her employers saw her fit to handle two or more. It's a field (Y/N) has been aiming for ever since she started learning about demons in middle school. She successfully became a straight-A student with the exception of some Bs and graduated top of her class in demonology. Even though her job title says "Keeper", (Y/N) actually wanted the job "Capturer". Capturers are the people who go above ground to hunt demons and potentially capture them to be studied. It is a far more dangerous job than a Keeper, and (Y/N)'s older sister has tried changing her mind to becoming something safer, like a doctor. But (Y/N) is really stubborn and wanted to experience action, but the Capturer jobs were unfortunately full. The Lab that she applied for did inform her that a spot for a new Keeper opened up, still wanting to be around demons, she took it.
When (Y/N) finished the paperwork, a burly man sat down in the empty seat next to her. Before he could settle down, he turned in his seat to quiet down two kids in the seats behind them. He turned back around and apologetically smiled at (Y/N), "I apologize if my kids were disrupting you. They can get a bit rowdy."
"It's fine. I didn't notice them with my headphones on."
The man nodded and noticed the paperwork in the lady's hands. "Huh, Castor Labs. Is that where you're heading?"
"Mhm." (Y/N) closed the folder and tucked it away in her satchel. "I recently got a call from there, they assigned me to be a Keeper."
"A Keeper? That's a pretty dangerous job, ain't it? My cousin was a Keeper for a few years. He had this funny looking dog thing that he couldn't tame no matter what. He came back home two years later with scars, both physically and mentally after some incident with the mutt."
The man shook his head as he thought about his poor cousin. "The guy still says he sees the mutt out of the corners of his eyes, even in public."
(Y/N) became curious, but not for this man's cousin. "What happened to the demon?"
"Hm." He thought. "Well, it lashed out one day. Luckily my cousin wasn't there but a few others got hurt while trying to detain it. It got eradicated not long after and my cousin decided to quit too. That's why the job is so dangerous!"
(Y/N) nervously chuckled, "I know it's dangerous, but I've trained for this. A lot of my classmates went for other jobs like teachers and doctors. I've just been really interested in demons and what they are."
The man started settling into his seat and covered his eyes with a sleep mask. "Well, you seem like a kind person, maybe the demons will like you, just don't get too close with them. I'll pray you don't end up like my cousin." The man seemed really blunt with his words.
(Y/N) shyly smiled and placed her headphones back on her ears. "Thanks..."
The shuttle occasionally bumped and shook as it traveled on the rails. (Y/N) stayed up for half the night, reading a book on her phone before drifting off to sleep. It was peaceful until she was awakened by the snores of the man next to her a couple of times. When it finally reached morning, the voice of the conductor through the speakers announced the shuttle's arrival to Zone 12 will be in 3 hours.
(Y/N) stretched and yawned, noticing that the man and his kids left their seats. She reached for the window and opened it, seeing the desolate world pass by. In the distance, buildings that were demolished or barely standing, old destroyed vehicles and tech from way in the past, and mother nature retaking the land all created the abandoned world above ground that was now riddled with demons. Looking a little closer at the nearest structures, you can possibly catch a glimpse of one of the creatures or even a skeleton, human or animal, if you're lucky.
Over 300 years ago, back in 2134, creatures that are now called demons began rising to power and turning the world into chaos. Humanity lost the war against the demons and was driven underground as a way to escape these creatures. Communities called Zones were built across the country and old train tunnels were reengineered to connect between Zones as transportation. As time passed, research and technology advanced greatly, allowing humans to gain knowledge of their enemies and find answers to many questions. Now the roles have switched, humans are hunting demons more than the other way around.
Shuttles travel through indestructible tubes that spread underground and sometimes above to avoid obstacles. The shuttles are the only way to travel between Zones and also the fastest and safest. The tubes were caged all around with steel and nonbreakable glass with a special compound that deters demons from attacking or approaching. If they did, it wouldn't be pleasant for them. Stories from passengers who rode the shuttles mentioned seeing demons hiding in the rubble of the city or up close to the tubes. (Y/N)'s high school history teacher once told her that a demon tried attacking the shuttle he rode on but it got injured in the process due to the compound coated on the tubes.
After some time, the view of the world was cut off once the shuttle reached where the tube goes back underground. (Y/N) did wanted to catch a glimpse of a wandering demon. Reaching the underground tube meant that the shuttle was close to Zone 12, so (Y/N) started putting away her headphones and slipping on her satchel. The conductor announced their arrival at Zone 12, making the rest of the passengers pack up as well.
The burly man and his kids returned and he started unloading their luggage. Out of kindness, he unloaded (Y/N)'s luggage for her and placed it on his seat. (Y/N) thanked him, him nodding and leading his kids to the exit area of the shuttle.
They finally arrived at the boarding station in Sector 2 of Zone 12. (Y/N) exited the shuttle and looked around the station for someone. She was told that she will be picked up by a company driver and to look out for her name on a sign. Once she spotted the driver, she ushered her way over to him.
"(Y/N) (L/N)?" Asked the driver. He had a monotone voice that made him sound tired.
(Y/N) nodded. "That's me."
The driver started to walk, expecting the lady to follow him. They reached a white vehicle with the Castor Lab's logo imprinted on the doors, a black circle with two small horns on top and the company name printed across. The driver took (Y/N)'s luggage and placed it in the trunk while she entered the backseat of the vehicle.
The ride to the labs took half an hour, (Y/N) observed the buildings and people of Zone 12 and occasionally would sketch what she saw to pass time. The Zones are normally dark from being underground, but the various lights help the citizens and drivers see. When the vehicle pulled into a closed driveway, she put her sketchbook away and pulled out her ID card. A guard came up to her window and knocked, the window rolled down and she handed him the card.
"Your name is in the system, you're free to enter." She took her card back and the driver proceeded to drive further into the Labs. He pulled up next to the entrance to the labs near a man in Castor Labs uniform. When (Y/N) stepped out, the man greeted her with a wide smile.
"Welcome to Castor Labs! My name is Al Fidero, I'm your new boss! You're a new recruit, I assume?" The man seemed bubbly and excited to greet his new employee. He was a short round man in his 40s with a receding hairline and pampered mustache. He looked friendly enough meanwhile the guards behind him looked threatening.
"I am. I'm (Y/N) (L/N), I was assigned a Keeper job here."
"Oh yes, I remember. Follow me, I'll show you where you'll be working, staying, and your assigned demons."
(Y/N) paused at the last part. "Demons? I have more than one?"
Mr. Fidero gasped and placed his hand on his forehead as if he forgot. "I've forgot to mention. Our Capturers were expected to return with one demon but managed to get two. The people who've assigned your job went over your files and deemed you capable of having both. I hope this isn't too overwhelming for you!" He seemed generally nervous which made the woman grateful that her boss is caring.
(Y/N) quickly shook her head. "No no, it isn't! It sounds more exciting having two."
Mr. Fidero smiled and began leading the woman through the facility. Castor Labs was a huge building with lots of land and probably the largest lab in its part of the country. Castor Labs had three designated areas in its facility, the living quarters, where the on-site workers resided, and the lab areas, where the demons, experiment bays, and cells were. The garage is an area where the Capturers store their vehicles, weapons, and cages for when they go up to the surface. Mr. Fidero showed (Y/N) the cafeteria, restrooms, and recreation center where workers took breaks. They went to a part of the living quarters where the Keepers stayed. They walked down a narrow hall and stopped at a door with her name on it at the end.
"Here's where you'll be staying. You'll need this keycard to enter and exit your room as well as other parts of this side of the facility." He handed her a yellow and white keycard with her name and ID number on it. "You'll need a separate keycard to access the labs, we'll get it when we reach there."
"Good Afternoon Mr. Fidero!" A lady with cherry red hair approached the two, she was dressed in a long white lab coat, white button up shirt, and a grey pencil skirt. She kept her red hair up in a bun with some strands that gracefully fell around her head. (Y/N) thought the lady's black glasses made her look very professional, but almost intimidating in a way.
"Good afternoon Blythe! Perfect timing! This is (Y/N), she'll be a Keeper alongside you. So I would like you to show her the ropes on her first day tomorrow."
Blythe grinned at the (h/c) lady. "It's nice to meet you! Finally, another girl to work with."
"There isn't any other female Keepers?" Questioned (Y/N).
"Oh, there is. But they're all way older. I'm the only young one working, but not anymore!" Blythe shifted the bag she was carrying onto her right shoulder with a sigh, "I need to get this report in, I9 has been more active lately than usual. See ya later guys!" Blythe waved to the two and scurried off out the living quarters.
(Y/N) turned to Mr. Fidero with a curious look. "Who's I9?"
"Oh, it's one of our class A demons. Blythe is I9's Keeper." The two started walking out of the living quarters and to the lab areas. "I9 is something terrifying. Our Capturers found it surrounded by multiple deer carcasses in the city, when they confronted it, I9 didn't even attack. It didn't move at all. Just sat there and let the Capturers carry it away."
"That... sounds odd..." (Y/N) added in.
"Correct, it was. When they brought it here, they said that it was the easiest catch they've had in a while. Our researchers aren't taking chances with it, so they've placed it with the other A-class demons in heavily locked containment." Mr. Fidero shuddered at this. He had a small fear of demons despite working with them for most of his life, he just feared any of them getting loose within the Zone.
They finally reached the labs. A guard handed a small box to (Y/N) and left to open the door.
"What are these?" (Y/N) opened the box to reveal a silver cross necklace.
Mr. Fidero slipped his own necklace on quickly and instructed her to do the same. "These are blessed crosses we have to wear once entering the labs. You'll have to wear it during your Keeper duties to prevent your demons from trying anything funny."
(Y/N) put the necklace on, feeling the cold steel on her chest. Mr. Fidero walked over to the guard and asked for the new keycard he requested to be made. Once he had it, he returned back to (Y/N) and handed her the blue keycard. "You'll need this for the labs. It is crucial that you do not lose this card, it'll take weeks to make another one." She nodded and tucked the card away safely with the yellow one. The two entered the labs and were instantly was greeted by Keepers, researchers, and guards but also the sounds of demonic creatures.
The cells descended down to four floors deeper underground. The first floor containing the C-class demons with the last being designated for the S-class. C-class demons are the least threatening and don't require a Keeper all the time. Bs and As are somewhat the same, except A-class demons are determined if they'll go back to B rank or move up to S. But when it comes to S-class demons, they're not allowed a single Keeper and are under the constant watch of the Scientists.
The demons of Castor Labs were small or large and humanoid or animalistic. It was overwhelming seeing all sorts of demonic creatures in one huge room together.
(Y/N) immediately started feeling nervous, she will finally be able to work with demons but now that she's here, she's having second thoughts. 'Maybe being a doctor isn't so bad.'
A guard led the two to where (Y/N) will be working. They headed to an elevator and the guard reached out to click the "B" button. The new Keeper noticed this. So her demons are B-class? The cells were large white empty rooms with a glass wall keeping the demons separated from the halls. Each demon was given a code name, H7, K12, Y20, etc. So when the elevator descended down and the view of the A-class floor could be seen, (Y/N) caught a glimpse of a cell across the room labeled I9. She froze in fear at what she saw inside.
Sitting in a dimly lit room, a silhouette of a large humanoid figure with multiple arms and a long torso just sat slumped over in the middle of the room. The figure was tall, maybe 7'0 ft, and gave off this menacing feeling when looked at. (Y/N) averted her eyes to another cell with a less threatening inhabitant. Even though she only saw its silhouette, she hoped she never saw it up close.
"And here we are!" Exclaimed Mr. Fidero. After exiting the elevator to the second floor and walking down the row of cells, they arrived at a cell labeled A1 and B2. A retractable wall separated the demons into their own individual sides of the cell.
"These are the demons you'll be working with." Mr. Fidero pointed to the demon on the right side. "That is B2. So far, it's remotely calm and hasn't given anyone trouble yet. But I would still be on guard around it, our scientists have observed some temper spikes with it." B2 was a tall humanoid-like demon, his skin was charcoal black, and four large horns stuck out his head. He had long skinny limbs and a thick tail with black shiny spikes the scratched the floors. He was crouched down on the floor and covering his head with his long arms.
"On some occasions, B2 can sometimes appear like this or more human-like at times. So don't be alarmed if you find a random person in there haha." Mr. Fidero chuckled and moved to the left side.
When (Y/N) looked back at B2, she could see him subtly glancing at her with one opened blank white eye. To alleviate her growing fear, she smiled and waved at it kindly. To her surprise, he waved back before hiding his head again in his arms. He sat in the far corner of the room and tried his best to cover his face, maybe from the blaring white lights.
"And over here, we have A1." (Y/N) gasped when she looked into A1's room. A man with messy blonde hair, sun-tanned skin, and a boyish appearance sat chained up in the middle of his cell. (Y/N) would've thought this was a human if not for the two red horns, pointy ears, piercing red eyes, and black claws. Various chains connected from the back wall to the demon's straight jacket with locks, keeping the demon locked up and unable to move. The light above was flickering and singed on one side, it made the room more menacing than it should be.
"A1 may be more of a challenge than B2. It likes to scare people by shifting its body around to appear more... sinister like." A1 was watching Mr. Fidero closely before moving suddenly, making the man jump a bit. When he realized he scared him, he smiled very sadistically, flashing his sharp teeth. The guard present with them had to look away, a bit unsettled by A1 as well.
"Since this is your first time as a Keeper, I'll make sure a guard is posted outside the cell for any emergencies." Said Mr. Fidero, still a bit shook by A1.
"Thank you, sir." (Y/N) felt like someone was staring at her and looked back at A1. At first, he had a blank face as he examined her but then smiled sadistically again when they made eye contact. Just like she did with B2, (Y/N) smiled and waved at the demon to calm down her rising nerves. A1 tilted his head when she waved, like he was questioning her silently.
After the tour of the labs, (Y/N) and Mr. Fidero came to a stop at the living quarters. "Well, this concludes your tour of the facility. You'll start your first day tomorrow at 9:00 AM and end at 12, so I suggest getting some early rest. Any questions?"
"None at the moment really. Do I have to retrieve my luggage from somewhere?"
"Nope! All of your belongings should be in your room right about now. Your uniform should also be in there. Hopefully, it's the right size." Mr. Fidero shook (Y/N)'s hand happily. "Once again, welcome aboard!" He waved and went off towards his office to go over some papers.
(Y/N) went to her room, already seeing that it has gotten late. She took a quick shower and prepared herself for the next day.