Hi there.

I'd just like to say that these "Journal" chapters aren't completely essential to the story and can be skipped if the mood takes you. They're here to give you a glimpse into this character's head and occasionally provide some background info, but they probably won't have a huge impact on the story itself. Just a heads up. The story proper starts in the next chapetr, and I've put the disclaimer there as well if you're looking for it.

Anyways, hope you enjoy.

18-3-2018

Journal Entry 01: Joining the Mercs

My name is Kara Tyler. I am 18 years old, and I'm a mobian lemur. Many people turn and look at me in the street because of my species; we lemurs are not often found in cities, and are seen as reclusive creatures. I'm one of the few exceptions.

A week ago I was hired by one of the most efficient and well-paid mercenary groups in the nation. Unlike other mercenary groups I have heard of, my employers have no catchy name for themselves and are commonly referred to as simply "the mercs".

I've been hired for my computer expertise and hacking skills, something that the group lacked before I arrived. Since I joined, I have been an accessory to both theft and murder. I'm still not comfortable with assisting in murder; I may not have killed anyone personally, but my skills helped one of the mercenaries to gain access to the target. Theft, on the other hand, I can deal with. It's how I ended up here in the first place, after all.

I've been having some really bad dreams since I helped with murder, and they don't seem to be going away. Every night it's the same; I dream about walking into a dark room, the only light cast from the open doorway behind me. There's a person in the room. I never see their face, but it's still a person. I raise a knife in my right hand and plunge it down into them, again and again until I'm covered in blood and the room is stained red. Then I wake up. I'm not sure why I'm having dreams that graphic when all I did was open a door and let someone get access to the target, but maybe it's because I feel so guilty about what I've done. Although, that's not my only problem.

I'm finding it difficult to get to know my fellow mercenaries. My people skills aren't exactly the best in the world; I usually run out of things to say pretty quickly. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm fully aware that each of the people I'm trying to talk to are notorious criminals. Well, they would be notorious if the police had a clue who they were.

I've decided to try and create a brief profile for each of my fellow mercenaries. Maybe it'll help me get a better idea of how to talk to them. Whoever's reading this must think I'm pretty sad for doing this, but here it is:

Jin Lenea (pronounced Len-ay-ah) - A forty-something mobian wolf, Jin seems to be the leader of the team, or one of them at least. So far, he has shown himself to be very smart and has excellent foresight and planning skills. He's helped me feel better about what I've helped his group do ever since I joined, and seems very insightful. I have no idea of his combat ability, as he hasn't needed to fight yet.

Tobias Stone - The other leader of the team, Tobias is a spiny lizard in his late 30s. He has several roles, from what I've seen, including raising morale, adopting undercover identities with ease and planning for contracts. He has also reassured me several times, whenever he notices me feeling uneasy or alienated from the group.

Zachariah Hunter - Zack is a porcupine, and seems to be in his late 20s or early 30s. From what I've been told, he has a talent for shooting, and is an expert marksman. He told me that he can handle almost any firearm that's been invented, and that I should go and see him if I ever need help with guns. He hasn't realised that I have no interest in the things.

Kirah Hunter - Kirah is Zack's younger sister, and is her early 20s. She's very good at sneaking around, as she proved to me when she sneaked inside a military warehouse and stole some papers from inside, as well as a laptop that I had to hack into. She's been very friendly towards me ever since I arrived, probably because she was the only girl on the team before I was hired. The similarity of our names has, on occasion, caused a bit of confusion.

James John Zeach (pronounced Zee-ack) - James prefers his nickname, JJ. He is a hedgehog, and he's the same age as me. Skill-wise, he seems to have quite a few talents, including some degree of marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat skill and, despite his outward attitude, a sharp mind. He can act immaturely at times, and teases the rest of us often. The others are used to this, but I'm not.

Vincent Zonratic - Vincent is rarely called by his actual name, with the others usually nicknaming him "Zon". He's also the same age as me, and, like JJ, he's a hedgehog. I'm told he has a talent for driving almost anything, and is pretty good at shooting too. Out of all the mercenaries, Zon's the one I'm having most trouble getting to know. He is very quiet and usually stays out of non-work related conversations.

That's all I have at the moment. I hope I'll be more confident in speaking to my new companions now, but I doubt it. I need to try and remember to update this journal regularly, and if I get the chance, I will.

I have another job to do tonight, another assassination where my skills are needed. I'm not looking forward to it. Hopefully helping with jobs like this will get easier in time, and hopefully my nightmares will stop.

Hopefully.

Kara Tyler