No one liked to admit it, but New York City was as degenerate as Las Vegas. The only difference was that Vegas was honest about how it went about with its depravity. Sure, there wouldn’t be people half naked in the streets most of the time, gamblers crying about their losses, and someone having a good night without their spouse knowing. But New York was one and the same, a cesspit of the depraved and the greedy. Only this time, the people wore suits and often made a comfortable amount of money, well, the good end of New York.

  They said the city never sleeps, and Irene could agree with that. People love to go around to parties and enjoy the nightlife at some clubs with the cheapest of booze. But the assignment he was given required him to participate in the world he hated. Thankfully for him, he preferred to take the role of a random Uber driver than an idiot on the dance floor. If only it would shield him from interacting with people.

  ‘So how long have you been doing this gig?’ The man standing next to Irene asked. Smoking a cheap gas station cigarette while they both wait for their clients in front of a dingy nightclub. Someone Irene didn’t bother remembering his name, even though the man told him a few times.

  The man was young, with short black hair. With his accent and the way he spoke, Irene would guess that he was from some area in the Middle East. If he had to point to which location, he would assume the eastern parts of Türkiye. There were other Uber drivers there. However, Irene looked the most foreign compared to everyone else. And it didn’t help that they both parked next to each other in the parking lot.

  ‘Not long,’ Irene replied. Looking around, trying to find an excuse not to talk to him, only to find that he would be stuck talking to a fellow stranger. ‘I’ve been doing this for a week or so.’

  ‘Ah, a newbie.’ The man laughed. ‘I’ve been doing this for a while now. Met some good people, and some interesting characters.’

  ‘That I can agree with.’

  ‘Oh, don’t get me wrong. You will encounter some of these people. Some of them would tell you fascinating stories about their lives, which is always a joy to sit back and talk with. Others like a silent ride, no talk, all business. But some, oh some are terrible customers. The worst of them are always drunk white women.’

  Irene raised a brow. ‘Drunk white women?’

  The man takes a puff of a cigarette before responding. ‘The rudest people imaginable! They are always giving you bad reviews, and they leave a mess. Vomit is easy to clean up, but makeup is the absolute worst. However, some will say the most vile shit imaginable. Drunk men, not including race, are the second-worst type of customer to deal with.’

  ‘Luckily, I don’t have to deal with them.’ Irene replied lightly, trying his best to divert the conversation and move on to something that wasn’t about work.

  ‘Oh no, there is always a chance, and it will happen eventually. Even now, you might be unlucky in dealing with them.’ The young man points to Irene’s pocket. ‘Have you even seen the app? Do you know who your customer is?’

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Irene shrugged. ‘No need. I read it once, and I know who they are. I don’t think I’ll get anyone difficult tonight.’

  As soon as he said that, the doors to the club opened up. Some people staggered out of the building, holding each other, with wide grins and the smell of alcohol. But from the crowd was his target. A tall woman in a short dark blue dress, with long blue hair and dark skin. A demon disguised as a human, the creature who was unauthorised to be on Earth. Al’Gazel, that was her name. But coming to Earth, she decided to adopt the name Lizzy Bennal.

  Demons going to Earth wasn’t a new thing. Many fled Hell for a chance at a new life, but only the most talented or the wealthy could afford the magical skill or magical items to disguise themselves as humans and to live among them. Tracking them was difficult, as they would also have access to suppression magic before coming to Earth. Which was difficult to detect under normal circumstances, though they could be detected if you looked hard enough at any magical signature caught on one of the Order’s satellites.

  However, that was the easiest part. The mission didn’t help, as the woman he was hunting was a demon living in a very populated city. Finding the demon woman was the easiest task they could do. The real task was how they could discreetly dispose of her without causing a commotion or getting caught. That would require some skill other than gunning them down in the middle of the street.

  Tailing her was Howard, Irene’s comrade-in-arms. A man with Down Syndrome wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt and jeans. Ironically, the perfect person for the job of tailing and keeping an eye on anyone. No one would expect someone with a disability who was also nonverbal to be the best agents of the Order Horrfica, not even the enemies of humanity. And from how Howard was smirking, he also seemed to have had a good time at the club.

  Irene got into his car and set up his phone on his dashboard to prepare to follow whatever car the demon woman got into. However, to his surprise, the demon woman got into his car. ‘You’re John?’ She said to Irene, using a cover name while putting on her seatbelt.

  He looked out of the window to see a confused Howard with the young man. Even he wasn’t expecting that to happen. Though it wasn’t going as planned, for Howard was meant to get in the car instead so they could tail the demon back to their place of residence or somewhere to confront them. Irene realised that it would also be the perfect opportunity for him to take the target to come with him instead. To see if it was a genuine mistake, he looked at the app to see that Al'Gazel was his customer. A happy little accident on my team’s end. Irene thought to himself.

  ‘I’m John.’ He announced before starting his car and driving off. ‘You’ll get home shortly.’