The Primal Hunter

It was just another boring Monday morning. The sparse rays of sunlight that found their way through the blinders’ narrow gaps did little to disturb the man sleeping deeply on the bed. However, the serene peace was short-lived as the accursed sound of his alarm began its daily ritual of ruining a good dream.

Jake, previously enjoying the sweet embrace of his blankets, was startled awake, fumbling around until his hand finally found his phone. Grumbling, he rolled out of bed and started his usual morning routine, preparing for yet another day at work.

He went for a warm shower, a quick breakfast, got himself dressed, before he finally grabbed his stuff and headed out the door. The entire morning routine was done in less than half an hour.

Walking down the stairs to his car, he had an intuition that the day was going to be interesting. He didn’t know why as everything was as usual so far, but he couldn’t entirely dispel the feeling. Maybe someone brought donuts?

Traffic was terrible as usual, living in a big city and all. He spent most of the time not actually driving but sitting in the endless queues of the morning rush. He had considered cycling or maybe running to work, but then he would have to shower and get dressed at work, and that just sounded bothersome.

As he finally pulled into the parking lot, he got out, grabbed his bag, and headed on inside the corporate office that had been his workplace for the last couple of years. The building itself was a massive monstrosity of glass, with way too many floors. It wasn’t all that out of place, though, being surrounded by similar structures.

As he got inside, he was greeted by the receptionist, Joanna. She was a middle-aged woman, who always wore these large earrings, and more makeup than an entire class of high school girls would need in a week. If Jake had to describe Joanna in the easiest way possible, it would be a soccer-mom stuck in a perpetual mid-life crisis. The reception was located only a couple of meters away from the elevators, so greeting her in the morning was a natural routine for most employees.

“Morning, Jake, had a good weekend?” she asked, with far too much energy for this early in the morning.

“Same as always, how about you?” Jake answered politely, knowing what was to come.

“Oh, it was great! You know me and Mike tried to…” she replied with vigor, explaining in great detail, giving Jake déjà-vu to last week, where the exact same scenario seemed to have played out.

the elevator finally saved him, allowing his escape as he headed on up to

of the elevator, Jake was met by a calm, open-office space. Seems like I was one of the first to arrive today, he thought, as he found his way to his desk.

two years now. His job was what many would describe as boring, yet he somehow found it peaceful to immerse himself in the spreadsheets, financial reports, and whatnot. He worked in the financial department, and

investments, his official title being a business analyst. Jake had a knack for picking out the excellent stocks and avoiding the bad ones. He

and more made their way off the elevator. After the initial morning greetings and polite social exchanges, the noise

there, having finished up the most immediate tasks, he began to feel a bit tired once more, clearly having not gotten enough sleep. Most others in the office had learned by now that he wasn’t one for small talk, so most left him alone. Just the way he

withdrawn. He had always been a bit of a loner and chose activities based on not interacting with others. Heck, when his dad forced him into doing some kind of sport

his life. He had a well-paying job, a good family, a nice apartment, great colleagues, and his future was looking bright if he said so himself. He wasn’t an extraordinary person, but just another face in the crowd. And he kind of liked it that way. Standing out meant unnecessary attention, and he would prefer to

finished his thoughts, his superior, Jacob, walked over with a big smile

heading out for lunch, you

good,” Jake replied

the kind of guy that people would call a born leader. Excellent social skills, an affinity for reading

a guy called Bertram. Big and brooding would be one’s first assumption, but he was actually a big softie. Apparently, he

filthy rich. It was quite honestly a miracle that Jacob hadn’t turned out to be an entitled brat, instead of the man he was today. He was popular in the office by

no harm when it came to the women in the office. His hair always seemed to

conversation longer than a few sentences, even with someone like Jake. The fact that Jake wasn’t the type to create problems in the office, but only deliver reliable results, naturally

going to lunch. Because with Jacob along, he knew it

to the elevator together with Jacob and Bertram. Talking along the

same elevator he, Jacob, and Bertram were heading into. Said elevator quickly got cramped, as three others were

the human resources department, who shared their office space with Jake's