Page 26 - Hunter - The Vigil

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O ONE ENDLESS VIGIL
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be again made human if he finds the key to unlock

whatever festers in their dark hearts. Another still
sees opportunity where others fi nd only horror.
Hunters must use every resource available to them,
calling in their contacts, allies and connections to glean
knowledge and skills that they themselves may not pos-
sess. A politician lobbies for zoning laws and legal injunc-
tions, trading political favors and influence for votes that

his constituents have no idea are designed to curtail the
activities of cults, slashers and spell-wielding warlocks.
A photojournalist gathers images no publisher will ever
print, from Fortean forums and kooks too crazy to be
taken seriously. He archives them, cross-referenced to
serve as resource material for the rest of his cell. Con-
nections. Information brokering. Networking. Hunters
know that humanity’s eyes are everywhere, even when
the witnesses don’t know what they’re seeing, and that
the power created by pulling society’s strings is more
than any one individual can muster on his or her own.
A hunter might be a famous activist or a bodyguard to
Hollywood personalities who sees the truth behind all
the tabloid tales. Another might be a 911 emergency
dispatcher with a reputation for handling the “weird”
calls, or a taxi driver in the bad part of town, keep-
ing an eye out for those who have no protectors and
gleaning stories from those to whom no one listens.
Every hunter, a different face, a different Vigil.

…And a Million
Mad Shadows
Whether he deals in guns and bullets or scrolls
and parchment, whether she wields an ancient sword
or a digital camera, eventually the Vigil takes its toll
on every hunter. The hunt is an obsession that can
weigh on a hunter’s shoulders like a cross made of I-
beams. The Vigil demands. It comes with endless cost

and requires greater and greater sacrifices. It is truly a
candle burning at both ends.
On one hand, a hunter has the fi nancial toll.
Sure, some hunter compacts and conspiracies pay their
cells, and some pay well. The rest? They’re shit out
of luck. A hunter cell working block after block late at
night doesn’t get paid in anything beyond the charity of
suspecting strangers. Bills mount up. The mortgage comes
due, comes late, comes up bust. Families need food. Cars
need gas. Guns need ammo. Where does the money come
from? A day job? A night job? Maybe. But can the hunter do
both? The Vigil doesn’t stop. A hunter can’t just “turn it off.”
Even when he takes a night for himself, what if the fi ends come
for him? Or what if his radio squelches and he hears the
pleading cries of a cellmate locked in some monster’s at-

tic? Some hunters find ways to supplement their incomes:
one hunts the dregs of the dregs while another’s Vigil is
dedicated only to those monsters with old money and blue blood.
Every approach brings new dangers.
On the other hand, the Vigil incurs a personal toll. Does
a wife understand why her husband comes home at dawn,

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