Mac wasn't having a good day. Not at all, walking down the street, passing everyone walking passing him while he wasn't paying attention, finding him lost in his head.

This isn't good; I can't believe they fired me; I spent the last five years, and they just… why? I’m one of the best applecorers around! Mac felt angry, his head hurting as he felt his blood boiling; his boss had come into his office and told him they were making cuts and changes around, and Mac didn't make the cut. Claiming it was nothing personal. But Mac wasn't sure about it. They handed him a month's severance, but he spat at that,

Yeah, cause that will help me out when the money runs out. Fuck, I've got to find another job and quick. Sure, Mac had some savings, but even he knew it wouldn't last him forever; Mac continued walking when, without warning, he dragged him back into the world when he found himself walking into someone.

"Hey, watch it, bub!" Mac looked up, and standing there, nearly eight feet tall, was none other than a strong hairy man, well, a man who wasn't a man. The man was a minotaur. Mac looked at him, almost shocked and confused by such a thing. It was the first time he'd ever seen an actual minotaur in person. Mac shook his head and muttered,

"Sorry, I didn't see you." He tried his best not to stare at the bull-headed man, wearing a black t-shirt and shorts. But just looking at the man, Mac could imagine that he could tear him apart without effort.

"Didn't see me? How? I'm like Eight feet tall. Are you trying to be a funny pal?" The Bullman growled, clearly ready to tear Mac a new one. Mac raised his hands, clearly trying not to look aggressive,

"Look, man; it was an accident; I don't want any trouble, alright? I'm just having a bad day, that's all." Mac imagined he would need to start running and maybe find himself in the running of the bulls without even having to go to Spain.

"Iron will! what are you doing?!" A woman's voice quickly rose, loud and demanding, as The Bullman seemed to freeze right up upon hearing her; Mac looked around at the big guy seeing a black woman walking up, clearly annoyed, as she looked over at the minotaur named Ash.

"Oh, Sorry, Miss Love, This punk here bumped into me, and I-"

"No excuses, Iron, you know the law; you're not allowed out of my sight; what if the cops came by? Now get your butt over here." She spoke, clearly showing the large man bull who's boss.

"Sorry, Miss Love." Iron will, the minotaur, spoke, his shoulders slumping as the woman sighed.

"I'm sorry, sir; Ironwill here is still new and learning the laws. Including the rule's about how monsters are not allowed to harm humans. Now apologize."

"But he bumped into me," iron will replied, but Miss. Love spoke up.

"It doesn't matter. I saw how you were acting. Now tell the man you're sorry. We don't have all day. We have to speak to Ms. Sunborn." The bull-man looked back at Mac, staring at him for a minute as if contemplating something but giving a heavy huff.

"Sorry. Have a good day, sir." He spoke before turning away.

Miss. Love looked back at Mac. For a second, as she headed over,

"Listen, it would be nice if you didn't report this. Iron will is new to our society; he was hanging in a labyrinth before he came to America, so he's not used to being around humans. If word got out, they might deport him back to Greece." If on cue, Miss. Love pulled out a twenty and shoved it into his hand almost forcefully. She turned around and kept her eyes on the minotaur, ensuring he didn't run off somewhere. Looking at the twenty, Mac sighed and muttered to himself.

"I need a drink." Mac's head filled with worry. He walked off, going towards the nearest bar. He wasn't sure what to do, Walking past the sounds of heavy traffic.

The bar, better known as Jack's Bar, can be found between jacks Pizza and Jack's Tattoo Parlor. (None of them were the same Jack, strange enough) Mac walked into the bar. The soft bell rang, telling everyone Mac had arrived. The bar was filled with The sounds of Hard Rock music while the few patrons hanging around drank away their sorrows as they talked to each other.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," Mac muttered while he headed to the counter. Mac looked around, getting a better look at the jukebox off to the corner with its neon colors going off. At the same time, he turned back, seeing the bartender standing there with a grim expression. Mac stated,

"Just get me a beer." The bartender nodded, reaching down and grabbing the long-neck bottle from under the table. The bartender didn't need to be told twice. He looked at the beer as he undid the top and took a long swig, The bitter taste washed down his mouth as he sat there for a good minute.

"Fucking greedy dick heads." Mac's head shook, thinking the day couldn't get worse. He grunted, thinking about how he lost his job. "What am I going to do for work?" He grumbled, thinking he'd have to get on his computer and send applications. Hopefully, someone would take him. Heck, if he was desperate, he'll have to go into fast food. Still, he found himself shuddering, imagining dealing with customers, as he knew that would most likely be the last resort.

"Something wrong, buddy." A voice spoke, calm and relaxing, while Mac looked over; a man wearing a white button-up t-shirt and a smile that seemed off from the rest of the place stood there.

"Rough day, man; what do you need?" Mac responded something about the man seemed completely off.

"Just saw you and thought you'd like to talk, pal." He moved over, sitting right next to Mac, while he rolled around, "Names Featherweather, so what's got you down."

"Just got fired from my job, Featherweather. Shouldn't you be in Sunday school?" Mac didn't want to be rude, but his mood was shot down, and He wasn't feeling like being the nicest guy.

"Hey, not the only one, pal; a few of us are going through hard times!" One of the patrons called out a slight slur as he returned to his drink. However, this seemed to get the other patrons going as well. In comparison, the rest started to grieve their frustrations.

"Those monsters took my job, Fucking nightmare worked construction for ten years, then the boss said They had to let me go, Replaced me with a damn cyclops! I put the best years of my life for the company, and they let someone eye bastard take my job 'cause he's stronger and gets the job done faster." The man spat on the ground while taking another drink of whiskey.

"You think it's bad? One of those integrated Monsters now a part of our society is dating my daughter, Fucking hell. Why couldn't my daughter marry some nice human? I don't want grandkids to have goat legs!" He grunted, taking a drink while the others consoled each other for a time.

Then a black man in the group raised his head,

"I'll be honest, and I'm fine with monsters coming around; cops, leave me and my kin alone more often. Who'd have thought bringing in actual monsters would bring us all together under a single idea." There the people raised their drinks in solace agreement. At the same time, Mac nodded, somewhat agreeing, a part of him wondering if that would happen if he were replaced with a monster.

No couldn't have been. I've seen others leaving. Also, It had to have been a screw-up. He looked back at the others, who went back to drinking quietly. He saw himself in them, each having a rough time, as he grunted.

Mac moved over, taking another drink while Featherweather stared at him even more; Mac found that this freaked him out.

"What do you want? You're starting to freak me out." Mac spoke with an unfiltered truth while Featherweather smiled,

"I think I know of a way to help; here, please take my card." He reached over, handing him a plain white card. Written in black ink reading, The Helsing chapter. With a number scrawled over it. Mac found he wasn't interested in this man's offer, as he shoved the card in his pocket, trying not to be rude. While shaking his head,

"Well, thanks; I Appreciate it, man." Featherweather gave that long smile while he adjusted his sleeves,

"Call me anytime; you can join our meetings; I know it can help you." Featherweather moved on, walking off, while Mac sat there, a long sigh as he returned to his beer. Luke tried not to think about it, wanting to push his sorrows away. A good beer or two could take it all away.

-000-

After a bit, Mac shook his head as he paid his tab and began to leave. Walking out of the bar, he hadn't realized it was already dark as he sighed.

"Going to be a long night." He grunted while he began heading off down the streets. As he stumbled off, the roads were empty, leading to his apartment. He was sure this was the right direction in many ways as he grunted more. He imagined he had too much to drink while he stumbled around.

"Hey, buddy, are you looking for a good time." A sultry feminine voice spoke. Mac looked over seeing the woman standing there, and now he had to admit she looked like a cool drink of water. Tall, with slender legs that seemed to go high. She's wearing a short leather skirt with a top that barely hides anything. In his drunken state, Heck Mac imagined that if it was any smaller, it might have busted off, revealing her breasts.

"I'm sorry, what?" He said while he leaned against the wall, though the woman didn't seem to mind.

"I said, Buddy, do you wanna have a good time? Fifty bucks, and I'm your's for an hour." She spoke with a smirk, her hand reaching over and playing with her breasts. "Make it a hundred, and I'll even let you do anal." She chuckled while looking towards him. Mac then noticed that she had a pair of horns on her head.

"Are you a monster?" He grunted while keeping his head from spinning. The woman, clearly annoyed by such a remark, let out a long grunt.

"I prefer succubus; we don't like being categorized under a single banner. Now do you want to fuck or what?" The succubus said, tapping her foot, annoyed by Mac, who just side,

"No thanks, no offense, but I don't have much money even if I wanted to. I just lost my job today," Mac grunted, feeling his stomach turn as the realization hit him harder.

"Damn, that sucks. Well, hope you get on your feet, pal." The succubus said as she began walking off, figuring there might be a chance to find a client on a different corner. Mac sat there for a minute, his heart racing fast, wondering what he would do.

Mac continued sitting there for the rest of the night, trying to sober up. Mac would eventually get up from where he was sitting. Soon stumbling away, as he imagined he could make it home safer now. The streets are empty, with not a soul in sight. The whistling wind passed by as he went home.

The home was not home anymore as he looked up at the two-story building. The place somewhat beats up, though it was built in the nineteen-hundreds and managed to get through two world wars, the Vietnam war, and a good couple of recessions while still holding out.

The house was cold, with a cool breeze as he moved around, grabbing a plate while cooking tacos from the other night. Mac sat alone while he waited patiently. The kitchen was big enough to fit a few people; as he looked over at the sink filled with dishes, Mac knew he would need to get to those when he could. He walked inside, putting in the code, and the door unlocking sound. His laptop is over by the fridge while charging. The light blinked, gently annoying Mac, as he returned to his phone.

"I'm going to need to find a job soon." He grumbled, knowing he would have to update his resume. He looked down at his phone when he noticed something.

Do you want to earn extra cash?

Do you have room in your home for another person?

If you join this government program, you may receive thirty-five hundred dollars a month.

"That sounds good, and I wonder how?" A part of him wondered if this was going to be a scam. But looking at the empty kitchen with just a stove, a microwave, and a fridge, he knew he didn't have much choice. He didn't want to lose this house, the only thing his parents had left him: a place that still had to be paid off and a bunch of bills.

"I've got to try something."

So Mac sat there, pulling his computer. Mac logged in while he typed away and started filling out a form. "I mean, they most likely would reject me… But why not." He bit his lips as he spent time filling out the application.

When all was said and done, Mac took his tacos and ate them alone in the dark before going to bed; His bedroom was simple, with white blankets and a mattress. The tv off the other side mounted to the way while he looked around. He stared at the blank wall, not bothering to turn the television on. Mac didn’t keep much on him. It reminded him too much of the past. He took the time to eat his tacos and worried about the future.

-000-

Morning came by faster than Mac was ready, the feeling of the sun entering his eyes from the exposed window. Mac groaned, feeling the pounding in his head. He was dealing with a hangover. Mac lamented, using every ounce of strength and willpower to drag himself out of bed. Mac walked to the bathroom, looking at himself in that disheveled five o'clock shadow.

His hair was a complete mess, with that cowlick showing off on his right side as he looked at the mirror and rolled his head. "I look like shit." He grumbled as he looked over at his razor. He reached out to it, his fingers mere inches from it before pulling back.

"Screw it; not like I've nowhere else to go." He reached over, taking his toothbrush while brushing his teeth, when Mac heard a ringing from his room. He rolled his eyes. Mac had a funny thought about phones. They were some of the most valuable things in the world, but at the same time, they were annoying. You always found yourself getting a call when you didn't want them, and if you were using them, you might not be paying attention to where you're going and smack your head into something.

Mac grabbed his bed off the nightstand; as he answered it,

"Hello?" He asked, momentarily pausing while trying to wake up, rubbing his head while he prepared for whoever might have called him.

"Hello, Celestia Sunborn; I'm a part of the Monster Of National, safety, tolerance, and effective relocation."

Mac found himself pausing there, realizing this woman claimed she was a part of… MONSTER. He quickly responded.

"Could you please repeat that…"

Celestia Sunborn did so, and he was right; the acronym is monster. A fact he wondered might have gone over her head, or she was playing this straight for a joke.

"Alright, so you're a part of monster…. What do you need?" Mac almost forgot about what happened last night. He remained calm, trying not to let his finger slip as he sat on the bed.

“Yes, now I’d like you to come in today; we received your file and would like to discuss your interest in helping out by hosting a nonhuman in your home.”

“A nonhuman?” He asked though he figured he knew what she meant.

“A monster, we prefer to call them nonhumans, they don’t like being referred to as monsters, now please, Come in at one o’clock, don’t be late. I have a busy schedule.” She spoke rapidly while Mac found himself unsure how to respond, looking at the clock and realizing it was nearly noon.

“Alright, um, can I get the address?” He asked while he reached over, finding some paper and a pen; he had to ask her twice as she handed over the address and motioned over, putting it on his desk.

“I’ll see you then, Mr. Apple.” She said Mac was about to say something, but the sound of clicking hit, and he was disconnected. Mac sighed, rubbing his temple; somehow, he imagined today would be an even bigger headache even when the hangover left him. Mac moved over and looked down, seeing the card lying on the floor; Mac looked towards it, wondering, before shaking his head and tossing it on his counter. Mac went to get ready. He would be in for an interview faster than he expected.

-000-

The address wasn’t far; he ran up after Mac jumped into the shower and got him cleaned up, wearing his best button-up shirt and blue jeans. Mac then had to deal with his head; it hurt like someone had just put a spike through it. Mac reached over, grabbing a pair of sunglasses. He imagined it would do for now as he ran out of his apartment, heading to the address.

Mac walked down the street, and it was a cold, cloudy day. Mac listened to the sounds of the traffic passing by them. The heat beat down on him. Mac ignored this, trying to focus on this meeting going well as he continued jogging. He wasn’t sure when he would get there. Mac didn’t need to be late. If it came down to it, he would be in big trouble.

He ran past some of the buildings as he slowed his breathing. After a few minutes, Mac stopped, as he found himself standing in front of a large building it looked around twenty stories tall. He gulped, looking at the size of the building as he imagined being on the very top.

“Why does it have to be so high.” He grumbled to himself, imagining the worst of it. Yet Mac took a deep breath getting his nerves. He hadn’t even gotten inside the building, yet somehow a part of him chickened out; he hated himself for that. Don’t be a coward, bud. Mac heard the familiar voice as he turned around and saw no one, well, nobody he recognized walking down the streets.

Mac walked into the building, the lobby was something, and Mac took a deep gulp as he walked through it. There were many kinds of monsters roaming around. A sight to be seen as he passed by a large, diverse group of creatures, from minotaurs to even women with snakes for hair, wearing blindfolds as men in black led them off. He tried not to stare as he headed to the back of the room to the receptionist's table.

The woman standing behind the desk was a heck of a sight. The top half was human, with short brown hair, and dark crimson eyes, all be it six of them going up her forehead, while she wore a delicate white top, though she was more flat chested, when he looked down at those parts. But the one thing that kept her from being fully human was that she had a set of large long legs, eight of them to be exact, as it reminded Mac of a wolf spider. His heart pounded as he wanted to say something, but instead gave her a wide smile trying to seem more polite.

Her name tag read Mommy longleg, as Mac saw her giving him a sensual smile, showing off her white teeth and fangs that reminded him of the kind you’d see on vampires in the movies. They glistened in the light.

“Hello there, do you have an appointment?” she asked, her calm voice said, as she brushed some of the hair out of one of her eyes. Mac smiled, took a deep breath, and nodded,

“Yeah, I’m supposed to meet Miss. Sunborn, she wanted to meet me about hosting.” He tried keeping the conversation quick while looking at the clock on the table reading half past ten, meaning he was still early. Soon Mommy longleg, the spider woman, moved over to her computer, clicking on the keys as she typed away. Mac stood there feeling awkward as the seconds ticked away. Mac watched, her taking long deep breaths as his spider legs twitched like she wanted to do something else.

She pulled away from the computer and nodded,

“Yeap, you’re in our system; Miss Sunborn will see you in her office.” She said with that smile. She pointed to the elevator, “Her office is on the fifteenth floor, go left and three doors down.” She reached down, grabbing the key card. As she quickly typed onto the computer as handed it over.

“Please follow me.” She walked over to the elevator and scanned the card, Mac following behind her while watching her walk around. Mac couldn’t help noticing how the hair on her body swished around. Such a sight as her back end wiggled. It somehow made him feel uncomfortable. But he held on as he followed on as they made it to the elevator.

“I think we might exceed the weight limit.” Mac joked while looking at the spider woman.

“No, it’s more of a precaution that we set up these key systems so someone doesn’t break into the building’s other floors. It’s required that I or Someone else help you get on the elevator Since only workers can access the other floors.” She slipped the key card over, and there was a long pause before the doors opened.

“Walk in and hit floor fifteen, and it’ll take you straight up there,” Mommy longleg said, giving him a nod before turning around. Mac nodded as he stepped into the elevator, and the doors slowly closed. Her Spider rear almost brushed against his nose as he watched her leave.

“Hopefully, this isn’t some trap, and I’m just going to fall into some spider web.” He shuddered, imagining that, with just a press of a button, he’d fall through the floor and into the spider’s web—a meal for Mommy longleg and another Spider woman or monsters that ate humans.

That didn’t happen; in fact, Mac was going right up. The sounds of elevator music played as a sinking feeling in his stomach as he continued taking a long deep breath watching the doors, waiting for them to open. Then the doors opened with a light ding; he sighed in relief as he stepped off the elevator and began to walk down the hallways. Following Mommy longleg’s instructions, it didn’t take long for him to find Miss. Sunborn’s office. Her door was a frost-covered glass, with her name written in jet-black lettering. Mac watched for a minute as he stepped over, giving it a light knock. When the door suddenly swung open.

“That goddamn bitch, why the fuck would she reject me? I would have been able to do the job perfectly fine, fuck!” A fat man stepped out, and Mac took a quick look, the anger on his face as he looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, as he nearly pushed Mac out of the way.

Mac was about to ask the man what was wrong but heard a voice after him calling out,

“Next, please.” He looked around to see if there was someone else, but it was only him, while the voice spoke up,

“Yes, you; now come on, I don’t have all day.”

Mac did so walking into the office; the place was spacious. The person sitting behind the desk, A woman with short red hair wearing a fine suit, as she adjusted her tie; at that point as she grabbed a cup of coffee that sat on the desk, steaming away.

“Please sit down. Would you like some coffee or a drink before we begin?” She spoke in a polite voice, and It was the kind some people put on when they were in a lousy mood to try and not cause trouble for others; Mac shook his head, soon taking a seat.

“Um, I’m Mac; you called me over the phone this morning.”

“Ah yes, I’m glad you could make it on such short notice; we’ve been trying to get as many people as possible to help us.”

“Um, what about the last guy? He seemed pretty angry?” Mac added, glancing behind him to the door, as he could almost imagine the man somehow coming back with a gun ready to shoot someone. The woman smiled as she tilted her head,

“Him, don’t worry about him; he was rejected cause, well, simply, some of the clients think that we are providing a dating service. We have to be careful with who we trust hosting the nonhumans; with how the current laws are going, the hosts can take advantage of them, and that would harm relationships.” She reached down under her desk, pulling out a file.

“You’re Mac Apple, right?” She looked over the file she looked around. Celestia Sunborn moved around the papers as she looked at him,

“Yes, and I take it you’re Miss. Sunborn?” He asked though she nodded,

“Yes, Now, You’re wishing to be a host; mind if you tell me why?” She looked at him while she put the file down, watching his movement.

“Well, honestly, I can use the extra money and help these… Nonhumans.” Mac responded, choosing his words carefully. Miss. Sunborn nodded,

“I figured, though, from the quick background check, you lost your job the other day.”

“I mean, yeah, but how did you know that?”

“We did a quick background check, simply checking your Facebook and social media, and contacted your last employer. It was a quick search. Though we’ll conduct a deeper background check if you hired on.”

“If?” Mac asked, finding himself more curious,

“Yeah, this is just the interview, though I have some questions from your file. It looks like you were at one point in the army?”

“Um, yes, I was, though it was a few years before I was discharged.”

“With Honors?” Miss. Sunborn asked while Mac nodded,

“Well, that’ll be good to know, especially when we go into the background. Now, what are your thoughts on Nonhuman? I need you to be honest cause this will be a part of the check.” Miss. Sunborn watched him like a hawk while Mac shook his head,

“I mean, they haven’t done anything to me. I’ve never really met with any to get a real impression.” Mac said though he found his eyes drawn over as he couldn’t help but notice how her suit clung to her. For a minute, he thought he could see her black bra if he could believe the dark fabric exposed to him while she adjusted herself.

“Well, good, 'cause one of the issues we’ve run into is some nonhuman supremacist trying to get ahold of one of the nonhumans to try and harm them.” She moved around as she put his fire away. She seemed to turn her attention somewhere else as she brought out a few papers.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to hurt them, besides I could imagine that they could tear me apart.” Mac chuckled though it was clear he was nervous. At the same time, Mac found himself fidgeting in his seat. A habit he’d had since Mac was a kid, as he discovered his but swaying back and forth in the chair and hoping that Miss Sunborn didn’t notice the habit.

“Yes, Well, we can’t be too careful. While some nonhumans can tear you apart like tissue paper, others are far more sensitive. Once, one of the Melonheads was given a host family off in Florida, and well, it didn’t end well for the Melonhead. We had to take him back to Ohio in an ambulance. The host family was arrested, and children were taken away.” Miss. Sunborn looked at him intensely, clearly meaning business when it came down to that; Mac gulped but tried to return a smile.

“Well, I can promise you that I wouldn’t do that to anyone, human or m—Nonhuman; that just wouldn’t be right.”

“That’s good; now, I will tell you this. Normally you’d be disqualified because you didn’t have a job,” Miss Sunborn spoke while Mac found his head slouching at that before Celestia Sunborn spoke up. “Yet, I will be making an exception, thanks to your military experience. I will stick my neck out for you, but you must do something.”

“What's that? I’m all game to do anything,” Mac spoke up a bit more, the excitement escaping his voice as Miss. Sunborn reached down, writing something down.

“You’ll need to pack up when you can; next week after the paperwork is done and if the background check passes, and I expect you will be. You’re to move to this address, where you’ll stay.”

Mac watched as she handed him over a piece of paper with the address written there.

“This was a house that we had recently acquired, it was a meth lab at one point, but we’ve cleaned it up, but the place needs to be repaired.”

“Alright, that will help, but why send me there.”

“Well, while you are there, we’ll slash your payment from three thousand to two thousand a month. The deduction will go to help pay for housing there. While there, you’ll have to repair whatever you need to make it homely for the Nonhumans. Yourself, heck, we’ll refund you if you have to go over budget,” Miss Sunborn smirked, leaning forward and watching him.

Mac felt himself sweating at this but nodded. “I mean, that’s fair, plus a place for me to stay.” However, he couldn’t help but find it annoying that he was hoping for the entire three thousand, which was still far more than he had expected.

“Yes, but with some bonuses, The simple things are compensation for whatever food you might have to buy for you and the girls. So we are giving you a deal, free housing, two thousand dollars, and some food expenses. I don’t think you’ll find a better deal anywhere.” Celestia Sunborn smirked as she put the pen down before him. The ballpoint pen just wiggled as he watched it.

“I mean, it’s that, or you could flip burgers, you wouldn’t get such a good deal as this, and Heck, I can imagine you can find a side job while you’re working on the house and helping them adjust to human life.” Mac watched the pen and the contract that Miss. Sunborn slipped over, and he let out a long sigh. Did he have much of a choice? The deal was too good to pass up. He grabbed the pen, and without hesitation, he signed the contract.

“I have to ask, why are you doing this? I mean, you said with me not having a job, I should have been disqualified. So why give me a chance?”

Miss Sunborn smiled as she leaned back on her desk, a foot on the desk while watching him like she’d been waiting for him to ask this question.

“Everyone needs a second chance and a break. I figured I’d do my good deed of the day and give you yours, So pray that the background check doesn’t screw you over.” There was a smile on her face while Mac nodded, and she would put her feet back down on the floor as she grabbed his contract.

“Please have a good day, Mac Apple; expect my call.” She muttered as Mac stood up and walked out of the door. He had some packing and, hopefully, a bright new future.

Author's Note

Hey there, figured i'd send out this pilot, actually got two chapters written so far with this one, it's a semi parody of Monster musume, but how I'd imagine it so please check it out and let me know what you think.
https://ko-fi.com/A45239DL

https://www.patreon.com/Mrmidnightwolf