An Unfortunate Journey

by Sara Daniell

  The male, that I refuse to look in the face, grips both of my wrists tightly and says in a voice deep and intimidating, “Leave.”

  I’m in a defenseless position. I’m trying to think of a way out of this, but there are no obvious options. He said leave, but I can’t leave without Sage. A silent tear falls down my cheek, and I clench my hands into tight fists. I could try to free myself from his grip and grab the gun from my messenger bag, but I’m not quick enough.

  I try to keep my voice strong and stable to not let him sense my fear. Through a clenched jaw, I say, “I. Can. Not. Leave. Where is she?”

  “Your friend is dead, and if you don’t follow my directions, soon, you will be also.” His voice is raw and emotionless.

  “I don’t believe you!” I scream as I look into his eyes. I gasp when his eyes meet mine. Those dark mysterious eyes… So familiar… “It’s you! The one from the airport! The one from the movie store! Tell me where my friend is, and I will let you live!”

  He starts laughing, and my hands start to go numb as he grips tighter, cutting off the blood flow. He quickly grabs both wrists in one of his gigantic hands and twists my body to where my back is pressed firmly to the front of him. With his one free hand, he slides his fingers down into my pocket, successfully retrieving my knife. He gently places the blade to my throat and moves my hair away from my ear with his cheek.

  Whispering, his lips touching my ear, he says, “Last chance to leave or I kill you.”

  “Why do you want us dead? We have done nothing wrong!”

  “Exposure.”

  “Of what?” I’m trying to buy time to figure out a plan. Sage can’t be dead. This has to be a ploy. They knew I would come here looking for her.

  I hear a door open, and I hear Sage screaming my name. “Orion? Are you in here? Orion!” She screams louder as she sees me, seconds away from death.

  She quickly grabs a gun from her purse and points it at the Hunter. “Let her go!”

  I’m so relieved that she is okay, that for a moment I forget there is a knife eagerly waiting to slice my throat. To my surprise, he releases me. I fall to my knees and watch the knife fall to the floor. I quickly pick it up and place it back in my pocket. That is the closest I’ve been to one of them actually killing me.

  The Hunter slams his back against the wall and starts cursing under his breath. He looks around and tries to help me stand to my feet by stretching his hand out to me.

  I refuse to accept his help and stand to my feet. “What, now you are trying to be nice? I’m not believing this shit!” I turn and look at Sage. “Sage! Are you okay?” I run over to her and wrap her in a hug.

  “I will be when this bastard leaves my apartment,” she says as she eyes the Hunter up and down.

  “Why didn’t you just kill me? Why did you keep giving me the option to leave?” I keep a safe distance and my gun in my hand.

  He starts to speak, and I click off the safety and point it between his eyes. “I’m dead anyways. Go ahead.”

  Keeping perfect aim, I say, “Explain. I want answers. Why do your kind so eagerly hunt for our blood? We have done nothing to deserve this.”

  An evil grin plays at his lips. “Do you honestly think I believe this game you are playing? Stop playing dumb. You know why we are after you.”

  “Answer her!” Sage points her gun at his groin. I can’t help but laugh. Smart girl.

  I want answers. I have waited years to find out what they are so afraid of being exposed of. “I’m getting impatient,” I say.

  He laughs. “You won’t kill me.”

  “You must not know me then. Do you know how many of your kind I’ve killed?”

  He gives his head a slight nod, and I keep the gun aimed at him. “75,” he replies.

  He knows? I don’t let him see the intimidation in my eyes. “I’m not afraid to kill you.”

  “Oh, but you still won’t kill me. You have questions that you want answered, remember?” Sweat is beginning to form on his face, and his breathing is heavy.

  “You’re scared. Admit it,” I say as I keep a close eye on his hands. One quick movement from him, and I will kill him.

  “I’m not afraid of you. But I’m afraid of what is going to kill me if you don’t. See, you would be doing me a favor.” He closes his eyes and smiles, as if begging for me to kill him.

  I don’t know what stops me from shooting him. I slowly turn the safety on and place the gun back in my bag. I give Sage a nod, and she puts her gun away as well.

  “Leave,” I demand.

  He walks past Sage and me, leaving her apartment. “Dammit!” I yell.

  “What?” Sage sits down on the couch, rubbing her face.

  “We just let him go!”

  “He didn’t kill you. It was the least we could do.” She lays her head back and takes a few deep breaths.

  “Do you believe what you are saying right now?” I kick the wall.

  “Orion, calm your ass down. Be thankful you are still breathing.” She starts taking off her shoes and sighs. “So, is it time to move again?”

  I sit down next to her and try to calm myself down by slowly inhaling and exhaling. I can’t believe I let the bastard go.

  I shake my head. “No. I’m tired of running. I have a feeling this is a battle we will never win.”

  Something is wrong with Sage’s expression. “Do you want to know where I was tonight?”

  “Sure.” I close my eyes and try to forget about how stupid I am for not blowing his brains out while I had the chance.

  “I was going to find a way to die. Not by the hands of the Hunters, another way. I’m sick of this, Oreo. I wish we could just find a way back to our Sphere.”

  I quickly sit up and look at her like she has lost her mind. “What?”

  She laughs. “I know; it was dumb. That is why I’m here, alive. I’m glad I came back, or who knows what would have happened to you.”

  I laugh. This situation is driving us both insane. “We have tried to go back, and there is no way back.”

  She smiles. “I realize that. I think everything just piled heavy on me tonight. I miss my family and friends.”

  I fight back tears and swallow hard. “Me too.”

  She looks at me and frowns. “You know, it’s okay to cry. I do, every night. What were we thinking by going out and searching for Earth that night?”

  I wipe a tear from my cheek and say, “I don’t know. But we have to get answers. We have to find out what the secret is. We have to get back home. We have been so busy running in fear. It’s time we start hunting them and demand answers.”

  “Hunting the Hunters?” She smiles. “I like that idea.”

  Kate… I have to quit.”

  “You’re shittin’ me! Why?” She continues checking DVDs for scratches.

  “School is crazy busy. I don’t have time for work and school.” I sit on the counter and hand Kate DVD cases after making sure the discs are in them.

  She sets a case down and sighs. Looking at me, she says, “Is this about what happened last night?”

  “No. The police handled that situation. My grades are just really bad.” I sort of tell the truth. I haven’t been to classes, and Sage and I are going to be hunting for the Hunters. We don’t need any distractions.

  She snickers. “Yeah, because you stay out at the club when you should be home studying. Can you afford not to work?”

  “Yes.” Sage and I ran figures last night, and we have plenty to get us by for a long time. Plus, we are downsizing to one apartment under the new circumstances.

  Kate looks at me skeptically. “Are you giving a two weeks’ notice, or is this your last night?”

  I shrug my shoulders and jump down from the counter. “Whatever you want me to do.”

  “You do what is best for you. Damn, girl. This sucks! I like working with you.” She grabs a pile of movies and places them in the to-be-shelved box.

  I hear the door chime as I grab the pile of moves to sh
elve. Kate jumps. Last night made her jumpy, as she should be.

  I almost drop the movies when I see the guy who tried to kill me twice already. I almost don’t recognize him; he cleaned up his rough appearance. Kate doesn’t either, or she would have already dialed 911.

  I keep my composure and say, “Can I help you?”

  He smiles. “I’m looking for a movie. I know where it is though.” He gives me a knowing look, and I know he wants me to follow him.

  I let him walk to the back of the store and act as if I’m going to put up movies. Once I’m out of Kate’s sight, I place the basket of movies on a nearby shelf and feel for my gun as I walk to the back.

  I pull the gun from my pocket and shove it into his side. “Did you come in here hoping I would behave since we are in public? If so, you have the wrong girl. Now explain.”

  He looks up at the ceiling and smiles. I feel a knife threatening my thigh, where my main artery is. “You explain why you left the Sphere.” His face is so close to mine that our noses are touching.

  “Ana?” I hear Kate say, followed by her footsteps. The Hunter and I quickly pull away from each other. I place my gun back in my pocket, and he places his knife back in his jacket.

  “Sir, can I help you?” She asks, looking at him. He picks up a DVD and smiles.

  “I was helping him find the movie he was looking for,” I say with a fake smile.

  He holds the movie up. “Thanks for the help.” He places his free hand on my name tag to look at it and says, “Ana, eh?” I want to slap his hand away. Jack ass.

  Kate rolls her eyes and starts walking towards the front. Over her shoulder she says, “I can check you out if you are ready.”

  Once she is out of sight, he slams me against the wall. I don’t even see him get his knife out, but it’s now dangerously close to my neck.

  “What the hell?” I whisper.

  He laughs and pulls the blade away from my neck. “I just wanted to remind you that I’m quicker than you.”

  I roll my eyes. “What are you really doing in here?”

  “I came to give you answers.”

  “At my work?” I push past him and start walking to the front so Kate doesn’t get suspicious. The hunter follows.

  He hands Kate the movie, and she laughs. “You do realize you have the movie Lion King, right?” I start laughing as well.

  “It's for my nephew,” he states quickly and smiles. After he pays, he says, “He is a curious little guy. He has all of these questions about this movie in particular. He is coming over tonight after I take him out for dinner at the restaurant down the block.” I laugh at his pitiful attempt to speak in code. After I make sure Kate isn’t looking, I nod my head, and he nods his, making a silent agreement to meet after I get off work.

  Kate laughs and says, “I didn’t need an explanation. I was only making sure you knew. Enjoy your movie.”

  Kate wants me to go out and have drinks with her after work, being that it is our last night to work together. But I come up with a lame excuse to bail on her.

  I pull out my cell phone and call Sage. “Hello?” she says, but I can barely hear her. The music is loud, and I know she is at the club.

  “Hey. I’m going to be home late tonight.”

  “What?” She yells. “I can’t hear you!”

  “I’ll text you!” I say back. I hang up the phone and send her a text.

  I place my phone in my messenger bag and continue walking to the 24-hour diner. I walk in and see the Hunter sitting in a booth in the back. I sit down across from him.

  “Your nephew?” I say as I roll my eyes.

  “Answers. That is all I’m giving you, and then you will never see me again.” He says with a serious expression.

  I roll my eyes. “Good. Now explain.”

  “You can’t go back to your Sphere.”

  I get in full smart ass mode and say, “Yeah, I figured that out. Tell me something I don’t know.” I stop talking and sit up straighter when the waitress comes to our table. I order something to drink, and he requests more coffee. After she leaves, we continue our conversation.

  “Are you going to stop being a bitch, so I can explain?” I’m taken aback by his words. He is giving me whiplash with his emotions. One minute he is seconds away from killing me, and the next he acts as if he wants to help me.

  “Excuse me for not wanting to be nice to the guy who almost killed me - twice. What is your name anyway?”

  “My name doesn’t matter. I only came to give you the answers you are seeking.”

  The waitress comes back, causing us both to sit up straight again. She looks skeptically at us as she sets our drinks down in front of us. I watch as he pours creamer and sugar into his coffee. As he stirs it, he looks at me.

  After the waitress leaves he doesn’t say anything. I get irritated. “I will shoot you underneath this damn table if you don’t tell me your name,” I say half joking.

  He laughs. “Plath. Now can we move on?”

  I smile sweetly. “Yes.”

  “The Constable sent us out in search of those who escape the Sphere. We are like Earth’s military. Earth is a forbidden topic in our Sphere. The Constable doesn’t want anyone finding out about it. They fear that if Dwellers find about it, Earth will taint our kind.”

  I scoff. “Taint our kind? What do you mean?”

  “Earth is a bad place, Orion. I know our Sphere may seem like it’s strict on rules and hiding things, but it’s all for legit reasons. If Dwellers knew about Earth, there would be some who would try to leave. More than what are trying to leave now. The Constable believes that Earth has somehow communicated with our kind and has insiders living in our Sphere, giving out information. We want our Sphere left alone. We like living in secret.”

  “That is it? They are scared Earth will find out about us, and we will find out about Earth?” I laugh at how simply hilarious this is. I pull out a cigarette from my bag and light it. I look at Plath and ask, “And they want to kill me and all others who left? I left on accident! This is nuts.”

  He slams his fist down on the table, causing me to jump. “An accident? You went past the forbidden perimeter you naïve little fool!”

  “Maybe if they would stop acting so damn cryptic and explain to the other Dwellers their reasoning, maybe I wouldn’t have been so curious! They are to blame!” I take a quick hit off my cigarette and glare at him as I exhale.

  He looks around and realizes people are staring. “We should have this conversation elsewhere.”

  I stand up and throw my messenger bag over my shoulder. I then put my cigarette out in the ash tray. He places money on the table, and we walk out the door.

  We walk to a dark alley, and I lean against the wall. “This is crazy. Maybe if you stupid ass hunters would use your damn heads, you would realize that Sage and I had no idea! We are not here to expose anything! We just want to go home! This is all a huge misunderstanding!”

  “It’s complicated now.” He is leaning against the wall and biting his bottom lip. “You have seen too much.”

  A tear falls down my cheek. “Plath, please. I just want to go home. Can you help me get back?”

  For a minute his expression is kind, then it turns to pure disgust. “I’m risking my own life by being here with you, and you have the guts to ask me to take you home?”

  “Please?” I beg.

  His icy stare sends chills down my back. “This is your home now. You will always be on the run. You chose this life the minute you rebelled and crossed that line in Dandux.”

  I feel defeated. “Then just find my family and tell them I love them. Please?” I need some sort of closure. The door to my old life can’t be closed until my family knows what is going on.

  Plath stares into the night, then curses under his breath. “Lay down.”

  “What?”

  “Lay down on the damn ground!” I quickly lay down, and he knocks a few trash cans over to cover me. I hear footsteps coming in our direct
ion, and I can tell it’s more than one pair. I do my best to breathe quietly and not make a sound. I watch Plath walk out of the alley and meet the group of men.

  After a few minutes of hearing no talking or footsteps, I quietly get up and run. I constantly look over my shoulder as I hastily make my way to my car. I quickly get in the car and start driving. I call Sage, hoping she will answer. Dammit, Sage! Answer!

  “Hello?” Her voice sounds groggy.

  “Did I wake you up?”

  She yawns into the phone. “I was just about asleep. Where are you at anyways?”

  “I will tell you when I get there. Lock the doors and don’t answer the door for anyone. I will use my key to get in.”

  Her voice sounds more awake and on the verge of panicking. “What’s going on?”

  “No one, Sage. Don’t answer the door for anyone. I will explain when I get there!”

  “Whatever.” She hangs up the phone, and I throw my phone in the passenger seat.

  Plath answered a lot of my questions tonight, although, I still have more but they are the least of my worries. Now my focus will be finding my way back home. I owe this to Sage and have to do it for my sanity. I’m going to get us home if it’s the last thing I do.

  I park my car and rush into the apartment. Sage is asleep on the couch, and I almost let her sleep, but there is too much to discuss.

  “Sage,” I say, gently nudging her shoulder.

  “Mhmm?” She mumbles as she tries to open her eyes.

  “We need to talk.” She rubs her eyes and slowly sits up.

  Yawning, she says, “What’s up?”

  “Plath answered a lot of my questions tonight.”

  She looks confused. “Who the hell is Plath?”

  “The Hunter that almost killed me.”

  “Dammit, Oreo. What were you doing talking to him? Especially without me! Why didn’t you text me to meet you?” She is wide awake now.

  She is right. That was dumb. Oh well, too late now. “I wasn’t thinking. I guess I was just eager for answers.” I shrug my shoulders and say, “Anyway, there is a very good chance they are on their way to find us. We are not leaving. We will fight if we have to.”