Hunter

by Adrianne Lemke

  Creaking from the stairs informed me that Hunter was back. I hadn’t heard him come in last night. Either he came in quietly or I managed to fall asleep before he got back. Now he was here and probably wanted to gloat about his meeting with my brother. As much as I wanted to defend him, to say that Jason was in reality able to beat Hunter, I couldn’t. When they met next, somehow Jason would have to keep pushing until he got past Hunter’s defenses, and then Hunter would have to expose his abilities to protect himself. Then Jason would know what he was up against.

  My own situation was worrisome, and when I pulled away from the emotions of the other two, it finally began to consume my thoughts. My wrist was raw and sore, even though I wasn’t struggling against the shackle. My natural motions irritated it, and I longed to have the wrist released, even for a moment. I tried to rip one of the sheets to put a pad between the metal and my skin, but with limited success. I managed to wrap it, but the cloth wasn’t thick enough to prevent more rubbing. At least it was an improvement.

  The man who held me was clearly not right in the head, although he wasn’t as completely nuts as Kindred had been. Or at least it wasn’t as obvious. But anyone who decides to hunt people for fun is obviously not all there. And he was holding me while hunting my brother, which led me to wonder why he took me if his interest lay with Jason. From what I could tell about the man so far, he didn’t have the best self-control.

  Given a little time to myself when both my captor and my brother were asleep, I was able to properly assess my own emotions for the first time since this all started. Fear and fury were the top two reactions. These should have been obvious reactions, but I’d been so consumed with Jason’s terror and worry, followed by Hunter’s cold and calculating anger—at the world, from what I could figure—that my own feelings remained hidden.

  Leaning back on the pillow, I closed my eyes wearily, rubbing my free hand through my now greasy hair in disgust. One of the things I missed least from our life on the streets was the inability to stay clean. Now I was being forced into the same filth I’d been stuck in for so long before. A shower would definitely be on my list of things to do as soon as I was able to return home. Along with trying to get Jason to at least visit our friends. It had been two years since we saw the kids who were our family, who now felt like they lost their protector and friend. Jason wasn’t the only person hurt by what happened, and his natural reaction to run and hide from his problems dismayed everyone we left behind.

  It also bothered me. I understood what he was going through, and would never leave him to go through it alone. However, he never confided in me. If he had his way, the dark things in his head would never affect me. I think he got stuck on the idea that I was still the little boy he rescued from our father, and didn’t realize I grew up. All I want is for him to tell me how he’s doing. To tell me how he was still feeling lost and hurt by what happened with Trevor Mason. That he was conflicted in how to deal with the horrible people he came across since then. His fight to remain a good person after everything he went through was not yet won. At least in his mind. Knowing all this because of my ability felt like cheating, but it was the only way to know anything about his feelings.

  At one point, he considered doing what Kindred had done. He wanted to go after the people who knew about his abilities, and stop them from ever being a threat again. The worst part is; he knew he could get away with it. With his power, he could kill them and hide their bodies deep in the earth where no one would ever find them. Thankfully, his morality would never let him do it.

  Killing two men— Trevor Mason and one of the other men who tortured him—was a cause of anxiety and guilt for Jason as well. To me, it seemed Jason felt worse about wishing they had suffered, than he did about killing them. My brother is a good man, but he doesn’t believe in himself. And when so many bad things happened to him, he started to think he was at fault. He believed he did something to deserve the horrible treatment. He was wrong. Nothing he went through was in any way his fault. His desire to help the police may have led to some dangerous situations, but that didn’t make it his fault.

  In some ways I think he’s a better man than I will ever be, because I was eager to use my ability to manipulate Hunter again, and see how far I could push him. Maybe to somehow manipulate his feelings into giving himself up or letting me go. Most likely it won’t be that easy, but it’s worth a try. The emotions of a madman would be much different than those I was used to feeling from my brother, and Hunter’s were definitely different.

  In my brief contact with Hunter’s mind, there was no hint of guilt. Only the thrill of the chase and the call of the hunt. My determination grew as my thoughts turned back to my captor and my brother. No matter what it did to Hunter, I would do whatever I could to help Jason and myself. If I could influence the sociopath into following completely alien sentiments, we would be in good shape. If not… well, I didn’t even want to think about what he would do to us.

  THIRTY

  Hunter

  My prey was deep in thought when I entered his room, and he jumped when I knocked lightly on the doorframe. “I met your big brother last night.” He looked at me with a strange lack of curiosity. Last night threw me off my game, and I waited until morning to visit my captive. After meeting Jason in person, I needed a little time to pull myself together before talking to the boy. Letting the kid know how close Jason came to harming me was not an option. My reaction to Jason was not normal, and I was not accustomed to feeling so nervous about an opponent. On the other hand, at least I wasn’t bored anymore.

  “He’s worried about you, Sam. Your brother couldn’t even lay a finger on me to keep me from walking away. He’s not as strong as I hoped, but I think some friends of mine might be interested anyway. You know, once I’m done with him.” The boy looked a bit startled at the use of his name, but otherwise stared me down impassively.

  “He’s tougher than you think,” Sam said lightly, sitting up on the edge of the bed. “But maybe you already suspect that,” his voice trailed off, and his face took on a contemplative look as he studied me quietly. His face lit up slightly when he apparently found what he was looking for. “You know already, don’t you?”

  “Know what?” Hiding any discomfort from the strange boy—who stared at me with no fear, his dark eyes unblinking and young face serious—was proving to be more difficult than it should.

  “You know he’ll beat you. Or at least that you won’t come out of your next conflict unscathed, and that scares you.” He chuckled a little. The sound was startling, as it was not a noise normally heard from my kidnap victims.

  My eyes narrowed angrily. I stepped aggressively into his space, and he rose, meeting me head-on, showing no sign of nerves. “He’ll kill you if you hurt me, but I think you already know that.”

  “What he doesn’t know can’t hurt me,” I growled. My anxiety grew as he spoke. Why? I have no idea. “Back off, little boy. I could kill you right now, and your brother couldn’t do anything about it.”

  He nodded mockingly. “True. But your ability to kill me won’t be much consolation when he destroys you. Do you really want to risk ending up buried alive in a hole no one will ever find? If you even lay a finger on me, that’s the least he’ll do. Now, just imagine what he’d do to you if you actually kill me.”

  My anger grew, but so did my uneasiness. What was happening? I was always in complete control of my few emotions. Why were they now turning against me? This boy, this child was somehow causing me to feel what I never allowed myself to feel before: fear. I was afraid of facing his brother. I may have come out on top in our first encounter, but Jason came close to getting through my defenses. He was exhausted and still almost beat me. Well rested, he could be more than I can handle. But there was no way I could let this child know he rattled me.

  “I’m going to keep you alive, little Sammy,” I threatened, “so you can watch me defeat Jason. When I do, I’m going to sell him off to the highest bidder. Your brother
will be experimented on, and treated like a lab rat. How long do you think he’ll be able to stand being poked and prodded? The people I know will not be kind, and they will hold him as their prisoner until they decide they’ve taken everything they need. Then they will probably dissect him alive, just to see how he ticks.” I glared into Sam’s unblinking, wide eyes. “And only when you’ve seen what they do to him, will I hunt and kill you.”

  Sam’s eyes, wide with fear for a moment, narrowed in anger. “You won’t touch him, Hunter! He’s beaten people like you before. Worse than you, even. A man we couldn’t see unless he allowed it, who took him over body and mind—and my brother defeated him. Another who attempted to torture him into submission, and my brother killed him. You will not be the one who defeats my brother. Jason is strong, and you will not win!”

  Terror struck me, as Sam got in my face. I couldn’t believe such a strong feeling came from me! “What are you doing?” I asked firmly. “How are you making me…?” I trailed off, unsure.

  “You won’t remember this conversation when you leave,” Sam assured me. “But you will remember the fear. Any time my brother gets near you, or when you think about hurting us, you will be afraid. You won’t be able to kill us, Hunter. I won’t allow it. Now, get out and forget!”

  I left the room, and went downstairs to get something to eat. My captive was secure, right? Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, I again got the feeling that I was forgetting something important. My conversations with the boy were always short. So why was it that so much time passed when I spoke to him?

  It didn’t matter. I would find his brother, and trap him like an animal. If he managed to fight hard enough that containing him wasn’t an option, then I would put him down. Kill or sell. Either way would be entertaining and rewarding.

  It would be especially rewarding to fight through the sudden thrill of fear I felt at the thought of facing him.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Jason

  Alice and Hannah, my two best, and definitely most trusted friends, were coming. I’ve known them since a couple weeks after running away from the man known as my father. They never did anything to make me regret my faith in them. When I first met Alice, she was working on a case involving a little girl I knew. Something about her told me that she was someone who could be relied on. In order to properly help in finding the little girl, Alice needed to know about my abilities.

  She took the revelation of my powers pretty well, considering what I showed her disrupted her belief that such powers didn’t exist. Proving my abilities was easy; and once she knew, I was able to lead her to the missing girl. Following that case, she kept my secret and protected me. Until I was older, probably about fifteen, most of the other officers didn’t know about me. I was her personal, confidential informant.

  She never shared her knowledge of my abilities with anyone. Eventually I shared my secret with her little sister, Hannah, my only friend at the time. Like her sister, she took the revelation of my abilities in stride, never treating me differently because of them.

  Only the knowledge that they were coming gave me the ability to get any sleep after confronting the man who took Sam. It was a small consolation in the face of my failure to gain any useful information, but the idea of seeing them now gave me some hope. With my friends by my side I could do anything. In the past, I did some things I am not proud of, but they stood by me through everything. Even after ignoring them for the last two years, they were still willing to come help me. I would be forever indebted to them for their loyalty and friendship, which never felt deserved, only needed. Their loyalty was difficult for me to accept, but I was finally beginning to see having trusted friends was not a bad thing. In fact, it can only help.

  Detective Nickels would have to be told. I woke only a couple hours after falling asleep and stared at the dark ceiling. The detective needed to know there was another kidnapping… it was time to let him know about Sam. I should probably also share my meeting with the man who took him. I closed my eyes, bringing my arm up wearily to cover them. Trying to prepare for another day of searching for my little brother may be the most difficult thing I’ve done to date. My phone beeped, and I groaned when I saw the text from my boss demanding I come in to the office. Since our confrontation, I hadn’t seen or spoken to Joe. And considering our last encounter, I had no desire to face him again. Especially since I had no way to know what kind of mood he was in, or what he remembered from our previous clash.

  Later. Sam came first. My next step was to bring the local police up to speed on everything I knew. Honestly, what I learned so far wasn’t much more than they already knew. With another groan I finally managed to leverage myself out of bed to shower and get some fresh clothes on. It was about seven AM. A little early, but I still hoped Nickels was on an early shift so I wouldn’t have to wait.

  There was little traffic flow at this time of morning, so it didn’t take long to reach the police station at the center of town. I braced myself before getting out of the car, and took several deep breaths. Sam was gone. I knew that, yet the idea of sharing what happened made it feel more real. It was difficult to remain calm. I knew in a few minutes the whole town would know about Sam’s disappearance. A knock on my window made me jump.

  When I looked up, Detective Nickels was standing outside, leaning lightly on the car. “Good morning. What brings you here so early?” His smile dimmed when he took in my appearance. “What happened?”

  Looking around to make sure we were alone, I answered. “He took my brother.” My voice was low, and continuing was nearly impossible. “Sam’s gone!” I almost sobbed, but caught myself before I allowed any tears to fall.

  “When?” Nickels asked. “What happened?”

  This part was a little tricky. I needed to admit that Sam went missing while I was giving my statement two nights ago. It would be difficult to explain why I didn’t report it right away. “Two nights ago, right after…” My voice broke, and I rubbed my face hard and continued. “Right after he called, while I was giving you my statement.”

  Disapproval and surprise were evident in his frown and raised eyebrows, but he didn’t call me on it. “Have you found anything?” He asked instead, allowing me to explain.

  Here my anger almost got the best of me. “I saw him!” My voice was a low snarl. I finally allowed myself to meet the worried eyes of the detective. “I saw the bastard who took my brother, but it was too dark to get a good look at him. He got away before I could stop him.” I took deep breaths and clenched my fists, trying to hold back the surge of destructive power threatening to escape. I wasn’t ready to give my secret away to yet another person. It was likely he would find out eventually anyway, but I didn’t want it to be because I lost control.

  Nickels took a step back. Shock and anger flashed across his face, and was evident in his suddenly tense muscles. “He approached you? Can you tell me anything about him?” His voice was tight, but he was all business.

  “He was at my house, Scott.” I wilted a little. The detective’s hard look softened when I used his first name for the first time since we met. “He came, and I followed him through the woods. I shouldn’t have followed, but I was hoping he’d lead me to Sam. He knew I was there, and stopped to talk to me. I can’t tell you anything about his voice.” I interrupted myself. Nickels was going to ask anyway, so I might as well address it right away. “He was disguising it. He is taller than me, and built like a bear. All I could see was his silhouette…” I trailed off, again thinking about Sam in the clutches of a monster.

  Nickels put his hand on my shoulder hesitantly. He seemed unsure whether I’d welcome the contact. I did flinch slightly at his touch, but he didn’t loosen his grip. “We’ll find Sam, Jason. What did the perp say to you? Only his victims have seen or heard anything from him up ‘til now, so why did he talk to you?”

  Another tricky point. I wasn’t sure how to explain it without telling him anything about my secret. I decided on the direct approach. �
��He told me I was special, and he taunted me about having Sam. That no matter what I did, he was in control of anything that would happen to my brother. But what I do could determine what he chooses to do.”

  His eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. “What do you think he meant by that?”

  I threw my hands up in frustration. “I don’t know! Whatever I do, something goes wrong. We came here to be…” I stopped, not wanting to talk about the past. From the look the detective was shooting at me, I guessed there wouldn’t be much of a reprieve.

  “The impression I got is: he either wants something from me, or wants me for something. I don’t have the first clue what he would want,” I hurried to say, “but that was my impression.” I hoped my words would disrupt the train of thought most likely rushing through the detective’s mind.

  “Do you have any clues as to where he might be hiding?” he asked, moving on with the case. He gave me a pointed look. Clearly he figured we would revisit the issue I almost brought up, but was willing to put it off for now.

  “I don’t think he’s in the woods anymore. At least not in the same area. He came in a car last night, and followed a trail to my house. Besides that, I don’t know,” I said more calmly. “Do you have any other ideas on how we can locate him?”

  He started to reply, but stopped when I turned to look behind me. Familiar footsteps were approaching. “Jason?” Nickels questioned, eyes narrowed and hand resting on his holstered gun, when I stepped back toward him slightly.