Every part of Sam’s body ached and he found himself wishing that the hollow shell of a living space contained furniture. After sleeping on hard floors, exerting himself by running for miles and barely having a minute to relax, he desperately wanted to sit down in comfort, even if it was just for a little while. He had hoped that becoming a vampire, even a shadow of one like he was, would mean that he wouldn't need to deal with aches and pains anymore, but that hadn't been the case at all. Sam was more resilient than ever and could sprint for miles if he had to, but he didn't have a boundless supply of energy. Even if he drew on his blood stores to push himself further and keep his body moving, he would still eventually run out of steam. He knew that Christie had a much easier time than he did, but even she could exhaust herself when pushed to the limit.
The scars on Sam’s back had finally stopped itching, the wound left by the shotgun pellets having mostly healed. He hadn't seen the markings himself, but Christie said it was an impressive amount of scar tissue. She hadn't been disgusted by them at all, instead smiling warmly as she looked him dead in the eye. “Chicks dig scars.” Those were the very words that Christie had chosen to ease Sam’s worry that he was going to end up as a scarred up freak, with a tapestry of old cuts and holes that might eventually cover every inch of his body. She assured him that her feelings wouldn't change just because of some minor physical defects. What they had together ran deeper than mere flesh. It was in their blood.
The door to the bathroom creaked open, a cloud of steam and moisture bellowing out into the empty space that was destined to become the master bedroom. Sam turned from the window to see the bright light from the room beyond stretching out across the floorboards, broken up by Christie’s long shadow as she stood in the doorway. She flicked the light switch, leaving the place in darkness once more as she made her way from the bathroom and out towards where Sam had been waiting.
As his eyes grew accustomed to the dark again, Sam saw that Christie had undergone yet another transformation. Her hair was no longer a bright pink, instead replaced with a jet black that hid any sign of the once vibrant colour. She no longer looked the part of the lead singer of a band; not that she had a band to back her up anymore, with simple clothing in the form of jeans that were a little less worn than those she would usually wear, and a plain blue tank top that was far from her typical wild style.
Christie was now as Sam had seen her in his mind the very first time they had met, like it had all been some strange vision of the future that they were just now living through. She had removed all jewelry, including her piercings, with no makeup left to cover up her natural beauty. The only identifiable markings left behind were the tattoos on her forearms that she could still cover up if needed. This was her idea of going incognito, disguising herself as a ‘normal’ person without her usual eccentricities, and if Sam was perfectly honest, he was more attracted to her now than ever before.
Unable to hide the fact that he was awestruck, Sam struggled to piece together the words to express himself. “You… you look fantastic.”
Christie tilted her head to one side, her eyes fixed on Sam’s face as if she was judging him by his reaction. “You really think so?”
Sam nodded. “Yes... Really.”
She looked him up and down, giving his new outfit the once over. “You're not so bad yourself.” Pulling at her top to try and make it sit right, Christie didn’t look so convinced by her own appearance. “I don't know… I don’t feel like me.”
It was almost as if they were operating on the same wavelength, as Sam still had doubts about his own clothing. “I know exactly what you mean...”
Christie half smiled at him, looking as though she was uncomfortable in her own skin. “I guess that’s the point. We’re not meant to look like ourselves… Maybe we’ll get used to it?”
Sam adjusted the waist of his pants, taking a moment to look down at what he was wearing before peering over at Christie once more. “Don’t worry, it won’t be forever.” At least he hoped that it wouldn’t be.
**********
Over an hour had passed since Sam and Christie had vacated the apartment, leaving behind no trace of their passing. They had gathered what little belongings and supplies they had left, stuffing them back into the satchel that she had procured from Jacko’s place. It must have been somewhere after four, as the early risers were already beginning to make their way to work with the hope of missing the morning rush.
Trying to keep out of sight, Christie led Sam off the main streets and into a stretch of park that ran parallel to the boardwalk and the white sands of the beach beyond. They ignored the sign stating that the area was off limits during the hours of night, a law that had been put in place to keep vagrants off park benches. The palm trees that bordered the paved path swayed in the ocean breeze, with the high tide sending waves crashing against the sand not too far away. It would surely have been as serene a setting as any if it weren't for the dreadful sense of foreboding that Sam felt deep within his gut.
“Can you feel that?” Sam’s instincts were on fire, alerting him to the presence of another, more powerful predator nearby. He could tell by the look of apprehension plastered across Christie’s face that she felt it too. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced since…
“The Huntsman!” Christie’s yell of fright attested to the fact that a vampire’s instincts weren't often wrong.
Straight ahead of them, standing tall under the fluorescent light of a lamppost, stood the unforgettable and imposing shape of a man who simply refused to give in. His dark skin seemed to blend with his suit, turning him into a hulking, shadow of a man that stared through them both with sunken, black holes for eyes. He adjusted his cufflinks as he began his long walk towards them, his great strides covering more ground than Sam ever thought possible.
Preparing himself for another daring bid for freedom, Sam watched in horror as the gap between them closed. “How does he keep finding us?”
Christie’s voice was as equally panicked, and she was fast running out of ideas. “Magic, maybe? TJ dabbles in it, but I don't know! He just keeps coming!”
It had reached a point where Sam was sure that he had never met someone quite as tenacious and determined as the Huntsman. The man seemed to be single minded in purpose, leaving no prospects for escape. Wherever Sam and Christie went, he was sure to be in close pursuit. It didn't matter what they did or where they went, he would be there waiting. Circumventing their fate seemed almost impossible, and Sam had begun to lose hope of the unyielding Huntsman ever giving up the chase. They seemed to be doomed to run from him for all eternity, with salvation acting as a mirage to tempt them with false promises of freedom.
“Is there no end to this?” Sam’s mind may have gradually been broken down over the last few nights, but his spirit was still strong. He decided to stand his ground as Akoni continued to approach, resisting his companion’s pull as she tried to drag him away. Christie was ready to keep moving, but Sam had grown tired of it. He wasn't sure if he was being brave or stupid, but he was absolutely sick of running away. It was time for him to take a stand and possibly buy enough time for her to get away. “Go! I'll slow him down!”
Unfortunately for Sam, Christie wasn't in a cooperative mood. She turned back to face him as the Huntsman stopped mere steps away, his black eyes staring with intensity. “Seriously?!? This is how you want to play it? I'm not leaving you, Sam!”
Sam tried to step between the Huntsman and Christie, wanting nothing more than to protect her. He would rather she lived on without him than they die there together. “Don't be stubborn! Get out of here!”
The ever headstrong Christie pulled Sam backwards and over to her side, wrapping her fingers tightly around his hand, with no intention of letting go. “I'm stubborn? Well you're being stupid and reckless! Two can play at that game!” She tilted her head to look up at Akoni who towered at least a foot over them, his straight face betraying no emotion as he stopped a short reach from his quarry.
He didn't move a muscle, continuing to stare with unwavering eyes that Sam felt were peering through him as if he wasn't even there.
“I've had enough! Let's end this stupid charade!” Even Sam's yelling at the Huntsman didn't get a reaction as the man resolved to stand there, unresponsive and unblinking.
A ball of unheralded aggression began to form somewhere deep inside Sam, fueled by the beast that lurked within him and a lust for blood that he had not yet fully explored. He wasn't the sort to feel such unbridled rage, and yet it was growing in size, expanding outwards until it filled every limb and corrupted his mind. He had had enough of being downtrodden and had expended every option bar one. Violence. The only way out of this desperate situation was by going through the Huntsman, for he could see no other way out.
Sam leapt towards Akoni without warning, much to the horror of Christie who couldn’t move fast enough to stop him. Completely unphased by the attempt, the much larger man barely moved to defend himself, easily plucking the foolish attacker from the air with hands that could crush bone. He didn’t do anything to harm Sam however, instead discarding him like a piece of trash as he tossed him to the ground. The clumsy attempt at putting up a fight seemed to amuse the Huntsman, as a cold, heartless smile crossed his face. A smile that only served to fan the flames of Sam’s rage.
“Leave him alone!” Christie jumped to Sam's defense with a shout as he picked himself off the floor. She entered the skirmish without a second thought, but she was smarter and knew that they were outmatched in a straight up scuffle, deciding to use her cunning and guile instead of mindless brute force.
Christie dashed to the edge of the path and thrust her hand into the ground, digging her fingers into a pile of sand. With one swift motion, she rose to her feet, flinging a handful of it into the Huntsman’s face in an attempt to stagger him. The grains caught him straight in the eyes, but he didn't even flinch, instead staring on as if nothing had even happened. Following up her maneuver with a feint to the left, Christie changed her footing and moved to strike the Huntsman in the throat with her balled up fist.
To Christie's dismay, the man raised his arm to block the punch, his eyes looking straight ahead as if they were fixated on something out of sight. Despite the supernatural strength behind her blow, he still didn't falter. Akoni the Huntsman stood tall and proud before her, as solid as a rock.
Looking up at their opponent's face, both Sam and Christie noticed that Akoni’s gaze never seemed to fall upon them and the sand in his eyes hadn’t even caused him to wince. It seemed that he didn't feel pain, nor did he use his eyes to see. “He’s blind!” Christie exclaimed, backing away as she prepared herself for another round.
It appeared that whoever or whatever the Huntsman was, he didn't see the world the same way as everyone else. He didn't use eyesight to navigate around the city or to track his targets, instead relying on some other form of detection that was cloaked in mystery. The cold smile upon his face slowly changed into a wide grin, yet he still remained deathly quiet. That silence was beginning to leave Sam feeling more unsettled than any taunting ever had, dampening his anger until all that remained was a chilling fear.
Sam dusted himself off, looking at Christie with a new found sense of dread. “What should we do? Can you try your mind tricks?”
She turned her head to peer at him with a look of sheer terror that matched his own. “No, it won't work if he can't see me… It's not too late to run!”
The pair of them were startled by the thick accented reply of a man whose home was in a land so far away. “Yes. It is far too late.” The Huntsman’s direct, yet simple use of language was not difficult to understand, nor was the veiled threat behind his words lost on them either. A deep throated laugh bellowed from his mouth, causing Sam’s instincts to flare up. His bestial side no longer wanted to brawl, instead begging him to flee in whatever direction the Huntsman wasn't in. The sound of laughter left him feeling frightened beyond belief, yet his legs ignored the pleas of a demoralised mind.
“I am death, come to claim your souls.” Akoni continued, the power clear in his gravelly voice. “A debt must be paid.” He rubbed his neck with a large hand before stretching his arms out in front of him and cracking his knuckles loudly. It was obvious that he was preparing himself to strike, and the sense of impending doom was inescapable.
What happened next was a blur that even Sam’s enhanced senses failed to take in. In the blink of an eye, the Huntsman had set upon them, seeming to flicker in and out of existence as he moved at impossible speeds. It barely took a second for him to incapacitate Christie, pounding her into the ground with such force that the concrete slab beneath her fractured.
The feeling of helplessness that Sam felt as in that moment didn't last long as Akoni turned on him without so much as a pause. He realised in that brief moment that the only reason the chase had gone on so long was because the Huntsman had willed it. The thrill of the hunt was something that the man seemed to prize above all else, and he appeared to take some form of sinister pleasure out of playing with his prey before moving in for the kill.
Sam raised his hands up, pathetically trying to protect himself from an assault that he was powerless to stop. He had felt defenseless before, but this was something else entirely. Trying to fight back was futile, and so he tried to endure instead. The Huntsman had found his mark and wasn't about to let them escape his grasp. They were at his mercy, their continued existence depending on the orders that he had been given by the master holding the leash.
Chapter Nineteen: Judge, jury and executioner.
Even though they had practically been living there for the past few months, Aaron still couldn't comprehend how the traffic in Miami could get so bad. It was after ten at night, and there had been total gridlock for the past hour, with the truck only managing to make it a few city blocks. There had been some sort of sports game on, and the streets were crowded with cheering fans, mixed with the usual bar patrons who were just out to enjoy their weekend.
Tommy had been strangely silent at the wheel, focusing on the cars in front without so much as a sound, and he was only ever that quiet when something was eating away at him. Curiosity taking over, Aaron couldn't help but pry. “What's wrong?”
Tommy’s hands gripped the wheel tightly in response to the question, but his poker face revealed no emotion as he verbally replied. “Nothing…” That settled it, something was definitely bothering him. He wouldn't have been acting this way if that wasn't the case.
Aaron pushed further. “Come on, spill.”
Aggravated by his friend, Tommy’s fingers tensed, coiling around the steering wheel as if it were a small animal and he was wringing its neck. He inclined his head, glaring at Aaron with a fury normally reserved for those that they hunted. “I'm not fuckin’ stupid, dude... I know you went to see her without me!”
Despite his anger, Aaron could hear the obvious hurt in Tommy’s voice. He had clearly been wounded by the discovery that his best friend had been sneaking around behind his back. Aaron didn't know how he had found out, but that didn't matter. They weren't the sort to go around lying to each other, and that somehow made the situation worse.
There was almost an entire minute of silence before Aaron managed to speak up, the guilt he felt from his deception choking his words. “I don't think you're stupid.”
Tommy grumbled, now sounding more depressed than outraged. “Come on, man... You know people call you the smart one. I'm just the dumbass who follows you around.”
Lying to his friend had apparently done more damage than Aaron realised, and he was worried that the wounds might be irreversible this time. He could keep blaming Christie all he wanted, but that wouldn't change the fact that he was the one that had deleted the text message and had attended the meeting alone.
“Tommy, you're not a dumbass, okay? I learn from you every single day. I've always believed that you're clever, you just don't believe it yourself.” Aaron meant every word he said, but he wasn't su
re if his friend was convinced by them.
Seemingly frustrated by the direction that the conversation had taken, Tommy slammed his fists down upon the wheel, raising his voice until he was almost shouting. “Then why the fuck did you hide it from me?!? You went to meet Christie and you fuckin’ lied to my face!”
Aaron kept his own voice low, knowing that Tommy was well within his rights to yell at him. “I'm sorry. I didn't think that....”
Tommy didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence. “You didn't think I could handle seeing her, did you? I'm ready for this, dude... I know she's dangerous and needs to be taken out. I can follow through.”
Aaron shifted in his seat, feeling disgraced by his own actions. The only excuse for his behaviour was that he was trying to protect Tommy, but perhaps that wasn't enough. “Are you sure? Christie’s not the same person anymore. She isn't even a person.”
Tommy nodded, looking Aaron directly in the eye with a glimmer of determination. “Trust me, I can do this.”
There was a moment of silence when the pair stared at each other, the bond of trust seemingly still present. Perhaps it wasn't so easy to destroy a friendship that had taken so many years to build, and it would take a great deal more than one incident such as this to drive a wedge between them. Aaron and Tommy were still brothers in arms, and closer than any siblings could be.
The car in front moved up a little, drawing Tommy’s attention back to the road as proceeded to inch the truck forwards. He was a little calmer now, his arms relaxing as he reclined in his seat. “So, where to next?”
Aaron felt relieved that the situation had resolved itself, but couldn't help but feel ashamed. He didn't believe that he deserved forgiveness, but was glad that Tommy didn't hold a grudge. Working through his mental checklist, he tried to push any negative thoughts out of his head. It was time to get back to work and that required focus. They had been to several different locations already, hoping to find the place where Christie and Sam Mitchell might be hiding, or at least a clue as to where to search next. “A small apartment downtown. Christie apparently had a friend there who might have an idea where she is. With any luck, he’ll give us something useful.”
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