Hunted and Haunted (6)

'I hate soldiers.'

The girl glared at the man who stood over with a pipe in the kitchen room.

For a moment she thought he was a monster.

He entered smoothly at first like the mist itself. But the smell of something disgustingly burnt stabbed her senses. No human would carry such stench around!

It was hard to see, but his uniform no doubt belonged to the soldiers. The same soldiers that berated her and her brothers. That dragged people away like dogs.

"Look. I'm not here to rob whatever you guys have."

"…!"

'That's a lie.'

And yet…he attempted no fake smile. No overly gestured hands of false welcoming. No force of power. 

He was…

…Calm.

She hated that.

But the moment he swiped the gun from her hands, dread spiked inside her. She let her guard down! 

This man was a patient predator!

Was she going to die like this?

So soon?

'My brothers-!'

"…?"

The girl had a bewildered expression when the blue-eyed man just studied the gun instead. Almost like when her brother would find a stupid stone on the floor and show it off fascinatingly. 

"The safety lever is on."

'W-what?' She felt warmth flood her cheeks.

"I knew that…"

"So you weren't going to kill me?"

"Er…"

Of course she was. At some point…But now she felt pathetic. He didn't even have to say it but she felt that condescending shadow of his. Just like everyone else around here. They treat kids differently. Or, treated her the same as they did with her mum.

But this man said something strange…

"…what do you want in return?"

The little girl paused.

The warmth of her brothers' grasp slipped away as the offer opened new doors to her. Surely this was too good to be true! Those men out there…Oh the chance to cut their days short! And all of their collectives? Why…her and her brothers wouldn't have to starve anymore! And some of their friends need to be saved and…

"Anything?"

Did she have something to lose from this?

What if he turned his back on them?

Could she even lie to him?

She paused and studied the man. Or boy? He seemed too young to be a soldier. He didn't even act like those ones that were strung and splattered in the street.

But when she looked into his eyes…

…Those chilling blue eyes.

The kind that gives you night shivers. Or the cold sunken feeling before a disaster.

She couldn't put her finger on it…

But she knew it was an opportunity.

"Could you kill someone for us?"

The man didn't even flinch. She thought she saw something click inside of him. And as if talking about the weather, he closed the gun in her hands.

"I said anything."

Her eyes dropped to the gun.

'Yes you did.'

What a lucky opportunity!

But what a strange person…

After they left the building and hid behind a wall, she insisted on asking questions. But he wasn't giving straight answers! 

What was up with every grown-up like that?

She hid a smile as she pointed to their right. "You mean people like them?"

Those blue eyes calmly looked over to the string of uniformed men. Their skin puffed like they'd eaten sewage water. And mouth gaped as if calling back for their spirits.

She thought it would stir him up. Squirm even from the sight.

But to her disappointment…he was…annoyed?

'What's…wrong with him?'

Was he just a copycat then? 

Wearing the uniform for looks?

Something told her yes and no…

'Oh…' She scowled. Her parents would say "Trust your instinct." How could she when it didn't even talk to her clearly?

"Enough of that. You said you know the way in. Lead the way."

She felt the edge of his pipe push her forward.

Anger boiled throughout her small body like a whirling sun.

She glared at him. Glared at that placid expression!

'I hate him.'

But just for a little while.

Because finally…finally! Those men will get what they deserve. Every person here did.

Hop. Hop. 

She heard her brothers follow in step behind her. The gaze on her back burned from the man's watch. But her face was beaming as she continued forward.

She wanted to watch it herself.

It was her turn to steal life from their eyes!

***

"I…I think I'll stay here…"

She heard a small voice from behind.

"What?" The girl hissed at her younger brother.

'Oh don't be a wuss now!'

"We have to stick together."

Her brother's bottom lip quivered at her snap. Sometimes it was hard to have patience with these two. At least her other brother did things without question.

But he too was looking at her as if she was crazy!

"She's right."

'Thank you!'

"…"

She narrowed her eyes on the soldier.

'I still hate you.'

She felt another tug on her sleeve.

"Sis…" It was her second brother that spoke. "We have to save the others first–"

"There's more of you?"

All three of them stiffened.

In the dark room, with the garage door shut tight to prevent any of their escape, they looked up at the nameless man. There wasn't a trace of concern in his eyes. Was it…disappointment?

"Yup. Is that a problem?" She forced her gaze on his.

A few seconds passed as she did this, and yet his mind seemed elsewhere. As if she didn't exist before him. 

He then casually turned away towards the corner door.

"No."

"…"

She frowned.

He stopped in front of the door and lightly twisted the doorknob. It was locked.

Before she could vent her frustration, he simply slipped out a knife and jammed it into the frame. With a quick snap, the lock gave way. 

He opened the door an inch, waited, then exited into the hall.

The three of them followed. What else was there to do? It was exciting to be these people's nightmare for once!

A chilling storm bloomed inside of her.

For once.

'For once…' She distantly thought as if recalling back to memories she wished she could bury deep in the bottom of her covers where it'd never see the light of day again.

The girl crept forward like a cat. Stealthy she was told. Her father told her she looked like a cat with a pointy chin and big eyes.

"Wait." The girl tugged on the man's shirt like her brother did on her.

But he had already stopped the moment she uttered a sound.

He looked over his shoulder as she quietly pointed to another room.

"We have to open that one first."

He looked over at a green door in the hallway. 

He took in a quiet…deep…breath…before he did the same jamming the frame and opening the door.

Before he could examine the room, her two little brothers pushed inside first.

"Sam! Teena!"

Two heads weakly raised over the pillows. Their cheeks were sunken as if an adult's thumb had dented it. Another little girl about her younger brother's age was in a daze as if she couldn't process if what she was seeing was real.

"W-what are you guys…" The girl, Teena, began to say. 

Hug!

They four embraced each other. Sniffles mixed and all.

"It's okay. We're here to help ok? We're—"

"But I thought…"

"We thought you were long gone."

"Too loud."

The girl had stood back from the commotion but flinched from the man's words.

She slowly looked up as he stared forward with a blank expression.

Then his eyes dropped to hers.

"…!"

"You will show me where the Awakened is. Right?"

"I…uh—"

Her words choked in her throat.

Yes. Yes she will. Why couldn't she say that?

'I wish you'd die as well.'

That cold thought spoke instead as she stared into his eyes.

She felt her fingers burn on the gun.

As she opened her mouth again, a door hinge groaned outside. Past the room's window was a tiny courtyard. And on the other side of it was a second-story building where a light leaped in an upstairs room—yellow and bright—like a candle fighting the wind. Voices and silhouettes gathered around a barrel roaring a fire at its center. The men snarling and growling. 

The girl gripped her gun so tight that her palm ached.

"That's more than 5." 

The man's voice interrupted her thoughts again. 

She felt her cheeks flush once more.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"My fault for not asking." He said. But more to herself than to her…

She probably would have lied even if he did ask before. She'd done that plenty of times…And she was proud of it.

But now?

It felt…embarrassing.

He locked gaze with her.

"We have to renegotiate our deal."

***

It seemed to be a party of sorts that the men were hosting. Obviously.

At the moment, Hope stood in the hallway as the doors were all unlocked. Several people were found inside. Majority dead.

This turned out to be some sort of rescue mission Hope would rather had not taken a part of.

"Please…help me…"

When Hope was about to pass another room, he felt someone grab his foot.

He glanced down at the frail person.

'Ah.' Hope blinked.

Information. 

After asking one useful person capable of speaking, Hope got the idea of the situation.

It was what he had assumed before. People lived in settlements, some even in smaller settlements. However, many of them feuded over rights to water, food, and shelter. They were ignorant and brutal. 

'For the most part, not by choice.'

But some of these people were Sleepers—forced to give their Memories to the hunters. Or their lives. 

'The traditional law of the strong over the weak.' Hope thought as he nonchalantly tapped his arm.

'And they're celebrating because…'

They'd hit a jackpot of Sleepers they'd captured. No one else of worth threat was within their territory. No one in their mind would dare to tempt the numbers they had. And no one dared to leave by themselves. To carry their sickly selves into the unknown.

Although they committed lawless crimes, these hunters did their job on clearing Nightmare Creatures.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

'But prideful bastards.'

Hope stopped tapping his arm.

'Huh. That'll be their downfall then.'

He had the element of surprise afterall. 

Suddenly, the little girl walked away from her brothers and stopped in front of Hope while looking down at her feet.

"Umm…"

Hope blinked at her. He didn't wait for her to find the words and looked back out the window. "I just have to kill them right?"

"Yup…" She paused. "But I'm coming too."

Hope also paused. "And how come I shouldn't force the location out of someone else?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Because they don't know the way inside like I do."

"And you've been inside?"

"Well–! Err no…" She bit her lip. Her eyes seemed moist. "But he told me ok? If I ever needed trouble, he told me where to go. But I can't just leave my…"

Hope leaned off the wall, dismissing her reaction. "There are Sleepers inside right?"

The girl shrugged any tension off and quickly nodded. "Yup…"

"..."

This wasn't entirely a burden after all.

The pain felt almost nonexistent now from the thought of it.

'Logically, this would be an easier way to saturate my core faster.'

Logically speaking.

Hope stared off absentmindedly for several seconds before speaking. 

"Just one thing," Hope said before he stepped out of the hall. "Once we step out of this room, you have to keep your focus on me."

A flash of anger passed her face. 

"Where else will I be looking?"

Hope looked down at the gun in her hands. "Well. Anything can happen."

As she opened her mouth to respond, Hope stepped outside.

The sky was so thick above that a suffocating blue cloaked the city. It would be a sight if the sun managed to break through. But the air was damp, thick with the smell of wet ash and grass.

Hope deftly moved through the tiny courtyard—his boots crunching softly over the cracked concrete littered with broken glass bottles and weeds.

The girl's feet echoed behind him as she carefully stepped on clear patches.

'As long as she's not in my way.'

Before they reached inside, there was a sagging tree protruding out of the building—bare branches twisting upward like the fingers of a drowning man. And torn and faded tarps hung above them from balconies. Flapping lifelessly in the breeze.

The two-story block of concrete loomed over them as Hope heard the muffled voices and laughter.

Hope pushed away a plastic tarpaulin as he walked inside, the pipe and knife braced in each hand. 

The stairway appeared first—narrow and cluttered with discarded bottles—and the walls were smeared with old blood.

Painted over again and again until it became part of the decor.

Hope glanced back at the little girl. 

There was still…excitement and determination in her gaze. Still small and fierce. Still unfazed by the sight around her. She was even detached when opening the doors to corpses or people near the brink of death. A shell she'd built for herself.

A shell that would inevitably crack.

"Hahaha! That chick was a nasty bitch I'll tell you that."

The conversation above was clear enough to hear words through their slurs. 

Hope could hear another boasting, his voice rising with the others. 

"I heard about that raid! It was hell right?"

"Pfft! We captured that group. But it was SHE that slipped through our fingers. Damn slippery thing. We nearly gave up until those explosions set off! Whatever caused it, she thought it smart to make another run for it. But she fucking fell into our laps instead! Ha!"

At the top of the stairs was a door cracked open. Hope looked inside the heap of trash and drunkards in a circle. The room lit by the one barrel breathing fire.

Shadows danced across the walls casting jagged shapes.

The hunters sat up, passing a bottle around, thoroughly looking entertained by their deeds for the day. 

Hope counted the men inside. Nine of them relaxed around. Including Red Hat Guy and the Fat Guy. 

There was another piece of information the girl mentioned other than there being more than one Sleeper.

Hope stared at the disgusting shells of flesh laughing and mocking as if they ran an errand for the devil himself.

'A healing Aspect huh.'

"You should've seen the look on her face!" 

Fat Guy slapped the shoulder of the man next to him. 

"She begged so hard I almost felt bad for her."

"Don't fucking lie pfft!"

Their grating voices filled the room again.

But while their smiles were stretched wide with creasing corners—their white faces glowing around the hungry flames wrapped up in their own drunken noise—the door to the room cracked a shadow inch open.

And there lurked a knife itching to find a man's throat for a kill.