Hunter

Ghost

Hunter

I kept my head covered and down. When I saw a cop, I avoided them and headed in a different direction. I didn't realize this town had cops crawling around it.

As I walked, I noticed a car following me. I shoved my hands into my pockets and ducked into dark places as they passed me. When the coast was clear, I stepped out and kept walking.

My sneakers hit the sidewalk. I spotted two cops watching me. I turned to face a window and waited. The cops returned to their conversation. I moved along until I turned onto a dirt path and walked toward the woods.

The longer I stayed in town, the better my chance of someone finding me. I would wait until dark to return to town to scrounge for food.

Branches brow and leaves crunched underneath the soles of my sneakers. I heard rustling and stopped. My head snapped around to check out my surroundings. A few minutes later, a deer stepped out into view. It looked at me and flicked its ears. Then it moved along.

I prefer animals over people. They don't bother you unless you bother them.

I walked along a pathway until I found a structure in a tree. I grabbed ahold of branches and climbed up until I reached it and climbed inside—a couple of pillows and a blanket laid on the floor with empty cans scattered around.

I fixed the pillows and blanket into a makeshift bed and laid down. I stared at the roof with my arm behind my head and one leg bent.

*******
Carrington

Elliot and I drove around town searching for Harvey Michael's kid.

"I don't understand why Mason would want a sniveling brat," Elliot huffed.

"It's Mason. Who knows why he does half the shit he does? I would rather be home with my lovely wife than seek some runaway." I shrugged.

I turned into an alley to find someone wearing a hoodie walking and slowed the car down. The person had their hood up and headed down.

"Is that the kid?" Elliot asked.

"I expected the kid to be bigger after finding that asshole dead."

Elliot glanced at me.

The person in the hoodie stepped out of view, which meant he must have seen the car. I drove past the kid, pretending we lost him.

"What are you doing?" Elliot's voice radiated annoyance.

"Acting like the kid eluded us." I shrugged and drove away.

"Why?"

"Something tells me this kid won't come willingly. I'll let big brother deal with him."

Elliot squinted his eyes and gave me a sideways glance. It didn't matter. Now that we knew where the kid was, we had a better chance of capturing him.

******
Mason

Carri called me with an update when Joseph waltzed into my office and plopped down in a chair.

"I'll take care of it. Thanks, Carri." I ended the call.

"Well, did Carri and Elliot find the kid?" Joseph asked me.

I set my phone down on the desk. "The kid thinks he's eluding people. But he won't escape me. What did you find out?"

"The shirt belongs to Hunter Michaels. I also dug and found more information about Harvey Michael's kid." Joseph pulled out a file and handed it to me.

I took it, sat down, and flipped through it. The file contained police, social services, and school reports about Hunter. "Why would authorities knowingly return a child to a house of abuse?" I looked at Joseph.