Hunted

Chapter 10: Trust?

-Trust?-

-Chapter 10-

Hope was silent the entire ride. She was covered in blood. The crash did her pretty bad, but the Salvatore didn't even notice. She would spent hours later trying to scrub all the red off her body, but now she didn't even notice.

She just wanted to be home with Damon and Elena and Stefanie and Jonathan. They were annoying, constantly, but they were home. They were her home.

Would they were worried? Would they care? They would clearly know that Hope was missing. Would they look for her?

She didn't think she had ever been more scared in her life. But fear wasn't foreign to the Salvatore. She hated that feeling, but it didn't stop it from coming. But this fear, it sat in the pit of her stomach. It was eating her alive.

All she wanted was sleep. Sleep, now that sounded amazing. She was so exhausted that all she wanted to do was just sleep right here, right now. But she couldn't, Landon, could not be trusted.

"You're exhausted," he said, "I know you don't trust me with good reason, but you need sleep."

Hope scoffed, "And what? I sleep and then you kill me? Or rape me or kidnap me? Not that you haven't already done that."

Landon looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. Hope was already bouncing on the opportunity, "What? The crazy cultist doesn't have anything to say? What do you want from me, huh? What do you want?"

Landon, again, didn't speak.

"Are you not going to say anything?" she snapped, "You literally kidnapped me? And you're not going to say a single fucking thing?"

"You're exhausted and hungry," he said with so much calm Hope wanted to scream, nothing was "calm" right now, "And we can't stop for the night because they are already following us."

"Who?" Hope demanded, "Who is following us? What is going on?"

Landon was again silent for a moment, before he finally sighed letting his shoulders slump, "Hunters. Hunters are following us."

"What the fuck are 'hunters'?"

"Have you ever heard of monsters? Vampires, werewolves, witches?"

Hope looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Well, I'm probably gonna blow your mind for a second, but they exist, and-"

"I'm sorry what?" She hissed, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Just listen for a second-"

"No - no! Vampires, werewolves, witches, what are you on?"

"Will you just shut up and listen for a second? You said you wanted answers. I'm giving them to you."

She hated him. She hated him so much. He destroyed her life. She was covered in blood because of him. But he was also the only one that could give her any kind of an idea of what was happening.

Hope stayed silent and that was enough for Landon to continue, "Vampires, werewolves, witches. It sounds crazy, but they exist. And there are also people, humans, that know they exist and hunt them. For sport sometimes, but mainly for protection. They, I, used to protect the general population from the unknown horrors of the supernatural."

Hope said nothing. She didn't believe a word that was coming out from his mouth, but she also couldn't bring herself to interrupt.

"The hunters . . . well they hate you. Your birth parents, they were quite famous in the supernatural world. Your father he did a lot of bad things. They were worried that if you were allowed to grow up, you would follow in his footsteps. So, when they got the chance, they killed your parents.