Hunt

Chapter 26: An Awkward Heart to Heart

As lunch rolls in I find myself the first to our usual meeting spot. Glancing around the cafeteria I don't immediately see Reyna. But as I'm about to pull my phone out a tap on my shoulder halts my hand, leaving my phone securely in my pocket. Where I expected to see Reyna I'm disappointed to be greeted by Heather. My joy turning sour.

"Hey, do you have a minute? Can we talk?" She asks.

I make one last quick glance around the cafeteria, hoping for the salvation that seeing Reyna would bring me. But I still couldn't spotting her. With a sigh I begin to stand, "Yeah sure. What's up?"

"Not here," Heather says over her shoulder as she begins to walk out towards the parking lot with me close on her heels. As much as I knew I'd despise whatever this conversation would bring it wasn't hard to notice how uneasy she seemed to be. I kept catching her looking my way in class, like she had been wanted to tell me something. I guess she just wasn't able to build up the courage to until now.

Walking out into the crowded parking lot we make a beeline towards where our cars are parked. Finding ourselves standing in the gap between them, much like a conversation we had a couple weeks ago.

"Okay," I say crossing my arms. Leaning back against my car, "So what's up?"

Heather fiddles with her hands, not meeting my gaze, "Kyle. Level with me here. This line of work you're falling in: Being a hunter..." She drags on, never meeting my eyes as she searches for the right words to say. "You must know how dangerous it is. That it can't end well for you right? Being alone out there will end up with you as somethings meal."

I roll my head back, staring up into the overcast sky, "I'm not always alone out there. But yeah, I assume someday it will be the end of me." I always knew that as soon as I picked up the gun for the first time I would die behind it, but I've come to accept that. My reasons to keep going out way outweigh the risks.

"What about your dreams? Your life?" Heather asks, "You can't just throw them away like this Kyle!"

"Yeah I did have dreams I guess." I reply with a shrug. "But I got greedy, dug a little too deep. I payed for my actions, now I'm trying to keep others from making the same stupid mistakes I did." I knew that Heather knew what I meant. Looking back towards her I see that she's dropped her head, glaring at her shoes.

"I..." Heather trails off, "I'm sorry for pulling you into this. I never wanted to..." she sounded on the verge of tears, gripping the door of her car with white knuckles.

I remain silent for a long time, returning my gaze up towards the sky. Eventually I let out the deep breath I had been holding, "I forgive you Heather. It's not your fault that I pushed too hard."

I could hear her tapping on the door of her car rhythmically, something she would do back when we were dating... the one habit I also managed to pick up from her. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't have let myself dip so low that night." The tapping stops, "That night, when I lost control. I thought it would be fine. I thought I could handle it."

I pull my gaze from the sky, "What do you mean?" I ask.

"I stupidly got roped into human blood. I tried my best to fight the urges but... You know how that's impossible right? How vampires function?" She asks, beginning to tap against her door again.

I nod, "Yeah I do. They can get by sustaining themselves off animal blood until they get onto humans. Then they can't go back." I give her a concerned glance, "When was the last time you fed?"

She shrugs, avoiding my gaze and ducking my question. "I'm fine Kyle."

I lean forward, suddenly not asking anymore. "How long." I insist.