Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 55, Thursday. Waxing Gibbous

Hunter woke up at sunrise. The glass panel in the ceiling exposed a brightening sky. Colton shifted at his side. The previous night, after a moment of deliberation, Colton had asked to share the bed. He promised he wouldn't touch him, as if such a declaration could be read as chivalry somehow.

Distant birdsong carried into the quiet cabin, and soon Colton was awake.

Hunter stayed in bed while Colton tidied up. There was shuffling, packing, and even a few chimes from Colton's phone. But there was no sound of sirens or engines, so he stayed put.

Breakfast was canned tuna and toast. Hunter wanted no part of it, but Colton coaxed him into eating a few bites before he realized what he was doing.

As they drove away from the property, Hunter wondered how long it would be before he would forget to resist. Would it be hours? Days?

They moved from highway to road, to streets and cityscape. Hunter barely recognized any of it. Colton parked the rental car in a lot of similar vehicles on the third floor of some sort of terminal. Coach buses moved on one level, walkways connected to railways on another. All the while Colton pulled him along and Hunter felt more and more numb.

He bumped into someone in a crowded hallway and Colton tugged him close, causing him to sober up a bit. They had come to some sort of atrium, with countless screens listing arrival and departures.

"That's us."

Adjusting his messenger bag, Colton pulled Hunter towards an escalator.

Hunter wondered what had happened to the pizza delivery guy. Had he pocketed the cash and made some excuse to his boss? Had he dropped the note?

Did he even see it?

"--boarding early, so we don't have to hurry."

He was walking behind Colton now, tugged along through a thinning crowd.

They stepped through a gate, bringing them outside, and onto a long platform.

A large train was stationed on the track.

Something about the sight of it woke Hunter up.

This was the end. The new start he had carved for himself at Redwood was over. Everything he did, all the people he had met...all soon to be forgotten.

And he hated it.

It was then he remembered something his mother had told him once.

Lena had briefly volunteered as a self-defense instructor at a local rec center one summer. While she worked, Hunter would sit at a table and read.

At the end of one of the classes, a woman had approached Lena and began crying.

When Hunter asked his mother what had happened, she explained that the woman had just run away from a 'bad situation'.

"Someone was hurting her."

"Did she tell someone?" Hunter asked.

"She...tried." Lena kept the details vague, as not to confuse or upset her son. "But they didn't listen. So she was happy that the class was making her feel stronger."

"Oh."

"Baby, sometimes you have to fight for yourself. Sometimes people that can help you just...aren't there. Maybe they're just around a corner, or far away. But that's when you have to hold on. It might not be easy. You might get scared. But don't stop fighting, okay?"

Colton glanced up at the next car number. "We should be--" He felt his arm get pulled back and turned. Hunter wasn't walking anymore.

"Honestly Hunter, what--"

Hunter yanked his hand away and broke into a run.

"HUNTER!"

Hunter clenched his teeth together and tried to block out Colton's voice.

Don't listen. Don't--

There was a clang as Colton abandoned his luggage to chase him. "GET BACK HERE! COME BACK!"

No--

It was as if an invisible force had knocked him off his feet. Hunter tried to crawl away, but he felt Colton grab him from behind.

"What are you doing? Hunter, you--"

Hunter growled in anger, twisting in Colton's grasp until they were face to face. Still unable to speak, he spat at him.

Heavily offended, Colton reeled back. "For the love of--"

Hunter kicked and squirmed, trying to drag himself from underneath Colton's weight.

"Damn it!" Colton wiped his face with one hand and pinned Hunter's wrists with the other. "What is wrong with you!? Hold still!"

Resisting felt like actual hell. Even as his limbs lost strength, Hunter turned away.

He could hear hushed voices from the other riders and someone yelling from across the platform--security most likely.

Good. They had an audience.

Colton tried to pull him up, grabbing hold of his shoulder. As he was lifted upward, Hunter bit into Colton's arm as best he could. He tasted blood.

Colton roared in pain and shoved him hard back against the pavement.

Hunter's vision went white. When the pain subsided, he saw Colton still on top of him. Cradling his arm, he straddled Hunter, keeping him in place with his legs. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?"

Something was being broadcasted over the station intercom, but Hunter couldn't hear it properly. Blood roared in his ears and he felt dizzy. Still, he tried to speak.

"...G-Go." Hunter choked out. Why can't you just let go?

"You ungrateful--" Colton grabbed him by his shirt. "After everything that I've done for you--"

That caused something to snap.

"I NEVER ASKED YOU FOR THIS!" Hunter yelled, startling them both. His face and limbs felt hot. Something was wrong.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hunter spoke again. "J-Just...let me go."

Colton was staring at him, but he seemed less angry and more bewildered.

The sounds of quickening footsteps seemed to grow closer, and Hunter watched as Colton was yanked away from him by...Kale?

"Wh-Wh..."

"Alright hands up, Hayes!" There was Abner, looking out of breath and red-faced.

Evangeline was just over his shoulder, flashing a badge at station security.

While Kale shoved Colton into a kneeling position, Abner fitted him with a dampening muzzle and handcuffs.

Hunter could only watch as someone hoisted him up into a sitting position from behind.

Colton's eyes watched him, shifting from rage to confusion and back.

"Hunter!? Hunter..."

Some high-pitched noise was making it hard to hear anything. Someone was touching his face.

Hunter turned his head slightly.

It was Grayson who had been holding him still. Or was it? Things were getting more blurry.

"Hunter? Are you okay? Hey!"

Something warm was trickling down his face. Wiping his hand against his forehead, Hunter looked at the red smear on his palm.

It was the last thing he saw before he passed out.