Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 70. Friday, Waning Crescent/Saturday, New Moon (Part Two)

Day 70. Friday, Waning Crescent/Saturday, New Moon (Part Two)

Darkness. The smell of old food. And eventually, the earth beneath him. In that order, Hunter's senses began to come back.

Years of medical procedures had left his pain tolerance and his drug resistance high, causing Hunter to wake up long before his captor intended.

Hunter was being dragged out of the car by his shirt when he came to, and he found himself staring up at the older man above him. His features were blanched by the fluorescence light nearby, the sky beyond him not quite as dark as it had once been. He squinted down at Hunter, not surprised by his waking state. "Wasn't enough for all three of you--"

All of the memories of the night came flooding back; the camp, the chase, the car ride...

Hunter screamed and twisted away from the man, clawing at the dirt as he scrambled to get away. Their surroundings had changed. A small cabin stood in front of them. From the outside, It looked dilapidated as if it had not seen an inhabitant in years. Just to the left of the structure was a dirt road retreated backward into the encroaching trees.

The man grabbed Hunter by the back of his neck, causing him to cry out. He was stronger than Hunter expected, as he believed his captor to be human. Still, Hunter refused to be taken that easily. He tossed a handful of dirt back into the man's eyes, blinding him.

Now free, Hunter ran for the cabin. Where were the others? Inside? He ran through the open door. It was clear that the driver had been using the space for some time. Maybe there was a phone or--

A hard kick sent Hunter tumbling down a flight of stairs. He hollered as he went, smashing against stone steps repeatedly before crumpling on the cold cement of the cellar floor.

Ashley had awoken to distant screaming. Eyes snapping open she found herself in the backseat with Grayson slumped at her side. Illuminated by the headlights was Hunter trying to get away from their captor. The sight made Ashley freeze up, but when the two disappeared into the cabin, she could feel her nerves coming back. "Grayson!" She shook him, ignoring the feeling of pins and needles in her limbs. "Grayson! Wake up!"

The pain from the fall had left Hunter immobile. He clenched his teeth and let out a low hissing noise. It hurt too much to scream, and he feared it would hurt even more if he tried to move. He wanted to retreat further into the darkness behind his eyes, let it carry him into unconsciousness, away from it all.

But he knew better than that.

Day 63. Friday, Last Quarter

Hunter had woken up just in time to take the shuttle van off-campus. Now he wished he hadn't. Instead of attending the mandatory therapy sessions he had told Grayson about, he was instead laying on an old mat in an empty ballroom of a hotel past its prime. Kale had knocked the wind out of him and now loomed over his body, expression slightly pained and tinged with something Hunter couldn't place but had no desire to explore. This wasn't therapy, mental or physical. This was training.

Evangeline stepped toward them, and Kale stepped back, looking between the two of them with caution, calculating. "Was that too hard?"

"No." Evangeline shook her head. "Being gentle won't help."

Hunter rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. After Colton had tried to kidnap him and he was once again held for surveillance, Evangeline appeared. No Abner, no Kale. Just Evangeline. He assumed she had just come to pick him up and ferry him back to Redwood. But instead, she had offered a proposition; self-defense. After all, it wouldn't be long before Hodges and his unit were assigned to another case and possibly out of state. They couldn't come running every time Hunter called. And between the Songs and the Hayes, trouble would certainly be on the horizon again.