Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 71. Saturday, New Moon (Part Three)

Day 71. Saturday, New Moon (Part Three)

"Booo." Hunter pouted. "I ordered a disgruntled southerner, a scary blonde lady, and a rookie cop who sticks to the rules."

Now free from danger, Hunter craved rest, but the SPOIPA agents that had answered his call now held them at a rest stop for questioning.

With the wee hours of the morning underway, this set of agents was collecting testimonies, searching the car, and giving first aid.

"Do you think you'd be able to identify the place for us?"

Hunter rubbed his arms repeatedly. Here, he wanted to believe he was safe. Ashley had hit that guy with his own car and left him stranded out there. Possible homicide aside, Hunter should have felt okay returning to the scene with backup.

But he didn't. And he didn't want to go.

It made him think of all those nights his mother had spent up on the couch, a cup of coffee in her hands and eyes trained on the door. Sometimes his father came home late. But ultimately, he didn't.

He didn't want to leave Grayson and Ashley behind to chase some phantom in the dark. He didn't want to disappear.

Two members of the team had peeled off to look for the cabin, leaving two more with Hunter and his friends. One of them walked back over while tucking a cellphone into a dark suit. Their matching state of dress, calm expressions and short replies reminded Hunter more of the stereotypical government agents of tv shows.

"Why? Did they find the shack?" Hunter asked, pulling the crisis blanket around himself tighter.

"Waiting for an update on that one." The woman put her hands on her hips, her eyes straying to a rest stop sign. "Did you remember any more details?"

"No." Irritation was starting to take over Hunter's responses. "Creepy camo suit, chase through the woods, drugged us with something and chased me around a very shiny, new-looking lab underground. And he..." Hunter frowned. "Might have set up traps in the woods where we were camping. I got hit with some stuff earlier in the day. I couldn't smell anything after that. Around a patch of mushrooms..." He tried to piece the events together. "He was growing all kinds of stuff down in that basement." His vision blurred and he blinked. "Look, your pals are gonna go see it first hand. Can you release us already? If I remember anything else, I swear I'll call."

The woman took notes with a stylus and tablet. "We're gonna have to bring you in for labs. See what this guy used on you." She snapped her fingers and a few feet away her partner looked away from Ashley and nodded.

They walked toward each other. Hunter stood up from his spot against the SPOIPA unit, waved at Ashley, and went inside the vehicle. Grayson was there, looking as tired as he felt.

They sat in silence for a moment, cold, and tired from being up half the night.

At the sounds of tires crunching gravel, Hunter peered out of the van's tinted window. One of the cars had returned, Notes stuck their head out of the window.

"It's Notes!" Hunter exclaimed.

With newfound energy, the trio exited the mobile station.

Notes marched to them quickly, only stopping to embrace Ashley in a tight hug. "They told me everything. I can't believe it!"

"Glad to see to see you're okay," Grayson replied, clasping a hand on their shoulder.

After a few words with one of the agents, it was finally time to hit the road.

Hunter hung back, as Grayson walked ahead and Ashley and Notes animatedly filled each other in on everything that had happened since the previous day ended.