The Hunters

Chapter Fourteen

We ate in the female barracks, blocking the door from entry so that we could feel safe without our gaiters in place. The male Hunters were eating in the mess hall or assisting General Rodriguez on his path of revenge, the man's rage increasing as he observed violation after violation. We heard a helicopter arrive, then another soon followed, and Andersen giggled, announcing, "They had to airlift the punks who messed with you."

"Not the first time," I muttered as I smirked. Knowing that I'd hurt them so badly that they had to be evacuated to the closest hospital hours away further rebuilt my confidence. "Any idea what we're supposed to do today with all of this chaos?"

Larsen looked up from her journal, removing the reading glasses that she refused to let us acknowledge. "Our previous schedule of training activities and," she gagged sarcastically, "team building has obviously been delayed. We'll begin those in Norway. With that in mind, I do not want to waste time playing games here. We'll hit the gym, practice in the combat arena, and make sure that we aren't slacking."

"Sir, yes, sir!" we called before smiling at each other, humored when she returned the reading glasses to her face.

A knock at the door drew our attention and we stiffened, slipping our gaiters in place. Larsen tucked her glasses out of view while Andersen stood, moving the stack of cots aside while Haugen gathered our trays neatly. "Who is it?" Andersen called, all of us stiff after facing so much stress in a short period of time.

"Uh, it's König. I-I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't find Storm. I was told she's in med bay, but..."

He truly seemed to struggle with his anxiety. My heart broke at the sound and I confirmed that everyone was good before calling, "I'm in here!" Andersen opened the door and gestured for him to enter, his tall form lowering to squeeze through the door. "Had a bit of a run-in at med bay, so I joined them for breakfast."

"Bit of a run-in?" he repeated softly, and I could hear the humor in his voice, however small. "General Rodriguez is reviewing the footage now. One of those men might be paralyzed."

"Not both? Kalberg, you must have been gentle this time," Haugen teased, bumping my shoulder. I winced at the jerk, my stitches strained from the attack.

"That's it," Larsen decided after watching my reaction closely. "I was debating, but your pain made my decision for me. You're sitting out on today's activities."

I whined childishly and she threw her boot at my head, barking at me in Norwegian while I laughed. König watched the interaction in confusion, his pale green eyes switching between each of us. "Kalberg," Larsen warned as I gripped her boot, her finger in the air while I slowly rose to my feet. "You're taking it easy today. So help me, I will-"

I took off running, racing past König while Larsen shouted curses and insults. Haugen giggled wildly, chasing after me while Andersen helped our commanding officer hobble after me. Rounding the corner of the combat training building, I tossed the boot onto the roof. Jumping to grasp onto the gutter, I pulled myself up, ignoring the strain on my injuries as I rolled onto the surface. Climbing to my feet, I then pulled myself onto the smaller second floor, positioning myself where I couldn't be easily spotted.

Making myself comfortable, I watched down below, hearing Larsen's foul words in every language she knew. She paused while Haugen continued her run, and I spotted König watching their movements in confusion before one of the KorTac members seemed to call him inside. I could see the wheels turning in Larsen's head, playing out the scenarios of where I would head. My time was limited with that brain of hers, but fortunately, she would place my location lower on the list due to my injuries.

I flinched when I heard movement near the building, lowering myself onto the snowy metal surface as I listened closely. The quietest, deep grunt alerted me that the person who grasped onto the gutters was masculine, trying to remain quiet as he lifted himself with impressive strength onto the roof: Ghost. I observed the way his brown eyes reflected in the dim base lights, the sky still dark above. Peering down carefully, he confirmed that he hadn't been spotted before following my foot prints to the second floor.

Ghost pulled himself onto the roof and stretched out beside me, matching my face-down pose as he glanced upward at the sky. His expression was hard to read, the mask firmly covering everything apart from his eyes. His lashes were long and dark, coated on the ends with snowflakes. His full body was covered again in his armor and tactical gear, prepared for action as always.

Resting my hands beneath my chin, I relaxed against the roof, following his gaze to the stars above. He didn't speak, simply staring off in the distance, before our attention lowered to the people moving below. Haugen called my name and I gripped the boot, watching her run around the building before continuing toward the woods to join Larsen and Andersen.

It was smart of them to check the woods. While I didn't have an ounce of stealth in my bones due to my inability to sit still, I knew how to cover my tracks. Often, I'd hide in the trees: a skill I'd learned in early childhood when I would run from my mother or aunt to avoid punishment. Ghost shifted beside me, readjusting his hip, before he finally asked, "How long are you going to let them look for you?"

I shrugged, chewing on my bottom lip nervously beneath my gaiter. His warm body melted the snow beside me, warming the left side of my body despite the crisp air. "I'm not allowed to participate in today's training," I muttered irritably.

"So you're punishing them for you being injured," he responded, his words irritably while his tone remained eerily emotionless. Calm.

"No. I'm training them. They just don't know it," I retorted. This was a habit of mine; escaping to see how long it would take for the team to find me. Challenging their understanding of my behaviors and the environment. I'd only started this method a few months ago when I returned from my forced recovery period.

Ghost scoffed, taking the boot from my hand to observe it curiously. Handing it back to me, I tucked it beneath my chin, providing additional support. "You're not doing well, are you?" he asked, his voice softening despite the deep, unfeeling tone.

"No."