T h e H u n t e d

C h a p t e r T h i r t e e n >

© Amber Kalkes 2015

Song: "Sweets" By Yeah Yeah Yeahs

C h a p t e r T h i r t e e n >

Sunny looks out the passenger side window of Craig's car and into the darkness outside. She's managed to ignore the pain from the now cauterized knife wound. She has even managed to bind it up, on Craig's strong insistence. Either way she feels ready get this over with and to get back to...well she doesn't really know what. All she knows for sure is that she's anxious to get back to town to check on Charlie.

She could smack herself, as she thinks of his state for the hundredth time in the past hour. It unusual for her to care about anyone but even though she barely even knows Charlie she thinks about him way more than she should. Just the image of his face in her mind has her heart pumping and her stomach churning nervously.

Once the car is parked on the edge of the property, Sunny and Craig both get out. Sunny keeps her face placid as she gets out, not wanting to let anyone see the pain she's feeling in her abdomen now that she's up and moving again. She just need to used to it, she tells herself. She'll be able to ignore it again soon enough.

"Are you alright over there kid?" Craig asks

"I'm fine." She mutters, reaching into the trunk to grab the twenty-two she sees calling her name, "Just thinking about what I have to do."

"Just focus on getting in the door and I'll cover you from my position."

"I know." She tells him, hiding her eye roll by keeping her eyes on the weapons before her, "Once I'm going I'll be perfectly fine."

"How long until heat?"

Sunny pushes up her leather jacket sleeve and looks at her watch, "Twelve hours, give or take."

"What are we going to do with them if they go in heat early? Shifters can get violent when they're at the height of their mating time and are messed with."

"You think I don't know that?"

"Well then enlighten me about your plan if they should turn on us."

She shrugs and slides the clip in the chamber of the twenty-two, "Then we just open the cages and watch the fun."

"The fun?" He asks, looking at her like she's insane, "They could rip you to pieces!"

"Not if I stay out of their way." Sunny says plainly as she cocks the gun and gets one ready in the chamber. Putting the gun down in the truck again she grabs the thigh holsters and starts strapping them on while Craig gets his rifle ready.

"Craig?" She asks after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...?" Sunny trails off but she doesn't need to say much more. Craig knows just as well as anyone why she's really here. Why she's always doing the crazy shit she is. Sunny is and always will be looking for Justine until she knows exactly what happened to her.

"I don't know." Craig answers quietly, "I wish I knew but I don't know if she'll be there. "

"I was just wondering."

Deciding to keep the twenty-two on hand, she also grabs two forty-five glocks and sticks them in their own holsters on each thigh. She also has her various knives stashed all over her body. She's never without a knife but since she's going into sticker territory she's armed herself with seven knifes all hidden in convent places. Because if it comes down to it Sunny would rather be bringing a knife to a gun fight then walk in with empty hands.