The Hunt

New Life

In a peaceful dream, my family and I were at a beautiful park, having a nice day together while laughing and cooking on a grill. The warm glow of the sun made everything seem peaceful until, out of the blue, something happened that ruined the scene. An unmarked car pulled up, and a man with a gun got out. He fired, breaking the silence. Unexpectedly, my dream turned dark, leaving a disturbing mark on the otherwise happy scene. But the suddenness of the dream was broken when a Nerf bullet hit me in the face and woke me up. Bryce, Amelia's son, stood there with a smile on his face. He had interrupted my dream with a game. When I woke up, I grabbed the Nerf bullet that fell from my face right away.

Disorientation and pain made it hard for me to see clearly as I looked around the room. I looked around and saw Amelia in the kitchen, getting ready for breakfast while wearing new clothes. Bryce, the mischievous accomplice from the earlier Nerf gun incident, clung to her leg with a mischievous grin. When Amelia caught my eye, she said hello in the morning, which instantly eased the tension. In return, I did the same, but my tiredness was clear as I started looking for my phone right away. The elusive device was nowhere near the couch, prompting me to inquire about its whereabouts. While she was taking a break from cooking, Amelia told him that she had carefully put it on the charger. As soon as my phone turned on, she told me that my wife had called and missed me. I felt a sudden rush of fear and desperately hoped that Amelia had not answered, but when she told me she had talked to Raven, the truth came out. As I realized that my wife was now in the loop, the weight of the admission fell on my shoulders. The storm of consequences was coming, and I got ready for it. I was very aware that my conversation with Raven had probably caused a storm in my home life.

As if she were trying to be cheeky, Amelia told me, "Well, that is your problem." I guess you'll figure it out when you do." However, she softened her stance, revealing that she had prepared breakfast for everyone. Genuinely surprised, I couldn't hide the shock on my face. Amelia, quick to maintain her tough exterior, added, "I'm still a bitch, don't get it twisted." We shared a laugh, breaking the tension that had lingered.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I asked if Bryce, the young assailant with the Nerf gun, was Amelia's way of waking me up. She chuckled and explained, "No, I just told him to wake you up. I can't control how he woke you up." Bryce, sensing the conversation, interjected with a questioning look.

"Why are you in his mom's house?" he asked me. Amelia, ever the quick thinker, replied, "Mr. Leon was so nice to come over and help. Mommy needed some assistance around the house." Bryce, not satisfied, probed further, questioning the identity of the man who picked him up from daycare. Unprepared to divulge the truth about his grandfather, Amelia improvised, explaining that he was a colleague who stepped in because she was busy at work. While she recognized the fabrication was far from ideal, at the moment, it served its purpose—stalling Bryce's questions. Amelia braced herself for the moment when the truth would need to be unveiled, acknowledging that the temporary lie might buy her some time in navigating the elaborateness of her son's understanding.

Observing the conversation between Amelia and Bryce, I couldn't help but think that Amelia was a terrible liar. A smirk played on my lips as I chuckled inwardly. Before I was about to sit down and eat breakfast, Amelia handed me my phone, and Chief's message about witness protection flashed on my phone; I felt a chill running down my spine. Pretending to excuse myself to the bathroom, I ended up in Amelia's room instead. Finding the bathroom connected to her room, I seized the opportunity to call Chief immediately. With urgency in my voice, I blurted out, "What the fuck do you mean witness protection?"

Chief greeted me with a casual "Good morning to you too," but I wasn't having any of it. Cutting straight to the point, I demanded answers. Chief explained that despite ending Greyson, there were still potential threats out there, and safeguarding Amelia was paramount. He acknowledged that Amelia might disagree, but there was a chance she'd listen to me. I testified, laying out the complexities of Raymond's plan. I emphasized that Amelia intensely disliked me, making it almost impossible for me to convince her. I argued that she had been protecting herself from everyone, including me, and getting her to agree to witness protection would be challenging. Before I could continue, Amelia walked into the bathroom, overhearing the conversation. She grabbed the phone from me, asserting control of the situation. The air thickened with tension as she continued the conversation with her father, leaving me in suspense.

Amelia firmly declared, "I'm not going to no damn witness protection," handing the phone back to me. I continued the conversation with Chief Raymond, sensing the range of emotions in Amelia's expressions as she spoke with her father.

As I questioned Chief about the discussion with Amelia, he explained that it was the best option to ensure his grandson's safety. Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from the kitchen, prompting me to end the call abruptly. Rushing to the scene, I found a visibly upset Amelia, with Bryce absent – likely sent to his room. Approaching her cautiously while she washed dishes angrily, I inquired about her plans. Amelia expressed her frustration, admitting her reluctance to meet me but acknowledging her father's concerns. The realization that people knew she was alive and had a son heightened the risk of potential threats. Who knows, even in death, what Greyson potentially had up his sleeve? Changing her name and location was a lot to handle the first time, but with Bryce in the picture, the challenges multiplied. Listening to her concerns, I observed a mother doing her best to protect her son. In the following silence, she instructed me to call her father again. As Amelia retreated into the room for a private conversation, I stayed in the kitchen, finishing the dishes to offer support. When she returned, she conveyed the outcome of our discussion. Intriguingly, she declared that since I had intruded on her life, she would now intrude on mine. The revelation left me puzzled, and when I asked what she meant, she clarified that if she had to go into witness protection, I would be protecting her and her son.