Oath of the Hunter

5 - Restless

The world rushes by in a blur of emerald and asphalt. Music whispers through the radio and a cool breeze stirs in the car, hissing through a window cracked open in the back and carrying with it the pleasant scent of moss and dew and earth. The sun slides effortlessly towards the horizon, slipping behind the canopy of swaying trees and casting speckled, glimmering shards of amber and lilac across the road. Shadows descend. The engine hums steadily in tune to the music— more resilient than the car I stole back when I first arrived in Crescent Valley. More trustworthy by a long shot.

Rowan is sprawled elegantly in the passenger seat, idly studying the forest that shoots past. In the back, Kay, Matteo and Lachlan sit in quiet stupor, lulled by the engine and the whistling breeze. The only light is the dull glow from Lachlan's phone secured to the dash, pointing out directions.

It has been hours, and yet I've brushed off every attempt to swap the driver's seat. It keeps me busy and stops me thinking— and overthinking. They've stopped asking, now, and no one can conceal their yawns.

I've been awake for so long that my mind feels electric and numb at the same time— as though my senses are razor sharp yet I'm experiencing them through static. It's a strange sensation, but a welcome one. Exhaustion keeps the nerves at bay.

I'm retracing the steps I made back when I ran from the only life I ever knew— a life that was falling apart in my bloodstained hands. Willingly driving back towards that nightmare feels inherently wrong, and yet the thought of turning around, of leaving Matteo and the others to fight these hunters on their own, of leaving the Ferreus hunters — the true threats — to their own devices, is even worse.

I know what they're capable of. I know I'm the only one who can stop them because I was one of them. I know their tells and their cues and their training.

Rowan shifts a little, stretching as well as he can. I feel his eyes on me. I know what's coming and brace myself. "You sure you don't want a break?"

"I'm good," I say, just as I have every other time.

He glances, briefly, towards the back of the car— perhaps for support.

Lachlan yawns and muses, "We'll have to stop soon, anyway. I'm starving and tired and I am not sleeping in here."

"Please don't talk about food. I'm so hungry," Kay whines, tipping their head back against the seat with a forlorn little sigh. Given their frame is smaller than Lachlan's and Matteo's, they've been forced into the middle seat and they don't look happy about it. When an unruly, tousled strand of dark hair blows across their eyes — courtesy of the wind — their brows pinch and they attempt, with little success, to blow it away.

Since the road stretches out in a seemingly endless line, Rowan takes the phone from the dash and taps away without risk of me missing a turning. "There's a motel close by. Twenty minutes. Thoughts?"

"Absolutely," Matteo agrees at once, closing the window to save the wind from driving Kay insane. "At this rate, we'll get to Darius' in the middle of the night. Let's set up somewhere, get some food and some sleep, and carry on in the morning."

As Kay and Lachlan murmur assent, Rowan returns the phone to the dash— this time with the new directions set up. I follow them begrudgingly, figuring the break will only lead to another sleepless night with churning thoughts of plans and backups. I'd rather drive.

– ➶ –

We leave the forest-lined empty roads for a small town heaving with activity— car horns blaring, voices shouting, music thumping, sirens wailing. The onslaught makes me wary after hours of peace and quiet, and I can tell I'm not the only one glad to see the neon sign proclaiming vacancies outside the motel when at last I pull in, leaving the urban maze behind. The moment I've parked up and shut off the engine, Kay shoos Matteo outside and darts out after him. They both head into an office shining like a beacon, only to return within minutes with matching grins and a key.