Our Monsters

Monster

("Turning Tables" by Adele)
Hunter was pacing back and forth in their cell. Charlotte sat the edge of her bed, just watching Hunter, close to falling asleep. Hunter knew something was going to happen, she could feel it. The cell door creaked open and Hunter's head snapped to see who it was. It was Rick. He seemed to be in a bad mood. "Let's go." He commanded.

"Oh no." Charlotte said quietly and looked at Hunter with pity filled eyes. She thought they were going to float her.

"Don't worry about me, Char. I'll be back." Hunter gave her a soft smile and patted her head.

"Hunter, let's go." Rick snapped.

"Jeez, Rick, what crawled up your ass and died?" Hunter asked rudely. She crossed her arms and didn't move. He grabbed her roughly and pulled her out the door. Another guard was waiting for the two of them and Hunter smirked at the discomfort he displayed when he saw her. "You look good enough to eat." She purred, running a finger along his jaw. She gave a laugh when his eyes widened in fear. This new attitude of hers... it was useful. She didn't like the way people looked at her, but she liked the confidence she had. Well, the confidence it looked like she had. Yeah, the attitude was a cover, but it was a damn good one.

Rick gave her a vicious jerk. "Knock. It. Off."

"Ooh, yes, Daddy." She chuckled with a smirk. Her smirk seemed permanent...

Until Rick pushed her toward a familiar looking door. "30S" It read. Her hands began to shake. Rick had his own smirk on display as he knocked on the door.

Her father answered, face paling when he saw her, saw the killer. He looked exhausted, his blue eyes dulled and the bags under them darkened to a shade Hunter had never seen on him before.

"Dad..." Hunter whispered. She reached out to touch him, but he pulled away. Her chest filled with hurt.

The Council had told Hunter's parents that she was to be floated. Hunter understood why they lied. No one was supposed to know that Earth may be livable again.

"Tori... uh-Hunter is here." Her father spoke, turning toward where Hunter knew her mother would be sitting. She stepped inside her home for the last time.

"Mommy." Hunter breathed out and ran to hug her. The woman sobbed into her daughter's shoulder

"Oh, my baby, what have you done?" She cried, clutching Hunter to her tightly. Hunter ignored how her mother's frail hands dug into her painfully bruised back. She clung to her mom, breathing in her familiar and comforting scent.

"I'm sorry." Hunter had tears streaming down her face. Her heart was aching. She wanted everything to go back to normal. She didn't want to leave them. She didn't want them to look at her like they were looking at her now.

Her mother pulled back and cupped Hunter's cheeks. Her eyes were shining with tears, but they also held knowledge. Tori knew what Charles had done, and she knew that Hunter was trying to help him. "I love you, Hunter."

Tori knew that Hunter always wanted attention from her father, always wanted his approval and his love. Hunter felt ignored by him ever since her mother got sick; she felt like whatever she did, it wasn't good enough. Tori knew this, so she always tried to give Hunter attention, praised her and everything she did, but it wasn't enough. The day Hunter came to terms with the fact that her mother was dying was the day Tori's opinion didn't matter anymore.

But Hunter needed some type of validation now. She needed it from anyone, she didn't care who. But what she did... that was for her dad. It was to protect him, even if it was to keep him with her a little longer.

Hunter thought it was his way of killing himself before her mother died. She felt that stealing the medicine and getting caught was his way of leaving before Hunter knew what he had actually wanted. He didn't want her to know that he was leaving her-killing himself to be with his wife. Charles didn't want her to look at him like he was a coward, but that was an afterthought. He didn't want to know what it was like to lose his wife. He didn't want to live without her.

He hadn't spoken since Hunter arrived. He sat silently in the chair next to Hunter's mother, staring at the wall, careful to avoid eye contact with his daughter and the guards that were waiting just outside the open door. Hunter gripped his hands, trying to call attention to herself. He didn't look toward her, so she knelt in front of him, ignoring the ache in her muscles.

"Dad?" Her voice cracked with emotions. His eyes flickered to her face, but moved away quickly. He couldn't shake the image of her ripping that man's throat out. This was not his daughter, this was a monster.

Her chest tightened and she let out a sob. His eyes held nothing but hatred and she could see what he was thinking. Her crime, her sin... it was playing over and over again in the tears that were pooling in his eyes.

"Daddy, please." She begged.

"You should go." He told her quietly, looking toward the guards.

"Charles, no!" Tori yelled. She held his arm tightly, her knuckles turning white. She tried to keep him in his seat, but he stood. His hands gripped under Hunter's arms, lifting her slightly off the ground. He carried his daughter to the door.

Hunter was struggling in his grip, begging him to listen to her, begging him to just stop. Just stop and give her a chance, give her a chance to say goodbye, show her he really did love her, even if she had made a mistake.

"Get out!" He screamed, not sounding like himself. He pushed her out the door, removing her hands that were gripping onto the door frame. He dropped her outside, knees pushing roughly into her injured back, but she didn't feel it anymore.

The guards didn't move to help her up as the door slammed behind her. Hunter sobbed hard. She could hear her mother's cries from inside. Her mother was screaming at him, asking him why he was being so cruel, asking him why he didn't just say goodbye.

Hunter let out a wail, her whole body aching with unbearable pain. Her heart was broken, her chest was being pierced by the fragments and they were traveling to every part of her body.

"No!" Hunter wailed, "Daddy!" The guards lifted her off the ground, holding her tightly so she could not run away. "Daddy!" She screamed loudly as they led her away. She couldn't tear her blurry eyes away from her door. Her mother was screaming her name. "I love you!" She screamed, her throat burning from the exertion.

~ ~ ~

They gave her time to calm down before sending her inside the cell. She entered the dark box, the door closing loudly behind her. She stood frozen, feeling absolutely defeated.

Arms wrapped around her waist and a small face pressed into her stomach. It took Hunter a minute to realize and react. Her bottom lip wobbled, and a sob ripped through her throat. Her knees weakened and she crumbled. Charlotte shushed her and smoothed her hair down.

Hunter didn't know how long they stayed like that, but it felt like hours passed. Her sobs turned into the painful, silent crying, and then turned into quiet sniffles. Charlotte didn't ask what happened, she didn't say anything, and her stroking never paused.