The Hunt

Chapter 28: Hanna

I hear his screams in my nightmares. His cat like stare haunts me whenever I close my eyes. The things he said, the riots he's causing, all of it cuts through my mind like ice. And I know he's right.

But he can't be, he's not. He's a mentally insane fifteen year old boy, why do I care what he says?

And yet I can hear his voice in my head, and I can't sleep at night knowing he's sitting in that dark small room, with dried blood crusted around his wrists from the unforgiving metal, surrounded by the shouting and roaring of the rioting and protesting.

I wake up with nightmares of my promotion ceremony. All the blood, the panic as officials standing on the stage were murdered, the gunshots. And I keep imagining Javaar, watching it in amusement.

I feel warm hands on my shoulders, and then I hear Jonas telling me to calm down.

I see his dark face through my tears. He looks concerned, more than usual these past few days.

"I'm sorry," I try to calm my breathing.

"Sorry? Stop being a baby Hanna," Jonas holds my hands in his, and I can tell he's joking because of his small laugh that fades quickly back into a frown.

"That exile, that boy. It's my fault he's in there, and now I'm going to kill a girl who's our age Jonas. Just like us," I wince as Javaar's shouting voice enters my mind.

"Hanna, she's not just like you. She is a criminal. She did something bad to be exiled, and you haven't done anything bad," Jonas says.

"I wish I could believe you," I whisper.

"I just want you to be happy again."

"I am."

"No, you're not. Just tell me, Hanna. You can tell me anything."

"I have told you! I'm going to kill a girl, and I'm a mindless slave to Garik, but I can't do anything about it because I've already messed up too many times. I just want to find this girl and get it over with," I explain.

"You don't really want to though, do you," Jonas whispers.

"No," I say, "I don't want to kill anyone."

There's silence.

"Hanna," Jonas suddenly smiles through the dark, "You were never this paranoid when we were kids."

"That's not true," I shake my head.

"Okay, fine. But at least you spent more time with me. I miss that. There were no missions important enough to demand this much time from you," Jonas looks at me.

I meet his gaze, "What do I do Jonas?"

He hesitates. "I don't know."

Jonas is pressed close to me. His body is nearly touching mine, and I can feel his heartbeat, and feel his soft breathing. My eyes flick down to his lips, and then to his eyes, which are sad and bright even through the dark. He's so close to me, it almost seems like he's leaning in.

"You should, get some rest," he says lightly, and I just nod. He lets go of my hand, stands up, and climbs back into his own bed.

I let out a shaky breath, and sit back against the wall.

That is the first night I sleep. But with sleep, comes the assumption that I'm fine, and can work again. Garik sends me a text on my phone, which I barely check anymore. He says I need to get back to work this morning.

"You're not functioning Hanna, you shouldn't go," Jonas says.

I'm already pulling on my uniform, "No, I have information, I need to tell the team."

"Can't you wait a few more days? This is the first time you've actually had a decent night of sleep," Jonas is sitting on his bed. My eyes dart to his lips for a moment, and then back to the wall.

"I don't really have a choice though, do I. Garik says I need to work, so I'm going to work. Besides, I have to find a way to change Surga's reputation. The capital won't be happy with all these riots," I slip my stone into my pocket.

"Who cares about the capital. It's not their problem," he snaps, and then sighs, seeing my glare. He stands up and comes over to me, "And it's not your problem, either."

I look him in the eyes, and my heart pounds a bit as he gets closer, "I want you to be happy. I want you to be the Hanna you were before."

"But I can't be that person. Not now, with this mission."

Jonas searches my eyes, and I know he's thinking the same thing as me. He knows I'm picturing Javaar.

"Hanna-"

"Javaar's a psychologically damaged exile, he doesn't know anything. You said it yourself. I'm doing this mission to keep the city safe," I shake my head.

Jonas gives up, and turns around, running his hands through his messy dark hair, a habit he seems to be doing more and more often.

I walk out the door.

I stand in front of my team. They seem a lot more serious now. Maybe they heard about Javaar, or the riots, or the chaos in the city, but nonetheless, they're listening.

"I have information on the exile's location. She is a girl named Naya, about the same age as all of us," I say.

Everyone looks around in shock, and there's murmuring.

"A girl? What's with this? First a teenage boy is causing riots in the city, and now you're saying a teenage girl planned a mass attack on the military?" Minea exclaims.

"I say we execute that kid Javaar, and then go out and kill the girl before the capital can interfere," Stephan growls.

"Let's hear what captain has to say," Jonas looks to me.

"I heard from Javaar that she gets her food from Tanek," I say.

"I knew that place was a mess, but I didn't know exiles snuck in for food. How do they even find cards?" Viktoria asks.

"I don't know. But this does give us a place to start. We're going to put up posters in Tanek, warn the police, and have lookouts on the borders of Surga. We know she wears a hood so nobody can see her identity, but that's really all we have to go off of. I want everyone to help out, and in the meantime I'll be organizing a mission for you," I explain.

"When do we actually get to kill her?" Stephan asks.

"Relax man. You'll get some exile killing action at some point," Jonas replies. All the boys laugh.

Javaar's words shudder in my head.