Hunter

XVIII

Aric shot up, looking around frantically.
His cheeks were wet, his throat burning with pain.
He breathed heavily, focusing on what he knew he had to do.
Just a dream. Just a dream.
He grabbed a water bottle, taking in gulps.
Aric glanced at Jade's sleeping figure next to him. She breathed softly and he picked himself up softly.
He winced as his stomach prodded him.
He got the painkillers, downing two.
He took another drink of water, and looked out the window. The rain had stopped, leaving only shallow puddles.
Aric looked back at Jade. She shivered, curling into a ball.
He grabbed the hoodie he took off last night, draping over her sleeping figure.
He straightened and took a deep breath.
Time to get some work done.

The club wasn't that far from the warehouse. Of course.
Aric walked inside, blinking in the dark.
He avoided the dancers, heading to the bar.
A girl flew into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Aric shuddered, hurriedly pushing the girl away from him.
He sprinted through the crowd, finally arriving at the bar area.
The man was sitting there, his black shirt tight around his biceps. His undercut black hair was combed back, a few loose chunks hanging against his forehead.
Aric sat on the stool next to him, and the man nodded in recognition.
"How's it going?"
Aric shrugged. "Good I guess. Nothing terrible has happened. You?"
The man shook his head, sighing. His cup of beer sat forgotten on the table.
"She's running out of time. You've got less than a week left."
Aric nodded grimly. "I still need to get the girl to.... You know." He glanced around, and the man nodded in understanding.
"Well, if you need us, you know how to get us."
Aric shook his head. "With no hassles, everything should happen as we planned. We'll get them, tell her not to worry."
The man clapped him on the back. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

The sun was starting to rise as Aric finally got back to the warehouse. The orange rays shone through the windows, bathing Jade in light.
Aric knelt next to her, gently shaking her awake. "C'mon, we gotta get going."
"Wha- but Mo-" Jade's breath caught in her throat as she rubbed her eyes.
She pulled herself up, and smiled sadly. "Sorry."
"It's fine. But we gotta grab something to eat."
Jade looked confused. "Why? We have supplies."
Aric smiled. "Yeah, but we should still get some good food while we still can, right? Besides, we should save the supplies when we really need them."
She grinned, thinking of some food from a bakery. "Yeah. Hold up, lemme just get my stuff and change."
She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, walking into another section of the warehouse.
She came out a few minutes, wearing jeans and a black New York shirt. A denim jacket was tied around her waist, her curly brown hair wound up in a ponytail.
Aric felt guilty about last night, but quickly pushed down the feeling.
His words echoed in the back of his head. Be strong. Stay strong.
Aric took a deep breath. This was for his own good. It would hurt much less later.