Hunter

XXX

Aric shot out of bed, sweat dripping off the edge of his jaw.
He took a deep breath, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.
Some hair fell into his eyes from his ponytail that had loosened in his messy sleep.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, walking to the bathroom.
Aric splashed water across his face and walking out to sit at the foot of the bed.
He sat down on the floor, crossing his legs.
He closed his eyes, relaxing. Calm down...... Calm......
He opened his eyes again, feeling across the floor for Jade's bag.
Aric dug around until he had found her phone. She hardly used it, saving it for emergencies. Besides, it's not like she got service or Wi-Fi whenever they travelled.
Aric tapped on the screen, looking at the screen. A text from an unknown number was in the notifications.
He had 20 minutes before he had to meet with the man.
Aric deleted the text, putting the phone back in the bag.
He had only gotten a few texts from the man over the time he had known Jade. A few updates on the situation, etc, etc.
But it bothered Aric; he wasn't completely involved.
At this point, he could only follow orders and the plan. He wanted to be in control. He didn't want to feel like a little kid.
His lip trembled at that thought, his eyes threatening to spill tears. His memories and that freaking dream were wreaking havoc on his mental health. He couldn't break down.
Be strong. Stay strong.
Aric sighed, pulling out the book Jade had given him from the bag.
He flipped a few pages, reading.

Time passed quickly, and Aric had already slipped out to go to the nearest bar.
He didn't know why they insisted on meeting him in a bar, but it worked since no one was really sober enough to pick up on their conversations.
Aric slipped around the drunks lingering around, going to a small corner.
The man waited there, his arms crossed.
He shot a look at Aric. "What took you so long?"
Aric rolled his eyes. "Shut up. You didn't wait that long."
The man grinned. "Charming as ever. Can't wait until you're my cousin-in-law."
Aric didn't reply, only leaning against the wall next to him.
"How's she doing?"
"She's anxious. She doesn't like, ah, waiting so to speak."
Aric nodded slowly. "Hmmmm...... Where are we supposed to go next to find our 'monster'?"
"I think you know. Where does he like to go best?"
"Gotcha."
They chatted for another few minutes before Aric left.
As he slipped back into the inn room, he felt guilty.
He needed to tell Jade. She deserved to know what was going on, after everything they'd been through together.
And he knew that as much as he wanted to deny it, he really wanted to kiss her again. And he wanted to mean it too.
He sighed to himself, sliding back into bed.