Hunter No More

Chapter Four

Rushing into the bedroom, Keith flicked on the light and shook Anna roughly by the arm.

She was already awake.

"How was Josella?" she asked, squinting up at him.

Keith placed the silver globe he had carried from The Amberjack onto the nightstand.

"They're coming Anna."

"They?" She asked, trying to sit up; then she saw the globe. "What's that?"

Keith restlessly paced up and down the room. He should have been exhausted from the run, but adrenalin was keeping him active. He knew he needed to calm down, but what normally came so easily currently evaded his grasp.

"The Hierarchy sent another Hunter," he explained at a breathless pace. "I always knew that one day it could happen, but it's been so long, I was beginning to think that maybe..."

"Hold on," she interrupted, raising her hands. "This Hunter - how long until it gets here?"

"Two days," he answered. "Maybe sooner."

She rose from the bed and walked across the room to him. He stopped pacing, staring at her wide-eyed as she reached up and gripped his shoulders, pulling herself up to kiss him softly on the lips. His rapid breathing slowed. When it was over, the panic was gone.

"What will you do?" She asked.

"I..." He took her in his arms, her cheek against his. "If I had any sense I would take you and Sam far away. Leave Borealis and never come back, find some other planet to live out our lives in peace."

She broke away and gazed up at him with a contented smile. "If you had any sense we wouldn't be together at all."

"True," he said, kissing her forehead. Then he stepped away, his fingers enclosed in hers as he leaned against the window frame and stared out into the night. Down below he saw the flashing neon lights of the town and picked out pockets of drunken laughter. The people of 'The Blue Island' were blissfully unaware of what was coming.

"What will this Hunter do?" Anna asked.

"Kill everyone," Keith answered, "the rebels, the government, us, without distinction. It's a purge."

"They can't do that!"

"It's what they do, Anna. You're not a 'Mind', you don't know how little we value humanity. To us you are little more than cattle, easily bred, easily replaceable. A tool for expanding our influence, nothing more."

Keith heard a sharp intake of breath. Anna didn't understand. How could she?

"You're not like that," she said finally.

"You're right," he replied, touching the back of his skull as he turned towards her. "I am different, thanks to your brother, thanks to you. As for Josella, she will follow my commands as she always has. But even so, we can't defeat this Hunter. Our ship is old, theirs is new. The Hierarchy planned for this."

"I..." Anna paused, her eyes on the floor. "Then take us away, like you said. Our family can escape."

"Perhaps."

He watched the conflicting emotions warring upon her face. She didn't want to leave, but she also wanted to survive. He would spare her the choice.

"I'm going to ask the Ochre for help."

"The Ochre?" Anna shook her head. "But you always said they would never take any action, not even to defend themselves."

"I'll convince them otherwise."