HUNT, OR BE HUNTED

CHAPTER 28: THE ELIMINATION

It was in the 1800s when there were two new species discovered. One was stronger, and more powerful than any living human being. The other was the strongest species that ever existed on Earth-they were almost invincible.

The strongest species of all, the ones who strived, they were feared by everyone. Everywhere they went, they caused pandemonium. Every person they saw was a target. And every being they attacked never survived. They were the reason the second species existed.

They called themselves the hunters, because all they do is hunt. They hunt for those who are feared among people, and they give no mercy to them. They have been marked to do this, marked to kill them all. They call their victims the hunted.

The hunted-they were not born humans. This was what made them unique. They were born as panthers, and because they had been marked at birth, when they killed any human being, they would become one of them. As humans, they had the instincts, the agility and the strength of a panther. They could turn back into panthers whenever they wanted to. But as time passed, they slowly adapted to the human world, and then blended in. They were no longer able to turn freely into their original selves-they would have to overcome their human sense, their fully-controlled selves to do that.

Because they merged in so well with the human beings, nobody could differentiate between a human, and the superior species. Only the hunters could. No matter how hard their victims tried to blend in, they would always end up captured and killed. But there were some who couldn’t be identified, because they didn’t know who they themselves truly were. They had no idea that there was a murderous, ravenous beast inside them, eating slowly through their human brains, trying to find a way out, trying to find a way to kill. This made the hunters’ task difficult.

The hunters feared their prey, they did. But what choice did they have? If they didn’t stop the hunted from surviving, they would die, either by being attacked, or of fear. Once the beast took over, there was no way to stop it.  There would be trails of blood and dead bodies everywhere, and nobody could identify the killer.

With strengths came weaknesses. The hunters were useless against the beast once it took over. They didn’t have the strength, and the unbelievable power the other species had. They weren’t indestructible, they couldn’t heal, and they couldn’t cheat death. But that blazing spirit inside them was what kept them going. They weren’t called hunters for no reason-a hunter could kill a monstrous bear without any help. They had mastered the skill of killing an animal with one strike. It was a one-shot thing-it didn’t matter if it was a gun or a spear-that animal would be dead before it hit the ground.

The hunted-they couldn’t die easily, and that was a problem because they could feel pain, and that meant that they could be tortured. They could heal quickly, because their tissues regenerated and repaired any damage done faster than any other living thing. They were strong when the beast was unleashed, but once they were humans, there was a huge downside.

They were always passing out for no reason. And with each blackout, memories were lost. The beast was eating away inside their heads, emptying them of their cherished memories. They would forget everything that had possibly happened, including who they truly were, how they had ended up a human, and the people who had come into their lives.

They would lose their sanity when they least expect it to, and they would lose their temper when anything bugged them. When they snapped, there was never going to be a pretty side to it. Nothing was going to end up well after they lost control.

The war-there had always been a war ever since the two species had existed, and there always would be, unless one of the two was to be completely eliminated from the surface of the Earth. The question was, which was it going to be?

The hunters, or the hunted?

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“You very well know you are completely under my command,” Seth said to me. I could smell his minty breath from many inches away. “You very well know that you will have to obey what I say.”

“Yes,” I scowled. I hated him, I hated him.

“Very good,” Seth rubbed his hands together.

“What do you want with me? I have surrendered myself, so please, just let my friends and my mother free. Don’t make them run anymore.”

“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Jayden sneered.

“There is no freaking deal!” I yelled.

“Shut up, Jay,” Seth said to Jayden. “This does not concern you.”

“What the freaking hell do you want with me? Huh?” I was flaming up. No. Please, stay inside, and don’t come out.

“Calm down, Jared,” Seth was smiling. “We don’t want this place torn up in shreds, do we?”

“I don’t care what you want, Seth. Just tell me what am I doing here, besides listening to you rant about your stupid commands?”

“Now, now,” Seth put both hands on my shoulders. I shuddered at his touch. “There is a reason you’re here, actually.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to do something for me, and I promise you, your friends and your mother will no longer be on the run.”

“I don’t make deals with people like you,” I huffed. “I don’t make deals with monsters.”

“I don’t think you have a choice on this, Jared. If you don’t do as I say, I will get someone to hunt them down, and kill them right in front of your eyes.”

“Why the hell are you doing this? Why me?”

“Because you are the gifted one. The one we really need.”

“What do you mean…gifted?” I had no idea if what he was saying made any sense.

“You have no idea, Jared. But you are a born leader.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I was still furious, I couldn’t completely comprehend what Seth was trying to say.

“What I mean is, you are their master, Jared. You are the strongest among them all, among us all."

“Their master? Wha-”

“Yes, you lead them all. You are the only one we need, because you are the only one that can stop the war.”

“You are the ones who started it, so why are you asking me to stop it? I should be the ones asking you to stop.”

“No, we are only protecting ourselves from people like you, people who go insane and kill for no apparent reason. It’s our job to get rid of people like you. We have to fight you, because you’re fighting us unknowingly. That is why there is a war between us. You are the only one that can help us, Jared.”

“What the hell can I do? I’m your enemy, for God’s sake.”

“I want you to lose it,” Seth said, and my skin prickled with goosebumps.

“What?”

“I want you to let the beast out completely, and I want you to find the rest of your species for me. I want you to eliminate them, because that would help them end their misery. Remember, if you don’t obey, the people you care about would all be dead.”

“How would I know that you would spare Bane and Raphael, and your own father? We are all the same. You would definitely want them dead.”

“That would be another matter,” Seth waved a hand. “Right now, I want you to lose control, and let the beast take over you.”

“You are mad, asking your enemy to side with you. You are freaking mad,” I could barely even recognize my low, hoarse voice. No, this couldn’t be happening. The beast couldn’t just pop out, and turn me into a chaotic maniac.

“Lose control, Jared. Just lose it,” Seth’s excited face was the last thing I saw before everything turned nebulous, and I was falling endlessly through a giant black hole.