He was aching all over. Damn those people-they had managed to take him down. That wasn’t a good sign, because it meant that he was not strong enough, that he wasn’t invincible.
There was a disgusting squelching sound as he tugged the knife out of his torso. There were about thirty bullets inside him. The wounds didn’t hurt, but had closed up, with the bullets still embedded in his body. If he wasn’t careful enough, they would damage his vital organs.
He groaned, and sat up on his elbows. He wasn’t sure how long he had been out cold. Those people now knew his weakness-bullets. Although gunshots couldn’t hurt him, it could make him pass out. Losing awareness of his surroundings was definitely not a good thing. His enemies would have the chance to kill him the moment he fell unconscious.
He stuck two fingers under his skin, and pulled out a silver bullet. It took only two minutes to completely remove all the twenty five bullets. He stood up, dusted the front of his pants, and his shirt. God, he was a mess.
He could still faintly remember their faces. He remembered the brown-haired boy who had wrestled with him, the dark-haired man who had hit him repeatedly with a wood, and the golden-haired son of a b- who had shot him until he had lost consciousness. Who were they, exactly? There was something special about them, something he couldn’t place. But there was something he was sure of-the three of them were not just people.
They were not humans, but something else.
He scanned the place, wondering where in the hell he was. How had he gotten here in the first place? Why couldn’t he remember how he got here? It didn’t matter anymore. He just had to get out of here, and find food. He was dreadfully hungry. He was in dire need of food, and if he didn’t satisfy his needs, who would know what the outcome would be?
He stretched himself, and cracked every bone in his body back into place. It was time to hunt, time to feed.
He was smiling as he climbed up the metal fencing, and jumped over to the other side. He was free. There were two things he had to do. One: to satisfy his hunger, and two: kill those who had hurt him.
He wanted revenge, and he wanted it bad.
###
“Stop it, Raph. You’re freaking me out,” Bane said, his eyes trained on Raphael. The golden-haired man was rocking back and forth in a sitting position on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest.
“You’ve to let it go, Raphael,” Jane consoled. “Ryan is in a better place now.”
Raphael was silent. Many things were going through his head. Should he seek his revenge on Jayden? Should he go back to that place, and kill them all? Should he kill himself, right here and now?
“I lost someone too, and it still haunts me every damn day,” Bane put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I know it hurts, man. But you’ve got to let it go.”
“I can’t,” Raphael’s voice was hoarse. “I didn’t have the guts to tell my own father I loved him. I didn’t even thank him for everything he had done for me. I have failed him, Bane. I have failed as a son.”
“I don’t think Ryan would want to see you like this,” Bane said. He was thinking of his two lovely wives, wondering if they hated him because of what he did to them. “I don’t think he would ever want to see you suffer like that.”
“Bane, I don’t know what to do,” Raphael was shaking his head sombrely.
“Forget about it all, and move on,” Bane replied.
“I can’t move on. I can’t.”
“You can, just think about what your father would want you to do. He wouldn’t want to see you grieving for his loss. He wants to see you happy, he wants to see you move on. You can’t live in the past, Raph. That’s the greatest mistake anyone can ever make.”
“You want me to move on?”
“Yes, you have to move on, Raph. Don’t dwell in the past. You can’t turn back time. You can’t bring your father back.”
“What if I don’t want to move on?” Raphael stood, an angry expression on his face. “My father is dead because of them. My father died a merciless death, a stupid death. Do you think I will just forget about it?”
“Raph, listen-” Bane started to say.
“What if I can’t forget? What if I want my revenge?”
“You’re not making any sense, Raph. Please, listen to me,” Bane was holding him by the shoulders.
“I want my revenge, Bane. My father died, and they were the whole reason. They are the reason he is dead. I want to make them pay for what they did.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jane cried. “My son did this, and I owe my life to you. Punish me on behalf of my son.”
“Don’t be silly, Jane,” Bane couldn’t believe how protective Jane was over her children. He knew she treasured them more than anything else in the world.
“No. Killing you will not hurt him at all. I want him to suffer, I want him to suffer till he dies,” Raphael was fuming now. “I will kill them all, and there will be no mercy.”
“You will die if you go back there, Raph,” Bane was worried. If Raphael went back there, they would kill him, and he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“I’ve always wondered when the war would ever start. You know what? I’m going to be the one who starts it.”
“Why are you doing this? Do you want to get yourself killed?”
“I will do what it takes to have my revenge. And if I don’t manage to succeed, I will die trying.”
Raphael was clenching and unclenching his fists. He was feeling something he had never felt before. He was seething with rage, yet his heart was broken. He was sad and angry, and he just felt that he would lose it at any moment.
“Raph,” Bane tried again. “You won’t make it out alive.”
“I don’t give a-”
A blow to the back of his head silenced him immediately. He stumbled forward, grasping the back of his scalp. He felt blood oozing in between his fingers. He stood there momentarily, and then turned to look at his attacker.
“You remember me,” the man hissed, a smile on his face. He had a crowbar in his hand, and he leant it against his shoulder as he stepped towards Raphael.
His face was so familiar, yet Raphael couldn’t place it. Where had he seen this man before?
“What the hell,” Raphael growled.
From the look on the man’s face, Raphael knew he was here for revenge, and nothing else.
YOU ARE READING
HUNT, OR BE HUNTED
Misteri / ThrillerHe was always blacking out, always confused, losing control of his actions. And when he did, he would have no memory of it. What he didn't know was that there was a monster inside him, a monster that he couldn't control. Once it took over, not a sin...
