Running With The Gang Leader

Twenty Nine

I stood in my kitchenette, a bowl of fruit loops in my hand, worrying about the war tomorrow, when someone knocked on my door. I sighed, my head hanging low. I shuffled over and opened the door, surprised to see Hunter.

"Uh hey, come in. Do you want some fruit loops?" I closed the door behind him and followed him over to the kitchenette.

"What type of question is that? Of course I want some fruit loops." I chuckled at the glee in his voice as I prepared his bowl.

We sat silently eating on the couch, watching TV. I wasn't sure why he was here, but I was grateful for the company. I'd felt so lonely the last couple days, even when Holland had been with me, but Hunter's presence was soothing and settled my mind.

After we both finished our breakfast, I decided to put him on the spot. "Are you planning something?" He sat back as he sighed. He wasn't tense, he wasn't going to argue.

"Yes, I am planning something. I'm not going to tell you, but I'm doing it for you. You can't change my mind, and I'm going through with it." I sat up and turned towards him.

"Is it something that puts your life in danger?" He stared at me for a second, thinking, before shaking his head no.

"Who else knows?" He sat forward, next to me. "Jason, Jack and Orion."

I sighed and stood, picking up our bowls and taking them to the sink. Hunter followed behind me. I turned back to him, leaning against the bench with my arms folded over my chest.

"Look, I trust you, just please don't do anything stupid." He gave me a ruthless smirk, before kissing my forehead and fleeing from my room before I could even mutter a word.

***

The day had arrived, and I was effectively shitting myself. I had never been this nervous for a fight, but the stakes were too high to back out. I had to get Zamon back. All 473 of us walked down through the suburbs towards the town square. It was like a ghost town, nobody was around. Maybe the residents of Fairview knew something was happening, so they all stayed inside.

The overcast sky caused a cold breeze to ruffle through our massive group. The closer we got to the middle of town, the more I felt like I was going to be sick. It had been a long time since I'd felt like this, since the nervous excitement of war had enveloped me. It was intoxicating. My mind strayed to Zamon. What would he do? Would he fight? I would soon find out.

We walked as a cohort for 15 minutes until we reached the Town Square. For some reason the statue in the middle had been taken out, probably so nothing would happen to it. The Shadow's stood opposite to us, all decked out in they're cloaks. Only a few of them had their hoods down, including Tilly. I spotted Zamon next to her, also wearing a cloak. I snarled and sped up, ready to rip her to pieces, before Hunter's hand gripped my arm, stopping me. I blinked, trying to keep my cool, and slowed down again. We stopped a few yards away from them, facing off, for a couple tense minutes.

"I'm sad that our conflicts have resorted to this." Chad announced. I scoffed. Sure, he looked so solemn. "But, this is why you don't mess with someone that's in love." Tilly smirked at the same time I did. I stepped forward.

"Exactly."

My one word affirmation had a lot of weight to it. It was a declaration of my feelings, as well as my intended carnage. Tilly glowered and met my eyes.

"It doesn't matter either way. You're going to lose." Tilly remarked as Hunter yanked me back next to him and held me tightly.

"No we won't, because you already have." My eyes widened at Hunter's words at the exact time Chad's did.

In the blink of an eye we were being swarmed by federal agents. They streamed out of shops, houses and buildings, and a few even came from The Shadow's themselves. It was chaos. Cloaked figures were running, trying to escape, and some slipped through the grasps and fled. But, somehow, most of them were caught, in perhaps the biggest gang bust in history. My mind was reeling. How had this happened? And why weren't we being arrested?

I turned to Hunter, who looked so forlorn I thought he was about to collapse. I frowned and stepped towards him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you'd try to stop me." I smiled, astonished.

"Why would I try to stop you? It was a brilliant plan." His gaze dropped.

"It was, but not one without consequences." I froze as he looked up, his eyes finding something behind me.

I turned and found the FBI agent who'd arrested me. His eyes met mine briefly, before he stopped.

"Hunter Michaels, you are under arrest for the manslaughter of Benjamin James."

***

I sat, curled up next to Zamon in my room. My hand traced patterns on his stomach as he fell asleep, but my mind wouldn't settle. I'd been to see Hunter during the day. It had been 2 weeks since he'd been arrested, and the first time I'd seen him since.

He'd told me everything about his plan, which involved a lot of me yelling at him. Apparently he met with the agent, and told him he was willing to confess to the crime that I committed. He'd thought it all through. He had a motive, considering Benji had killed his and Zamon's mom, plus Hunter lied and said he also killed his dad, so we didn't have to cover that up anymore.

He was still at trial, but at this point he'd be spending about 15 years behind bars, if the jury pleaded him guilty of manslaughter, but his lawyer was trying to get him a lesser sentence. But none of that was why I couldn't fall asleep. My mind kept replaying what he'd said when I left.

"Why did you do it? Why give your life away for something I did?" I asked, as the guard kept pointing at his watch and glaring at me.

"Because love makes you do stupid things."

I looked up at Zamon's face as he slept. My mind playing over everything that had happened between us, every fight and intense moment, how we jumped in front of bullets for each other. I smiled. I guess love does make you do stupid things.