The Last Hunter

Chapter 2- Past, Present, and Future

"Two years ago, my family died in one of the jurantus explosions," I began, my voice already cracking slightly.

"It's one of the hardest things I had to go through. I was only sixteen when I lost my family and left my home town for good. I was too scared to go to my aunt and uncle, and I was too determined to track the Dalivimr Bombers, so I went out on my own. No one in our neighborhood knew about any of the terrorist attacks that were happening—and still are—because it was so far from the rest of the territories, so no one even noticed when my whole family went missing."

I could feel everyone's eyes glued to me, waiting for me to go on, hoping for more details. I took a shaky breath and continued.

"I remember it like it was yesterday; the memory's burned in my brain, though, some details are slightly hazy. I was practicing archery in the woods before going home. Our house was small, but we had a lot of land we inherited from our relatives. We were supposed to live in the White State, but my father... well... he just didn't want any political influence in the family. He said that he wanted to give us all normal lives, normal memories, normal motives, untainted by anything to do with the government.

"And yet, sadly, if we had been in the government, we might have lived.

"Anyways, when I came back from archery, I found my house in ashes, half blasted to the ground, only rubble left, with not a single living relative in sight. Well, I guess there is my aunt and uncle, but I never was in contact with them much, plus my cousins always made me uncomfortable. I thought of it then too, but it made my head hurt. Honestly, though, they think I'm dead, which is probably for the best.

"The whole house was surrounded by Peacekeepers, investigating the case, and I didn't want to mess with them. Sure, it's their job to investigate, but it's also their job to protect us, so I didn't expect them to do this job any better. As I was trying to decide if I should sneak past them or not, I saw two figures dart out of the house's rubble and into the forest. One was dressed in the black uniform of the Dalivimr Bombers, but one wasn't. He ran away too fast for me to see who it was, but my head hurt looking at him. I fell to the ground, a horrible migraine taking over, but it subsided in a few seconds, gone as fast as it had come. But at that moment, I knew that someone else, outside of the bombers, was trying to help them."

I paused, letting my words sink in. I knew I should have let them know sooner, because, for all I knew, that person could be here right now, and I wouldn't even know his—or possibly her—face.

"I think the rest of my story speaks for itself. I knew the Peacekeepers wouldn't believe me, so I took matters into my own hands. I carefully snuck in through the basement door and into what was left of my bedroom. My room was one of the few ground level rooms standing. As I stared at my room, I was on the verge of tears at the thought of my deceased family. . . but my want for vengeance pushed the thought away. I quickly scrambled to find what was left of my belongings: ash covered clothes, my bow and arrows I'd had in the woods with me, and some emergency snacks. After that. . . well. . . you know the rest from Ryan."

There was an awkward pause, as if Zephyr and the council wanted me to say something to wrap everything up. I looked at Ryan, and he nodded at me.
"So. . . I guess the only thing I know, that no one else knew, is who killed my family. I've been trying to track him ever since. I know he's part of the whole scheme, framing the government, and trying to seize power. That's why I need your help. There's only one thing I want now: the bombers and that trator, whoever he is, to be dealt with justly, and to work for the government just like my father did all those years back."

There was a bit of scattered clapping from the crowd, and Zephyr stood up, hushing them. "Thank you Artemis, you have told us almost all we need to know. Everyone else is dismissed."