Hunter
Krys, Jenny and I are close friends now. Ever since we saved Jenny from Nick in what I call the Vacant Hallway, we hang out all the time. At Le Café we spend the days roughhousing since no one comes in anyway. We saved Rose from Joe one night. We chat about what he said to her. “So what exactly happened?” John asks. “Well . . . you know . . . he was waiting for me in a bush,” Rose begins. “He came out and told me he didn’t want to fight me but he had no choice. Then he pulled out his gun and shot my hip. While I was defenseless, he told me that ‘they’ were making him do this. He won’t tell me what he means so . . . um . . . yeah.” She explains. “Did you ask B.B? I bet he’d tell you. He tells me everything.” I suggest. I’m lying though. But it seems cool if I had a personal relationship with our leader. She nods. “He was really secretive about it.” She adds. “He’s secretive about everything.” Mute mutters. I think a little. “I’m going to find out who they are!” I announce boldly. “Oh really? How are you gonna do that?” Krys asks. “I’ll spy on them.” I decide. “Where? Do they have like a base or something?” Jenny asks. “Maybe.” I say hopefully. Then I start to think.
The next day, I watch Joe leave school. I watch him start walking away from the school. For a second I also notice Katy leaving. I’m tempted to go over to her but I focus on Joe. He looks back and forth nervously. He doesn’t see me. He takes a sharp turn down a narrow alleyway. I squeeze between two brick walls and follow him. I emerge from the narrow alleyway to find myself in an old run down parking lot with litter and old junk everywhere. I see Joe slip into a big, towering warehouse. Cobwebs are in all the windows and moldy wood that looks like it could collapse. I transform and look through two glass doors. I see Nick, Matt and Joe sitting in a circle. I quietly slip in through the door and inch my way to a shadowy corner. I stand there completely frozen. “I’m assuming you two haven’t killed anyone yet.” Nick mutters. “What? Have you?” Matt asks wide-eyed. “Well . . . I had my knife against Jenny’s neck. Next time I’ll do it.” He insists. “Please don’t.” Matt whispers. “Matt! C’mon! We have to! Do you wanna die?” Nick asks.
Matt shakes his head. “Well I’m sick of this!” he cries out. “I’m sick of it too! You think I like fighting Rose? I used to have a crush on her for God’s sake!” Joe yells. “So what? You know what happens if you don’t kill them before April 20th.” Nick argues. What’s on April 20th? “Remember when they first recruited us?” Matt asks. “You mean Rob and Scotch?” Joe asks. Rob and Scotch? I’m so lost. Am I about to find out who they are? “Who else?” Nick replies sarcastically. I watch Joe take a shaky breath. “I wish I could forget that day.” He mumbles. I think and try to connect the dots. Whoever Rob and Scotch are, they must be dominating Nick, Joe and Matt. But why? I think and close my eyes.
Nick is hanging out with his followers after school. Joe and Matt are rating girls who walk by. “Look at the freak.” Jared whispers to Nick when Mute walks by. Nick laughs. “Just keep walking Mute!” he calls out. Mute looks up and then back down and keeps shuffling forward. “I’m gonna walk home. Anyone want to come?” Nick asks hopefully. “Sorry man. I’ve got shit to do at home.” Jack mutters. “Imma hang here a little longer.” Jared says eyeing a girl named Joy he’s been talking about lately. She’s hot but she’s a snob. “Great. Now I need to walk home like a loner.” Nick mumbles getting up. He yanks open the door letting in a blast of cold air. He pulls his blue baseball cap down and keeps walking. He slowly trudges home down empty streets. He notices a man smoking near a street sign. “Hey kid!” the man calls out. “What?” Nick asks walking towards the man. Nick is around twice the size of him. “Come with me.” the man orders. “What? No way you pedophile.” Nick snickers. “Fine fucker. We’ll do this the hard way.” The man says reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a black hand gun. Cold sweat breaks out on Nick’s forehead. “What do you want? Calm down.” he says softly. The man ignores him and rams the gun into Nick’s back. “Walk fag.” He says coolly. Nick quickly obeys him and walks forward. Trying to forget the gun rammed into his back, Nick looks at the gray blanket of clouds.
