Flashf0rward

Chapter 18: Hunter and Hunted

Giles

Following them had been the easy part. I simply backtracked to the place where Robert had reported that he and Lyle had first encountered the two of them. Aside from Lyle's unconscious body, which I then left to nature as his own punishment, I found several spent shell casing from the gunfights that had happened between the four of them.

Making my way through the brush, I found the road that the two outsiders were using. Their mounts' hoofprints were visible in the dust, making them easy to follow. Heading back to my ride, Abraham, I followed their tracks briskly, making sure to not lose them. Soon, I was out of the forest and heading across the plains.

Without clear tracks, it would have been difficult to keep up for most people. I wasn't most people. I used to come to the countryside all the time before the Happening. I learned the ways of the forests and the fields. How to hunt, how to track prey easily. I could see and notice things others could not. I wasn't miracleborn, but I was skilled.

The fields gave away their position, the trampled stalks of grass and wheat leaving me a path that was as clear as day. It was a few hours before I spotted them for the first time. They were far ahead of me, too far and moving too fast to notice I was following, but I managed to spot the two of them in my binoculars. From the direction they were going, I knew exactly where they were headed.

Going towards the city was pointless for our group, since we had all we needed back at the Hearth. Why they would go back there was a mystery to me. Perhaps some sort of supply run? If that was the case, why was there only two of them? These questions I would find the answer to once I managed to catch up with them.

Night fell on the first evening, and I made sure to stay out of sight. I could see their campfire flickering in the distance, and I stayed perched on the hill under the cover of darkness, watching them carefully. I could have taken them both there, but I wanted to see what their plan was, why they were headed to the city. I simply rested, waiting for them to continue.

The morning sun came, and I noticed them preparing to ride. Waiting a few minutes until they were out of sight, I mounted Abraham and followed them. I tracked them across the plains, matching their speed but staying behind. I reached a road full of abandoned cars, then heard a gunshot ahead of me. Treading lightly, I moved forwards.

Keeping hidden behind a bush, I saw the two of them on the other side of a rushing river filled with cars, the dead corpse of one of the demons in the water. The gunshot had come from the girl with fiery red hair. The one that Robert had said had been kind to him. She was interesting, as was the boy.

After they'd left, I used their same path to get across the river, then stopped and stared at the demon in the water. Knowing that they tended to not stay dead for long, I leapt off my horse and pulled out my machete. Kneeling down, I pulled its corpse up and beheaded it in a single swipe, it's head tumbling and disappearing into the rapid. Sheathing my blade, I got back on Abraham and reached the other side.

Passing through the forest and waiting another evening, I finally crested the hill that showed off the city that had once been known as Seattle. Seeing them entering the city limits, I knew that I had to be more careful than ever. With less places to hide behind, this would make things difficult.

I took Abraham slow as I tracked them through the city. Finally, they appeared to stop in front of a department store. Staying down behind a parked car, I waited for them, wondering if they would come back out. A few minutes later, they came out, joined by a third, younger person. Now their mission became clear.

They began heading towards the large tower in the centre of the city, and I followed them thusly. They dismounted once they reached the bottom, and I watched as they opened up an elevator shaft and began climbing up it. Waiting a few moments for them to get ahead, I followed, leaping across the chasm to the ladder, staying out of the glow of the flashlight.

Finally, they opened a door and went into a small hallway near the midsection of the tower, and I waited and listened, their voices echoing and carrying out to the shaft. They mentioned something about a radio, and they appeared to be talking to someone about coming back home. So, there were more...

Knowing my time was now, I moved up through the doors and into the small corridor that was just outside the shaft. Standing in the middle of the hallway, I looked around, then saw a door that was cracked open, along with a face staring out of it. The boy had seen me. The silence had finally been broken.

The boy slammed the door shut, and I waited on the other side, holding my pistol in my hand. Matthias said that he'd wanted them alive, but this was simply to intimidate them. "You're trapped in that room. Come out, and I promise not to hurt you." I said in a calm voice, knowing they couldn't escape.

Suddenly, the door burst off its hinges with a loud creaking snap and blasted into me, pushing me back against the wall. It was as if there had been an explosion, as air rushed past me. I could hear them rushing out the door. "This way, to the top!" The younger girl they'd picked up shouted as they began running down the opposite side of the hall.

Knowing they couldn't outrun me, I pushed the door off of me, shaking off the slight stun that I'd sustained, I began to run after the three of them. Wanting to scare them, I shot the lights on the ceiling above them, making glass rain down on their heads. I heard the younger girl scream. Good. Fear made you make mistakes.

I saw a burst of light as a door opened ahead of me, and the three of them rushed out, slamming the door behind them. Running up to it, I tried to push the door open, but it was locked somehow. Looking down, I saw the keycard lock that should have been dead was activated. Work of the miracleborn. They wouldn't stop me that easily.

I raised my pistol and shot the lock several times until the doorknob and keycard lock burst off of their hinges, and I kicked the door open, seeing that there was some wind blowing through broken windows. It was a maintenance shaft for the outside, and there were stairs leading up towards the top.

Hearing their footsteps clang against the metal steps, I followed after them, taking the stairs two at a time. Soon, I could see above me that the steps would end. They were running out of places to run. Eventually, they stopped on a small landing above them that was blocked off by debris. I ran up behind them and pointed my gun.

They turned to me and raised their hands in the air. "Good." I said. "No more tricks, miracleborn." I motioned to the boy. "The three of you will come with me, and you will answer for what you have done." The girl with red hair frowned. "What are you talking about?" I looked at her. "For what you did to Robert." Her eyes widened, as did the boys'.

I motioned to them. "Drop your gun and kick it over." The girl slowly reached into her holster and threw her pistol at my feet. As my eyes were drawn to that, suddenly a stronger gust of wind blew me backwards against the concrete, making me cry out in pain. Getting back up, I gritted my teeth and ran towards them.

As I looked up, however, I saw the boy grab both the girls and run towards the windows, leaping through the broken panes and falling out of sight. My eyes widened as I ran towards the edge and looked down, wondering what they were doing. Then, it became clear. As they fell, they seemed to slow down gently until they reached the ground slower than a feather.

They ran towards their horses, and I knew they would have a large headstart. There was only one thing I could do now. Pulling the small gun out of my holster, I took it out and aimed it towards the sky, pulling the trigger. The bright red flare shot out and made a loud popping noise as it arced into the sky. I knew that Matthias would be able to see it. Soon, the calvary would be on its way.