Hybrid

Fireworks

Maria

It was difficult to drive when I could barely move my feet, but I made due. I pulled the car up beside my old house, checking to make sure no one was inside. I grabbed a trunk I had hidden away months ago and dragged it slowly to the car and put it in the trunk next to my wheelchair.

Each step I took was difficult and I had to move so slowly a snail could've passed me. I drove the car to the edge of the woods and parked it, opening the trunk of the car and then dragging the trunk inside, out. I opened the trunk which was filled with weapons and started putting them all over my person.

Once I was satisfied with the amount of metal strapped to me, I started walking through the woods. My goal was to get close to the hunter's bunker I had only been to once. My feet crunched over leaves and twigs and I hated how loud they had become.

I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get there, but I figured I would be out a long time with how long it was taking me to make a few steps. I pulled my phone out and sent a text to Dylan to say I'd be away longer than expected and then silenced the phone.

I squint my eyes into the distance because of my poor eyesight. Eventually, it started to give me a headache, so I couldn't squint to see. I let my muscle memory, or what was left of it, lead the way.

I could hear small animals moving in the distance which made me nervous. Any sound was enough to make me nearly jump out of my skin. The sound of birds wings flapping caused me to put my back against the nearest tree and look for hunters.

I didn't find any, not that I expected to. I knew what I was doing was dangerous and I did it anyway. I continued walking along my imaginary path through the woods.

The best part of barely feeling my lower extremities had to be the fact that I could walk for a lot longer because I couldn't feel the inevitable soreness or pain. I was able to walk for a lot longer than I expected before I stopped to take my water bottle out of my bag and take a sip.

I knew the hunter's den was about half a mile more, and I put my water away to continue my trek. I walked another fourth of a mile and decided I was at the best place to start. I carefully set my bag on the ground and started pulling out what I would need.

I pulled out wires and the pre-made bombs I packed in my bag. I started placing them in a circle around the den, careful to not set any of them off. I didn't bury them as deep as I should've but I felt I covered them enough with leaves that it should be fine.

I finished the work and put the spool of wire in my bag with the length hanging out. I pulled out a pair of axes and put the bag on my back. Now for the hard part, I used the axes to help me climb a tree I decided was suitable and found a branch near the middle that could support my weight.

I kept the axes in the tree where I could reach them if I needed to. I grabbed binoculars from my bag and took a look around the hunter's base. I easily spotted the entrance, putting the binoculars down when I did. I pulled the pieces to a rifle, assembling it, careful not to drop any pieces down the length of the tree.

I loaded the gun as quietly as possible and used the scope to watch the field around my wires. The tree I picked was too close to the blast site and would knock my tree over if not worse.

I sat in that tree for an hour or more before seeing my first hunter. They were walking through the woods towards the camp, and I had to make sure they wouldn't touch my explosives.

I aimed. Deep breath in, slow release. Pull the trigger.

The bullet shot through the air quietly and hit the hunter in the side of their head. They dropped to the ground, no longer a problem. They would only become a problem if another hunter stumbled upon them, and I would be able to eliminate them as well.

I pulled my phone out while I wait for more activity and sent a few texts to Dylan. I didn't want him to worry until I had finished what I was working on. He responded quickly, which made me worry less about him.

He told me about how there had been a fight at the school and he needed to know where I was. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell him. If he was involved he could get hurt, and I refused to be the reason why.

I knew he would be able to smell me and track me that way if he wanted, but I was hoping he could trust that I didn't need him all the time. I put the phone away and focused on my task.

I took out three other hunters before I saw the one I was looking for.

"Hey there dad. Hope you have insurance," I whispered to myself.

I aimed for his leg. I promised that I would kill all of his hunters in front of him and then I would kill him, so for now he would be allowed to survive. I wait until he stumbled on the body of a hunter.

Panic was in his eyes. He looked around to see if any other hunters were alive and could come to his aid. He pressed a button on his radio and spoke into it. In seconds, hunters surrounded him.

I felt a large smirk come on my face as he looked at the men like one of them did it. Wolves didn't use guns, but I wasn't a wolf anymore. His lack of trust in his men was amusing, comical even.

His demeanor changed when a hunter discovered another one of the bodies. As more bodies surfaced, the more my father realized he was in trouble. I aimed for his leg, taking the shot.

He dropped to his knees and held his thigh in his hands. He called for his men to get to the bunker, and I quickly dropped my things and made my way down the tree. Once at the base, I detonated the bomb.

Fire erupted so quickly the heat knocked me over. I dropped to the ground and shielded my head from anything that went flying when I set off the bomb. Pieces of flaming wood were scattered all over the ground, only igniting more fires.

I started crawling towards the edge of the woods, having no strength left in my legs. The rocks on the ground poked uncomfortably at my skin. I crawled for miles, feeling scratches cover my skin as I did so.

Eventually I felt well enough to walk again, so I got back to my feet. I didn't bother to pluck any of the leaves off that clung to my clothes. I wasn't far from the car, and I sped up the closer I got to it.

I felt a pair of hands grab me by the shoulders, halting my movement towards the car. A mouth touched my ear and I felt bile rise in my throat.

"I knew you were up to something when you left," Joe sneered, "You haven't left Dylan's side in weeks, so leaving now just didn't make any sense."

I fought against his hold to no use. I had used all the energy I had and now I was trapped.

"I decided it would be fun to follow you, just to see what you were up to. I found your car here and I knew I couldn't find you in the woods so I wait, and here you are."

I hissed as he pushed my face into the bark of the tree, scrapes appearing on my cheekbones.

"I can see the smoke even all the way over here. What did you do little one?" Joe asked.

"I didn't do anything."

"Liar," Joe snarled, pushing my face harder into the tree, "I think the wolves have had a terrible influence on you and I think the best way to make you forget about the wolves is to do what I told you I would do earlier."

I tried to scream, to yell, to get anyone's attention to help me because I couldn't help myself. I thrashed in his hold, nearly dislocating my shoulders to do so. I screamed until a hand clamped down over my mouth. Then I did the one thing I never thought I'd do.

I licked his hand.