Hunt the Hunter (Revised Version To Be Uploaded)

New, unnerving beginning

?th April, 3049

Where? Why? What?

The first questions that rudely popped into my head as I came around. I didn’t know what day it was, I didn’t know what happened to the rest of the girls at the orphanage.

I hope Mother Rachel got every—

I remembered she wasn’t there anymore. I curled up into a ball and sobbed silently, my pale, silver-blue eyes probably looking white. The room was cold, the floor was cold. I think there was some food on the table in front of me, but I didn’t feel hungry. I just wanted to stay cocooned and disappear…

"What would Mother Rachel say to this…? This…this would be disrespectful to her….”I whispered to myself.

I was now talking to myself, yay! Completely normal, completely normal indeed.

I heard the door open and close, and the sound of a chair moving backwards, then forwards. I wasn’t alone.

“Shikarukia," a voice paused, "Shikarukia do you mind looking this way?” said the voice.

I hesitated. When I did look up, I saw a man in a black suit. He was quite young, I could somehow see it in his eyes. His lightning blue eyes. His hair was a wind blown, dark brown, like Ash's, he seemed unusually kind with his warm smile.

“Why don’t you sit down…?”

I looked at the chair he had pulled back for me. I waited a bit before I cautiously sat down. I kept one leg folded beneath me and the other one brought up to my chest. I didn't trust my surroundings, not even the floor that was previously holding up me and my wailing. Not one bit.

“You can ask me any question you like Shikarukia.” his voice was deep, but soft. He fixed his eyes on me, like he wanted to assure me it was alright to speak again.

I took a deep breath. And I spoke.

“What day is it? Where is everyone? What happened to them? What happened to Mother Rachel? Who were those men with scary guns? What did they want? Why–” I stopped myself.

Oops. I thought. Too much at once.
But the man in front of me just smiled slightly.

“I’m Cameron" he said,"And it’s 9th April. I had my men save you and your friends the moment we heard of Hector’s attack.” He looked to see if I was listening.

"Your friends are fine," he said slowly, "But the rest are gone... I’m sorry.”

My eyes went wide and started to water. I wanted to curse This Hector guy, to curse myself for not being prepared, for not seeing this sooner. I wanted to scream my head off, but my voice failed me. My whole body failed me. I could feel my heart breaking the sound barrier, it hurt just to breathe. My breaths became short and unsteady and my body became cold. Unbelievably cold.

Cameron didn't dare come near me. Instead, he reached out his hand, just until it was in front of my face, and started to slowly move it up and down. "Calm down." His eyes seemed to say. He made me keep my eyes on him as he calmed me down. When I was finally calm, about three minutes later, he spoke again.

“Don’t worry, you and your friends will be safe here. We’ll run some tests to make sure you’re all okay before we can find some place for you to go.”

He stood to leave. Before he closed the door, I asked;

“Will I be able to see my friends?”

“Of course, we just need to check on them as well.”

9th April,
6:00 pm

My food was brought to me, it was tasty but I didn’t have time to appreciate it, I was way too hungry. I took it in like a vacuum cleaner. No shame.

After my meal, the door opened, and a lady dressed in a nurse’s uniform told me to follow her.

I was taken to a lab of some sorts. They took my pulse and checked my heart rate while I ran on a treadmill. They checked me for external injuries and did an x-ray.

They looked me over thoroughly. And even though they were all female, I felt completely stripped and too self conscious.

When that was all over, I was led to another room by a different nurse. When the door was opened, I was inside a bath. A Japanese style bath.

The door closed behind me, I was alone.

I decided to shower down before I headed into the hot bath.
Half way through the shower, the door opened again. And in walked in four of my ten age-mates from the orphanage.

I stared into the faces of Melanie, Ash, Katy and Gemma. We were all speechless, opening and closing our mouth like fish. I looked at Katy, she was missing her twin…

“Where’s Kate…?” I begun, but got a heart broken look from Katy.

“They killed them all Shika! All of them! And they were so heartless about it!” Katy was screaming in my face. She was usually the calm, level headed one, and had no short temper. So her sudden outburst shocked me and everyone else.

I didn’t know how to react as she broke down crying. Melanie came down to comfort her. The rest of us didn’t say anything. We had nothing to say.

After a good, silent soak in the hot baths, we were led to a locker room and given clean clothes and shoes, all white.
There was beep, and a monitor said we should follow the green lines.

Why is it always lines?

When we did, we reached an assembly hall, where we were put in groups of three and shipped off to rooms. There were kids our age. But I didn't know or recognise any of them. I was pretty sure they were from outside Norrham.

I was put together with Katy and Melanie. We looked at our room; three beds, a closet and dresser. There was a door that led to a bathroom but it was small.

A speaker in the room switched on and announced lights out.
Melanie lied on her back in her bed, while Katy took off her shoes. I didn’t want to say it out loud, but they were my best friends…

“What if this is a trick? What if they send us back to those other guys?” I began.

“Shika, being here is better than being picked up off the side of the road in Norrham.” Katy snapped and I went silent. “Just be thankful we’re alive.”

“Why do you sound so...?” Melanie sat up when she spoke.

I hesitated.

“The place I used to hide from patrollers before I joined the orphanage.” My voice started to crack. “I-I found Mother Rachel’s body there.”

Silence.

No one spoke again that evening.

Happy birthday to me I guess.