Hunter\s
by JJ Pitts The best way to describe the body was grotesque. Dark purple bruises against deathly pale skin, limbs twisted in malformed inhuman ways. The skin nearly stuck to the crinkled muscle and weak bone, the mangled form completely drained of blood. They looked more monstrous than they ever were beforehand, a scaly tail not nearly as horrifying as their scared, blank eyes. We were wide eyes and silent, staring down at it with an indescribable expression. “Well,” Eight started, crossing his arms. “That was disappointing.” I couldn’t quite say I disagreed with him. I expected more of a fight from someone who talked so much, and especially for someone with such a bounty on their head. Still, it irked me to hear him complain. “A bit, but still. I spent forever finding this job for you,” I responded, leaning against the brick wall of the alley. “Tsk. I had a craving. Plus, you needed the money, didn't you~? I led you to a nice kill.” “Whatever… don’t get so cocky.” I swung by bat over my shoulder, looking over the body one more time before I turned away. “You gonna find your own way home?” “Yeah, that was my plan.” He licked his fingers, showing his sharp fangs and long tongue. “Thanks, I guess. Didn’t think a lizard-folk would be in the area, but ‘spose I can’t complain.” “That’s why you called me in the first place.” “Fair enough… My registered hunter knows everything.” “Well, my registered vampire better leave before someone sees him near the body.” “Short temper tonight, huh?” He looked me up and down with a sincerely infuriating expression. His perfect face seemed so delicately punchable. Maybe, if I looked hard enough, his pale blue eyes were just a target. “I have to get home before David does, he had work today,” I said, desperately trying to mask the anger in my voice. Eight nodded slowly. “Ah. Gotta please the himbo. Got it.” With that, he let his claws out, and skittered up the wall. “See you at school then!” He called after, leaving me alone. Seeing him go, I sighed to myself. It was easy to hate Eight, or at least get annoyed with him. I’m certain he could hunt for himself without a problem if I left him, sure, but letting him know I hunted was my worst mistake. All of a sudden, he could turn me into the police if I didn’t find him a snack at the worst times of day. At best, it was a ‘bedtime snack’, meaning he’d pull me out of class. At worst, it was now, and he decided he wanted some rare creature for lunch. “It’s your job, plus you have insomnia anyway,” would be his usual excuse, which led to me slipping on clothes and checking the list at 3 in the morning. I didn’t have much choice but to let it go. I had already begun waking to my house, taking side streets and alleyways as much as possible. The blood staining my shirt and skin would shine under the streetlights. I hopped over the fence into my neighbor's yard, an older reclusive man who rarely left his house. In the summer, I helped him with his garden. In return, he didn’t question my behaviour. I hopped one more fence, then booked it to the lattice. The back light flicked on when it sensed my motion, causing my legs to pick up speed as I scrambled into my room and shut the window. My brain worked like a computer, immediately processing the next best steps. I’d need to change and shower, soak my clothes in chemicals and lay back down before anyone saw me. Of course I’d need to be quiet too. If I woke up mom, I’d have trouble that I was too exhausted to deal with. And if I woke up David… “Ahem.” The noise startled me out of my thoughts, causing me to freeze as I looked to my bed. David sat there, crossing his arms and looking at me with a firm expression. My plan broke apart in my head as I reprocessed my options. Really? All the options I had now were to face the repercussions of my actions. “David…” I started, but he interrupted me before I could finish. “You were hunting,” he said. There was an unknown amount of anger in his voice, carefully masked by a neutral expression. David wasn’t usually angry, in fact most say he’s too soft for his size. Him passing six feet in height with a body that doesn’t bother to hide his frequent visits to the gym, his gentle smiles and kind behaviour were a frequent point of teasing him for. Now, I see a side of him that they should be grateful not to know about. “It was for Eight, he called me…” “You accepted money though, I watched the transfer.” I pressed my lips together, trying to hide my fearful expression. “I mean… he was already on the list, I figured why not, yknow?” “Why are you looking at the list in the first place? I thought you said you cut contact.” “I did, I just took a pe-” “No, you didn’t. You’ve made quite a bit more money than tips would make you in the last couple weeks.” “Have you been checking?” I felt anger rise in my throat, pushing the words out beyond the thick blob of anxiety that dripped through my jaw. “You gave me reason to,” he got up, causing me to flinch back. “We agreed to stop this.” “There’s no harm in it, David. Once they’re on the list, they’ll be gone within the month.” “That doesn’t mean we can continue that cycle!” He threw his arms up, raising his voice. As I pressed my back to the wall, I watched him regain his calm, carefully tucking the anger back into his chest. “There are monsters who have made it off the list, and even if not… doesn’t it bother you to be the one that kills them?” “I certainly think the money is a nice treat,” I hissed. Anger, guilt, and emotions I couldn’t quite describe flared within me. Tears pricked at my eyes and my fist clenched at my side. “It’s not like you’re much better.” “That was in the past, I don’t do that anymore. And neither should you. It’s wrong. Imagine their families! What if they had parents wrong for them, or children,” “That doesn’t change anything,” I said over him. He continued. “Friends at school or work, people who depend on them,” “Then kill them too! It’s not like you hesitated to!” I let my voice raise to a shrill scream, gesturing to him with a near flail like motion. I nearly lost control of my limbs as anger replaced the blood in my veins. He paused, then turned to me fully. A tear leaked down his cheek as he yelled, his booming voice shaking me to the core. “Or what if they had a brother, Ryland?! What if someone killed you?!” The room fell to silence. We stared at each other with anger and tears in our eyes. I felt regret take root in my stomach, causing a sinking feeling as it wrapped itself around my heart. I opened my mouth to speak, but a stale emptiness fell out instead. David finally released the tension, letting out a shaky sigh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be yelling at you. I just…” “I get it,” I choked out. Shame. That was the feeling. If I were honest, maybe it was there all along. “I never saw it that way.” He crossed his arms, then sat on my bed. He patted the spot next to him. I let my legs work like a dummy on strings, dragging me to sit next to him. Of my own accord, I leaned against his chest, allowing him to wrap an arm around me. “... Did we wake up mom?” I asked. “No, she's a friend's house,” he answered simply. I nodded against him. I listened to his heart beat slow, felt the emotions drip out of my eyes to leave me with a strange numb feeling. He slowly began to run a hand through my thick, curly hair. We were silent like that for a while. Maybe a little too long. Maybe just long enough for us. “I’m sorry,” I finally said, curling into him more. “It’s okay… I get it, I was like that at your age too,” he responded. “Still… I should have put it together.” I felt him shrug. “Not your fault, you don’t have to assume everyone's thoughts all the time. It’s just,” he paused, searching for words. “It’s not like you hide your lycanthropy.” “Unlike you?” I questioned. “Unlike me,” he confirmed. “Which is fine, it makes you happy to embrace who you are. But you met my old friends. Other hunters… they lack sympathy. They’d look at your cute little face and see a target.” I nodded, letting him have a moment of babying me. He’d put in the effort our mother could never give in raising me, I couldn’t blame him for his younger memory of me. “I guess I had a completely different perspective of that…” “Care to tell me about it?” … “I missed hunting with you,” I admit. “You… did?” “Yeah,” I sighed. “It was something you taught me to do, something we did together. Plus, it gave us a hope of getting out of this terrible house. And one day… you said it was wrong. Mind you, it’s not like I’m so heartless that I think murder is okay. I just… detached I guess. It was a job. Maybe I was even projecting a bit?” “Projecting?” “Let’s face it, I’m not much for appreciating the zest for life. Plus, I’m bad at connecting to people anyway. It was just… normal. To me they were nothing. Their families were nothing too. Nobody means anything most of the time. I know it sounds messed up but…” “No, it’s okay,” he reassured me. “You’ve been through a lot, it might be some sort of dissociation.” “Don’t get all therapy talk with me.” He chuckled. “I’ll try not to…” He laid back, so I was laying on him completely. “Man… I messed you up. You miss the wholesome brotherly activity of murdering people.” I laughed. “Don’t forget the bounty hunting part,” I joked. “Oh, of course, and the oppressive system,” he shot back. We laughed for a bit, and I finally let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll stop, don’t worry. This’ll be the last time.” “Good… and, if you need to for Eight, find someone who deserves it at least.” “That’s fair…” “And keep it ethical… at least try, I know he won’t.” “Got it! Alright! Shut your mouth, I’m going to bed,” I said with a smile, cuddling up to him more. “Okay, okay… I’m assuming I’ll be staying here? … Goodnight, Ryland.” Mumbling my response back, I let his voice fade into a calm light. Tucked into his arms, feeling a sense of safety, I let my tired head drift off to sleep. For the first time in a long time, I found myself at peace.
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