Contradicting Worlds 28 The Hunters

"Well, the news ran faster than you blink." She gives me a nonchalant shrug. "Where's your crossbow?" Her brows are furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know. The director's got it locked up somewhere, I guess." I said as we step out of the room and ran down the hallway.

"Do you wanna retrieve it?" She turns to me while running ahead of me.

"Nah. I'm good. C'mon." Two warriors around the corner and they fall the moment Isabella's arrows pierce through their heads. "Hey, do you remember how you got in?"

"Think so," I refuse the urge to roll my eyes at her reply. Because when Isabella said "think so" that means she doesn't know. And since we can't possibly go back to the dungeons cause the warriors are probably guarding every secret pa.s.sageway, we're kind of stuck in here.

"Recca." I heard a voice said. "Isabella? Rebecca?" Isabella and I share a look of uncertainty as we stop on our tracks.

"Yes?" I answered through my head because that's where the voice came from.

"It's me, Mica. I mean, Juliana." I sigh. "Where are you now?"

"Wait. Did you make it out?" A few heartbeats pa.s.sed and when she doesn't answer, I am ready to take this building down once and for all just to find her.

"Yes. Nate, Riley, Avery plus the other three are here with me. We are just outside the walls. Now tell me where you are right now so I can help you get out of there safely. You can't get out of the front gates because that is heavily guarded now. There's still another option though, so where are you?" She sounds worried, her voice shakes a little.

"Uhm," I look around and Isabella did the same, searching for a sign that might say where we are. Then I see it. Attached to the edge of a corner, vertically is signage saying, LAB 2A. "Lab 2A?"

"LAB 2A. You're near the 2nd laboratory on the fifth floor. Good. That means you're nearer the secret getaway I'm talking about. You need to round that corner and walk forward. Then you'll encounter a two-way departure, choose the one at your left then walk from there. Continue walking until you encounter a door. You won't see the door but you'll feel it so you need to place your hand on the wall for you to feel it. When you feel a slight budge on it, that's it then. Search for a hole that can fit only your index finger. Put your finger in and give it a slight turn. The door will slide open. On the left side is attached the same sign you've seen earlier, tear it off. Underneath you'll see a brick, break that. Inside you'll see a lever, pull it down. A door will open at the end of the room but you need to move fast because once the door opens, the siren will blow out and will send a signal to the warriors. Move. Fast. We're waiting for you on the other side." Isabella and I waste no time. We follow Juliana's instructions explicitly.

After 15 minutes of running and navigating, we've finally reached the room and once inside, we broke the brick instantly and pulled the lever. The door on the other side opens just as the siren Juliana was talking about blares. We run inside the door with no idea what to do next.

Thankfully, the tunnel lit up and it is a one-way tunnel so we just follow where this may lead us. Silently praying that we are walking in the right way and not into a trap.

"Recca?" Juliana's voice startles me, making me jump a little and Sabrina snickers. I shot her a look and she stops but I can tell by the way her shoulders quiver that she's fighting for herself right now.

"Yes?" I hiss out.

"Are you inside yet?"

"Walking in it." I heard her sigh--through our link-which is kind of weird by the way.

"Okay, keep walking." I want to tell her that it's what we're doing but I don't wanna argue with her right now especially in this situation that the tunnel is enclosing in on us. At first, I thought I was just imagining it but no. Because now, we have to crawl and squeeze ourselves inside.

"We're not walking, we're crawling," I said in a groan.

"Well, keep crawling then."

"Please tell me, we're almost there." My voice came out tired and almost whiny.

"If you can barely fit and squeeze in your size then you are almost there."

"Move faster," Isabella growls out from beneath my feet.

"I'm trying but I can barely move here." I try my best to crawl more with my hands above my head but I stop when I felt something before me. A small fudging brick wall! "Juliana, It's a dead-end!" I try to push the wall but it wouldn't even move the slightest. "Juliana! We're stuck!" My chest is heaving now and sweat is pooling in my back and everywhere in my body. I am having a claustrophobia at the moment and due to the lack of oxygen my vision is blurring and dark spots are filling my eyes.

Then as if G.o.d heard my whimpers, the brick rock slides open and the face of hope replaces the wall. I reach out to touch the light and a handclasp mine and soon I was being pulled out from the tunnel.

Once out, I lay there, unmoving, on the heaps of dried leaves, wondering if I am alive or not. I can feel my eyes growing heavy and I may have just pa.s.sed out but the slight slap on my cheek woke me up. Finally, I realize that I am really out and I've just escaped h.e.l.l. I let the bittersweet scent of the woods invade my sense of smell. I close my eyes and let myself feel the roughness of the earth, the cold breeze of the wind and everything. I let myself take in all the things that have happened to me these past few weeks. And for once in my life, I am grateful for being an exile.

"Hey! Rebecca, can you hear us? Are you with us?" Someone gasps.

"Maybe she's dead and that's her soul. Ohmayghad, poor Rebecca." A sick feeling is building up in my stomach and before I knew it, I was leaning on my side and taking all the contents out. "Ew, gross." I heard someone say. After emptying my stomach and feeling a little bit greater, I move into the welcoming arms of Nate and just lie in there while he rubs my shoulder and whispers incoherently. "Are we ever going to move or are we going to wait for the warriors to catch us and bring us back inside those ugly cells?" We all turn to Avery who is looking at us with those innocent look of hers while we are all glaring at her. "What?" She tilts her head to the side.

I flip her off as I try to stand. Grateful for Nate's help, I finally manage to stand on my own. "Let's move."

"Uhm, where are we going?" Riley asks and I look at Isabella. She grins at me, already knowing what's inside my head while Juliana grimaces at Riley's side. Well, she never likes the hunters but now they are all we've got.

"It's time you finally meet the hunters."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Isabella and I lead the way while Avery and Riley are at the rear. Nate, Juliana, Dani, Aimee, and Lia are at our sides. We keep a safe distance from each other just in case. "Are we there yet?" Avery said for the hundredth time since we've walked.

"For f*ck's sake. Avery, will you just shut up for a minute and be patient? You've been going on at it for the past hour we've been walking!" Riley cuss and a few snickers broke out from our group.

"I'm so tired and besides look at the sky. It's practically dusk now!" She whines and we all roll our eyes at her att.i.tude. But she's right though. We need to move faster, we can't stay outside till dark. The warriors are coming at us, it's just a matter of hours before they finally figure out where we are. And we've got nothing to help us out here. We've got no time to hunt for food and we're all exhausted.

Finally, I saw the first break of twigs. I tap Isabella on her shoulder and point to the broken branch. She studies it and her face broke out into a smile and we both release the breath we've been holding. Because honestly, we're both starting to feel nervous that maybe we are lost. But luckily we are not. Aimee, Dani, and Lia must've seen what we saw because we heard their squeal of joy--except for Lia of course. I look at them, jumping up and down while holding their hands in front of their chest.

This is one of the problems a hunter must conquer. You must learn how to navigate your way back because they will not send a rescue for you. Some hunters who went out on a mission never came back.

Isabella began speaking in hush tone in the wind, her lips moving as she said the words I've forgotten.

Seconds pa.s.sed, then minutes pa.s.sed. After 30 Avery begins to whine again but then we heard a small clicking sound. Isabella and I shared a smile than the first segment of the house slowly came into view.

I almost broke into tears when I saw the people who were waiting for us on the other side. Odette was the first to run to me and others followed. Soon I was being engulfed in a big group hug and everyone is crying, laughing, and squealing and we are just so happy that we momentarily forget what we came here for.

On a throat clearing, stopped our reunion and we all moved away from each other as Haida made her way towards us. If you'll look at her, you'll think that she looks just like the director, because of the same stoic expression they both share but when the director has white hair Haida has grey, and although their eyes have the same sharpness, Haida's are accompanied by hazel.

"Uhm, Haida we good?" I ask with a hint of uncertainty. Few snickers broke out with a snort.

"Follow me," was all she said with that commanding voice of hers. We all follow her inside the house. As we step inside I realize that nothing much has changed, just dustier. It still has the same old and grouchy look. The furnace near the kitchen is rusting and the leg of the couch is broken. The floor makes irritable creaking noises each step we take. The spider webs are still lurking in every corner. This house looks unkempt on both the outside and the inside creating the right illusion of being unused.

On the opposite side of the room where a painting is hanging sideways on the wall, a mat is placed directly underneath it with the simple word engrave on its fur -- welcome. Haida pushes it aside using her right foot, revealing a camouflaging portion of the floor that leads where exactly we need to be. Haida uses her foot once again to tap lightly on it, twice. It gave away at the second push and a pitch-black hole greets us. Odette, steps in first, sending me a wink before dropping down. Anaesthesia, Aimee, Daniella, Lia, Isabella, Riley, Juliana, Avery then soon it is Nate's turn. Once he's gone, Haida and I were the only ones left there. "I can go last." I hesitantly said. I am currently hanging on the last bit of trust Haida has for me and I am not willing to waste it. Because I'll need her help and everyone's too so I need to mind my actions and the things I say to her.

"No, I can go last. You go first." I nod then give her one last look before jumping inside the hole.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Cheers erupted around me as I let my eyes readjust themselves in the blinding light. I stepped out of the opening where I came through because I know Haida will come in next. I can't help but smile when I saw what's waiting for me here.

All my former colleagues, friends, and teammates are here. And I don't see an ounce of anger in their faces but recognition and happiness.

"Wow," I heard from beside me. I look at Riley who's looking at them in awe and amazement. Yeah, wow. I look at all the people smiling at us and greeting us with joy. Some called to me and said, "welcome home." Welcome home indeed. Right, this is my home, this is where I belong. I am not Rebecca nor am I Ellie the most wanted criminal in the city but I am the Black Hunter. The Hunter's blood is running in my veins, the very reason why I am still alive and surviving. I've finally found myself again and my cause and I won't let it get lost again.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Later that night, at dinner, we exchange introductions and I am not surprised to find that Juliana, Riley, and Avery are mingling just fine. Although there's a bit problem with Nate since he got most of the attention because well, he's a man. And this is certainly the first time that they've seen a man.

"Are they always like this?" He whispers to me while we're eating. "Friendly?"

I killed the giggle that is threatening to surface. "Yes. They are a little bit overwhelming but you'll get used to it." He mumbles something under his breath and he looks adorable keeping his head down while eating and refusing to meet the curious eyes of my friends. I absently brush his hair, feeling the softness and the fluffiness of it. I wonder what his secret for having such a fine and nice hair.

He stops my movements by reaching up and grasping my hand in his then putting it under the table, intertwining our fingers. I look at him in shock because he just did that in front of our friends but he doesn't meet my eyes instead he continues eating with a small smile playing on the corner of his lips. I narrow my eyes at him then turn my attention back to my food, my smile threatening to come out. I realized that our table got quiet so I risk looking at them. And there they are, all wearing that sh*t eating grin on their faces, making my face flush.

"Oh, c'mon. Leave the two of them alone. They just spent the last--I don't know how many--years being away from each other. And then when they met each other again, they have no idea who they are or even if they know each other. So let them have their time alone." Isabella said.

"D*mn speechmaker," Avery muttered but we all heard it anyway, causing a few snickers to spur and Isabella shooting her a sharp look. We resume eating and chatting and laughing. Neither one of us wants to open what we'll do next. We just want to enjoy the company of each other and the peace while we have it.

But that didn't last long like I wish it would be because we have to discuss our plans right after dinner. Haida called for a meeting exclusively just for my group with the group leaders. So after our feast, we head off to the meeting room with our heads and shoulders slump forward because we don't want to face the fact that we are probably heading to war. But what choice do we have? This is the fate of the humanity we're talking about. And it is my job as a royalty to save it.

When we entered the room, the mood isn't something to tell. But you can't see a sc.r.a.p of fear in their faces, we all just loo expressionless. Once we're seated, Haida whirls her chair to face us, leaning leisurely on her chair. "So, what exactly happened?" We all speak at once but one look from her made us stop. The job fell on me and I waste no time in telling her everything she needs to know to leave out the information about the Gammas and regaining our memories. When I'm finally done, she turns to me and asks, "What do you have in mind?"

All eyes fell on me, waiting for my answer. Finally releasing my breath, I look directly in her eyes, keeping my face determined and said. "First, I want to cross the border to the North."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

*CAMERON'S POV*

Clain is the one who came up with this brilliant idea that includes me, staying at his house. Of course, being the gentleman that I am, I refused his offer. But his response was, "Nonsense!" and then he made me walk with him to his house. Don't ask me how because I won't say it anyway.

And that's how I end up here in his house, sitting and eating with him. "So have you got any idea how to get to Rebecca and Nate?" I ask him. We're sitting on his couch, munching on the apples he brought in earlier.

He sat up suddenly as if an idea sparks up in that smart a.s.s of his. But I rolled my eyes because I know what his answer will be. "Nah. I don't." He sat back again with his brows furrowed and we resume in this thinking in silence. "But, I mean, they sure are at the south right?"

"You've said that for the hundredth time!" I exclaimed then reposition myself so I am facing him. "Okay, let's say they are in the south but how do we get there without being caught by Sarah's little minions huh?"

"I dunno." He shrugs.

"Exactly!" We sat back again. Our teeth sinking on the apples are the only sound that can be heard. Until the doorbell rings. We both look up and at each other, startled.

"Sh*t! Go Hide!" Clain whisper yells at me.

"Where?" I mouth at him, panicking with him. He looks around his small house because, let's face it, his house is small and it's made for only one human but at least it's comfortable. His eyes are darting everywhere while muttering the word sh*t under his breath.

The doorbell rings again and this time it's more persistent. "Holy f*ck." He said again, his eyes wide with terror. Even though we're both more powerful than that a.s.sh*l* by the door, we can't risk being chased down in the middle of the night. "Hide behind the front door."

"What?"

"Just do it." He hissed out. And because there's no better hiding spot, I agree with him. I get beside the door as he gets to open it, uprighting his self first before opening it with a grin on his face.

"Well, well, well. To whom do we honor this late intervention?" He opens the door wide open, way wider than intended causing me to stand sideways just to fit in. I glare at him through the door because seriously, he is doing this on purpose. "Whoa, you can't just step inside officer. You know you need the paper before you step inside my house right? No paper, we talk outside." My eyes went wide in panic again.

"I think you get the wrong idea here." My eyes narrowed at the familiarity of his voice. Because I am pretty sure I've heard his voice somewhere before.

"Oh? And what idea is it?" I hear Clain scoff then the familiar stranger sighs.

"Warrior A31B5 or should I say Clain?" I straighten my shoulders and I could just picture Clain doing the same thing. Why? Well, because this familiar just called him by his real name and no one--no one--knows about his real name except me and our best friends and that b*tch Sarah. "Let me in and I'll explain everything. I'll even offer the help that you need."