The Hunting: Ch 18

Instructions

TW: guns, mild bl00d, vi0lence, Talk of de@th and k!lling, death threat “Just listen to me,” Winter says. “If we can find some Hunters and steal their van, we can get to Washington Territory a lot faster.” “Riiight. And there’s absolutely nothing that could go wrong with that,” Onyx smirks. “Why are you so annoying-” “I prefer mentally creative. Hey Juniper, how come you never take off that mask?” I instinctively put a hand over my face. “No reason.” “Just leave her be,” Winter rasps. It doesn’t take long to find a group of three Hunters talking loudly in a clearing. I hold my breath. I want to hurt them. I want to K!LL them for hurting Amber. I want to k!ll them for ruining my life. Onyx squeezes my arm, and the touch spreads through my body. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle them.” They stand up and walk into the clearing, smirking at the shocked looks on their faces. “Hi there. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but you really should be less loud when you yap about your precious “Gamemaster” or whatever you call him. Everyone can hear you.” They gape for a full five seconds before the leader, a burly man with a face like a pickax, stands up. “What-who are you, you little girl?” “Your worst nightmare,” Onyx growls, and punches him in the face. Before I know what’s happening, Winter springs from the bushes and tackles him, Onyx is pummeling him with her fists whilst screaming “I’M NONBINARY, YOU IDIOT!” and Nadia is looking extremely uncomfortable. I rummage through the dirt for a good-sized rock and throw it at the nearest Hunter, who’s trying to get out his gun. The rock hits his bicep and he turns around, spitting venom. I scramble for another rock as he gets closer. He pulls out his gun and points it at the bushes, cursing, and I can tell it’s a bullet gun from the sleek, black shape. “Whoever threw that,” he snarls. “I’ll k*ll you-” Winter flings himself at the Hunter from behind, knocking him out with a well-placed blow to the head. I stand up, trembling. Two of the hunters are unconscious, and the other must have run away in the chaos. Winter storms toward us, bl00d trickling down his arm, and I shrink back. But his attention is on Nadia. “Why didn’t you fight? We could have all been killed!” “I don’t fight,” Nadia says, looking up at him. Her eyes are nervous, but steely as she holds his gaze. “They would k*ll you without a second thought!” “I haven’t fought since I was ten and I don’t intend on starting now. How do you not know this? We’ve been friends for over five years.” “But-you can’t-” Winter bites his lip so hard it looks like it might bleed. “Ugh, whatever. Be a pacifist. He storms off, fuming. “What’s with him?” Onyx wonders. “He just doesn’t understand,” Nadia sighs. “He thinks that if you don’t fight, you’re weak, or you don’t care about your friends. But that’s not true-strength isn’t just about fighting.” I think about this for a moment. If I hadn’t fought for Amber, would she think that I didn’t care about her? “It doesn’t matter,” Nadia says hurriedly. “Look-there’s the van. Let’s go before the Hunters wake up.”