Hunted

Interruption

Jessie was the happiest I had ever seen her as we left the meeting hall. She was full of smiles and slightly out of breath as she chirped to me about how much fun the dancing had been. I tried not to laugh at her as she tried to reenact the mistakes various dancers had made during the night. She stopped suddenly halfway through fake falling.
"You're laughing at me!" She told me indignantly.
I shrugged and stopped smiling instantly. "No." I tried to convince her. "Lauhging with you. There's a difference."
Jessie slightly glared at me before she smiled broadly at me. "Good."
We met up with Kent and Lucy at the truck and began our way back to the farm. Lucy and Kent teased each other gently up in the front seats and for a fleeting moment I saw a family. Kind of a strange one, but a family nonetheless. We were happy, and peaceful, and we argued, but we cared for each other.
I wasn't ready to leave Kent and Lucy yet. I looked to them like I would look at my grandparents if I had ever known my grandparents. And Jessie I saw as my sister. We were family. Could I really leave them if I needed to.
Then I remembered Duke's update only earlier. People were dying every week. I needed to return.
Jessie rested her head on my shoulder sleepily and I put my arm around her and put my lips to her ear gently. "Hey." I whispered, barely audible.
"Hey." She yawned.
"We should probably talk tomorrow." I sensed her tiring. "Without other people around." Meaning Lucy and Kent.
Jessie nodded and closed her eyes. "Okay, got it." She murmured. She burrowed herself into my side. "Good night."
I stroked her hair once, brushing it out of her face. "Night Shortcake."
When we got back to the farm, I carried her in upon Kent's request. When I set her down on her bed she opened her eyes sleepily and smiled tiredly at me. "Thanks." Was all she murmured before she rolled over in her bed and fell back to sleep.
***
The next morning we were tiredly eating breakfast and discussing the chores of the day then there was a knock on the door. Kent looked slightly confused as he stood up and walked out of the room to answer the door.
"Hello?" I heard him ask suspiciously.
"Hello sir. We hope we are not disturbing you." A man's voice greeted him respectfully.
Within an instant I had stood up and practically picking Jessie up, pulling her into her room, the furthest place from the front door, locking the door behind us.
"Hunter what the hell is wrong with you?" Jessie sounded angry as she struggled in my arms. I was holding her tightly to my chest as I leaned against the door, breathing heavily.
"Shh." I loosened my grip slightly. "The man out there is razian. I recognized the accent in his voice."
Jessie stopped struggling instantly and seemed cling to me instead. "How'd they find us? What can we do?"
I put my ear to the door and listened intently. There was arguing and loud voices. This wasn't a hunch. They knew I was here.
"They must have traced my phone." I whispered to her. "I called one of my friends yesterday." There were more loud voices and I heard Lucy yelling frantically. My heart twisted painfully. "I gotta help them." I whispered to her. "Stay here, okay?"
Jessie nodded doubtfully and I squeezed her shoulders. "Don't come out." I emphasized. "Please."
I slipped out of the door quickly and heard Jessie lock the door the moment I left. I moved quickly to the kitchen where two razien men were yelling at Kent and Lucy.
"Where is he?" One of the was screaming. "We know he's here."
Lucy was sitting at the table quietly. Tears were running down her cheeks as the other man held her husband with a knife at his throat. Kent was passively staring back at her, not looking scared even with the sharp object a this throat. Even at first glance I knew they didn't plan of telling them anything about me.
"Hey." I confidently stepped into full view. "I thought you wanted me. Keep them out of this."
The Razien men openly gaped at me for a couple seconds.
"Hunter." Lucy gasped. "Get out of here. We're old. It doesn't matter if we die. You need to go."
I smiled weakly at her. She didn't even know who I was. There needed to be more humans in the world like her. "I can't return your hospitality with that." I assured her.
The first razian man pulled a hand gun out of his pocket. "Come with us, My Prince." He told me mockingly. "And no one will get hurt."
I lifted my hands cautiously in surrender. "Who are you?" I asked them slowly. "As the prince, I think I deserve an answer."
The first man chuckled and bowed mockingly. "Pardon me, My Prince," he mocked. "I go by the humble name of Javar, and my friend here is Will." He gestured over to the other man, who was still holding Kent with a knife at his throat. "Now come with me." He repeated. "We wouldn't want Will's hand to slip, would we?"
Maybe it was time for me to get home, even if it was in chains. I held up my hands more prominently. "Okay, okay, you got me." I told them calmly. "Just don't, don't hurt anyone. They don't know anything."
Javar didn't lower his gun. "Where's the girl?" He asked me suspiciously.
I acted confused. "Well, maybe if your eyes worked you would notice that the lady in front of you is a girl." I told them calmly.
Javar sneered. "Nice try boy, but we know there's a girl traveling with you and there's four plates at the table and there's only three of you."
"There's another farm hand." I lied smoothly. "He just left to go start on the chores." There was no way I was allowing any information abort Jessie pass my lips. I would die first.
Javar snorted. "Lies." He sent me an evil smile. "So you wouldn't mind if we searched the house?"
I shrugged. "It's not my house. Don't ask me."
Javar sneered and pushed past me. "I wasn't actually asking, boy." He whispered harshly in my ear. He wrapped his arm around my neck roughly, cutting some of my air off. I choked and struggled a little until I felt the cold metal of a gun set on my head and a click. I froze. "That's good." Javar purred in my ear and I shivered, disgusted.
He squeezed my neck a little tighter and I choked again. Something hard hit my knee and I felt it buckle. "Hey girl!" I heard Javar yell. My vision was tunneling and my hearing was dimming. "I have the prince in my arms. He's choking. The moment he passes out I'm going to put a bullet through his leg. Unless you come out here. Of course, then he won't be harmed."
Jessie, don't. I prayed. Please don't. Go away.
I heard a door creaking open, and I knew it was Jessie. I strained my eyes, trying desperately to see her. She was standing in the doorway of her bedroom, with stiff posture. There was something in her hands. I squinted my eyes. It was a gun. I forgot she knew how to work one of those.
"Let him go." She commanded in a steely voice. It didn't even tremble. "Or I'll shoot you."
Javar laughed and tightened his grip on my. I pulled weakly on his arm. "You can't shoot me. You might miss." He sneered.
I couldn't see anything anymore. My senses were dulling. I slumped quickly and suddenly Javar was using all his strength to continue to use me as a shield. A gun shot rang out and I fell to the ground completely. Then someone was frantically pulling on my arm. "Hunter." Jessie whispered, panicked. "Get up. Now."
I shook my head, trying desperately to clear it. I looked up came face to face with Jessie. She looked relieved to see me open my eyes. "Get up." She hissed. "There's another one."
I took her hand and pulled myself up. I was limping, I could feel my knee swelling under my jeans. There were spots in my vision and I choked and gasped, trying to fill my lungs with air. A few feet away Javar laid on the ground with a hole in his forehead, blood seeping from the wound. Jessie put an arm around me to support me and held her gun out in front of us. We made we turned the corner quickly, where Lucy still sat at the table, and Kent was still in danger of Will's knife.
"Let him go." My throat felt raw. "You're going to lose."
Will gave me an insane smile. "You will pay." He hissed. I watched with horror as he flicked his wrist and a spurt of blood came from Kent's neck. His eyes widened and he choked on his own blood as he fell to the ground. I distantly heard Lucy scream as I threw myself on the ground to Kent's body. A second gun shot rang out and there was a thump as Will fell to the ground a few feet from me.
Then Jessie was pulling on my arm again. "We have to get out of here, Hunter." She was trying to tell me. "There could be more on the way."
I pushed her away angrily. "Let them come." I growled as I stared down at Kent's lifeless form. There was a pool of blood on the floor, soaking my knees.
The Lucy was at my side. There was no emotion on her face. "Get out of here." She told me quietly. "I'll be fine."
I shook my head. "No." I muttered. I wanted vengeance.
Jessie stomped her foot. "Hunter come to your senses!" She screamed at me. "There could be ten more on their way and if they come, we are screwed. I know you're angry, but you need to get up and move. Kent didn't die just so you could be a sitting duck."
I felt both of the girls pull me up and I stumbled back, still staring at the man who had been the closest thing to a father to me. "Okay." I muttered. I blankly put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "When I'm king, you'll live like a queen." I promised.
Lucy trembled. "Go Hunter." She repeated. "I'll be fine. The police are on their way."
Tears were streaming down Jessie's face as she gave Lucy a quick hug and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me out of the house and to her truck. She tried to put me in the passenger seat but I stopped her.
"No." I told her numbly. "I can drive." I walked over to the drivers seat before she could protest. She didn't say anything as I started the truck and and sped down the driveway, away from the place I had considered home for the past month.