Hunted

Maybe You Can Hide In A Cave

"Hunter!" Jessie yelled at me. "Calm down!"
I ignored her and pressed the gas pedal harder, making the truck go faster than it was probably built to be. Thankfully there were no cars in my path of reckless driving, but Jessie was still distraught about it.
"Hunter!" Jessie screamed again as we flew over a hill and landed roughly. "If you crash this truck we're going to die!"
Die.
Like Kent, who died protecting us. Did he feel any pain? Did he regret what he did? I looked to him like a father and I let him die in front of my eyes. I was a sucky Prince if I couldn't even save people I cared about it.
"Hunter whatever-the-hell-your-last-name-is!" Jessie broke through my thoughts again. "Stop this car right now."
I suddenly braked the truck, bringing the truck to a complete stop in three seconds. That probably wasn't good for the truck, but I really didn't care. The moment the truck stopped I opened the door and stumbled out, breathing heavily. I felt sick and my stomach was churning. I stumbled heavily to the opposite side of the road and fell to my knees, vomiting up the breakfast I had eaten with Kent and the girls that morning. I dragged my hand across my mouth, wiping the saliva from my lips. A glint of color caught my eye and I stared down at my hands. They were covered in red blood, and I knew it wasn't my blood. It was Kent's.
I couldn't keep it in anymore. I sat down hard on the side of the road and buried my face in my bloodied hands. I couldn't stop the pressure in my throat or the feeling of despair filling my world.
I sobbed.
I felt my shoulders shaking violently as my feeble cries turned into all out wailing. I was a sore sight.
I wasn't dignified. I was broken.
I wasn't numb. I was painfully torn.
I wasn't a prince. I was a lost boy.
I don't know how long I cried before I felt Jessie come up to me from behind and crouch behind me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Hunter." She murmured gently in my ear.
I swallowed roughly. "Don't you dare tell me everything is going to be alright." I told her thickly. "Don't you dare."
Jessie sighed and scooted to my side, putting her arm around me comfortingly. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, while I tried desperately to collect myself. I rubbed my face with my hands again, but stopped when I realized the blood was probably smearing my face. Gross.
Jessie took a deep breath and sighed again. "I'm really not good at comforting people." She admitted sheepishly. "But you can't let your emotions take over like that, Hunter!"
Yeah, she was really bad at comforting people.
I grunted. "I just saw a man that I trusted and cared about killed." I snapped at her. "My emotions aren't going to be very stable, Shorty."
Jessie let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not talking about your emotions themselves, Hunter." She told me. "I'm saying you can't let your emotions almost kill you. You can't let them take over. You can't try to take on ten men and expect to come out alive! You can't drive three times the speed limit and not expect consequences!"
I snorted. "You sound like a mother." I told her darkly. "And I'm not particularly fond of motherly figures since mine died."
Jessie took a quick breath in. "Hunter." She told me more gently. "I'm just trying to help you understand-"
"Understand what?" I cut her off and stood up abruptly. "That I'm powerless? That I can't do anything right? That everything I do I screw up?" Jessie's face showed a look of complete shock and I felt kinda bad. She didn't deserve this. But I went on anyway. "I have people dying back in my country and there's nothing I can do about it! My dad is insane. I can't protect anyone anymore. People I care about keep dying. I-" I paused as a terrible thought crossed my mind. "Jessie!" I grabbed her by her shoulders frantically and pulled her off the ground. "I gotta get you out of here!" My mind was reeling as I shook her slightly. "You're going to get hurt. What if they're following us and you die too." I looked around frantically. "Maybe you can hide in a cave for a few days." I suggested wildly.
"Hunter!" Jessie shrugged my hands off her. "Just calm down, okay? You're going all Prince Charming on me." She grabbed my face, forcing me to look at her. "Hunter." She said again, more calmly. "Take a deep breath."
I nodded and inhaled deeply.
"Good." Jessie nodded. "Now Hunter, I want you to listen to me very carefully right now, okay?
I nodded again.
"Hunter." She was using my name a lot. It really grabbed my attention and kept me focused. Her face was dirty and streaked with tears. "Hunter listen to me! I am not going anywhere, do you understand?"
I opened my mouth to protest, but she moved on quickly. "None of this has been your fault. It's been because of your dad. Your dad has made bad things happen to people, okay? Not you. You're doing the best you can. Kent died because your dad is evil. People in your country are dying because your dad is corrupt. You're in danger because your dad is probably insane. Okay? It's not you. You can't take the blame for this one."
I slowly moved my hands up to my face and gently took hold of her hands and brought them down to hang interlocked between us. I looked away, ashamed.
"I could probably be doing something, and instead I've been hiding." I muttered to her.
"Hunter, look at me." Jessie's voice was gentle, and I looked back at her vibrant green eyes. "What do you think you could have done?" She asked me gently.
I shrugged. "I don't know, something. I could have come back the moment I turned eighteen and challenged him for the throne. The people hate him and everyone else is scared of him."
"Then why don't you?" Jessie asked me.
I blinked. "Why don't I what?" I asked her.
Jessie squeezed my hands tightly. "Why don't you go back? Why don't you go challenge him?"
"I-" I stuttered. "I-uh-" a smile broke out on my face. "I don't know."
Jessie also smiled. "See, you don't have a reason not to."
My smile faltered. "But what about you?" I asked her. "You can't go with-"
"Did you hear what I said about two minutes ago?" Jessie interrupted me. "I'm not going anywhere. Which means, I'm coming with you, dummy."
I had to admit, I was thankful for her willingness to come with me. I smiled again and pulled her into a hug, my mind reeling.
I was going home.
And I was taking my throne.