The Bounty Hunter

Chapter Nine

I woke with a jolt, a small scream escaping my throat as I sat bolt upright. I panted heavily as my body continued shaking, drenched with sweat. Blood was splattered all over the cage and the stench of death filled my nostrils. I couldn't breath for a second until I finally got my breathing under control. I blinked a couple times and the image finally faded, leaving nothing but the smooth clean cage. After the image faded, I exhaled in relief and focused on calming my rampant heartbeat. I looked around the cage and spotted Hailey a few feet away, blissfully sleeping away. The nightmares were getting worse every night and it probably wasn't helping I was locked in a cage. My fears were starting to get the best of me. I placed my hand on my forehead, feeling the beads of sweat underneath it. I inhaled deeply before releasing the air, finally calming down. I glanced outside to see the sun coming up, so I decided to stay awake to watch it. There was no point into going back to sleep now. I knew I would awake in another frenzy just like now. And I didn't want any witnesses to those nightmares, because I knew I'd be questioned on them. For now, it was safer to stay awake. As I watched, I heard the stretching of Hailey's noises and looked over to see she had woken up. She eyed me before smiling, and I returned her smile with my fake one. She crawled over and sat beside me, nuzzling up to my side as she joined me in watching the sun rise. She was quiet for a moment before she decided to end the silence.

"The evaluations yesterday weren't so bad," she began in a calm voice and I felt a smirk come up on the corner of my mouth. "They said I was healthy but underweight. I guess it was expected though. Did you know I'm 5'5 now? I also didn't know my eyes were bluish green." I shook my head as I listened to her. My little sister was as tall as me now and I'm four years older than she is. I closed my eyes for a moment. Looks like I will end up being the shortest. I opened my eyes as she continued to talk about her evaluation. She went on to say since we were both blondes, the evaluators made some blonde jokes about us. Hailey found it hilarious, while I on the other hand, found it annoying. She was still laughing at some of the jokes as she repeated them to me, and I humored her by chuckling every now and then.

"So, what did they say about you?" I looked at her as she changed the subject, and I pulled out my best lying voice.

"I was a bit unhealthier than you, but like you said, it's expected," I said with my head leaning to the side, my eyes focused on the outside world. Hailey seemed to be content with my answer, for she nodded and fell silent, resting her head against my bony shoulder. She doesn't need to concern herself with me, no matter what Lloyd says. He didn't know me or her. Or what I had saved us from. It surprised me he didn't come by the cage today, since our little spat the other day. I'm sure he had more to say to me, but I didn't feel like socializing with his kind anymore. I don't want to see his face ever again. Unfortunately, I probably have to. I'm his prisoner for now.

A couple hours later, the hovercraft took a turn and I leaned my head against the iron bars to see a massive estate. I felt my mouth drop open as I saw the size of the mansion and the surrounding houses. Hailey was extremely excited to see it; her eyes were wide and her expression was of awe. I chuckled at her expression, knowing she hadn't seen anything like this before. I turned my attention back onto the estate. There were at least four buildings on this estate, all the size of a miniature castle, with a beautiful fountain placed in the middle. The crafts circled the fountain and I watched as Lloyd, Luke and another man got off and headed into the mansion, the door closing behind them. The craft started to move again, and I knew where we were being taken. At least I knew Lloyd would be far away from me. We pulled up to a large building and they backed the craft into the south side of it.

The building was located left of the mansion Lloyd was residing in, and I prayed we wouldn't have to see him. They opened the door to our cage and hauled us out. They put me in chains while they just grabbed Hailey's arms. I narrowed my eyes in irritation as I knew this was probably Lloyd's doing. We were taken to the individual concrete cell blocks lining the inside of the building. I looked around as we walked; the doors were made of a thick metal, and there was a panel with glowing buttons on them. I knew the panels were the only way in or out of the cells. We stopped in front of one and Hailey was placed inside. I tried to follow, but was yanked back by the soldier who tied me up. They place in the cell next to hers and they slammed the door behind me after they removed my chains. I walked over to the wall and placed my ear against it, hoping I would hear Hailey. But sadly, I was only met with the cold surface of the concrete. I walked towards the door and I could hear the faint clicks of the panels as the soldiers made their rounds. Being unable to see Hailey made me uneasy. I didn't trust the soldiers here, and I didn't want anything to happen to her. I sat on the ground and crossed my arms, my mind spinning. I heard the different sounds of clicks as the men typed in some type of code into the panels of the cells and a idea struck me. I quickly observed my cell, and spotted another code panel just barely out of my reach, by the right of the door. An idea popped into my head and I smiled deviously to myself. You made one mistake Lloyd, and I plan on revealing that flaw. I wasn't planning on staying here. I knew it was a matter of time before Lloyd sold us off to somewhere, and I couldn't help but fear Hailey may end up in danger once again. I looked back up at the panel. I was going to get us out of here. I knew memorization wasn't my best aspect, but anything right now was worth a shot. If I could memorize the sounds of the panels of mine and Hailey's, I could unlock both of the doors and we could get out. Anything is worth it.

The next day I listened every time they would type in mine or Hailey's code on the panels. They visited at least three times a day, which made listening to it easier. The doors would shut and lock behind the guards when they entered our cell, and I would try to sit in a spot to where I could see the code. Eventually I tossed the idea from my head; it was impossible without making it obvious. I didn't want the guards to catch on to my scheme. Hearing the beeping sounds over and over again was no doubt annoying but I wasn't about to give up. One, I had to get us out of here and two, I wanted to cherish the look on Lloyd's face when he found out we escaped. On the evening of the next day I had it memorized down to an art. All I had to do now was plan ahead on how we were going to get safely out of the ranch. The whole thing was lined with wire fencing, and I wouldn't put it past Lloyd to make it electrical. The main doors to the building slammed open, enough to shake the entire area. It startled me and I fell off of my makeshift mattress. I heard two loud voices talking as they walked up and down the corridors. I pressed my ear against the door, listening intently so I could catch a few of their words.

"...a large snake guarding that area."

"Dude, are you sure? Something that dangerous guarding there? What's the boss thinkin'?"

"Hey I'm sure the boss doesn't want runaways or something. It'll be sure to catch them. I guess it's to teach all future runaways a lesson too."

"You kidding me? That thing would devour a bear if it had the chance."

"It's a good thing its way out there then."

"Still man, that's pretty dangerous. What if something..."

The voices trailed off after that. I leaned back from the door and stared at the ground, a puzzled expression on my face. A large snake? What was it supposed to be guarding? This little piece of information bothered me. Why would anyone bring a large snake into a ranch? I shook my head, casting the information away. I didn't care why Lloyd wanted a snake or what he wanted to do with it. It had to be tomorrow when we would escape. I didn't want to chance on staying here any longer than we had too. The rest of the evening I spent listening and running over the codes in my head. My code was 394875 and Hailey's was 394624. I had to give thanks to the guards for making it so easy. I kept repeating these codes to myself. I knew sleep wasn't going to come to me tonight, especially with the nightmare still haunting me a nights ago. I sat there propped up against the wall thinking. My thoughts drifted back to the conversation I had had with Lloyd and I narrowed my eyes instinctively. Was he right in the sense that I should tell Hailey everything? No! I can't. No one but me understands the situation. Lloyd can act like he does, but in reality he has no clue what I've been through. Hailey is fine with it anyway. I hated the man and everything he had done. He has put us in a very tight situation and I grew angrier every time I thought about it. I hated him and the all those damn Hunters. I hated the way life is. It was nothing but a sick joke. I hated my life and the people who caused all this rubbish in the first place. I hated...I stopped myself, my eyes widening.

Hatred was about the only thing I could think about now and it shocked me. I didn't show much emotion, not even to Hailey and I felt guilty about it. But it wasn't really my fault. How could it be? Have I really dropped so low, I thought. I couldn't even remember the last time I told Hailey I loved her. Life is cruel; love is cruel, that much I know. I brought my knees up to my chest and my shoulders started shaking as I started to realize the truth. Tears welled in my eyes and slowly started running down my cheek as I sat there. Have I hated the world so much and despised everything in it, that I forgot to tell my sister I loved her? I really am just a walking, ragged doll. I can't love anything anymore, not even Hailey. All of that was driven out of me. I covered my mouth as tears streamed down my face. The walls I had built around myself made it impossible to have the ridiculous emotion called love. How do you love someone? How can you find love in a world when it has only offered you the bitterest part of life? I sobbed quietly, my whole body trembling. Had I lost the most important trait a human being could ever possess? Had I lost the ability to love? I knew the answer and it shocked me to know I was right. Hatred and solitude defined me perfectly. That's what's kept me going. That, and the fact I had Hailey to care for. I closed my eyes as the tears continued to cascade down my face. No, I wasn't a human being anymore. I was someone whose emotions were ripped out of them, and they were replaced with an undying hatred. The thought never left my mind as I sat there through the rest of the night.

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