Hybrid Hunter

Reunion

I feel my breathing becoming more and more ragged with each passing minute and I find myself having to lean against the counter. Max continues looking at me with his gun raised a fury of emotions flashing across his face. Seeing Max like this not only confuses me but it also breaks my heart.

"Max please tell me what the hell is going on!" I feel tears threatening to fall. A sudden wave of realization spreads across Max's face.

"You really don't have any idea what is going on do you?" He lowers his gun and holsters it but not moving from his position. I shake my head and slowly my breathing returns to normal and feeling safer with his gun holstered and I start to walk towards him. When I am only a few feet from him Max looks at me cautiously and then dashes forward across the empty space and pulls me into a crushing hug.

"Gosh Max your hugging me like it wasn't just yesterday when you saw me" I let out a small laugh. I pull away from him wanting to take in his gentle yet handsome features that I feel like I haven't seen in ages. I let out a small gasp because no longer I am met with his warm, bright and friendly eyes or his smooth, porcelain skin. Instead I am met with eyes that are tired and dull of light and his porcelain skin is replace with a scarred and dirty face set with tense jaw. Max eyes and features soften some when I place my hand on his cheek.

"What happened to you Max? You look like you've been through a lot in just a few days" Max's eyes widen and he takes a step back from me and turns his back to me.

"Max?" I am concerned he has never acted like this before.

"Damn Trix how do I tell you what I want to tell you without freaking you out more than you are already?"

"Tell me what? Max just spit it out!" Max takes a deep breath turning a back to me.

"The reason that I hugged you so hard is that it hasn't been only a few days since I last saw you Trix, it's been almost two years."

---

"Almost two years!?" "You mean to tell me that I have been out cold in a hospital for three years? Why? What happened?" I take deep breath trying to focus on my breathing.

"Also why is the entire hospital staff dead on the floor with their insides ripped out, missing body parts or have their faces ripped open?" I start to pace back and forth bombarding Max with questions to try and figure it all out.

"Calm down Trix, I'll explain" Max says grabbing my shoulders to stop my pacing.

"I can't calm down Max; how do you expect me to do that? I've missed almost two years of my life because I was out cold in a hospital bed for some reason I have yet to figure out. Then when I do wake up I wake up and find what looks like a scene right out of a slasher flick." I feel tears threatening to fall again.

I turn to Max and the look on his eyes are cast downwards all of sudden finding interest in the blood stained tiles.

"Oh but that's not the best part! No, the best part is that when I did figure out where I was, I am expecting my family or at least my best friend to be beside me. But when no one is there I think that is okay I'll figure it out but then I am thrown for a complete curve ball when I find someone who I know and he looks like he just stepped out of an action movie!" I grab one of the chairs from the nurse's station and plop down onto it trying to process everything.

"I honestly don't know where to begin" Max says as he grabs the other chair and sits in front of me grabbing my hands and rubbing small circles on the back of my hand.

"I don't care where you start, just tell me something" I feel tears starting to roll down my cheek and I grab onto his hands harder like somehow they will keep me anchored to reality and answer all of the questions that I have running through my head.

I look Max in the eyes, "just start from that night at the bar and tell me everything I need to know and I'll try and make sense of the rest".

There is a loud crash and I see the elevator doors being forced open and a deep unearthly growl. Max dives under the desk pulling me with him. After a few minutes of silence Max pulls me up with him.

"Shit they found us! We have to get out of here, it's not safe. They know I am here and that I am no longer alone" Max grabs my arm and we make our way towards the nearest staircase.

"Max you are not making any sense please tell me something!" Max puts his finger to his lip silencing me and I glare at the back of his head in frustration.

Max stops when we reach the emergency exit and I don't realize I am holding his hand until he lets it go to speak into a walkie-talkie.

"We are in emergency exit landing on the east side of the building."

There is a few moments of silence and then the person must respond correctly because Max comes back and sits down on the bottom stair and motions for me to sit beside him. I sit beside him and look at him expectantly.

"I tell you as much as I can" I give Max a curt nod telling him to continue.

"So about a year ago something strange happened in Grand Falls. Everyone started getting really sick, some of them died only a few hours after getting sick. Others were lucky, if you want to call it luck, to survive for days or months. Then one day some of the people who got sick turned into these things. We had no idea what they are when they first started turning and we still don't" Max sighs laying his head in his hands.

I look at Max and he must be able to see me processing everything because he only continues when I nod my head again.

"I mean they look human, minus their discolored skin, but they definitely are not humans because I have never seen anything tear a human open or rip them limb from limb so quickly. So violently."

"That must be a terrible thing to see" I say as I rub my hand in small circles on Max's back.

"It is. I can't even begin to explain the nightmares I have because of it." Max sighs and I feel his shoulders tense up.

"It's so strange, their eyes gloss over and they get this dazed look. When that happens you hope for one of two options; one, you have a gun handy and you are a good shot. Or two, that you can outrun it. I have yet to see the second option turn out well," he lets out a tired laugh. Max gets up and peeks out the window and for the first time since he found me I see some of the tension in Max's shoulders release.

"We should be safe here until Roger and the rest of the group can get here." I look at Max in disbelief.

"Roger? As in the Roger who sits at home every night drinking a case of beer and watching M*A*S*H re-runs, Roger?" I ask because I cannot imagine Roger being in any way capable of the physical activity or feats that I just saw Max do. Max laughs and sits back down next to me.

"Don't worry Trix, Roger drives the vehicles and only occasionally gets off of his butt long enough to shoot something and when he does he's actually a pretty good shot."

I laugh and lean my head on Max's shoulder feeling a sudden need to be close to him. He has always had a calming effect on me and that is what I need right now. I see Max's lip turn up in a small smile as he wraps his arm around my waist and we just sit there in silence for a while.

"I never thought I would say this, but I have never been happier to be hugged by someone who probably hasn't had a proper shower in months." I let out a strangled laugh and lightly punch his arm as I try to push back the tears that threaten to fall. I don't know if it's because of the exhaustion I feel or the overwhelming feeling of happiness I feel being with my best friend again. Slowly I am hit with a wave of the most amazing smell ever and my body begins to tingle with excitement. When I realize that this amazing smell is radiating off of Max bile rises in my throat and I start to panic.

Why does Max smell so delicious?