I Want To Be Free

31. More Secrets Unravel

CHAPTER | THIRTY-ONE

"Stay still." I ordered, giving Hunter a whack on the thigh.

"It hurts." He whined, giving his leg a little shake.

"It'll hurt more if you keep moving." I muttered under my breath.

I dipped the paper in rubbing alcohol and lightly cleaned Hunter's wound on his left side of his torso. Marco and Lucas reluctantly went out to buy more medical supplies while Elijah went to heat leftovers for Hunter to eat.

"I'm sorry." Hunter said after a moment of silence.

"Sorry for what?"

"For the whole car episode thing. I didn't know Austin was going to follow you."

I paused and looked at him. He was propped up with pillows and blankets on Elijah's bed, looking anywhere, but me. He's torn shirt was on the floor, leaving me staring at his naked torso. He had bruises everywhere. Some were old and some were still fresh. Dried blood and dirt clung to his skin. His arms were also covered in scars but I had bandaged them up after cleaning away the filth and blood. Despite his injuries, Hunter still managed to make snarky remarks and flash smirks.

That was Hunter for you, folks.

"I thought you were dead..." My voice trailed off, unsure how to finish it.

"How did your mother die?" Hunter whispered the question out.

I dipped a different piece of paper in the water and cleaned the dirt. "She... She died in a car accident." I said, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat and scooted more closely to the bed.

"Who ran her over?"

"It was a young man."

"Was he ever found?"

"Why are you asking these questions?" I asked, not wanting to talk about it.

Hunter remained silent, his eyes glued to the blank screen of the television. "I escaped from the bullets. Hell, they weren't even aiming for me. They knew you were hiding behind the bushes and that you would run away as soon as you saw those bullets fly. Stupid me thought you were safe, but nooo. It was all a fucking setup to get you away from me and capture me."

"You are not stupid, Hunter. They just caught you off guard." I insisted.

"Shut up. You're not making it easy," Hunter deadpanned and I held my hands up in surrender, "Anyway, I was taken to your father. I forgot how nice he can be, by the way. He beat me when I was half sleeping. He even offered me rotten food which didn't taste that bad."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. At least I got something in the stomach." He said, patting his stomach and winced.

"How did you manage to escape?" I asked, returning to cleaning his wounds.

"I was locked in a basement. I don't know how Elijah and Marco managed to make it there without setting off the alarm but they did. They got me out and bam. We were out and on to the road of sweet freedom. Well, that was until we got some company."

"Sounds scary." I admitted.

Hunter waved his hand. "Not for the hero."

"You're going to call yourself the hero from now on, aren't you?"

"Damn straight."

I shook my head. "Alright, hero, do you want something to drink?"

"Do you have beer?"