Contest Entries

Hunter and Hunted | Round 3 • Write to Rank 2

Light spilled into the room, illuminating the scuffed edges of her boots and the fraying fabric of her pants.

"We're here." The man approached, the door sliding shut behind him and enveloping them in darkness once more.

"Already?" Wren said, cocking her head to the side. "What a shame. I was looking forward to spending more time with you."

Well, she'd spent most of the majority of the trip locked in this cell, but he seemed to note her sarcasm.

He crouched in front of her. His weapon hung by his side, a clear warning. "Tell me something."

"Depends on what you're asking," she said easily. "But before we start, can I get a name? I do so tire of thinking of you as 'space trash.'"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Camden."

"Is that a first name or last?"

"Neither. It's just Camden."

"Oh. I'd introduce myself, but you already seem to know my name. Which is to be expected, since my father hired you to kill me. Or maybe not, according to your 'dead or alive' spiel. Do you want me to call you Camden, or do you go by Cam? I've always liked one syllable names, especially since mine is Wren. Did your—"

He held up a finger, silencing her rambling. "We're not here to talk about that," he said, slight irritation coloring his tone.

She grinned. It was always fun to provoke certain people. She held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Go ahead, Cam. Camden. Be my guest. I'm just surprised you don't want to chat some more. Maybe...reveal your plans for me. How you're going to haul an innocent girl back to her monster of a father—unfortunately her own flesh and blood—and receive your reward." She paused. "By the way, how much was the bounty? Tell me it was an impressive amount."

He squinted at her like he couldn't quite believe what she was saying. "The only plans I have are to turn you over to my client—alive—and collect my payment."

"No, really though. How much is he paying you?"

"What does your father want with you, Wren?" he asked, ignoring her question.

She pulled her legs in and rested her elbows on her knees. "Why would you ask that?"

He didn't respond.

"You really don't know?" She huffed a laugh. "Okay. I'll give you the lowdown on it. But is it going to change anything once I tell you?"

"If you're thinking if I'm going to listen to your sob story and release you, then you're wrong."

She sniffed. "Mercenary."

He gave her a steady look. "No. Just a survivor."

"Doing what it takes. I can respect that." She gave him a mock salute. "Doesn't mean you're the good guy in this story, though. Anyway, I'm in trouble because I caused an accident that resulted in a...rather unfortunate death. So I ran. My father, I assume, took this as an opportunity to get rid of me, once and for all, and have a semi-legitimate excuse for doing it." She shrugged. "So here we are."

He stared at her, one eyebrow raised. "Is that so?"

"Mmhm."

"Why your father? The 'unfortunate death' had nothing to do with him."

"Like I said, he needed an excuse to get rid of me." The admission sent a pang through her, but she pushed it away before the pain took hold.

"Your own father?" Camden seemed surprised by it, as if he couldn't comprehend that someone was capable of such.

"My father hates me," Wren said softly.

The man before her stood, shaking his head. She couldn't tell if he was softening. But really, did he have any reason to? Bounty hunters didn't listen to the people they were supposed to capture or kill. She was surprised the man had been this curious in the first place.

He motioned for her to stand. "Up. We're going."

She clambered to her feet, hands still bound by the cuffs. As he took her by the arm, she forced her tone to be light despite the bleak situation. "So. Change your mind about turning me in?"

"What you did and what your father will do with you is none of my business. I shouldn't have asked."

She jerked her arm free from his grip, whirling to face him. "It's too late now, Camden," she said acidly. "But I guess I shouldn't expect someone like you to see who the innocent party really is."

He pushed her forward. "Don't play the victim, Wren. I think you need to reconsider who the bad guy actually is here. But I have a job to do and I'll do it."

She scoffed as they walked out of the cell. "Can't say I ever thought you wouldn't."