Manhunt

Chapter 8

Zane turned to start his walk towards the opposite direction, his hands sliding into his pockets. Julia took a deep breath before pacing over to him, her one hand ready to grab her knife.

"Zane Martin," she called out to him, prompting him to halt his movement. He tilted his head slightly as a sign that he heard her, patiently waiting for her to continue. She crept closer to him, her fingertips brushing against the hilt of the knife. "You've got seconds to tell me who you really are, and what you're really here for."

She was able to see the frozen movement of his chest and back, a sign that he had stopped breathing. Julia watched as his jaw tensed harshly, his teeth clenched tightly as he measured her words. Finally, he turned to face her, the look on his face a haunting one.

There it is.

"Alright, let's just—"

She grabbed her knife and slashed at him, the blade meeting air as he jumped back the second he saw her hands' movement. Seemingly caught off guard, he attempted to orient himself, a flash of surprise overtaking his features. Immediately, his hands moved to block his face, meeting Julia's aggressive stance. She pressed forward, punching and kicking through his defenses so that she could land a solid hit.

"Who do you work for?" Julia interrogated, not missing a beat as she swung the blade at him again. Just as he dodged the attack, she dropped the knife so that her other hand could catch it, swiping it at his face.

"Damn it, I should've known this was a bad idea—" He threw himself back as he narrowly dodged the blade from slicing his jaw. "Can you please put that thing down for one second?"

"It couldn't be a coincidence that you transferred in just before a teacher was assaulted." Julia pressed, ignoring his plea as she watched him like a hawk.

"It wasn't me, okay? I had nothing to do with it!"

"Then tell me who you are—what you are—"

"I think you know what I am, already!" He shouted in exasperation, struggling between fighting her off and offering some kind of explanation. "And I know you're the same. This place is full of people like us—shit, please stop trying to kill me." Hissing, he continued to evade, unable to go on the offensive from Julia's relentless movements. Just as she swung her hand again, he caught her wrist, twisting it painfully until she dropped the knife. He yanked her towards him, spinning her in the process until her back was against his chest.

"Julia, just listen to me!" He yelled out in pants, holding her tightly. She shoved her foot into his stomach, forcing him to release her. She spun around so that she was facing him again, bringing her hands up as she readied herself for combat. "I swear, I didn't do it."

"How can I believe you? It's not like you'd admit to it."

"I don't know anyone here, okay? I've never seen that woman before. My family moved here because we never stay in one place for too long—that much is true. You should understand what it's like." He explained desperately, raising his hands up in surrender. "I don't get why you're so on edge. Yes, I came at a suspicious time, but I know I'm not the only agent in this town—"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know what to look for. It's what I was trained to do. What are the odds of that many spies in a freakin' Shoprite?" He exasperated, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. "This town is definitely crawling with them. Just when I thought I found a normal school..." It was more so her neighborhood that was crawling with agents than the whole town, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at him, watching his every move. "You gotta believe me, Julia. I didn't do this." Her jaw pulsed from the tension, still on edge.