Running With the Wave

Chapter 43

Hunter:

When I got to the Range they hadn't brought Era there yet, and I begin to wonder wether Sebastion tricked me and this is a trap. Should I go back?

"You can't. It might be true." I murmer to myself.

I step into the room and shut the door quietly behind me. I look around, trying to figure out where they would bring Era to Dispose of her. My eyes lock on the far wall, across from the glass pane. There. The Keeper would stand across from her and Auguste, the man in charge of carrying a clipboard to keep track of the women, would stand behind the glass with some back up Keepers. Footsteps echo on the other side of the door and I make a split second decision: I grab a black coat hanging from a peg on the wall next to the door, slip it on with the hood over my head and covering my face, and rush to the other side of the glass. Is it down on a stool and watch as Auguste comes in.

"Stay here." His voice is muffled but I can make it out.

The man who has gone through much more than many others comes in and slips behind the glass, flipping a bunch of switches on for the screens on the dashboard in front of us.

"Hello, Hunter." Auguste says quietly.

I look at him in surprise.

"How do you know it's me?" I reply, equally as softly.

He sighs and turns around at me, half moon spectacles sliding down his nose a bit.

"We spent enough time together for me to recognize you even when you're trying not to be recognized." he reminds me.

I look at him, pursing my lips. When Auguste was younger, before he started working in the prisons, he'd been training to be a Keeper too. He's much older than me, and I hadn't started training yet but we'd spent a lot of time together. He'd taught me about love.

"Do you what love is, Hunter?" Auguste had asked me.

"Something we're not allowed to have." My eight year old self had offered.

"But we should be allowed to have it. I'm in love." He had continued.

I had stared at him.

"What? You can't be, Auguste!" I'd stared at him, aghast.

"Why not? Because your father said so?" He had snorted.

Auguste had gotten me thinking. He made me realize that what is done to the women is terribly wrong. One night, he had taken me to the prison when he was going to meet his lover. I was shy, it was my first time ever meeting a woman and I was scared to get caught. She was alone in a cell, Auguste had told me it's because she hadn't always been there. She was beautiful, but I could tell she wasn't treated right.

"Who is this, Auguste?" she had asked, glancing warily at me.

"A friend I could trust with my life." He had smiled at her.

Standing on his toes, they both stretched out their hands and just managed to brush each others finger tips.

"This is Hunter," He had whispered, then turned to me, "This is my lover, Katillya. You must promise not to tell anyone about us."

My eyes had been wide as I nodded quickly and they had both smiled at me. Only a month or two later Father found out about Auguste and Katillya, and he had been furious. Auguste was locked away, soon to become a Doner and I was left alone wondering about love and missing my friend. A week later, Katillya became sick and on her death bed told the Keepers that she had given Auguste a candy that made him come back to her. They freed Auguste in the end, but gave him his job instead of becoming a Keeper because they didn't trust him. Katillya's death had left Auguste empty, and we never spoke again until this moment.

"I didn't tell Father about Katillya." I say quietly, not looking at him.

Auguste's head droops and all hsi energy seems to wash out of him.

"I know, Hunter. I know. But that doesn't change the fact that she's not here anymore."

I hesitate, then decide that if he could trust me, I can trust him.

"I fell in love."

He looks up at me, shocked.

"With who?"

"The girl who's being Disposed right now. Era." I tell Auguste, staring fiercly at him.

His mouth opens in an 'O'.

"Hunter... Oh god..." He mutters.

"I-" I begin.

"I can't let what happened to me and Katillya happen to you and Era." He interrupts me, "I'm going to help you two escape."

"Thank you." I whisper.

It hurt so much, seeing Era standing there in front of the Keeper as he points his gun at her. To see the empty, grief-filled look consuming her eyes. I just want to jump up, run and grab her then drag her out of the room instead of sitting here next to Auguste behind the glass. Her eyes close, and the man with the clipboard grabs my hand.

"One," he whispers.

The Keeper turns off the safety feature on his gun,

"Two,"

Era closes her eyes, waiting for the bullet to come.

"Three!"

Auguste drags me out from behind the glass and I stumble a bit then regain my footing. The Keepers turn and look at us in surprise and while they're too stunned to move I dart forwards amd grab Era. She trips along behind me then begins to run and we run together towards the exit. Era gasps as a sharp piece of metal sticking out from the doors catches on her skin and rips open part of her leg but we keep running, adrenaline moving us forwards. I turn back to make sure Auguste is following us, but he's trapped by the Keepers. I stop, staring at him.

"Auguste, c'mon!" I shout at him.

"I can't." He whispers sadly.

"Yes, yo-"

"Just got, Hunter! I don't have anything to live for anyways!" He screams at me.

I turn around and start running with Era, who still looks shocked. I can hear the bullet explode from the gun and Auguste's scream of agony as it pierces his heart. Tears prickle at my eye lids, but I keep running because of his last words to me. If I don't keep running, then I won't have anything to live for either.