Regeneration

Chapter 43 - Two Weeks

"He was showing some type of restraint," she looked at the hunter, "Just like he is now."

My gaze shifted from her to Ryan, who maintained an uncanny calmness. His eyes were trained on me, studying me as though he was trying to figure something out.

"He's never tried to attack me," Reya's tone was severe, "Not once Hailey."

She looked at me for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't, she walked over to a small table in the corner of the room and leaned against it, looking at the hunter.

"Just as suddenly as he appeared, he vanished back into the woods and left me shaken for days. Thinking I had hallucinated the whole thing. I thought I was losing my mind. Then I saw him again the next time I had patrol duty, and again. I took Dune with me one time but Ryan never showed up. He seemed to know that he could trust me so he only came around when I was alone. For a few nights I met Ryan at the fence. I made sure he was safe before I brought him here."

Her eyes moved towards me, "This is the first time I've had another person around him."

Although I suspected this already, her words heightened my anxiety.
"He still seems to be displaying the same restraint he has with me."

I finally bring my eyes to look at the hunter for longer than a few seconds, studying it's countenance. It was still staring through me. My eyes narrowed when I noticed the dark crusted substance around its mouth. My stomach sank.

"Reya," I said slowly, my eyes shifting toward her, "What...do you feed it?"

By the colour of the crusted blood around it's mouth, I could tell that it had a recent meal. I didn't want to believe that Reya would do something so awful so I hoped with everything in me that she wouldn't say the worst thing imaginable.

Was it about to happen it me?

She immediately stood up straight, her mouth forming a soft O.

When she grimaced at what I was suggesting, I felt a tiny bit of relief.

"Live animals," she looked almost ashamed to say it. To admit that she had been keeping her infected brother down here and caring for him like a pet.

"In the beginning, he wasn't as composed as he is now-he would twitch a lot or pace around. The more I fed him, the more composure he gained."

I was beginning to feel sick.

"Reya, I'd like to leave." I saw her shoulders drop as I said it.

She knew when I walked out of here this would be over for her. The panic translated on her face, with eyes darting around, searching for a solution.

She stepped toward me and I stepped back.

"Hailey, I'm begging you," she put a hand to her chest, "Just, please let me see this through, give me two weeks and I'll show you he'll recover even more. He is getting better."

I stared at her, processing what she was saying.

"If he doesn't progress by then," She paused mustering up the strength to say the next words, "I'll kill him myself."

"Reya I-" I began.

"Aren't you in the slightest curious to see if he does make a full recovery." She cut me off to plead her case further, "If he does, this could change everything, he may very well be the answer to all of this." Her voice was filled with desperation.

She was right about the recovery of a hunter changing everything, but how could she be so sure that he would. What if he regressed and snapped. That could be dangerous for everyone at the camp.

"Two weeks Hailey," she repeated, "I've been careful and we've been safe thus far, what's two more weeks?" Her eyes were pleading.

I closed my eyes, trying to organize my thoughts. I tried to imagine myself in Reya's position and that hunter being Nylah or Nathan. If I thought I had a shot at getting my brother or sister back and solving the apocalypse at the same time, maybe I would've let some reason escape me and hope for the best outcome.

I thought hard on it for a minute.

"Ok," I answered.

I could see the relief sweep over her.

"Thank you." A tear rolled down her cheek.

I let my gaze fall on the hunter one last time. My eyes narrowed as I watched it crane it's neck back, inhaling a long deep breath.

It snapped its head back to me, it's eyes now laser focused onto my mouth.

A wave a anxiety hit me as I became aware of the metallic taste of blood on my tongue. The split in my lip was still bleeding, the hunter seemed to take notice of this. I waited, expecting it to lose control and begin thrashing around, but it didn't.

I looked back to Reya with a serious expression, "Two weeks."

Reya and I left the cabin together, going our separate ways after I watched her lock the back door.

The rain had eased to a drizzle and the winds dropped a few knots. I opened the door to our cabin as quietly as I could and stepped inside. I bent over to pull my boots off, but my hand goes to my back instead, wincing at pain from when Reya knocked me to the ground. Kicking off my boots, I turned to go toward the kitchen.

I could use that glass of water now.

My stride halted when I saw him sitting on the couch looking at me.

"Romero," I sounded surprised.

"Hailey," He said calmly.

He stood and walked over to me, looking at my damp hair.

"I needed some air," I offered the explanation as nonchalantly as I could.

His eyebrows drew together as he glanced at the living room window. The rain rolled down the glass in steady streams.

"Your back okay?" His eyes refocused on me.

I found myself trying to control my breathing. I couldn't decipher if it was because of the excuse I was trying to find or how close he was standing to me. His eyes fell to my lips, and I had to focus to get the next words out.

"Training was pretty rough." I said, finding my composure.

I lost it again when he brought his hand to my chin, holding it gently. His thumb brushed under my lower lip before he tugged it downward, exposing the bleeding tissue—courtesy of Reya.

Shit. My lip must be swollen by now.

"How did that happen?" He eyed the split on the inside of my lip a moment before moving his hand so I could answer.

For a brief moment, I wanted to divulge everything that had happened tonight. I even considered that he might know something about hunters recovering—but I did't say anything. I couldn't be sure how he would react to that information. I had given Reya my word, and part of me needed to see whether Ryan would recover more over the next two weeks.

"Um, in training as well, seems to keep opening up and bleeding," I lied, waiting to see if he would buy it.

He studied me for a few seconds before speaking again

"Dune, did this?" His eyes darkened.

"No," I closed my eyes for a second to find my story, "I misbalanced and fell on my face."

Romero regarded me for a moment.

"Hmm," He made a low sound as he tilted his head slightly.

"I should get to bed," I said softly.

"Yeah," he said quietly before stepping aside.

I went toward the room, forgetting about the glass of water. He knew I was hiding something.