The Hunter In Me

15 - Sprinkles

My heart raced at the realization that the knife was in my boot. Owen snatched my arm out of their grip and spun around, coming face to face with a pretty, smiling girl.

"Wait! Oh, shit," I said, relieved he hadn't hit her.

She giggled. "Sorry, Bash. I didn't mean to scare you."

Owen gazed at her as I tried to calm myself and told him, "I've known Sara since kindergarten. She's a regular person. Act normal!"

I felt Owen lift one side of my mouth in a smirk as he said, "You're too cute to be scary, honey."

Her eyes widened, but she beamed up at him.

I gasped. "Dude, no! I didn't say flirt."

Sara pointed at a small coffee shop. "Me and a few girls are hanging out at Sprinkles. Since you're by yourself, I was wondering if you wanted to come have a treat with us?"

"NO! Say, no!" I yelled.

"No," Owen repeated.

Her expression fell, and guilt ate at me. "Be nice. What's wrong with you?"

Owen sighed. "I mean, thanks, but I was about to go home."

Her lips curved as her finger traced over my forearm. "Oh. Maybe we could hang out another time, you know, just the two of us?"

I'd forgotten how forward Sara was. "Tell her I'm dating Emily."

"I'm dating Emily." Owen sounded bored.

She leaned closer. "Emily's not here now."

Owen had stopped paying attention to her and was glancing at everything else, but she was bugging me. "Ugh, she's too close. Be nice; I don't want to hurt her feelings, but let's go."

Owen wasn't listening. He was staring past her to the end of the shopping complex, oblivious to her touching me.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "Her hand's on my stomach, back up."

Owen shook my head as he brushed her off. He was still looking down the street when he said, "No, thanks. Emily's better. Gotta go."

Sara huffed as he walked away, and I couldn't stop my laugh. "Dude, that was messed up."

"You wanted her gone." His serious tone sobered me, and I realized Owen was sizing up one particular man at the far end of the shopping center. He even stood on my toes to keep him in sight as people blocked his view.

The guy glanced back before gliding around the corner of the bar and disappearing. Owen moved faster, bumping people out of the way in his rush, saying, "Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me." Until we finally passed the shopping area and the crowd thinned.

"Is he a mimic?" I asked as we crossed the street, leaving the well lit stores and entering the shadows that surrounded the bar.

"I think so, and he noticed me."

Owen darted down the alleyway and skidded to a stop between the bar and the darkened woods circling the end of town. The mimic had vanished. An overflowing dumpster stood alone, filling the night with the sharp scent of rancid food. But the mimic couldn't have gotten far; he must've gone into the trees.

Adrenaline raced through me making my limbs tingle as Owen bent, slipped his weapon from my boot, and quietly stepped between the trees. About ten feet in, he stopped to listen and scan the area.

Leaves rustled. "Behind us!" I yelled, even though Owen was already turning.

The movement was a second too slow and the mimic's shoulder rammed into my stomach, tackling us to the ground, landing hard enough to knock the air from my lungs and the knife from my grasp.