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Hunter's Do It Best

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Okay the song has nothing to do with the chapter besides being the only thing I listened to while writing it

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*****

Jackson POV

When I woke up I was alone.

I sprung forward, panting for breath. Sweat dripped down from my brow and a cool wind blew through my hair. How did I get here? There was a throbbing pain in my head, I rubbed a hand over my forehead-noticing a tiny scratch mark just above my eyebrow. I could already feel it healing, as the skin covered  the open wound and sealed it shut painlessly. I stood up shakily, turning around in circles continously as I tried to figure out where I was. I knew this forest. I knew this path. I was only a short walk away from The Hole. But how did I get here? Flashes of memories ran through my mind. I tried to piece together what little I could remember. I remember waking up in the middle of the night. I remember that Tessa was right besides me, and how I had never seen her look so terrified before. There was something wrong...but what was it? More flashes dotted across my memory. Suddenly, I remember. There was someone in Tessa's room. I couldn't recall anything beyond that. My mind was a complete blank. I stepped in something cold and sticky. I looked down at my feet which were stained a dark red. I bent down, to get a closer look as my eyes adjusted and realized that I was standing in a pool of blood. I jumped backwards onto the grass, my heart pounding in my chest. There was trail of blood droplets leading out of the forest. I followed it, assuming whoever had lost this much blood wouldn't have made it that far. 

I reached the outerskirt of the forest, which overlooked a lake right besides the park. There was a dark figure standing by the edge of the water, and another lying on the grass motionless. I took a step forward, crunching a tree branch underneath my bare feet. The figure whipped their head around, and when they stepped into the moonlight I saw that it was Tuck. I stumbled backwards, tripping on a rock which caused me to fall onto my back. "Out of everyone, you were the biggest dissapointment." Tuck shook his head at me disapprovingly, his claws were stained with what looked like blood and he had scratches along his body which slowly started to heal as he talked. "What happened to pack before blood?" His eyes glowed vibrantly. 

"Wh-where's Tessa?" I asked nervously.

"Take a look for yourself." He fanned out his arm in the other direction, pointing towards the motionless figure on the grass. I scrambled to my feet and ran besides her. Her blonde curls were sprinkled over her face, one had was clasping her side which was soaked in blood, and the other was reaching into the grass-as if she had been trying to get something. Just barely, I could hear the dim sound of Tessa's heart beating. Her lips were turning pale and her fingertips twitched. I collapsed onto my knees, my heart snapping in my chest. Tessa's chest was slowly rising and falling-but just barely. She was clinging on to her last breaths of life. Tuck put his hand on my shoulder. "She's going to die." He told me blandly. "Unless we do something about it."

I curled my fists at my side and stood up-my anger boiling inside of me. "YOU did this!" I shoved him backwards. "This is YOUR fault!" I yelled, slashing him with my claws. But Tuck didn't fight back. I blew air angrily out through my nostrils. 

"I never wanted Tessa to get hurt." Tuck shook his head at me. "You know me better than anyone, Jackson." His voice softened. "We used to be a team, you and me."

"You hurt all those innocent people." I argued. 

"That doesn't mean that I don't care about her, too." He objected. His claws retracted back into his fingertips and his eyes returned to normal. "There's only one way to save her."