Cold coated Rachel's very bones, sending her body into a trembling fit. Everything hurt as if a herd of rhinoceroses had trampled her. She moaned and opened one eye. Nothing. Velvety darkness surrounded her. All lay silent and damp. Her head swam together with her stomach.
She tried to move, to press her hands against her temples, but her body refused to obey. What had they injected her with? It even hurt to blink, not to mention breathe. Every time she filled her lungs it stung as though a hedgehog had taken residence inside her rib cage. An annoying itch stung her left shoulder.
She gasped. What time was it? Was Daniel...? Her throat tightened at the thought. He couldn't be dead!
Gathering the little strength she had, Rachel urged her body to move. She managed to roll to her stomach and pushed herself into a sitting position, with her back pressing against the wall. The effort provoked a coughing fit and she was suddenly aware of her lungs. Tears filled her eyes. As hard as she tried, she couldn't pull herself together and at least try to get out of there.
Feeling like a helpless child, she hugged her knees and let the tears flow. She didn't usually cry, but all that had happened in the last day was too much. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was in a bar, pissed off at Daniel, and now, she might never see him again. Now, here she was in a pitch dark place, sitting on a rough stone floor, in complete silence, letting the waterworks flow.
Her insides turned icy cold. What did this fear and sense of no purpose mean? Why did the thought of Daniel dead terrify her so much? The idea of not seeing him, not touching him again was too much for her heart to process. She should be worried, he was her friend, but this was so much more. His face appeared in the darkness, dark blue eyes twinkling. She could hear his laughter, see his smile. That day back in Prague, when Cheryl was still alive, came to her mind. How he'd made her happier than she'd ever been with just one touch.
Hot determination filled her veins and dried her tears. No, she wouldn't let them do this!
Rachel unlocked her limbs, felt her way up the wall and pulled herself to her feet. Ignoring the millions of needles stinging her numb body, she moved to the right, feeling up the cold stone. She reached the adjoining wall, which turned out to be rough, iron bars.
Perfect! She wrapped her fingers tightly around them and pulled. Except for a pathetic rattle, nothing happened. Rachel frowned. They were supposed to come right off. She tried again, tugging harder. A louder rattle, but nothing else. Whatever was in that drug, it sapped her powers.
Rachel leaned her forehead against the damp iron, breathing deeply, trying to calm down.
Everything was wrong. She was weak and dizzy when she was supposed to be her strongest and help Daniel. If he wasn't dead already. Daniel dead, Cheryl dead, Chris hated her. Her eyes stung, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears. Not the time to drown in self pity. But if Daniel was dead...No, don't think about that!
Tightening her grip on the iron bars, she clattered them. "Let me out, you assholes!" she yelled as loud as she could. "If you don't, I'll hunt all of you down and make you pay!"
A door slammed, sending an eerie echo through...wherever she was. From the way the sound bounced off the walls, she supposed there was a corridor on the other side of the bars. Quick footsteps pressed on the stone floor toward her, and stopped on the other side of her cell. She squinted, but she couldn't even make out a shadow. An earthy scent filled her nostrils. A man stood before her.
"I didn't expect you to be up already."
Rachel gasped. She recognized the voice. It was the Head Hunter. "Let me out," she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
"I will. As soon as you are ready to be transferred to your new division. In a couple of hours, probably."
"I don't want a new division. I work well with Daniel."
"Daniel will be dead soon enough."
Rachel held her breath. He wasn't dead yet. There was still hope. "Let me go or I swear you'll be sorry."
"Swearing is never good." The man sounded amused. "You are very devoted to Daniel."
"Damn right, I am!" She was starting to get annoyed. "He saved my life. And not just once. He's my best friend."
"Good. It means I can trust you." The Head Hunter lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I was against Daniel's sentence. But, unfortunately, we're a democracy." He laughed bitterly. "Where is a good old tyrant when you need one?"
Rachel rubbed her eyes. Was he joking? Torturing her by giving her hope and then taking it away? Or was he really on their side? She wished she could see the man's face. At least that way, she'd have a chance to tell if he was yanking her chain. "Will you let me out, then?"
"No. I will help Daniel escape. He will then come for you. I have given him directions."
She grasped the iron bars. "Why are you helping us escape?"
"Because I believe Maximus knew something the rest of us don't. He was, after all, the wisest of us. The Council is too comfortable with the status quo to try and locate Vlad. They don't even believe that slaying him would do any good. Sometimes, young renegades are needed."
Shadows lifted from Rachel's eyes. Like a beacon in the fog, the Head Hunter's bearded face came into view. She shook her head, and with every passing second, her vision cleared. Every feature of the man's face came into sharp focus. The rest of her body tensed and the familiar feeling of responsive muscles accompanied the return of her sight. The drug must have started to wear off. She let out a sigh of relief.
"I will play my part. I will do my best to keep other Hunters out of your way. It shouldn't be hard, since they do not travel." He hesitated for a second, then took Rachel's hand. Can you hear me?
Rachel tilted her head. Yes, of course.
"Peculiar." The man pulled his hand back. "Daniel spoke to me this way. I've never seen anything like it."
"But Daniel said all Hunters talk like this." Rachel tried not to gawk, but couldn't help herself.
"Daniel knows little more about this world than you do. He is quite unusual. So powerful for his age." The Head Hunter rubbed his chin. "I hope you will not let me down. I have risked much for you. Do your job. Kill Vlad." He whipped around and stalked off.
Rachel sighed and sat, hugging her knees, alone again. A shimmer of hope lifted the weight on her heart. But what if he was lying? What if he'd only said that to get her to go quietly? She had no choice but to wait. Either for her departure, or for her strength to return.
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Every step Rachel took along the runway felt heavier than the last. She couldn't believe she was doing this. Walking obediently between two buffed up Hunters who seemed to live off steroids. Her strength hadn't fully returned. It was the only reason she wasn't trying to escape. That and the hope that the Head Hunter hadn't lied to her. But the closer they got to the small jet waiting next to a metal hangar, the more she doubted it.
Where was Daniel?
Her pace slowed and her breathing hitched. There was no was way she was getting on that plane.
"Come on." One of the guards nudged her forward.
Rachel dug her heels into the gravel and stood her ground. "I just changed my mind."
"It's not up to you." The other guard wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her off the ground. "You're getting on that plane and going home."
Rachel kicked him in the shin. The man gasped and dropped her. She sprinted toward the exit, running as fast as her legs could carry her. It still didn't feel right. The wire fence wasn't getting closer at the rate she would have liked. There were a good fifty meters left between her and the gate. She forced her muscles to obey, trying to squish the remainder of the tranquilizer effects.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot her!"
A blast sounded behind her. Rachel threw herself forward and rolled on the gravel path. A second shot cut through the silence. She couldn't believe they missed her twice. She got to her knees and looked over her shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat. Daniel was running toward her, holstering a gun.
"Come on, Rach." He yanked her up and pushed her toward the exit.
Rachel looked beyond Daniel, at her fallen captors. They both lay on the ground, unmoving. Her eyes shot back to Daniel. As if they had a will of their own, her hands rose and touched his face.
"How did you...? Are you okay?" Even before her question was out, she knew the answer.
Determination and certainty poured in waves out of him.
For a second he just stared at her, then he shook his head. I'm fine. Now take your hands off, you're distracting me.
Rachel pulled back. Distracting him?
Daniel grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the black Jeep that had brought her there. He held the passenger door open for her, then got in the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt.
"What happened to those guys?" Rachel asked as Daniel started the engine and drove off with a screech.
"I shot them." He started typing coordinates into the GPS system. "Gabriel snuck me a dart gun. Enough to get rid of my guards and yours."
"Gabriel? Oh, you mean the Head Hunter. Great." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. The street behind them was deserted. "What now?"
Daniel stomped on the gas hard enough to have Rachel press against her seat. He seemed to want to get as far away as possible. Even if going faster than was safe, he turned his full attention to her. "How are you feeling? Did they hurt you?"
Rachel's heart picked up the pace. She blinked a few times, trying to take in the scene. He'd never acted like this toward her, so seriously worried. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm still a little numb, and my full strength isn't back, but, other than that, I'm fine. Thanks for coming after me."
He smiled and returned his gaze to the road. "How could I not? You're the only ray of light left in my otherwise miserable existence."
She looked away, trying to hide the hideous grin spreading across her face against her will. Why did that make her so happy? "Glad you did, anyway. So, what's the plan?"
"Gabriel gave me directions to their library. We can find more info about Vlad there."
Rachel's eyebrow quirked up. "Hunters have a library?"
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But it can't hurt. He hasn't let us down so far."
"It was for his own good. I would've killed him if he didn't help you escape."
"Really, Rach? You care that much about me?"
"That much and more." The words came out before she had the chance to stop them. But, to her relief, he didn't laugh at her or get all serious. Instead, he pinched her side.
"Be careful what you say, babe. I might take it the wrong way."
She huffed, but couldn't stop smiling. "Take it any way you like, babe." She had no idea why she was flirting back, but it felt amazing.
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Thanks for reading another chapter of Hunters. Hope you had fun! Leave a comment or vote in case you enjoyed it. And thank you for your support!