Chapter 9:
The Dark Side of Hunter
Time went on like cement, slow. Hunter pulled out her phone and checked the time, only noticing that a minute went by since she last checked. It felt like she's been out here for hours, mindlessly downing glass bottles of an alcoholic beverage she managed to steal from a store outside of town. It was easy to complete the task, she just knocked the owner of the store unconscious and chucked bottles into her book bag, obviously wearing a ski-mask that she found in Charlie's drawer.
Now she was sitting on a cliff with her feet dangling and the liquor pilling up behind her. After Edward and Bella told her that Winston fled the scene, she didn't bother calling or texting him. She wasn't angry with him, she just knew he needed space to adjust to the newfound information.
But Bella briefly told her this morning that she was going to pick Winston up on the way to the Cullen's. He was apart of this now and he needed to be there to know the whole truth. Especially if they had to protect him too.
"Everyone thinks it's only the newborns coming." She slurred, raising her arms dramatically after taking a sip from the tequila bottle. "But I know— something else is coming. I can feel it." A loud burp passed after her sentence and she giggled, holding her hand up to her mouth.
"Sorry, where are my manners?" She asked, clumsily climbing onto her feet. There were whimpers behind her, a woman's. Hunter twisted in her spot and balanced herself. The fast movement created black spots in her vision but she recovered quickly. "Would you like some?"
She held the bottle up to the woman's face and giggled as she whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Help!" She screamed from her spot, earning a hard slap across the face. Hunter had kidnapped a woman on the way into the woods, a side effect of the whiskey she devoured. She made sure the woman was unconscious before she harshly dragged her into the forest.
The woman stared at her hand which was pinned against the tree, bleeding out relentlessly due to the thick stick that was sent through her palm as a way to keep her there. The entire time she stood there, watching Hunter down drink after drink, she tried to pull the stick out and escape but it was in too deep.
"I thought I told you to keep quiet. I don't want anyone to know I'm here." Hunter whispered, the liquid in her bottle sloshing around. She reached up to the woman's face and attempted to push her blonde hair aside, but she flinched away. "What's your name?" Hunter asked, not at all affected by the woman's fear.
The woman turned to face her with sweat coating her face. She gritted her teeth and breathed out heavily. All she was doing was going for a run, and now she was being tortured. "Go to hell you psycho!" She screamed again. She always assumed that men would be the one to do barbaric things like this, but she underestimated the power of a woman's mind and will.
Hunter sighed and forcefully grabbed onto the blonde's face, bringing her's down closer, "That's not what I asked you." Deep in her mind, she knew what she was doing was wrong, but the rest of her wanted to feel power, she wanted to be good at something. The fear in the woman's eyes is what was bringing her a sense of relief. As insane as it sounded, it made Hunter feel proud that she was succumbing to the vampire nature, and she was succeeding.
"Bethany." The woman cried out, keeping her sight on the sky. "My name's Bethany."
Hunter smiled and let go of her face, backing away a bit. "How old are you Bethany?" She asked, taking a swig of the alcohol.
"24." She choked out.
"Do you have any kids?"
"No— no. It's just me."
Hunter sighed and placed the bottle onto the ground before peeling off her jean jacket. Her face dropped all emotions and it started a fire of fear in Bethany's body. "Wh-what's happening? What are you going to do to me?" Bethany cried, pulling on the stick frantically.
Hunter checked the time once again. She had to meet everyone in a little while to train for the newborn battle. It was also when she'll see Winston again after a sleepless night. Her gums were aching and she desperately needed to feed before she did any fighting today. She tied her hair back into a ponytail and peered over to Bethany, a sinister look swimming in her eyes.
The tears came back and she found herself pulling on the stick even harder. She knew she was going to die, but that didn't mean she still couldn't try to save herself. "Please." She whimpered, "Let me go."
Hunter rolled her eyes and walked back over to her, "I can't. You know too much, but that's my fault." Bethany nearly dropped to her knees, her cheeks burning red and the blood around her palm hardening. "Please, I won't- I won't tell anyone. Just please. Don't kill me please." She begged, holding onto Hunter's arm like her life depended on it, which it did.
The hybrid sighed and pushed all of Bethany's hair to the side, leaving her neck wide open. Normally, a human was not on the menu, she refused to feed on them. But now she was desperate, and she couldn't find a reason why she shouldn't help herself. There was not a shred of humanity screaming at her to stop, all she saw was green lights. "I'm sorry but I can't trust you."
Bethany sobbed loudly and her body wavered. She could pass out if she wanted to, but the fear and adrenaline wouldn't let her let go. Hunter inhaled deeply and a grin appeared on her face. Smell has taken over her senses and she no longer cared about Bethany's cries.
"Plus, I'm starving." Hunter sighed. Bethany's tears stopped and her eyes lock onto Hunter's mouth where sharp fangs grew out. It was hypnotizing, to see something you spent your entire life believing was fake. As soon as Hunter's teeth sank into Bethany's neck, the blonde couldn't find it in her to scream anymore. Her throat was already hoarse and she stopped trying to break free. She was doomed and that was that.
Bethany's warm blood slid into Hunter's mouth quickly, the sweet metallic taste dancing on her tastebuds. It was different than animal blood, addictive. Her hands grip onto Bethany's limp arms and she continues to feed, letting the stray drops drip down her chin.
All it took was Winston finding out about her to drive her off the rails. With the entire town of Forks in danger, Edward and Jacob loving her, and Victoria preying on her, the pressure finally crushed her down.
When there was nothing left, Hunter unlatched her mouth from her neck and immediately pulled the stick out from the dead blonde's hand. She killed someone. For the second time since she's turned, she murdered an innocent human.
Hunter's hands shook violently, a wave of emotions finally hitting her. The strongest one she felt was hunger. She wanted to do it again, to feed on another human. It was stronger than she thought it'd be, as if she were high off drugs. "Okay." She whispered frantically, lifting Bethany's lifeless body. She looked around in search for a hiding place but there couldn't be one for miles.
Glancing over the cliff, an idea washed over her. She dropped Bethany and rushed over to her backpack, pulling off her bloody shirt in the process. She yanked out her hoodie and left the rest of the unopened bottles of liquor in there. She got up and zoomed over to the edge of the cliff, plucking rocks out of the dirt and any heavy looking objects. She tossed them into her bag and collected her empty bottles, using them as weight as well.
She picked up her overweight bag and wobbled over to Bethany. Her vision was a bit blurry and her mouth continued to water, the blood on Bethany's neck still glistening in the sunlight. She wanted to lick the rest of it off, to savor and relish in the last of the human's blood, but she had to dispose of the body.
Hunter slipped Bethany's arms into the backpack straps and tied the adjustable straps around her waist, to prevent it from coming off. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled, grabbing the handle of the bag and dragging Bethany to the edge of the cliff.
If there was one thing Hunter knew, it was that she wouldn't get away with this. Dozens of theories flooded her mind as she continued to lust over the blood. Bethany's family would file a missing persons, high class detectives and Charlie would lead all evidence back to here and they would find Bethany at the bottom of the ocean. She was paranoid, more than she was the first time.
A tear slid down her cheek and she pushed Bethany off the cliff, watching the lifeless body smash against the rocks below and crash into the ocean. The deed was done. She walked away from the edge and wiped her face clean of the blood with her old shirt before tossing her hoodie on.
She was going to need a new book bag.
___
Two hours had passed since Hunter dumped a dead body into the ocean. She was late to the training session. She had dozens of missed calls from Bella, Edward, Alice, and even Winston called her once. After what she did, she couldn't find it in her to relax one bit. She was paranoid and hungry, irritated and drunk.
The amount of alcohol she consumed was enough to kill a normal human ten times, but essentially she was already dead.
Her shoes scrapped the rocky road and she wobbled around aimlessly. The site was in her view and she couldn't help but grow a bit nauseous. There was no predicting what everyone's reaction would be upon her arrival. She hoped that no one would even notice her but she knew that was unrealistic.
Hunter gripped the half empty bottle of tequila and swigged some more. Her head lolled to the side and she cringed, feeling a headache coming along. Her throat was sore from the burning liquid and her nostrils flared everytime she inhaled, her scent heavy with alcohol.
Before today, she never drank as much. Whenever she was at a party, she had a cup or two of plain beer but now she was downing full on bottles of the strongest alcohol she could find. The rest of the unempty ones sat at the bottom of the ocean and this one still remained after she cleaned up her mess, so she helped herself.
Cutting through the back end, she was nearing the spot where everyone was. She could hear their voices and the rustling sounds of fighting, though it all sounded distorted to her. She covered her eyes frantically and stopped in her steps, her body crashing into a tree. Suddenly, it was too bright outside and everything was extremely loud.
"I can do this." She slurred, letting out a burning burp. She would've found herself repulsive if she was someone else. It was hilarious to say the least, for Hunter to know she was becoming everything she hated. "I can do it." She mumbled again, downing the rest of the contents of the tequila and chucking the bottle away from her, the glass smashing once it hit the tree trunk.
She cleared her throat and stood up straight. Once she started walking she could feel herself losing her balance. She straightened her back and held her chin up, trying her best to walk in a straight line. Through the remaining trees that stood in her way, she could see Alice and Jasper sparing.
Alice easily dodged all of Jasper's hits, her gift of seeing the future serving her well. When Jasper got his hands on her, he leaned in for a kiss only for her to slip out and disappear up into a tree. Hunter gasped loudly and covered her mouth, giggles spilling out. There was nothing surprising about what happened, but her mind wasn't on it's normal spectrum at the moment.
When Alice jumped down onto Jasper's back, she placed a kiss onto his lips and jumped down. Hunter frowned at that, she missed Winston. However, she kept walking or at least she thought she was.
Rosalie was the first to see her and the blonde wasn't amused. "How nice of you to show up." She called out, watching Hunter stumble down the small hill. Everyone's heads turned to her, surprised.
Hunter dusted herself and fixed her hoodie, her paranoia climbing back onto her back. She knew they could smell the harsh toxins on her and with the way she struggled to keep her balance, she gave herself away. "Sorry I'm late." She told them, not looking anyone in the eye.
"You're beyond late." Bella jumped in, rushing over to her friend with annoyance. "Where the hell have you been? We've been calling you like crazy." Hunter rolled her eyes and stumbled backwards. She should've expected Bella's questions and concerns, she wasn't the type of girl to brush things off, she always had to figure it out.
"You don't have to be so loud." Hunter mumbled, closing her eyes and clutching her head again. Her entire body felt numb, like her blood stopped circulating and she wanted to lay down. All the walking she did made her tired.
Bella furrowed her eyebrows, "Wha- never mind. Where were you? You missed your turn to spar with Jasper and Winston's here, I thought I told you that-" Hunter held her hand up, stopping Bella's sentence. Everyone else carried on with their business and left Bella alone to tend to the clearly drunk hybrid.
Hunter peeled her eyes open and she could see Edward standing by Winston, the both of them staring at her. She felt like a zoo animal in a cage, or like she was naked under a single spotlight, it was infuriating. "Can we stop this conversation please?" She asked Bella, her mind making her believe that she was swinging.
"What?" Bella asked sharply. Confusion infused into her mind and she couldn't help but grow angry at that. "No, we can't. I want to know what happened to you."
Hunter shrugged her shoulders lazily. Images of Bethany's bloodied body popped into her head and she could feel the hunger growing back. Human blood truly was addicting and she was already having withdrawals.
"Where were you." Bella asked again as she took a step closer to Hunter. Her voice was a bit more demanding but it was only because she was so concerned. She spent a majority of her time worrying about Hunter and defending her when people questioned about her whereabouts, she deserved to know why her best friend was late.
Hunter's fists clenched at her sides, her anger getting the best of her. "How about you back off." She told Bella, keeping her voice low to avoid making a scene.
"So we're back to this huh?" Bella laughed sarcastically, a glare quickly covering her features. "You're just gonna close back up? Hide things from me and-and be mean to me?"
Hunter rolled her eyes, "It isn't about you, Bella. Nothing ever was." She couldn't explain the real reason why she was acting the way she was, even though everyone could see very clearly what her problem was, she didn't want to admit it.
"So what is it Hunter? You just feel like being a bitch today?" Bella asked, standing her ground and glaring holes into her friend. Hunter huffed angrily and closed the space between them, forgetting all about her drunken state. The only thing she thought about now, was blood. The thing that has been consuming her thoughts all day.
She was angry and hungry, a mixture that didn't sit well with a vampire. Bella's pulse pumped loudly in her ears, it made her weak in the knees. She didn't even acknowledge how wobbly she was, even when Bella's glare faulted for a split second. Hunter lifted her chin and their noses barely touched. Everyone's attention was back on them, Hunter's close proximity worrying them.
"I said, back. off." Hunter hissed, her breath no doubt hitting Bella's nostrils. She couldn't remember which drinks she drank, she could only remember which ones tasted worse and burned the most. But given by the way Bella cringed, there was a lot of different mixtures in her body.
"Are you drunk?!" She yelled, shoving Hunter away from her. Hunter stumbled backwards. She nearly fell to the ground but she was held up by a warm and furry body, the body of Sam Uley in his wolf form. By now Edward, Winston, and Jacob had moved closer to them, ready to break them apart if it came down to it.
Hunter struggled to stand up straight again and she grunted, surprised by Bella's outburst. "What the hell!" Hunter slurred, her voice raising. She could see clearly now, the faces surrounding her filled with disappointment. She didn't want to make a scene but Bella had other plans.
"Are you drunk." Bella asked again before letting out another false laugh, "Of course you are, I should've never let you leave this morning. I knew you'd go off the rails-"
"Shut up!" Hunter screamed, finally leaning off of Sam. She stumbled back over to Bella, shoving away Edward's hands, and she pointed her finger into the human's chest, "You don't know anything."
"Hunter." Edward warned, "Maybe you should sit this out."
She turned her head to him, glaring, "Maybe you should mind your freaking business." Bella grabbed onto Hunter's hand but quickly let go, hissing in pain. Her skin was practically boiling and by the looks of the red splotches burning onto her face, she was livid.
Winston moved around Edward and moved beside Bella, entering Hunter's vision. "Calm down, we don't need things to escalate." He urged her, smiling a bit. Hunter visibly relaxed but her glare returned quickly.
"Guys, back away." Edward told Bella and Winston, watching the way Hunter's chest heaved in and out angrily. Anyone could see that she was going to transform into a werewolf and they'd be dumb to try and stop her.
Though, they didn't listen to Edward. Hunter could feel her fingertips tingle and her arm sting, no doubt, Sam attempting to calm her down. The air was tense and Hunter could barely breathe as it is. She was too drunk for this. "I should've jus- I should've just stayed away." She slurred, switching between Bella and Winston's eyes.
She turned and attempted to walk away, though her legs were weak and her anger didn't subside. "No, we're not done here." Bella huffed, stomping over to her.
"Bella." Edward called. He held onto her arm but she slipped out of it easily. Bella reached Hunter and she yanked her arm. It wasn't until she was flying backwards that she realized she should've just let Hunter walk away.
Hunter had twisted around and shoved Bella with all of her inhuman force, practically tossing her across the opening. Winston ran aside and Edward sped over, catching Bella before she crashed to the ground.
"Winston, move away!" Alice called. This time, he listened. He backed away and tripped, falling to the ground. Just in time to watch Hunter's body crack and form into a wolf, just as big as the rest.
"Holy shit!" He exclaimed from the ground, his eyes wide with surprise. He wasn't as afraid as he thought he'd be, he was more fascinated with them all. He wished he was involved sooner.
Hunter scraped at the dirt and let out a roar of anger. Bella continued to glare at her, not letting the wolf implant fear in her heart. She knew Hunter was just acting out and this time she wasn't going to let her drive off the edge.
"You need to stand down. Now." Sam telepathically told her, snarling at her. Hunter huffed out and turned to look at Winston. He got onto his feet and dusted himself off. He was taking all of this surprisingly well and she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. He seemed relaxed and not at all afraid, the opposite of what she was when she found out about the supernatural.
Hunter wavered a bit, a wave of calmness washing over her. The alcohol's affects wore off and she plopped down onto the ground, black spots covering her vision. This was Jasper's doing, using his gift to manipulate her emotions. She peered up at him and he sent her a smirk, watching her eyes close and fall asleep.
Winston frowned and walked over to her sleeping wolf form. His hands touch her and he instantly relaxed. "Is she okay?" He asked, happily petting the warm and soft fur.
"For now." Edward replied, helping Bella onto her feet. The wolves began to retreat back into the forest once they received a nod from Carlisle. Training was over and they were assured that Hunter was in good hands. "When she wakes up, you'll need to talk to her. But be cautious, she's unpredictable."
Winston nodded and crossed his legs, staying by her side while she fell further and further into deep sleep. Edward stared at Alice as a lost look fell into her eyes. She was having a vision and Edward had front row seats into her mind. He watched the future happen and his eyes fell, a bit saddened. The siblings share a look before they let their eyes fall back onto Hunter.
The worst has yet to come.