Hunter
The Last Mission
By Billy_Ray77
Chapter 6
Anna’s things were still here, where was she?
I heard a strangled moan from the bedroom.
Her nude form was on the floor writhing. She was trying to scream but couldn’t draw in enough air to do so. Every tortured inhalation was cut short by a gasp of pain. A trail of water led from the shower she had loved so much.
As quickly as I could, I entered her mind and stopped the pain. I don’t think there was an unbroken bone in her body and what else he had done to her was anybodies guess—though to judge by the bruising it was sure bet several vital organs had been destroyed.
She gasped in relief, her eyes focused on me. She felt no pain, she could feel nothing, physically.
“Hunter, you’re here. It hurt so bad... what did you do? Did you fix me?”
Fix her? A team of skilled skilled surgeons with all the necessary replacement organs on hand probably couldn’t fix her.
“No, sweetheart,” I said, the words catching in my throat, “I can’t fix you. I just made it stop hurting.”
She must have felt my despair.
“You cannot fix me... then...” her eyes widened with the realization, “I don’t want to die!” she sobbed. “I’m scared, Hunter.”
She grew blurry as my eyes filled up. I struggled to control it.
“I’m so sorry, Anna... there’s nothing more I can do. But I won’t leave you. I will stay right here, I promise.”
Her watering eyes widened again at my words.
“You cannot stay! I don’t think he is been gone for long. You can catch him. You have to stop him!”
“I can’t leave you, Anna. I won’t.”
“But he knows about Elenita.” she said, sobbing and struggling for the words. “He said that I tell to him about her—but I did not say anything. I promise you.”
“You didn’t have to. He knew without you telling him.”
“He knows how to find her. Stop him! She does not deserve this.”
Neither did she. Nobody did.
I fought the tears.
“I... I can’t leave you, Anna... if I do, the pain will return.”
If I went after him, if I tried to save my love... this sweet innocent girl would be wracked with agony for what could be hours, though it would seem an eternity to her. If I stayed, if I allowed Anna to pass without further torture, I wouldn’t be in time to stop the same thing from happening to Elenita.
I thought about calling in one of the telpaths from the team, but without the enhancements I’d been through, it was all he could do to to stifle the pain for the girl who just had broken limbs. Even if he could stifle Anna’s pain, he would quickly become exhausted and couldn’t last as long as she would need.
I’d never felt so helpless—for the first time in my adult life I honestly didn’t know what to do.
But she did.
She said something, quietly. So quietly I wasn’t sure what I’d heard. Maybe I just didn’t want to hear it.
“What?”
“I cannot stand that pain... but you must save her.”
“Anna, I...”
“You must! I cannot be save... but she can!
“Kill me, Hunter. Kill me so the pain will not return... then you save Elenita.”
I lost the battle with my tears. She must have sensed my reluctance... my refusal to to this horrible thing. She tried to speak between her sobs.
“Please, Hunter... it is my fault... I did not leave when you tell me... I wanted to use the shower again... but he comes before I am done... you cannot let this happen to her because of me.”
It wasn’t her fault. It was mine. My own stupidity had brought this about. My own weakness meant this lovely, wonderfully unique girl would have to die... and I would have to kill her. If I didn’t, another wonderfully unique girl would also suffer and die.
If only my abilities would allow me to trade places with her.
“Oh, God, Anna... I... can’t... if only you knew how special you were.”
She seemed to calm. Maybe she found acceptance that quickly. Maybe she had suddenly become incredibly fatalistic. Maybe she realized that her being calm was the only way to calm me... the only way to get done what needed doing.
What an empath, even an untrained one, any of that, or all of it, was possible.
“You talking about my gift.”
I just stared.
“My grandmother have it too, she is teaching me.”
“She taught you to use your gift?”
“O-o. You have a gift too, I think—like mine, tapos... different. That man, he has a gift too, like yours, I think.”
“His is evil.”
“The gifts we are give... good or evil... hindi ko alam (I don’t know) tapos, I think they are what we do with them. That man uses it for evil, you use it to stop evil, so it is good...Whatever you must do.”
“But this...”
“You have to do it, Hunter. It is the only way to stop him and save Elenita... but... could you take me outside so I can see the ocean again... for my last.”
Her courage, her selflessness humbled me and my mind was numb as I gently picked her up. I knew I had decided to do it, but I wasn’t ready to admit it yet. I carried the tiny girl out to the balcony and set her on a lounge chair so her eyes were toward the horizon.
I knelt next to her.
“It is very beautiful.” She said, wistfully. “When I am little, I see pictures of the ocean and I wondered if it was really as beautiful as it seemed. I am glad I got to find out it was.” Then her eyes came back to me. “Will it... will it hurt?”
Her, or me?
“No sweetheart.” I don’t know if I was still crying or not, I still felt numb. “You will just go to sleep, like a warm comfortable nap... and then... you will get to meet God.”
I knew that she, like most of the other girls, had been brought up Catholic and hoped she might find some comfort through her religion.
“I don’t think he will be happy with me... with what I am... what I have done.”
Yeah, I was an idiot.
She looked back out to the ocean. This time she didn’t look back at me when she spoke.
“I always thought there would be time to... to ask for forgiveness... I guess I won’t have that time.”
“I don’t think God will be anything but pleased with you, Anna.”
What the fuck did I know? I didn’t even think the bastard was up there.
“Will you pray with me, Hunter?”
“Of course I will.”
She closed her eyes and her lips moved, silently.
I didn’t have the slightest clue how to pray. I didn’t know any prayers, but I had told her I would, so I had to try.
She’d know if I didn’t.
I’d know if I didn’t.
God, if you’re up there, you have to accept this girl.
It doesn’t matter that she was a whore.
She has never hurt anyone.
Any wrongs she may have done have been fully paid for by what that bastard did to her.
She has certainly done her time in Hell.
You made her special, gave her a gift that she used to comfort others.
So you accept your special girl, God.
She believes you to be loving.
So you take this girl, God... you take this girl into your loving arms and show her the heaven she deserves.
She believes in you, God, you have to believe in her.
Take this girl, God.
Take her...
…
Don’t make me come looking for you.
Amen.
I said I didn’t know how to pray.
At least I hoped it would get His attention, and if He didn’t like my prayer... well, right now it was better his ire was directed at me.
Besides, when I died it wasn’t going to be Him I’d be facing.
Not after today.
“Hunter?”
She was looking at me again.
“I’m ready, Hunter.”
A final tear wound down her cheek.
“I’m ready to... to go to sleep.”
I reached out and gently wiped it off.
“Good b... good night, Hunter.”
“Good night, Anna.”
I was already in her mind, though I had avoided touching any of her thoughts.
I went deeper and willed her to sleep. I was now too deep to avoid her and I saw her dream. She sat on the steps of a stark rattan hut. Coconut trees ringed the clearing and large mango tree grew by itself off to one side. Next to her was boy, I assumed it was Jory.
She was smiling.
That was her heaven. Maybe she’d stay there.
I went deeper, putting each layer of her consciousness to sleep as gently as I could.
I saw her childhood, happy times, sad times, all of it. I saw her come into her ability and how her grandmother taught her to use and conceal it.
I saw her leave her home and struggle to contend with the emotional maelstrom of Manila.
I saw a life free from left turns.
Then the thoughts were gone—but she wasn’t, not entirely.
My mind’s eye had me in a star-field of glowing synapses. Sparks of electricity shot between them. I watched as I willed the lights to fade, the sparks lessened then stopped altogether.
Then the stars themselves winked off until there was only one left—the biggest one, and it radiated with every color of the spectrum.
Her gift.
It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen... or felt.
Then it too faded.
I was alone, I was no longer in her mind. There was no more mind for me to be in.
I knelt for a long moment, gave myself a moment to mourn—but just a moment.
Now, Hunter... turn it into something else.
I stood, my nails biting deeply into the palms of my hands. I realized I wasn’t breathing. I let out my pent up breath and it came out in a long, loud agonized moan.
I looked down at the end result of my selfish, hedonistic indulgence.
Like an alcoholic taking that first drink, I knew what would happen when I gave in—despite the lies I told myself. I did it willingly and without regard for repercussions.
But then, had I stopped to think about those repercussions, nothing like this would have been among them. I had a role in this, a big one, but he was more to blame.
I was going to catch that son-of-a-bitch and make him pay for what he did... for what he made me do.
I tore myself away from her and in moments I was in a commandeered shuttle bus racing south towards the jetty. I couldn’t be that far behind him and even if he’d already left on a ferry, I would make the next one leave ahead of schedule and that captain would push his boat to it’s frail limits. I wouldn’t be able to catch him on the water but I could make the airport in Caticlan before he could leave.
That would be where he would die.