Chapter 4: The Hunter

I woke up with a huge lump in my stomach and a strained neck. After cursing at myself multiple times for falling asleep in the living room, I head to the bathroom to get myself ready. 

I couldn't swallow the rock i had in my throat and i was uncharacteristically fidgety. It was not like me to get this nervous before a mission.

Maybe because this time the murderer looks really dangerous and i had to face him alone...

I shake my thoughts away before getting out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. I don't wear my uniform this time and tie my hair into a messy bun. I climb into my car and drive towards the station. I still need to have a team ready just incase things go south. Once there, i head straight to my office but on the way, i hear voices coming from Mr. Johnson's unusally open office.

"Do you realize what you're saying ?! How much times i will have to tell- ?"

"Look, Nick, I'm sure if I explain it to her, she'll understand." I gasp quietly recognizing indeed Nick's voice.

"I can't do this to her !"

"Can you at least close door, for god's sake ? i don't want anyone to hear us." 

I rush to my office when i hear footsteps towards the door.

I wonder what they are talking about and also what the relationship is between Mr. Johnson and Nick. They looked close, at least enough for Nick to lash out on him like that.

No, I can't be thinking about that when I have to get ready for the appointment. I look at the time on my watch, nervous.

It's noon so I still got two hours to get ready. I call to ask for whatever free tactical unit at the moment to gather in a meeting room. I spend the rest of the hour explaining the situation and giving them their orders and to only intervene when i ask them to. It's crucial that Ted doesn't suspect anyone with me. When i get back to my office, Nick was still nowhere to be seen, his discussion with Mr. Johnson was strangely long.

II couldn't wait for him anymore, Greenwood was a long ride so it was time for me to leave. I took a gun out of my drawer and put it in my holster belt. It is on my way to the elevator that I meet Nick in the corridor.

"Ah, hi Nick. I was just about to leave..." I said when he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"you weren't planning on leaving without me, were you ?"

"Well, you haven't shown up all day so, yeah, I thought about it." I said pettily, crossing my arms.

He sighed before saying :

"I was busy with something, alright. Let's go before we're late."

I just follow him wordlessly as we leave the station and get in the car. 

"I heard that you got a unit ready, good."

"Yeah i ordered them to stay at close distance but to intervene only when i ask them too." 

Nick nodded, index tapping steadily the steering wheel. 

Half an hour later, we are in front of Greenwood Forest at the same time I receive the call from Ted's masked number.

"Lieutenant Harper, I see that you have arrived and that you are accompanied. I hope your companion will stay in the car."

"Don't worry, he won't come with me." I say as i glance at Nick.

"Perfect. I will call you back when you are inside the forest."

When he hung up, I said to Nick :

"Well, it's time for me to go..."

I was about to get out of the car when Nick stopped me. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye and said:

"Be careful, okay ?"

I gave him a nod and a forced smile before leaving the car. I entered the forest after walking for a while, my phone vibrated again in my pocket. I picked it up and Ted's cold voice rings again :

"Well time to reveal the rules of my game. We are going to play a very special little game of hide and seek. You can hide if you want but if I find you I'll kill you. But if I don't find you by nightfall, you win and I surrender."

He wants to hunt me like some prey, i realize. That's what he likes so much, the pattern i noticed. He makes sure that you know he can see you, that he watches your every single move but he will let you run for it, drives you insane until he get bored.

"Okay, I accept."

"That's great ! I think we're going to have so much fun !" he says in a cheerful voice that only make my anxiety rise. "The game will start as soon as this call is over so I hope you're ready."

As soon as Ted hangs up, I start to run, feeling his heavy stare on me. I try to avoid low branches and thorny bushes but I get scratched sometimes. It doesn't slow me down though.

I run for a long time, i don't even dare stop and look for the time on my phone. My eyes are frantically looking around for a decent hiding place. My phone vibrates in my pocket again and I pick it up without looking.

"Come on, Harper, I know you're better at this... I'm getting bored so try harder."

"What ? Don't tell me-"

"Yeah, I can still see you. So if you don't get off your ass I might kill you."

Right after he hung up, I hear a gunshot and a bullet whistle to lodge in the trunk of a tree just beside me. I stopped and looked around. My panic rose to a fever pitch. My breathing became heavier and heavier. I didn't think my stamina could be that low. 

How can he follow me when I haven't stopped once since the beginning of the game ? I didn't dare to say longer in the same place to even try to guess where the bullet came from. I have to entertain him till the end.

I decided to stop thinking and start running again. My heart was pounding and my vision was starting to get blurry. I had to hold on, I must not give up... For the girl being held hostage, for Samantha and Jenna. 

Everytime i eventually found somewhere to hide, he managed to find me and send me a bullet right away. There was no way, he could be this fast. Then i remembered the first phone call. What the girl had say, she didn't say "he" but "they" when talking about who was holding her hostage. Ted wasn't working alone. Could it be multiple people were tracking me right now ? Is that why i couldn't get one moment of respite ?

I was too caught up in my thoughts to even notice I found myself on the edge of a ravine, I let out a yelp when my foot slipped and before I knew it I was rolling down the slope. My head hit a rock on my way down and everything black out at that moment.

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When I woke up, I felt like hell. My whole body hurt but my head even more. When I touched it with my fingers, they came out wet with blood.

Here we go again, i think as blurry memories of a similar situation rush in my head- not helping the headache. I remember seeing red, and pain far more intense than this one, panicked calls of my name and gunshots muffled as my blood rushed through my ears. 

Trying to push back those bad memories, I stood up with difficulty to look around. I was still at the bottom of the slope, which meant that Ted hadn't found me yet. 

Well, I hope... I look at my phone, it's 5 pm, I have 2 hours left before the sunset... After being sure of having recovered my strength I attempt to climb the slope and when I was at the top, I received a call. I picked up the phone knowing very well who it was.

"Oh my... Harper, I have to say that you've disappointed me again..." My body froze at his cold voice. I swallowed hard. He hadn't lost sight of me. He was just waiting patiently for me to wake up.

"Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance ?" 

"It wouldn't be fun. I want you to beg me to keep you alive, you understand ? This is your last chance to escape me so live up to my expectations."

Right after that another bullet went into the tree next to me, making me startle so hard i almost slipped back. As if to prove that he had an eye on me. I tried to locate him by the origin of the bullet, there was no one there, the area was eerily silent. I sighed heavily, if I survive this, nothing will stop me from taking time off. 

I start to run again. This time I absolutely have to have a plan. A decent hiding place... I must find a hiding place at all costs but where ? Building one would take too much time. I'm not about to find a cave here. Climbing a tree would be suicide since I'll probably be at the same height as the shooter. 

Think Judy... There has to be a way...

Should I call Nick ? After all, the rules don't forbid me to call someone, unless it's an unspoken one, which is more probable. 

But Nick would surely know what to do.

Fuck it, I decide as i pull out my phone to dial Nick's number. 

As soon as it starts ringing, I hear a gunshot. An unbearable pain in my shoulder made me drop my phone and I fell to my knees with a sharp cry.

That bastard shot me- !

I put my hand over my wound to stop the blood even a little. 

I don't need to tell you that it's useless, do I

? 

I had prepared myself to be hurt. It still took me by surprise. It's not the first time I've been shot, but the last one was a long time ago. I just had the strength to crawl and lean against a tree. If I heard the shot, it was because Ted was close. But the pain prevented me from thinking straight. 

Pure unfiltered fear was creeping up in my stomach. I had no strength to continue further with both wounds and I knew he was watching me, he knows where I am. 

I was beginning to wonder if this job I had dreamed of for so long was worth it. I'm still young, if I don't get it now I'll get it later... 

But what am I even saying ?! It's not about me, it's about the life of an innocent person and sparing others, I must not give up. I freezed I heard footsteps approaching me. I took a breath and looked up. It was a man dressed all in black. He was wearing a hood over his head and a mask that showed only the top of his face. Yet he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice.

"Harper, I have to admit that I had a lot of fun today. But unfortunately, we're going to have to end it here. Feel honored, none of my prey has lasted this long." I recognized Ted's voice. 

I made a face at "prey", he really saw human lives like mindless toy for his own entertainment. He pointed his rifle at me. I don't hide the fact that I'm really scared. I am a human being, I am afraid of death like everyone else. I was doing my best to hide my emotions while my hand was searching for my gun.

What...? It's gone. Oh no... I must have dropped it when I slipped on the slope. 

Shit, I should have checked before I left-

"Do you have any last words before you die ?" 

"Fuck you !" I spat at him, unable to hide the resentment i felt for the man. 

His laugh boomed loudly between us. As he pulled down the safety lever. I closed my eyes ready for what was to come. A instant later, I heard a gunshot... But no bullet ?

I opened my eyes, surprised. Ted's eyes were wide open with a patch of red blooming in the middle of his chest. He collapsed with a garbled sound coming out of his soon blood stained lips. 

Was he shot ? By who ? 

It was only when he was on the ground that I saw the one who had done it.

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Nick...? Wasn't he supposed to stay in the car ?

His expression made me shiver. He was stoic but he gave off a really cold aura. If I didn't know him, I would have immediately deduced that he was about to shoot me too. 

Without saying a word, he put his gun away before approaching me. He crouched down at my level. His expression became gentle and he asked me with a worried voice.

"Are you all right ?"

His sudden change stunned me for a moment, but I answered.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. But- Y-you killed him-"

"I couldn't help it. He was about to kill you, you think I was going to let him do that ?"

"You couldn't help yourself ? Are you kidding me ? You could have just shot him in the leg and we could have stopped him ! Besides, now that he's dead we'll never know where he's keeping the girl."

"Don't worry, I know where their hideout is."

"What ? How did you- ?"

I had so many questions like where did he get a gun ? How did he find me ? What about the other guys ?

"He wasn't alone. I followed you right after you left. Ted had hired several snipers to keep an eye on you all over the forest."

"I figured that..."

"I shot them one by one and one of them told me where their hideout was." He said like it was nothing.

"When you say "shot"- ?"

"Yes I killed them all."

I gaped at him like a fish. He can't be serious ? No way.

Yet I can only believe it now that I saw the way he killed Ted. He kept his cool perfectly. He tilted his head like he couldn't understand my shock and it prompted me to move because I couldn't deal with this right now. I force myself to stand up and say, hand still pressed to my shoulder :

"So let's go."

"Let's what ? No, you stay here. You're hurt, I won't let you go anywhere."

"It's just a shoulder injury, I can still walk."

"In case you didn't know, a bullet in the shoulder is not nothing. And we don't know how many people there is in that hideout. You can't-"

"Please, Nick, I agreed to come here so let me get to the bottom of this."

He sighs heavily. Yes I know, I can be stubborn but you'll have to get used to it.

Nick stood with his back to me and said :

"Get on my back."

"I told you i can-" I blush fiercely.

"Get on or forget about going with me. I'm serious."

I groaned before obeying despite my embarrassment. I mumbled as Nick started to walk :

"I- I'm not too heavy ?"

"Um... No ?"

"Why does that sound like a question, fucker ?" I swat him on the arm.

He laughs before answering :

"Don't worry, honestly, you're really light. Are you eating well at least ?"

"It's none of your business..."

"You're the one who asked to begin with." He said but didn't push further.

10 minutes later, we arrive in front of a wooden hut.

"I believe that it is there." Says Nick.

"Can you let me down ?"

After my feet meet the ground, Nick pulls out his gun and walks past me to get inside. There was a pretty big guy with a gun and a girl tied up in the middle of the room. The guy points his gun at us.

"You- what the hell are you doing here ?!"

"We're here to get the girl." Nick replies with a calm that stuns me.

The other one laughs before saying :

"Alright, you better get out of here before I kill you."

"It's useless, your boss is dead so it's up to me to tell you that."

"What ? You're lying !"

"How do you think we found this place ?" Nick gestured around with a relaxed stance.

"I'm really going to kill you !"

He was about to shoot but Nick was faster than him. He received the bullet in his head and collapsed. I stared at him and he said :

"Don't look at me like that, it was self defense, alright."

"Self-defense doesn't necessarily mean killing, you idiot !"

He shrugged his shoulders and went to detach the girl. I went to join them and said her who seemed relieved to see her bonds and her gag removed.

"It's all right, we're from the police and we've come to help you."

"Thank... Thank you so much..."

Her tears started to fall so I slowly stroked her head to comfort her. In the end, yes, it was worth it. Although the credit didn't really come from me but I was still happy. After she calmed down, she told us her name was Katie Turner.

When we came out of the forest, the unit was waiting for us. Apparently it was Nick who called them. I answered most of the questions and made an excuse for the bodies of Ted's sidekicks before leaving for the hospital with Nick. 

They treated my wounds, the bullet in my shoulder wasn't too deep so I didn't need a surgery. I, of course, must stay for a few days... I sigh lying on my hospital bed, i hated being there. I say to Nick who didn't leave once my side, when he pulled a chair to sit next to me.

"Thank you."

"For what ?" He chuckled.

Even though it should be be obvious and he may be asking to tease, i reply:

"For saving me. I really thought i was going to die." I laughed humorlessly. "I don't know why i expected a serial killer to play fair at his own game."

"What kind of boyfriend i would be if i let you put yourself in danger like that."

This time it pulls a genuine smile out of me. I know that was his way of telling me he accepted my gratefulness. 

"Now that I think about it, we only had one date and the case is over. Sad isn't it ? It was nice while it lasted i guess."

"Oh you think you can get rid of me that easily ?"

I arches a brow in question but he just shrugs. 

He stood up and said :

"For now you'd better get some rest. Johnson said you had time off until you completely heal."

"Oh now, what is your relationship with him ?" I perk up to ask.

"Like you said earlier, none of your business."

I glared at him when I realized he pettily turned my words against me.

He puts a kiss on my forehead before saying.

"Rest well, cupcake."

With that, he left before even letting me react. I cannot escape the way whole body flushes at such a small action. When was the last i was even kissed on the forehead ?

I tried to ignore how good it felt as i buried my face in my pillow. The painkillers they basically drugged me with started to work and got the best of me. I plunged in a deep sleep before I even realized it. 

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