The Skinwalker Hunter

Chapter 17 - Hunter

The incessant burn of thirst grated at the back of his throat as Hunter swallowed it down with irritation. He had never gone this long without feeding and its intensity was increasing with each crashing wave. The thrum of heartbeats from the humans in the surrounding houses was like a chorus of crickets calling to him like a siren. He shifted his position to the other side of the tree, leaning his shoulder against the smooth surface of its trunk. He forced the burn to the back of his mind, focusing once more on the two female figures working through a series of warm-up stretches. They had started their final set and would soon set off at a jog around the same course as they had every night he'd been watching. He headed to his next vantage point, his eyes trained on his targets.

As if on cue, the witch and her undead guardian set off at a jog, the vampire circling the much slower witch.

He watched their painfully slow progress as they turned the corner towards him. He would not be seen, nor would his scent give him away. This he was sure of. Centuries of hunting his prey guaranteed his certainty of this and the mastery of his skills. Even as the wind changed directions, his carefully chosen vantage point was impervious to such things. As they drew closer to the end of the street, the witch's sweet vanilla scent teased his nostrils and he stiffened, the thirst burning him from the inside out. He swallowed down the sensation once more, watching as they turned onto another street, their pace increasing with the slope of the road. When they reached the bottom of the hill the hunter used his immortal speed to traverse along the path he had worn through the thick scrub with his nightly musings. They were jogging towards him now and soon would pass within a few feet of his hiding spot. It was a risk. He knew that but she was his curse breaker. The last living ancestor of that wretched witch who had condemned him to this existence. It was worth the risk. The old lady couldn't be counted as his prey if she didn't pose a challenge. The corners of his mouth curled up in a smirk as his prey jogged past him, oblivious of his proximity.

The vampire guardian was incompetent in her role as far as he was concerned. He doubted that she could protect a book from dust with a dust cover, let alone stop him from draining every last drop of that human's blood when the time came.

He followed their progress up the road to the top of the hill, the human struggling to keep pace. A woman appeared on the street ahead of them dressed in black lycra pants and a hot pink crop top. She flashed a smile as they passed each other before increasing her speed and heading down the hill.

Hunter watched the fabric clinging to her like a second skin revealing the motion of her womanly folds with each stride, her unsupported breasts bouncing along in the equally clingy crop top. He shook his head in disgust. The women of this century had no self-respect, let alone any concept of self-preservation. They strutted around in public places wearing nothing more than undergarments that displayed parts of their bodies only a husband has the right to see. It was as if they were intentionally placing themselves in vulnerable situations much like the dark, secluded street this woman had chosen. He missed the air of mystique woman from his century held.

Returning his focus to his chosen prey, Hunter realised that they were further up the hill than they should be. The witch had improved her speed enough to reach the crest of the hill and start her descent on the other side. His brow creased in frustration and he rose from his crouched position to head to his next hiding spot.

The wind changed direction again, a blast of icy air slamming into his face. His body stiffened. His nostrils flared, and his throat burned. The thrum of a heartbeat pounded in his ears. He whipped his head around, honing in on the thum-thump, thum-thump, thum-thump growing louder as it drew closer. The spicy nutmeg scent of the scantily clad woman tinged with sweat ignited the burning thirst in his throat to an unbearable level that was impossible to ignore. His eyes glazed over. His fangs extended, threatening to pierce his lower lip. Crouching back down behind the thick bushes, hands splayed out across the dirt and dried leaves like an Olympic sprinter about to take off, Hunter curled his lips over his teeth and let out a low guttural growl.

The woman's shoes pounded along the pavement steadily getting louder the closer she got. His eyes locked onto the pulsating vein running up the side of her neck and he shifted his weight onto his legs and then pounced. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other around her head, his hand covering her mouth and nose. His nostrils flared as the scent of her fear filled them. Her heart pounded in her chest like it was trying to escape, ringing in his ears like a dinner bell.

Hunter pulled her back against his chest, lifting her off the ground.

With his prey securely in his arms, he ran at vampire speed to the cave he had dug into a rock face to escape the daylight. No one would find him there. No one would hear her screams and, oh, how he loved to make them scream. Terror tainted the blood, giving it a spicy aftertaste.

He stalked to the back of the cave and dropped her. She landed on her hands and knees with a grunt, twisting around until she was sitting on the hard ground. Her eyes were wide and wild looking as she snapped her head back and forth searching for whatever it was that had dragged her here. The darkness at the back of the cave was too thick for weak human eyes to see anything more than two inches from their noses. Hunter took a step closer to the woman kicking a small stone off to her side.

She spun in the direction of the sound, panting heavily and scrambling backwards until her back was against the wall. "Is anyone there?" Her voice was a whimper, with no strength in it at all. "Hello?" He smirked at her uncertainty and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Hello."

She let out a squeal of surprise, shuffling across the dirt to get away from him. "Who are you? What do you want?" She spat out, a tremor in her voice. "I don't have any money on me but I can get some if that's what you want."

"I don't want your money," he answered, running his tongue up the side of her face. She inhaled sharply, turning her face away from him. He hovered above the woman for only a moment before leaning down and running his tongue on the other side of her face. "Just because you cannot see me, does not mean I am not here."

She shuddered at his touch, coughing back a sob. "W-what do you want with me," she stammered. He grabbed her arm, bringing her wrist to his lips. "If it's s*x you want, I'll have s*x with you," her words cut off as she let out a high-pitched scream when his teeth scraped across her skin before sinking into her flesh. "Stop! No!" She pleads with the hunter as sobs rack her body. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Same inane questions," he replies, licking the blood from his lips. "All you women from this century are the same." He swipes his tongue up her arm to the pit of her elbow, testing the fear seeping from her pores. "You want to know why this is happening or who is doing this to you and then without little thought or an ounce of self-respect, you offer up money or your body." He plunges his fangs into her once more drawing her blood into his mouth. Her blood-curdling scream echoes around the small space ringing in his ears.

"W-what do you mean, w-women of this century," she stammers, tears streaming down her cheeks as she sniffles loudly and swallows back a sob. "W-what are y-you?"

Hunter lifts his eyes to meet hers, close enough for her to see him. "I am your worst nightmare." She backed away from him, banging her head against the cave wall, a yelp of pain escaping her mouth. "I don't want your money or your body, all I want is dinner with a beautiful woman," he grins, a smile stretching across his pale face, fangs protruding past his lip and grazing his chin. Her brows pinched together in confusion before shooting up into her hairline at the sight of his sharp teeth. Hunter lets out a maniacal laugh as he brushes the woman's hair out of her eyes. "You," he sneers, "are the dinner."

The woman screams another ear-piercing scream before scrambling away from him. She scrapes her knees along the rough ground, bringing blood to the surface, crawling as fast as she can away from the monster she can't allow herself to believe exists. Hunter grabs her ankle, dragging her back to him. She screams again at his touch, rolling onto her back and kicking with both feet as hard as she can, breaking free from his grasp. Scrambling to her feet, the woman stumbles forward, arms outstretched, feeling her way in the dark. As her hands find the wall of the cave, she quickens her pace, using it to guide her way out.

Hunter watches her escape attempt, amused by her survival instincts. Better late than never. Where were those instincts when she was alone on the dark road and unable to hear danger approaching? She makes it around the bend, sprinting towards the exit with trees now visible from the light of the moon. "Help me," she screams, "someone please help me!"

Hunter silently streaked past her, stopping outside the entrance and leaning against the rock face with his arms crossed over his chest. She snaps her head around searching for him, searching for the source of the breeze that came from behind her. Slipping on loose rocks at the edge of the cave, the woman grabs the wall to save herself from falling. Inhaling sharply through her teeth, the woman pulls her now bleeding hand to her chest and stumbles the last few steps into the arms of her pursuer. She let out a terror-filled scream, twisting and thrashing against the solid arms wrapped around her.

Brushing his nose along her neck, Hunter draws her scent in, flicking his tongue across his lips. "Mmmm," he murmurs, his mouth next to her ear, "you smell like you've marinated in fear long enough."

"Let me go," she wails, still thrashing and twisting trying to escape. "Somebody help me!"

"No one can hear your cries from here," he moved one arm slowly up her body until her chin was cradled in his hand. "I have played with my food long enough," he whispered as his other arm moved from her waist to wrap around the top of her head. He forces her head down until her ear rests on her shoulder and angles her chin up towards him. Her eyes widened as his fangs lengthened once more.

Her screams shatter the silence of the night, startlingly several birds into flight and sending other critters scurrying away. He plunges his fangs deep into her neck, drawing mouthfuls of terror-filled blood into his mouth and gulping it down. The woman's scream turned to a gurgling sound before falling silent. Her body drooped as Hunter drained the last of her blood. Her lifeless body slumped to the ground. He pushed her body to the side, the thirst satisfied for now, and ran back to watch the progress of the witch and her vampire bodyguard.

He hissed in frustration when he caught up with his prey. Denying his thirst could have cost him dearly. He could have missed an opportunity to snatch the witch or revealed his presence to the vampire. He would not make that mistake again.

They were back at the house doing a series of warming-down stretches. His signal that he would not see them until the next night. He crouched down watching until they finished and headed inside.

After some time had passed, he straightened up again, a cruel smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. He would be back to watch and wait for an opportunity. There was always an opening inviting his attack. His prey always sought comfort and security in frivolous routines, but that was where their weaknesses lay. They had an unfailing trust in all those prior times when nothing happened. That trust was the opportunity he was waiting for. And it would come, it always did. The witch and the vampire would become complacent eventually. Hunter just needed to be patient.