Open Season

What Fresh Hell...

Nicholas watched from his position as Ethan was pulled into the raised-up SUV. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the same one confiscated last month during a drug raid out on the highway.

He caught his breath as the driver opened fire on the sheriffs on the steps of the station. Fresh panic set in. If he knew anything about his wife, she would have been the first one hit, especially since he'd spotted Ethan. She would never allow him to be taken by anyone. Himself included, his insides surged with sudden pride.

But when he crept closer, he noticed that she wasn't amongst the deputies littering the steps, nor the deputies he could see milling about the parking lot.

All the tires on the vehicles had been punctured, leaving them all disabled. But he still couldn't spot Ethan's mom. He could hear the noise of their conversation but not make out the words. He needed to get closer.

Just as he was about to abandon his hiding place and go speak with the deputies, he noticed a shimmer of light behind the doughnut shop catch his attention.

Huddled there, were 5 or 6 young teens; all beseeching him NOT to move and to keep quiet. All with their fingers in front of their lips, some patting the air in the universal sign to stay, duck or be quiet.

What the hell was going on today?

Placing one finger up in a signal to the kids, he crept back the way he'd come... he would go around the long was to go see what those kids were doing there.

The long was would involve going behind the Sheriffs station, crossing the street in front and approaching the doughnut shop from the alternate corner that the kids were huddled at.

It was risky to tread so close the the sheriffs sheriff's station right now, when they were so clearly riled on high alert. But he simply didn't have the time to backtrack further for fear the kids would alert the deputies to their presence. He wasn't sure why they were playing these hide-and-seek games, but the unmistakable fear in the eyes and actions of the kids couldn't be misread.

They were terrified of the deputies. He just needed to know why.

At least a full 30 minutes later, the kids could hear someone approaching them from the other side of the building. They'd been found. What would they do now?

As Jake and Ray picked up a rock and a small log and prepared to fight, the rest of the kids huddled back as far as they could without revealing themselves to the deputies. In a few more minutes, the dusk would drop into twilight and darkness... but they didn't have a few minutes. They'd been found.

"Hey," they heard. "It's me from across the street. I'm Ethan's dad. I saw him get taken," Nicholas whispered as his face came into view.

The obvious relief of the kids was brief, but everyone could feel the tension dissipate by a few degrees.

"Yeah," said Jacob, "His Mom roared up in that badass truck and saved him and left the rest of us." he said tossing his stick over into the overgrown grass nearby.

"His Mom?" Nicholas asked, confused.

"Yep. Sheriff A rolled up, blasted the deputies and rolled out." Cali said, "Leaving us behind." She finished looking down at the ground.

"Ummm... Guys, I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but let's find someplace safe, away from here." Nicholas suggested to the skeptical teens.

All shaking their heads in agreement, Nicholas found himself the focus of seven frightened pair of eyes, hopeful that they'd found someone to help make sense of their current reality.

"Follow me, and be quiet." Nicholas threw over his shoulder, keeping to the lengthening shadows.

Nicholas wasn't at all sure where he was taking these kids until he saw it looming in the distance. The bar where he increasingly spent both his time and money. Yet, he couldn't take these kids to the bar; he didn't know if it would be safe. But he knew a place where he'd never seen another living soul, where he went to regroup. When he wanted to be alone in the world. That place would be perfect.

Gathering the ground into a small huddle amidst the encroaching darkness of night, Nicholas shared his thoughts with them.

"We are going to go to my buddy's hunting lease. It's been vacant since he died last year, no one ever goes there but me." Eyeing each of the teens, he continued; "You don't HAVE to come with me. I know you all have families and I know they are all worried about you."

"They aren't answering the phone." said the smallest of the kids, Ella who took freshman classes even though she was only in the seventh grade.

"None of them?" Nicholas asked before he could catch the astounded sound of his reply.

Shaking their heads, all the kids looked down at their feet. They were all tired, hungry and the adrenaline rush of the day was waning.

"Let's go." Nicholas said in an assertive tone. This was the longest he'd been without liquor in recent history. Each minute added to his new record. His own adrenaline was high enough that he couldn't notice the way his hands didn't shake, nor the roiling in the pit of his stomach. The dizziness he battled, he attributed to his blood loss and being shot, it couldn't possibly have anything to do with his dependence on alcohol.

The kids obediently followed Nicholas's retreating frame into the uncharted darkness behind the local booze shack, clasping each others hands for serenity as much as for security.

The morning found Nicholas peering at seven dirty little teenagers huddled in various positions around the tiny floor of his hunting cabin. More aptly hunting shack. Various rations were scattered throughout, testifying to their lack of discipline at retaining any for reserves. He'd have to discuss that with them if this arrangement was prolonged for any sustainable amount of time.

Nicholas noticed that the smallest and youngest of the children was missing from the c*****e. Where was little Ella?

Opening the back door of the shack, he was met by Ella emerging from the tall grass. Her arms laden with wild eggs. His smile warmed the tight worried look upon her face.

"Morning," he said lightly. "Morning," she replied, moving past him into the small shack.

Placing her finger in front of her lips after she placed the eggs gently into the sink, she motioned for him to join her outside.

"I need to tell you something," she started once they had pulled the door closed and stood just outside the tiny structure.

"What is it Ella, what is wrong?" Nicholas could feel his unease growing in proximity to her unnerving quiet.

"I don't really know how to say this..." she paused uncertainly, looking down at her toe drawing lines in the dust.

"Just tell me, it can't be as bad as you think. Everything will be okay." He said, placing his hand on her right arm in an attempt to comfort her, but unsure how.

"We are being hunted." she spat out flatly, leveling him with a blank stare.

"What?" he asked incredulously, jerking his hand back.

"It's real, we are being hunted." she said, unable to keep the crackling sound of tears from her voice.

"Ella, I'm not sure what this is, but what your saying is impossible. We can't be being hunted." he smacked matter-of-factly.

"Look," she simply stated, handing him her cellular phone.

Snatching the device more viciously than he intended, he gave her an apologetic glance before turning his full attention to the message scrolling across her phone.

"What the f**k is Mutatio?" he asked to no one in particular, as he continued to read the displayed message. His eyes enlarged as the impossible nature of their current situation dawned on him.

They were being hunted.