The Hybrid & The Hunter

Chapter 5 - Gut Feeling

After paying for their meal, Avery and Daniel walked back to his car. Still feeling uneasy, Avery was lost in her thoughts once more. Daniel on the other hand thought they were making good progress and assumed that she was withdrawn because of jealousy- feeding his own ego. But the look on her face made him worry.

Are you sure you’re okay?” Daniel asked as they got into his car.

“I am, really", she said as she tried to force a smile.

“Sure thing kid. You know what, I’m sure you’d make a great redhead.” he said jokingly, putting the car in first gear.

This guy, Avery thought as she scowled at him. He was being playful and she was enjoying this new side of him. “Is that so?”

"Yeah, maybe you'd look like Rihanna-" he shrugged, "turn a few heads."

Avery raised an eyebrow, side-eyeing him, "'A few head's? I'm not claiming to be drop dead gorgeous but I'm sure I could do a little better than that."

Daniel looked at her sceptically and then wondered if she even knew how beautiful she was. Of cause you could do better, he thought, you could stop traffic even. But he dared not to express his thoughts out loud, instead he continued to tease her and feed into her insecurities.

"Yeah kid, I guess you're not so bad." he said and nudged her shoulder with his fist making her laugh.

"Oh please, have you looked in a mirror lately?" she fired back.

“I’m looking at one now and I must say, I’m not disappointed.” he said with a smirk, admiring himself in his side mirror.

She shook her head and laughed, “You’re such a jerk, do you know that?”

They were enjoying their light banter. It had been a while since Daniel conversed with someone his own age and Avery seemed to forget the troubles that she was running from and for a moment she felt like a teenager again.

“I do.” he replied and winked at her absent-mindedly. “So are you going to tell me what happened back there?”

“Oh my God! Daniel can you let it go?” she sighed in frustration and was disappointed that the moment was ruined.

“I’m not an i***t Ava. I’m good at reading people and you’re not too good at hiding your emotions."

“I am too.” she argued, crossing her arms.

“Nah, I could sit and watch you for hours and know every single thing you’re thinking.”

She looked at him startled and wondered if he was serious. Was she really that easy to read? She smirked and decided to test his theory, “Okay, then tell me what am I thinking right now?”

“How should I know." he shrugged.

“Ha! My point exactly.” she said triumphant and laughed at him.

“I’m trying to focus on the road, not you.” he said smiling. He then side-eyeed her and decided to push her buttons a little more, “But what I do know is that... you were jealous of that waitress back there.”

Avery closed her eyes trying to hide her embarrasment as her cheeks became flushed. Taking a deep breathe, she tried to control her breathing and heart rate to conceal her emotions. The last thing she wanted was Daniel to see her blushing. “I weren’t jealous of anything." she denied," Are you always this conceited?”

“I’m not conceited, I just know I’m good looking. I’m sure you agree.” he teased further and watched her reaction from the corner of his eye. He watched as she blushed harder and felt a bit of glory knowing that he affected her just as she was affected him.

Avery hated that the spotlight was on her and tried searching her mind for a way to divert this conversation.

“Daniel I weren’t jealous. If you must know what happened so badly, I just... I got a strange vibe from her." she said uneasily.

“Strange how?” he asked in a serious tone. All humor gone from his voice.

“I can’t explain it. She just didn’t sit right with me. When she looked at me, I don't know, there was something about her eyes.”

Daniel was quiet for a while as he thought about what Avery said. His eyes stayed focused on the road ahead as he tried to make sense of her anxiety.

“Well, she’s gone now. You don’t need to worry about her.” he assured her.

They drove for hours, stopping only to fill gas and buy some snacks. They bantered the entire drive and as the sun set and darkness came over them, Daniel became exhausted. He didn't admit it to Avery but she could see the redness in his eyes.

“I think we should drive for another hour then stop at motel for the night.” he finally said.

Avery nodded her head and looked forward to laying her head on a soft pillow. Daniel stared at her from the corner of his eye and smiled to himself as he recalled their day. She weren't too bad, he thought and she felt less of a threat to him.

“We going to Kansas." he murmured. "We need to lay low for a bit and I need to get rid of my car.”

Avery was taken back as he finally confirmed where he was taking her. He was still vague though and she wondered what was in Kansas and why would he'd take her there of all places. But she didn't push for more details, she was happy knowing that he trusted her enough to keep her in the loop .

“Was this your dads car?” She asked and ran her hand over the dashboard.

“What makes you ask?”

“Well you’re really young to own a Camaro.”

Daniel frowned, “Twenty one isn't young.”

Avery's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. Twenty one? Seriously? she thought. He was much younger than she thought. The way he acted and spoke so maturely made her assume that was in his late twenties.

“Well you’re a lot younger than I thought you were” she admitted.

He looked over at her and remembered the news reporter stating that Avery was 17 years old. He was stunned to realize that they were almost the same age. He admired her beautiful features, her dark eyes, soft skin and full lips. She flushed when she noticed his gazed was fixed on her lips and turned her head the other way before things could get awkward.

“You know, I could drive if you want.” She suggested eagerly causing Daniel to burst into laughter.

“Did I say something funny?” she asked with all of the attitude and confidence she had in her.

“You are so brave to suggest that.” he replied then laughed again. “No offense but no one drives my car.”

“That’s such a guy thing to say.” she said rolling her eyes.

“You're right, but it’s not that." he said before continuing, "Look, when you work hard for something, you work even harder to maintain its condition. You won’t misuse it. For example, when you buy a kid a toy, they’ll probably break it within a few hours- a day if you’re lucky because they don’t understand the value of the toy or sacrifices their parents made to get it.”

He sounded like her father, she thought as she rolled her eyes at the pep talk he was trying to give her. “So what sacrifices did you make to get this car? How many demons did you have to slay before you inherited it?”

Daniel was taken back by her question and felt as though she punched him in the gut. Avery noticed his grip tighten around the steering wheel. “First of all I didn’t inherit this car. My parents didn’t even know about it until I brought it home.”

“How did you get it?” She asked bravery. She knew she was walking on thin ice but at this point there was no backing out. She was now intrigued and wanted to hear more.

“Well it took me two weeks come up with my plan of action. The punk came into town for whatever reasons and lets just say I couldn’t resist.” He said sheepishly. “I knew his routine within 8 days of him being there-”

She gasped, “Daniel, are you driving me around in a stolen car?” she shouted, cutting him off.

“I didn’t say I got it legally. I did use the word ‘sacrifice’.” he pointed out. She was too shocked to respond but he continued, “Anyway, one night I followed him to a bar that he drank at every night. I rode my bicycle to this abandoned warehouse then walked the rest of way. I didn’t need to go in- not like I was allowed to- and I broke into the car with ease. You can blame my dad for teaching me that. The alarm did go off but luckily I was small enough to hide under the dash. The guy came out to switch it off but he was such an i***t he didn’t check around the car or anything to see what the problem was – you see, he didn’t appreciate the car.” He stated matter-of-factly, as if that justified his motives.

I waited an extra 5 minutes before pulling out the wiring. I disabled the alarm and pulled out the tracker. Then I was on my way. I threw the tracker out as soon as I left. I drove my baby all the way back to the warehouse and that’s where I left her for 3 months.”

"I can't believe I've put my life in the hands of a thief." She said.

"I'm not a thief, I'm a hunter." he shot back.

"You're a criminal." she pointed out trying to hold back her laugh.

"I'm resourceful. That's what makes great hunter."

“You are a great hunter." She smiled. "Finish off the story, did anyone find the car?” she asked waiting eagerly.

“I parked it inside the warehouse and covered it with a dusty sheet. Aside from that, people thought that place haunted so only fools went there.” He explained. “When I finally took her home, my mom could've killed me. My dad on the other hand was proud. He knew it was only a matter of time before stole a car or broke into a house on my own. Its one of the job requirements." he pointed out. "I was only 15 and I had something that no one could say they handed to me.”

Avery couldn’t believe a word of what he was saying but she knew he was telling the truth. Even through the darkness she could see the glint of triumph in his eyes. He was proud of himself and this black camaro was a trophy of his achievement. She watched him, deep in thought as he reminisced on his childhood.

She finally understood why he appeared so much older than he truly was. He grew up way before his time. Even as a boy he wanted to make his parents proud, to show them that he could be as great as they were. He wanted to live up to their expectations and be the hunter that his father saw in him that day in the orphanage. She felt a wave of sadness as she realized that they lived in two different worlds. In her world, she could be free to be young and make mistakes. She could stress about prom and what college to attend and worry about her friends and parties and boys while Daniel couldn't. He was soldier, he prepared for war even from a young age. She thought of Matty and how she admired his good deeds regardless of his reputation but he was nothing compared to Daniel. Daniel was exactly what she imagined a dark knight to be.

Suddenly they were both distracted by blue and red lights. A cop was following them and put on his siren. Daniel looked in his rearview mirror and rolled his eyes. “Seriously?” he said sounding deflated. He began to slow down before pulling over on the side of the road. The officer got out of his car and walked up to side of Daniel’s car and shone a flashlight at them

“Good evening officer.” Daniel said politely with a hint of irritation.

“May I see your license and registration sir.” the police officer asked in a calm voice.

“No problem, Officer.” Daniel said then pulled out his wallet and gave the officer what he had asked for. The officer shone his flashlight onto Daniels license card then on Daniels face.

“May you please step out of the vehicle sir.”

Avery's heart began to race as Daniel complied. She watched as he stepped to the side of the car and from the side of her eye, she caught movement at the back of the car. Turning around, she watched as someone else jumped out of the police car parked behind them. It was a woman. Avery felt uneasy and wondered why both officers would want to talk to Daniel. She began to nibble on her thumbnail while she waited anxiously, listening as Daniel and policeman spoke.

She looked around the car again for the policewoman again, realizing she hadn't approached Daniel as yet. Then she heard a loud thump coming from outside.

“Daniel?” she called out, but there was no answer. She couldn’t see him or the cop anymore.

“Hello angel.” came a womans voice from her side of the car, catching her by surprise.

It was the policewoman that Avery watched getting our of the car. As Avery looked at her closely and couldn't believe what she was seeing. The woman had a psychotic smile on her face and her eyes were completely black. There was red circles around her eyes, blood rushing to the tiny veins spiraling around her eyelids. But her long red hair gave her away and Avery recognized her as the waitress from the diner. Suddenly she felt a tight grip around her arm and she was pulled out of car through the driver’s side. She trembled in fear and her knees felt limp. Almost falling to the ground, another hand grabbed her free arm and lifted her into the air. When she looked at her capturer, it was the first police officer. His face was the same as the waitresses. His eyes were like black holes in his skull full of malice. He tightened his grip around her arm's, causing her to cry out in pain.

“So much fuss over a scared little girl. Are you sure we’ve got the right one?” the police officer asked the waitress.

“Oh, its her alright.” she responded walking towards them. “Just focus on her aura Bex.”

Bex closed his eyes for a few seconds while Avery looked around for Daniel. She could hardly see clearly through her tears but she was certain that he was gone. What did they do to Daniel? Did they hurt him? She panicked but stopped her thoughts before she could think the worst. Just then Bex opened his eyes and a terrifying smile formed on his lips.

“Gotcha!”

Avery's gut sank and she heard an electric current. Turning her head, she saw the waitress holding a tazer in her hand. She knew exactly what was coming. Avery kicked out at Bex and tried will all her strength to escape his grip before a wave of electricity jolted through her body. She went still, gasping for air before everything around her went black.