The Hunters
1375 Words
Ethan woke to the sound of screaming.
Not a nightmare. Not a memory. Real screaming. Coming from the main square.
He ran.
The square was chaos. People running. Children crying. A group of armed men in the center. Military gear. No insignia.
"Everyone stay calm," one of them shouted. "We're looking for Alex Cole. Hand him over, and no one gets hurt."
Ethan stepped forward. "I'm Ethan Cole. Alex is my son. What do you want with him?"
The leader turned. His face was hidden behind a tactical helmet. "Alex Cole has something we need. The Frequency fragments. We want them."
"Those fragments are part of him. He can't just give them to you."
"Then we'll take them."
The man raised his weapon.
Nora stepped out of the crowd. Her eyes glowed white. "You don't want to do that."
The man laughed. "You think your Frequency tricks scare me? We've been trained to resist them."
He pressed a button on his wrist. A high-pitched sound filled the air. Nora stumbled. Clutched her head.
"Frequency dampener," the man said. "We know all about you."
Liam ran in. Tackled the man. They struggled.
Charlotte fired a taser. One of the intruders went down.
The others opened fire.
---
The battle lasted three minutes.
By the end, four of the intruders were dead. Seven were captured. The rest had fled.
But the community was shattered.
Bodies in the square. Wounded crying for help. Buildings burning.
Ethan stood in the middle of it all. Blood on his hands. His heart pounding.
"Who were they?" Liam asked.
"No insignia. No identification. Private military. Someone hired them."
"Marcus?"
"Maybe. Or someone else."
---
Nora was unconscious. The Frequency dampener had overloaded her system.
Dr. Tanaka worked on her for hours. Stabilized her.
"She'll recover," Dr. Tanaka said. "But she can't use the Frequency for a while. Her brain needs to heal."
Ethan sat beside her bed. Held her hand.
"Whoever did this is going to pay."
Nora's eyes opened. Flickering white.
"Marcus. He's not just attacking. He's hunting."
"Hunting who?"
"Alex. The fragments. He wants them for himself."
---
Alex was in his room. Guarded by Liam and Charlotte.
"This is my fault," he said.
"None of this is your fault," Ethan replied.
"Those people died because of me."
"They died because Marcus sent them. You're just the target."
Ethan sat beside his son. "We need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere Marcus can't find you."
"Where?"
"I don't know yet. But we'll find somewhere."
---
General Harrison called that evening.
"I heard about the attack. I'm sorry."
"Who were they?"
"Private contractors. Blackstone Security. They've been hired by Marcus Webb. He's using his money to build an army."
"Can you stop them?"
"I can try. But Marcus is smart. He's staying in the shadows. I can't touch him without evidence."
"I'll get you evidence."
"Ethan. Be careful. Marcus knows you're coming. He wants you to come. It's a trap."
"I know. But I have no choice."
---
Ethan gathered the team.
Liam. Charlotte. Sonya. Derek. Richard.
"Marcus is hunting Alex. He wants the fragments. He'll keep attacking until he gets what he wants."
"Then we find him first," Liam said.
"General Harrison says Marcus is in Nevada. At the same facility he used before."
"He'll be prepared," Charlotte said.
"Then we prepare too."
---
The plan was simple. Risky. But necessary.
Sonya would lead a team to the facility. Disable the security. Create a diversion.
Ethan would find Marcus. Confront him. Stop him.
Alex would stay behind. Guarded by the entire community.
And Nora. Nora would stay with Alex. Keep him safe. Keep the fragments safe.
"This is insane," Richard said. "You're walking into a trap."
"I know."
"Then why are you going?"
"Because if I don't, Marcus will keep coming. He'll never stop. Not until he has what he wants."
Richard put his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "You're a good man, Ethan. You're a good father. Don't forget that."
---
The drive to Nevada took twelve hours.
Sonya drove. Liam and Charlotte in the back. Derek in the passenger seat. Ethan sat alone. Staring out the window.
The desert was flat. Empty. The sky was dark.
"What are you thinking about?" Sonya asked.
"My son. My father. My mother. Everything that's led to this moment."
"You're about to face the man who's been trying to destroy you for years."
"I know."
"Are you ready?"
Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then: "I have to be."
---
The facility appeared at midnight.
Same location. Same building. But different. Fortified. Defended.
Sonya parked the car behind a ridge. Derek set up his equipment. Scanned the perimeter.
"Twenty guards. Motion sensors. Cameras."
"Any weak points?"
"Service tunnel. Same as before. But it's guarded."
"Then we take out the guards."
Sonya led the way. Quiet. Precise. The guards never knew what hit them.
The tunnel door was locked. Derek bypassed it.
They entered the facility.
---
The corridors were identical. Gray walls. Fluorescent lights. Same as the Facility. Same as the other facilities.
Marcus had rebuilt everything. The same prison. The same cages.
Ethan walked through the halls. His footsteps echoed.
A voice came over the intercom.
"Ethan. I was wondering when you'd come."
"Marcus. Show yourself."
"Come to the machine room. We have much to discuss."
---
The machine room was at the end of the corridor.
Same cylinder. Same wires. Same hum.
Marcus stood in the center. Calm. Confident.
"Welcome, Ethan. I've been expecting you."
"You should have stayed dead."
"Death is for people who give up. I never give up."
Marcus walked around the cylinder. "You destroyed my life. My work. My legacy. But I rebuilt. Stronger than before."
"You rebuilt a prison."
"A laboratory. A place of discovery. The Frequency is the greatest power in the universe. And you want to keep it hidden."
"I want to keep it safe."
"Safe from what? From progress? From understanding? You're afraid of what you don't know."
Ethan stepped forward. "I'm not afraid of you, Marcus."
"You should be."
Marcus pressed a button.
The cylinder hummed. Louder. Brighter.
"The Frequency is mine now. All of it. The fragments. The Receivers. Everything. I control it."
"You don't control anything. You're just another puppet."
Marcus's face twisted. "You don't understand. I've been studying this for decades. I know more than anyone."
"Then why are you still hiding? Still building prisons? Still fighting?"
"Because I want what's mine."
---
The cylinder exploded.
White light. Heat. Sound.
Ethan shielded his eyes.
When the light faded, Marcus was gone.
The cylinder was destroyed.
But something was left behind. A Frequency signature. Strong. Ancient.
Alex's signature.
"No."
The signature pulsed. Grew.
Alex appeared in the center of the room. His eyes were white. His body was glowing.
"Alex?"
"I'm here, Dad."
"How did you get here?"
"I came through the Frequency. Marcus was going to use me as a battery. I used his machine to come here instead."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. But Marcus is gone."
---
The facility collapsed around them.
Sonya shouted: "Get out! Now!"
They ran.
The corridors crumbled. The walls fell.
Ethan grabbed Alex. Pulled him through the tunnel.
The exit was blocked.
Ethan pushed. The rubble shifted.
A crack. Light.
They climbed through.
The desert was quiet. The sky was dark.
Behind them, the facility was gone. Rubble. Dust. Silence.
"Is Marcus dead?" Alex asked.
Ethan looked at the ruins. "I don't know."
---
They drove back to Montana.
The community was waiting. Nora was awake. Richard was on the porch.
"Did you find him?" Nora asked.
"We found him. The facility is destroyed. But Marcus is gone."
"Gone?"
"Escaped. Or dead. I don't know."
---
The days passed.
Derek monitored. Nothing.
General Harrison called. No trace of Marcus Webb.
"He's alive," Ethan said. "I know he is."
"How?"
"Because he's survived worse. He'll always survive. Until we stop him."
---
Months passed.
The community recovered. Rebuilt.
Alex became stronger. The fragments were part of him. He used them to help others.
Nora healed. Her eyes were brown. Her smile was back.
Ethan watched his family. His community. His home.
Marcus was still out there.
But not tonight.
Tonight, there was peace.
- Writer
