Hunters

Chapter Two: The Grieving

By Nathan Mullins

Shimmer was afraid. He had lost his adoptive mum, the one person who cared for him who was human, never mind what Whisper thought, this wasn't about her. This was about Shimmer's chances of survival. Already, the one asset whom he truly cherished had now perished. He was on his own from this day forward.

Whisper greeted him in the tower block, and together, they sat down on old cardboard boxes, chewed by passing cats left out without being fed. One cat had been found on the stair case, leading up to the level in which Shimmer and Whisper now slept on. It was soaked in its own blood, and the pool it had produced had now taken the form of a stream, with it pouring from the wound and down the stairs.

Something animalistic had killed it, to show that whatever had been on the very level Shimmer and Whisper operated on, meant business. So, at night, when the peace and tranquility took hold of almost anything and everything in sight, Shimmer thought it best to use his powers.

Whisper often protested, and made out that 'they could sense you in moments, come and find us, and then kill us.' Shimmer chose to ignore her, as this was for her own good, and besides, the chances of 'them' hunting them when they were completely out of sight, was slim. So Shimmer prepared for a swift change over, calling on space time from his thoughts challenging real time, when suddenly, Whisper saw him fade away, each body part at a time, drifting into darkness, that was the night.

"Shimmer?" 

The girl stood up, reached out with one hand, to where her friend had been seated.

"Ouch!" was Shimmer's reply.

Whisper was taken aback, and stumbled backwards in complete shock.

"You there, Shimmer?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"I can't see you..." continued Whisper.

"I know that," answered Shimmer. "I'm invisible."

Whisper plucked up the courage to step forward, and again, stretched out her arm, and prodded the spot where Shimmer's voice emanated from.

"Would you stop doing that!" he shouted. "Sit down, so I might..." and he paused.

"Might what?" Whisper asked him, nervously.

"I might save you from them..." Shimmer went on.

"Elaborate, please!" the girl asked him.

Shimmer, never mind how he appeared invisible, sniffed. He could sense something was wrong, knew they were coming for them.

"I can smell their scent, they aren't far. You need to trust me, Whisper, because should you choose to walk away from this, you will surely die!"

Whisper did not understand, not fully. But the decision was made for her, as Shimmer stood up, dragged her back to the ground, and made the change over.

Whisper felt no pain. Shimmer had however.

The Hunters were close by, and they could sense a change.

"They've deserted us..." Hunger growled.

Hunger was a Hunter, fierce and powerful, unlike any human, despite him being in the form of one.

He led three other Hunters, but turned to them, and said - "We will feast on something else, and come back on the chosen date, the day in which we take back the powers that be!"

The Hunters, so close to the tower block, left the playground, and retreated.

"They're going, they cannot sense us, we have survived once more, but it had come at a price," and Shimmer's eyes shut tight, as he fell back into the boxes he sat on. He was out cold, the powers having drained him for the night.

To be continued...