The Star Hunter

Chapter 1: One of them

The sun shined down on my body. I lay on the stiff concrete ground, my forehead and neck aching like crazy. I groaned in pain as I tried to move. "What happened?" I thought to myself. My eyes opened, but my vision was very blurry for some reason. Everything was in a shade of red. "What the hell?" I tried to sit up, but I was too weak to do so. "What's wrong with me?"

A growl startled me. I reached for my Magnum, but it wasn't on my hip. "What? Where is it!" I shouted in panic.

"You won't need it", the voice lowly spoke. I froze. It was him. The Hunter that scarred me. I looked up and saw him hanging over my weak body, holding my Magnum in his claw.

I snarled, "Give me my Desert Eagle back!" He looked down on me and tossed it away. I growled, but it was far more menacing than I thought. "Huh?" The Hunter grinned at me. "Stop grinning at me! It haunts me! And why the fuck am I talking to you?"

He chuckled as he said, "Because you're one of us. You can understand me better than a series of growls or very loose words."

I shook my head, "I'm not one of you! I'm a Hunter hunter!"

He pointed to a shard of broken glass from a car's windshield. "Look again."

I crawled my way to the shard, while the male Hunter rolled his non-existent eyes. I looked into the cracked reflection and gasped. My skin was pale and blotched with bumps. I was wearing my dark hooded jacket, but it was viciously torn and scratched. My hood was up and when I pulled it down, my eyes were clear, but not gone. I screamed, but a screech escaped my vocals. "Holy fuck! I'm a…I'm a…"

"A Hunter", the male said.

I shook my head as I flipped my hood back on my head. "There's no way I'm a Hunter! I'm a human! A survivor!"

The male scowled, "Like it or not, you're a Hunter now! You can't escape it!"

"Wait. This is just a night mare! All I need is a wake-up call", I said, trying to deny the truth.

The Hunter sighed, grumbled, "Why won't you except it, Chris?"

I stopped and looked up at him. "How do you know my name? I never told you who I am."

He said, "I know all about you, Chris. I've been watching you, like your own guardian angel."

I snarled, "More like a demon from Hell! You scarred me for life and plagued me with nightmares! You're no guardian! You're an unholy creature! Nothing more!" Then I mumbled to myself, "I've already got a guardian angel: Bill."

He said calmly, "You're an unholy creature too. You…are…a…Hunter! A very intelligent one too! You get my abilities that none of the other Hunters have!"

I struggled to stand up, growled, "Like what?"

"Like the ability to regenerate wounds almost on the spot and invisibility", he answered.

I cocked my head and asked, "What are you? A super Hunter? Regenerating wounds? Invisibility?"

He scratched his neck and replied, "Let's just say I had a nasty run in with a Hunter myself."

I growled, "Wait…you were a human? I mean a survivor?"

He growled back, "Enough of this! We're not humans anymore! You're already thinking like a Hunter."

I bellowed into the air, "I…am…a…survivor!" my bellow was so loud, every zombie that wasn't killed in the explosion heard me.

The male Hunter sighed in defeat, "You are no more. I must head back. Come with me."

I growled, "Not until I get my Magnum back." I crawled on broken glass and tore asphalt to reach my Magnum. The male Hunter sighed and shook his head at my sad act. I saw it and beamed. My next move startled; I pounced at it. The male Hunter looked shocked at my sudden pounce. I grabbed my Desert Eagle and placed it back in its holster. "That was unexpected. Did I just pounce?"

The male ran up to me and said excitedly, "You did! You pounced and with fierce strength I must add! You're a quick learner, Chris."

I huffed, "I just wanted my fucking gun. I didn't ask for this shit to happen!"

He grunted, "I know. But you chose to stay! You chose to not get on the chopper!"

I stood up and pointed at him, "Listen here, Hunter! I did this because my friends would have died! I expected to die, not be this vicious monster!"

He grumbled, "Every decision has its consequences. Let's go." He began walking towards the wrecked bridge. I gasped on how fast he leaped from beam to beam or rock to rock. I just stared.

Once he got half way there, he turned around and waved his claw forward to usher me along. "Let's go! Hop across!"

I shouted back, "Fuck this! I'm swimming!"

He quickly snapped before I dived, "We Hunters can't swim! Don't jump in! You'll sink like a rock!"

I sighed and cursed under my breath, "This is fucking bullshit. Oh well, I was meant to die anyway." I took a deep breath and hopped to the closest beam. To my surprise, I landed on it without a hassle. I spotted another beam and leaped to it. My jump was a little short, but I was quick enough to grab a hold of the edge. Luckily, I didn't panic. However, I heard an ear-piercing shrill come from my pocket. It was Lazerlemon, looking down at the water and floating debris from the bombs.

I pulled myself up and took the little puff ball into my claws. He was terrified of my appearance. "It's ok, Lazerlemon. It's still me. Chris." He still was scared, so I placed him back into my hoodie pocket and commanded, "Hold on. Don't fall out." I heard him 'meep' inside and felt him shaking. I sighed as I looked ahead.

I began running across the beam and one fluent movement, hopped from one beam or rock to the next foothold. My speed and flexibility were amazing. I didn't stop once, only thinking of my next foothold I would land on. And for some strange reason, I felt powerful and deadly. Is this what a Hunter feels when he/she hunts? I don't know.

The male Hunter was waiting for me in the safe room. I hopped in and crashed into the wall. He huffed, "Work on your brakes, Chris."

I growled, "Hunter…"

He interrupted, "Just call me Scar."

I snarled, "Because that's what you gave me?"

He shook his head, "No. It's what I go by. Every Special Infected knows me as Scar. It's a code name."

I huffed, "Fine, Scar. I was going to say, if you didn't notice, I leaped the bridge remains without stopping. My adrenaline is through the fucking roof!"

Scar commented, "You'll get used to it. Now come on. I need to get back to the Ducatel sugar mill."

My nerves froze in shock, "The sugar mill? The sugar mill full of witches?"

He nodded, "That's the one."

I began shaking my head rapidly, "Hell no! No way I'm going near that place again! One of those bitches made me bleed out!"

He smirked under his hood, "That's because you pushed your boy out of the way. He startled Nancy first, but she ended up attacking you because you shoved that con man away from her."

Immediately, Nick came into my mind and so did that kiss he gave me before he got into the chopper. I looked down at my feet, which weren't covered by my sneakers anymore. I grumbled as I looked at myself again, "I look like I got raped."

Scar cackled at my comment, "Once you passed out, the common infected swarmed you and began attacking you."

I huffed, "Great. How did you get shredded up?"

"Hunter dominance. I proved victorious and I killed the loser", He answered.

I nodded and I felt Lazerlemon squirm in my pocket. I plucked him out and set him on the ammo table. "Are you ok, buddy?" He looked at me and nodded nervously. I smiled and petted his head. Scar looked at the fluff ball with a steely gaze which terrified Lazerlemon. He hopped back into my pocket, 'meeping' like crazy as if he was either praying or cussing.

I growled at Scar, "Leave the poor thing alone! He's been through a lot."

He scoffed, "So have I. Now let's go. Witch-ville awaits."

I once again stood my ground and snarled, "Didn't you hear me a second ago? I'm not going back to Ducatel! They'll kill me on sight!"

Scar sighed, "You're one of us now. They will not kill you." He began walking away again, so I just groaned in defeat as I followed him. I really don't want to believe that I'm a Hunter. The very thing I swore to destroy. I expected the Hunter to kill me! An eye for an eye, I thought. No.

Lazerlemon poked his head out and went 'meep' to me. I sighed and whispered, "I hope everyone is ok."

Later…

The helicopter landed on the roof with a soft thud. The pilot opened the back hatch and soldiers escorted the six remaining survivors off the chopper and into the tents. One of the soldiers noticed how melancholy the group was, so he asked, "Why the long faces?"

His buddy, who was a total asshole quipped, "One of them fucked a zombie, gave birth to a zombie and had to kill the zombie!"

The first soldier hit his buddy and growled, "Enough, Jock! That's not funny."

Coach looked up and said to the first soldier, "Amen, brother."

The soldier apologized, "Sorry about Jock. He's a flat out asshole. I'm sure something horrible happened to get you guys so upset."

Ellis looked at the soldier and replied, "You could say that…"

The soldier finished, "Dwayne."

Once in the tents, a CEDA guys told the group, "Strip down and prepare to be hosed down!"

Everyone stared at each other for a few seconds, trying to absorb the order right. Alex raised his hand and asked, "Naked? In front of everyone?"

The CEDA guy sighed and growled, "Just down to your underwear. And yes, in front of everyone!"

Everyone began to strip to their skivvies (Alex was naked) and was thrown into a chemical shower, one by one. Nick hated it, but he was too upset to gripe about it. Sheila wasn't too crazy about it either, but she was glad to feel clean again. Hell, everyone was.

Two CEDA guys gave everyone a new set of scrubs to wear until they got new outfits. They were all the same color: white. Ro groaned, "White? Seriously?"

Coach shrugged, "It's better than nothing, Ro."

She nodded, "That's true."

Ellis growled as he tried to scratch his back, "This damn scrub is giving me a nasty itch on the back here!"

Sheila asked, "Where?"

He pointed to his middle back and replied, "Right here."

She began to scratch his back and he began to groan with pleasure. Nick looked away from the couple with a heavy heart. He gave a depressed sigh and his eyes grew glossy. Alex walked over to him and gripped his shoulder, "We miss her too, Nick."

Nick shoved him off and growled, "Get away from me, Alex. I'm not in the mood."

Alex took a step back and sighed, "Alright Nick. I just want to help ya."

Coach took Alex by the shoulder and said, "Leave him alone. He needs time to himself."

Alex nodded, "Alright, Coach."

The soldier escort stepped forward and the CEDA guys commanded them, "Take them to tent #7."

Jock replied, "Yes sir."

Dwayne nodded, "Will do, sir."

The two soldiers escorted the group into their assigned tent and gave them rules. "There are the rules, guys", Jock began, "Rule number one: No fucking."

Nick really wanted to punch Jock's face in and Dwayne could see that. "No. Rule number one is being respectful of your tent mates and the staff. We're trying to help you guys survive this disaster."

Ro replied, "Thanks, Dwayne, but the military did shit rescuing everyone in New Orleans. They bombed real people."

Dwayne sighed, "Sadly, the city was under quarantine."

Then Nick snarled, "Then why are we alive?"

Nick's tone scared Dwayne slightly. Jock snapped back at the con man, "Because, you guys came along and saw what the fuck happened! The general couldn't kill you guys, because we had to save your sorry, zombie-killing asses!"

Nick's fist quickly made contact with Jock's nose, making a crushing noise, followed by a wail of pain by Jock. Ellis and Coach quickly pulled Nick away from the injured soldier while Alex protected Sheila and Ro in case he went totally bat-shit on anyone. Nick bellowed as he struggled, "If you were supposed to save us, then why didn't you save all of us! The woman I love died on your fucking helicopter pad, saving us from your fucking failure to help! If the military was there, then where were all of the fucking infantry? Fuckers like you should have died out there, not Christina!"

Dwayne kneeled before his comrade and growled at him, "Lay off, Jock. They have been through a lot."

He helped Jock to his feet and led him out of the tent to repair his nose. Nick stopped his fuming rage and broke down on the ground. Everyone left Nick alone, letting him vent on his own. They were upset over my sacrifice as well, but they knew Nick took it the hardest. They saw foldable beds along the walls of the tent, so they choose a vacant bed to sleep on. Within minutes, Coach, Ro, Alex, Ellis, and Sheila were asleep.

Nick finally calmed down from his meltdown and he took my bandana out of a special pocket in his boxers. Since he knew about the chemical bath, he decided to keep it hidden, away from everyone. He wrapped it around his hand and kissed it while trying not to cry. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Chris. I wish I didn't let you go." He felt tears overpowering his eyes, so he quickly wiped his eyes clear with his scrub sleeve. He looked around and noticed he was the only one awake. The moon gave off an eerie light, causing Nick to look up at the sky. A star winked down on him, causing his heart to cry out. That was the star that Nick and I saw wink on us when the storm pasted.

Nick felt tears coming back, but this time, he didn't stop them. He closed his eyes and they began rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled as he looked for an empty bed for him to sleep on. He saw one in the far right corner, near Sheila. He stood up and dragged his feet to the vacant bed and he just fall onto it. He crawled the rest of the way to the pillow and he began sobbing into it. He cried himself to sleep, still holding onto my bandana in his hand, never letting go.