Hunters' POV

~~Dream~~

"Ready or not, here I come!" I called out in excitement. I was five years old playing hide-and-seek in my old house with my Dad. I jumped from my bed and began searching. I went straight to my parents' room. My Dads' baseball cap stuck out from beneath the covers. I giggled quietly and tiptoed over to the edge of the bed. One…two…three, I pounced on the bed and ripped the covers back revealing a pile of pillows. I picked up my Dads cap and pouted, he tricked me. I caught a glimpse of my Dad running past the door laughing.

"Hey! No fair Papa!" I yelled jumping from the bed. I skipped down the stairs and into the living room. His jacket stuck out from the top of the couch. I wasted no time as I ran and leapt over the back of the couch.

"Gotcha!" I squealed in excitement as I landed on…the cushion? Aw poop, he tricked me again. I threw the cushion on the floor and slid off the couch. A blur quickly flew past the doorway into the kitchen, laughing mockingly. I scurried after him, hoping to catch him before he disappears again. I entered the kitchen just in time to see the backdoor slamming shut.

"There's nowhere to hide in the yard silly-billy!" I yelled happily. I opened the backdoor and bounced outside. However, I wasn't standing in my backyard; I was standing in the middle of an abandoned city. I spun around to go back inside but my house was no longer there. I ran a hand though my fiery hair and looked down at myself. I wasn't five years old anymore; I was my normal sixteen year old self. Without realising it I was walking through the empty streets. The buildings were old and dilapidated; seeming so fragile one touch could make them crumble. Cars were toppled over and stripped of most of their parts. The road had large chunks of concrete missing; allowing the grass to grow.

Screams echoed through the air, followed by maniacal laughter. Crowds of people materialised from thin air, all rushing in a state of panic. Skitters chased them through the streets, slaughtering whoever got in their way. I saw members of the 2nd Mass among the crowd. Tom Mason led the small group, dragging a pregnant Anne behind him. Hal carried an unconscious Maggie in his arms. Matt was older and ran beside his father, offering cover fire. Bringing up the rear was my Dad. He was bleeding profusely and hobbled along with a limp. Ben was nowhere to be seen. I screamed but no sound came out. I tried again but nothing changed.

"They can't hear you" a chilling voice said. It was a feminine voice, slow and calm.

I turned to find a hooded figure standing before me. "W-who are you? What is this!?"

The person cocked their head to the side slowly before slowly replying "You mean… you don't recognize me?"

I shook my head side-to-side, a look of confusion on my face.

She stepped towards me. I tried stepping back but I couldn't move, it's like my feet were nailed to the ground. She stopped till she was only an arm's length away.

"That's understandable, I suppose. I have changed after all." Even though I couldn't see her face, I could hear by her voice that she was smiling. She gripped the sides of her hood and flicked it back, revealing her identity. I gasped in shock, or fear, or both! No! This isn't real! It's not possible!

"No…no, this isn't…it's a dream. I have to wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" I fell to my knees and patted my face.

I, or the girl that looked exactly like me, crouched in front of me with a sadistic smile on her face. "This isn't a dream, Hunter."

"Yes it is! I-"

"No it's not" she interrupted. She stood up and stretched her arms out in front of her, smiling at the massacre before us "this is your destiny Hunter."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm talking about our future, Hunter."

"Our…future?" I mumbled stupidly.

She smirked "We fought the aliens in hopes of winning the war, but we could never win. Humans aren't meant to win this war Hunter. The sooner you realise that, the happier you'll be."

"I don't understand" I muttered as I got up and stood beside her.

Her blue eyes stared into mine "the harder humans' fight, the harder they'll fall. They need to give up in order to save themselves."

"So, you're saying we need to surrender to the aliens? How could you say that!?" My fists clenched as I stared at her in disbelief.

She laughed, a mean, sarcastic sound "oh Hunter, quit being so naïve. This is going to happen. I tried to fight the inevitable myself, but it didn't make a difference. No matter what choices you make, they'll all lead to the same consequence."

"You're wrong!" I spat making her look at me. "I'm not gonna let this happen!"

"You don't have a choice."

"There's always another choice."

She shook her head, a reminiscent smile upon her lips "I thought so too…but I was wrong. Accept Karens' offer, Hunter."

"Karen? Who's Karen, and what offer are you talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough" she smiled sinisterly, making me shiver.

"Hunter!" a voice screamed earning our attention. Standing there with his gun raised was Felix. He had grown taller, older. His eyes no longer held their usual innocence. They were cold and full of hatred. A lump formed in my throat as I gazed upon him.

"It ends here!" his voice was full of confidence.

"Indeed it does, but…for who?" she questioned slyly. Before I could blink she was gone. She appeared behind Felix, ready to strike him down. My voice got caught in my throat; I wanted to warn him but was unable to do so. Sensing her behind him, Felix turned allowing her to grab him by the throat. Her grip tightened as she raised him off the ground. He coughed and spluttered. He thrashed his legs and clawed at the iron grip wrapped around his neck in attempt to escape.

"You always were a nuisance" she whispered darkly before snapping his neck.

~~End dream~~

I screamed as my eyes shot open. My heart was beating wildly in my ears. My breaths were quick and heavy. Beads of perspiration dripped down my forehead. My eyes scanned the space around me frantically, desperately searching for something familiar.

"Bad dream darlin'?" someone whispered in my ear making me jump in fright. Merle stepped in front of me, a wicked smirk on his face. I glared at him from underneath my sweat soaked bangs.

"Where am I?! What the hell is going on!?" I growled.

Merle chuckled "Feisty one ain't ya? Don't worry sweet-pea, all will be explained soon."

He left the room leaving me alone. My eyes were fairly adjusted to the darkness of the room so I took in my surroundings. I was kneeling on the cold earthen floor of an old basement room, lit by a single overhead lamp. My hands were chained above my head; the shackles cutting deep into my wrists. Instruments of medical nature hung from hooks in the beams. Dark stains on the walls and floor suggested blood.

The door groaned as it opened. A girl around my age entered the room, an air of superiority surrounding her. She stopped in front of me and I had to crane my neck backwards to get a proper look at her. Her bright blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her pale eyes were filled with interest as she stared down at me.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Hunter. My name is Karen" she greeted in an eerily calm voice. My dream quickly flashed in my head, making my eyes widen. So this was Karen. She squatted in front of me, her eyes narrowing as she inspected my face. I flinched as her hand brushed against my cheek. She cupped my chin gently and tilted my head up. I shook my head but her grip tightened.

"You don't know how special you are" she murmured gently.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a raised brow.

She just smiled in response. She withdrew her hand and stood. She paced the room as she spoke "you're a difficult girl to get a hold of, you know? Can you believe I actually had to resort to hiring these delinquents in order to track you down?"

She turned her back allowing me to get a full view of her harness. I shifted uncomfortably.

"It was necessary I'm afraid. I hope they didn't hurt you too much" she spoke with a motherly voice.

"Pfft, like you care!" I scoffed making her narrow her eyes. "Why don't we skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point? Why am I here?"

She folded her arms behind her back before speaking "Very well. I'll be blunt; my masters are infatuated with you. They've informed me of your future significance, so they sent me to retrieve you."

"I don't understand. Why would a supposed superior race find me to be significant?" This was all so confusing. First my dream self tells me I'm special, and now I'm being told by actual aliens that I'm important to them!

"I'm not sure, Hunter. You'll have to speak to the overlords themselves" she smiled gently.

"I know what you're trying to do Karen. But it ain't gonna work. There's no way in hell I'm boarding that mother ship!" I hissed.

Karen's whole persona changed within a second. Within a blink of an eye her face was inches from mine. She roughly grabbed a handful of my hair, holding my head in place. Her eyes stared deeply into mine.

Her pupils dilated as she began to speak "you will come with me, Hunter. The future of our species depends on you. Don't you want to know what's it like to be accepted? You won't be treated as an outcast anymore. You'll finally be accepted. Everything will be fine, I promise."

Her voice was…oddly hypnotic. My mind momentarily goes blank. For some reason I have this strange urge to go with her. I start to believe her, but…no! No, she's lying to me! I blink rapidly, breaking the hypnotic trance.

Karen let go off my hair and slowly backed up. She looked down at me in bewilderment. "That's not possible" she breaths looking at the floor. Her gaze hardened as she looked at me "how did you do that?"

"You tell me" I said slightly out of breath. I had no idea how I broke the connection. I wanted to go with her before, but…something stopped me. Karen mumbled to herself under her breath. Her head shook side-to-side. Confusion written all over her face. She stormed towards the door without sparing me a second glance. Merle stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. Karen muttered something in his ear before leaving. He entered the room and slammed the door behind him. He stalked towards me, a malevolent glint in his eye. He resembled a lion stalking its prey; shoulders hunched, head low, teeth bared, and silent strides. And the worst part? I was the prey.

"What are you planning on doing with me?" I asked with a surprisingly stable voice.

He pulled a knife from the back of his jeans and slid his thumb down the blade. "You and I are gonna have us some fun, kitten" he spoke in low growl.