CHAPTER THIRTEEN: HUNTING A GHOST
HARPER'S POV
Sunlight showered on my face from above, hurting my eyes. A groan slips pass my lips as I regret not putting a cover on the hole in this thing. Another groan slips pass my lips when I realize that I can't move.
Something a bit heavy was wrapped around me.
Very tightly.
My eyes trailed down to see that it was only Alek, who seem to be very snuggled up and comfortably sleeping on my chest.
I smiled softly at her state, my chest swelling up with happiness because I practically felt like I was in a dream. What was once a hopeless dream that always drifted in my thoughts during my childhood were now coming true, and even I right now couldn't believe it. I've always been hopelessly in love with Alek and have gotten used to the fact that I'll just be brushed off by her, yet here I am now, my limbs tangled with the woman I love so much. And most importantly, she loves me back.
I smiled at the ceiling before smiling back down at her and giving her a kiss on the head. I lied there for a bit, letting the sleepiness remove itself off me before attempting to pry off Alek's hands off of me.
Instead of her removing it, she just tightened her grip and, if possible, sunk closer and much deeper to me and to my chest.
"Few...more...minutes," she mumbles, her voice muffled by my chest as she hugs me tightly in what seems to be an attempt to pulling me closer.
I sighed and gave in, helping her instead by hugging her closer to me. She sighs in satisfaction at this before dozing off again, not that she ever woke up fully.
While she slept I started to think of plans in order to get out of Berk. Dad has all of the guards on high alert and at the same time, chances are, they might double the security at the gate.
Bringing Alek would be seemed impossible as each minute passed. Even if we fell in love for one another, even something as strong as that can't provide her a safe environment and that's all I'll ever want her to be.
To be safe.
The wasteland might change her and I'm not taking any chances for that to happen. I started thinking. I had to.
Why is this happening to me? I just want to have a normal life. Now that I'm with Alek, how can I have one with me being a wanted man from my old group and at the same time having a bounty on my head.
I'm like a walking target to everybody and chances are Berk might be put at risk and get attacked by everyone else outside, all because of me.
I need to get out, and fast. If someone tries to stop, I might as well just inspect and see if I have to kill them. The only thing I hoped for was that my mother would forgive me for what I've done back at the house.
I never really wanted to leave but of course every single control I've had left in me slipped and I had to lose it in front of my father. My eyebrows dipped as I stared angrily at the hole at the ceiling, thinking that it was mirror instead and that I was glaring at myself.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize Alek had awoken. Her body stirred one more time before her head tilted up and looked at me.
I smiled and pulled her up, giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"What are you thinking about?" she asks as she undoes her messy brain and redoes it again, not changing much but at least the stray strands were minimized now. I tucked in a few stray strands of hair that didn't make it and stared at the ceiling before shifting my gaze to her.
"It's just- I don't know," I sighed, "chances are my father might get me. If not then, well, I'll just- I'll just go back to being Night Fury, you know? One of the most dangerous mercenaries of the state. No, really!" I quickly said when I realized that may not have been a great start for her to take me seriously, "I mean, a huge bounty is already at my head. Not sure how much."
She stares at me for a second before rolling her eyes and shuffling closer to my side. Her hands slinked up my shoulders and up to my head, massaging my scalp.
"Hey, what are you do-" I felt her slowly grab bundles of hair before tugging on them hardly, "ow!"
"Milady, what are you doing?" I ask, chuckling as she tugged harder causing me to yelp and my scalp to burn a bit.
She just hummed a tune and ignored me. I stayed silent and felt another tug, much gentler this time. I felt her other hand drop from my head and into her pocket, retrieving a tiny band and tying it around the said bundle of hair she's gotten.
It's only then I realized that she's braiding me and that she's already done a braid.
Oh gods.
"Don't tell me you placed a braid- I-I-I...I mean braids!" I corrected myself when I felt another one getting tied.
I tried to contort my face into one of annoyance but failed miserably as I saw her shift to the other side to make a third one.
"Your hair is too long, merc. It's either I cut it or braid it, you choose," she says, stopping her act mid-braid as her hand trailed down my waist and o my belt, slowly unsheathing the knife there.
Not the knife I wanted unsheathed but, it could do. Except, not in this situation.
I chose the braids and just nodded mindlessly at the question, feeling her sheath the knife back to it's place. She mumbles something about braids being better before going back to braiding the last one.
When she finally finished, with much protest and arguing that I didn't need a fourth one despite her saying that it should be equal, ("two on the left, two on the right") we both got up and fixed ourselves.
I shuffled myself into my gear as Alek watched me with an expressionless face. It then dawned on me that Alek had left all her gear at the tent, so she's left unarmed. After wearing my gear, I got my extra handgun, a gift from Demsey which was a P99, and handed it to her.
Speaking of which, I then remembered that I needed his help and that bastard will help me whether he's busy or not because he owes me some fucking favors.
After giving the gun I gave her a couple of mags. She tucked the gun behind her jeans and placed the mags in her pocket. We gave one last double check before getting out of the cover.
Right before we stepped out I made sure to seal the place again for future use.
I peeked out of the doorway, my eyes scanning the streets. I sighed in relief when I realized that it was empty.
"Harper, loosen up will ya," Alek says, "no wonder people recognize you, you really look like you came out of a garbage can," she jokes, laughing and snorting helplessly at what she's said.
"Gee, thanks. I got this from Walmart, don't blame me for really good deals," I sarcastically say, her laughs dying down as she glares at me in response.
I removed my poncho and folded it, hooking it to the strap of my pack and since I can't remove my vest I opened it instead to make it look like a regular vest.
I've removed my mask as well and placed it inside my pack.
The two of us walked side by side and onlookers looked at us with suspense, but that only lasts a few seconds as they shrug us off and would move along.
A few seconds later cops emerged from ahead of us and they looked at us suspiciously, much longer than the onlookers did so Alek and I laughed out loud, pretending to ignore the world as I held her closer and slung my arm over her shoulder. The cops bought it, muttering false alarm under their breaths.
"Well, looks like dad is haunting me done," I confirm, my tone a bit bittersweet at the thought of my own father hunting me down.
At least he wanted me alive.
But that's not even half as good.
"We'll get to the lock up," Alek reassures me when she realizes me getting deep into thought, "I think we can steal a car and get out of Berk."
"Alek, wait," I stop, tensing up at the word we being thrown around so casually by her mouth, "are you sure you want to come with me? Once you're out you can't come back."
Her eyes widened for a bit as she stared off into the distance, my arm slipped off her shoulders slowly as she stared into the empty streets before looking back at me with so much determination.
She nods.
"Look, chances are we all might be outside right now and anytime the Outcast could break in and kill everybody. And besides, I have the elusive Night Fury as a pet," she says the last part with a smirk.
"Hey! Since when did I become the pet welp?" I retort, only to receive a punch in the arm.
I yelped and clutched my arm, "and here we go again. Look, milady, I'll handle the violence while you just stand there and look pretty," I joked but her glare still stood as she went in for another punch, same spot.
Surrendering, I raised my arms as she smirked in triumph.
The both of us finally stopped teasing each other and decided to head for the lock up. It was just a detention center beside the police station. The usual.
As we walked, Alek immediately pulled me to the building next to us where she pushed me against the wall. She slowly peeked around the corner.
"What do you see?" I whisper, shoving down the weird uncomfortable feeling at how weird this feels in my case.
"The gang! They're with the guards hunting us down," she responds, a scowl on her face as her eyes followed the group of people.
Once I felt her grip loosen I peeked for myself as well and she was right. The gang was walking around with the guards on high alert and finding for us.
All of them except for Trevor and Rebecca who stood at the center of the street, holding a megaphone as they announced the weather that they've predicted.
I'm actually surprised that the Freaks haven't overrun Berk yet with that loud of noise because any Freak out there could've picked that up and a horde by now would've taken the chance.
I saw Cami's head snap into my direction, I saw her just right in time to move back and hide with Alek.
Alek looked at me, confused as to why I retracted a bit too hesitantly and too fast.
"There may be a chance that Cami saw me and there may be a chance that she's on her way here with the guards behind her," I spoke, my tone soft as I waited for Alek's reaction.
Alek groaned at this and peeked at the corner with me following behind, only for us to be pushed back by both Cami and Heather.
Their heads snapped to my direction.
"Harper, you are a dead man by chance," Heather jokes, slowly walking towards me and bending down to my eye level.
I gave her my signature glare which immediately shut her up, or whatever she may have planned to say after that.
So this is how Alek scares people.
Cami gave one glance at the corner before speaking, "I know you guys need a car from the lock up but fat chance is Stephen has that place on high security."
"Can I just go in guns blazing then?" I ask, sarcasm dripping from my tone as she glares at me in annoyance.
"No, muttonhead. You can't get out of Berk. Period. Look, we'll vouch for you, same goes for Gobber and your mom," Cami informs.
Gobber was a bit of a shock since sometimes you really can't tell which side he's really one but my mother? I know I shouldn't be taken aback but it still touched me that she'd do that, after all of this. After all I've done.
But all hope vanished yet again as reality settled itself in between it.
"And if the trial fails and I get executed?" I ask, slightly hopeful that they had a plan.
I frowned when both girls stared at each other, worry casted on their faces as it slowly dawned on them that they haven't formulated a Plan B just incase my suspicions came into fruition.
I sighed, disappointed but not surprised as I got my poncho and half-mask and got up. They called my name but I ignored all of it as I pulled out another tear gas canister and threw it at the gate, then I pulled out my rifle and walked into the compound.
The coughs of different soldiers echoed off the place. I went to the booth where a soldier tried to call for backup, but before he could even do so I knocked him out with the butt of my rifle.
I searched his pocket for the key to the place where they kept the care.
When my fingers finally felt a smooth surface of a warm weirdly shaped metal, I smiled and pulled out the key.
Turns out it wasn't just a key. It was a key ring.
And what was even worse is that they all looked the same. There weren't anything that distincted one from the other.
Are you fucking kidding me?
I groaned in frustration and just settled on shooting the lock. It exploded in front of me and the gate opened slightly at the impact of the gun. I then pressed a button to open the gate before running in and grabbing a Humvee.
I drove out and stop nearby where the girls at stood, huddling each other as they stared at me with wide eyes.
I grinned, hooking my mask to my pack. "Well then, I just took on Berk's highest security on the country. So, what? Do I win?"
Both girls scowled, hands curling into fists as Alek got near me and gave me the hardest punch I've ever taken from her.
"That's for doing the most reckless thing I have ever seen you do so far," she says, then pulls me into a kiss before pulling back, "and that's for everything else."
I smiled and got back into the Humvee. My gaze shifted to Alek, to Berk, to the girls, them back to her.
"You sure about this? You can always stay. Besides, my father treats you like a daughter. And since I was in high school he'd always compare me to you, Sam and Eret," I say, however the last part was bit more for a mumble as the childhood memories slowly resurfaced again, haunting me as always even in the most randomest times possible.
Unfortunately, no matter how soft I say some things, Alek manages to hear them. She slowly walked to my side and grabbed my hand, intertwining it with hers. "I've never been so sure. Besides, I need to get out of Berk anyways."
I gave her one last look. I didn't know what the look conveyed but to me it was a one last chance type of thing. I wishes I could say it out loud, that she can still decide but I can't manage to move my mouth so I just stared at her longingly again like I did this morning before urging her to get in the car.
She stopped midtrack and looked back at Heather and Cami and ran back to them, bidding them her goodbyes before running back in to the car.
I pulled the brake and shifted to gear one, driving out and out to the gates.
While driving, I noticed at the side mirror two cars with soldiers inside them trailing behind us. I switched to gear two instead before turning right and going through the town square. I told Alek to hold on as I drove right through the town square, dodging pedestrians as best as I can.
The vehicle almost reached the gate, we were almost there, if only it weren't for the two Humvees who blocked the road that lead our way to it. The soldiers got out and aimed their guns toward us.
There were no hopes of backing up either because before I could even get my hand on the wheel, the two cars chasing us blocked our other way out as well. I looked to the right, only to see another Humvee coming in and inside the Humvee was my father, Gobber and my uncle.
A soldier gave him a megaphone and my father spoke, "It's over, Harper. Face it, you're surrounded. Surrender and we'll see if your sentence won't be that brash," he announced coldly.
My hands ached to grab the steering wheel and twist it to where he was, running him over and injuring him one more time but there was no way out for me to do this so I lay there still, my hands on my lap, scratching at the fabric covering the skin beneath.
I scanned my surroundings one more time before accepting the fact that there was, indeed, no way out. Sighing in defeat, I put the Humvee on brake and pulled out the key.
"I'm sorry, Alek," I apologized, head facing down at my lap as I felt Alek shuffled, her hands on my back and ran up and down.
She shook her head. I didn't know to what but it was enough of a comfortable, satisfying answer to me.
"I'll vouch for you, Harper," was the last thing she said before we got out.
The moment my foot made contact with the concrete, a soldier ordered me to drop my weapons. I unfastened my belt and felt it fall on the floor, the handgun and knife held by it clanged onto the ground. I then removed both of my rifles and dropped them as well, a bit more gentler this time.
I was then ordered to turn around, and I did so. I laid down on the floor, hearing Alek protest a little bit as the gang took her but she eventually gave in and followed them quietly, their footsteps decreasing.
The sound of footsteps approaching and metal handcuffs clanging quickly came into earshot. Before I could even blink, my hands were already handcuffed. I was then ordered to stand up again and face my father who approached me, struggling a bit on the crutch he leaned on to.
"Hey dad, fancy seeing you here," I casually say, my voice turning saccharine.
I heard him grunt, followed by a fist coming into view. The fist flew in front of me, getting closer, and closer by each minute till it kissed me square in the face and knocked me out.