Author's Note!!

This chapter is a little more gory and disturbing than the others, so I feel the need to put up a warning here!! If you're weak of stomach, squeamish in any way, this might bother you a bit! I'm sorry!

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Steve heard the scream from some distance behind him, a wicked smile touching his lips. He understood very well what that scream meant; but he couldn't worry about it. He had all he needed to ensure the final epic one on one battle to the death between himself and the Hunter.

He had the Hunter's girl. He had taken her from him just as the Hunter had taken Jan, payback like that wasn't quite sweet enough…

Steve needed to finish this once and for all.

Zoey played her part beautifully, screaming and carrying on and beating her weak fists against him as he ran with her slung over one broad shoulder. She screamed even louder after Ishmael's cry, that flicker of hope that came with Ishmael being so close the only thing keeping her from blacking out right now, Steve was sure.

The girl knew that this wouldn't end well for her if the plan didn't work. If Ishmael didn't fight to get to Zoey, he didn't love Zoey and therefore, Zoey was useless.

Expendable…

Gunfire rang out, pain peppering his back, and Steve grunted as he looked over his shoulder. There were armed civilians nearby, ones that were brave enough to face down something like Steve and attempt to stop him. Their aim was good, Zoey would be thankful for that, but if they didn't back off he was going to have to break them.

And breaking them would be all too easy.

Some of the men ran with him as he continued moving, continuing to fire at him. Steve letting out a deafening roar as he ground to a halt and turned to face them. His expression murderous, he moved back towards one of the armed civilians, refusing to relinquish his hold on his precious cargo, realizing a few seconds too late that the men weren't trying to stop him…

They were trying to distract him.

That became altogether too clear when Ishmael suddenly leapt from one of the taller trees nearby, feet slipping ever so slightly in the grass as he launched himself forward at a dead sprint.

Steve let out another roar, backing slowly away, the Hunter darting around him in circles like a dog attempting to intimidate its prey before the final blow. Steve kept turning to try and keep up with him, the mighty tug that dragged Zoey from his grip causing him to let out a grunt of surprise. He turned to face Ishmael once again, seeing the Hunter had seized Zoey's shirt in his teeth and was dragging her across the ground, his dark silver eyes never leaving Steve's form.

The mutant let out an indignant bellow, dashing forward to retrieve his prize, but Ishmael immediately released Zoey and pounced, all his weight colliding with Steve's broad chest.

Winded, Steve seized his leg and swung him around, flinging him away…

The Hunter had been prepared for this. Spinning in midair, Ishmael hit a nearby building feet first, using his powerful legs to push him off again, this time landing on Steve's back. Before Steve could react, the Hunter's sharp claws were digging at his face, his eyes, the sudden blinding pain enough to cause the mutant to lose control of his abilities.

Flesh and muscle melted way, Steve managing to regain hold at the last moment to transform his hands into the long claws of a Witch. Before he had a chance to use them, Ishmael leapt away, the force shoving Steve forward a few paces.

Steve could see the gates, the walls of the encampment now. If he could reach them, lure Ishmael out, he would stand a better chance. The guns were still firing when they had the chance, giving Ishmael a very clear and unfair advantage…

Steve had to get away from them.

Turning to look in the Hunter's direction, Steve let the familiar changes ripple through him as he gathered the strength in his legs and pounced, the two infected meeting in midair, dropping to the ground with a crash. As they thrashed about, a tangle of arms and legs, claws and teeth, Zoey got to her feet, shouting at the men to stop firing.

Very good, Zoey, Steve thought. Just keep playing your part.

Muscles bulged, one huge hand closed over Ishmael's throat, and then Steve was on his feet again, moving swiftly towards the wall of the encampment. Ishmael tore at him, any screams he tried to utter choked off, but Steve hadn't been prepared for the Hunter's legs still being free.

One well aimed kick took Steve's knee out, causing the bigger infected to stumbled forward then crash face first into the ground. His momentum had him sliding a few paces, his mutated hand releasing Ishmael, but both of them remained on the ground for some time after they had stopped.

Steve was horribly winded now, the combination of blood loss and exhaustive fighting starting to get to him. Ishmael was fuelled by pain, rage and the need to see his female safely home, but there was something else in him, something Steve couldn't pin down.

It was like Ishmael was doing this for some other reason, as well. Like he was on a mission.

Trying now to get up, knowing that it would end swiftly if Ishmael managed to rise before he did, Steve let all the muscle and bulk melt away, scrabbling about in the pool of blood and slime that formed around him for a grip. Ishmael let out a dull moan next to him in the grass, his dark shape rising in the corner of Steve's vision.

"N-no! Please, stop! I'm… I'm sorry!" Steve bleated, his hands and legs slipping out from under him and sending him to the ground once more. "I just wanted… I just wanted Jan to see me again!"

Ishmael tilted his head to the side, no indication of anything human left in his young face. His eyes seemed to be glowing, his claws were twitching, his stance that of a Hunter about to attack. He bared his sharp teeth in a growl, crouching down…

Steve shot his tongue out immediately, grabbing one of Ishmael's legs and dragging it out from under him, the Hunter letting out a snarl of anger. Already, his claws were flashing out to sever the appendage wrapped about him, but it gave Steve all the time he needed.

His body changed rapidly as he embraced all of the infected blood inside him, claws and muscles, tumors and boils covering his body, his stomach bulging as a familiar burning crept up in his throat. Steve's eyes glowed red, he opened his mouth to scream…

Then Ishmael kicked him right in the face and sent him flying through the air.

Even with the clear advantage in this fight, Steve was no match for this Hunter. For a REAL Hunter. The power in those legs couldn't be duplicated, and no manner of fancy gimmicks could deny Ishmael's superior speed.

Steve crashed down again, sliding across the grass with a wail of agony, but still the mutant stirred. He wasn't going to let the Hunter win… he wasn't going to let it end this way.

Opening his eyes, peering up through the blood and the dirt that covered him, Steve saw the dark figure sailing gracefully through the air as if in slow motion. He felt the collision, the terrible weight on his chest as Ishmael landed, an ominous cracking sound coming from the area of his ribs…

Then none of it mattered.

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The Hunter felt his claws bite through flesh, all the way down to the bone. He longed to sink his teeth in, but he knew that flesh was diseased. He knew that flesh was infected and would do him no good. He could taste the bitter blood on his tongue already, the snarl of disgust that escaped him dissolving into quickened breath as he continued to tear at the creature below him.

The Hunter had fought well, he had won this fight. He would claim the prize, the glory, and when he raised his voice to the heavens, all would know that he was the king of the castle now. King of the world, even.

Flesh parted, bones pulled away, organs exposed, he continued tearing, drowning out the terrified screams of the creature below him. Not quite human, but without all the changes, just puny and mortal like the rest of them. Disposable. Clean, but unclean. Tainted but not the same way he was.

Unnatural.

He continued to tear at the creature even after the screaming stopped, tore the throat out, clawed the eyes, the grunts and growls and cries that escaped him accompanied by the fiendish grin on his face.

It had been altogether too long since he had allowed the infection to rage so freely within him. The Hunter had forgotten how much he loved this high.

When at last he was finished, crouching over what little was left of the creature he had hunted and inevitably destroyed, a strange feeling came over him. As he screamed his triumph into the sky, the feeling only got stronger.

The Hunter was forgetting something, wasn't he? There was something else he was meant to do; he just couldn't remember what it was.

In this glorious moment, it seemed so unimportant, but the feeling was persistent and that was enough to give him pause.

A voice… a touch… a memory…

A name.

A woman? Yes, a woman. Was she important? Was she meant to die the same way this creature had?

The Hunter shook his head as though attempting to dislodge an irksome fly, turning his head towards the figures that approached with a low, warning growl.

They had better not get too close, they had better not try to kill him… despite his wounds and his exhaustion, he was still dangerous. He was like a creature that could still bite even after death, and he wouldn't go down without a fight.

There, at the front of the group. A woman.

A female.

His female? Now where had that thought come from?

A scent, a taste, a warmth… sensation.

Passion.

He remembered.

He… remembered…

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Author's Note!!

AAAANNNNDDD, because it's me, I leave you there to wait for the next and final chapter of this story! Thanks so much for all your reviews and all your support, couldn't have made it without you and I'm SO SORRY for running out of steam there towards the end. This writer's block was really getting me down, but hopefully I've beaten it!