Heyya everyone. Thanks for all your great reviews; scarlettWALES, YellowCrimsonforever, Ghostwriter, Jorgitosbabe and all you other guys - you know who you are! Here's chapter 8, you know the drill: read, review, enjoy!
It was late in the afternoon when Shane and Blake arrived at Hunter's house.
"Phwooh" Shane whistled as they came in sight of it. "I see what you mean. There's bags of space for a bike here."
"Yeah, and the track is only a five minute walk that way." Blake added.
"Well, he didn't tell them he was racing… Anyway, let's go and see what he has to say."
Hunter was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
"Hunter, go get the door." Maggie called from the lounge.
With a sigh he opened the door. Blake and Shane stared at him in horror. "What the hell happened to you?" Shane said. "And don't you dare say you fell over. You don't get injuries like that from falling over."
"I, I came off my bike. I was an idiot, riding without a helmet. I'll not do that again in a hurry. That's why I couldn't come this morning. Grounded for riding dangerously. Mum doesn't like me riding anyway."
"Liar." Blake said through gritted teeth.
"Kelly told us everything. You haven't been riding since Monday." Shane explained. "Now will you tell us what's really going on?"
But before Hunter could even think of answering, Phil appeared behind him. "Who's this?" he asked.
"This is Shane and Blake. Friends of mine from that nature club I told you about." Hunter said, desperately hoping that they'd play along.
"Nature club?" Shane said. "What nature…" he was cut off as he noticed the look on Hunter's face. "Oh, yeah, that nature club."
But it was too late. Phil grabbed Hunter, "You been lying to me 'bout that as well."
Hunter shrank away from his touch. "Please, I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean…" he raised his hand in a futile attempt to ward off the blow that he was sure was coming. To his surprise, it didn't.
"Get inside." Phil barked at him. Hunter didn't argue; he couldn't bring himself to look at his friends. Phil turned to Blake and Shane. "I'm afraid Hunter won't be coming out to play for a while," he said in sarcastic sugary-sweet tones. "He's been a very naughty boy." And with that the door was slammed in their faces.
"I think we need to see the others." Shane said to a stunned Blake. "Come on, let's go."
Just then, their COM devices on their morphers announced that another alien had been sighted.
"Later then." Shane said with a sigh, and the two of them ran towards the quarry.
Meanwhile Hunter had run up to his room, terrified of what was to come. He clutched the photo of Tori's party like a child would clutch a teddy bear and hunched down into a corner. Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs and he looked up to see Phil enter the room. No words were spoken; Hunter was hauled to his feet and the photo pulled from his grasp. It was too much. He reached out for the photo, tears running down his cheeks.
"Please?" he whispered pathetically.
Phil stared at him with disgust, then dropped the photo onto the floor, where it smashed.
At that moment, Hunter's morpher, which he wore disguised as watch, beeped with the message that the alien had been sighted.
"What's that?" Phil asked.
"J-just my watch…"
Phil grabbed it off his wrist. Hunter was filled with panic. Phil could have anything but not that.
"Please, please no!" he begged as he tried to snatch it back.
But Phil simply gave him a push which sent him sprawling to the floor, hitting his head on the corner of the bed as he fell. He lay there, too scared to move, not even raising a hand to stop the blood that trickled down the side of his face and dripped onto the floor. The morpher was dropped on floor in front of his face and Phil, slowly and deliberately, crushed it beneath his foot. Hunter stared at the mangled remains in shock.
"I'm gonna make you wish you'd never been born boy." Phil growled…
