HUNTED

As the night drew on, Aila's thoughts kept drifting to Finn, who was still yet to return. He already had a rib and an organ removed; what else could they possibly do to him in a day? However, she would not know; this was all brand new to her; the whole kidnapped and tortured thing was never really taught in school.

Although her thoughts were complaining about her situation, her body complained about an entirely different thing. Aila couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in her seated position. Her bladder felt like it was about to burst; she held it off all day, but now it came at her in a soaring vengeance; the worst part of it was that they had no visitors all day. Other than the guards who took Finn away.

Crossing her legs, she searched her surroundings in the hopes of finding a solution; she was busting, but what was she meant to do? She could not wee herself! Standing up, Aila leaned against the wall, her legs crossed again, and her eyes clenched shut as she began to take deep, calming breaths. This was the last thing she needed to worry about right now. Stupid bodily needs.

"What's wrong? Stop making that face. It's not pretty... Seriously though, are you in pain?" Ajax observed her from his position behind bars.

"I will be if I continue to keep this wee in!" Aila blurted out. She might as well get comfortable around him; they would be sharing the same space for a while.

Ajax's eyebrows shot up, then relaxed as his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"There is normally a set schedule for toiletry needs. Showers are twice a week; we get to actually leave here without being tortured or experimented on. And a toilet twice a day."

"When's the next break!?"

Ajax shrugged and tried to decipher the time from the darkened window,

"Soonish? We should have our meals delivered by now. It is quite late."

Aila gritted her teeth.

"If you need to go, just go, preferably in the corner on Ajax's side," Gabriel spoke from the cell door he sat against.

"I am not peeing in the corner like a dog!"

"We tend to use a bucket over there anyway, so it does not make any difference. But suit yourself. It does not concern me," Gabriel expressed with dull enthusiasm.

A BUCKET!? She was not going to go in a bucket!

Her head dropped as she tried to think about what to do.

"It seems. There is a new hunter. Now that could work well for you, Aila." Gabriel spoke again.

Aila opened her eyes, desperate to get this new hunter's attention. But when she opened them, nobody was there. Ah, vampire hearing. His senses were a lot better than hers.

After a few minutes of waiting impatiently, a young guy with short golden hair who looked to be the same age as them walked towards the cells. He carried two metal bowls and slid the first bowl through Ajax's cell. Aila took the chance to waddle over to the cell door.

This new hunter now stood in front of her. His eyebrows shot up in shock as he looked down from his 6 foot something height; a look of pity flashed across his face at the state of her, feeling self-conscious she placed her hand at the back of her head; this seemed to snap him out of the fleeting moment as a mask of disdain slipped back onto his features.

"Stand back." He barked.

Aila took a few steps back while he slid the bowl through the bars by her trainers. He turned around abruptly and walked away briskly.

"Wait! Please! Sir!" Aila shouted after him.

He stopped and stood rigid, his back still facing her.

"I am new here, and I am desperate for the toilet. I have not been!" She pleaded from the cell she stood in, almost leaning against the bars in distress.

He turned around, his eyes rounded in shock but returned to her cell, his face composed once again.

"Hands," He said gruffly.

Keeping her eyes downcast, she held her hands out in front of her; she hissed at the contact from the chains wrapped around her wrists. The man then lowered down and looked up at her expectantly,

"Really?"

"Oh. You don't want the toilet?" He snapped back at her.

Aila closed her mouth and nodded before stepping closer to the bars; he reached in and wrapped the chains securely around her ankles. Once they were tied, the young hunter opened the cell door and grabbed her by the arm before shoving her forwards. Unlike Connor, his push was not quite so hard, and she found herself walking normally. Or as normal as one could be when they were busting for the loo, with their feet chained up.

Aila started to make her way to the stairs but was then held back by a tug on her hoody. Looking back, she saw the hunter pointing at a bucket in the corner, a grim expression on his face.

"Please. I cannot go there," Aila begged; his face hardened as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Please, I can't go in front of them or you.." She walked slowly towards him; he tensed at the sudden proximity, "I need to go for a number two", She whispered, then looked away as her cheeks heated in embarrassment.

She glanced back at him after he cleared his throat.

"Look, I don't feel comfortable telling you that either, but come on, you wouldn't want to do that with people watching" She looked at him with her big blue eyes, pleadingly and felt a little triumph when she saw his demeanour change and his shoulders relax with a sigh.

"Come on." He grabbed her chains around her wrists and pulled lightly for her to follow.

Turning her head, she smiled mischievously to the men left in the cells. Although she genuinely was busting to go to the toilet, she did not need a number two. She was using this chance to get out of the basement and explore the rest of the building. And to check for any possible escape routes.

After making it upstairs and led down a set of hallways, nothing, in particular, stood out as she vigilantly glanced from windows to doors and the bare halls. After another turn, she now faced a door with the sign for female toilets. She took a step but was pulled back; glancing to her left, the hunter was looking at her sternly.

"You have three minutes. Any longer, and I will come through that door whether you are done or not."

"You don't REALLY want to go in there, right?"

"THREE MINUTES. Two minutes 59. Two minutes 58. Thought you were busting?"

Aila dashed through the door and went to the closest cubicle. While her body thanked her for relieving herself, her thoughts were one of calculation. She was in a public toilet; they were definitely in some type of an institution or compound. The locked metal doors and pin pads at the sides indicated the latter.

Walking out of the cubicle, she made it to the sinks to wash her hands; as she did so, her crystal blue eyes met her own in the reflection of the mirror and gasped at what she saw. Her hair was covered in blood, presumably from the wound inflicted on her left by the baseball bat or the multiple beatings. Parts of her face were ballooned out with bruises; her eyes had smudged mascara running down from them, which did not go well with the maroon bruise under her left eye.

She splashed her face quickly, taking a moment to enjoy the coolness of the water against her heated skin. Drying her hands, she quickly glanced around the toilets; her heart began to thud loudly as anticipation clawed up her throat. She did not know how long she had left, but time was of the essence. This was the first moment she had alone since arriving, and she was not about to waste a second.

Aila narrowed her eyes, then glanced up at the ceiling. Gabriel was always in a weakened state from the drug they put into the ventilation system. Her face beamed after her eyes spotted an air duct near the far end cubicle. Staying light and quick on her feet, she made it to the toilet and climbed on top of the seat. Luckily, she was taller than average for a woman at the height of 5ft8; she reached her hands up and smiled when she discovered the screws were loose; she yanked it towards her, and with a small bang, it came loose.

Aila placed the rectangular bar on the inside of the vent, then she pulled herself up to look further into the ceiling. The air blew across her face as she searched the darkened passage.

BANG BANG BANG!

"I'm coming in!"

Aila tensed and let herself drop down; she half-ran to one of the sinks and splashed water on her face just as the door swung open. She calmed her slightly flushed expression and glanced in the direction of the golden-haired hunter. Tilting her head, she asked,

"If you stay there, can I sort my hair out?"

He looked at her, incredulously, "One minute. I'm not your babysitter."

"Seems that way to me", She hummed to herself.

The hunter now stood behind her, watching her intensely as his jaw ticked while she struggled with putting her hair into a messy bun. Aila noticed how she looked a lot better now, minus the bruises and swelling; the panda eyes and dried blood were now gone.

They stood there in an uncomfortable silence, Aila kept glancing at his reflection, but he kept his gaze impassive. Biting her lip, she started to believe that this newbie hunter was nothing like the others.

She decided to put her knowledge to the test. In the documentaries she watched about abductions, they always discussed how humanising yourself against your kidnapper helps with your chances of survival. Or, in her case, to make her short stay a bit more pleasant.

"What is your name?" Aila queried, meeting his eyes in the mirror's reflection.

His lips twitched, and he crossed his arms against his chest. Ignoring her.

"Mine's Aila. You know, my friends used to think my real hair colour was like yours. But they are wrong. This is natural."

"Why are we talking about your hair?" He responded with a bemused expression.

"Ah, he speaks." Her eyes gleamed with amusement, "Well, you looked really interested in my hair. Not even my ex paid that much attention."

"Hurry up."

"What is your name?"

The hunter inhaled deeply before huffing, "If you stop talking and do your hair quietly. I will give it to you."

"How do I know you will?"

Aila turned around after more silence filled the room. Releasing her hair, she brought her hands towards him, pointing her little finger out; he frowned, confused.

"Pinky promise me you will give me your name."

He groaned.

"Pinky promise!"

"Fine!" He snapped, bringing his little finger to hers as they made a quick promise. Aila beamed up at him, causing him to look away with a small blush on his cheeks.

Aila continued to do her hair as she assessed the man in the mirror; he was actually handsome if he stopped frowning all the time, with a decent body, hazel eyes and full lips. She glanced back to her reflection after being caught eyeing him. Once her hair was done, she faced the hunter and beamed at him.

"Well?"

He kept his lips sealed as he stared back at her.

"You know a pinky promise is real, right? You can't take them back. Its bad karma.. or something."

Aila watched in stunned silence as the man in front of her cracked a smile.

"Chase. My name is Chase."

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Chase."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her gently by the arm to return her back to her cell.

When Aila returned to her cell, Finn was lying on the floor, facing away from her. As soon as she settled down on the ground, the lights went out.

Guess that means it's bedtime?

**

Aila did not tell the others what she discovered in the toilets. She did not want to get anyone into unnecessary trouble, especially if they did not lead to anywhere helpful. Once she knew for certain that the air ducts were a possible escape route, then she would reveal it to them. Until then, she would snoop as much as she could.

For the next week, she found herself in a routine. Not like the schedule Ajax mentioned, which was, in fact, correct. She watched as each day, one of them was taken away and later returned bloodied, unconscious or in a state of shock. As the days passed, her anxiety increased, she expected to be taken that day and return in the same condition as the others.

But the hunters never touched her, not even Connor. He turned and sputtered insults at her or took his temper out on one of the others. But he never raised another finger on her.

So, in the time she was not wallowing in self-pity, she took it upon herself to stay hopeful and to keep scheming. She was ever so watchful on the hunter's shift patterns; Chase tended to be there in the evenings, who in turn would always take her to the toilet, where she investigated further into the air duct each time.

However, on the eighth day, it seemed her luck finally ran out. Connor and another hunter turned up outside her cell in the morning, waking her up from a blissful sleep by banging on the bars. A smirk was placed on Connor's punchable face,

"The boss wants to see you."

All eyes were now on Aila as she stared silently at Connor.

"Grab her."

Finn immediately stood in front of Aila, protectively; his claws had grown, his eyes shining a brilliant amber as a growl left his lips.

"Move the fuck out of the way, or I'll shoot. I hear a silver bullet hurts like a bitch" Connor spat.

Aila stared in horror at the gun now aimed at Finn. The colour drained from her face as she feared more harm would come to her friend.

"Stand down, Finn."

He continued to growl, so Aila grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and looked intently into his eyes,

"I said, stand down."

"Is that a command?" He growled as he eyed the two approaching hunters.

"YES"

Aila did not recognise her voice, but Finn made a whimpering noise and bared his neck as he stepped away from her. The hunter grabbed her and slammed her against the cell while Connor closed the door. His gun was now pointed at her while the chains were being put around her.

Aila began to walk with them flanking her sides but was halted by Connor. He turned her around,

"Hold on. I forgot something." A cruel smile spread on his face.

A gunshot rang in the room.

Aila screamed in horror as she saw Finn fall to the floor, blood spurting out from his stomach. Connor grabbed her by her hair and held her close to his face as his lips twisted in disgust.

"Nobody gets special treatment. Not even you."

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