35. Hunted

A knock interrupted the heated argument between Brooke and Meredith, but the person behind the door is not the butler that served them room service.

The crowd burst into panicky screams as more gunshots rang throughout the building. Brooke instinctively ran by Meredith’s side. Ross lifted his head and swore. “Another bar fight, damn!” Brooke saw him whisper something into Meredith’s ear and then disappear within the hysteric crowd. She grabbed Brooke’s hand and gave her a look that said they had better go. They found Ellis in the circle where the fight had begun. Brooke grabbed the anymalis by the tail and they left the rave.

Meredith let Athena know they had returned and went upstairs to their room. Brooke hopped on the bed. Ellis passed out in her spot. “What a night,” said Meredith as she removed her flats. “Of course, this means we’ll definitely need to go shopping.”

“Why?”

“This shirt is soaked,” Meredith complained as she pointed to the stains on her blouse. “It’s gross.”

“Um, I’m okay.”

“I bet you are; you didn’t do anything!” she griped as she plopped on her bed, bouncing dejectedly. She looked disappointed and Brooke was confused. She made it up in her mind that dancing and clubbing wasn’t her thing. Then again, Meredith was a sensitive woman. Maybe her shyness irritated her.

“Sorry we can’t all be as awesome as you, oh mighty princess” Brooke said, rolling her eyes.

Meredith looked hurt. She frowned and replied, “Excuse me for trying to have a good time.”

“Too much of a good time if you ask me, you do realize you are a princess don’t you?”

Meredith flipped her hair and the curls bobbed against her shoulders. “At least I know how to live.”She stuck her nose in the air. “It’s bad enough I have to lead a whole nation soon standing beside someone I don’t even know, so I thought before that happens I would, ya know, like to have a life.”

Brooke snorted and crossed her arms. “I spent a chunk of my life preparing to work for you.”

Meredith’s face loosened and she cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Brooke sighed. “Nothing, never mind it.”

Meredith stood and her frown returned. “Come on, tell me!” Brooke took hold of the remote and turned the TV on, cutting the volume up to drown out Meredith’s pleas for understanding. Brooke didn’t want to tell her about that. It would re-open certain things she wished to keep in the back of her skull. Meredith pouted and reached for the remote. Brooke moved it away and they began tussling over the remote again. Brooke wasn’t in the mood to watch her show. It gave her indigestion last time. As they struggled over the remote, Meredith made Brooke click the channel onto the news station. A female reporter stood in front of a familiar house. Brooke’s eyes widened and she shoved Meredith on the floor. She increased the volume and listened. “It is a mystery as to why King Victor has taken Benjamin Keeper into custody, father of the woman who allegedly murdered Princess Catalina and ate her flesh-” Brooke grimaced. She’s still held responsible for that crime she obviously did not commit.

Meredith listened and it sickened her now that she knew the truth the horrible allegations forced on her friend. She snatched the remote up as it dropped from Brooke’s grasp. This was also confusing. Why take her father in? It was a fatal crime that did not involve the family of any sorts. “Brooklyn, don’t worry, when we return home, I will fix everything, okay?”

Brooke glared at her. Fix everything? She couldn’t fix the silent and lonely nights in that cell she endured. The nights not alone were… she tried not to think about that. Brooke didn’t mean to get angry or take anything out on her. It just happened that she blew up and screamed, “No!” Meredith’s expression turned to fear. She lowered her voice, but the harshness was still there, and it scared Meredith. “You can’t fix everything.”

“Perhaps if you tell me…”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Meredith,” Brooke said as she rubbed her throbbing head. “We shouldn’t waste time here.”

Meredith nodded. “I understand.” No she did not understand.

Brooke’s stomach growled, interrupting the serious moment. Meredith laughed and seeing her laughing face made Brooke laugh. “Room service?” Meredith asked and Brooke laughed hard.

A knock came at the door. Brooke answered it, but she didn’t see the centaur, but a man wearing a black fedora hat and a long leather coat. His eyes were like those of a cat, almond shaped with the color of golden moons. A dangerous aura resonated from him. An aura she felt downstairs in the inn’s bar. He was here for something, and it wasn’t room service. Brooke glanced at her sword under the bed. She dashed for it and he motioned to chase after her. Meredith reacted quickly and attempted to shoot him with her magic. He picked up a platter and deflected it. Brooke grabbed her sword, but the man in black pulled out a gun. Brooke and Meredith froze. Ellis woke up and squeaked, shivering beneath her fur. The man smirked. “Well, this is interesting.” He chuckled, his voice deep and dark. He glared at Meredith. “I have never hunted a princess before.”

Meredith’s breath grew short as she looked for some familiarity. She only saw tribal markings that she recognized belonged to zoanthropes. Their race was few, much like werewolves. Why was he hunting them?

“And the power.” The man sniffed and smiled. “Makes it even more exciting.” He directed Meredith, Brooke, and Ellis to leave the room. As soon as Meredith passed the arch, she attempted to remove the gun from his grasp. He elbowed her out of the way and shot. Ellis pulled her away and they watched the shimmering bullet destroy part of the top floor. Brooke stepped beside the steel cart, took a platter, and shoved the cart into the man. He turned around and shot. She blocked it, but it left only a part of the platter. She threw it at his face, drew her sword, and ran down the corridor. She gripped Meredith’s hand and she gripped Ellis’s hand. They jumped over the hole in the floor. As they ducked from the jump, another shimmering bullet passed before them. Then another came and destroyed the elevator. Through the smoke erupting from the destroyed property, the man sauntered towards them. The hole in the floor led to the bottom floor. Brooke stood, glanced back, and then jumped down. She landed in the bar and into a crowd of panicky creatures. They must have heard the commotion upstairs. Meredith and Ellis followed suit. They ran out of the inn and Meredith gasped when she saw Ross.

He looked at her and he noticed her scared expression. “What’s wrong, Beautiful?”

“There’s no time for this, where is Athena?” asked Brooke.

“I’ll get her!” exclaimed Ellis as she disappeared behind the building. Brooke felt antsy and restless.

“Can’t go out tonight?”

Meredith shook her head. “There’s someone hunting us I think.”

“Why are you telling him for?” Brooke snapped. Where was Ellis and Athena? “He’s no help to us.”

“Why are you being hunted?” Ross asked, ignoring Brooke.

Meredith shrugged. Brooke heard the shimmering of a bullet like the simmering of dynamite’s wick. She yanked Meredith down. Ross ducked and the bullet landed on the ground, creating a fire. His eyes widened as he saw the man in black sauntering. A sudden fear crept into him, which was strange, because he didn’t fear much.

“I can help you,” he said in one breath.

Ellis brought Athena to the front. Brooke jumped on, but Meredith asked, irritating Brooke even further, “Can you?”

He cupped her cheeks and she let him. “I know a place you can go where no one will find you.” Meredith gazed into his scarlet eyes and she hoped she could trust him.

“Brooklyn, allow him to control Athena!”

“What? Why?”

“Please, don’t argue with me!”

Brooke frowned and backed up on Athena’s back. Ross helped Meredith onto the giant tiger and then helped himself. “Um, A-the-na?” Athena roared softly to let him know he was correct. “Wow, this is way different from a car, uh, go straight.”

Athena galloped away. With all the time they took, Brooke expected the man in black to shoot at them. She looked back, but he stood there, holding his fedora hat from the blowing wind. His leather coat seemed like black strands of hair. He held up his hand, five fingers to them and he brought down one. Was he counting? Counting for what? “Athena speed up!” Brooke commanded. Athena complied and sped up.

“Where are we going?” Brooke asked after a few minutes of Athena running and Brooke’s irritation.

“To a woman’s house.”

“Who is she?”

“Mrs. Keeper.” Brooke gasped and her blood ran cold. There was only one Mrs. Keeper. Was it possible…?

 

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

So yeah, father is in custody and a zoanthrope is hunting them. I wanted to use zoanthrope because well, werewolves are obvious. I thought it would be nice to use something else.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless