Hunter carried Kydlin in his arms. Once they had gotten as close to camp as the train would take them, they had jumped off into the grass. Kydlin could barely keep her eyes open so, without asking, Hunter had picked her up bridal style. She didn’t argue, but instead fell asleep curled against his chest.
He looked down at her. They had been friends since they were little. Kydlin had been born into the Protectors a few years after the group had formed. Hunter had been living in the city with Colter. They were like brothers, watching each other’s backs. Kydlin’s father, Henry, had found them and taken them back to camp. He took them in like his own children. Kydlin had formed an immediate bond with both boys, but she had always been a little closer to Hunter. They were as thick as thieves and the best apprentices in camp.
It had been a horrible surprise when the current leader of the Protectors, Jack Grey, had died. At the time there were few adults in the camp that were fit to be leader and after Henry’s encouragement, Hunter had been made the new leader. It had come to him as a shock that he was picked over the older members of the Protectors, but also as a great honor. He had been nineteen then. Kydlin had helped him greatly. She never once left his side and he owed her a lot because of that. A year later they had rescued a group of kids from the Decimators including Tohoak, and Hunter had earned the respect of all the Protectors.
Kydlin had always been with him. She was strong and clever when it came to fighting, but after all these years Hunter realized that she wasn’t so stable on the inside. There was something that was tearing her apart inside but she refused to tell him what it was. Since they had met it was one of the first secrets she had ever kept from him.
She stirred in his arms and moved her head into a more comfortable position. He smiled fondly at her.
“Hunter!” a surprised voice called his name and he suddenly realized he was in the camps perimeter. He looked up to see Colter running toward him. “I thought you were on a mission!” Colter said lowering his voice when he saw Kydlin. Hunter nodded somberly.
“We got into some trouble,” he paused, “Did Kyle, Lacy, and Tohoak get back to camp?” he asked. Colter frowned and Hunter felt a sense of dread.
“No, I haven’t seen any of them,” he said slowly. “Why? What’s going on Hunter?” Colter could tell his friend was worried. Hunter shook his head and closed his eyes. He let out a long breath.
“When we were in the tunnels some Decimators found us. Kyle, Lacy, and Tohoak ran and tried to distract them. That was the last I saw of them. After that Kydlin and I found what the Decimators have been up to,” Hunter looked like he was going to be sick. “They have guns. Lots of guns. We won’t stand a chance,” he said softly. Colter put a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.
“Let’s get Kydlin to the cabin then we can talk more,” he said with an understanding face. Hunter felt glad to have his friend. Together they walked back to the cabin they shared. Inside it was dark. No one was inside except for Rex. Hunter frowned at that. They shared the cabin with D and even though he had a late patrol tonight he should’ve been back by now. Pushing the thought aside, Hunter moved over to Kydlin’s bunk. Very gently he laid her down onto it. She murmured something and her hand felt around. Finding her pillow, she pulled it close to her chest. Hunter gave a sad smile then followed Colter out of the cabin.
“When we found the guns Decimators discovered us. They had us cornered,” Hunter continued once they were outside. “There was this man. His name was Kane, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him before,” Colter nodded at the name.
“I think I heard he was the new leader of the Decimators. That was a couple weeks ago and it was just a rumor then so I’m not for sure,” Colter said.
“You must be right. They surely treated him like their leader. He talked for a while, but the way he said things… He upset Kydlin.” Hunter’s eyes flickered to Colter’s briefly before looking back out into the woods. Colter raised his eyebrows surprised.
“Really? What’d he say to do that?” he asked.
“You know Kydlin. She’s defensive when it comes to others. But I don’t even think I understood their conversation fully. He was asking questions about how the Protectors would react if he killed me. It was just strange…” Hunter shook his head and trailed off. Colter frowned thoughtfully.
“He has the ability that if you look him in the eye he can choke you. Both Kydlin and I experienced such firsthand,” Hunter said.
“He’s an awful man,”
Both men turned to look back at the cabin door. Kydlin stood there her arms wrapped around herself.
“He’s sick and twisted,” she continued bitterly. She walked toward them. It was a surprise to see her awake, but they didn’t comment on it.
“At least you both got away safely,” Colter said watching her. Hunter murmured an agreement. Kydlin nodded and looked to the woods as someone came running toward them.
“Colter!” it was D. He was breathing heavily as if he had been running for a while. There was a dark bruise on his jaw that looked very painful. It looked like their night was going to get worse.
“What’s wrong D?” Hunter asked as the other mentor noticed Kydlin and him.
“While on patrol I ran into Lacy. She had been running from a couple Decimators. She was worried about Kyle and Tohoak. We started back toward camp, but more Decimators attacked. I’m sorry, but they took Lacy.” D hung his head. Kydlin took a deep breath and let it slowly out.
“It’s okay D,” she said softly. “Are you okay?” she put her hand on his chin and tilted his head so she could see the bruise better. It was very dark and he winced.
“It’s not the worst I’ve have,” he answered. There was still guilt in his voice. Hunter gave D an even look.
“D, there was nothing more you could do. You can’t blame yourself,” Hunter paused, “Do you know what they wanted with her?” he asked. D shook his head.
“I don’t know. I’m guessing they took her because she’s only an apprentice. Easy prey, but I feel there’s something more to it. Something that had to do with the mission. Something that’s connected to more than just recruitment for their army,” he looked thoughtful. “It’s like they were just playing with us,”
“And we still haven’t heard anything from Tohoak or Kyle,” Hunter said his blue eyes downcast.
“You think they’ve been captured by the Decimators?” Colter asked grimly. Hunter looked at his friend gravely.
“Yes,”