The Hunter

Their fall was quick and the moment they landed, lights flickered on. Ben blinked rapidly, hoping to get a look around, but Max was moving forward immediately. When his eyes finally did adjust, Ben found the two of them in a massive cavern. It was not tall, the ceiling reaching only about perhaps fourteen feet, but it was wide.

Shaped like a bullet, the room they were in spanned several acres forward and perhaps seven hundred feet to either side. Max moved quickly, moving at a fast trot as he carried Ben past row after row of weapons, old and new. Some, like spears and daggers and guns, he recognized, but many he did not. All of them looked like that had been used recently, or at the very least were cleaned regularly. Halfway down the massive room, Max made a sharp right and Ben saw there was another chamber. This one was far smaller, perhaps the size of the deck of a large sail boat.

The room was dark when they entered, but Ben could just barely make out the shape of a bed against one corner. There were other shapes, but in the darkness, Ben could not recognize them at all. Max silently tucked Ben into the bed, underneath layers of blankets. Placing a kiss on Ben's forehead, Max covered the boy's eyes. Within seconds Ben was out cold.

Max replaced the rock over the entrance to his lair and stared at it for a moment, praying Ben would not wake before Max had returned with Toby. The room he had left Ben in was safe, but the main cavern was rigged with hundreds of traps and alarms. This was the first time they had ever been a bother to Max. However, he was not about to break his promise to Ben to bring Toby safely over. Ben was not likely to wake up any time soon. Even if he did, the boy was smart. He would be fine...probably.

Shaking his head, Max turned away from the rock and dashed forward. Hunters are physically superior to all other humans. In times of war, they are used as the ultimate soldiers, though there had not been a war since the four purgatories had been first created. Both training and physical modifications to their body made them faster, stronger, more intelligent. Their minds, however, were altered to have them prefer life on the islands than in normal society. Being forced to live in the cities was similar to a death sentence to a hunter.

So with his speed and extraordinary memory of every tree on the island, Max found Toby quickly. Though what he found was something to cause alarm. The boys had made their camp directly in the strolling path of the island deer. Just as the hunters had been modified, so too had the animals. All of the animals save for the birds and salt water creatures that could escape the Islands of Hell instinctively went after humans. Even Max.

Since Toby and Ben had been together, posing more of a threat, smaller animals had smartly steered away from them, but the larger animals had nothing to fear. And the biggest threat on this island did not have long claws or razor sharp teeth; it had antlers and hooves and a temper worse than that of any animal. Max was wary of this beast on his good days, though on his bad, he had often challenged it until the buck had learned it could not take him down easily.

But he never would have expected Toby to be able to slaughter it with his bare hands. No...that was a lie. Max knew Toby's history. It had made him uneasy leaving Toby and Ben together, but when Toby had proved time after time to care for Ben, to have no memories of the past, to be timid and safely on the verge of insanity, Max had made the difficult decision to leave them together. The scene he came across as he stepped into view of the camp, however, made Max change his mind.

There was blood everywhere. Mostly on Toby, who stood staring up at the sky where a fire pit had once been, but also all over the ground and on the surrounding trees. The buck's head and most of the body was nowhere to be found, but some of it laid at Toby's feet, still bleeding. Max approached cautiously knowing he would have to deal with this immediately. If Toby's memories had returned it put not only Ben's life in danger but Max's and anyone else who came to the island.

Toby's head snapped to face Max as he slowly came out of the trees. His blank expression cleared, switching swiftly into horror, fear, and finally relief.

“Max! Max finally!” Toby sobbed, stumbling forward.

Not the reaction Max was expecting, but he took a step back anyway. It easily could be a ploy.

“Ben...I can't find him. He should have been back. It's been hours. There were screams and...and I looked, but I couldn't find him...You didn't...kill him, did you?”

Max stared at the approaching boy, debating on how he wanted to answer.

“He's alive. Ben got hurt so I took him to my home to care for him. I...came to get you for him.” Max replied slowly.

Toby stared at Max, his thoughts clear on his face; suspicion. After a moment Toby glanced around and then laughed awkwardly.

“Oh. Right, I forgot about this. See, Ben mentioned once about this crazy deer that attacked him, so I thought maybe...you know?”

“Tobias Sylvan.” Max stated and Toby flinched.

Max sighed heavily.

“That's what I thought. How much do you remember? Don't lie to me. If I think you are lying, I'll just kill you on the spot.”

An empty threat, but it seemed to breed fear in Toby's heart. That at least was a good sign.

“Just...that name. Some things about being lost in a forest...My strength...” Toby muttered.

“Anything else?”

Toby glanced up and met Max's eyes before answering,
“No.”

Max stared him down before giving a shrug.

“The Guards will arrive in a few days. I'll hand you over to them and they can decide to let you stay or go for re-evaluation. For now, do you want me to take you to where Ben is?” Max asked.

“What are the guards, exactly?” Toby demanded, crossing his arms, his expression and stance starting to resemble that of the Toby Ben knew so well.

“They patrol the Purgatories. You do remember what I said after our game, right?”

Toby nodded.

“They are in charge of culling anyone who have been deemed to have lived too long or to have regained their memories, in any of the Purgatories. They go anywhere and everywhere they are needed. A Hunter can take out two Guards on their own, if they are smart, but often times we don't win against them. Guards are trained to think like a criminal and take down any who attempt to escape. In the history of the four Purgatories there has only ever been one successful escape...and that man ended up becoming a Guard shortly after. When they come here, they are given a list of people to kill and often take out a few extra for fun.”

Toby shivered and Max smiled.

“Do not fear, my friend. You will not be killed. You have too much value to certain people. Even more, now that you have made yourself a friend of Ben.”

“Who is Ben exactly? Why was he sent here if he isn't supposed to die?”

Max raised an eyebrow and Toby shrunk back. It seemed despite discovering his strength, Toby still feared Max.

“What do you plan to do with that information, should I give it to you?” Max said.

“I just want to know who he is.”

“You know him now. Whoever he was is gone; the Ben you know now is who he is and will be. Both of your general memories of your past have been taken out. You can still function, should you ever return to normal society, but you will not ever regain who you are unless you somehow managed to hide your memories. There is no reason in knowing.”

Toby's shoulders slumped, but he dropped the subject.

“So where is Ben, and what happened to him?” Toby finally asked.

“I'm not about to take you to him while you look like that. Wash up and I'll tell you as we go.”