The Hunter

Ben woke up to a whispered argument. Two figures stood near by. One, the taller, threw his arms up into the air in exasperation while the other stood perfectly still, his arms crossed. It took Ben a moment to recognize the taller figure as Max and the shorter one as Toby. He tried to reach out to Max, but even that simple movement sent waves of agony through his slowly healing body. He grunted and Max was immediately beside him, ending the argument mid sentence.

Toby stepped over but kept a safe distance away from Max-it seemed he was starting to become healthily wary of him. Max gently ran his hand through Ben's hair and offered a small smile.

“You'll be okay. How do you feel? Do you need anything?” Max murmured, his eyes glued to Ben's.

Despite everything, Ben felt his heartbeat increase and his stomach tighten. He opened his mouth to talk, but his throat was dry and nothing came out. Max snapped his fingers at Toby, who heaved a sigh, but turned away. Toby was back a moment later with a bottle that he handed to Max. Max helped Ben sit up and drink, which Ben did gratefully. He drank slowly to avoid choking, but still ended up coughing. Max pulled the bottle away and laid Ben on his back once more.

“Can you talk?” Toby asked.

Ben tried again with a little more success-but not much. One his third try, he figured out he could push out a whisper.

“Toby, are you alright?”

Toby's eyes widened in surprise at the question, but then he offered Ben a grin.

“I'm fine. Max gave me food, I slept in a bed. I'm feeling pretty good.”

“Good.” Ben nodded before turning back to Max.

“Thank you.”

Max simply nodded, running his hand through Ben's hair once more before he got to his feet.
“Don't leave this room. Don't take even a step out, understood? I have business to attend to.” Max called, mainly to Toby.

“I heard you the first five times!” Toby snapped.

Max gave a growl of annoyance at Toby before he moved out of the dimly lit room and out of sight. Toby heaved a heavy sigh and crouched next to Ben.

“What happened?” He asked softly.

“Honestly, I have no idea...some of the other...prisoners on the island caught me and started to beat me...I think they were trying to get at Max.” Ben sighed.

Toby muttered something about monsters under his breath, shaking his head. Ben offered a small grin, guessing at what he had said.

“I'm glad you are awake. Max was convinced you might be in a coma.”

“I'm tougher than that!” Ben boasted, his voice getting stronger.

His stomach growled and Toby got to his feet.

“Let me get you some food. Max has a ton of crap in here, I can get you anything.” Toby called.

“Something easy to chew...and some grapes.” Ben suggested.

“Sure thing.”

Over the next three weeks, Ben healed slowly. Both he and Toby were malnourished, and it took a heavy toll on Ben's wounded body. Despite the food, warmth, and clean water he was now offered, Ben spent most of the first week in Max's bed while Max himself and Toby slept in hammocks that Max produced from the main cavern. The bed was far more comfortable than the ground, but Ben found the pillow to be frustrating and at some point in time hurled it at Max in a fit of rage. He had been immediately ashamed of himself and apologized, but Max had only laughed and kept the pillow for himself.

By the middle of the second week, Ben was able to pace around the chamber stricken with boredom. Outside, he and Toby rarely had nothing to do, but he had already spent time examining the entire chamber inch by inch the first two days Max let him out of bed. Toby was much the same, only in worse shape. He was irritated and sensitive. He and Max got into arguments over the smallest of issues at least hourly.

On the third week, as Ben's strength returned more in full and the bruises faded, Max kicked Toby out of the cave and forced him to live in the forest several hundred feet away from the secret entrance to Max's hide out. Max stayed out of the chamber for the entire day, returning only at night to sleep in his hammock. Their conversations were stiff and short, as Max seemed to be stressed out about something.

Max's stress happened to be due to a message he had gotten from the Disciplinary Council at the start of the week. It had stated simply that someone was going to soon be there to pick up Benjamin and return him safely home. Max felt sick and he knew he had let himself go too far this time. Rarely did he connect with a specific prisoner, but never had he unconsciously fallen so hard for one. He did not even realize how far he had gone until he had been hit with the blow of losing Ben. It was uncertain when they would come for Ben and Max did not know if he should push away or dig his way into Ben's heart.

At the end of the week, Max was too distraught to make a decision. He took Ben to Toby's camp and did not even say goodbye. Toby and Ben were surprised by the sudden rejection; Max did not show up at night, nor did he leave food behind as he had given Ben and Toby packs full of necessities for survival. Ben found himself waiting for Max at night, staying up well into the early morning before giving up.

Realizing they had been abandoned, the boys discussed their options and decided to leave. Without bothering to leave any signs of where they had gone-knowing full well Max would find them if he wished- they packed up what they wanted to take and left. They walked for the entire day, not speaking a word, getting back into the habit of their lives in the forest. Now, however, they were far more cautious, stopping from time to time to listen. Small animals would charge at them, but then think better of it and vanish into burrows or trees. Birds sang and squabbled, not caring about the strange habits of the animals and humans below. They heard no signs of humans or deer.

Not long before the sun began to set, Ben and Toby found an abandoned camp. It had obviously been there awhile, empty, but neither trusted the signs of vacancy enough to stick around. At Toby's insistence, however they spent a few moments to loot.

“This is what criminals do,” Ben protested softly to himself, earning a snort from Toby.

“That's what we are, remember? Evil incarnate, bad enough to be sent to hell. To be tormented by the Dog-demon, Max.”

The last part of what Toby said got Ben to grin and even Toby himself gave a tiny smile. However, both of them soon were frowning again, Ben due to his confusion of Max's sudden coldness and Toby due to the fragment of a skull he had found. It was obviously human, and rather than alarm Ben, Toby swiftly reburied it and stood.

“There's nothing good here for us. Let's go,” Toby suggested, standing.

As Ben got to his feet, however, the air shook with the sound of an explosion near by, startling them both. Ben froze, his mind trying to figure out what may have made such a sound, Toby, on the other hand had a good idea.

“Grenades?!” He yelped, looping Ben's arm with his and dragging him back down to the ground.