shoot & run { open }
Aria continued her walk down the quiet and mostly abandoned street that was fondly referred to as “Main Street” by the locals. Normally buzzing with life and warmth, just as the weather in the town seemed to be turning, everything was more cool and dark. Sighing, the brunette stared ahead, not bothering to even take in her surroundings. Normally, she’d be on her highest guard. Be ever so ready to fight whatever was waiting around the corner. But after losing her powers, a fact not everyone knew about yet, Aria felt it was useless to try and act tough. She was now the biggest walking target Harbor Falls had to offer and she was well aware of the fact. Wondering if this was how human women felt at all times when walking alone in the dark at night, Aria gripped the pocket knife that was concealed by her hand even tighter.
Turning the corner to reach the highway, the final stretch to her hotel, she didn’t realize the man hiding in the shadows until it was too late. Gripping her arm tight, he slammed the brunette into the brick wall of the building next to them and she let out a hiss. Unable to really take in his face, it was the gun in his hands that caught her attention. An inscription on the side of the cool metal reflecting in the moon’s light, caused the warmth to leave her face. Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent. We hunt those who hunt us. “No.” She said roughly, glaring at the man. Attempting to hit him in the face with her other hand, he grabbed her other wrist and made it impossible to even really move. “We told you we’d be back for you. Who do you want us to grab next, huh? Maybe that pretty little daughter of yours?”
At the mere mention of Katima, Aria spit in the man’s face. “I’d fucking kill you before you had the chance.”
As he released her left hand to wipe the moisture off his face, she used the distraction to press the knife further into her palm until the slight click rang out of the blade being released. Not really having time to aim, she took the advantage and slammed the knife into his body as hard as she could. It hit his shoulder and while his grip loosened a little on her other arm, it didn’t release completely. Instead, he picked the brunette up by her throat and Aria could feel her throat tighten automatically.
Aria tried to focus on his string of cuss words from his wound and attempt to pull the blade out of his body. Tried to focus on the sound of her heels hitting the wall as her legs kicked helplessly. Tried to focus on anything to stay conscious.
“You have no idea how big of a fucking party they’re going to throw for me when I kill you for good.”
Like most nights since Katima had arrived in Harbor Falls, she found herself sitting at the same bar stool while sipping the same drink and ignoring the advances of anyone who dared step into her field of vision. And much like all the other nights, Katima pushed her 3rd empty glass to the side and had fully intended upon ordering another when her eye caught sight of a familiar figure walking just passed the bar’s window. Her mother. Katima’s better instinct told her to stay put. Lately it seemed as if every time Katima even looked in Aria’s direction, she was being told to go somewhere else. It was behavior Katima had become accustomed to over the years, but it didn’t mean that it hurt her any less. Not that Katima would ever let herself admit that out loud.
Pushing herself away from the bar top, Katima pulled on her jacket and made her way outside. If Aria didn’t want to talk to her, Katima was damn sure going to find a way to make her. Unfortunately, by the time Katima had reached the sidewalk, any sight of Aria was gone. Figuring she couldn’t have gotten far, Katima began walking down the sidewalk in the direction her mother had been taking. As Katima got closer to where she assumed Aria was, it wasn’t her mother’s voice that she heard. Instead an unfamiliar man’s filled her eyes and by the words that he was speaking, Katima knew that whatever was happening wasn’t good. She slowly crept towards the end of the street and as she poked her head around the corner her eyes nearly fell out of her head.
What the hell was Aria doing? She was just letting this hunter try and kill her. Why wasn’t she fighting back? Did she want to die? If that weren’t enough to send Katima over the edge, hearing the hunter mock Aria by mentioning a celebration of her death had done the trick.
“It’s so unfortunate you won’t be there to partake in the festivities.”
And before the hunter even had a change to register that someone else had joined them, Katima began to sing. She watched as the man’s attention involuntarily shifted from Aria to Katima. His grip loosened until he finally had let her go and began taking slow steps towards Katima. Once close enough, Katima reached out and grabbed the man’s gun, hitting him over the head with it before turning her attention to her mother.
“W-what the hell was that?” Katima shouted, still not entirely unsure about what had just taken place. “Were you just going to let him kill you? Were you waiting for some kind of right moment? I mean, what the fuck?”
