Page 21 of Hunt Me
So he’s searching for…
His head pops up from behind the counter, and in each hand, so do two glass bottles. ‘Nothing better than a wee dram,’ he smiles and makes his way over to me.
‘What?’
Not responding, he just nudges me to go back up the stairs. Intrigued, I oblige and he leads us back up to the next level, right to where he just had me pinned to the balcony not long ago.
I try to catch his eye, but he ignores me. The corner of his lips tipped up with a satisfied smile.
He’s fucking with me, he has to be.
Only he walks straight past it and straight to the shadowed corner that was sectioned off to the public at some point. A faded ‘Do Not Enter’ sign is lying at the foot of the doorway.
‘Where are we going?’ I ask, skirting around the pollard.
I wait for him to answer but he just climbs the new set of steps. These ones are not as grand as the others, but more like what you’d expect in a princess story, where she climbs hundreds of spiralled steps to get to the top of a tower. Only I’m not a princess and this isn’t a fairy tale tower.
Chapter Ten
??
Ruaridh
Looming proud over my abandoned city the moon shines on each rooftop, against the grimy glass windows, and across the destitute streets. She has a habit of highlighting certain aspects of this beautiful city and shadowing away the others. Most horrors exist in the dark, just as she likes it.
My memory of years ago when I had visited the museum on a school trip does not fail me as I round the last narrow step. If I’m honest with myself I’m pretty surprised that my little deer has followed me this far, but that is why she is mischievous as well. She has surprised me more than once since I have met her, and it is a welcome challenge to anticipate how she will react to this next chapter of our lives together.
‘My pal and I had come here while hiding from our teacher Mr Griffin. He wasn’t a bad guy, that I knew of anyway, but he didn’t have that social understanding of how to make boring points of history exciting for kids, you know.’ I look to the wide-eyed woman taking in the curved window. ‘So havingexplored everything we could in the exhibitions, we searched for something. We found this.’
A room cornered off at the top of a spiralling tower with arguably one of the best views in the city. In front of it an old, worn, leather sofa perfectly positioned to look out of the half-moon window.
‘It’s…’ She doesn’t finish her train of thought as my little mischief approaches the window, mesmerised by the moon.
‘Magical,’ I respond.
‘Terrifying.’
I angle my head, watching her expression. She doesn’t look terrified. When we were in the sewers, it had crossed her features when those rats realised we were there and again when the heads hanging from the ceiling startled her, but I haven’t seen it since.
She looks at me as if sensing my confusion and need to understand her feelings. ‘It’s terrifying how a place built to house so many people is left almost empty. And the only ones left are monsters.’ I mull her words over. ‘Everyone that is left is a monster in some way or another, though, aren’t they,’ she adds, looking at me, vulnerability shining in her eyes.
I hesitantly nod. ‘Some more than others.’
She doesn’t speak again; she just stands there watching, waiting. As expecting those very monsters she speaks of to jump out from the shadows and come after her.
I drop to the sofa, my legs tired and the balls of my feet sore from our running around today. I'd expected my outing to go very differently from how it has ended up. I was out to check out sections of the city after the brutal winter as the first signs of theseasons changing began to set in. Instead, I’ve ended up finding this enigma standing in front of me — or should I say she found me.
The cap makes a squeaking sound as I uncork the whiskey bottle, and the strong spicy smell fills the air. I breathe deeply as anticipation thrumbs through my veins and take a gulp of the burning liquid feeling hot as it travels down my throat and warms my chest.
Mischief turns around, her attention caught by my movements just as I had hoped. I like her attention on me; whether that be in fear or lust, I’m not entirely sure I care as long as it is on me.
‘Want some?’ I offer her the already open bottle, not bothering to point out that I had brought a separate one up for her in case she needs it.
She’s observant though and her eyes pointedly look towards the unopened bottle I carefully set down at my feet.
I grin.
Hazel eyes roll and she snatches the already opened bottle from my hand, tipping it back to swallow the deep amber liquid.
