“Hunter or The Hunted”
Chapter 16


While Christine was looking for Matt, things were going quite random for Rosary. With Christine, being gone and no contact with her at all they were not sure if she was still alive or dead. Therefore, Rosary second-guessed the hit on the reserve hopping their ideas and gut feelings were not leading them array.

Christine ran through the woods when she stopped wiping the sweat from her cuts on her face as it ran into them making them sting and burn. Christine became quiet, hearing water running like a stream or brook was near by. She looks at her surroundings as she narrowed her eyes remembering the layout of the reserve and she remembered that a small stream was on the map, she walked in the direction of the sound of the running water.

Not far from where she had stopped, she found the stream. She walked over to it dropping to her knees as she gathered the water in her hands and doused her face with it. The cool fresh water ran down her face stinging her open wounds and cuts on her face. She splashed her face with more water to help rinse them out from the sweat Christine cringes as it stings, but keeps splashing her face.

After a few minutes, Christine hears voices and footsteps coming up behind her. She quickly gets up darting behind a near by tree to see that is was two of Matt’s guards. They kneeled down beside the stream filling their canteens with water as Christine heard them talking to one another.

“Well the hunters should be here soon and so should the bus.” One said.

“Yeah, then Matt might loosen up some. That chick has really got him on edge.” The other said.

Christine looks out from around the tree; they had their backs to her as they knelt by the stream. She noticed the one had her wakazashi she slowly moves back behind the tree. Pulling two of her Kozuka blades Christine stood there waiting for the right moment. She knew she had to hit them high on their spins to pierce the nerve so they would not have any movement.

It was a simple thing for her to do and she had done it hundreds of times before, but for some reason she was feeling a disarray as her head swooned from the heat of the day as it weld upon her. Christine heard more footsteps coming their way quickly as she knew she had to act now.

Christine went to lunge out from behind the tree as the third guard called out, “Hey Joe… Henry you guys still at the creek?” They turned as Christine stayed close to the tree so not seen by them.

“Yeah Larry we are still over here.” The one with the wakazashi called back.

The other guard ran up to them as he tells them, “The assassin team that attacked the compound has stopped the bus and freed the passengers. Matt is in an all out rage he went back to get that girl he brought with us and found Steve dead and her nowhere to be found. He wanted me to come get you two so we can go look for her and the assassins. He is sure they will be here soon to get her.”

Joe laughs as he says, “That bunch is looking to die.” He grabs the hilt to the wakazashi.

“Well I guess we should get going to find them. We do not need Matt down on us for letting them get in here to her.” Henry says.

Christine hearing this laughs as the three men start to look around for who it was and where it was coming from. She darted out from behind the tree pulling her katana, and throwing her Kozuka blades at them. She catches the one guy with her katana cutting him down, and the two blades hit the one guard in his neck and eye.

She lunged her katana at the one called Joe, which had her wakazashi running her katana clean through him. She reaches down pulling her wakazashi from his belt. She turned jerking her katana from his chest as she now stood in front of him. She smiled as she crossed her blades bringing them together across his chest and throat the he went down where he stood all three men fell to their death and then Christine was gone running toward the way the last guy came from to find Matt.


Meanwhile Rosary is just outside the reserve waiting for Stacey and Nagi to join them after the attack on the bus to free the people.

When Nagi and Stacey finally join them, Jen asks, “How is James?”

“He is doing great and cannot wait to see you after we finish all of this.” Stacey says.

Nagi looks at Jen and chuckles as he tells Jen. “It did not start off that good though.”

“What do you mean Nagi did he try to fight you two?” Jen asks.

“More like kill.” Stacey says.

Jen gets a worried look on her face as she asks, “You did not hurt him did you?”

“No he was not hurt. Once he found out what was really going on with Sacred Hearts he helped us free the others.” Stacey tells her.

“So where are the others?” Yohji asks.

“We sent them back to where Sebastian landed the chopper. We told James to keep them there they would be safe and when this was all done we would see them back there.” Nagi told Yohji.

“So what about Matt does he know that we got to the bus?” Aya asks.

“Yes James radioed him and told him what had happened. He flat out told Matt that Rosary was on their way and once they find him he was dead.” Stacey says.

“Do they have weapons to keep them safe just incase the guards or one of the hunters find them?” Brad asks.

Stacey and Nagi nod as Brad says, “Great now lets go find Chris. I have this feeling she needs us. From here on out if, we come across a hunter, a guard, or Matt they are to die. I do not care if it was your hit or not, kill them. If Christine is found alive or…”

Brad pauses as he looks at everyone as Aya says, “Do not even think it or say it Brad Chris is alive and well. So do not even go there.”

“We have to look at this logically Aya. She might be dead already after the news James gave to Matt.” Brad says.

“Then why the comment about Chris needing us?” Aya asks.

“Because I have to believe she is still alive to keep from losing it until this is all over and we find her.” Brad tells him.

Aya looks at Brad as he says, “Then let’s get out of here so we can go find her and bring her home safe with us.”

Everyone in Rosary nods taking off toward the fence making their way into the reserve with no problems as they split up looking for Christine.


Meanwhile Christine is searching the reserve herself looking for Matt as she hears a chopper landing not far from were she was. She runs quickly to the clearing looking out to see 10 hunters getting from the chopper some with single shot riffles, some with Bows, and two with automatic riffles. Matt was wearing his blades as he walked from the woods into the clearing to greet them.

Christine snuck closer to the group so she could hear what was said as she hears Matt tell them, “The plans have changed. The group we were going to hunt has been taken over by a group of Assassins that are trying to close down Sacred Hearts. The assassins are in the reserve now as we speak, they are a group of nine and very dangerous.”

One of the men of the group asks, “Do they have guns?”

“No they are only armed with Katana’s and other weapons that they have to get close to you to use, but that does not make them less of a threat. They have been hunting Sacred Hearts now for a few years slowly closing in on us, and today they have found us. There are four females and eight males in this group I want them all dead and for a bonus there are two that I want their heads.”

The group of hunters looks at Matt as he continues, “A girl with long blonde hair and a tall male with glasses and dark hair, you bring me there heads and I will give you every cent you have paid me to come here today. If you kill them both I will not only give you your money but I will double your payment for a bonus on your good hunting for them.” The group looks at Matt as they all nod.

“So I take it, it is a deal between us?” Matt asks them.

“Yes…” They all answer him.

“Good then… Good luck hunting and remember the people you hunt today give true meaning to the word killer do not get close to them or you will be the one dieing today.” Matt tells them as they all walk into the woods to hunt their new targets.

Christine slides around the tree she was standing behind as one of the bow hunters walks right past her. She shakes her head as he walks by, a smile comes across her face as she thinks to herself, “Fools… They will all die quickly.”

She quickly leaps to the treetops following him until she knew he was far enough from the others. Christine watched him as he stopped walking, looking around he turned looking the other way. Christine silently jumps in behind him a few feet away. The guy turns slowly to continue walking his old path when he saw Christine standing there, her hand on the hilt of her katana.

She smiles at him as he fumbles with his bow dropping his arrow to the ground. Christine laughs shaking her head as the guy goes to draw another arrow from his quiver. She steps forward drawing her katana on him pointing it straight at him.

The guy drops his head, his voice shaken and sweat running from his brow as he begs her, “Please do not kill me I have a family, a wife and a child… PLEASE I BEG YOU LADY!!”

Christine gets a scornful look on her face and a tone that chilled the guys blood she asks, “Did your victims beg you to not kill them or to kill their children? Did you look them in the eye as they begged for their life or the life’s of their family, and did you grant them their wish? Or did you strike them down in cold blood from a distance so you would not have to look them in the eye as you drew back on them and let the arrow pierce their heart or the heart of the ones they loved?”

Christine pauses looking at him as she asks him, “Tell me again why I should spare your life?” Christine steps toward him as she draws her katana to her side.

“I am sorry… I am so sorry please do not kill me. I do not want to die.” The guy begs again.

Christine looks at him, as she is standing right in front of him no more then two feet away. He looks into her eyes seeing nothing but a cold empty shell as he drops to his knees pulling at her jumpsuit still begging for his life, Christine raises her katana above him as she says, “You should ask God to forgive you… not me.”

Christine drops her katana as it cleaves the guys head from his body. She turns walking away from him as his blood rushes from his body upon the earth he has killed so many others on.


As the rest of Rosary are seeking the hunters and Christine. Aya and Yohji come to the edge of a small bluff. Yohji steps to the edge looking down he turns looking at Aya as he says, “That’s a good drop to the bottom.”

Aya walks over looking down seeing a path below them. Looking around he saw one of the men hunters walking down the path toward them. Aya then starts looking at the surroundings around Yohji and himself he turns looking at Yohji as he says, “I have an idea.”

Yohji listens to what Aya has to say as the hunter drew closer. Yohji looks out at the guy below them as he says, “You think it will work?”

“It will work the whole thing is will he know were Chris is and the drop here will be enough to scare him to find that information out.” Aya says he looks out at the guy as he is almost under them he looks at Yohji and nods letting him know it is almost time.

Yohji steps up to the edge throwing his wire down on the guy wrapping it around one of his legs. He quickly throws the wire over and around a huge tree limb that hung over the bluff. Yohji pulls on the wire jerking the guy off his feet as he drops his riffle and Yohji lifts him high above the ground up the side of the bluff. Once the guy was at the top of the bluff Aya reaches out grabbing him by his shirt pulling the guy toward him.

The look in Aya’s eyes frightened the guy and when Aya spoke to him the guy went into a panic as Aya sounded like the devil himself as Aya growled, “WHERE IS SHE?!”

He looks at Aya and in a panic tone saying, “She who?!”

Aya let go of the guy as Yohji drops him to his death. Aya calls out to the guy as he is being dropped, “WRONG ANSWER!”

The guy screams out, “ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW!!”

Yohji stops the guy inches above the ground as he starts pulling him back up to them. Aya grabs the guy again pulling him close to him Aya still sounding and looking like the devil himself he says, “WHERE IS SHE AND IS SHE STILL ALIVE?!”

“I do not know where she is…” Aya shoves the guy away again as Yohji drops him once more.

The guy screams again, “ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT!!”

Yohji stops him once more just inches away from his death. Once he was face to face again with Aya. Aya grabs him pulling him close fear written all over the guys face as Aya hears the guy say in a frantic tone, “WHEN WE LEFT MATT TO GO FIND HER AND THE OTHER ASSASSINS SHE WAS STILL ALIVE. THAT IS ALL I KNOW… I SWEAR TO GOD!!” The guy told Aya in a panic.

Aya jerks him toward him as he growls in a deep hateful tone, “SWEAR TO ME!!”

Aya goes to release him again as the guy blurts out, “WE ARE HUNTING HER AND THE REST OF YOU… MATT WANTS YOU ALL DEAD ESPECIALLY THE GIRL AND ONE OTHER GUY WITH GLASSES HE WANTS THEIR HEADS!!”

Aya shoves him away from him as Yohji releases the guy from his wire sending him to his death, the guy lands on the ground below them with a bone-crushing thud.

“So Matt wants Brad and Chris’s head.” Aya says putting his headset back on.

Aya touches the headset bringing it to life as he says, “Oracle you still out there?”

“Yeah why wouldn’t I be?” Brad asks.

“Matt has a hit out on you and Ice he wants your heads.” Aya tells him.

“What… how do you know this?” Brad asks, “Did you find Ice?”

“No… We got it from one of the hunters just before we killed him.” Aya tells him.

“So one of the hunters is dead?” Susie asks.

“Yeah one down.” Yohji replies.

“So is Ice still alive?” Nagi asks.

“From what the guy told us yes she is still alive as far as he knew, Prodigy.” Aya told him.

“So that means she is out looking for Matt. We have to find her, Matt had her pretty beat up when he left with her, and you know he beat her again when he got here.” Brad replies.

“Anyone seen Reaper since we got here?” Stacey asks. The headset went quite when they heard.

“I am here Scorpio I have been busy. I found two of the hunters when I first got here, one female and one male. Both of them are now dead.” Sebastian says.

“So that makes three dead that we know of.” Yohji says.

“Make that four Balinese.” Jen says.

“What, did you just kill one Thumper?” Omi asks.

“No I did not Bombay, this looks like the work of Ice.” Jen replies, “He has not been dead for long so she might still be close.”

“Be careful Thumper, Matt might be close as well. be on your guard.” Aya tells her.

“I got it under control Abyssinian you do not have to worry about me.” Jen says.

“Well everyone be on your guard. The hunters have long range weapons so they could be right behind you and we not even know it.” Yohji tells them.

“Got it…” They all says as Susie asks, “What about Ice’s headset. Do you think Matt may have it or destroyed it by now?”

“Knowing Matt Gemini, he has it.” Brad replies.

“Then he could be listening in on us.” Susie replies.

“Yes he could, so be careful what you say. Never give up your location on here.” Schuldich says. “And add one more to the death toll of the hunters.”

“So Mastermind you took down number five?” Stacey says.

“Sure did.” Schuldich replies.

Fararello's laugh comes over the headset as he says, “Seven now I just killed one of the females and one of the males, and they were two of the bosses.”

“Great job Berserker.” Ken calls out. “I found one myself job completed here. All the bosses are dead now, but Matt.”

“That’s right Siberian, but there are still two other hunters besides Matt at large so stay on guard.” Aya tells him.

“Will do…” Ken says. The headset goes dead once more as they all run off to find the last two hunters, Matt and Christine.


Meanwhile Christine is kneeling beside the stream once again as she cleans her face once more. She touches her face she can feel the swelling in her cuts, she cringes as she touches the wound above her nose from when Matt kneed her in the face.

“Shit that hurts…” Christine says aloud.

“Not as bad as this is going to hurt.” Christine jumps up turning to see two hunters standing behind her.

As the one opens fire on her with his automatic riffle, Christine jumps up and over them landing behind them, she pulls her katana and wakazashi as they turn she chuckles saying, “I am Ice a killer sent by God and he told me you have been very bad.” Christine tells them.

They start to laugh as the one guy tells her, “God has only one killer and he is Loki.”

“Loki is a pussy cat compared to me.” Christine replies with a chuckle going into her stance.

The guy raises his gun pointing it at Christine, she brings her katana down and around as she saw the other guy drawing his gun as well. She spun hitting him with the reverse side of her katana and bringing the reverse side of her wakazashi up under the others man’s arm making them both drop their guns. Christine stood there as one man pulled a knife on her and the other pulled a 9mm pistol.

The gun went off just as Christine felt herself falling to the ground. She hits the ground as she looks up seeing Sebastian standing there with his katana drawn and blood running down his chest from the bullet that hit him in his shoulder. The one hunter with the 9mm was dead on the ground lying behind his friend.

Sebastian stood there as he said, “Now your turn to die...”

The guy charged at Sebastian with his knife as Sebastian spun around him and took off his head. The hunter fell to his knees and then to the earth under him.

Sebastian went to Christine’s side as she stood up dusting herself off as she says, “I had it under control Bastian.”

She looks him in the eyes as he touches her hip saying, “I see that…” Christine looks down seeing a gun shot wound on her hip and one down on her leg on the same side.

“How many times does Nagi have to tell you these things are not bullet proof at close range?” Sebastian kneels in front of her taking a closer look at the wounds as he says, “You have only been grazed by them thank God, but stop being so reckless Chris. With you able to block your pain you are a danger to yourself.”

Sebastian reaches into his pocket as he hands her a new headset she takes it from him as he says, “Tell everyone Hello before they go nuts looking for you and tell them we killed the last two hunters.”

Christine looks at Sebastian surprised as she asks, “Rosary has killed all the others? WHAT ABOUT MATT?!”

“He is still alive I am taking it by the question you just ask.” Sebastian replies.

“Yes he is… if none of you have killed him yet.” Christine says.

“It will only be a matter of time now until one of us fines him.” Sebastian tells her.

“Then I have to get moving. He is my kill and no one will interfere with that.” Christine puts on her headset as she says, “Do you all hear me…? NO ONE TOUCHES MATT BUT ME!!”

The group starts calling out to Christine once they hear her voice as she hears Aya say, “Matt is a free target who ever finds him first gets to kill him. I owe him one for hurting you.”

“Same here Ice… it is now hunting season for Matt and if I find him he is dead.” Brad tells her.

“If any of you touch him, you will deal with me after this is all over I promise you that.” Christine tells them in an ordering tone.

“She is hurt pretty bad guys Matt has done a number on her face and body and she has been shot twice and it looks like she has been cut several time on her body and limbs.” Sebastian tells them.

“Shut up Reaper.” Christine replies as she punches him in the mouth for telling them what was wrong with her.

Sebastian punches her back as the group hears him say, “You bitch I cannot believe you punched me.”

Christine goes to hit Sebastian again as he grabs her jerking her toward him holding her close to him as they hear him says, “Stop it Ice you are not getting fr…”

Sebastian falls to his knees as Christine brought her knee up into his groin and running off as the others hear her say, “I am sorry Reaper, but Matt is mine and no one will stop me from killing him.”

“Reaper are you all right?” Stacey asks him in a concerned tone.

“She kneed me between the legs.” Sebastian replies with severe pain in his voice.

“Man that sucks for you.” Fararello says laughing.

“Not funny Berserker, I am in some real pain here.” Sebastian says. “I think I am going to crawl over and sit in the stream here.”

Sebastian could hear the girls chuckling as Brad says, “I am not far from you I will go find Ice.”

“Same here…” Ken says, “Maybe with the both of us we will find her quicker.”

“Maybe… We will go check on Reaper.” Stacey says.

“We?” Omi asks.

“Me and Thumper…” Stacey says.

“Sounds good I am heading that way to look for Ice as well I have this feeling she is headed to the clearing to draw Matt out. So what do you say we all meet at the clearing in about 15 minutes?” Aya says.

“Sounds like a deal. If Ice is going to draw Matt out that will be the place she will go.” Brad replies.

“If I see any of your faces here in the clearing, I will cut you down were you stand.” Christine tells them.

“Shit I forgot she now has a headset.” Brad says.

“Yes I do and I can hear every word you say. So your plan of attack has failed.” Christine says.

“Ice do not be stupid you’re weak right now and Matt is in full health.” Aya says.

Christine does not reply as Aya calls out, “Ice answer me…”

Christine still says nothing as Brad says, “We have to hurry and find her before she gets herself killed.”

“I will meet you in the clearing Oracle.” Aya tells Brad.



Hunter or The Hunted Chapter 17