Chapter 1
HAH
“HONEY GRAB THE FUCKING SWITCH!” Hunters dad screams. Hunter is already beaten to a bloody pulp. “Babe you already fucked Hunter up...” Hunter is sprawled on a kitchen floor unable to move or cry anymore. “I DON’T GIVE A F-“. Knock sounds make Hunter jump out of sleep.
The door is already slightly open. Angels pair of puffy soft pink lips sneaks through the doors slightly wide slit. “Hey Hunter it’s time for breakfast.′ Angel says as quiet and soft spoken as humanly possible then peeks one eye through the crack of the door. Angel sees Hunter propped up in a sweaty frenzy.
Angel simply walks away but not before saying. “I love you” and then gently closing the door while twisting the door knob. “Again?” Hunter very quietly whispers while pulling a very thin bed sheet off of him. Hunters feet collide with the wooden floor. Hunters room has no windows due to the urge of the dangerous drug called freedom. Hunters room is the prime definition of simplicity.
The floor, the ceiling and the four walls that encompasses them including the inner-door have all been painted vantablack. One candle sits lit on a also painted vantablack immoveable coffee table that has claimed authority directly in the center of Hunters room. Hunter stands up as if instructed by a boot camp drill instructor from a waist high bed frame also painted you guessed it; vantablack.
Hunter is young. Old enough to drink legally but not old enough to run for presidency in the United States. Hunter is average height about the size of a NBA point guard shooter. Natural long hair; Hunters hair since infancy was genetically brown. Hunter has dyed them vantablack, cut them short but long enough to wear they droop over his eyes. And he wears only vantablack from top to bottom. Hunters eyes are deep and magnificently blue.
Hunter wears a black sclera contact over only one of them. Hope says both eyes make Hunter look too handsome. Of course Hunter knew that Hope wanted just a nuance of intimate spiritual familiarity while looking into the eyes of a closely sought after friend. Floor boards creaking Hunter walks towards the door. Hunter grabs the doorknob, twist and pulls open the door.
As the door opens the immediate gradually rising substantial smell rush of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausages glide through the air into the inner canals of Hunters nose. A shining bright luminescence moderately increases in intensity as Hunter opens the door. “Hunter!” Hope says while turning from the stove Hunter doesn’t say a word and doesn’t even smile.
Hope takes off a long anime like chief hat and turns from the stove that’s currently still on high but Hope trusts fire more than anything expect Hunter. Hope springs towards Hunter and reaches under Hunters vantablack hoodie. Hunter doesn’t move or even flinch.
Hope has been doing this every single day for the past 11 years. Hope caresses all 10 fingers gently and quickly up Hunters chest and back then closes with a hug and a squeeze. “Nice morning Hunter I hope you had a wonderful rest.” “Hope” Hope let’s go and looks at Hunter with the most honest eyes.
Hunter doesn’t usually talk at all especially not this early in the morning so when Hope heard Hunters deep and raspy ridged voice Hopes curiosity and concentration was instantly peaked. “I love you” Hunter said. Angel is watching their interaction standing 10 feet away. Hunter immediately turns to Angel and says “I love you too Angel.”
Hope and Angel don’t make a sound neither is there a smile on either of their faces. The room has been quiet for 25 seconds, the faint sound of fire crackling on the still burning hot stove. Hope is the first to shed a tear not long after Angel and Hope are blushed and flushed with tears dripping down each cheek. Hope and Angel both don’t bother to wipe them they let it flow down and Hunter can’t bear it.
Hunter walks up to Hope wearing the first Vantablack hoodie Hope stitched together 11 years ago when they first met and wipes ever so gently the tears off of Hopes cheek using the right sleeve then leans forward and kisses Hope on the forehead. Neither of them smile or even smirk or even is there a sound sprug from either of their voice boxes. Hope walks to the stove as if like a ghost a skill that Hope has adopted back into Hopes life after 10 years of hard and grievous training.
A skill called silent step the ability to make movements with absolutely zero sound. Hope was adopted into a family of highly skilled “Ninjas” but Angel and Hunter both knew Hope skills was the result of repetitive intense gruesome refining after years and years of brutal assassination.
The silent step is a promise and a reminder of that. Hopes family weren’t gangsters or thugs Hope got up close and dirty with blades and knifes shortly after leaving infancy. Hope picks up the pan with the right hand and the chief hat with the other then flips the pancake upside down in synchronous motion of reapplying the hat. Hope turns and looks at Angel then turns back to the stove.
Angel with tears still streaming eyes are now bloodshot. Yet neither was there a sound uttered from Angel there was only a gulp. A heavy painful rock heavy sounding gulp. Hope moves the pancakes to the preset plates at the same moment and time Hunter begins to walk towards Angel. Angels hair in dripping tears as it’s filthily sprawled across her face.
Hunter first using his index finger from both hands to calmy and viscously move strands of teared drowned hair behind both the left and right ear of Angel evenly and presently. Hunter doesn’t use the sleeve to wipe Angels tears. Hope doesn’t have to look to know instead Hope reads and senses the energy of the rooms flow to predict what is going to happen.
Hunter reaches for Angels own sweatshirt sleeve softly then holds grasping fingers and thumb to palm barely squeezing hard enough to direct Angels sleeve and arm toward Angels glazing teared stained cheeks with just enough pressure to not drop Angels arm or to even cause the gentlest of bruises. Hunter wipes and wipes the smooth and round plump puffy face of Angel but not all the strange clear liquid that was leaking from Angels eyes.
Hunter leaves alone a bountiful drop in both eyes then steps tippy toes with quality balance towards Angel and extends the tongue taps and licks Angels remaining tears from both eyes. Angel gasps for air at the touch of Hunters tongue tip tapping the corners of Angels right eye. After the right eye Hunter went to the left eye Angel was already frozen unable to even blink.
Angel was raised into a family of “Undergrounders”. Mining was their livelihood, the top miners went solo as in only with the trust worthy. The best miners never concealed their mine and never mined legally. To claim property over what’s underground deep in earth was absurd to them.
Nor could they fathom the idea to pay to dig in the earth. Angel was born and raised in the mines and first learned how to swing a pickaxe before learning how to read or write. Rich and wealthy or was before they were robbed and possessions including almost everything Angel held dear was stripped from Angels life and family in several horrific series of flawless quick and painful murders from Hope only.
Angels family had struck a mine on the land of Hopes family and after a swift scout mission of spying on the family of Angel counting a total of nine miners carefully and efficiently. Hope was ordered and strictly instructed to immediately eradicate the intruders from this plane of existence; a failed mission means execution and Hope was always reminded of that as it were the final words Hope heard before every assassination.
