Selling Myself To The Hunter

Hunter Another day down, forever to go. I lay on the marshy ground, staring up at the lifeless looking sky while my latest kill cooked over the fire, wondering if I would ever see the moon or stars again. Perhaps only in my dreams. But even those have been especially dull lately. It was always the same; wake up, survive, go to bed. Day in and day out. Nothing was ever different, there was no good here. Any good that did exist was snuffed out upon arrival. Seraphina made sure of that. She did a wonderful job of making this place hell. There had to be something more. Something more in this life. I was made for so much more. My life before was... I guess it doesn't matter now. None of it does. One decision, that's all it took for my life to be completely changed forever. I was never getting out. I was never going to see the moon or start again, never feel the warm summer breeze. I would never see my family again, or start one of my own. I was completely and utterly alone, and would remain that way until death came knocking at my doorstep, or something more ruthless than me challenged me for my life. What a glorious day that will be. - - - - - - - - Dahlia It's going to be fine. Nothing is wrong, not this time. The doctor will have good, no great news. I let out an uneasy breath. I hated these visits. I let my legs swing out beneath me, trying to dissipate some of my nervous energy. How long have I been here for? I looked at the clock, only five minutes. God help me. It's been a year to date, a year since I got my kidney transplant, the one that saved my life. The first, my body rejected, and I nearly died, but thanks to an anonymous donor, the second took, and I was given another chance at life. I spent years suffering, the causes unknown. I was healthy otherwise, took care of myself, ate healthily, exercised. Imagine my shock when I turned twenty-three and went for a routine visit and my blood work came back with concerning results. I was referred to a nephrologist, who basically told me my kidney didn't want to be a kidney anymore, and had me start dialysis and a slew of medications, both of which eventually failed. But it wasn't until I turned thirty that I was put on a transplant list. The first kidney I received was from a stroke victim. Unfortunately, after only a few months, my body rejected it. After that, I basically lived in a hospital until the second came around, which, if I had to guess, was days away from when I would have died had I not received it. The surgery went well; recovery too. Now I just had to hope for good news today. "Good morning Dahlia, how are we feeling today?" Doctor Lohr said, bursting into my room. After years of treatment and surgery, we were basically on a first-name basis. He was a middle-aged man, he had a wife and two daughters. Seventeen and eleven. They liked to travel to Venice during the summer. They have a cat named Darcy. "Hey Dave." I said, forcing a smile. "Do you have good news for me?" "No." He sighed. My heart stopped beating. "I have great news!" He quickly followed up. "Your labs look wonderful, you are the picture of health." He smiled. "Oh, thank god!" I laughed, letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Yes, it's wonderful news." He smiled. "Keep up the good work. Drink plenty-" "Plenty of fluids, healthy diet, no alcohol or smoking, and keep taking my medication." I nodded in understanding. The anti-rejection medication I took was never forgotten. Never. I couldn't afford to not take it. I don't know what I would do if I had to go through this a third time. I don't think my luck would be that good to get a third kidney. "You got it." He beamed. "I'll fill your script for the year, and don't want to see you back until you need a refill." He winked. "Thank you!" I squealed, jumping off the table and giving him a bear hug. "One year." He reminded me. "Uh-hu!" I nodded, bolting out of the room. News like this calls for some celebration. - - - - - - - - - - - My mom, Mindy, called me before I had even gotten to my car, asking how my appointment went. She met me for lunch immediately after to celebrate. We went to my favorite little bistro and had lunch out on the patio, enjoying the warm spring day. Summer will be here soon. I couldn't wait. I love warm weather. "Cheers to good health!" My mom said, raising her ice tea. "Cheers!" I beamed, clinking my water with her drink. "So, tell me what else is new in your life. How are you and Toby doing?" She asked. My mom and I were...friends. We didn't always agree on things, and frequently butted heads. When I turned eighteen, I went away for college, and it wasn't until I got sick that we actually started talking again. She took care of me for a while too. Unfortunately, when I was getting worse, before getting my first kidney, my father had been in a terrible freak accident and his death took a hefty toll on my mom. They were nothing short of soul mates. My mom hasn't been the same since he passed away. She took a sabbatical of a sort, traveling the world in search of god only knows what. Peace maybe? Toby and I met soon after my dad died and have been together ever since. I owed him my life, had he not stepped in and helped me how he had... I don't know where I would be right now. Probably six feet under. "We are good! Now that I'm better and working again. I think wedding bells might be on the radar soon." I blushed. "Oh, you would make the most beautiful bride." She hummed, a far-off look in her eyes. "What is it?" I asked. "Just...just make sure Toby is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. You deserve only the best." I frowned. Toby and I have been together for over three years now, he was there for me at my worst. He was there for me when she bailed. If I should marry anyone, it should be him. We are a little stale right now. I'll give her that, but I plan to change that soon. "How are things with you?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. "Good, good, I'm thinking of starting a vegetable garden soon..." The rest of our lunch went smoothly. My mom was doing well and so was I. So was I, finally. I felt like I was on cloud nine, the news was such a relief. I decided to treat myself in celebration, and went to the store and bought a cake. It had balloons on it, and was probably meant for a birthday, but I didn't care. Nothing could ruin this day. Nothing. When I got home, Toby was in his game room, probably betting on some fantasy team or playing a co-op game or something. He didn't like it when I bothered him while he was in his game room. In fact, he never even let me step foot inside, but today was a good day and I wanted to celebrate my good news with him. "Toby?" I called, knocking on his door. I tested the knob next. Locked. Not surprising, he did like his privacy. I thought it was funny at first, but we've been living together for almost three years now, and it's hardly the weirdest thing he does. "Not now." He yelled from the other side of the door. Fine. It was fine. I could get dinner ready for us at least. That was my job, doing all the cooking. Cleaning too, laundry, dishes, you name it. Trying to earn my keep, so to speak. Since I was so sick for so long, I was on disability for a few hot minutes. Everything fell on Toby and my family for a while. Not anymore though. I'm working part-time now, at an outdoor sporting goods store, getting my feet back in the water. Toby covered our finances by working nights. I'm still not exactly sure what he does, something with cleaning something I think. He slept through the day, so a lot of times we only caught each other in passing. Hence, our staleness. But today was different. Today I was off and had good news and Toby was awake already. I quickly got to work, throwing dinner together, a kale salad with grilled chicken and mushrooms. Nice and healthy and so delicious. I had just finished plating everything and was soaking a few dishes when Toby came into the kitchen and sat down. "Hey-" "Chicken, again?" He frowned. "It's good for you," I said, joining him at the table. He let out a heavy sigh. He would much rather pizza or Chinese or any number of deep-fried foods for dinner, but I was the cook and on a strict diet and, therefore, so was he. Thankfully, I had something to sweeten the deal. "I have a surprise for dessert." I smiled, going over to the fridge. "Dessert? I didn't think you knew the word." He snorted, picking at the kale. I stuck my tongue out at him and grabbed the cake, placing it on the table in front of him. "Our anniversary?" He frowned. "No." I scoffed, a bit hurt that he didn't remember. I was only stressing over this all week. "It's been a year since my transplant, my doctor gave me a bill of clean health today." I smiled again, the news too good to keep a frown on my face. "f**k, a year already?" Toby said, running his hands through his shaggy blond hair with a long exhale. I frowned, trying not to let his disappointed tone get to me. "Sorry babe, time just slipped away from me." He said, beckoning me to come sit on his lap. I flopped down on him, and he started running his fingers through my long, raven black hair. "This weekend, let's do something." He mumbled. "I have work." I sighed. "Maybe the following week?" "Maybe." He agreed. - - - - - - - It took three weeks, but Toby and I finally worked our schedules out, so we could finally have a date night. Toby said he would plan everything, and I was so excited. So much, in fact, that I even went out and bought a sexy new nightgown for later tonight. It's been a while since we were intimate. I think Toby was afraid of hurting me after my surgery. I've had plenty of time to heal though, and I'm more than ready for him to rock my world. "Babe! Are you ready?" I called from outside his game room. "Huh? For what?" He called. "Um, our date night that we have been waiting three weeks for?!" I hissed. "The one you said you would plan?!" "Oh. Right. I'll be right out." I shook my head, a bit pissed off, and headed down the hall to the bathroom to finish my makeup. I never used much, my sun-kissed skin leaving me glowing, but I did put on some mascara and lipstick. A blur of movement caught my eye, and Toby was standing behind me wearing a dark blue suit that made his blue eyes pop. His blond hair was neatly groomed, making him look like eye candy. He was always good-looking, he was tall with a good physique. I didn't know how he maintained such a good form when he never worked out and ate crap all the time. I guess he was just one of those people, blessed with a metabolism that worked overtime. His skin was very pale, especially when compared to my sun-kissed glow, but considering he was hardly ever out during the day, it made sense. He still looked good though. "You did remember." I sighed in relief. "Of course." He smiled, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "We leave in ten." Toby took us to a fancy Italian place. They lost our reservation, but thankfully they had another table available after a twenty-minute wait. I got the chicken, and Toby a steak so rare you could probably bring it back to life with a little jolt of electricity if you really wanted to. But he enjoyed it, and that's what mattered. We took a late night stroll after our dinner and then went back home. It was a nice evening overall. As soon as we got back though, I scrambled into my silk nightgown, ready to keep the night going. Toby caught me as I was giving myself a once over in the mirror, a small smirk pulling at his lips. "What's this?" He asked, his fingers trailing the bottom of my nightgown. So close.... I turned to face him, a sultry look in my eyes. - - - - - - "How was that?" Toby asked as he caught his breath. Was he referring to all three thrusts it took for him to come undone? "It was...yeah." I nodded, and that was good enough for him. He was asleep in seconds. I slipped out of bed a minute later and cleaned myself up, readjusting my silk nightgown that got a bit ruffled in our hardly two-minute encounter. It was better than nothing, I suppose. We used to have better intimacy...it's probably just going to take time to get back into the swing of things. Tonight was a start. That's what mattered. - - - - - - I got up early the next morning, deciding to make a hearty breakfast for us before I had to go to work. Toby might not like being woken up, but he shouldn't mind as much once he sees the spread I had planned. Bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, the works. A nice treat to wake up to. I was flipping the last pancake when a loud 'boom' sounded and the house shook. I dove to the ground, thinking it might be an earthquake. We did live in California after all. Earthquakes are pretty frequent here. But then I heard Toby run out towards me, and saw the body of another. Someone was in our house. My blood ran cold. Toby came to a skidding stop when he saw the figure. "S-Seraphina-" Toby's voice trembled. "Time's up." The woman hissed. It sent chills up my spine. I could hardly see what was going on, but I caught a glimpse of Toby on his knees, begging her for mercy. "P-please, please-" "A deal is a deal." She laughed darkly. "And now, you belong to me." "Toby?!" I called, crawling towards the living room where the quarrel had begun. He ignored me, his eyes wide with fear, taking in his captor who had her scaly hands around his throat, her sharp nails digging into his skin. She wore a deep green dress that looked like it was made of scales and her hair...were those snakes?! What the hell was she?! Everything happened so fast. I dove towards Toby with the intention of ripping the mystery woman's arm from his throat, but then I was free-falling into a heavy darkness.