"Tell us where she is, Travis, before you're hooked up to the lie detector. I promise if you're honest with us we'll go easy on you for not reporting any knowledge you have to the government, and instead of charging you with treason for aiding and abetting a criminal, I will recommend that you be charged with failing to report a crime in a timely manner."

In his suit and tie, one would think Brad was an employee of some public relations firm and not a high ranking detective employed by the Militia. That coupled with his laid back demeanor and the "I'm here to help you" vibe which oozed from this assholes every pore, might make a weaker man sing. Never would this bullshit work on me, and never in a million years would I turn on Maddie. Plus everyone knows these deals are shit. I'd be charged with treason anyway. Guys like Brad want you to believe they are the good guys, only to later slit your throat on some technicality.

Just the threat of using a lie detector will coax a confession from most people who believe these machines actually work. Thinking it's better to confess than to be caught in a lie, they spill, but lie detectors are far from fool proof and since the intel can't be trusted, a confession is always the outcome they seek.

"I told you Brad," I look directly at him, eyes blank, my voice would sound almost monotone if it wasn't for the strength that pulsed beneath it, "I don't know where she is... because I didn't know she was going to run."

The lie detector technician enters the room which is kept intentionally barren and cold except for the old metal chair I'm sitting on, positioned beside a matching desk which holds the lie detector machine. There is a bright light shining down from the ceiling, spilling down the bland, barren gray walls. The cold feeling of the room is meant to feel lonely and intimidating just like the confines of a jail cell. The technician, whose badge says Robert, steps up beside me and grabs the sensors attached to the machine. He begins by attaching a sensor to the index finger of my left hand and another to my ring finger. Next, he wraps two cords around my chest and finishes by placing the final sensor, a blood pressure cuff, around my bicep.

Brad, who has been standing across from me in silence, waves Robert out of the room. As he shuts the door behind him, Brad steps towards me, a few feet of empty space is all that stands between us. I purposely try to come off unaffected from the show that has been put on in my honor, but the truth is I want to destroy Brad. He's the one sent to try and get info that will help the Hunters find Maddie. The Hunters are an elite military group comparable to what used to be known as the Navy Seals, minus the heroism, before everything changed and life on this planet became about saving the human race from extinction. The Hunters have one purpose and one purpose only, to hunt Breeders who run.

A knock sounds on the door and Robert peeks his head through the opening, notifying Brad that he has a phone call. Brad acknowledges him with a nod and the door closes. Brad remains in place bringing his full attention back to me. "Travis, I need to step out to take this call. When I return you will be given a final chance to come clean as to any knowledge you have in regards to the disappearance of Madison Ryan."

"Her name is Maddie, Brad," I respond, "Not short for Madison...just Maddie."

"I stand corrected," he replies. "I understand how difficult this may be for you Travis, but the truth will be told either way." Brad takes a step back and continues, "When I return, we will pick up where we left off. Please consider what I've said Travis." I say nothing in response, and Brad exits the room.

My mind instantly begins to replay the moment I found out Maddie was gone yesterday morning. I was outside under the hood of my dad's old '66 Chevelle, a restoration project he never had the chance to finish when we lost him to the plague and one I took over a few years ago. Maddie's parents walked up, worry emanating from them both as they approached.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. Is everything okay?" Fear flared in my chest.

"It's Maddie, Travis." My heart began to pick up speed. "We woke up this morning and she was gone. Her backpack is missing, so are some of her clothes, personal items and her father's hunting knife. Please say you've seen or heard from her today," her mom practically pleaded.

"I haven't spoken to her since yesterday afternoon. We made plans to meet up later today. Are you sure she didn't just go out for a run?" My explanation felt as pathetic as it must've sounded, but I wasn't ready to consider the truth that was evident in the Ryan's showing up here...they think she ran.

"She never leaves the house without letting us know where she's headed. She always leaves a note," Mr. Ryan responded.

"The Militia are doing sweeps today Travis." Mrs. Ryan's words brought the hammer down hard and fast on any hope I had that their fear wasn't warranted. Anger and panic began to course through my veins. "We should head home," she continued. "Please let us know if you hear from her."

Mrs. Ryan hugged me goodbye, and I could feel her body shaking within my embrace. Mr. Ryan then reached out his hand to shake mine, "Thanks Travis."

"Of course," was my only response. I turned and headed into the house, the sound of my fist punching the entryway was probably the last sound the Ryan's heard as they exited my driveway and headed home.

I'm pulled away from the memory as Brad re-enters the room, his lackey Robert following closely behind with a black stool in hand. Brad steps forward and pulls out a pack of cigarettes from the inside of his suit jacket. He opens the pack and holds it before me, offering me the chance to take one. Cigarettes are not easy to come by these days. A pack has tripled in price, and no one where I come from can afford them unless they want to starve. I don't reach for one so Brad pulls the pack back, closes it, and returns it to his breast pocket. "You don't smoke. Well good for you Travis. These things will kill you anyway."

No shit Captain Obvious, and they'll also speed up my blood pressure and help skew the results of your test, but I keep these thoughts to myself and instead simply reply, "Never picked up the habit, not about to start now."

I hear Robert set the stool down, the legs hit the floor with the unpleasant sound metal makes when it hits concrete. In my peripheral vision, I see Robert take a seat and switch on the machine sitting before him. As I look over at him, I see him adjust a few dials and give Brad a thumbs up. Brad clears his throat attempting to draw my attention back to him, but I keep my eyes on Robert. I make him wait.

"So Travis," he pauses until I turn to face him, "What have you decided?" The look on Brads face is one of empathy as though he understands the struggle of my position and actually feels for me.

"Thing is Brad," I respond, "I have nothing else to say. I've told you everything I know, which is nothing. So let's get this shit over with. Shall we?" It seems Brad finds humor in my bad attitude as I catch him start to crack a smile, but he recovers quickly and begins his interrogation.

After thirty minutes of questioning, the machine told Brad exactly what I knew it would... no deception found.

"You're free to go Travis," Brad reaches out to shake my hand. I don't offer mine in return. He pulls his hand back and continues, "There hasn't been a runaway yet who didn't indicate her plans to run, either directly or indirectly to someone, a family member, friend or boyfriend. The fact that she told no one of her plans or even mentioned the possibility she might run makes this a very unique situation for my unit. Should you hear anything from anyone, I ask that you please contact me." Brad reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a black leather wallet. He opens it and proceeds to pull out a business card, offering it to me. I accept it, not because I will ever use it, I just want to get out of this room as soon as possible.

I slip Brad's card into the back pocket of my jeans. "Am I done here?" is my only response.

"Yes Travis," Brad replies, "you are free to go." With that I leave the room. It's late. I need to go home and process all of this alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I open my eyes. It's morning. The sun is barely making its way through my bedroom window, a slight breeze finds its way under the window pane and across my face. I look over at the clock sitting on my nightstand...6:19 a.m. I'm surprised I got a few hours of sleep. My eyes drift up to a photo pinned to the wall, and I see her. It's a picture of Maddie laughing, there's mischief in her beautiful hazel eyes. Her long brown hair is up in a ponytail, loose strands framing her face. She was here in my room, sitting across from me Indian style on my bed and had just gotten done beating me at a third round of a card game she called "Sucker." A game I'd never heard of nor played before, where the odds seemed to keep working consistently in her favor. She swore it was a game her dad had recently taught her. I told her she was lying, laughing as I said every word, and that's when I picked up my cell, threatening to call her dad to verify the validity of the "game" but snapped a pic of her instead.

"Go ahead and call him Trav." Arrogance dripped from her tone. "The mere fact that I got you to play not just one, but three rounds of a game you clearly had no shot at winning says it all....Suckaaaaa!" And with that I launched at her from across the bed, where I proceeded to tickle the shit out of her. My hands found their way to her sides, directly below her rib cage, her most ticklish spot.

"Who's the sucker now Maddie? Huh? Tell me!!"

"Travis stop...Stop!" she half yelled, half laughed, desperately trying to wiggle herself away from me and catch her breath.

"Then tell me Maddie." I continued tickling her. "Maddieeee?"

"Fine... it's me Travis! It's me... I'm the sucker!"

I instantly stopped tickling her. "That's what I thought and let's not forget it little girl," a smug grin played across my lips.

Next thing I knew, she'd thrown herself on top of me and just as my back hit the mattress, I wrapped an arm around her small waist and rolled so I was lying on top of her, my body covering hers. As she giggled and struggled to push me off her, I took the opportunity to grab both her wrists and pin them up over her head. I used one hand to hold them there and the other arm to take the pressure of my weight. I looked down at her face and she was laughing, while failing miserably at any and all attempts to wiggle herself out from under me. I reached over and brushed a loose strand of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear, my thumb caressing her cheek.

"You're so beautiful," the words fell out across my lips without permission. Maddie stopped wiggling as soon as her mind registered what I had just said, her laughter fading into a cute, nervous smile and I found myself wanting to kiss her just like I'd wanted to so many times before.

I knew if I made the move to kiss her, she'd let me, but sense smacked into me hard. I let her wrists go and quickly pushed myself up off of her and onto my feet. I extended my hand and once she took it, I pulled her up off the bed and continued, "But you're still a suckaaa!"

I never tried to take our friendship to the next level because I wanted to protect her from experiencing something she might never get to see through to a natural conclusion. If she was eventually found to be fertile there would be no chance for us. I always thought I made the decision for her, but that's bullshit. I did it to protect myself too. It would've been a cruel joke to take things further with the only girl I've ever imagined any kind of future with only to have her taken from me if she was able to have children. But I was wrong. I should've taken the chance anyway. I should've kissed her.

I hear a knock at my door, followed by my mom's voice. "Trav, can I come in?"

"Yes, Mom." She enters my room with a look of concern on her face. I know she's worried about me. I'm still laying in the same position I woke up in, and I remain there as she makes her way across the room. She comes to sit beside me, resting her hand on my arm.

"How're you holding up kiddo?"

"I'm okay Mom," my voice betraying my feeble attempt at really sounding okay.

"You can let your guard down with me honey and feel what it is you're feeling. I know you feel responsible for your little sister and me since your dad's not around, but I'm still your mom. You don't need to protect me Travis. I can handle whatever it is you're going through. Everyone knows how close you and Maddie have been since you were----"

Uncomfortable with where she's heading, I sit up, leaning my back against the wall, interrupting her, "Mom...I'm still processing everything. I'm not sure how I feel." And that's the truth. A part of me is angry with Maddie...angry that she would leave without any explanation or warning, but angrier that she is out there alone with no one to protect her. I understand her not wanting to place anyone at risk by giving any indication of her plans to run, but I'm not just anyone. My mom studies my face for a while, concern etched across the lines of her forehead. She lets out a little sigh then leans in and kisses my cheek. "Ok Trav, when you're ready, I'm here."

"I know Mom. Thanks." She rises from the bed and leaves my room, shutting the door behind her.

My mom is right. Since my dad isn't around, I've always felt a sense of responsibility when it comes to her and my seventeen year old little sister Grace. It's not something I've ever resented, nor is it a burden I ever felt my mom placed upon me. In fact she always encouraged me to let her worry about the three of us and just be a kid, but my need to protect them and take on a bigger role came naturally to me.

Maddie has always said that I'm an old man trapped in a young man's body. She always knew when something was bothering me. That's probably why it had become so natural for me to open up to her. When I needed to get away and to talk things out because I'd been especially quiet or acting like a jackass, she'd call and say, "Let's meet at our spot," and then hang up the phone. We'd meet at the top of our building, overlooking the city we call home. Sometimes just sitting there in silence with her by my side was all I needed. Other times, I would tell her how I worried about my mom and how I wished she had someone, a partner to share her life with...finding some happiness of her own. It felt so natural to open up to her that sometimes I'd bring up my fear for Grace's future and how the unknown messed with my head. She knew exactly what I meant with her future being just as uncertain, but any talk about the possibility of her or Grace becoming a Breeder would die there. I respected her limits with the topic because everyone deals with things in their own way, but now in retrospect I should've pushed her to open up. Maybe then we wouldn't be where we are today. Her out there alone running to God knows where with the Hunters trying to find her and me, left with more questions than answers, struggling to come to terms with the fact that she's gone. But the truth is...even if I had pushed, Maddie could be very stubborn, and I know a major reason why she never opened up was to protect me. She knew that I would never let her run without me and she would never put me in a position to have to choose between her and my family.

I have to do something. I just don't know what. I feel anxious and restless, so I get up out of bed and head to my dresser, pulling out a pair of sweat pants, an old Pantera t-shirt that belonged to my dad and some socks. I grab my running shoes and quickly dress. I need to go for a run. Running always helps me clear my head. I make my way to the hallway bathroom, take a leak, and brush my teeth. I walk to the entry way of the house, seeing the hole in the wall I'd put there yesterday. I'll need to repair that later, but for now I just need to go. Grabbing my sweatshirt hanging by the front door, I put it on and pull the hood over my head. As I unlock the front door I yell, "Going for a run Mom, lock up behind me!"

I open the front door waiting only for her acknowledgement, "Okay honey, be safe," and I'm gone. No stretching this time. I clear the stairway with one jump and as soon as my feet hit the pavement, I fall into a steady pace. Memories of Maddie immediately flood my thoughts and my heart aches. I push them out as quickly as they come and focus on the sound of my feet hitting the concrete, my breathing steady and deep. The sounds of the world around me fade with each step I take, until suddenly my lungs open up, my jog morphing into a run, and I'm in the zone. Free from worry, free from random thought, I just run. I run for what must be miles, breath moving easily in and out of my lungs, sweat drenching my clothes, and the tension I'd been holding within every muscle finds it's much needed release. Freedom is the best word to describe how I feel, so naturally I'm surprised when my pace begins to slow without my permission, until I realize where I'm standing when my feet come to a stop. I'm in front of our building...the place Maddie and I call "our spot." As though I'm being drawn to the rooftop, like a moth to a flame, up the stairs I go, climbing until I reach the top. Opening the door onto the rooftop, I feel the all too familiar ache return to my chest.

How could she just leave without a word, a goodbye? The logical side of me understands why Maddie did what she did but the part of me that fails to see logic...the love I feel for her, struggles to understand her choices. My heart seems unable to speak the same language as my head, and as I make my way across the rooftop, I wonder if Maddie truly knows how much she means to me. For the first time in all the years I've known her, I begin to question how much I mean to her.

I take a seat on a concrete slab which faces the ledge she and I would always sit upon...the place we would talk for hours, looking out over the city, finding comfort in the bond that made our words or even the silence we shared here...effortless. Her leaving doesn't change the past or what I know to be true about us...but I can't seem to quiet the doubts that have been creeping their way to the surface, making me question what was always as sure as the air I breathe...and that's when I see it. Tied to a pipe a few feet away from where I sit, I see her most cherished possession, the one thing I've never seen her go without in all the years I've known her...her sister's bracelet. And with that, every emotion I'd been holding in since the moment I found out she'd gone comes rushing to the surface. I don't remember the last time I actually cried, but instead of fighting the tears, I bow my head and allow them to fall, the ache in my heart finally finding its release. With each tear, any feelings of helplessness and fear are replaced with a steady determination. Any doubt as to how Maddie feels about me vanish. Lifting my head, I get up off the bench and make my way over to the bracelet, untying it from the pipe, I wrap it around my wrist, tying it closed with my fingers and teeth. As I look down at the bracelet, suddenly there is no question as to what has to be done. I have to find Maddie, and there is only one way to do that without hurting my family in the process. I will join the Militia, I will become a Hunter, and I won't stop hunting until I find her.

***Authors Note***

Are you surprised Travis has decided to join the Militia? Do you think it's a smart decision?

**Thank you so much for taking the time to read Chapter 2. We would love your feedback, so please feel free to comment. If you've enjoyed this chapter you can vote for it by clicking the star. Also, please add Breeder Nation to your library if you'd like to continue this journey with us. We truly appreciate your support. <333 Kara Michelle **

 
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