"You didn't tell anyone else you were coming, did you?"

"Of course not." Jack answered.

"Shit!" The bearded man sounded very serious now. "They're on to me."

"Who is?"

"The government, that's who! Why do you think I was so secretive about our meetings? They've been watching me for a while now. They're going to kill me if they catch me..."

"You're being paranoid."

"Trust me, when you spend a lifetime going after UFOs, you start to notice certain people in large crowds looking at you funny. It's THEM. THEY have eyes everywhere. If you know too much or say too much, THEY send one of their hit men after you."

"That's crazy."

"Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy. Those names ring a bell? All of them knew too much."

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Come on..."

"Jack, you've been abducted by aliens for fuck's sake. Is it so hard to believe that there's a secret government agency who's job it is to kill any and all witnesses of alien activity?. I'm sorry, but I have to go. Good luck with your girlfriend."

The bearded man broke off into a run heading deeper into the forest.

"Hey wait, come back!" Jack called after him.

Hunter, who was still hiding in the bushes, wasted no time. He chased after the bearded man, forcing his legs to work even under the lack of substance. He was feeling light, but he was determined to see the job through. He charged forward like an an angry bull, crashing through anything in his way. He swept foliage away violently, making a lot of noise in the process.

The bearded man, who had been jogging more than running, looked over his shoulder to see who was making all the noise. He spotted Hunter, noticing the revolver in his hand, and screamed in panic. He started sprinting, flailing his arms around wildly and tying to cause as much noise as possible.

"Somebody help me! Please God, I don't want to wanna die!"

Hunter picked up the pace. His grip on the revolver tightened. He wasn't going to fire unless he was sure he would be able to hit his target, and for that, he had to get closer. He ran even faster, ignoring the sensation of dizziness that was creeping over him. He wasn't going to allow anything to stop him.

"Come on, you can do this!" Hunter told himself between desperate breathes. He lowered his head, swung his arms in the rhythm of his legs, and sprinted the final few feet between him and the man. He crashed into the bearded man, knocking him over. The bearded man grunted as he struck the ground, but his adrenaline was so high he didn't let the pain sink in. He got on his hands and knees, but before he could stand, Hunter was on him again.

Hunter struck the back of the man's head with the butt of his gun. The man fell flat as a pancake on the ground, his arms and legs stretched out and powerless to stop what would happen next.

Hunter grabbed the man by the hair, lifted his head from the ground, and stuck the barrel of his gun into the back of the man's throat. The man flopped like a fish trying to free himself, but there was no way he could escape. The gun went off with a loud bang. Luckily for Hunter, the chances of anyone at the party having heard it were practically zero because of the loud music.

Hunter wiped the blood off his face and fished around the dead man's pockets. He removed the man's wallet and took the cash inside. This would make it seem like it was all a robbery, and not some stone cold assassination. Hunter knew how important it was to cover his tracks. There wouldn't be any in point in his tasks if he didn't.

Suddenly, a bright orange light shone down from the sky. Hunter looked up and saw a circular shape hovering over him and heading deeper into the forest.

"Fucking Compadians." Hunter groaned.

He followed the path of the UFO, which led him into a clearing in the middle of the forest. The UFO hovered still for a few seconds above the clearing. The light it emitted from it's bottom was intense, but it was nothing compared to the bright flash that came after.

Hunter knew Compadian technology well, and could always identify when they were about to make a quantum jump. He shut his eyes just before the bright flash, and when he opened them, the ship was gone. Everything seemed to be exactly as it was before, except there was someone lying in the middle of the clearing.

Hunter approached the unconscious woman and recognized her at once. It was Lillian, Jack's girlfriend, which he had seen in so many social media pictures. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans that were torn in a few areas, but other than a couple bruises, she appeared to be unharmed. Hunter knelt down beside her and felt for any broken bones, of which there weren't any.

"What..." Lillian muttered. She opened her eyes halfway, feeling very groggy. "...go back to sleep Jack, it's late..." Her sleepy eyes met Hunter's, and the fright she had seeing them made her sit up straight and look around in alarm.

"Who are you? Where's Jack? Where's the tent?"

"Lillian!" Jack emerged from the trees and ran to Lillian. He threw himself beside her, hugging her tight. He was crying with joy.

"Thank God you're okay!"

"What's going on?" Lillian asked. "Where are we? Where's the camp?"

Jack looked at Lillian, feeling confused. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Jack glanced nervously Hunter, who was hovering over them like a dark specter, then back to Lillian.

"You were... sleep walking again." Jack said. "I lost you in the forest, you've been gone for weeks."

"Weeks!?"

"Yeah. I thought you were dead! Are you sure you don't remember anything?"

"No...the last thing I remember is going to sleep. That's it."

"You must have hit your head somewhere. I have to take you to a doctor."

Jack tried helping Lillian up, but she brushed his hand away.

"No...I just want to sleep..."

Lilian laid her head on the grass, closed her eyes, and immediately fell back asleep.

Jack looked at Hunter again, noticing the blood stains on his shirt and the gun in his hand. He felt even more alarmed about his presence.

"You work for the government, don't you? Are you here to kill me?"

Hunter said nothing. He only stared.

Jack turned his attention back towards Lillian. "Is she going to be okay?"

"The kind of sedative that they use is supposed to give people amnesia. It didn't work on you, but it looks like it worked on her."

Hunter laid a hand on Lillian's forehead, just to make sure she didn't have a fever. There were rare cases where the sedative Compadians used on humans proved to be fatal, but this wasn't one of them.

"She'll be fine." Hunter said. "She'll just need plenty of rest during the next few days."

Jack stood up slowly, keeping his hands raised. "Do whatever you want to me, just don't hurt her. You're here to make sure no one knows anything about aliens, right? She doesn't remember anything."

Lillian stirred awake again, reaching out for something, but keeping her eyes closed.

"Jack?"

Jack took Lillian's hands in his own and rubbed them gently. "I'm here baby."

"Remind me never to go camping again, okay?"

Jack chuckled. He fought back tears, knowing that he would probably never go camping or anywhere else with Lillian ever again.

"I promise baby."

Jack pressed Lilian's hand against his cheek, wiping away his tears.

"Why are you crying?" Lilian asked.

"Nothing. It's just that I'm really glad you're okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Lillian fell asleep again, leaving Jack all alone with Hunter. He stood up and marched towards the tree, only stopping once to check if the government killer was following him. He was puzzled to see Hunter hadn't moved.

"Well?" Jack asked. "Aren't you going to kill me?"

Hunter was busy staring at Lillian. Her peacful expression had suddenly tensed up. She woke up coughing, lightly at first, then stronger and stronger until it became a coughing fit. She sat up to cough, her chest rising and falling in violent motions. A stream of blood shout of her mouth, causing her to gag. Her coughing fit had turned into a struggle to breathe.

"Oh my God, Lillian!" Jack rushed to his girlfriend. He desperately tapped her back, hoping that somehow that would make her stop. 

Lillian continued to cough up more blood, taking in struggled breathes in between.

"Jack..." Lillian gasped. "What's...happening?"

"I don't know!" Jack said, crying again. He looked up to Hunter with look of desperation on his face. "For the love of God, you have to help her! Shoot me, stab me, do whatever the fuck you need to do to me. Just please, please, get her to a hospital!"

Hunter crouched behind Lillian and put his arms under her armpits. He tried pulling her up, but with his strength levels low, it would be impossible to do it alone.

"Grab her legs." Hunter said to Jack.