The Life Of A Demon Warrior

Chapter Eight - Deliberation (pt 2)

After the bones of the deer are bare I toss a leg bone to Growler and cut the antlers off the deer and take the rib bones before tossing the other bones and the guts into the river. The sun starts to set as I take down my rope then carefully fold the deer hide and take it and my bag full of meat and grab Growler's leash then start walking back to the bunker with Growler carrying his bone. When we get back to the bunker I set up a campfire for cooking the deer meat and get a few sticks and peel the bark off to use as skewers then I cut off some chunks of meat and put them on the skewers and set them up to cook over the fire while Growler chews on his bone happily.

By the time the skewers of meat are done  the sun has fully set. I take the skewers, the hide, and my bags down to my room in the bunker then I come back and get Growler and take him down too "I'm gonna have to try and teach you how to climb ladders when you're bigger pal" I say as I climb the ladder down into my room {Trying to make a little war fox are you?} Ember says and I roll my eyes {No - I'm just not carrying his little ass up and down when he's not a cub} I reply and I can feel Ember smirking in the back of my mind {Wouldn't have to if you went to that school} she says and I give a low growl {Would you shut up about that school already??} I say as I take off my shoes then climb up to my bed, sit down and start eating.

When I'm done eating the meat I sit there for a couple minutes before I climb back down from my bed and dig around in my bags until I find my bag of chips. I grab it and start eating them as I watch Growler chew on his bone in his den. After a while I close up the bag of chips and put them away then I climb back up into my bed and get in it then try to go to sleep.

After a few hours of tossing and turning I sigh as I sit up, realizing it's going to be yet another sleepless night for me. I get
out of bed and put my shoes back on and look over at Growler - he's asleep with his bone in his mouth. I climb the ladder up out of my room then proceed to go up and out of the bunker. Once I've stepped outside I decide to patrol the area - see if there's any sign of the NECC Rangers or the border patrol from the nearby Demon Warrior clan - which I now assume is the same clan that runs the school. I climb up the nearest tree and start to silently go from tree to tree, watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

As I make my rounds Ember is unusually quiet - however she is just as alert as I am - using her own senses as well in case I miss anything. Once I've covered a decent amount of ground around the bunker I climb down and start going around on the ground, smelling for anything unusual as I keep an ear out. A few hours pass as I carefully survey the area before I decide that everything is in order near the bunker and I start trekking my way back to the river where I butchered the deer. I listen carefully as I make my way over there and once I'm there I smell and examine the area thoroughly before I'm satisfied and go back to the bunker as the sky starts to lighten.

When I get back to the bunker I decide to do some of my old workout routine to pass the time so I climb a tree and find a good, straight branch to use as a pull up bar then I hang from it to test it's strength. After I find that it's strong enough I start doing some pull ups - first with both hands then my right hand then my left then I flip upside down and start doing sit ups while hanging from the tree. All the while I'm thinking - thinking about the NECC facility I escaped (or the Nightmare Lab as I'd come to call it), the NECC Rangers, and that school....

About four hours later and many pull ups, sit ups, and push ups later the sun is coming up over the trees and I go back into the bunker and grab the bag from the gas station convenience store and I walk a good distance away from the bunker before I climb up a tree and sit in it and take out the phone I'd bought. I turn it on and set it up then look through the bag until I find what I'm looking for - the piece of paper with Sandra Quills' number on it.

I dial the number and it rings four times before Sandra's voice comes through the phone "Hello?" she says "Hello - Sandra?" I reply "Yes - who is this?" she responds "This is Alexa Knight - we met in town" I say and I can practically hear her smile as she says "Oh Alexa! Yes I remember you now - have you changed your mind?" she asks "Not quite - I was hoping to take that tour of the school - provided that's still an option?" I say "Oh of course! Does this Saturday work for you?" she asks. I look at the date on the phone - it's Wednesday "Yeah Saturday works fine" I say "Alright then - I send someone to pick you up at the park next to the library around noon and meet you at the school then" she responds "Okay then" I say "Great! goodbye Alexa - see you Saturday" she says "Yeah see you then - bye" I respond and she hangs up.

I put the phone back in the bag and sigh {You happy now?} I say to Ember {Yes! Hopefully the tour will get you to change your mind about the school completely!} she says excitedly and I sigh again and shake my head as I climb down from the tree and start walking back to the bunker. When I get back to the bunker I go to my room and put the bag back then pause. I did around in the bags until I find the chocolate bar and I open it and break off a piece and start eating it {Are YOU happy now?} Ember asks {.... maybe} I respond and Ember laughs.