As we fall

FOUR

That next day at noon we went out to hunt. If it weren't for the zombies, we would hunt at night when more animals are out. But daytime will have to do. 

Lucas and Kavin, another member of our band and my good friend, soon arrived at the pawn shop. "Here!" 

Lucas tossed me a shotgun from under the counter and grabbed some ammunition. 

"Before we hunt, you're gonna have to learn how to shoot properly." 

"And some gun safety,"

Kavin added,

"I'm not going to get shot in the leg because you were careless."

Kavin wasn't the most pleasant of sorts, but he was a good friend and would help if ever you were in danger. Kavin grabbed a can sf spray paint and handed it to Lucas.

"What's this for?" 

"To make a target. you can put a bullseye or an X on something."

"Oh, that's a good idea-" Lucas replied.

"-Um, Thank you."

Lucas and Kavin weren't very close. Lucas says that he has a crush on me or something, but I don't believe him. Besides, Lucas knows I love him, -when he's jealous too.

We left the pawn shop and started to the forest. It wasn't too far away but it was at least twenty minutes by foot. When we got there Lucas took the can of spray paint and made a red X mark on the tree. 

"Now first, this is the safety lock. tur it on when you are not using the shotgun and never have your finger on the trigger unless you plan to shoot. There is going to be a little bit of backfire when you shoot so keep a good stance. This is the scope, point that little red dot at whatever you are shooting at. And last of all, keep the butt or the gut in your shoulder." 

Lucas stepped out of the way for me to shoot. I turned off the safety, widened my stance, held up the gun, pointed my scope and slowly moved my finger to the trigger. It was more difficult to pull than I expected but I pulled it fully back. The bullet flew through the air and hit the tree in the center of the X. The backfire thrusted me slightly backward, but I was able to keep my posture well. The loud shot broke the peaceful silence as it rang through the forest. I looked up as I was a small flock of birds chirping as they flew away by instinct.

"Wow! You're a naturally good shot I guess," said Kavin. I'm not very good at dealing with compliments so I blushed a little, but I politely said thank you. We each took a few shots before spreading out for food. We were to return in a few hours to regroup. Luckily it is not too difficult to find some wildlife in the city's nearby forest. The forest was just on the outskirts of our desolate city. It is surprising how many animals live there. 

After 3 hours of searching, I came across a small buck. It was so beautifully lit by the sunlight I almost didn't want to kill it, but I knew I had to.

I lifted my shotgun and aimed when out of nowhere I saw a sharpened stick pierce the buck's flesh. It began to run but a second arrow hit it once more, this time in the heart, and caused him to collapse. I quickly turned to see where the arrows came from but saw no one. Then I noticed some rustling leaves to my side. A small boy climbed out of a tree with bow in hand. He sported shaggy black hair and simple brown clothing. his height was about five and a half feet and seemed to be twelve or thirteen years of age.

"Hello? Who are you?"

The boy said meekly., "I didn't think there were any other people here. Is it just you? Or-"

"No. there's three bands of us. I'm hunting with two others right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry did I kill your deer?"

"Well as a matter of fact, yes. You are very skilled with that bow. Well, I can't leave you here alone. Come with us, we have food and supplies."

"I have been doing well on my own, but company has been a bit lacking" the boy said.

"We'll have to leave soon before it gets nighttime" I said as we started back. It was awkward for me and him. "I'm surprised you've survived this long." He continued to look down as we went. "I'm glad. It's hard- living in this world right now. I can't imagine what you must have seen."

"Nothing good. My family is gone. forever," the boy said.

I wasn't sure what to say. "Mine too. What's your name?"

"Cole."

"Well, Cole, I hope we can become friends in time."

We got back to the group, and I said, "Look what I found." Cole stepped out from behind me.

"Who's this?" Asked Kavin.

"This is my boy, Cole." Hes been surviving on his own for two years.

"Did you find any food?"

"Don't be so rude," said Lucas. "We are in company" Lucas smiled and began to talk to Cole.

"But seriously, did you find food?" Asked Kavin once more.

"Yes, we did. C ole killed a buck with two arrows from a tree."

"Wow. He's better at hunting than Lucas."

"Anyway, we have to go back and get it."

Lucas stepped back and said, "He's had a pretty hard time. His parents were killed, and he and his sister survived in the forest for about a year before she was killed."

Cole came back over to us and said "We better get that deer. It will be night in an hour or two."

Lucas asked, "Deer?"

"Cole killed a deer from a tree with two makeshift arrows" Kavin replied.

"Well why don't you just take my place right now Cole?" Lucas said jokingly, trying to cheer the boy up. He smiled a bit but soon after returned to his reserved state.

We gut the buck started bringing it back to our base but once we reached the city a sight held before our eyes. The sun dipped down past the skyline and the sky turned dark. Zombies quickly began to roam the streets.