die-stopian

Chapter 6- Hunting

The boy taught me how to hunt, mostly just fishing. By the time it grew dark and the sky changed color like purple watercolor spilled in the sky, I'd caught a fish. The boy, on the other hand, had caught eleven.

"You're not going to eat all of that are you?" I ask him as we walk back through the underbrush.

"Most of them are for breakfast tomorrow morning."

I feel nauseous again, "fish for breakfast?"

"Do you have a better idea, Kim? I've been out here since I was fourteen. I have more experience," he says grimly.

"We just passed a berry bush."

"They could be poisonous."

"They're blueberries..." my voice trails off. I stop walking, "you never told me your name."

"I know."

I walk back to where the berries were and start picking a hand full. "What is your name?" The boy doesn't answer. He only starts picking the blueberries and puts them into the bag along with the skinned fish.

"I told you my name," I mumble throwing a handful of blueberries into the bag. "If you're not going to tell me your name, then what should I call you?"

"This'll last us a few days," he says picking the bag back up. "Let's go."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Not until you tell me your name."

With an annoyed face, he replies, "don't be a baby."

"Tell me your name."

"Do you want me to leave you again?"

"I know where the cabin is," I say with a satisfied look. "What is your name?"

"If I tell you my name will you come back with me?"

"You want me to come back with you?" This time I smirk, "am I that important to you?"

"I just don't want any more guilt added to my conscious."

I look at him with confusion. He sees that I'm not moving, he walks over to me and swings me up over his shoulder so that my face is aligned with his torso.

My heart starts pounding fast and I start pounding on his back. "Let me go, you douche!"

I hear him chuckle and start walking, ignoring my protests.

• • •

"You're still not talking to me, are you?" The boy laughs and continues twisting the stick over the fire to get the fish fully cooked.

I shake my head and put a blueberry in my mouth.

I sit on the floor of the cabin with a blanket over my shoulders. I wash the blueberries in the water that I collected from the stream. "Can I have a blueberry?"

I throw one out the cabin door where he is, not really aiming.

"Ow!" I hear a yell come from outside.

He comes back in with three fish stabbed on a stick. He puts them on a clay plate and pushes it in my direction. I nod as if saying thanks and take a bite of the fish, burning my mouth.

We ate in silence which got really awkward. He ate two fish I ate one. "We're going to share the blanket y'know."

I sigh and scoot over, the boy gets up and sits down next to me after shutting the door in the cabin leaving us in darkness.

"Good night," I finally whisper after a moment. I put my head on his shoulder, as my eyes droop.

"Night, cupcake."

He pulls the blanket tighter over the two of us and puts an arm around me. My heartbeat increases, I'm not scared. Just, worried, confused. Confused about everything in general. I ran away from my death and met a boy who ran away too. And now I'm here next to him, touching, and sleeping together. This is a messed up world, but I don't want to go anywhere else right now.

"Trey," I hear him whisper.

"Hm?"

"Trey," he repeats. "That's my name. Trey Hester."

"Wait!" I say almost say immediately. Questions erupt in my mind, but before I get to ask any of them. Trey is fast asleep.