Irradiated

Chapter 7: Beastly

Surprisingly, the ringer didn't really sound like a ringing sound at all. It sounded more like a buzzer. It scared me lifeless for a few seconds when it went off, sealing the deal of a near to impossible task. I could faintly recognize it, since I felt like I had heard it somewhere else before. It chimed in an unpleasant way, like if I had heard it when I was working in the Blood Testing room. I hadn't known what it was at the time, but now, I did.

Angeli elbowed my side and motioned towards the woods. "Let's get started. We don't have as much time as you would think." I nodded and followed behind her while Jack trailed behind us.

"For adults, you guys are slow." He complained, even if he was far behind us as we jogged to our hunting area.

"And for a kid, you're the meanest person alive." I shot back at him. It was starting to get annoying. His snide remarks, the unnecessary rudeness, and the completely childish behavior was getting to me.

"I'm not a kid, mind you. I'm thirteen. That's technically a teen."

"Make that an annoying fly. You are very much like one of those." I snarled beneath my breath.

"Yeah? You're no different." He retorted in a low and threatening voice.

"So what? At least I have a reason. At first, I thought I would treat you nicely. I had no reason to be mean or disrespectful to you. I thought people still had their humanity, even if we were still struggling to survive!" Anger rushed in my voice as I screamed out, staring bullets at the ground below me. He had finally caught up with us and walked alongside me. Angeli listened carefully to our little argument, but didn't step in to stand up for either of us.

"Then I guess you thought wrong." He muttered that, and went off on his own. I suddenly felt terrible about what I had said, but at the same time, I felt like he clearly deserved it.

"Don't worry about him," Angeli saw my expression of regret and assured me sweetly. "He's always a sourpuss, but you get used to him."

"I hope so." I tilted my head sideways a little and stared at the spot where he had last been.

"I'll catch ya later, alright? Oh, wait, how many animals do you need to kill?"

"Ten. You?"

"Wow... I only have to catch five. If I finish fast, I can help you out, if you want. You don't want to fail the quota, especially on your first day. The Beast won't take nicely to that."

"Thanks, but I don't think he'd be too happy with me if he found out I got some help. I'll try my hardest, and if I can't make it, then... Oh well."

"If you're sure." She had an uneasy look on her face as she sauntered away and into the dark forest.

"Hey," I called after her and she reappeared soon after.

"Yeah?" Her eyes shone brightly with a look of curiosity.

"See ya later." She smiled gingerly and nodded. As I watched her disappear again, It dawned on me that maybe, I really was interested in getting close to someone. Not in the strange kind of way, but in a way where there was enough trust between us, so I could depend on them. The kind of relationship where you could tell them anything and not feel scared to tell them. I was really and truly interested in having a best friend, like I once had in a different lifetime.

Smiling as I walked to a vacant place, I became instantly motivated for hunting. Not for the sake of avoiding punishment, but to not put anyone else in danger. I knew quite well that Angeli was almost just as stubborn as I was. She wouldn't be able to keep away the desire to help me with my quota. That could only lead to disaster.