Hollow {STARTLED -- BOOK 2}

Chapter 8: Early Morning

Mitch's P.O.V.

The taller male sat on one of the few logs that had been propped up around the fire, chin in his hands as he stared at the dying licks of flame. The sun was starting to peek over the trees, and every so often he could hear the pained groans of a burning zombie or the clattering bones of a skeleton in the distance.

Mitch sat alone, as most the others were still asleep. His bow was lying on the ground beside him, while his quiver was resting against the log he sat upon. He wasn't used to this: being benched, and he didn't like it.

"I don't need my knee to shoot an arrow." He grumbled half-heartedly to himself, though he did understand why they didn't want to bring him. He was slow. He'd have to take frequent breaks. He was weak.

That didn't make it hurt any less though.
His gaze rested on his bow once more. Most of the mobs would be dead by now, so what was wrong with him going out for a little target practice? Picking up his bow, he heaved himself into a standing position, sending a short burst of pain though his knee, though he ignored it. He leaned down and lifted his quiver, slinging the strap over his shoulder.

He'd barely taken a step when a voice sounded behind him. "Where are you headed?"

The tone of the voice was quiet, almost hesitant and Mitch recognized who had spoken instantly. Sighing, he turned around to look at Justin, who was eyeing his bow and quiver.

"Target practice. You got a problem with that?" There was no reason to be a dick, and Mitch knew that, but he was irritated enough already without this kid sticking his head in his business. Justin shook his head before responding a moment later, glancing over Mitch's shoulder into the shaded forest beyond.

"No, it's just... There are mobs out, you know? And you're..." He broke off when Mitch raised an eyebrow.

"I'm what? Finish your sentence." His tone was a tad harsh, but that was because he knew what Justin was going to say. Lame. Crippled. Handicapped. Justin took a deep breath, not responding as he watched Mitch with slightly widened eyes. A few moments paused, feeling more like ten minutes, and finally Mitch sighed.

"If you're so worried I'll get hurt, why don't you just come with?" He suggested with a roll of his eyes. Justin blinked, before nodding slowly.

"I-I mean... Sure." The boy managed, before looking around. After a few seconds, he spotted an worn iron sword leaning against a tree, and he hurried over to it. Lifting it with a grunt, he turned back to Mitch, "L-Lets go!" His eyes flashed with a hesitant determination, before he practically marched past Mitch, who sighed in mild irritation before following.

Rather quickly after they entered the shaded forest, Justin seemed to realize he had no idea where he was going, as he was unfamiliar with the area. Mitch passed him, taking the lead as they ventured farther into the forest.

He'd been in these woods plenty of times before, and was quick to figure out where he was. Adam, on the other hand, knew the forest like the back of his hand. Not that that helped him much now.

The archer continued to limp through the woods, listening for any nearby groans or hisses with an almost bored expression. He could practically feel Justin quaking behind him, and after a few moments he stopped, leaning on his good leg slightly.

Justin walked into him, nearly toppling Mitch, who's face paled. However, Justin managed to grab him in time to keep him from falling, and Mitch let out another sigh, this one with a bit more of a relieved tone as he was no longer about to fall onto his face. Once he was steady again, he nearly glared back at Justin. He wanted to curse at him for nearly sending him head-over-heels, but he forced himself not to. To try and be patient with the kid.

"Why don't you stay here? Keep watch." He suggested, not waiting for an answer before heading off again.

"S-Sure!" He heard Justin call after him, sounding almost relieved. "I'll just wait h-here!"

Sighing, however he couldn't help but to smirk slightly, Mitch looked around as he walked. The morning appeared to be relatively uneventful, much to his own dismay.

Every so often, he'd stumble—at one point literally—upon the charred corpse of a zombie, or the scattered bones of a skeleton. The few spiders he'd seen outside of the caves weren't very hostile, and in his current state Mitch knew better than to instigate them. He didn't see any creepers, though they did blend with the surrounding forest, so it was certainly possible that they were around.

After a good twenty or so minutes, Mitch's patience ran out, and he gritted his teeth, a little disheartened by the fact that there'd been nothing to kill nor fight with. Since his injury, Jerome would often go just outside their little camp with Mitch, and they'd practice fighting in order to help with Mitch's speed, and to strengthen Jerome's arm after Justin had landed on him and caused him to split it open with his own axe.

Jerome wasn't here though. He was out with Seto, Toxic, and the others to go and find Ty and Jason. The thought of Toxic made Mitch pause.

Justin.

He froze, realizing he'd almost walked back to the camp without the boy. Sighing, he began to retrace his steps back to the clearing he'd left him in, and as he approached the clearing he began to speak.

"Hey Justin. Looks like there isn't much going on this m—"

Mitch was cut off by a hiss, followed by an explosion, both noises coming from the clearing. Mitch's chest tightened. A creeper for sure.

Could Justin deal with a creeper? It didn't seem so, consisting the sounds Mitch had just heard. The poor boy could barely even lift up his sword, much less actually fight off a mob.

Mitch began to limp towards the clearing as quickly as he could, a bit of adrenaline now pumping through him. It felt good. So good, that Mitch didn't feel the pain in his knee as he jogged until the fifth or six step.

He reached the clearing, half-expecting to see nothing except a giant crater. There was certainly a giant crater, however standing on the other side, generally unharmed, was Justin. The boy looked like he'd seen a ghost, and since Mitch was pretty sure he'd never really seen a creeper, they were probably rather similar in Justin's book.

Justin was looking back at Mitch, who was almost as surprised as Justin himself. "How...? wait..." Mitch was pretty sure that Justin hadn't hit the creeper in the head—a sure way to kill it if you hit it hard enough—,as it had still exploded. How is he alive?

Justin seemed to understand the question, though he still looked moderately mortified. "I... I heard a h-hiss behind my head so I-I swung the sword and k-kind of stumbled back because of the w-weight..." That was all he said, and the two shared a look of mutual understanding, before Justin spoke again, practically squeaking. "C-Can we go back now?"