Captured

Chapter 2

Now:

"Your sister is driving me crazy," Calla groaned, dropping into the seat beside me. Her plate of dry chicken and lumpy potatoes held the exact same amount as my own and everyone else's. After the disease wiped out the majority of the population, including every last male, there was a limited amount of food left for the small group of survivors.

My sister and I fought tooth and nail to cross the country, having to face violent gangs and dying citizens. Towns and cities were deserted with the cold wind howling through the shattered windows and dark alleys. We trekked for weeks across the dusty roads and through heavy storms until we reached the vast woodlands where the safe facility was located.

It took us another week just to find the hidden hatch that lead down to the facility and when we arrived, we had to then prove ourselves to the other residents. It was a long and tedious trek that left me sleeping for days but while I was resting, my sister had climbed to the top of the hierarchy and two years later she was the leader of the survivors.

"She is always driving somebody crazy," I replied with an eye roll, taking a bite of my plain chicken. All of the remaining food nearby was collected by our team and kept in the freezers below floor. The issue was that with all farmers eradicated, once we ran out of food, we starved. Rose decided it would be best to learn to hunt so our usual meals consisted of deer or rabbit from the forest. Despite the fact it was like eating sand, chicken was a luxury for us.

"Its lunch time and she has already set me about 12 tasks to complete before the end of the day," Calla huffed, dropping her fork onto her empty plate.

I shrugged. Rose was the bossiest person I knew but she had done more than enough to earn the respect of everyone in the facility so when she gave an order, we obeyed. Not only had she taught us to hunt despite not knowing how herself, she also stole some high tech from the rich and wealthy in order to improve and aid our survival.

"What are you supposed to be doing today?" My best friend asked me, turning to fully face me and looking over at me with wide eyes. She really was beautiful with large green eyes that sparkled under the artificial white lights that swung above us. Her small heart shaped mouth was upturned in a smile while she waited for my reply.

"Rose asked me to go hunting with a team later, the leaders are away searching for some defence mechanisms to secure the facility so I am leading the team," I said, grinning proudly. Callas eyes widened even more at my answer and a smile mimicking my own lit up her face.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Can I come?"

"Absolutely, although Rose will go mad if you don't do the tasks she has set," I reminded her with a smirk when she sighed.

"Then let's go before she catches me ditching." She pushed her empty plate away from her before jumping up from her seat. She grasped my arm and yanked me to my feet before we both made our way into the weapons room.

The team I was taking into the forest were all crowded around the room, awaiting my arrival. "Alright guys, lets grab whatever you are most comfortable with and get going. Rose says we are short on food so we need as much as we can get. Take a few hunting bags and let's try to get them full," I ordered, handing out the large material bags.

"Yes sir," Tina – one of the older girls – saluted with a mocking grin. I rolled my eyes and waved her off in response.

I made my way over to the table filled with a variety of weapons and grabbed my bow. It was a present for my last birthday from Rose, carved out of a beautiful mahogany wood and engraved with floral patterns. In one of the lockers at the edge of the room sat a quiver of matching arrows.

"I wish I had fancy ass hunting gear," Calla mumbled beside me, eyeing my bow and arrows with a frown. I smirked in reply and turned to face the group, seeing the two girls in their early twenties with rifles clutched in their hands. Tina held a small blade in her hand while a gun sat at her hip and the two girls around my age held throwing knifes and a bow just like myself and Calla.

"Ready?" I asked them, smiling when I was greeted with nods and assuring smiles. "Let's go."

I led the team through the halls of the facility and across the main catwalk before climbing the mile-long ladder until I reached the hatch. With a forceful shove, it popped open and the cool air from the outside world blew in through the gap.

We trekked about a mile into the forest before dividing up into small groups to cover a larger radius of the woodland. Immediately, we began pulling out our weapons and silently prowled through the trees. Calla and I branched off to the left, following after a large, lone deer that would be an amazing catch. I pulled back my arrow and lined it up with the deer's front before releasing it and plunging the sharp arrow into its chest.

"Nice," Calla commented.

I shot her a smile and then the two of us bagged up the corpse before moving further into the thick of the woods. A few of the other members of our group were scattered about nearby, hunting the group of rabbits that were hopping around beneath the shrub.

As I steadied my bow and arrow, a rustling from beside me caught my attention and I swivelled to search the forest for the source of the sounds. "Calla," I hissed, "did you hear that?"

She turned away from a bird she had shot and eyed me curiously and shook her head. "There is something in there." I nodded towards the trees beside me. "Something big," I added.

She mirrored my grin and two of us raised our weapons, ready to attack, when a couple of large figures appeared from amongst the trees. Instinctively, I raised my weapon higher and took a small step backwards, watching a third figure emerge. The three were largely built and my jaw dropped when I took in their appearances.

Bushy beards decorated their chins and large bushy eyebrows arched above their menacing eyes. Their large hands clutched huge guns that were pointed at our chests and my breaths increased until it was laboured. They were men. Large, angry men that were supposed to be extinct. Not only that but they had more advanced technology and weapons than we had.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, sure my eyes were deceiving me.

The one in the middle took a menacing step forward and smiled devilishly. "Drop the weapons, you're outnumbered," he ordered harshly and nodded behind me.

I turned to see dozens of large men crowding around the rest of my team with presumably loaded guns aimed at each of them, forcing us all into a small group with no escape without a bullet being involved. I turned back to see the man with a small, malicious grin and slowly lowered my bow and arrows to the ground.