25. Nature

Another month slowly passes by. You’re sleeping less and less every day and and feel a constant haze of anxiety. A couple of weeks after discovering the fire you notice a set of boot tracks on one side of the cabin. You’re hardly eating due to the stress and have dropped more weight from already slender frame. Despite this you’ve been increasingly aware of how much your supplies have been dwindling. The dried deer meat you prepared over the winter has nearly run out.

You had anticipated needing to hunt a bit while Dex and Jack are gone. You had even been looking forward to putting your newly acquired skills to the test. Now, the thought of entering the forest fills you with a sense of dread. You take another day to weigh all of your options but ultimately decide you have **** but to go out. You’ll have to make this trip as quickly as possible.

It’s nearing the end of summer so what little wildlife remains in the forest will at least be active. You spend the majority of the night tossing and turning before finally getting up shortly before the dawn. You reposition the rifle on your back as you step out on the porch and spend a moment taking in your surrounds. You often forget to appreciate how beautiful this area of land is. It’s just ironic that the only place that seemed to have been left untouched by the disaster was also the least inhabited.

You see the early rays of sunlight peaking over the horizon behind you when you reach the forests edge. You take a deep breath and pass through the thick foliage. You’re surprised to feel a sense of calm wash over your body when you enter. It’s been so long since you’ve been able to enjoy being outdoors. You close your eyes and take a moment to enjoy the peaceful feeling. After taking another deep breath you finally shake yourself out of the moment. You’re not here for pleasure and you certainly can’t waste anytime.

You try to keep your footsteps light and silent. Stepping on a twig could cost you any nearby prey. As you progress deeper into the forest it becomes much easier to keep quiet. A thick layer of moss lines the forest floor and creeps up the large tree trunks that surround you. You’re looking for small easy prey so you keep to the ground initially. As the day goes on and you still haven’t found anything you decide to take a different approach.

Swinging your rifle back on your shoulder you scan the area. Your eyes land a large tree a few yards ahead of you with some low hanging branches. You haven’t climbed a tree since you were a kid but you find it’s not as challenging as you anticipated. You make your way about half way up the tree before settling on a sturdy branch over looking the forest below. The day continues progressing, you’re just above to give up hope and move to a new spot, when you hear some leaves rustling behind the tree your in. As quickly and quietly as you can you scramble to your feet and balance precariously on the branch. The rusting gets louder and your heart beats in excitement when you see a rabbit come barreling down.

You raise the rifle and begin lining up the scope. Just as you’re about to squeeze the trigger you see the rabbit collapse to the ground. You lower the rifle in confusion but barely have time to react before you hear more rustling from behind. Whatever is making it’s way through the brush sounds much larger than the rabbit. You cautiously step backwards and press your back against the trunk behind you. After a moment you see a figure walk out around the tree below you. You hold breath not daring to make a single move.