NOT HUMAN

Chapter 9 - Start Of Chaos

"Hold it firmly like this, and let go." The shells spun in the air whistling loudly and plowing through the center of the dummy. Lily's eyes stayed on the target, as she filled up the empty magazine with 17 more rounds. She took a stealthy squat in front of it, the gun squeezed between her thumb and an index finger on it. She breathed, then the bullet grazed the target mark, missing the center barely.

"...Oh...you're a natural...unbelievable..." Blade closed his gaping jaw and patted her on the back. "Really good job, Lily. I'm proud."

I'm proud.

Proud. That was a big word, it meant more to her than he'd ever thought. No one has ever told her that before. Not her foster parents or two foster brothers, and one foster sister. She never knew her real parents or any real family for that matter. One thing she knew for certain, her foster family would never say that. They decided from day one she was always an outsider.

She was glad they were gone. She never had a real family. But looking around at everyone now she felt like she finally belongs.

Andy was tutoring Nixon with the guns. Funny he understood all the mechanics, but physically was bad at shooting. He hated the idea of shooting, it meant they may have to shoot something alive. Of course, aliens were what they'd shoot at.

Jax had fun shooting he had an unhealthy obsession with guns. He named all of them one he called 'Babe' and she was his rifle, the M16 one of the best.

"Babe, come on, we need to hit the target right on the mark." He cocked the gun, and squeezed the trigger, exhaling as the bullet broke through the dummy right on the red spot. "Good girl." He praised.

Cherry lagged as usual. Zane had fun shooting wasting a lot of ammunition. Blade got onto him about it. Angelica was hesitant every time they started target practice. Zane made her shoot with him.

"Hey, Angel, look at it like this it's you or the aliens. Therefore, it's kill or gets killed. Or did you forget what those monsters did to Lily and Blade?"  He held a handgun to her already loaded with ammo. "Take it."

"Angel?" She made a quizzical expression.

"Yeah, your new nickname, how about it?" He smirked. "You like it?"

"No one has ever called me that before."

"Well, starting now I will." He pointed at the dummy and took a lucky shot an inch off the mark.

"I've been wondering why are you so...quiet? You have friends too." He looked at her. She shrugged.

"I don't do the talking much. I like the solitude. My friends are great and all but some things they don't understand about me." She looked aloof, out of place, her eyes matching the greenery in the woods.

"I get that I do that's why I keep to myself.  I don't like people. I have good reasons too, you know." He glanced at Jax by the guns then his eyes circled back to Angelica.

"Yeah, hahaha. Guess we both are lone wolves." She laughed.

"Maybe not. We have each other." He pointed out.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

It was a cool day, the sun was less glaring and hiding beneath clouds. It looked like it might storm today.  Gray clouds fogged the sky beneath it Blade was shouting words- instructions of the proper form of the excruciating workouts. They were all sweating buckets, and soon so was the sky.

A big fat droplet landed on Andy's nose, she bounced up on the ball of her feet dancing and splashing the puddles in every direction sending water flying. Everyone got soaked in it and glared at her.