The Long Road Home

Chapter Eight

'I'm bored' Daniel wined annoyed. Pig smiled shaking her head. 'This road sucks, there is nothing to look at.' She agreed with the boy. This part of the highway was bordered with nothing but what used to be farmland. She handed him her mp3 player.

'Don't break it.' She warned him as he grinned. 'And if you lose it, I will make you sing for me so I don't get bored too.' Hazel giggled shaking her head.

'Pig with me.' Tucker said going to the group. 'The rest of you make up camp.' He motioned to the grassy medium. 'Pig, you wont need your pack, but bring your bow and arrows.' She nodded and set her pack next to the grass and followed Tucker into the high grass. The two walked for a long time keeping quiet. He motioned off to the east and she followed his gaze. Something had cut a trail though the high grass. She followed him to it and he knelt down motioning to a print. 'It's an elk.' He whispered 'It's big and I bet a million dollars it's a bull. This time of the year the cows all travel in herds.' He stood and looked around. 'This way.'

She followed without a word realizing Tucker was taking her hunting. She had wanted to learn, but was afraid to ask. Pig knew she could not count on fishing and finding stuff in stores. Hunting seemed like the next best option. Tucker stopped again and motioned her to look at a pile of what looked like brown pebbles. 'Scat.' He explained. 'It's still warm.' He looked to her. 'I over heard you tell Lenard you never went hunting before.' She nodded confirming it. 'Just move the way you do when going toward an infected nest. Keep downwind and don't let it see you. We will try to get you lined up for a broadside shot. That's where you can see his whole side. The goal is to take out both of his lungs for a quicker death. You can find the lungs by following up the back of the front leg. There about a third to a half an inch up the chest.' Pig nodded frowning worried. 'Don't worry.' He chuckled amused. 'You will be fine.'

            They walked through the field for a little over an hour before they spotted the elk. He was bigger then Pig thought he would be. She followed Tucked keeping low and concentrated on making no noise. Once they had a clear view of the massive animals side, Tucker pointed to the spot where he wanted her to shoot. 

            Pig took a deep breath and let it out slow. She drew back the arrow and pointed it where Tucker said the lungs would be. She released the sting and the arrow found its mark. The elk jumped startled before running forward. Tucker did not move so she did not ether. The elk stopped and walked in a circle for a moment before just standing there. Pig was afraid she may have missed the lungs, when the elk just fell over and thrashed around on its side.

            Tucker grinned and gave her a one armed hug. 'Not bad girl.' He chuckled standing. 'Damn, I thought it was cool that my first kill was a deer. You got me beat.' He started for the bull. Pig followed frowning worried that the animal was still thrashing. 

            'Is it suffering?' She asked Tucker. She could kill the monsters because that meant survival. So did killing animals, but she wanted to cause them as little pain as possible.

            'No. He is dead, that's just the nerves making the muscles twitch. Same thing happens when you kill the infected.' The elk went still and Tucker let out a low whistle. 'This thing has to weigh at least a thousand pounds. We will have a hell of a time getting it back.'

            'It should weigh less if we take the head off and take the organs out.' Pig suggested. She had read it in a book once. Tucker nodded his agreement and the two went to work cutting off the parts they could not use. As they worked Tucker told her all about hunting and how to get a fast kill.

            'You already have the walk down.' He told her as they hooked up the harness to drag the body back. 'I have never seen anyone move like you do. Your bowmanship is impeccable so there is no trouble there. Before you fired though, you hesitated. That could be a problem.' Pig shrugged.