Not A Hero

Chapter 11

I wake up the next morning to the sound of an entire cavern moving around. I stretch and sit up. There's a surprisingly solemn feel in the air. I have a feeling it has something to do with Sierra. I wonder if my training with Morgan is still on for today. I think about asking Jordan to see if she knows, but she's already gone.

I get to my feet and leave the cavern to find Caze. He's just ahead of me in the tunnel and I run to catch up to him. "Morning, Caze."

"Morning." He sounds tired. "Sleep well?"

I shrug. "All right." That's a lie. I barely slept at all. "You?"

"Pretty good." That's so obviously a lie, it's not even funny.

"Are you training today?"

"That's what I heard. I don't know who my trainer will be, but Finn mentioned it would probably be him since the rest of them are occupied. How about you?"

"Morgan told me she'd train me yesterday, but that was before she made the announcement."

"I don't think that would change anything," Caze says.

I shrug. "I don't know. Didn't you notice how much her demeanor changed after she had to say it out loud?"

"I did," he admits, "but she doesn't seem like the kind of person to just not do something she said she was going to do."

"Maybe not," I concede. "I'm just kinda worried about her. I know I just met her, but still."

"I'm sure she'll be all right," Caze says gently.

When we reach the main cavern, Morgan is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Reina. It's not until after Caze and I are almost through with our meal that they come into the room. Neither of them get anything to eat. Morgan is smoking a cigarette, and Reina, who's carrying a rifle and a backpack, doesn't even stop. She continues on through the cavern toward the exit.

Morgan comes over to where Caze and I are sitting, her cigarette held casually between her fingers. "Hey Kalyah, about ready to start training?"

I nod and stand up. "Sure, let's go. Unless you need anything to eat, I can wait."

She shakes her head, smoke drifting from her lips. "Nah, I'm not hungry. Let's just go. Follow me."

At least I tried. "Okay." Remarkably, she looks all right. Smoking obviously, although that's probably pretty normal for her, and a bit tired, but other than that, all right.

Morgan leads me out of the cavern down the tunnel toward the weapons storeroom, but we don't make it that far before we turn into a side tunnel. It's a short distance to an open cavern that's much longer than it is wide. There are targets lined up at varying distances from a white line painted parallel to the door, which isn't actually a door, just an open cave mouth. "All right, ready to learn how to shoot?"

I nod. "Yep."

"Cool," she taps her cigarette out on the rock wall. "Get your gun out. Let's do this."

I draw the pistol from my holster, and Morgan hands me a magazine from her jacket pocket. I slip the magazine into the hollow grip of the gun.

"Good job, now take the safety off."

I press a small button and hear a bullet click into the chamber.

Morgan nods approvingly. "We'll start on the nearest target, watch me first." She draws her gun with her right hand and rests it on her left hand. She peers down the top of the gun and levels it with the target. Four bangs go off in quick succession, echoing around the cavern, and when I look at the target, there are four perfect bullet holes in the bullseye.