Even on difficult days...OC x Joel Miller

•One•

2015: two years after the outbreak.

His breath was ragged and uneven, adrenaline making sweat roll down his neck. Fixated on the gun held steadfast at eye height, the finger on the trigger ready to end his life at the slightest twitch. He flicked his eyes to his brother. An opposing pair of hunters stood in front of them, having caught the brothers off guard.

Those who are hunters don't expect to be hunted.

Tommy tighten his eyes to try and steady his heart. A whip like snap split through the air causing Tommy to suck in a sharp breath as his ears rang muffling the sound of something thudding to the floor. His eyes snapped open looking to his left to see his brothers confused face, Tommy deepened his brow. He had expected to see his brother crumpled in a bloody mess on the floor beside him. Relief and confusion rushed over him as he slowly turned his head back to the pair in-front of him. The girl still had her eyes trained on him although the gun that had once been pointed at Tommy's head was now held out to the right where her partner had just stood; his body now heaped in a strange way, blood pooling around him; a wound in his left temple.

She lowered the gun letting out a sigh and shaking her head. Turning away from the men who they had cornered in a downstairs room of a well tattered house, even before the outbreak this house was clearly falling apart. Her head was lowered as she shook it thinking about the events that had just transpired. She had risked a lot just by saving the pair of brothers she had crossed paths with once or twice back before the world had fallen apart. They weren't even what Imogen would class as acquaintances but the look in the smaller framed brothers eye had awoken a part of her that she had buried when she joined the hunters. It wasn't a fear of death but more a fear of loss, he was worried more about one of them dying and leaving the other. It was obvious in the way his eyes kept flicking glances to his brother.

"Wait!" Tommy lunged forward grabbing hold of Imogen's shoulder. She spun round forcing the gun into his jaw pushing his head up, he raised his hands instantly in surrender.

"Hey now." Joel had the dead hunters gun he had scooped up trained on Imogen. She tightened her jaw scowling at Joel as she pulled the gun out from Tommy's jaw brining it down to her side. Joel lowered his gun slowly tipping his head as if to say - that's what I thought.

"Thank you" Tommy looked to his brother encouraging him to do the same. Joel only nodded in Imogen's direction looking away straight after. She said nothing for a few seconds taking time to look at each of the brothers faces to gauge what they were thinking. Her only response was a half smile before turning to head away from the two. As she took a few steps away she could hear the brothers whispering in a harsh tone to one another. Joel huffed out "Fine."

"Come with us?" Tommy had taken two steps forward his hand gesturing to Joel. Imogen turned to look over her shoulder at him. He continued "we are going to Boston QZ"

She glanced at Joel, his well defined jaw was clenched under his grey flecked beard. She wondered if by saving them she had saved herself or caused her own demise. Against her better judgment she agreed.

The three of them set off confidently knowing that they had both been picking off members from the others group leaving a very limited number of people that could be lurking around. If they were close by the gunshot would've alerted them. Bullets were precious and not often fired off in areas where infected hunted for victims. They left the building in silence, each scanning the small collection of houses for any sign of movement. Once they were confident the street outside was safe they stepped out, bodies tense and ready for the next fight. Imogen was behind the two brothers knowing that if they turned on her she would have time to shoot one of them first. The younger looking of the two men seemed more gentle; he outwardly expressed his emotions and failed miserably to hide what he was thinking. The more rugged older looking brother had a hard exterior, he seemed as though he very much had a hold on his emotions like he could dismiss them easily. Imogen scrutinised their body language looking for any clues that they might have been lying to her. Perhaps they were luring her into a trap or they were going to shoot her dead the moment they were safe from infected.

The setting sun caused long shadows to be cast over the street making the girl flinch more frequently thinking any odd shaped shadow was a runner on its way to dig its teeth into her wherever it could. They moved in a fast pace crouch through the street avoiding piles of rubble and broken glass that could attract attention. Hunters weren't usually shy, part of their terrorisation was making innocent people clearly aware of them so they would know they were being hunted. They would know their time was running out.