REBORN VOL TWO

Chapter Six

Chapter 16

Dead Before Dawn

It had been hours since we last left the neighborhood. The thought of what Issac said still haunts me. Always causing me to look over my shoulder any time I feel watched. We have been walking the roads, gaining more tired as each minute passes. But not a single word has been spoken. Nobody, not even Louis, has broken the long unease silence that has engraved us since we left that house. The sky has grown dark, stars are visible but faint. The road we walk on is ghostly empty. No bodies, cars, or even broken shards of glass or debris cover the long cracked road. It makes me uneasy, knowing that one time long ago, this road was filled with life. And now left abandoned. I feel the wind blow against us, only growing colder by the minute. My stomach growls for any sort of food, with my mouth being dry like a hot desert. Craving for water to overcome this dry, tasteless sensation. I look down at Louis, seeing him trying his hardest to stay up. Picking the frail boy up, I hold him in my arms as I grow closer to William

"Will, we gotta unpack somewhere. We have been walking for miles now!"

"No, we have to find another neighborhood! I'm not willing to risk letting those hunters walk up on us and steal our supplies"

Brian yawns

"Will, it's been hours since we last seen them. I don't think they'd be following us for this long"

William sighs

"Look, all I'm saying is that we don't know these people. I don't want to risk them finding our new camping spot"

Ethan scuffs

"They're gonna find us passed out on this street. That's all I'm saying"

William looks at Ethan

"That won't happen! We'll rest up somewhere soon"

I sigh

"Will, I can tell you're making yourself worry about this. You need some rest"

William looks at me in disbelief

"Making me worry- Emma do you not get the actual threat these people pose? They got thirty men with them! Aren't you at all worried about that?"

"I am, but I'm worried that we'll pass out and make it easier for anyone to find us. We all need to-"

I stop as we turn the corner. Standing in front of the entrance, lies a truck parked next to a group of five people staring at us. A woman staggers behind the truck as a man, presumably the leader, walks up to us. The stranger donned a dark green fishing vest, with a gray shirt and long-cut blue jeans. All of which, are stained and have cuts all over them. He raises his shotgun, aiming it up to the sky as he stares at us

"Well. You must be the group Issac was talking about. Hello William, I'm Nate. I presume you already know who we are?"

"You're the hunter's...aren't you?"

Nate chuckles

"Damn straight!"

William steps back, standing near a white abandoned van

"What do you want with us? We told you we don't wanna join you!"

"Well, I know that. It's a shame. You six coulda been a good fit for us."

"Why are you here, just leave!"

"I'm here for one simple reason. See we hunters gotta find food and ammo somehow. But you know how it is now, food's scarce. Ammo is in the hands of big angry soldiers who've gone rabbid. We need that for us to survive. That food you got, including your guns and ammo. Well... we're gonna need that. So this can go down in two ways. One, you give us your shit and we let you go...or two, we kill you and take your shit. Either or, we need what's ours! So what's it gonna be Will?"