Into Ruin

Chapter 9 Unusual Activity

Gunnar rolled over and let out a yawn. The ground was harder than the floor in his old apartment but didn't stink so bad. Too bad he had to go and abandon his cabin to sleep in the dirt with this group. Quinton and Matt were still sleeping but Mischa's dad and the bossy military woman were gone. He brushed the sand and dirt off his clothes, then stretched out his stiff shoulders.

A man with tattooed arms and a wicked smile walked toward him.

"Look who decided to join the ranks of the living today," Reggie teased.

Gunnar raised an eyebrow. "Yeah and?"

"Better get those two up. You guys are on food duty."

Gunnar stood up and frowned. His eyes searched for the bag of meat but all he could see was the desert brush. "I caught loads yesterday. Whaddya eat it already?"

"Visitors came by. Had to bait 'em so they didn't take Olivia's head off with a shotgun."

Gunnar let out a snort and searched in the nearest bush for his bow. "What a waste. She coulda took 'em."

"Four to one."

He slung it over his shoulder. "Money's still on her."

Reggie handed him the last piece of the meat they had caught yesterday. Damn, that bag really was empty. Gunnar snatched up the grub without a second thought. The meat was tougher than usual but his tongue had stopped being choosy months ago.

"She'll be pleased to know someone thinks she's capable," Reggie said. "But be careful out there, and don't venture too far. There's unfriendly activity in the area."

He took off to where the other adults had gathered and were talking. Gunnar knew better than to join in. Just 'cause he could walk the walk, didn't mean he'd be able to say something without looking like a damned fool.

At least hunting he could manage pretty well. They weren't supposed to run through the meat that quickly though. The area wasn't exactly alive with animal activity and now the sun was up high enough to make the animals search for shade. Hunter would have helped, but Gunnar had wanted to leave him back in familiar turf to keep him safe. Vita had started to like having the mutt around too, and she needed him more than Gunnar did.

Gunnar refocused his energies on waking up the guys. Last time he had gotten obsessed with a girl it had blown up in his face. And speak of the devil, Quinton was the one to help bring that ship down. Gunnar nudged the guy with his boot.

"Rise and shine, asshole," he muttered under his breath. Yeah, that wouldn't work. He kneeled down and tapped roughly on Matt's shoulder instead. His brown eyes shot open and he sat up right away.

"What's going on?" Matt asked groggily.

"More hunting, get yer ass in gear and wake him up."

"Good morning to you too," Matt said with a laugh he only shared with himself.

Gunnar pulled out his knife to sharpen a few of his arrowheads. Hunting for a whole community was a whole lot more demanding than when it was just for him and Hunter. He almost missed those days, minus obsessing over Mischa and the choices he had made.

Quinton was up soon but it took him a while to get ready since he kept talking to Matt. Gunnar sat on one of the rocks and his foot tapped away on the sand. The sun kept getting hotter. Fewer and fewer animals. Someone laughed behind him, not Quinton or Matt. His foot stopped tapping, he grabbed his knife and whirled around. A hand caught his wrist and knocked the weapon away onto the sand.

"Not bad, but you could do better," Officer Olivia said with a flat face.

Gunnar smirked. "Yeah, like you this morning?"