Termination

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Thump, thump, thump." Quick foot falls followed right behind me as I raced away from the clearing. Who ever shot the arrow had good aim. I didn't want to wait around and see how they did on a moving target. I was pretty quick at 14 from racing Mazy as a kid and keeping up. From the heavy footfalls it was most likely a guy, and based on all the higher branches breaking behind me, he was at least 3 inches taller. This couldn't be good. A fox suddenly darted in front of my path blocking me with a snap of sharp teeth and a fluffed tail. Never tango with a fox that mad and it was most likely mystery boys pet. I jolted to a stop causing my screaming leg muscles to contract and causing me to fall back on my butt and mystery boy to tumble over me. He kneed me in the back in the process causing me to cry out in pain. My bow was a few feet away now and my arrows were scared next to it and the empty sack had come untied from my waist and was next to it. All weapons I could use against the attacker were at least 5 feet away. Great. I looked up to see a strong, 15 year old, dark haired, tall, brown eyed boy, looking at me threateningly. "Call off your fox please." I I grunted painfully as I stretched my back. "Not until you tell me who you are and how you got here, until then I think I'll do this." He casually got close to my face almost touching our noses then shoved me back, again making me cry "Ouch!" And straddled me. Talk about awkward. "Now tell me who you are or I will have Snap here do what he does best, snap." He announced. That didn't sound pleasant so I went for the weak little girl act. "I was looking for food." I confessed sadly looking as hungry as possible, "The rabbit was right there, I...I didn't see you honest or I would have left the rabbit to you. I swear it." I pleaded. I could see the shock on his face. He was probably thinking he had just scared the living day lights out of some lost girl. Sucker! "Oh, I'm sorry.. I didn't realize.." He looked up at my bow questioning me silently on why I had such a weapon. "It's, or it was rather, my fathers, he gave it to me to hunt." I sniffled he shifted on me causing me to groan in real pain. My back was killing me, this dude had hard knees. He looked horrified for a second then started to move off of me saying, "Oh, I'm sorry miss, I hit you with my leg didn't I?" He asked concerned. I wasn't paying attention to him anymore. I shifted closer to my arrow with fake worry on my face. "I..it's ok.." I stammered. Without missing a beat I grabbed my arrow and was on top of him just like he had been holding me, efficiently cutting off what ever he was going to say. He was shocked for a moment, then realizing I had tricked him, that look turned to anger. "Now," I snarled, "Why don't you tell me who you are mystery boy." He tried to arch his back and shove me off but couldn't realizing I had faked looking weak to. His lips turned down in a snarl of their own as he started to say some choice words I'm not going to say but I cut them off with the tip of my arrow to his tan throat. "Now, I'm sure you don't mean that," I said sweetly, "In fact, that wasn't even the question. Now answer it." I added with a frown. He contemplated answering for a moment, then deemed it wise probably to answer seeing how I was the one on top with an arrow. "James, I'm living here with my sister, I'm not one of Them." He said sourly. Good, wait did he say sister? The empty hammock, was that his? Looking closer I could see the resemblance. The same dark slightly wavy hair and the deep eyes. It was possible. "Correct answer. I'm Alexia, I'm not with them either. I'm here with my friend. You have good aim." He looked at me shocked to hear the compliment then his eyes widened. I felt a tug on my hair, catching me off guard, and a snarl, way to close to my ear for comfort. I was jerked back off of him by my hair I screamed and fell backward. He was yelling something but I couldn't hear because of all of the leaves crunching as my head hit the ground.

When I came to he was kneeling over me petting the fox and looking at me worried. The rabbit was cooking over a small fire and smelled amazing. I roused slowly rubbing my head. My back ached and resented any movement as I got up and leaned forward. "That smells good." I mumbled. "Good because were camping out tonight. I wrapped your head after Snap here pulled you off of me, sorry by the way, I forgot to call him off." He sheepishly informed me. I looked over to see a rock smoothly protruding from the ground where I had fallen. That's why I blacked out I guess. "My back is killing me from you knee and then from you straddling me, so it hurts all from you.." I concluded. He looked hurt for a moment, then regained his composer and tended to our dinner. He took out a few tin forks and 2 plates. He cut the delicious smelling meat from the rabbit. I quickly sat up at the opportunity to get food. I hadn't eaten food since we got to Niki's and I was starving. He gave me a large portion taking a smaller one for himself, and this killed me, but I waited for him to take the same amount. He looked at me and started eating but stopped mid chew. "Umm, I didn't poison it." he promised, with his mouth full. I believed him, but I wanted him to take just as much as I did, I knew how scarce good meat was and I didn't want him going hungry, or mostly I didn't want me to feel like a pig. I sliced a meaty part off and set it on his plate. He accepted it without question and I let it go. He didn't need to thank me I just started eating. We ate in silence for the most part except for a few "thank you's" and "your welcome's". Later as it got dark he opened his pack and brought out a large dark blanket and two pillows He rolled out the pack and it made a pad the size of a twin bed. I could tell it was a water resistant pad and a heat absorber blanket that sucked the heat put of the air to heat the blanket and yourself in turn. They were invented soon after the WWIII for the armies. He handed me one of the pillows. "I should re wrap your head, it looks like its falling off." He said to me as he shoved the plates back into the bag. "Sure." I replied cooly. He came over and had me sit down on the pack. He slowly began to unravel the bandages with careful fingers. I winced as he prodded the bruse that had formed under my hair. "Thats gonna leave a mark for a while." he said softly as he re wrapped the bandages. I winced again as he wrapped it tighter. I should have brought some pain killers with me. He finished wrapping up the bandage and I slowly started to take off my shirt. "Ummm, what are you doing?" he blushed. "Im having you look at my back because it feels like a cow bull dozed me over, but it was just you." I snapped at him. Embarrassed he moved to my back as I lifted my dark grey, tight, cotton shirt over my head and he let a low whistle. "That bad huh?" I asked, I was dimly aware that I was standing in front of a cute boy with out a shirt on and he was checking me out. "Do I need ice or wrap or something?" I asked quickly. He lightly touched a small area along my spine and I shivered involuntarily as his cold fingers traced my spine. He got to a tender spot and I let out a small, quiet, cry of pain. "Yeah, I thought you would do that when I touched there." he scoffed. "Well I'm sorry Mr. Painless, its because of you I have a bruse anyway." I muttered loud enough for him to hear. I tried to pull down my shirt but he stopped me and turned me around. Blushing I pulled the shirt over my bare midriff. He looked me in the eye and gave me a side of the wrap. I took it and he started to go around me in circles. "So muscle girl," he started "Muscle girl?" I questioned. He chuckled softly, "You managed to flip me over and keep me on the ground, you out-ran me and would have gotten away if it wasn't for Snap, and you can pull your bow all the way to your full draw length, I tested it and I cant even do that. Oh, and based on your stomach being rock hard when I was winning, you have abs and your back is pretty toned." he listed with awe in his voice. I had to admit, I kept in shape. I always was the best at everything, even some of the boys were jealous. I climbed trees a lot and ran with Mazy, and was used to jumping up into high branches to see something Ceaser convinced me was worth jumping up into a sharp pine tree for. As for my bow, I had increased the poundage when I realized it was far easier for the animal to die and then to be drug home than to have me have to kill it after I had shot it. The poundage helped with that. I laughed softly as he wrapped the bandage around my mid section. I explained a bit of my life to him so he got the gist of why I ran away and was here in the first place. He had just finished wrapping me up and I felt as stiff as a board. Sighing, he smiled and settled softly into the mat and patted the space beside him. I smiled back quick and then it dropped. Chloe would be waking up around now, Niki would be worried too. "I should go." I said and bent over to grab my bow from the ground by the dying fire. He looked at me with sad eyes. Man, those eyes looked so soft in the firelight I just wanted to take a picture. Its like if i reached out, they would feel soft like kitten fur. Now I was getting distracted. Great. I looked away and started to reach for my bag, when I herd him get up. He turned me around by my shoulder. "You dont know who I am do you?" He asked. He was Niki's brother, I knew that. "Your related to Niki somehow, brother right?" I stated simply. He pushed me back slightly as he backed up in shock, and I tripped over my bag. The ground came rushing up to me fast and the edge of our makeshift fire pit. My hand went straight into the dying embers, and my arm scraped against rocks and dirt. My back smacked against the ground, yet again, and my head bounced painfully against the mat. He managed to catch me before the rest of my body fell into the fire and burned worse. I pulled my burning hand from the fire and tried to staunch the flow of blood from my arm. He needed to stop hurting me or I would flip him over into the fire. He grabbed my arm and pulled me over to where he knelt on the ground. I groaned as he pulled me on to his lap. He pulled me in to a hug. "I am so sorry I didn't tell you and I'm sorry I keep hurting you, I'm not usually this clumsy!" He rambled as I just sat there and tried to break away from his grip. I shifted a little bit and fell back on the ground. I promptly passed out as my consciousness ran away from me for the second time that day.

____________________

As usual no editing :/ hey does someone want to make a cover? I have no artistic ability what so ever and I know some talented people must read so if you read this... Do you want to make a cover!?! I love u all for reading this thank you so much!

~😚💜Emily💙😉