Cairo

Chapter 34: Final Preparations

Cane held the gun tightly in his hand, the metal like cold ice against his skin. He pressed his lips together, his breath stilled in his body. Around him the world looked bleak, a black and white chaos that moved in nanoseconds instead of a flurried rush.

And there in front of him, only a few feet away, was a small animal. It was tall, but a hard skin surrounded most of its body. Sia placed her hand on top of Cane's. Her body rested against his as she whispered into his ear, redirecting his hand over to the nape of the animal's neck.

"Point it there," she directed, "and shoot when the neck is open. You'll only get one shot."

The air felt more clear than Cane thought it would. He expected himself to be cracking slowly inside, but he was strangely calm—focused on the target in front of him with deadly precision.

He rested his finger over the trigger. His breath was a steady rhythm. And just like that, when the unsuspecting animal looked up, he pressed down.

The bullet flew through the air, swirling in a vortex of wind that whipped around it. In a matter of seconds, the bullet flew through the flesh, tearing it open. The animal yelled, raising on its back legs as it bucked, rushing wildly away when its front legs hit the ground.

At the sight, Cane sprung up from behind the thorn bush he was hiding behind. Sia pulled on his arm before he could reach up all the way, forcing him back to a squatting position.

"It's fine," she told him, calm and reassuring as she stood up herself. "You hit it in the right spot. She'll run, but before she can get too far, she'll bleed to death. All we have to do is follow the blood trail, haul the body back to the base, and Houri will cook us a good meal for tonight.

"That's it?" Cane asked.

Sia shifted the mask on her face, but not before Cane saw the shake of her shoulders. He half smiled as he watched her turn her back to him and walk to the blood trail to start inspecting it. But the smile soon wore off his face as he looked into the sky. It was small, barely noticeable, but Cane saw a cloud in the sky. The village was closer to Berrgport, so he wasn't surprised to see a cloud drifting out here from the sea. But even that brought his spirits down as he closed his eyes.

The memories hounded him. Scratched at his walls to get out. They were locked away in his heart, but even then it was a hassle to keep them down. All he could think about—all he could remember—was Cairo.

What was the right choice? Was it okay to abandon his friend who did so much for him? Who dropped everything and risked his life to help him?

Cane shook his head. He didn't know. He'd never know. It was too late to regret it now, Cane thought as he walked up to where Sia was calling him. She waved to him as she walked ahead of him, quickly following the blood trail through the sandy dirt.

.

It was half a mile later that Sia and Cane came across the body. The animal was on its side, lying in a pool of its own blood. On the face up side, blood was surrounding the outer shell, stuck in between the many layers. Cane could feel his body shake, his stomach screaming at the sight. He placed his hand on his stomach and turned to the side.

He barfed. Hard. It felt like needles coming up through his throat. Cane coughed when the puke finally stopped, wiping his mouth as he spit on the ground to rid the taste out of his mouth. Sia placed a hand on his back, brushing it slightly down his back.

"You did good," she reassured him. "It's a big one—a lot of good meat for us tonight. It's a pretty rare treat to have meat. Xi'll be pleased to hear. He really likes meat."