All This Dark

******************Chapter 1

Hi, my name is Orlett Limond. I live in a world of darkness, plague, survival, and death. Especially death. I know because I've seen it. Everyday people come to our door, asking for medicine or food, and every day we send them away regretfully, finding the next day their frail, lifeless bodies scattered across the town. Ever since I was born I've learned there is no way to get around these things, nor to help get rid of them. I've also been taught that here, its every woman for herself. That means I have to hunt to get enough food for me and my brother. Though, it wasn't always like this, we once had a mom and dad, but they went off with my other brother in search of a city far from here that supposedly has order and gives help to any who need it. But that was years ago, and they're dead, no doubt about it.

A boy named Sam Dugan lives across the street with his mom and dad, and they come over to help me sometimes. This was one of those days. I grabbed my bow and quiver from my closet and headed downstairs.

Drake, my brother, was sitting on the couch, whittling himself a spear. He was almost ten, and I promised him that I would teach him how to hunt on his birthday. He's really good at whittling. I went to the couch and sat down to observe his work. The point on the spear came to a needle thin end, making the tip easy to break, but would also cause lots of damage. I felt the shaft, it was so smooth you would think it was made out of that stuff called plastic I found around the house a lot. Only a few more steps and he'd be done. Drake caught me admiring it and set his knife down.

"They're coming over today, right?" Drake said. I could tell he wasn't happy I was going hunting with Sam for the day. He usually got excited when they came over, but lately that hadn't been the case.

"Drake," I said, holding his hand between mine, "you know I have to go hunt. If I didn't there wouldn't be enough food and we would starve. I'm sorry I can't be with you all the time, but the Dugans are always here, you won't be alone."

All of a sudden, he ripped his hand out of my grip, looking at me like he desperately needed me to live, like a fish depending on water. "That's not what I'm worried about!" he screamed at me.

I jerked away in surprise, he'd never screamed at me like that before. So I sat with my hands folded in my lap, waiting for the next few minutes, for him to continue. Finally he did, "You go away every few days to get food and don't normally come back until morning."

"Like I normally do," I said slowly, not quite getting what he was trying to say.

"When you're out there," he said looking at me," do you feel good?"

I shrugged. Now it seemed like he was changing subjects. "Because when you're gone, I feel the exact opposite."

He paused. "When you're gone, I have no idea when you're coming back, Or."

Or was Drake's nickname for me, it made me sad to hear him use it like this. I guess you could say it was my soft spot.

"Every night I pray that you'll come back tomorrow, because I have no idea if you're even alive."

"I see what's going on," I sighed and forced eye contact with Drake, who was starting to cry. "Hey, listen, it's alright. I'm not going to disappear. I've been hunting since I was 10, Sam is with me, and we both know I'm pretty deadly, even with the arrows alone. You have nothing to worry about, Drake. I always come back the second I'm done, you know that." I paused. "Hey, you know what?" I said smiling at him. "If it makes you feel better, I'll promise to come back home after every hunt, you want that?"

Drake nodded and smiled faintly. "Alright then." I took his hand in mine and put the other over my heart. "I, Orlett Limond, promise to come back home after every hunt, lest I be struck by lightning. There, it's official. But I'll never leave you anyway. I mean, when was the last time I promised something I couldn't keep?"