Teen Assassin

Silver

I stayed up as Doll slept soundly on me. It wasn't very long before the truck parked and the doors flung open. Mission Commander is standing there holding the door for us. As soon as we left the car, a very uneasy feeling consumed my stomach.

"Good luck, kids." Mission Commander says hopping back into his truck and driving away.

I quickly check to make sure I have my silver knife and release a comforting sigh as I feel the blade in my back pocket.

"Alright guys, since this is my first hunt I'm just going to sit in the back and watch." Jay announces.

"No. We all work. If we don't, someone could die." I hiss at her walking into the deep forest.

I hear Jay let out a sigh and follow me into the brush.

"Alright, so I think we should set up camp and hangout until dark." Ivy says.

"We can set up camp, but we'll need traps. We can't be surprised." I say anxiously.

"Sam, we get that you're really serious about hunts, but the sun isn't even over the trees yet. We can calm down and prepare later." Jake offers gently.

I clench my fingertips into my palms, pushing down my frustration. I turn to face him, take a deep breath, and approach him.

"Shall I remind you: Becca, Tanner, Chase? There is no time for relaxing. There's no room for mistakes." I snap at them.

....

We walked for a good ten minutes before reaching a safe enough clearing. We split up into pairs: Ivy and Jake, Cade and Jay, and me and Doll. We all had different jobs. Ivy and Jake were to collect firewood, Cade and Jay would built a shelter, and Doll and I would make the traps. I had rope, hooks, blades, and leaves. We made trip wires, six foot holes with silver spears sticking out from the bottom, and Doll had luckily brought a silver wire. We could use it to make a fence around us to protect us from the monsters. After we finished, Jake and Ivy were sitting around the fire place chatting.

"I'm sorry about earlier." I apologize to Jake.

"It's alright." He gently tells me.

"How did they die? Becca and Tanner?" Ivy asks.

"We only heard that it was somehow your fault." Doll added.

I sat down before explaining, "Tanner was taken by a vampire, I shot it after it tore his face off. I couldn't react fast enough, so he died. Becca was taken by some kind of water dwelling creature while we were fighting a newborn, and the creature drowned her."

"How is that your fault?" Ivy asks.

"It's not, but Sami has a bad habit of blaming herself for everything." Cade explains emerging from the trees.

"I should've been able to save them." I say looking at the ground.

"You can't save everyone." Cade repeats.

"Keep it in your pants." Jay snaps throwing down the extra branches.

"We're done." Cade says.

"So now what?" Jake asks.

"We relax." I say with a smile.

It wasn't even past noon, I was proud. This was a great group, I just had to be brave. Without Hazel I felt incomplete, which scared me. I had to face my fears, the few ones I had; because if I didn't, they'd end me.

...

"Sam, wake up." Jake whispers.

My eyes flicker open and I see a setting sun.