ｄｅｍｏｎｓ¹ ✓

chapter sixteen

chapter sixteen
unedited
967 words

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)...? (Y/N)?!" The voice screamed.

"Ah!" You screamed, waking up abruptly and breathing heavily. You looked before you and saw Delirious over you. "Delirious...?"

"Are you okay? You were yelling in your sleep." Commented Ryan across from you. You raised an eyebrow, not remembering what he's talking about. You remember seeing darkness and voices, but that's all you remember.

"I was?" You asked.

"I heard 'jokes on you; I found something worth living for'. But that's all I heard. Ryan and Bryce have told me other things though." Delirious replied. "What was it about?"

"I...don't remember." You told him.

"Hm. Anyway, you should get prepared. First, Marcel is going to teach you to use a rifle. After that, we head for Luke." Delirious told you. You nodded and uncovered the blankets from yourself. Delirious noticed your old, tattered, clothing and thought to himself. "Maybe we should scavenge some places? You know, clothes and stuff."

"That would be perfect, I hate these clothes." You told him. He nodded and walked to the kitchen, where everyone else seemingly was. You stood up and waved farewell to Bryce and Ryan and followed Delirious to the kitchen. Before you entered, however, Marcel came out to greet you.

"Hey, (Y/N). Ready? Since we don't have time to teach you the 'easy' stuff, you'll be learning the hardest gun. The rifle. We already know you know how to use knives, and once you learn the rifle the gun turns into a piece of cake." Marcel told you, walking outside. You continued following him until you reached the woods behind the cabin.

"Alright, first, take the rifle and hold it like you would a normal gun. Hand on the handle, finger on the trigger, and another hand at the barrel. Now, rule one, remember your rifle is loaded. Never aim your gun at someone, unless it's an enemy, got it?" Marcel asked. You nodded, aiming the gun at the ground.

"What should I aim for?" You asked.

"For now, just aim away from anything living, like you or me."

"Even animals?"

"No, if you kill and animal, I'll count that as bonus points for getting our dinner." Marcel joked. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "No, but seriously, when your gun is loaded you must aim away from anyone you don't want to harm. Second thing, always examine your surroundings before you or anyone else shoots, especially with a rifle."

"Okay, can I actually shoot now? Or are you going to lecture me more?"

"Lecture, of course. Whenever someone around you had a rifle you must stay a few feet away from them, otherwise, you could get hurt. Even if they aren't aiming at you. And you should also know this. The rifle has some knockback power, so make sure you stand steady when you shoot." Marcel explained. You only nodded once again, eager to go ahead and shoot something so you could leave on the journey to find Luke.

"Alright, is that all?" You asked. Marcel shook his head.

"Right now you're using a semi-automatic rifle. It's exactly like a gun, except bigger and stronger. There are two ways to stand while holding a rifle that you must use. The first is the one you'll use mainly. Stand with your legs apart, shoulders up, an eye in the scope, legs apart, and the end of the rifle is resting on your shoulder. It's easier, but it may also knock you back more." Marcel told you, helping you line in the position.

"What's the other one?" You asked curiously.

"You hopefully won't have to use this one much, but this is one you'll use if you ever need to stay in place. You have the same stance just about, except you put the end of the rifle in the center of your chest so it puts force to your chest instead of your legs. Less knockback. Got it?" Marcel asked. You nodded.

"Alright, can I shoot now?" You asked. Marcel nodded.

"Aim for that bird, the one standing on the tree, you see it?" Marcel asked, pointing to a tree before you. You nodded, got into your stance, put the scope to your eye and the end over your shoulder, and applied little amounts of pressure to the trigger. You saw the bird and studied its movements.

"Remember, hold your breath, it ruins your shoots if you breathe too much," Marcel told you. Holding your breath, you saw the bird was eating a worm, unaware of the fate that awaited him. "Also, don't anticipate when the gun will fire. Just squeeze until it does, and your outcome will become better."

You did as Marcel instructed. Putting force on the trigger constantly, your mind black. The only thing you feel is the pressure against your finger. Until finally, the bullet fired, sending a loud gunshot noise through the woods, making the crows squawk and fly away.

━

You both walked back inside the cabin and to the kitchen to be greeted with the others. Evan smiled and walked over.

"I see she doesn't have a bullet inside her, that's a good thing." Evan smiled, seemingly proud of you.

"Yeah, I told her everything and she did as I said. She's a natural." Marcel replied. You smiled. "Oh, and we got dinner."

Marcel told Evan as he showed him the dead bird. Evan instantly covered his nose because of the wretched smell and shuddered.

"Marcel, we are not eating a bird!" Evan exclaimed. Soon everyone in the kitchen began covering their noses, including you. It didn't smell that bad outside, then again, the air was blowing pretty wildly.

"Ew, why would you even think we were going to eat that thing!?" Anthony yelled.

"Protein, bitch."