Life Catcher

Chapter Six: When Paths Cross

6.

I walk through the forest looking for little rodents while he starts talking about. . . Pizza?

"Cleo, you have to taste pepperoni pizza. It's the best you'll ever find. Not to mention the ones with cheese in the crust. You know, I bet they taste better than those squrrils in that shack of yours. But anyways pepperoni-"

"Shack? I'ts called a hut, and I do not even know what pizza is," I say pulling out my bow. I'm very tempted to shoot him, but I'll save his death for later.

"Choose your words wisely, Sam," I say maliciously. Then I shoot one of my arrows into a nearby tree. He gulps.

"Uh, yes ma'am," he says. "But I still can't believe you don't know what pizza is."

I pull my arrow out of the tree like it's stuck in butter and we walk into a clearing with only trees surrounding us. I smell cooked meat and load my bow with two arrows. Either a Nome went cannibal or that Nome found lunch. I do a quick 360, and Sam looks at me funny.

"What?" I say.

"Why did you just spin?" he asks questioningly.

"I'm surveying the area," I say matter-a-factly.

"For what?"

I look at him because I didn't think humans where this dumb. Maybe the female humans are actually smart.

"Don't you smell that?"

"Smell what?" he asks and sniffs the air. "I don't smell anything".

"Only you wouldn't Sam," I mummble and walk into the middle of the circular clearing.

"What?" he asks cluelessly.

"Never mind," I say and shake my head weirdly embarrassed by Sam's stupidity.

And that's when I see it. A small red dot on my belly. It moves up my dress and onto my heart. I look at it bewilderingly, and turn to Sam and he has the same dot on his heart.

"This is r-really bad," Sam studders.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Have you ever watched action movies?"

"Action what?"

"Ugh, just do-"

"Move, and I'll blow your heart out," says a deep voice coming from behind a tree about 100 yards away. I just pull back my bow and point my arrows toward the voice.

"Who are you?" I ask weirdly.

"Dispose your weapon or I'll do it for you," is his response.

"Who are you?" I ask with hardness in my voice.

"Cleo, just put down the weapon," Sam whispers to me and puts both of his hands in the air.

He can be a wimp all he wants. I'm tougher than that, and I'm not afraid of anyone or anything.

"You'd do well to listen to your little boyfriend," he says in his deep, strict voice.

"What? I'm not her boyfriend!" Sam says.

Something whizzes past my right ear and I hear Sam scream. I quickly turn and see Sam on the ground holding his cheek in his hands, wincing and gritting his teeth.

"Next it will be your head," says the deep voice maliciously.

I squint to where I hear the voice and make out a dark figure. I pull back bow and point my arrow at what should be his head.