Hunted

Rachel

I ricochet back from the force of the gun, flailing back into space. I shot him, I shot him! I can't believe I just shot him. Did I even hit him? Yes, he's fallen back onto the ground, his limbs have gone limp and he isn't moving, I can see the blood trickling from his head, deep red and gloopy.

'Amanda, I shot him!' I shout, half shocked half excited.

Silence.

'It's all alright!' I yell when she doesn't reply.

More silence.

'We're okay!' I exclaim once more, starting to get a bit worried.

Why isn't she answering?

'It's all going to be fine!'

Wait, I can't see her moving, she's just lying there motionless, why isn't she getting up? I thought she'd be jumping with joy or at least congratulating me, I did just save both our lives.

'Amanda, you can stop pretending, I know you're okay.'

What if she's not okay? No, I shot the guy before she could get too hurt, she must be pretending. I walk over to her, ready to call her bluff, a nice tickle under the arm should do the trick. I start madly tickling her but she's not moving a muscle, how can anyone resist this much tickling? Maybe she's not ticklish. What else will get her to stop pretending, a taser to the ribs, slap to the face, dragging her across the ground?

By now I've tried every conceivable way to prove she's joking but none of them have worked, I'm starting to think she's not kidding maybe she really is unconscious. She's going to hate me for this but my last option is a bucket of freezing water to the face, people always wake up from that.

I rummage around the camp, looking in every bag, checking under every table until I find a water bottle in a cooler full of ice. I quickly unscrew the lid and pour the entire contender of the bottle on her face.

Oh no, this isn't good, there must be something seriously wrong if that much icy water hasn't woken her. I really didn't want to have to do this ever in my life but I must try, it's time for CPR.

Thirty compressions here we go, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

Now the part I am dreading, two breaths, 1, 2.

Is she alive? Please let her be alive, no, here we go again, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

This isn't working, why isn't it working?

'Wake up Amanda! Wake up!' I beg, My voice shaking which worry.

She's just lying there motionless, not breathing or anything but it's nothing like when she passed out after jumping out that window, she was breathing then, maybe it's too late. NO! It can't be too late, it just can't be, Amanda can't be dead, she just can't. I won't let her be dead, I won't let this be the end of her.

'WAKE UP!'

I'm shouting at the top of my voice, desperate to change what I think has happened. My shot was too late, if I'd just been five seconds earlier she would still be alive, probably going on about how she was handling it fine, but I was too late, she died before the man did, died trying to save me, died without saying goodbye.

What am I going to tell her parents? Both their children died on this trip. Maybe I'll never get out of this forest and won't have to tell them. I wish I'd never recommended going on this trip, this is worse than the worst possible outcome. We left as a group of three, now only one of us is alive and I'm not even sure if I will be for long, I'm bound to die of starvation out here or get eaten by a wolf. I must put my grief on hold and make getting out of here my number one priority.