The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 9

Winter wasn't bad at all, although there is a grey cloud overhead over Vix and it's gonna come down hard. It'll be the worst winter in any season. Walking along the path she hunts in the forest for a bit, searching for whatever food was available. Then Vix managed to draw her bow at alone snowy rabbit that crawled from its hole. Vix, as a talented archer since as a three year old, use the direction of the wind for the arrow trajectory. She breathed deep before letting the arrow sore through the air and hit her target. The arrow pierced right through the neck of the small animal, a good kill. Feeling victorious over finding some food Vix pulled the arrow out of her kill, examining it the size and weight of the rabbit.

"This won't last very long. Not much meat." She muttered out loud, tying the rabbit to her waist.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, Vix spotted a big single mule buck, walking over to a frozen creek, across her path. That buck is sure to be eighty pounds of meat. Very carefully and very slowly she sneaks with the wind in the east which covers her scent and the noise she walks on the snow.,

She slowly slides on a slope to catch up on a tree to hide. The deer unnoticed anything, scraping the bark of a branch bustle. Notching the arrow, pulled, aimed at the neck, and released. The deer didn't drop, he screeched and ran. She tracks the deer for almost what felt like a full mile, sinking each arrow into the animal twice while trying to ignore the freezing weather and minor frostbite from the exposed skin of her hands clutching the bow. Vix finally managed to track the deer out of the forest to an abandoned settlement, an empty warehouse. The sight alone sent shivers down her spine while trying to overcome the terrible feeling in her gut. Luckily the deer was dead when she found it right in the middle of the settlement, but before she got any closer she heard twigs snap underfoot.

She quickly drew her bow towards the sound. "Who's there?" Vix spoke, "Come out." She barked.

Then two men came from behind a tree, one was tall and had shaggy dark hair with a beard displaying his features. He held his hand out in a friendly posture while the other dressed rather warmly than the other with a beanie hat.

"Hello. We just want to talk." The stranger said.

"Any sudden moves and I'll put one right between your eyes. Ditto for buddy boy, over there." Vix kept her eyes trained on the intruders. "Put your weapons down, now."

Hesitantly the man with the beanie wasn't complying but the other dropped his rifle on the ground, hissing him to take his out. He threw the pistol at the ground. "What do you want?"

"Um, my name's Robert, this here is my friend James." He introduced himself, his voice as friendly yet deceiving. "We're from a larger group. Women, children, we're all very hungry."

Vix scoffed. "So am I. Women and children. We're all very hungry too." She lied, trying to give the intruders a sense that there were more of her.

Robert nodded, liking the spite of this girl. "Well uh, m-maybe we could offer a trade for some of that meat there. What do y' all need? Weapons, ammo, clothes-"

"Medicine." Vix didn't need medicine. She acted as desperate, wanted to lure them, wanting to see who they really were, if they are the Claimers or someone else. "You got any antibiotics?"

He looked at James and nodded. "W-We do, back at camp. You're welcome to follow us-"

"I'm not following you anywhere." Vix barked. "James can go get it. He comes back with what I need the deer is all yours. If anyone else shows up-"

"You put one right between my eyes." Robert seemed to nod, turning to James. "Two bottles of penicillin with a syringe, make it fast." James rose to object but was interrupted. "Get going!" Robert ordered.