Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 6

Levi

I glanced around the study hall as usual, trying to find new faces and expectedly coming up short. With a sigh I returned to my math, rather disinterested in the unit circle. Watching paint dry sounded more entertaining, and I meant that in the most honest sense possible.

I didn’t mean to wrap myself up in the entire thing, the entire “kill someone and get their trait” deal, but there I was, trying to find a stranger on a hit list. I wouldn’t blame Casey, but she was the reason I had ever cared about it all. Before, I had nothing to offer. Now, I had an incredible fighting ability that everyone vied for, yet a reputation that kept it safe.

I skimmed over how before, so since I’ve got nothing to do for 38 minutes in study hall, I might as well go through the trouble of completing the story of elusive Casey Lamoureaux and outlier Levi Wolfe.

Again, it was summer after sophomore year for me, summer after graduation for her. July 9th, the date’s unforgettable. I was sleeping very soundly that night, like any other summer night when my phone rang and nearly scared me out of my socks again.

“Hello?” I said, trying to slow my palpitating heart. I really had to change my ringtone.

“Levi, help.”

I did a double take. “Casey?”

“Yes, please come help me, I’m south of Euclid on—“ There was silence.

“Case?” I asked, getting up and pacing the room. “Casey, tell me what’s going on.”

“Fucking help me!” The phone went dead, and I stopped in my tracks for a brief moment. I still regret waiting those few seconds, because I could’ve saved her if I had just acted right away.

But I threw sweatpants and the leather jacket on, padding as soft as possible out the door and jumping into my car. I reached underneath my seat and felt for the gun, finding the barrel and then checking the secret center console compartment for my knife. I sped down the street and pulled the gun out, keeping it in my lap and getting the knife out as well. Whatever happened, it had to be bad, and I couldn’t have too much protection. I had never gotten into a fight before that night.

I pulled over at the side of Euclid and slipped the gun in my waistband and knife in an inside pocket, sprinting down it. It was the street with nothing but woods on one side, where a lot of attempts happened. I tried to push the thought away as best as possible and turned into the woods, sprinting over fallen trees and through brush, hoping to stumble across her alive and well, maybe a scratch from battling a raccoon or some shit, I didn’t know. Anything but the obvious.

A gunshot sounded with a split second of scream not too far ahead of me, and I ran faster, pulling out the combat knife. “Casey!” I yelled. I heard a muffled scream, and then the sound of something cracking. “CASE!”

I burst onto the scene, Casey sprawled out on the ground with a bleeding leg, pipe in one hand and a dazed 20 year old guy on the ground beside her, moaning. She looked up at me, face paler than usual and painstakingly smiling. “Oh god, Levi.”

“What the fuck happened?” I demanded, still gripping the knife and extremely out of breath. I didn’t see the gunshot wound in her calf until then. “Oh no.”

The guy moaned again and reached for something in his reach with terribly shaking hands. I stomped my foot on the gun and kicked it back, away from his reach, dropping the knife and getting my own gun out, keeping it trained on the confused mess of a human being.

“Do it,” Casey said. “He’s a goner and already in pain.”

I looked to her a bit shocked, but she didn’t acknowledge me. I turned back to the guy. Light brown hair, brown eyes. Strong, very muscular. Someone who had done this before, I was certain by how many different weapons he had on him. He moaned again.