In The Dark (Sequel To Light) -Clementine/Louis, Clouis, Louisentine

Chapter 4

The one thing he hated about hunting is hearing the rabbits panicked squeaks as it was held upside down, ensnared in the rope trap hanging by the trees. While he knows that its something they have to do in order to eat so they can have a chance of surviving, it never fails to make him feel awful knowing that the poor innocent creatures screams of fear were all due to his doing, to his own traps.

The one caught in this trap was particularly plump, more so than the ones he usually sees. Surely that was a good thing though -bigger rabbits meant more meat -and more meat meant more food for everyone back at the school.

Still, something about it seemed familiar, something that made his hands hesitate as he wrapped his hands around the animals neck, ready to snap.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!"

Louis turned from the trap, hand still placed around its neck to see Aasim jogging over to him with a few rabbits in his own hands, hanging by their ears. Louis cocks his head in questioning as to why Aasim stopped him when Aasim eventually gets to his side, stepping closer to inspect the rabbit in the snare.

"We've gotta release this one," Aasim tells him, placing the rabbits in his hands on the ground before beginning to untie the knots holding the live rabbit in place.

"What for?" Louis asks, releasing his grip on the animal.

"You didn't notice how big this one seemed?"

"Yeah, that's exactly why I was about to kill it..."

"It's big for a reason; this ones pregnant, if we kill it than we're also killing future rabbits, which could be future meals," Aasim tells him, finally pulling the knot free and releasing the rabbit from the snares tight grip.

Aasim keeps a gentle yet firm hold on the rabbit, kneeling down to the ground and letting the rabbit crawl out of his hands, swiftly hopping away and into the forest, out of sight.

"Lets just hope nothing else gets it, huh Aasim?" Louis jokes, turning away from where he watched the rabbit disappear to. To his surprise, Aasim is no longer kneeling on the ground. In fact, Aasim isn't even there anymore.

"Aasim?"

Louis whirled around on the spot, taking in the surrounding forest, unable to see Aasim anywhere nearby. Aasim was literally just there a second ago, there's no way he could have disappeared into the forest that quickly.

"Aasim!"

Something wasn't right. Not just Aasim vanishing into thin air, but something about the entire forest wasn't right. It was...much too quiet. The usual symphony of singing birds was gone, the occasional groan of a walker not to be heard, not even the usual whistling of the wind through the trees. It was as if time had frozen, leaving only him.

Except, it wasn't just him.

An all too familiar figure was shrouded in the shadows of the forest, not too far from him. Any other time, seeing them would bring him a sense of comfort, but now it sent a cold feeling of dread down his spine.

Because he shouldn't be here. Not when he saw that bullet go through his head.

"M--Marlon?"

Louis took a step back in horror as Marlon slowly advanced towards him, no longer covered by the darkness of the treeline. The sky had suddenly shifted, day turning to night within a split second, only able to see by the unnaturally bright moonlight that shone down on the two of them.

He wished there wasn't any moonlight. Because now, he could clearly see the gaping hole in Marlon's forehead, small streams of blood trickling out from the wound. Yet, Marlon still approached, giant smile on his face as he stepped closer and closer.