Life with Hunters

Ch 14 Old friends now enemies

The barn had become our temporary home for the winter as things got too cold to keep moving. There was a lot of snow too which made it nearly impossible to keep on the road. Since the hunters weren't bothered by the cold like Jacob and I were, they went out more often than not to find us supplies, fire wood, food, clothes, and other necessities. Since there was snow Jacob and I used that for our water supply for the most part, but the hunters would search for water when they went out. Occasionally Jacob or I would go out with the hunters on the supply runs and when we got lucky we would find a lot of things that we needed. But more often than not we didn't find a whole lot. Which was expected by anyone surviving outside any safe zones, since the scavengers from the zones usually cleaned everything out when they found a place that had useful items. But with what little was left people made do. Lots of the big safe zones had been over run by infected so often supplies are found in the ruins of those. But they're few and far between so they're difficult to find unless one really knows where they're going. I figured the hunters were likely going to those old zones to find supplies whenever they didn't bring back any game. But lately everyone has been noticing another set of footprints in the snow near the barn. We knew they didn't belong to the hunters, or Jacob and I. None of us were sure who the footprints belonged to. All we knew was that there were four people. Other than that we didn't know if they were survivors or infected. But whatever they were, it made everyone uncomfortable that they were scouting out the barn. So we started taking even more extra precautions than we had been before. Such as only leaving about 3 quarters to half of the pack at the barn, having Jacob and I staying at the barn with those of the pack that didn't go out on the supply runs, covering and barricading all possible entries into the barn like the windows, and trying to camouflage the barn so it was harder for others to find. The hunters were constantly on edge and hardly slept. So Jacob implemented a night watch shift system that allowed the hunters to sleep and still be on guard in turns. Every morning we would find more of the same footprints around the barn, closer and closer each time, until they were right up against the walls and doors of the barn. By now we figured out the foot prints were from survivors as there was a consistent pattern to how they closed in on the barn, trying to find a way inside. Now there was the fact that we didn't know who these survivors were. They could've been from the camp Jacob and I left after the hunters came to get me. Which was our first assumption, but then we wondered why only four of them were out here and if maybe they had been kicked out somehow. It was plausible so we made sure to always be armed in some way as we didn't know what these survivors were planning other than wanting to break into the barn. Eventually Jacob and I stopped going out with the hunters all together so we could protect the barn. The hunters kept the system of sending out small groups of the pack for supplies. I kept peering outside through little subtle peep holes in the windows out of paranoia. Jacob was doing the same while the hunters listened and sniffed the air for unfamiliar scents of unwanted guests. The atmosphere was tense and everyone being on edge made things tough to keep some peace within the pack. The hunters were getting agitated with each other along with Jacob and I. The only reason we didn't fight was because we all knew we had bigger problems to focus on than bickering amongst each other. By night fall after yet another supply run to keep our food and fire wood stocked the mystery survivors finally showed themselves by trying to break in through one of the windows. The hunters attacked first, going outside through a hidden entrance they made in the barn to get in and out without being detected. I heard four familiar girls scream as they were pinned down and their attack halted. Jacob and I ran outside and low and behold it was my old friends, Jasmine, Danitta, Breezy and Chloe. Granted they were confused as to why the hunters weren't just ripping them into confetti, they all glared daggers at me when they saw me come outside. I glared back as I didn't like my temporary home being attacked, for survival reasons or not.

     "Hello girls. I assume we don't need to ask for an explanation as to why you tried breaking into the barn." I crouched down in front of Jasmine. Jacob raised a brow at the obvious fact that I knew these girls.

     "You know these for?" Jacob asked while standing only a couple steps behind me. I nodded at his question.

     "I was friends with them in school before the outbreak. But now as you can see we're merely enemies. Just because I didn't want to go with them when I bumped into them at a mall in Georgia." I glanced at Jacob briefly then looked back at my former friends.

     "You're a selfish bitch you know that Emiko." Jasmine growled at me.

     "Takes one to know one." I snapped back at her before standing up to me feet.

     "We just wanted a place to get out of the cold." Breezy squirmed in the snow making the hunter pinning her down growl at her angrily and push her face into the snow.

     "And you thought you would take this barn that was clearly inhabited." I crossed my arms.

    "Inhabited means supplies." Danitta pointed out.

    "True, but inhabited also means people going to defend their shelter and supplies." Jacob glared at the girls on the ground as he walked up beside me.

    "You call these monsters people? You both have lost your minds." Chloe looked between Jacob and I when she said this.

    "You think you four are anymore sane? Don't flatter yourselves." I shook my head at them. "You're lucky I don't just have the hunters eat you all here and now. Even though I should so that way you don't come back."

    "Then what are you going to do." Jasmine said in a mocking tone like she thought I was bluffing. I smirked at her.

    "I could either have the hunters infect you all and let you all turn, or I could kill you all myself and leave your bodies for scavenger animals to find and eat. Because I sure as hell am not gonna let you all go." I paced slowly in front of the girls. "Take your pick." They all stared at me like I was a different person. In a way I would agree with them. They were different people as well so no one really had any room to talk. Jacob looked at me before asking the question on everyone's mind.

    "Do you really want them dead? They were your friends." He asked this cautiously, not sure what my answer would be.

    "The key word in that sentence is "were". They WERE my friends. Not anymore. But I have enough humanity left in me to let them choose how they want to die. I assume they don't want to be infected but that's mostly my option if they decide to purposefully continue poking at my buttons." I said keeping my arms crossed and my glare firm. Jacob just nodded at my answer. He must've figured I would say that. The girls all gawked at me like they had expected me to just welcome them in with open arms. Maybe I would have at an earlier time but certainly not now. Especially after they ridiculous antics. And not after they pissed me off. The hunters waited for an answer as silence settled over everyone. I keep my eyes on the girls as I waited for them to choose. Granted I fully expected them not to choose at all since both options meant death, but I wanted to see what they would say. They couldn't get out of the mess they started so they had to choose something. And soon other wise they could get hypothermia from laying in the snow for too long along with frost bite.

      "Well? What's your choice? You gotta choose soon or suffer hypothermia and frost bite." I tapped my foot as I stared right into the girls eyes.