The Hunting

Chapter 25

Don and Pietra searched the bodies for anything of value. All that they had on them was small knives and a small ration of jerky. Did they send them off to die? What was the goal of the scavengers of doing this? Apparently, the one that Don and Pietra chased had a sword. That would've been nice to have. When Calum and Jaiver finally got back, the sun was starting to come up. Pietra immediately went to Calum and pulled him into a tight embrace. He picked her up and spun her around. They shared a quick kiss as Calum put her back down on the ground. I turned my attention to Jaiver, who surprised me. Instead of the stoic, unreadable Jaiver. His nose was scrunched and his eyebrows were furrowed. He was angry. What's up with him?

Calum spoke, "We need to leave this place now. If we follow the one we got away, it will take us to the scavengers hideout. Quickly, everyone grab your stuff." He paused for a moment and looked at me, "Arden, I'm glad you are alright. Are you any good at tracking?"

"I have never tracked a human before, but yeah I would say I am pretty good."

He gave a quick nod. "You and Pietra are the best trackers. You two will go ahead and scout for us. Try to follow that damn scavengers trail. We will catch up after we gather everything here. Pietra, give her an extra shirt so shes not covered in blood anymore. We have no time for arguing or questions. We need to move."

I quickly grabbed my bow and arrows, my canteen, and some food. Pietra gave me an extra shirt to put on. It was a black short-sleeve shirt. We started up the hill, the one that I walked up last night. When we got to the top of the hill, she immediately started walking. I questioned, "Is this the way he went?"

She nodded, "Yes, Don and I tried to follow him, but we lost him after the next hill. That bastard is going to pay."

I didn't respond and just followed Pietra.

~

Arden almost died. That thought kept running through my mind. Even worse, I could not shake that image of her getting choked out of my head. Why wasn't it me instead? I woke up to hearing Jaiver yelling Arden's name. I ran over to see that man choking her and then luckily, Pietra killed that man. That's what he deserved. I am embarrassed though, I cried in front of her. I should have been there for her, to comfort her. All I did though was make her comfort me. I don't know what I would've done if something were to happen to her. If I ended up making it back the Burrow without her, what would Tatum and Shelby think? What would her mother think? Dammit, why did I have to be asleep? If I wasn't, that man wouldn't have been able to touch – no, not even look at her. I got startled by Don, who patted me on the back. He must know that I am freaking out. I muttered a quick thanks.

It has been a couple of hours since the incident. Pietra and Arden are still way in front of us. By the time we got all of our stuff packed and gathered up, they were long gone. I wonder how Arden is holding up. We didn't do anything with the bodies. That was their decision. Back at the Burrow, we set either bury or burn up the dead. Seeing their bodies and leaving them to rot in the elements was hard for me to agree with, but those assholes probably wouldn't have given us the same courtesy.

I overheard Calum and that guy talking about strategy. That's the most I have heard him speak. I guess he can be good for something. I didn't bother tuning in however, anything I say will most likely brushed off. Also, I'm not all fond of listening to that guy's voice anyways. I smiled lightly when I thought about Arden and how intently she would be listening to their conversation. She would probably try to give some input as well. I seriously hope she is okay. We continued to walk on, but then something Calum said caught my attention.

"We are probably going to have to send some of the group ahead when we get to the canyons. We need to be stealthy because we don't know where those slugs are hiding we have to be wary."

Jaiver agreed, "That would be smart, but what about if we get caught. We are as good as dead if there isn't all of us."

Calum responded, "That's the risk we have to take. We can't afford all of us to get caught. If someone buys their attention, the rest of us can be back up. I think our best bet is Pietra, Arden, and Don. Don, you're really good at navigating and hiding. If you could line Arden up with a shot she could take some of -"

I interrupted Calum before he could finish, "No. No way. Arden does not kill people, she never will. She is not an animal to sacrifice. She is different from the rest of us. She deserves better than to go out by some bastards hand."

Our group stopped walking as Jaiver spoke up, "That's not your choice to make."

"Neither is it any of yours. Arden, is a skilled archer, a sharp, quick-minded person, and on top of all that she is one hell of a woman. I would rather die before I let you lot send her off to her death."

Don held his hands up, "Why don't we all compromise and just ask her?"

I snapped, "Of course she will agree if you ask her. That's the kind of person she is! She won't think of the consequences."

Jaiver responded eyes narrow stepping towards me, "It sounds like you're trying to make that decision for her."

I refuted, "That's because I know her."

Jaiver was about to respond, but Calum stepped in between us, "Alright. Let's stop this nonsense. We will wait until we catch up with them to decide. We will ask Arden, but not pressure her. Can we agree on that and continue walking? I don't know about the rest of you, but I am uncomfortable with the thought of Pietra and Arden being alone for too long."

All of us were quiet as there was a unanimous agreement that we needed to check up with the girls as soon as possible.