Staring death in the eye

~1~

I look through my binoculars as I stare out into the forested area.
It's cold. Way too cold for my liking but when you have to work, you don't get to pick the weather that you work in.

I let out a breath and watch as it turns into a cloud of vapor.
My hands would be numb if it want for the leather gloves that are wrapped securely around them.

I look back into the lenses of my binoculars and scan the area for my target.

A big apex elephant will make a decent prize and I should be able to sell it for enough money to afford a weeks worth of meals.
I pull my lip rings between my teeth as as my lips curl into a grin.
A hug elephant stomps through the trees as it grazes.
Most elephants live in the safari but not here on planet Vermin.

Planet Vermin consist of five regions. South, west, north, east, and center.

The south region is dry and my least favorite of the five regions. The blazing sun beats down on you and at night you practically freeze as the temperature drops with out warning.
The south region is ugly and covered in nothing but sand for miles.

The west region is an ocean land. You have to cross a bridge over water to get into it unless you're an alien that can breath underwater. I'm not very fond of the west region but they have good food so I don't mind stopping for a visit.

The north region is where I am right now. There's two sections in it.
The rain forest section and the forest section. Trees as tall as sky scrapers cover the entire area and villages are hidden in plain sight. Moss covers every surface making it slippery and disgusting.
As of now I lie right between the rain forest section and the forest section but thankfully it's not raining at the moment.

Different tribes populate the north region and unlike the south region they are farmers and hunters.

The east region is a mountain range and it takes second place for my least favorite.
Trekking through the mountains is hard work and it's not worth it if you're only going to get paid five tokens for your bounty.
I have lots of respect for the villages who do live up there though. They work hard to find water and food and survive in the frigid climate.

Lastly, the center region. The center region is the big city. It's a junk yard town.
With a huge city in the center and then rubble and debris on the outside it makes for a good scavenger area. If I'm ever looking to make a couple bucks I'll go to the outer region and collect the remains of old ships and weapons.

The center region is where I call home. Unfortunately for me I live on the outer side. The big city is for the rich and I have never been rich or wealthy. I have a small hut set up on the outskirts.
It might not be pretty but it's home.
The home of a bounty hunter.

I grab my gun and look trough the view finder as I aim at the large elephant.
I know I'm going to have to be quick. It's going to take a couple hits to take this big boy down.

I bite my lip as I concentrate.

Once my gun is lined up with the center of the elephant I pull the trigger several times.

A loud scream echos through the forest and ends with a big thud.

"Yes!" I cheer as I stand up and put my sniper back on my back.

I scramble down the hill quickly.
There are plenty of other bounty hunters in the area that would love to claim my kill for themselves.

I run through the moist area and hold my breath as I try not to slip on the moss that lines the ground.

As I reach my kill I throw my net around it.

"Hey that's mine!" A voice yells off in the distance.

My head snaps over towards the voice and I glare at the bounty hunter.

"I just killed this thing. It's not yours," I shout as I strap the net around it.

The bounty hunter jogs towards me as he eyes my prize.

"I saw it first. It's mine," he growls as he looks at it.

"You wish buddy. I killed it. It's mine," I say as I put the straps onto my shoulders.

He scoffs and grabs at my kill.

I pull a smaller gun out of my pants and point it at him.

"It's mine! Back off!" I warn him as I point my gun at him.

He grumbles and rolls his eyes. He puts his hands up in surrender as he walks away.

I drag my bounty up the hill and huff. These things are always so heavy.

Once I get up the hill I lay down in the damp grass. I don't care that my hair is all muddy now.
I take a moment to catch my breath before standing up again.
I look down the hill and see my hover bike.

A groan escapes my lips as I beginning dragging the extremely heavy elephant down the hill.
Sweet drips down my face causing my makeup to smear down and coat my cheeks.

My face mask feels sticky and unpleasant.

My arms are sore and screaming at me but my stomach growls telling them to suck it up and continue dragging the elephant.

Food can be scarce depending on what class you are. While the rich sit in their golden chairs feasting and sipping wine everyone else either hunts or begs for food and shelter.
I usually eat one meal a day which is why I'm quite skinny.

This kill will give me the money for food which I desperately need.

I smile as I finally reach my bike.

I throw the elephant down and place my hands on my knees as I bend over and pant.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead as I sit down for a moment.

"They better give me a good amount for this," I grumble as I look over at the dead animal.

I groan as I get back up and begin strapping the animal to my hover bike.

Once it's strapped in I swing my legs over the seat and rev up the engine.
My hair blows in the wind as I speed off through the forest and towards base point.