*The reviews, though few, were absolutely fantastic! They were detailed and told me what I did wrong. They were constructive, kind, and definately helpful. Thank you so much! I will edit some things out/in. I hope you enjoy how the story is going and I will try to make it better as I go along. Here is my new chapter! Hope it is better to all of your liking. Please, please, please more reviews. I fixed up some things in the last chapter if you want to check that out as well :)*
I can't breathe. I have no idea what to do. Do I shoot him? What other choice do I have? I fumble for my small pistol, but my hands are trembling too much. The air gets tight around me. The odd, impressionist paintings seem to morph into him. His cold stare, blood...blood everywhere. I lean against the wall, listening to the fast thumps against my chest.
Eventually, I find air again. My hands shaking, I prepare to shoot. The cool metal feels nice against my sweaty hands. I point the gun at him forever. He has these children with him now. It seems like the right thing to do. Shoot him down before he kills anyone else. I point the gun at him forever, but I realize something. The Hunters. They will destroy Joel and his people in a snap. I don't have to ruin my good streak by killing a man who is about to die anyways.
I sit back down. My head against the wall. I should tell the kids. They're my age. The problem is that I have no way to get to them with Joel seeing me and shooting me on sight. I have to pretend I didn't see them, laughing on the streets, shoving each other playfully. I have to pretend that this is for the greater good and won't haunt me forever.
The door below creaks open. I gasp. The splinter impaling closet doors creak louder than they ever have when I shut them behind me. I throw some clothes on the food and slip under my heavy pile. It smells even worse now. It smells like a mixture of perfume and sweat. They suffocate me, my breathing harsh and as quiet as I can make it. The voices from below grow louder.
The doorknob to the bedroom is turned back and forth. "Goddamnit," a gruff voice says. Joel. He will find a way in. The doorknob rattles harder and the terrifying click bites the air. I bite my tounge. The door opens. Joel tosses stuff around, opening cabinets and the dresser.
The doors to the closet slam open. He must hear my heart beating. It sounds like thunder, he has to hear it. Finally, after what seems like hours, he sighs and his footsteps creak away. My hands clench onto the clothes, hoping that he would just leave.
The kids interest me though. Joel, the evil Hunter, hauling kids and another man around with him. Seems very strange. It is so stupid. So utterly stupid, but I stand up once they leave. I stand for a while, my wit fighting against my curiousity. Curiousity wins easily. Slowly, I pile the dented cans into my backpack. That makes it heavier, heavy enough to slow me down. That doesn't matter. There can't be too many of those things near by. The Hunters cleared the area.
I slip through the house and shots rumble through the lower area. I jump onto a roof and see a sniper and several Hunters emerging from the woodwork. I pull my gun up, waiting until my hands get steadier. I pull the trigger and a Hunter falls to the ground. I slide off the roof before the Hunters see me. They yell something about Joel. They are focused on him. I can slip through easily.
I have seen a lot of death. I have smelled, touched, seen, hear, and tasted death in my life time. I have been close to it, I have ran from it, but it always finds me. I take a deep breath, keeping the things that Hunters do in my head. They are bad people, I can't dwell on the fact that I killed one.
I put my back against the wall, huddled in the corner. A Hunter passes by and I shoot him before he notices me. I jump through the shattered window. I grunt, biting my lip until a droplet of warm blood slides down my chin. I wipe it and examine the pain on my leg. A long gash from the sharp glass. It stings horribly, leaving a thin blanket of red on my grimy leg. I sit on the ground, covered by a counter.
My fingers worm into my wound and I gasp in the clean air. I keep my eyes foused on the strange designs on the cool floor. The glass is halfway out. The swirls become blurred, blue and white blobs. The glass falls to the ground. Where is the ground again? I feel the cool floor with my hand. There it is. The swirls become defined once again.
I push myself off the ground. A gun materializes in front of me. I blink to see a Hunter with a wide grin on his face. His hair is dark brown and wild with a build that towers over me. I could never beat him in hand to hand combat, even if I had a good leg.
I won't be spared even though I'm a kid. Hunters don't have any mercy, not one speck of it. The Hunter's finger rests comfortably on the trigger. Then blood splatters on my face. The Hunter's blood, a gun shot wound resides on his wide, dark forhead. He falls to the ground.
On the other side of the counter stands Joel. I fumble for my gun. I pull it up and point it at Joel. "Now you get that gun out, boy?" he asks. I don't bring the gun down. He puts his gun on the counter. "Look. I'm gonna take care of these Hunters. You hide out here. I'll come get you when it is all cleared out." I blink. Thoughts rush through my head. My hands suddenly stop trembling and my breathing slows down considerably. I pull the trigger.