Chapter 38: Between Your Eyes

Winter

The golden leaves fell from the trees, and as time drug on, snow covered them, leaving the landscape bare. It seemed to go along with our emotions. The cool air turned into frigid winds, and our once tranquil thoughts turned into awful nightmares. Ellie and I had to face the facts. For the first time in our lives, we only had each other to depend on.

We took this thought to heart, and the air seemed to thicken with every day that passed. This was the most brutal time we'd ever faced, but we still had love in our hearts that we knew would never fade and a responsibility to keep each other alive…among other things.

That day, like every day, the two of us went out to hunt. Our chances of success were greatly increased when we were together. I'd kept the bow that Joel had given me, and Ellie had found her own while we'd searched the woods for a safe place to stay the winter, and she was ten times better at it than I would ever hope to be.

We'd come across a rabbit hopping through a shallow area of snow, and we'd jumped at the opportunity, leaving Gypsy and Callus a few feet away to scrounge for what little vegetation there was to find. Food was scarce for us as well, and the sight of the rabbit made my heart beat quickly with excitement, out of pure habit. We crouched down low, keeping as quiet as possible, despite the wind that was strong enough to toss my hair, which was now tied back in a long braid down my back. I'd had Ellie tie it that way after we left the university. Somehow, it didn't make sense to me to leave it down anymore; it just didn't feel right. Her hair was still in the ever present ponytail.

I nodded at Ellie in silence to not scare the rabbit, letting her now that it was okay for her to take the shoot at this one. I'd shot the last rabbit earlier that day, and my kill was hanging from the side of Gypsy's saddle. We generally took turns with the kills; it was more efficient that way. She nodded in return, and took aim with her bow, turning it sideways. I was obsessed with the fact that she aimed that way. I hadn't seen it being done that way before, and it suited her. She focused on the rabbit, and her eyes narrowed in concentration. She released the bow, and it shot through the side of the rabbit's head, and into the ground. A clean kill.

"I think that's the cleanest one you've done," I said as we both stood, and she walked over to the now dead rabbit, picking up the arrow, and pulling the body off of it before sticking it in her backpack.

"I think so too," she said, walking with me over to the horses, and tying the rabbit to the side of the saddle loosely by the neck. "At least I didn't shoot it through the next this time. That was horrifying."

I nodded, "yeah, I'd rather not see that again." The two of us were trying everything we could think of to keep our spirits up. Now that there was the addition of responsibility that wasn't there before, things got much more serious these days. We kept things pretty light as a counterbalance. It was one of the things keeping us sane.

There was suddenly a rustling in a patch of nearby trees. We turned to look, and I was amazed to see an adult buck foraging in the patch. We'd never seen a deer out in these woods, and it was so close.

"Holy shit," I whispered, and Ellie made an excited noise beside me. A deer could feed us for a good two weeks if we were careful, and we definitely needed it. There was no question of whether or not to go after it. It was on. At that moment, the deer spotted us, and leaped away, sensing our intentions. We tied the horses to a nearby tree because we knew that they would only scare it again. We took up our bows, and darted after the deer, following the footprints in the snow.

When we saw it again, we were far more careful with our movements than we would be with a rabbit or something. So much was riding on this; we had to be extra careful. We crept close enough so that it was in our range, and Ellie nodded at me, giving me permission to fire the first arrow. We knew that wouldn't kill it, but it would definitely slow it down. I draw back my arrow, lined up my bow with my eyes, and fired.

The air was thick with snow, and I couldn't see where the arrow hit exactly, but it must've been somewhere along the back. The deer roared to life, letting out some kind of scream, then darted away again. It would easier to track this time due to the blood that was now dotting the snow.

"Good shot, K," Ellie said supportively. I smiled in return, and we took off, following the blood. Ellie shot it next, and then I did again. Three arrows and still it kept going. The pools of blood were growing larger with each arrow, and yet it still evaded us.

"How is it still alive?" Ellie asked as we ran through the snow.

"I have no idea," I answered. "Animals are weird."

"So are you, and I don't think you could take three arrows," Ellie countered, making me choke on laughter, since my throat was already burning with exertion and cold.

"First of all," I managed. "Fuck you. Second, I could totally handle three bullets. I'm like fucking Achilles."

"Who's that?"

"The guy in Greek mythology?" I asked.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Well, he was all powerful and shit because his mom dipped him in some awesome river or something, and he couldn't be killed at all unless someone got him in the body part that didn't get dunked."

Ellie got a puzzled look on her face despite her panting, "what part was that?"

I thought a moment, "his heel, I think."

"That's stupid," she said with a frown.

"You're telling me…"

Suddenly, the trail of blood led us to an old dilapidated cabin that was more like a frame than an actual cabin. There weren't any doors, and there were very few windows left. The blood pooled all the way through it, so I figured that if it was safe enough for the deer, it was safe enough for us too. Still, there was an air of creepiness about it.

"What is this place?" Ellie asked as we slowed our pace and walked through it toward an opening in the back.

"Looks like it burned a long time ago," I said, noticing the large holes in the roof, allowing snow to fall inside and out of it.

"It's not creepy at all," she said sarcastically, more to herself than me.

"I agree," I said.

We went out an opening in the back of the cabin, and beyond that was what looked like an old abandoned town of some kind. There were still a number of buildings with boards over the windows, and although I would've liked to explore it a little, we didn't have to go that far. The deer was lying in a heap just beyond the cabin, dead. I was glad; I didn't want to waste anymore arrows. I sighed of relief as we walked over to it, and Ellie had a strange look on her face, almost as if she was sad. If she was, I didn't blame her. The deer was beautiful, but this was survival, and we needed it. She knew that.

Suddenly, there was yet another rustling coming from behind us. We whipped around fast, and didn't see any animal, or anyone for that matter. I immediately went on high alert, and raised my bow and arrow, warning whatever it was. Ellie raised hers along with me, and called out, "who's there?!"

There wasn't any kind of response, so I added, "come out!"

Out from behind a tree came too men. One was significantly older than the other one; his skin was sagging with age. He had the workings of a brown beard and a mustache, and he seemed more cautious than his younger counterpart, who was clean-shaven, and looked ready for a fight. Ellie aimed directly at the older man, and I aimed at the younger.

"Hello," the older man called out, putting one hand up a little in submission. "We just wanna talk."

"Any sudden moves, and I put one right between your eyes," Ellie said. A few weeks ago, it would've surprised me to hear her say that, but not now.

"Ditto for buddy boy here," I added.

The older man didn't seem too fazed by us. He just kind of…stood there. "What do you want?" Ellie asked, as if that made her angry.

"Name's David," the man said. "This here is my friend, James." He pointed to the younger man, whose eyes were locked right on mine, waiting for any sign of change. Smart. David didn't break his focus from Ellie.

"We're from a larger group," David went on. "Women…children…we're all very, very hungry."

"So are we," I said. "Women…children…we're all very hungry too." I couldn't tell if they bought the lie, but they went along with it anyway.

"Maybe we can trade you for some of that deer meat," David suggested. "What do you need? We got weapons, ammo, clothes–"

"Medicine!" Ellie cut him off.

Good thinking, Ells. "Do you have any antibiotics?" I added.

"We do," David said, turning to James and back to us periodically as he spoke. What was up with that?

"Back at the camp," he added. "You're welcome to follow us –" He took a step toward her, and that was his mistake.

Immediately, I turned my aim from James to him, and gritted my teeth, "you take one more step towards her, and it'll be the last one you ever take!"

He looked toward me, as if noticing me for the first time. The look in his eyes…there was something off about it. I didn't like it at all. Taking me at my word, he took a few steps back toward his original position. Satisfied, I aimed at James again.

"We're not following you anywhere," Ellie said. "Buddy boy can go get it. He comes back with what we need, the deer's all yours."

"If anyone else shows up–" I added.

"You put one right between my eyes," David interrupted. It wasn't a question.

"You're damn right," I said.

David looked at James, and said, "two bottles of the penicillin and a syringe…and make it fast." James looked back at him, as if he couldn't believe what David was asking of him. He hesitated, and David had to coax him to leave, which he did reluctantly. There was something more going on here, but I didn't know what. I was beginning to be filled with instinctive unease by this man.

"I'll take that rifle," Ellie said, referring to the one sticking out of David's bag draped over his shoulder.

"Of course," David walked cautiously over to her with me aiming at him all the time. He took off his entire bag, and laid it at her feet.

"Back up," she told him, and he did. She put away her bow, took out the hunting rifle, and got it ready to fire, now aiming at him. I now felt it was safe now that she was aiming at him again, so I put away my own bow, and grabbed my trusty revolver from my bag. I hadn't been able to use it since we'd came to these woods, but now was as good a time as any to start using it again. I aimed at David along with Ellie, and I think it surprised him; he hadn't expected us to have more guns.

"He's probably gonna be awhile," David said with a nervous laugh. "You mind if we take some shelter from the cold?"

Ellie nodded at me, silently giving me permission to make this call. I pointed my gun at the deer, "bring him with us." David walked over to the deer, and began to pull it by the antlers toward the ruined cabin. We followed, guns raised, not even bothering to help him.