"We don't get a whole lot of creepers way out here in the sticks. And when we do, it makes for great target practice."
Ben listened idly to Amelia's ramblings as he walked beside her through the woods, rifle in hand. Dead leaves softly crunched underfoot and rays of sunlight poked through the tops of the trees, reflecting off dew drops on the forest floor.
"Like Dad said, we stay away from cities and big groups. It's worked out pretty well for us so far." Amelia continued chatting animatedly with the boy. "When it all started, we raided Dad's pharmacy and grabbed as much as we could, so we've been sittin' pretty out here ever since. Sick? Boom. We got antibiotics. Injured? Boom. We got painkillers."
She turned her head to him then. Her face fell when she noticed that Ben was simply staring ahead, a faraway look on his face. He hadn't said a word to her since they left the camp. "Ben? You good?" Amelia's eyebrows were knitted together in concern.
He looked back at her, seemingly snapping back to reality. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm f-fine."
"You don't seem fine," Amelia said, frowning. "You seem nervous."
Ben shrugged. "I just don't know you guys."
"Pfft. Look, if we were bad people, you wouldn't be here right now," Amelia assured him. "We probably would've just left you there."
"But do you guys trust me?" Ben asked carefully.
Amelia's eyebrows raised for a split second, then she stared at ground and thought for a moment, before she looked back up at Ben and said, "If we thought you were a bad guy, we would've left you out there."
Ben gave a start when he suddenly felt Amelia's hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He looked to see her smiling up at him. This was the first time he'd really gotten a good look at her - the sunlight really made her green eyes pop and gave her dirty blonde hair, still neatly coiled in a bun, a certain sheen to it. Her freckles stood out even more on her pale face. He sincerely hoped she didn't notice the faint pink blush he could feel blooming on his face. "Try to relax, man."
They stood like this for only a few seconds - though it felt much longer than that to Ben as he awkwardly averted his eyes - until something caught the corner of Amelia's eye, her head snapping in its direction. "Get down!"
Before Ben could even react, Amelia swiftly dived behind a nearby bush, and Ben followed suit. "What is it? Walkers?" he whispered to her.
"No, look!"
They peeked up from their hiding place to see a deer standing in the distance.
"That's a big ol' buck, ain't he?" Amelia whispered. "I don't think he saw us. If we can get him, we'll be eatin' good for days!" She looked at Ben. "You think you can get him from here?"
"I-I think so," Ben whispered back to her.
Amelia, though, could see Ben begin to clam up. "Okay, just take a deep breath and relax. Hold it steady, and most importantly, do not be afraid," she directed him.
Ben nodded. He shouldered the rifle and peered through the scope, aiming it at the buck. Time seemed to slow all around him as he inhaled deeply through his nose and slowly squeezed the trigger.
The sound of the shot rang through the trees and birds flew off in every direction.
Then the buck's hind legs kicked out. He ran hard for a good thirty yards, then slowed to a staggering walk like someone who'd had just a bit too much to drink. His tail twitched erratically as he did his best to stay on his feet. Moments later, he fell to the forest floor with a loud thud and lay motionless.
"Damn!" Amelia exclaimed, patting Ben on the back. "Nice shootin,' Tex!"
She bolted in the direction the deer had gone, following the trail of blood, and Ben ran after her. He couldn't quite keep up, though, as his leg was still not fully healed. "Hey, can you slow down?" he called after her.
When he finally caught up, he found Amelia gazing down at their kill, her hands resting on her, panting from running so hard. "You got him right in the heart! Nice job. Now help me get him back to camp."
Ben stooped down as he was about to help Amelia drag the heavy buck, when suddenly the all too familiar stench of rotten flesh wafted through the air and the distinctive groaning of a walker could be heard from somewhere in the woods. He looked up to find the source of the noise, eyes widening when the walker crept dangerously close to Amelia.
"Oh, shit, Amelia!" he shouted.
Amelia scrambled to her feet and reached for knife, but before her brain could fully register what was happening, Ben, without any hesitation, sprang to his feet and jammed the butt of the rifle into the walker's face, knocking it to the ground. He then stomped its head in with a sickening crunch.
"Fuck," Amelia breathed, her heart practically pounding out of her chest, still clutching at the handle of the knife in the holster on her thigh. Had Ben not reacted as quickly as he did, she'd be dead meat. "You saved me. Thank you."
"I can't believe I just did that..." Ben said with astonishment. He never knew he had it in him.
"I can." A wide grin broke out on Amelia's face them. "That was fucking awesome. You're fucking awesome!"
Ben rubbed at the back of his neck bashfully. "I... you're welcome." He then noticed her digging through the dead walker's pants pockets. "What are you doing?"
"I always loot their bodies," Amelia said. "Never know, you might find something useful." She brought her hands out of its pockets and shook her head. "He's got nothing."
She stood and flashed Ben a mischievous smile, then, much to his horror, she walked over to him, dragging the walker by the wrist. She thrust its hand out towards him. "I gotta hand it to ya, Ben, for a guy who can only 'kind of' shoot a gun, you did good today."
"Jesus, Amelia!" Ben shrieked, jumping away, laughing beside himself. The first time he'd laughed in a long time. "That's so disgusting!"
"I made ya laugh, though," Amelia said with a smug smile. She dropped the walker's limp arm and stepped back over to the buck, grabbing hold of his antlers. "Now c'mon, let's get out of here."