Guardian Hunter

I don't know when I started to have dreams. They suddenly just came to me, like a robber in the night. One morning I woke sweaty and screaming loud enough to scare Hunt, a hunter, to go running off somewhere. The problem with dreams are, you don't get to remember what you were screaming about when you wake up. Sure fragments and pieces cling together to make enough sense, but all I see were hands holding up when I was a baby, bright light, gunshots, and Hunt running, leaping towards me.

I get up and sling the rifle on my shoulder. Sleeping in a bed, no matter how old, dust and moldy it looked, was something I could get used to, but from here on out, it would be open spaces and trees. Snow was slowly falling and it was getting colder and colder. It had been a week since going separate ways with Jake and the two girls. I already miss their company. I pillage whatever there was still in the house and walk out into the front yard. Hunt had returned with a dead cat in his mouth.

"Hunt, ew. You can have that" I said and he growls before dumping it on the ground and leaving it to crawl up next to me. "We should get going, if snow falls again like yesterday, it'll be an inch higher and harder to walk on by tomorrow, it's best to get going—

"Why am I explaining things again to you?"

He tilts his head before doing a low growl, I shrug and we start moving. Half way through the day, we stop a broken down gas station. Three infected were walking about and were easily killed off by me with a bullet to the skull. I hadn't let Hunt attack any infected for a while, I want to feel like I still have a handle on the situation and I won't let any infected protect me like a damsel in distress. I'm a daughter of an army general, of course I need to be tough.

"Hunt, mind go scouting up a mile or two up on south?"

He cocks his head towards me and I almost got a glimpse of his eyes but he moves to quickly and leaps out into the window behind me. I hear him leaping and running and before a minute passed, it was all quiet again. I look around for anything to eat or any piece of clothing to add on my jacket and leather shoes because every freakin' day it gets colder and colder. I need to find him before I die by frostbite.

I find a pair of unused gloves under a pile of plywood, they're a perfect fit and doesn't have large holes in them unlike the ones I was wearing right now. I check the backroom and found a small restroom. A small enough space for one person to be in at a time. I look at the mirror and I see the effects of the nightmares. The dark eyes were clearly visible even with my dark chocolate skin—I'm starting to have white hair?! Three strands of white hair dangle in front of me, their curls only making me want to pull them out.

With a sigh, I walked out of the restroom just in time to see an old man take out his pistol from its holster. I jump over the counter and grab my rifle, he points the gun at me and I point mine at him. I hear snow crunching outside and I know its Hunt, I just hope he doesn't enter the—

Hunt jumps from the window and lands directly on the old man. He starting shooting blindly as Hunt tries to subdue him by using his… hands? He was using his hands to swat the gun away instead of biting the old man. The man was screaming and yelling for help. I immediately knew he wasn't alone.

"Hunt! Leave, now! They're coming for him" I say and Hunt lets go of him but grabs the gun with his mouth and jumps back out from the window he came in. the old man was whimpering in shock and surprise. I hear another set of voices from outside and just before I can crawl through the window, I hear a voice call out to me.

"Andrea?"

I slowly turned around. My eyes started to water, god it hurts to keep the tears in. There on the front door of the gas station was a man, he was roughly around his 40's. He had grown a beard that covered his lower face from philtrum to chin, he was tanner now than the last time I saw him. I wouldn't recognize him now, but I do, because I can never forget the face of my dad.

"Dad?"

Hunt suddenly bursts back through the window. I was scared that they'd shoot him but they didn't.

"Hunter? What are you doing here?" dad asked Hunt.

Hunt growled. I thought I misheard or maybe my mind was playing tricks on me that this was just a dream but I heard him, I heard from his growl a word, one word that sent chills to my spine.

Hunt said Nelly.

Mom.