Chapter XII

"What do you think?" asked Peter, handing over a recurve bow to Anna.

She gripped it with one hand and weighted it to get a feeling for wood and fibreglass into her fingers. Then she raised her other hand and ran it along the arc and stopped at the end where a string was attached. Slowly, her hand descended and her fingers gripped the string at the nocking point. She halted there and raised the bow and drew back the Kevlar wire.

"It's a good bow," she said and released the bowstring. "It's pretty similar to the one I used to have."

"So, you're ready then?"

"I'm gonna need some arrows if you want me to shoot anything," she answered with a laugh.

"Oh, right!" He turned around and walked over to the armoury. As soon as he was out of my sight Anna put the bow on the table next to us, wrapped her arms around my body and pushed me against the wall. Her quick action surprised me so I had no chance of protesting. I couldn't contain the quiet moan when she pressed her lips against the pulse point on my neck and nibbled on my skin.

"Mm, Anna, Peter will walk on us any second ..." My eyes were shut and all coherent thoughts were slowly fading away with each stroke of Anna's tongue.

"It's just one kiss ..." She lifted her head and trailed kisses along my jaw until she reached my lips and gave them a lingering kiss. I kissed her back fiercely and buried my fingers into her shoulders, pulling her deeper into my body. Even though my muscles were sore from woodcutting with Mr. Davis a day before that didn't stop me from turning us around and lifting Anna so it was her who was pinned against the wall now.

"I found this quiver that's–woah, holy-okay, khm."

We broke apart, both breathing heavily, at the sound of Peter's voice. Busted. Again. His back was facing us when I turned around. "Oh, sorry, um, we're done here," I said. I could feel a blush creeping up my neck and cheeks.

"Are we?" whispered Anna, so only I could hear her. A pout was forming on her lips.

"Yes," I laughed and planted one last kiss on her forehead which quickly erased the pout. "C'mon, we've got some work to do," I said to spare Peter, who was awkwardly fiddling with the arrows' fletchings, from further embarrassment and wrapped my arm around Anna's waist.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"Oh, that's okay, I didn't mean to interrupt but we're rolling in about thirty minutes so we better get packed. You know how to use a gun?"

"Yes, I'm not really good with anything else though," I answered and tapped the gun holster on my left hip.

"Alright." Then he handed a quiver with arrows to Anna. "I hope this will suffice. We're running low on the number of arrows."

"Don't worry, it's enough," said Anna and thanked him.

"Okay, let's go then."

We followed Peter out of the room and ended up on a small parking lot, occupied by two cars and a group of people. I quickly recognized Flynn and Mark, who was playing with a huge army knife. They waved at us as we approached them.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Flynn when we reached one of the cars. He was checking his hunting rifle and then attached a silencer to the rifle's muzzle.

"I think we are," answered Peter and shook hands with him. "I gave this bow to Anna," he pointed to the weapon on Anna's shoulder, "and found some arrows. We'll have to find new arrows soon though, we're running out of them." Flynn nodded and wrote something down in his small notebook which he pulled out of his chest pocket of his jacket. "Elsa is armed too. She's carrying a gun, which reminds me ..." he handed me a magazine of bullets and I tucked it into a pocket. "Just in case," said Peter.

I thanked him.

"I think we're good to go," he nodded and turned to Flynn who put his rifle on the back seat of the car.

"Okay, guys, come over," Flynn called the other three men with their own weapons, one of them carrying a shotgun.

"I don't know if you know each other already ... Elsa, Anna, meet Dylan, Baker and Boo." We shook hands quickly and Flynn continued. "I know you've all, well, not you two," he smiled apologetically to me and Anna, "heard about the instructions already but you know the protocol," the three men groaned loudly in protest, "so you'll have to bear with me. Girls, listen carefully." When he made sure he had our attention he cleared his throat. "Rule number one: no matter what, stay in your group. You two," he pointed to me and Anna, "you're coming with me and Peter. Dylan, Baker and Boo are going together." They nodded in agreement. "We stay close enough so I still have my sight on everyone. I don't want anyone to get lost ..." or abducted by crazy psychos, I added in my mind. "Rule number two: weapons. Elsa, Peter and Baker, you're here for numbers and protection, you do not use them unless it is necessary. We don't want to attract any attention or scare away potential prey. The rest of us are using silencers, or in your case, Anna, a bow, so, weapons free, alright?"

"Got it, boss," said Dylan and the rest of us nodded.

"Good. In case anything bad happens and we split up, we meet at the sunset at the cars. That is our safe point. Keep in mind that we wait for no one. Even if I stay behind, you leave without me at the sunset. Cars are equipped with additional weapons, first aid kits, and water. It is important that you remember how to get back, okay? I'm not kidding about this. We leave at sunset." I exchanged glances with Anna who gripped my arm tightly and I patted her hand to let her know that I'm not leaving her no matter what.

"Any questions?" asked Flynn.

"What if we spot something and start hunting it even though we're late?" wondered Anna.

"In that case, we make an exception. I, Peter and Elsa will help you since we're in the same group and we stick together. Baker, Boo and Dylan will help us too if they're around. If not, they'll go home without us. In case something bad happens, leave the prey and go. Your life is more valuable than food. We still have enough of it," explained Flynn.

"Okay."

"Any other questions?"

We looked at each other and slowly shook our heads. "No, no more questions," said Anna.

"Okay then. Let's roll."

He took his rifle from the back seat so I and Anna could sit together there. Before getting in the car, she handed him her bow and quiver and he carefully put them into the trunk. Mark joined the other three men in their car. When we settled down I could feel adrenaline starting to pump through my body. This was the first time I would be going outside after coming here and it scared me that Hans and his men were out there watching and waiting. Anna must have noticed my nervousness because she took my hand in hers and planted soft kisses on my knuckles. "Don't worry, it's just hunting. We've done it before."

"I know, it just feels a bit weird to go back outside into the real world. Staying here, behind the walls and guards around every corner, makes you think you're actually safe and that there's nothing wrong," I said.

"Yeah, I know how you feel, though it's exciting at the same time. I mean we get to do something good for the community and we'll be safe at the same time."

"I hope you're right about the last part." My voice was laced with worry. The thought of Hans' people running around free wouldn't let me feel calm.

Flynn ignited the car engine and drove off the parking lot. As if he could read my mind, he said: "You really don't have to worry. Hans doesn't know where we hunt. Even if he did, we have field advantage – we know the forest and he doesn't so if he, by any chance, ends up there, we know how to escape."

"Besides that, our patrols never spotted anyone near the forest," added Peter.

"Yeah, we're safe, Elsa. Nothing bad has ever happened before." I looked into the rear mirror and saw Flynn flashing an encouraging smile at me.

"And you have me," Anna whispered softly and kissed my cheek. It somehow made me feel a bit better.

"Thank you," I said and kissed her back. A thought occurred to me and I couldn't hold back a sad laugh.

"What's funny?" asked Anna.

"It's ironic, isn't it? I said I was going with you to keep you safe, but now it's me who's panicking about something going wrong. I feel like a coward."

"Oh, Elsa, you're not a coward. You just worry too much which is totally understandable if you think about it. Look how many bad things that have happened to us, to you. I think you'd be crazy if you weren't worried."

"You think so?"

"I know so," she stated firmly.

"Okay," I said and gripped her hand tight.

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. Well, we listened to some music that Flynn played on the CD player and Anna quietly sang along with the songs she knew, but none of us spoke. I was sure if we kept driving I'd have fallen asleep. Her voice was just so calming.

It wasn't a long ride. We arrived at the edge of the forest in about thirty minutes. Flynn pulled the car deeper among bushes and trees, the other car following him, so it didn't stand in the open for everyone who might pass by to see it.

"This is where we gather up," said Flynn and opened the trunk. He handed over Anna's bow and quiver and she fastened it around her waist. She looked like a warrior princess, ready for a battle.

"You look dangerous," I told her.

"Do I?"

"Yes." I approached her so I was standing right next to her. "It's sexy."

"It's se–oh, boy," she cleared her throat, "Elsa, you do know how to fluster a girl, don't you?" she whispered, deep crimson colouring her cheeks.

I only winked at her and nonchalantly pulled out my gun to give it one last inspection. After making sure the gun was in safety mode I tucked it back into the holster.

"Everyone got everything?" asked Peter and hung his assault rifle over his left shoulder.

"Yes," I said.

"Yup, I'm good to go," answered Anna.

The rest of them only nodded and we gathered up in a circle.

Flynn gave us last instructions. "Alright, you know the rules; we have about six hours till the sunset. I hope we catch anything by then. There are usually small herds of deer and it's not hard to find hares and quails. We can count ourselves lucky; the wind's direction is in our favour. The terrain is not difficult. Be careful though, there's a steep slope in the western part of the forest. I don't want any rescuing missions today, okay? So, keep your eyes open and stay quiet. Try to remember the way back in case we get separated so you know how to get back."

"We got it," said Baker and loaded his shotgun.

"I'm feeling lucky today," stated Boo. "I think I'm gonna win this round."

"You wish," argued Dylan and punched Boo's shoulder playfully. "It's you who's cleaning the stables again."

"What are they talking about?" I asked Mark who was standing next to me.

"They have this private competition. The one who kills the most prey wins and can decided what the reward is," explained Mark. "The last time we went hunting, Dylan killed most of the prey."

"I think Anna will beat them both. I'd bet on her," I said and Anna bumped into me with her hip.

"Are you that good, huh?" teased Mark.

"So, now that the bets are on, let's not waste anymore time." His face was serious, but the tone of his voice sounded amused. "Good hunting, guys!"

"Good hunting," repeated the three of them at the same time and then walked away.

"Shall we?" asked Flynn and four of us nodded.

"Let's go then."

It didn't go well. We'd been walking and searching for two hours now and there was not a single trace of a living being to be found. We spread around so we covered a bigger area but that didn't help. Not even Anna could find tracks that would indicate potential prey. All footprints were too old to be useful. When we came across the other group twice, they said that so far, they hadn't got any luck either.

"Do you think they moved?" I asked her when we took a short break to drink some water.

"Nah, I don't think so," she sighed.

"This happens a lot," said Peter. "It wouldn't be the first time going home empty-handed."

"Honestly speaking, it's such a waste of time and energy," added Mark. "Especially now that we breed farm animals."

"I know, but we have to be careful in case our animals get sick. Don't want the Great Irish Famine to happen all over again," stated the red headed boy.

"Okay, guys, we should get going," said Flynn who was quiet the whole time.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I just hope we get something," he answered, sipping one last time before putting the canteen back into his back pack. "C'mon, let's go."

"How much time have we got?" I was wondering when we were going to head back since we had already spent so much time walking around in vain.

"Less than three hours," said Flynn. "We should turn–"

"Shush." It was Anna who interrupted our conversation. She was standing very still and we automatically copied her. Her gaze was fixed on something in the bushes about seventy metres from where she was standing.

"What is it, Anna?" I whispered, but she only lifted her index finger to warn me to be quiet. I exchanged a confused look with Flynn who only shrugged his shoulders. He motioned to Peter and Mark to stay still.

Anna pulled an arrow from the quiver, placed it on the nocking point and started walking towards something that caught her attention. I didn't dare breathe in fear the animal hiding in the bush would hear me. Heavy silence of anticipation surrounded us.

Then a small crack of a breaking twig filled the endless space of the forest like an explosion.

A huge stag with magnificent antlers jumped out of its hiding spot and started running away. Dropping her bag and quiver, Anna didn't miss a beat and followed it immediately.

"Anna, no!" I yelled and made a break for her. I heard Flynn and the other two following me but I was faster. Not fast enough for Anna though. I was losing her from my sight and dread started filling my veins. I never realized how fast she was. I knew about her determination and stubbornness, but I didn't know she could outrun me so easily. "Anna!" I yelled again when she disappeared behind a group of trees. Shit, shit, Anna, where did you go? Fear began to overwhelm me with each passed second. I kept running even though I wasn't sure anymore if that was the right direction.

"Anna, where are you?!" I stopped. I looked around and saw nothing but trees. A cold shiver ran down my spine and I was starting to lose it. "ANNA!" I yelled her name at the top of my lungs and waited for an answer. None came. What if she fell? Maybe we got to the western side of the forest and she slid down the slope and is now lying in a puddle of blood, all broken and unconscious at the bottom? What if ... Hans' men found her after all? I wanted to block these thoughts but scenarios kept playing in my mind.

"Elsa!" It was Flynn. "Where's Anna?"

"I don't know, Flynn," I cried, "We have to find her!"

"Anna!" he yelled and we both waited for her answer which didn't come.

"Anna, please, where are you?!" Tears started running down my cheeks and I couldn't stop them.

And then finally, the voice I loved so much reached me. "Elsa!"

Without a moment of hesitation I made a break for the direction her voice came from. Never in my life had I run that fast. "Anna!" I called to hear another response from her to confirm I wasn't imagining it.

"Elsa, I'm here!"

I was close and then I stumbled into a clearing where Anna stood with blood prickling down her face. She raised her bow up in triumph. "I got it, Elsa!" Then I looked down at her feet and saw the stag, with an arrow sticking out of its chest, lying dead next to her. But that didn't matter in that moment. Anna was fine. I ran toward her and almost tackled her down with the force with which my body hit hers. I wrapped my arms around her and sobbed loudly.

"Don't you ever do that again, you hear me?" I mumbled into her shoulder. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry, Elsa," she said. "I had to do it or else it would have escaped."

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

She didn't say anything. She simply held me and kissed my temple.

"Is this your blood?" I asked after a few seconds of silence and pointed to her face.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. I scratched it while running after the stag. I think it was that darn pine." We laughed and I finally relaxed a bit.

"So, what a catch, huh?"

"Yeah, my biggest one, I'd say. Where are the others?" she asked.

"Flynn was right behind me so I think he'll show up soon."

"I guess we should wait here," Anna said and I nodded in agreement.

Then a gunshot pierced the moment of stillness and silence.

Hey, guys, I'm back. It's been a long time since my last update and I sincerely apologize for that. I hope I can make it up to you with the rest of story.

Thank you for sticking with me for so long, you are awesome.

And of course, special thanks go to my beta, for taking their time and editing this chapter. :)