Page 6 of Heart of the Hunted
Grimacing, Natalia said "I know, it's not great, but we'll manage... somehow."
"What we need to do, is find more people," Amberly said.
It was easier said than done nowadays. The Human race was rapidly dwindling, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Well, it would help if they weren’t being hunted down and killed, but she didn’t think the monsters…as she liked to call them…were going to stop until there wasn’t any of them left.
"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. How long has it been since we last came across anyone?" Natalia asked.
"At least three years," Amberly told her.
Natalia hadn't thought it had been that long, but thinking about it, it must have been.
"Maybe we need to move further away. Didn't the last group say they were heading up north?" Amberly asked.
"Something like that. We need a plan though,” Natalia said. “I don't think just heading north is a good idea. I don't think anyone here has been up there before."
"I think you're right,” Amberly agreed. “I haven't heard any of the others talking about it."
Natalia, Amberly, and Donovan were the only ones left from their original group. Everyone else had joined up with them later on along the way. Most of them came from the same group, which was why so many of them couldn’t cook when they first joined.
It made Natalia wonder about the other group. How any of them survived this far without knowing basic survival skills such as cooking was beyond her. Did any of their previous group know how to cook? If so, why didn't they teach everyone else?
It was one of the first things they were taught growing up... that and how to stay hidden. There was no point learning how to fight when the creatures you were up against had magic, razor sharp claws and teeth, or the ability to transform into anything they could imagine. Not to mention they were all incredibly stronger than Humans, no matter what race they were.
It would be like an ant fighting against a Human. Hands down, the Human would win every time, which was exactly the same as fighting against the creatures. Even the seemingly weak among them could easily over power a Human without much effort.
"We'll talk about what to do next over dinner. Let the others know that it's time to move on tomorrow," Natalia said.
"I've done it already,” Amberly said. “They're waiting to hear what the plan is."
"Dinner's in five minutes," Donovan said, sticking his head around the corner.
"Great, we'll be there in a minute," Amberly told him.
Donovan nodded before leaving as quickly as he entered.
"Well, they won't have to wait long," Natalia pointed out.
"I must admit, I'll be glad to finally be out of this bunker," Amberly said after a moment.
"You could have gone with the others today," Natalia told her.
"I know,” she said. “But it's not the same with them."
"I know what you mean," Natalia agreed.
Natalia and Amberly worked well together. They could easily read each other’s body language and hand gestures, which was essential when on a supply run. You couldn't always count on being able to communicate verbally. So, working with people who couldn't read you and you couldn't read them was not the best of ideas.
It was also an extremely bad idea to go it alone. You needed someone to watch your back and vice-versa.
"Are you feeling better at least?" Amberly asked.
"Yeah, my head's finally stopped pounding,” Natalia said, relieved it had gone. “That remedy we found the other week worked wonders."
"That's good. Make sure to write it down in the book," Amberly said.
"I will do."
Their book was currently just a few folded pieces of paper slid between the pages of a medicine book they found. The medicine book was from before the great war. Most of it they didn't understand, but it gave them the idea to start their own book. So now they were on the lookout for an empty book to fill themselves.
