Immunity

Immunity - Chapter One

This was starting to get downright ridiculous.

I've been tracking this deer all afternoon and every time I got a clear shot, I miss and my meat runs off. This is the last time, I think to myself, hidden behind a fallen tree and my hunting rifle perched just on my shoulder as I brace myself for the glory shot. My finger caresses the trigger and I watch it, oblivious to my presence, just eating away on the grass. I exhale my nerves and inhale courage, ready to shoot.

Two firm gunshots fire off and I hear a few birds fly off their branches and into the sky in awareness. I reload my clip and make my way silently and cautiously to the twitching body on the floor, a gurgle of blood swelling in its neck as two marks show.

I cringe and shake off my disgust as I swing the rifle so the strap cradles my chest and I lean down, put on my gloves and sit there. It's been years since my father once taught me how to hunt deer and I forgot what I needed to do once my target was down. Was I supposed to take out the bullet?

Moments like these were when my heart ached for my parents, for their guidance. They would know what to do in this situation, my father being a hunter and all. But they're dead. Dead and gone leaving their little girl all alone with two other kids to care for. I bite my lip and hover over its head, its black beady eyes lifeless and accusing at me.

"Don't look at me like that. I did what I had to." I grumble to it as I roll up my sleeves and position my hands to reach out and take the bullet. I squeeze my right eye shut as I use my left to focus on it. Well more so that I wouldn't have to get a good full disturbing image. Since we wouldn't be eating the head I might as well decapitate it.

The thought of that made me cover my mouth with my hand to prevent myself from gagging. It would be beneficial to the other critters of the woods that hadn't eaten in as long as a time as we had. A static crackling fills the air and I grab the black toy walkie talkie from the side of my jeans and press the button on the side.

"Widow, Black Widow, do you copy? I repeat Widow, Black Widow, do you copy?" A boyish voice speaks into the speaker and I can hear the grin in my brother's voice. This was the first time I'd actually let him stay guard with a half way loaded gun with our sister when I went on a hunt for our food so he must be happy. He'd be even more so if I allowed for him to come hunt with me but as if I'd ever let him do that.

"This is Widow, Black Widow, I copy. Tony Stark, do you copy?" I repeat into the worn out speaker. My fingers find a round figure embedded into it's flesh before I yank the bullet out, holding the blood covered thing up to my face as I chuckle in astonishment. Less disgusting, more amazing.

"This is Stark, what is the status of the target?" He asks. His voice is excited as far as I can tell as it leaves the walkie talkie, the paint nearly all scraped off except for the buttons. I dig into the deer's neck with one hand one more time as I press down on the red button with my other. "Target dead. How are you guys holding up?" I ask as I struggle to get a firm grip on the second bullet.

"We're fine, a couple of raccoons tried to steal some of our gear but Ria scared them off." He comments nonchalantly. I hear a rattling noise in the background and a few animalistic growls followed by the sound of our little sister yelling at them and stomping her feet in an act of intimidation. Cale sighs while I roll my eyes. He got so easily annoyed by Ria's silly little antics you'd think it was a crime.

"You're close to the city so you better hurry - it's nearly dark out. You've got about 3 hours at most before its night time and you know what that means. Stark, out." The walkie talkie crackles for a moment and silence filled the air. I tug out the bullet and fall backwards, landing on the dirt and fallen cracked leaves, an ant crawling over my fingers and onto the bullet. I sit back up and hid the bullets under a pulled clump of grass.