Otherworldly

Chapter 5- Part 1

My stomach growled, reminding me that I needed some food. I glanced at Vee again and noticed she was staring at me already. "Is there any way we can get some food around here?"

"I have some stale crackers in my bag if you want a few," Vee said as she grabbed her bag and started rummaging through it. She pulled out a pack of crackers and handed it to me.

"Maybe we could start hunting around here. Or set up traps or something?"

Vee nodded. "Yeah I think we're going to have to. We just have to make a bow. We can't make too much noise."

I crunched on a cracker and settled back against the bark of the tree. I let my head fall back and looked at the evening sky. "I think we should just camp here for the night. It's going to get dark in a couple hours."

Vee shifted her feet and grimaced. Yeah my feet hurt like a bitch too. "I think everybody is in agreement already."

I looked around and noticed everybody was already settled down and pulling out a blanket. I let out a little chuckle. "I guess so," I said with a smile.

I jumped when a deafening crack sounded in the distance. My hands stilled with the cracker halfway to my mouth and I quickly looked towards Vee. She faced me and the look on her face mirrored my fear. "Maybe it was just a tree falling," I questioned. My words didn't sound convincing even to myself and I could tell Vee didn't believe me either.

I gasped when Vee jumped up and grabbed my arm to pull me up as well. "We need to move now just to be sure."

I glanced towards Tim when he spoke. "It was probably nothing Vee why are you so worried? We're far enough away from the settlements that we'll be fine."

"You don't know that Tim. We could be close to a settlement now. Straighten your shit up and let's go," Vee shouted.

My eyes widened. I couldn't help but be surprised that Vee raised her voice. She hardly ever did and not directly towards any of us.

I grabbed my bag and stuffed the crackers in my pocket. Great. More walking.

I sighed and set off after Vee, my feet groaning in pain.
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When Vee finally calmed down, we were able to set up camp for the night. The air was a little chilly, but everyone agreed that a fire was definitely not an option.

I sighed as I collapsed on top of my blanket and pulled half of it over my body. I grimaced when I smelled the odor on my body. I would kill for a shower right now.

I glanced towards Vee and watched as she settled down a few meters away from me. She was definitely jittery. Her hands were shaking and she seemed a little nervous, which confused me. She was never like that. It just seemed weird.

I thought back to when we heard that crack and how she reacted. She seemed genuinely afraid. I mean I was too, but I didn't panic or snap at anyone. I guess she really was terrified. It's just not how she's reacted before.

I shifted onto my side and groaned when a twinge of pain shot from my feet up to my back. I was definitely going to be sore tomorrow.

The sky was pitch black and I was able to see a ton of stars. They were absolutely beautiful. I stared at the night sky until I finally fell asleep.