Island Of Lust

Chapter 5

"Sorry, I'm... Out of breath... Otherwise I would've... Called out." Kayla huffs.

"It's alright. I'm sorry about leaving you behind." I say.

"Thats okay, did you..." She trails off, still out of breath.

I hold up the dead Jack rabbit, and Kayla pumps her fist in the air, then goes to hug me. This makes me smile, seeing how happy she is.

"That's awesome! We did all that waiting, and it paid off." Kayla says, sitting beneath a tree nearby.

"Yeah." I say.

I plop down heavily beside her. Neither of us haven't eaten. I'm exhausted, I'm sure she's ready to pass out.

"Sorry, I mean it paid off for you. You're so fast, it wouldn't surprise me if you could run down an uninjured one." Kayla says.

I lean back against the tree beside her.

"You're learning, that's enough. I don't expect you to get the hang of it after one time." I say.

"Can I see it?" Kayla asks.

"Here." I say, handing it to her.

She holds it up, weighing it.

"I don't think I've ever seen a bigger rabbit." Kayla says.

"He's big, for a male." I agree.

"He'll probably taste pretty good too." Kayla says.

"You know, you're a pretty good cook. Especially with the zero resources we have. It's nice." I say.

Kayla's cheeks redden, and she sets the rabbit down.

"It's nothing. It's always been a hobby of mine." Kayla says.

"You should be proud of yourself. I might be able to catch it, but I've never been good at the cooking part. It's a resourceful skill." I say.

"Thanks Vanessa. You know... It kind of scared me, before. Your determination." Kayla says.

"I can understand that. People like me are pretty narcissistic." I say.

"But, you're not." She says.

"I try." I shrug.

She looks over at me, and I crack a grin. Kayla laughs, leaning her head against my shoulder. I close my eyes for a moment, relaxing. It's nice. I don't think a lot, for once. We take a break, for a while. Our bodies hot from the sun, cooling against each other. Eventually though, the thrill of the kill wears off. I remember everyone waiting for us back at the shelter, and sit up.

"Ready to go check our other traps?" I ask.

"As I'll ever be." Kayla sighs.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I could fall asleep right here, right now. Everything feels, kinda great. Hell, I could cook the rabbit, and we could eat it." Kayla says.

"The pressure of taking care of not just yourself, but others, it's a lot. But we can't run away, even if we feel like we want to." I say.

"I know, it's just... An idea." She says.

I stand up, dusting myself off.

"A good one, for us. It'd be easy too. But we don't take the easy way out. Right?" I ask, putting a hand out.

Kayla takes my hand, and I pull her up.

"Yeah, you're right." Kayla agrees.

Together we check the traps, and find a small Bunny's been captured as well. We laugh, comparing their sizes as we head back to the others. Kayla and I are welcomed back.