The Last Hunter Ch. 00

Then I woke today, feeling the strange need to hunt, despite having plenty of meat. I dressed and pulled my .308 caliber rifle down. I pocketed some of my silver bullets, just out of habit and left the cabin going no way in particular. I walked for maybe three hours, the sun had been up for maybe a single hour as I began to stalk a deer. I slowly got down wind and lined up to take my shot, then the deer looked up and bolted. What? I didn't make a sound! I looked around, and began to notice the hairs on the back of my neck stand. It was dead silent, in a forest where the birds should be chirping and the angry chatter of squirrels should be heard. I don't like the sound of this...

I walked a bit up the side of the hill and pulled out my binoculars, looking around and seeing what the hell was going on. Then I spotted them. Two rather large men were carrying the limp body of a woman, one bald the other with scraggly looking black hair. Now what the fuck are they doing out here, its fifty miles to the next town. I focused on the woman, she was slung over the shoulder of the large bald guy, her long brown hair bouncing as the brute carried her. I could see her hands and feet were bound and suddenly my mind seemed to narrow. They're kidnapping or killing her, either way she's doomed if I don't do something. I have to get closer and try to get in range. I moved quickly and quietly through the brush, hoping to cut them off where the canyon narrowed. Every step of the way the alarm bells in my head were screaming for me to turn and run, but I felt almost compelled to at least try to save that woman.

I found a low ridge and scanned the low ground slowly until I spotted them. The two men seemed to be arguing about something, the short one waving his arms about threateningly as the other poked a finger into his chest. I slowly loaded my rifle with the silver bullets, my hunting bullets not going to be going fast enough to reach them. I slowly began to draw a bead on them, watching for the most opportune moment.

That's when shit went all to hell. The big guy dropped the woman on the ground as he shoved the other man back and took a swing of which the smaller man deftly dodged and planted his boot into his opponents gut. The big guy staggered and then lunged at his opponent, his body growing and changing into a monster. I cursed under my breath as the half-shifted were pummeled his partner until he was barely breathing. I lined up my shot and fired. My bullet traveled the distance breaking the speed of sound as it found its mark in the skull of the beast, releasing what little of a brain he had out the back of his cranium. His partner startled looked around and then looked at me snarling as he shifted into a mangy timber wolf and ducked into the brush. I took a few pot shots, hoping to finish the bastard off as I slowly made my way down to the clearing, looking for the woman when the wolf burst from the brush charging him. I took a shot and cursed. I'm in deep shit this time.