James Coording
I saw it move through my sight, a slow jerk against the Ash around it. Then it disappeared again. I waited for another chance. I knew where it was, but I daren't fire until I had a kill. Another jerk, and I could see its neck for a blink. I steadied my shot, holding my breath, and my finger slid onto the trigger. I was anticipating the jerk of the rifle, the crack against the silence, when I heard a voice break through from my waist. I hesitated, and the Crawler disappeared into the Ash once again. Without looking away, I grasped the walkie-talkie from my belt, and brought it up to my ear.
"What's that?"
I could hear Jude's voice cut through the static.
"James, you have a pack of four Roamers within hearing distance, right over the Dune to your right."
I glanced over at the Dune, just blocking my vision of the open plain beyond it. I wasn't going to dare take a shot with Roamers nearby, not without escort. Roamers were violent, always hunted in packs, and ate anything they could find that moved. The only good point about them was the amount of water they carried. And that made them useful. I spoke into the walkie.
"Get a hold of the other groups, see if they caught anything. It might not be a horrible idea to take the Roamers down. We need all the water we can get."
"Roger"
I stood up, knowing there was no point in waiting any longer. If the Roamers moved on, it would be much too late anyway. The Crawler got away lucky. I slung the rifle over my shoulder, and grabbed my pack. With a flick of my wrist, I pulled the zipper down, and reached inside the bag to grab a cloth. I brought the cloth up to my goggles, and wiped. Within a few moments, the goggles were clean, and I had everything back where it belonged. As I tightened the bandanna that covered the lower half of my face, I heard the walkie chatter to life again.
"A couple of the groups caught stuff, but, counting us, there's still three groups out here. The other spotters say we can take it down. What you thinking?"
I brought the walkie back to face level, thought for a moment, and replied, "Well, I did promise some water. I'll be there pronto."
"Yee-haw, sir."
My boots displaced the Ash beneath them as I dragged myself over the dune. AS the area below slowly came into view, I spotted the Roamers immediately. I opened the bag again, and this time pulled out a pair of binoculars. I slowly brought myself to the ground, and laid myself out. I first focused on my targets, counting them off in my head. The Roamers were all full grown, at least from what I could tell. They were about the size of a dog, if not a little bigger, and ran on four feet just like them. Some of us guessed that dogs were exactly what Roamers used to be. But what really mattered is how fast they ran. They could be upon their prey in moments.
My eyes next found the other hunters, both of them positioned nearby each other. I couldn't tell who they were from the distance, but the seemed comfortable. I spoke into my walkie.
"Give the call Jude."
Moments later, the static was broken.
"Fire."
Four shots later, the four Roamers laid dead.
"Bag em and tag em. We have water."