Kapitel 55: S2E55 - Hunters

[????? POV]

"You sure that's the one?"

I speak to Theo, the dumbass that let this bitch get away with attacking us. Looking through the pair of binoculars, I can just barely make out the girl's face, seeing a scar over her eye, and short, red hair. She suddenly turns towards us and aims her gun into the woods towards us.

"Jesus… Good senses…"

Ricardo answers me through his swollen face,

"Yesh, yesh… It's her!"

I nod my head,

"Alright then. Go grab the rest of the guys. I'm gonna keep an eye on her for a while. We'll wait for her to leave again. There's way too much open space before we can get to that house, and there's not nearly enough of us here anymore. Not to mention the fact that she seems to already know we're here. Have the boys set up on the highway heading north. Hopefully they head out that way again. I'll meet you guys there."

Theo nods his head and runs off back to our camp. We'll get this bitch.

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[Penny POV]

I've kept my gun trained on the woods for about a minute now, taking cover behind a tree. The feeling disappeared, but I'm not going to blindly trust that they're gone. However, I haven't spotted anyone. Looking through the scope, I only see the movement of trees and bushes in the wind. I don't even see any wildlife at all.

I hear a multiple of rushed footsteps coming up from behind me before hearing Shane's voice,

"Penny! What's goin' on?"

I answer him while keeping my eyes trained on the woods, giving him a random excuse rather than saying I have a sixth sense,

"I heard someone talking in the woods. They've been silent since, but I'd rather us check it out than blindly trust that it was nothing."

Turning around, I spot Shane, Rick, Otis, Jim, Gerard, and Toby. Looking back to the camp, I spot Dale standing up on top of the RV with his rifle aimed around, keeping an eye out. All the guys have rifles with them. I speak to the group,

"Alright. I wanna clear this section of woods out before we head back. We'll stay in one group, but fan out with ten yards of space between us. No lone-wolfing it."

After getting answers from everyone, we start heading into the forest with me at the head of the group. As we walk forwards, we pay attention to every direction, including behind. We walk a good hundred yards into the forest, but find nothing. Past this point, nobody would've been able to see through the thick brush even with a scope or binoculars. When I'm about to call of the search, I hear Otis speak up to my right,

"Hey, I got somethin!"

We all make our way to him as he starts speaking,

"Fresh bootprints. The leaves around here were crushed, and the grass was stamped down. Someone was here just before us."

I scan our surroundings again and say,

"You know which way they went?"

He nods his head and says,

"They went north."

I nod my head,

"Damn. That's what I was afraid of. They're probably leftovers from that group we got into a fight with. Alright, let's head back."

Shane looks confused when I say this and speaks in a serious, but not confrontational manner,

"Penny, these people could be dangerous! We need to go after them!"

I shake my head and answer him,

"If we do that then the group will have lost most of the members who could fight till we get back. It's better for us to just head back. But, from now on, we'll be doubling the patrol. Everyone goes with a buddy as well. And keep the children near the house as well. From now on, I want someone up on the RV keeping watch at all times. We only have one of them, sadly, but I want the person keeping watch from the RV to have the night vision scope. It won't reach as far as the regular one, but at least they'll be able to see relatively well in the dark."

Shane shakes his head and gets a little agitated, saying,

"God dammit. You're right, but I'd still rather hunt this guy down."

I shake my head,

"We risk losing more if we do than we would if we didn't. Besides, we don't really know that this person was dangerous. It coulda been someone who was scouting us out to see if we were friendly. I'd rather not burn potential bridges down before we get a chance to build them."

Shane chuckles and says sarcastically,

"Like we did in Crawford?"

I roll my eyes and answer,

"That was different. There were clear signs that they weren't friendly. So far as we know, these guys could be friendly. Don't worry, if they show that they're even the slightest bit hostile, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in each of them personally."

Shane nods his head at that and gives me a slight smile. I look at the group and think for a second before saying,

"Rick, Shane, if you don't mind, I'd like you guys to start a patrol. I'll head to the opposite side of the property and start back up over there. Anyone wanna come with?"

I hear another voice speak from behind the group,

"I'll do it."

I look over and see Amy with an assault rifle clumsily held in her hands. I smile at her, but say,

"Amy. This situation is serious. While I appreciate your offering, I'd rather not have you in harm's way when you barely know how to hold your gun."

She looks slightly hurt by this, but I know it's necessary. She speaks to me with insistence,

"You can teach me. If I don't start learning now, I probably never will. You took Andrea with you to Crawford with you guys!"

I sigh and look to the rest of the guys and say,

"Let's head back to the camp. We'll figure the schedules out there."

Everyone stands up and starts walking back, keeping an eye up north. I motion for Amy to follow me and head to a different part of the property, away from everyone. I answer what she said earlier,

"I'll teach you. However, I'd appreciate it if you understood where I'm coming from."

Amy's eyebrows furrow as she says sarcastically,

"I get it. You think I'm useless."

I shake my head and begin to speak,

"No, that's not it… Nobody is useless. Anybody can be taught how to use a gun."

She then asks me in a slightly raised tone and a shaky voice,

"Then why? Why can't I help you!"

I sigh and go to answer before she interrupts me with tears falling from her eyes,

"You're always charging headfirst into danger and risking yourself for everyone else! I get that it's something we've gotta get used to but it hurts me everytime I imagine you being shot at with there being nothing I can do about it! Why can't I at least be there to help you?"

My emotions stir as she talks, coming to a boiling point as she finishes. Without even thinking, I speak with a raised voice,

"Because I like you! Goddammit! I don't want you to get hurt!"

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AN: Longer chapter today!

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