Born 01 - Born

compared to me. I felt the eyes on me from a million different vantage points. I could see the infected stepping through the brush, arms reaching for me. Blood running from their eyes and seeping sores covering their skin. The tattered clothes and the smell would overwhelm me as they pulled me to the ground.
    I could see the others. I could hear myself screaming as their greedy fingers gripped into my skin and they dragged me into the woods. In the woods where I would scream like the other girls. The tearing of the clothes haunted me in the beginning. The infected tore flesh and the others tore clothes and the sound could swallow you up.
    Now I see the greenery and listen to the sounds of the forest, knowing I am safe. The forest is my friend. It was a tense relationship in the beginning, but it has earned my trust over time.
    Like Leo, it has become part of my family. Where I lost one family, I gained another.
    The branches break under my foot but in a way that keeps the birds chirping and squirrels nattering. It is a gift. I learned it from Leo. He is able to wander the forest quickly, but in sync with the woodland creatures.
    I stop at the small dip in the forest. I have a great view here. I blend into the trees and listen. I close my eyes and wait. The noises become like a song the forest sings. You only hear it when you stop being you and become part of the forest. I feel the waves in the music rising and falling with the wind. I rest my gun against a tree and grab my bow and arrow. I wait for it. I hear the sound I am seeking. It is a pheasant.
    I see the bizarre looking face of it and the spectacular colors. It is a male. I take a breath and on the exhale, release the arrow perfectly. It took me two years of constant shooting to be able to down a pheasant at this distance. The male drops without a sound, as the arrow pierces his throat just below his head. I wait and watch. The forest continues its merry song. I wait an extra second. I put the bow and arrows back in the small hole beside the tree.
    I retrieve my catch, constantly looking over my shoulder. Jake and his sister watched me in the forest for two months before I became aware of them. My sense of security in this place is questioned. A heat flushes my cheeks as I walk, carrying the bird by his feet. I think about Jake. His dark hair and blue eyes and long eyelashes. He is handsome.
    A stabbing pain rips through my thigh.
    I look up to see the reflection of a scope from across the small gully. I drop to the ground and whistle. I lay amongst the brush, frozen. My heart is beating out of control.
    Anna.
    I know she has shot me. She wants my cabin. She made that perfectly clear. My heart hurts for the smallest of seconds. I force it back into its cave and harden myself to the fact I will have to kill her. Flashes of her sweet face and how much she looks like her brother fill my mind.
    I hear the shots whizzing past me in the brush. Panic fills me. She is using my own silencer against me. I wonder if Jake knows.
    I hold my breath and wait. I know Leo will come to me. I have trained him to come to me. He will come.
    I hear footsteps.
    The forest is silent as the predator moves through it. The birds can hear the panic in me. My heartbeat reveals all to them.
    I feel a sickening hurt as I realize I have been betrayed. I never should have helped him out of the hole. I should have never opened the door.
    I should have cracked the whiskey and listened from inside my cabin for her to die or leave.
    I knew I would regret it.
    I look around. There is too much brush surrounding me. Any movements will stir up the bush and reveal my spot. I can hear her footsteps as she draws nearer. She is heavy in step. She breaks the branches roughly, making the birds and woodland creatures even quieter.
    Her footsteps are on top of me. I am certain she can hear my heartbeat. I am also certain she is going to shoot me in the back.
    I hear a whizzing noise again and bullets hitting the tree behind me. The ricochet lands not far from me. I wonder what she is doing. Has she lost the spot where she shot me? Thankfully, the bush is thick around me.
    I hear a thump and some rustling near me. I don’t know what's going on. I am panicking silently.
    "Em." A whisper fills the forest near me.
    I look around without rustling the bushes.
    "Em."
    I feel Leo's breath on me suddenly.
    I look up to see Anna squatting beside me. She has walked silently toward me like Leo does.
    I see the rifle in