Chapter Two

Where there was one mountain lion, there was generally a mate.  This was her thinking as Kendra headed back out the following day with her bow slung over her shoulder.  She wanted to take advantage of the possibility of the cat’s mate still being in the area.  It wasn’t easy to come across big game that had escaped genetic mutation enough to be edible; never mind an original.  Most of what she brought home was of the aviary family.  Since her kill was a genetic original, she was fairly certain that its mate would be too.  She just couldn’t pass up the chance to build their stores of protein with quality meat. 

She was so lost in thought about the soups and stews that her aunt would produce with the abundance of meat that she planned on supplying with this second kill that, when she came to the kill spot from the day before, she was surprised to have arrived so soon. 

She heaved a sigh of disappointment when she spotted the animal’s entrails in the place that she’d tossed them after her kill on the day before.  Had they been eaten, she’d know that there was more hunting to be done.  This made her even more determined to seek out the big cat’s mate.

Shielding her eyes from the sun as it slowly climbed higher into the morning sky, she scanned the ridge of the hillside while deciding which direction to take her search to.  Spotting a cluster of boulders that looked like they had a large, open center, she headed toward them.

With her mind firmly entranced in thought of the meals that the future held should she kill a second cat to the extent that she was salivating, her focus on her footing was lacking. As a result, she slipped on a smooth rock and tumbled to the tier below.

A sharp pain shot through her foot as it lodged in a crevice between two large boulders. She repressed the scream that clambered up her throat. Her gut told her that the big cat’s mate was nearby and it wouldn’t do to alert it of her presence for several reasons.  The main one being that she was in a vulnerable state.  Just like the cat was prey for her, she was also prey for the cat. The world was a place for survival of the fittest.  Now, more than ever before in history.

Not only did she have to repress the scream that her body longed to emit to help release the stress of the excruciating pain in her foot, but she was battling with an overwhelming panic with every second that passed as she tugged and pulled to free herself.  She quickly realized that the weight of her body had shoved her foot deep into the crevice and the shape of her boot prevented her from pulling it out.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm and balance herself, she thought about her situation. Not only had she traveled much further from home than normal, but she’d entered an unfamiliar area.  If memory served her correctly, she was on the edge of zombie territory.  This area was so severely damaged that the regime had declared it uninhabitable.  As a result, they didn’t hunt for zombies or mutants there.  Because of this, the number of mutated humans running for their lives and hiding in this land that were being infected and becoming zombies was steadily increasing.

Kendra had never encountered a zombie, but her aunt had schooled her on them enough for her to know that they were a dangerous lot. There were   zombies at various levels of deformities to their bodies; depending upon whether they were mutants when they turned or simply unfortunate humans. Since they were considered to be death walking, she had difficulty understanding how or why they would become cannibals. Why would they have a need to eat at all? It was a mystery that no one was able to explain to her.  What they were careful to make sure that she understood was the fact that the virus affected their brain and, unless the brain was destroyed, the virus would remain active; no matter what happened to or how much of the body remained.  She was literally made to practice shooting her arrow into the head of a dummy to condition her for the act should the need arise.

The land that she was now at the edge of while hunting the big cat’s mate- was called Zombie Land. Realizing that she not only had to be wary of falling prey to the big cat, but to zombies as well, she put greater effort into freeing her foot.  When she was finally able to get her mind to focus on the solution to her situation, she slid her agile and slender fingers into the crevice and loosened the laces of her boot.  It took some maneuvering, but she was eventually able to free her foot from its entrapment.

She took a moment to inspect her throbbing appendage.  The piercing pain had dulled to an ache and her flesh was discolored, but she was relieved to find that nothing was broken.  She nodded her approval while smiling with satisfaction.  A dull ache from bruising was something she could deal with on the long journey home.  Even so, it would be tough going without proper covering on her foot. 

She stretched out on her stomach as she carefully bent and twisted the well-worn leathered boot that was now flexible out of its entrapment.  She’d just pulled it free when a low growling sound echoed off the boulders that surrounded her.  Displaying the speed and confidence of an adept hunter, she was on her knees with her bow loaded and ready within seconds.  With careful determination, her eyes inspected the rocky ridge for the source of the growl.  While she hoped that it belong to the mate of her kill, she’d be grateful for anything at this point.

A ferocious, deep throated feline roar permeated the air as an enormous mountain lion leapt from the boulders above. It looked identical to her kill from the day before.  She quickly and precisely shot her arrow into its heart as it soared through the air toward her. Curling her body into a defensive ball, she quickly rolled out of the way in order to avoid being crushed as the heavy cat’s bulk thunderously landed on the boulder only inches from her.

Although she’d been hunting since she was a young girl, she’d never been this close to her kill as it fell prey to her arrows.  She’d shoot from a distance and the beast would die while she made her way toward it.

She could feel the rock shudder below her feet as the cat’s body slammed against it. The low moan that escaped it’s lips and the look in the cat’s eyes as its life force slipped away was overwhelmingly tragic.  An instant regret consumed her; as well as a bout of nausea to the extent that she was forced to allow her stomach to purge.

“Is that your first kill?” came a cheery and young sounding female voice from somewhere in the myriad of boulders. “By the way you took it down, I thought that you were a seasoned hunter, but then you puked.  Seasoned hunters don’t puke after a kill.”

Kendra looked around with surprise as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her voice carried a threatening tone as she spoke.

“Where are you?”

“I’m here,” echoed the voice through the boulders.

Kendra positioned her body in a defensive stance and readied an arrow in her bow.  “Where?”

“I won’t harm you,” the voice said.

“Show yourself,” Kendra demanded while she continued to suspiciously scan the rocks above her for the girl’s location.

“I’ll show myself if you promise not to shoot me,” the girl said with such a musical cadence that it resembled a giggle.

After a considerable silence while she debated on what to do, Kendra lowered her bow and put her hands in the air for emphasis. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief as the petite, slender figure of a beautiful young woman with spiked flaxen hair slowly emerged from the shadows of the rock wall.  Her large green eyes drew Kendra to her like bees to honey as they reflected the sunlight in a way that resembled a twinkle.  It took a moment for her to regain control over her faculties enough to pull away from their grip and see that the stranger wore a crisp white shirt and jeans of the deepest blue.  They looked far too fresh and untainted by such a dust riddled landscape.

“You were there all along?” Kendra mused; more to herself than to the girl.  “Your voice sounded like it was coming from high up.”

“It’s the acoustics,” the girl said as she flashed a friendly smile. Her teeth were so white and perfect, Kendra questioned if they were real. “My name is Ari DeMarco.  What’s yours?”

“Are you a human or an alien?” Kendra asked with reservation.

“Do I look like an alien?”  Ari indignantly asked.

Kendra shrugged. “I’ve never seen one of them.”

“Surely you’ve seen other humans,” Ari continued.  When Kendra nodded, she said, “Well?”

“I’m Kendra,” she replied.

Ari cocked her head and scowled. “Is that your family name?”

Kendra shrugged as she carefully pulled her boot onto her tender foot. “It’s my name.”

“No second name?”  Ari asked with surprise.  “Ari is my name for me and DeMarco is my family name.  Have you no family name?”

“I’m sure that I do, but I don’t know it,” Kendra admitted. “It was never told to me.”

“How very odd,” Ari said in a wistful tone. Then with a shake of her head and an even broader smile, she said, “Kendra’s a good name.  It’s strong and sturdy, like you.”

Kendra’s attention returned to the cat.  She was in the habit of cleaning her kills right away to avoid spoilage from any entrails leakage. “I have to tend to it or the hunt will have been a waste.”

“Do you want my help?” Ari asked as she timidly approached the big cat.  Although she’d made the offer, her body language gave Kendra the sense that it was an offer of politeness and not sincerity.

Still wary of her unexpected visitor, Kendra asked, “Do you have a knife?”   When Ari shook her head, she continued with, “I can do it, but you’d better stand back to avoid getting anything on you.”  Then, with a tone that was a mixture of suspicion and admiration she added, “Those clothes look fresh and new.”

Ari said nothing in response to the remark about her attire as she stepped back and watched with an expression that was difficult to read while Kendra skillfully gutted the cat and disposed of its entrails.

When Kendra pulled the water canteen from her backpack and rinsed the blood from her hands as best as she could while making sure that she had water to drink on the arduous walk home in intense heat, Ari spoke up. “There’s running water close by. Wouldn’t you rather wash with that?  You could fill your canteen as well.  The water’s potable.”

Kendra’s eyes shot her a look of both surprise and pleasure as she licked her sun chapped lips. “Where?”

Ari pointed to the ridge above them. “It’s not far.  Just over there.”

Kendra took a moment to evaluate the situation.  She estimated the cat to weigh about one-hundred pounds.  There were a lot of boulders to climb before she reached the ridge that Ari had pointed to.  Between her injured foot and the weight of the cat, she wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to tackle the climb; especially since she still had a distance to travel to get home. 

There was also the fact that the hike would take her deeper into the dangerous and unfamiliar zombie territory.  Even if she was up to braving a trip deeper into dead man’s land, if she left the cat, she could probably make the trip to the fresh water and back without mishap, but she wasn’t about to risk another beast stealing away with her kill in her absence.

She shook her canteen to gauge the amount of water left in it before shaking her head and frowning. “I’d like to, but I have a long journey back and I’ve twisted my foot.  I can’t risk not being able to make it home.”

“Is your home far?” Ari asked.

“Far enough with one-hundred pounds of dead weight over my shoulders and a bruised foot,” Kendra replied

“Would you like a ride?”

The flaxen haired beauty’s tone was such that Kendra couldn’t decide whether she was trying to relay friendship or amusement.  She looked around for signs of a beast that could be used for transport, but saw nothing. “On what?”

Ari pointed to the ridge. “My ride is just over the ridge. It’s ready and waiting.”

Kendra scowled with suspicion as she looked at her drab and barren surroundings. “If the water and your ride are both over that ridge, what are you doing here?”

The strange beauty wore a look of contemplation as silence permeated the air between them.  “If you don’t want a ride to ease your burden or to clean up in some cool, clear water, no one’s going to force you.”

Kendra looked at the position of the sun.  It would be at its hottest soon.  She didn’t relish hiking on an injured foot through the impending, intense heat that the sun provided through the earth’s altered ozone. In a different world, during different times, she might have accepted Ari’s offer.  Sadly, times were such that even an offer from a friendly looking wisp of a thing like Ari could prove fatal.  She just didn’t dare accept.

The time for small talk was over. 

She bent down and heaved the cat over her shoulders.   “It was nice to meet you, but I have to go.”

Ari shrugged. Her smooth, porcelain face that was just a shade darker than her hair wrinkled as she folded her arms across her chest and scowled her displeasure. “Suit yourself.”

Kendra nodded and carefully picked her way down the ridge with her burden snug about her shoulders.  She could feel Ari’s mesmerizing green eyes boring into her back, but she didn’t turn and look.  There was something very strange about that girl and it wasn’t just the fact that her clothes were far too fresh and new and her teeth were remarkably unmarred and perfect for someone struggling for survival. Was she struggling for survival? That was the million dollar question.  What was she doing so far away from civilization? Surely she wasn’t pleasure riding; especially on land where she risked running into a zombie.

Kendra’s mind milled these over as she endured the tortuous hike home. Sweat soaked her tee shirt and assaulted her nose as it combined with the blood that oozed from the opened cavity of her kill.  She thought of the absolute perfect picture that Ari made and sighed. 

Perhaps it was because the majority of her years were isolated from the masses and she had spent minimal – if any- time in the company of another female other than Olga, but standing before Ari made Kendra feel plain and intimidated by her pristine beauty to the point that she wanted to find a place to hide herself. 

Kendra was by no means an ugly girl.  Her long, dark hair had a silken feel when freshly washed and combed.  She was Caucasian, but her skin tone had a coppery hue to it from years of exposure to the sun.  Even so, not a wrinkle could be found on her smooth flesh.   This was partly because she was still young- having just had her seventeenth birthday- and partly because Olga was adept at mixing lotions to protect against sun damage.  Her teeth were straight, all there, and cavity free, but her smile couldn’t match up to the brilliant and alluring one that Ari had flashed her way.  She’d always considered her chocolate colored, almond shaped eyes to be exotic and alluring until she was almost consumed by the wide, emerald-green eyes of the beauty she’d just met. Ari was not only petite, but she had an air of femininity about her that made Kendra feel like a tomboy.

All in all, Kendra felt clumsy and frumpy for the first time in her life.