CYOA Page 102

[lumy12]

Page One Hundred Two

You stand perfectly still, trying not to give off vibes of fear, because you've heard that-- well, fuck, that better be bullshit, because how can I NOT look scared when I'm scared shitless?!

You and the cougar are locked in a staring contest. It doesn't seem afraid of you, but you wonder if your flashlight has given it pause. Maybe it's never seen a human with 'magic powers' like that before... maybe it's never seen a human, period? You wonder how old it is, where it lives. The longer you stand there, the less scared you feel.

Until...

"Ellie!"

Fuck -- Joel's looking for me! He should be tucked safe in bed! ...but, wait, this is a good thing... "Joel! Do you have a gun?" you holler back. The cougar's ears perk up, and it seems to be regarding you with more interest.

"Yes!" Yeah... dumb question. "Where are you?"

"Over here! Be careful -- I'm trying not to get eaten!" ...which probably makes him think you're fighting infected. He'll probably be happy to see it's 'just' a wild animal.

He comes charging over, probably close enough to see your flashlight now -- which you start flashing on and off, hoping to freak the cougar out. Joel reaches you and stops short, looking where your light is pointing. "Oh, shit... I thought..."

You want to go hurl yourself into his arms, but your feet are totally frozen to this spot. "I didn't know what to do."

"You could fire at it," Joel suggests.

"Isn't it better to do that with a rifle?"

"Sure, but... it ain't like it's a big grizzly bear or somethin'. Just a dinky little cat."

"A dinky little--" You cut yourself off, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of your outrage. "Okay, so... since you're here, maybe it won't attack me if I move..." The dinky little cat is still just hanging out, watching.

"It won't attack you 'cause I'm gonna kill it."

"No! It's not doing anything!"

You can't see his facial expression, but you can feel Joel giving you a look. "Not yet. You want it to come eat our horses?"

"Well, no..."

BAM!

Dinky keels over. "Nice shot." You shouldn't feel sad. It's just an animal; you love animals, but you do recognize that they're food sources, and he killed it humanely. No, you weren't becoming FRIENDS, you tell yourself sternly. That's just fucking ridiculous!

"Guess we're havin' breakfast a little early," says Joel as he jogs over to the cat.

"I thought you said it's best not to eat predators?" You reluctantly follow him.

"Generally, yes..." He kneels and examines Dinky. "This is a clean shot, though. An' it seems an awful waste to just leave it."

"Okay. Yeah. Fine. I'm really tired, though. Can I take a nap first?" You drape yourself over Joel's back like you're going to nap right here and now.

He chuckles. "If you want. But I don't think I can carry both of you."

"What a wimp," you tease him, trying to hang on while he stands up, but he's not making it easy for you.

"Oh, I'm the wimp here?"

You heave a mock sigh. "Fine, I'll walk. And... I'll help you. I can sleep after, right?" You give him a kiss when he twists around, your arms still around his neck. "Hey, what are you doing out here, anyway? I was supposed to wake you up when it was your turn."

"I don' know... I guess I'm used to sleepin' with you beside me now. I woke up, an' I just got this feelin' that you weren't there, outside. Had to see for myself, an' then..."

"Then you had to worry."

"Sorry."

"No -- thank you. Fuck."

Joel ducks out of your arms. "C'mon, let's get to work."

And that's how you and Joel came to have your first ever cougar meat in the middle of the night.

You've seen enough weird shit on this trip so far; hopefully the rest of it is a bit more normal. Boring, even. You'll take boring.



THE END

If you'd like to start another adventure, return to page 1.

Comments

carlos

[(Anonymous)]

nice ending...

Re: carlos

[luminations.livejournal.com]

:)