A not so happy reunion

CHAPTER ONE

SHAWN

  The woods were still and quiet. Only the chirping and singing of birds could be heard. I hid behind the trees, breathing in all of the nature that I be held. The sun was bearing down on me. The only thing shielding me from the sun were the leaves of the shrubs I hid behind. The sun wasn't the only thing they were shielding me from. They were hiding me from my prey. A pack of deer slowly feeding on grass.

I was hunting. And hunting took patience, deep concentration and an emptying of the mind. I held my breath and gripped my sword. A deer pricked its ears. I paused. Then it went back to grazing. I slowly exhaled, taking out my sword at the same time. Any small mistake, any little noise and the deer would be out of there.

A bow and arrow would have been easier. But after years of living by the sword, it had become my weapon of choice, even when it wasn't the most convenient. I was the exact opposite of my cousin Thalia in this aspect. Thalia held no attachment to weapons. She simply used what she could get her hands on. I gripped the handle, parted the leaves so I could get a clear view, then I chose my prey. The deer to the far left. It seemed much slower than the others. A loner. It would be the easiest to take out.

I stretched my hand backward then flung my sword. It sank deep into the deer I was aiming for. For the others, that was a signal to run. But that was okay. I had patrolled the area and set up traps before attacking the deer. At least two more would be caught in them.

I jumped out of the woods and walked quickly towards the deer, grabbed it and hoisted it over my shoulders.

I decided to take this one home with me. The other two would have to wait. I would come back for them later. Carrying one alone was heavy enough.

It was getting dark as I neared my home. I was just a few feet from my front door when I stopped and slowly dropped the deer from my shoulders. My whole body tensed on instinct. Someone was here. Someone, different.

Automatically my hand grasped for my sword. I clasped it and opened the door slowly. Although I had electricity, I had no intention of turning on the light. I could be attacked when my back was turned. I couldn't think of any advantage to turning it on at that moment. I would subdue the intruder, then I would turn on the lights.

I closed my eyes, listening for the smallest sound. For  several minutes I heard nothing. Nothing but crickets. And then… I heard the squeak of shoes. It came from behind me.

I spun around and swung. Blades of steel clashed. A million thoughts rushed through my mind. Who could possibly have found me? Was it an enemy? Or… None of the possibilities did anything but make my stomach fill up with nostalgia.

Our swords clashed a second time. Whoever it was, was skilled. I somersaulted backwards. However the intruder had already deftly moved behind me. I swung my leg, sweeping clean through the stranger's. There was a deafening crash. I raced to turn on the lights.

Blonde hair, brown eyes, with the face of an elf. It was my childhood friend, Lisa.

 

We sat down and I poured her a cup of cocoa. We both hated coffee. Not that we could drink any if we wanted to. Coffee was a luxury these days. I did all of this after I pulled the deer in, of course. I wasn't going to take chances.

It started to pour outside and for a slight second I worried whether my prey would be gone by morning, eaten by another predator. But then my concentration shifted back to Lisa. What was she doing here? What did she want?  I and Lisa hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms. I wasn't sure what to expect. So I said nothing and waited.

"You look different", she said.

That's her opening line?

"You look the same as ever", I said. I sipped cocoa from my cup. I looked outside the window. "It's raining", I said. I don't know why I said that. It was so random and nonsensical. Surprisingly, she responded.

"I don't quite know how to say this", she began. She looked at me. I looked at her back.

It had been four years. The last time I saw her, she'd been in life threatening situation and the odds hadn't been in her favor. And yet she'd survived. Somehow I relished this. Someone who'd been through some of what I'd experienced was here with me. I felt a certain connection. And yet, we found it hard to really talk to each other. Almost ten minutes had gone by and only a couple of sentences had been said.

"Say it as it is", I said.

"Could you go back to being an assassin?"

The words struck me like lightning. A sour taste entered my mouth. How could she ask me to do that? As a fellow who had been through hell and back how could she ask me to return to that life?

"Why? Why would you ask me that?" I asked her.

"If you knew that the world was about to end, what would you rather spend your last remaining days doing?"

I sat back and folded my arms. "Where's this coming from Lisa? Did someone put you up to this?"

"You and I both know that no one can make me do what I don't want to", she said.

"So what's this about?"

"We need your help".

"We?"

"I'm a part of Atlas's crew now", she said.

The name Atlas filled me with rage. "Atlas? What the hell are you doing with someone like him?" I asked.

"Why are you pissed? Thalia's with him too".

"Yes but, but…" I paused, not sure how to proceed suddenly losing my train of thought. I hate when that happens.

She stood up. Was she leaving?

"I want you to join me in Atlas's crew", she said.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because, Shawn, the world is about to end".

 

Reviews

[Isabelle]

Your story sounds really interesting and got me hooked, especially the last sentence. You make the reader want to find out more about their past and Atlas' crew. I think you could make it even better by extending some parts of it, for example when he gets home. That could build up the tension. Besides that you have a lot of word repetitions. But all in all it is a great first chapter that leaves me curious for more.

[Jared Grace]

Thanks. Can you tell me some of the word repetitions? I would be grateful.