《Decimation [ Apocalyptic Novel ]》Chapter 3
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Looking at the sight in front of myself I turn to look at my comrades who seem to have a dumbfounded expression on their faces.
Bowman, the leader of Squad 3, steps outside first looking around and he smiles. “Okay guys we need to get camp set up so begin setting up, do not go far from the capsule and take weapons with you, we need firewood and food for dinner”. After announcing that he began to split us into groups, sorting us out by specialties.
My speciality is I am good at long shot. Giving me a rather decent experience with a bow. Unlike Bowman who has upper body strength, he was on the wrestling team on the space station for training and exercise.
Bowman is a rather interesting character. He has went to hell and back seeing all the things he has went through, first his sister died at birth because her body could not withstand space. Then, his mother died giving birth to his sister. Since then Bowman has taken on everyone in the Squad as his brother or sister, except for one particular person. Jakob, Bowman hated Jakobs guts. The reasons for that is, Jakob hit on every girl in his path and Bowman despised that. Bowman had a girlfriend but who is no longer with him simply because of Jakob, who convinced Bowmans girlfriend, Nathalie Parker, that Bowman was a thief and a lying piece of scum. Which of course was not true.
Bowman and Jakob have gotten into many fights and Bowman has won every time, henceforth one if the reasons he is leader of Squad 3. But, if there is one thing about Bowman that he has charisma. But, Bowman deprecates himself, telling himself he can do better than what he does.
But that is enough about Bowman. I look around at my surroundings and I see that i am put in a group with Sara, Olivia, Amber, Max and Jakob.
From what I have heard Sara is a fast runner and she is good in close combat, she also will never back down when it comes to protecting someone or proving a point.
Olivia specializes in plants, knowing which is poisonous and which is not, along with she is wonderful at making concoctions. Amber is good with close combat and mechanics, and Jakob is good with upper body strength and he has been put on wood duty.
Our squad has been put on gathering food but Jakob is to go along and collect wood so he is acting petty once again. No one in the squad really likes Jakob except for the few girls swooning over him which makes us all sick.
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I walk up to Bowman with a huff “why do we have to be paired with him Bowman? all he is going to do is slow us down.” I say with slight anger in my tone
Bowman turns to me and says “because unlike the rest of us he has upper body strength” I grumble and mutter under my breath “fine” I say and go off to my squad.
“Alright so is everyone ready? Do you all have your gear and items? We will be out for a while” they all nod and we double check. After we do we set off. I have a piece of paper with me to write down coordinates, where things are to help us get around easier.
A couple hours pass Jakob is carrying an arm full of firewood while the rest of us all carry at least three bags full of blueberries or strawberries. We figure that is enough so we start to head back. Humming softly to myself Sara speaks up “ so, what do you think so far, about earth do you like it?” She asks. And I turn my head slightly “ yes its wonderful but I am concerned. Where is Squad 1 and Squad 2. And why is there vegetation already?”
As soon as I say that a scream is heard from camp, we all look at each other and take off sprinting towards it, there appears so be smoke coming from the pod as we make it there and people are scrambling “where's bowman?” I ask frantically. “He's gone they took him” Nathalie scream out and she dropped to the ground rocking slowly “who who took him??” Jakob yelled and I sat my bag down “dude shut the hell up you aren't making problems better by yelling” I snap at him and he just rolls his eyes.
With that it put me over the edge, i stormed over and took a branch swinging at full force at his side, landing the hit he fell to the ground squirming and i jumped on top of him landing one blow after the other. Finally after a minute Sara pulled me off of him
“Get ahold of yourself! This is no time to be acting childish, he is not worth it just leave him be we have to find out what happened to Bowman” she snapped. Sara then storming off to the pod looking around “ Nathalie did you see what happened by any chance or anyone else for that matter?” Sara said looking around on the ground for footprints or something, then she saw a pathway that seemed out of the ordinary.
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Following it she studied it and called me over “it looks like he was taken by someone, someone like us. But who would do that.” she said pointing out the footprints and a track which seemed to be showing something be dragged.
I bite my lip in confusion and huff “ Bowman didnt have any enemys besides Jakob and Jakob was with us. “ i look closer at the prints “something tells me...we arent alone..” i say and looking into the bushes.
“Everyone inside the pod now!” sara calls out and everyone scrambles inside jakob limping inside. I follow everyone and sara follows behind me. She closes the pod door and makes sure everyone is accounted for.
“We have to go after bowman” i say rather loudly
“Thats a suicide mission and I cant allow that Maddy”
“I dont care he is one of us, He is a part of our people.” I say sternly inches away from saras face.
“I am not letting you leave this pod until i know whats going on, we need a game plan and no one is leaving im not letting you all get yourselves killed”
I grumble and push my way through the crowd. I start pulling seats from their hinges in anger.
“What the hell are you doing?” sara asks coming up behind me
“Well you want to sleep tonight dont you? Help me pull these chairs out when they engineered these seats, they made them foldable beds. So help me so we can get our people atleast something of their own” i say and pull off another chair and sara does the same.
After a while we finally get all fifty chairs off the wall and we knock out the stoppers on the wall to lay the beds one by one sara finishes making the last bed and calls out “alright everyone! Your beds are finished, get some rest, we will hunt for bowman at first dawn” Sara announces.
I nod and sit in my bed by the far corner. With a yawn i slip my bag off my shoulders and set it beside me.
Looking up at the ceiling i sigh, not being able to sleep. I toss and turn from side to side all night and then eventually i get frustrated and grab my bag from where i originally put it.
Shuffling though i zip it up and put it on my bag. I look around at everyone and spot out olivia and sara, Alexandria, Amber, Max and Jesse. One by one I go by tapping them awake and tell them to meet me outside the pod. When i reach sara i wake her and say “Hey, we are going to find bowman, while everyone is asleep. We have to get him we cant do this without him. So are you coming or not?”
Sara stares at me then sighs “alright, you are right so lets get going.” she says and i watch her grab her bag and we both sneak out of the pod.
I go to search the tracks with a soft huff. “This way” i call out to everyone who followed. Slowly walking along the path everyone gripping onto their daggers that were given to them at the station.
Turning heads, and breaking twigs to mark our pathway, leaving no stone unturned. We get about a mile away from the pod and there was hardly any vegetation, it was all burned, and broken. Nothing left but sand, and black trees and sut. Im lost in thought for a bit, we all are until we hear something.
Someone speaking or humming we couldn’t make it out. I ordered for them to all jump back into the bushes and there we wait, for the thing to show itself.
We wait and wait, itd been about three minutes now and the thing is still talking and then finally, it steps out and all of our jaws dropped.
The person had on a Squad one uniform, a leader uniform to be exact. Dirty blonde hair and stood rather tall. He turned and we all ducked, stepping closer he squinted and then backed off taking off running.
After he was gone we all sat up, Sara speaking up in utter surprise “Danny? how is Squad one alive?”.
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