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Celine nodded.
We had to keep moving so we could get out of here, but this cabin was the perfect shelter, and I was torn. Did we leave it behind in the hopes that we found something else along the way? What if another storm struck and we were out in the open again? This cabin was warm and dry, but it had been abandoned for quite some time, clearly. I didn’t know if someone would come for us here. It was a tough decision to make without knowing what the immediate future would hold.
“Come on,” I said. “We’re getting out there to find food.”
“What kind of food?” Celine asked, looking nervous.
“We’ll see if we can trap a small animal of some kind. Some kind of bird would be good, or a rabbit.”
Celine looked appalled. “We can’t kill a rabbit!”
“Out here, it’s do or die, babe.” I leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips. “It will be fine, we’ll figure it out, and when it’s all over and done with, you can donate to a charity to make up for it.”
Celine bristled, glaring at me. “That’s not going to change it.”
“No, but you’ll be alive to be able to donate. Silver lining, princess.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped and got up in a huff.
I chuckled as she pulled on her jacket against the cold—thank God I’d made her pack it—and walked to the small lavatory in the cabin. There wasn’t running water but the toilet setup was better than an outhouse stall with the old long drops they used to dig. If only Celine knew how good she really had it here compared to what it could have been.
I chuckled again at the thought of her having to deal with a long drop or having to dig a hole herself.
When she was done in the bathroom, she ran her fingers through her hair. It was tangled, a dusty mess after drying from our escapade in the river. Celine twisted it into a bun, pulling a face.
“I can feel the dirt like a second skin. What I would give for a good hair treatment right now.”
“You’re beautiful,” I said.
Celine rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious,” I countered, but she wouldn’t believe me. She had no idea how good she looked. The more natural she was, the more beautiful she became. Sure, I wanted a shower as badly as she did, but this Celine—raw and vulnerable andnicewas such a treat.
I shrugged into my jacket, used the bathroom before I looked around the cabin for something to hunt with. I hoped to find something—anything—we could use, but whoever this place belonged to hadn’t left anything behind. No guns, knives, slingshots, bow and arrow… I would have been content with anything at this point.
“We’ll make do,” I said.
“How?” Celine asked.
“I used to hunt with my brother when we were kids. We’ll get creative.”
Celine looked horrified. I smiled at her, trying to reassure her, but this part was going to be rough on her if she only ever saw meat once it was perfectly prepared and on her plate.
We left the cabin. The world smelled like freshly fallen rain, and it was incredible to be out here. It reminded me just how big Mother Nature was and how small we were in comparison. We humans had a way of thinking we were invincible, especially when we had a lot of money and could bend the world in our favor. Being here reminded me just where we stood on the food chain, and it was humbling.
While we crept through the trees, I explained to Celine what we were going to do and how we were going to do it.
“I don’t understand,” she said after I explained that a rock wouldn’t kill whatever we were going to find, it would only stun it.
“So, if it’s stunned…”
I didn’t grace her with an answer. I knew she understood what needed to be done.
“I hope you know a lot of my friends will have a shit fit if they find out about what you’re about to do.”
I shook my head. “Animal rights activists can lose their minds all they want over this. We’re not killing for sport or torturing, we’re doing this to survive.”
“I’d rather hold out until I can eat a normal meal again,” Celine said. “I don’t think we should—”
