We all backed up in surprise. We didn't know if it were a Pathogen or human training in another group or section. So we sat there quietly, staring at the person, who walked closer and sat down next to Jian near the fire, warming their hands and acting as a normal person would.
"Sorry to scare you. Just a little cold and my group abandoned me." The girl said, still by the fire. I was certain she was human at this point, as Pathogens are deathly afraid of fire, so much to the point they cannot help but avoid it.
"It's okay, we were just a little freaked out..." Pika said, lowering her weapon, which was a sword that was quite too big for her.
"My name is Cressa. I come from another section from yours, but I was in Group A of my section. Is it okay if I stay here for tonight?" She asked, staring blankly at the fire.
"Sure, you can stay with us, but we need to place down our tents still, if you'd like you can sleep in mine, I'm quite small so I won't take up too much room!"
Great... now I was the only boy with three girls... aw~kward.
Thinking about how Pika acted, reminded me of a lot of Kayla. She was so bossy at times, but she could always turn something tragic into something calm.
"Hellllooooo? Are you there?" Pika asked, waving her hands in front of my eyes. I quickly turned my head with a, "huh?" and stared at Pika.
"I wanted to know if I could give Cressa some food, she must be starving and we already ate not too long ago." Cressa was trying to deny this act of kindness, but Pika was not allowing her not to eat.
"Go ahead, I'd say you're the leader anyway," I said, smiling as I looked back into the dark forest.
She gasped and began speaking quite loudly. "Me? No! I thought you were the leader?! I can't lead people to do stuff!" to which I replied with, "Well you're talented in everything else!"
This argument was funny and lasted some time before I finally stopped it and accepted the leader position. My first order was that we sleep. Everyone was sound asleep way before me though, so I was forced to hear the silence of the forest. No birds, no bears, no Pathogens.
Luckily I did fall asleep and didn't wake up to being eaten alive. I left the tent and began cooking some pre-packed meat we were given by Sargent Miko before we all left. Everyone else woke up not too long later and I made sure to give them some meat first.
Everyone was eating calmly when a Pathogen had snuck up on us and attacked Cressa. It bit into her arm and sliced her neck a small bit, but Pika had jumped up quick enough to put the Pathogen down. We lit it on fire and tended to Cressa's wounds. The blood seemed to have stopped leaking, but she was in serious pain.
We led Cressa up a tree, which took a while to climb, and put her on a thick branch so we could go find some herbs for her.
Jian went on her own despite Pika's constant begging. So Pika and I were to search together. We finally saw some bright blue herbs in the distance, but there were tents planted next to it. So we crept up and curiosity really got to me. I peeked into one of the tents, which was ripped open, and saw two dead men. One was missing a leg and another was missing his head, it was a terrible sight and so I warned Pika so she wouldn't look.
She was disgusted even by me telling her so we got the herb and continued back to where Cressa was. We climbed the tree and we shook her to wake her up.
She wouldn't move. She wasn't moving, and Jian told me she was dead for sure. I could have sworn she breathed a little, however... was Jian wrong?
Pika swore under her breath, and we left her body up there to be respectful and not let the Pathogens get her.
Pika cried for some time, which was quite heartbreaking to me.
***
Eventually, we met up with Jian again and we were walking to another place, forgetting all about our tents and supplies.
Something sped past our heads and dug itself into the ground. We all dived behind trees as another Bone Bullet flew our way.
"It's a shooter!" Jian yelled to us and we nodded. She then told us quietly to distract it, so we did, running and dodging his bullets, which I admit was scary as hell.
Jian pulled out a bow that was folded and shoot an arrow into the leaves of the tree, actually managing to hit the Pathogen in the head, it fell to the ground, to which she wrapped the paper around an arrow tip and poured some alcohol onto it, lighting it ablaze with her lighter before shooting the fire arrow into the Pathogen, burning him, which allowed for him to not heal and to die.
"It seems that one had insane aiming abilities. His hand seems to have a scope on it."
Right... I had forgotten they each had abilities of their own. Most of them didn't rely on them, however, because sometimes they got an ability that doesn't work for their weapon. Like a scope wouldn't work for a sword user.
***
While walking, we told Jian what happened to Cressa and she showed some remorse at this recent loss. We were walking in silence when my watch began vibrating from inside my bag. I was certain I had turned it off. The vibration stopped pretty quickly. Jian and Pika didn't seem to notice, which was relieving. My phone soon began ringing and I sighed as I took it out to look at it. It was a call from Kayla, which I picked up right away.
"Hey, Kayla. How is your job going?" I asked, ignoring Pika and Jian's surprised looks. Kayla didn't take much time to... "announce" her concerns.
"Are you okay?! How is it going?! Are you hungry?! Maybe thirsty?!" I sat in awkward silence, with Pika and Jian's glares telling me that they heard it as well.
"Kayla... I'm fine. Can I call you back when I get back to my group's tent?" I asked, pretty much begging.
"You'd better call back!" Kayla said before I hung up. Pika began laughing and I felt embarrassed. "Was that your girlfriend~?" She asked, poking into my side.
"No! I- she's like a relative to me... if we were related though... she'd just be bossier."
***
We arrived at the camp and fixed up our tents and found supplies for the fire. We lit the fire just as night was arriving and we kept watch around us as to not get surprised attacked by some Pathogens. Pika was seemingly nervous about sleeping, but I told her that I would stay up and watch out for our group. That helped her.
Surprisingly no Pathogens showed up and Jian took my position after only a couple of hours, allowing me to rest for a while.
Of course, I had forgotten to call Kayla... oh the wrath I'd feel soon enough.