I remained in that tree for hours scanning the swampy forest. It was around noon when started to feel fatigued and climbed up a little more into the tree. The thicker branches were a nice seat as I kept my Kalashnikov on my lap and I leaned back. As I started to doze off I remembered something.
"'Sergeant! Get down from that tree!' I fell down and landed on my face and was covered in mud. I raised my head and saw my Captain standing above me.
'Damn it all, of all the options why you of all of them. You need to keep your act together or else the whole company will be in disarray!'
I found myself replying, 'Relax, you need to also have some fun Captain! They have done their duties for today!'
'Today was concealment training as well! Did you forget again!' My Captain stared a hole through my head as I realized I forgot about that training.
'It's just smearing mud over ourselves to conceal ourselves and our nasty smell Captain, it's basic so they should understand the concept Capt-'"
I left the dream remembering what I had just told the Captain, I guess I was an Sergeant in the military.
I listened for any sounds before I opened my eyes. There was none, I guess that's a common theme of the Apocalypse.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around without too much movement and the coast was clear of any Deer Demons.
I looked down and climbed down, the sun was pretty low and it seemed like it was between Four and Five I continued slowly walking and found a small cave in a hill face that was steeper and more rocky. I rose my Rifle and walked in. It was about two feet wide and about four feet tall at the entrance. Upon further inspection I saw it was about ten feet deep. It would be a tight fit to get in, but I could do it.
I set my pistol and 9mm ammo and set it down on a dry patch of dirt and got to work. I went towards the entrance and dug a small little inch deep trench to keep the floor dryer. I staked the dirt against the door way so that if it rains the water won't just rush in.
I then grabbed a few handfuls of mud and smeared it all over my hair, face and body. I kneeled near the entrance and took note of my surroundings.
A small area in front of the entrance, around a 5 foot circle, as well as along the hill face, was dry. Besides that it was muddy for the next 30ish feet, so I had a few seconds to bring my Mosin or Kalashnikov to a firing position.
I retreated back into the cave and sat down, the mud was starting to harden so I sat down and ate some of my food. It had been a long day and I had another one before I would have to kill the Bukavec or return empty handed.
I decided to set a little trap, I had a little thread on me. I took my pistol and AK and got to work. I had some string in my pocket, I made sure one bullet was loaded and put the safety on. I grabbed some thread that I had kept in my pocket, about 30 feet of thread on a small spool.
I went and grabbed 4 sticks that were about a quarter inch thick and a stick that was about and inch thick.
I secured the string tightly to the thicker stick and dug a hole into the ground making sure that it was sturdy and wouldn't move.
I then place the four other sticks in a trapezoid shape on the edge of the dry ground. Each stick was about two feet long, so I buried the first foot of each stick and then ran the sting along the outside. I then placed the gun at about a 45° angle and measured out the rest of my string and cut it. I placed a small wood chip in between the handle and the trigger. I tied the string around the chip and then the trigger. I then got two rocks and buried the handle in a way the gun wouldn't move, unless someone hit my line.
The final touch was a little dirt on top of the gun and aiming it at the middle-ish of the line.
I went back into my cave and covered myself in some more mud to try and conceal myself. I laid down and got some quick shut eye, it anything happens hopefully the pistol would fire and wake me up.
I also have the advantage that I can just wait in here with my rifle and I can remain pretty safe.
I closed myself as I began to think about what had gone down today. As I drifted off to sleep I thought about my captain, obviously for some reason a Sergeant had a lot more sway than someone who outranked him. I wonder what it was like.
As I fell asleep I felt off as if I was being watched.
Little did I know that two eyes were trained on the little cave entrance. The sunken eyes in a head of bone with antlers any hunter would die for. A tall frame that was around 8 feet tall without the rack. Covered in a dirty mop of fur and caked in mud. Little did I know that I was being followed. I was not a hunter, I was the hunted, and I didn't even know it.