Jared walked to the old, forgotten waterfall. He had heard stories about this place as a kid. He decided today was the day for his first hunt as a man. This would be his initiation hunt. He had already bagged many animals, but today was the day he would be able to prove that he was able to become a man. If he was able to produce three heads, he would be able to wear the necklace of a man. At the age of fifteen, no one expected to live very long because of the zombie menace, but Jared was determined to live a long life. He had to make it through this initiation. He had heard many stories about the elders who had become men. He knew they were all dead, but he had to believe it was true. He was ready to take on the world. He had to prove that he was not scared of the unknown. He had to prove he was able to survive on his own.
"Jared, you look great. You'll be the envy of the group."
Jared smiled at Tony. He was surprised that he even looked like a man. His legs were short, but his shoulders were curvy. He had gorgeous green eyes and skin that was light as the summer grass. His hair was sandy blonde. The girls couldn't help but drool over him. He had to stop himself from blushing. He didn't have time to do that. He was a man now. He had responsibilities. If he wanted to fulfill these responsibilities, he had to get moving.
"Thanks Tony. I was hoping to make a grand entrance."
"OH DANG! I forgot to tell you about your surprise. You said that you wanted to make a grand entrance but wanted it to be a surprise. I went out of my way to get you an entrance."
"You didn't have to do that. You know I would have been totally fine if I had just walked in on my own two feet," Jared laughed.
"No.. It needed to be one big entrance. I went back to your old home," he said as he started digging into his bag.
"What? Why would you do that? You know that was my dad's property. I'm not going back there," Jared exclaimed.
"Calm down! I didn't go inside. We don't want those things near us," Tony laughed. "I just thought it would be cool to take you back the way you came."
"Oh.." Jared said. He was a little embarrassed. He wanted to say something more, but Tony was already getting out his supplies. He had gotten a small wagon and placed the heads of his kills in it. He had gotten a camera to take pictures with Jared. Now it was time to get moving.
"I need you to hold this for me," Tony stopped. He removed a piece of paper from his bag and placed it on the ground. "I want you to come up here about fifty feet and take pictures at the top of this cliff," he pointed to a cliff that was about a hundred feet high.
"Wait.. I don't know if I should do that. I mean what if I get trapped or I can't walk up the hill or something. I don't think I'm ready," Jared said.
"Do it. I promise it will be okay," Tony stated.
Jared took the photo. It was a great shot. Jared was on top of a cliff. He had a bag of bear heads in his hands as he threw a rock into the water below.
"Doesn't look too hard. There is a platform above the spring so you can climb. I took the rock from there so you wouldn't fall," Tony said.
"Can I take a picture of Tony climbing the hill?" Jared laughed at his friend. He was a little worried that he was going to fall. Tony wasn't the best climber.
"You can take as many as you want."
"Well, as long as you are willing to fall."
"I've done this before. I'll do it. It's not hard. You just have to be careful not to slip and fall," Tony said.
"I'll be super careful," Jared stated. He had to get moving. Tony grabbed the camera and started taking pictures. Jared was now standing at the top of the cliff. He was ready to take some more pictures. The sun was shining. Jared could feel its rays on his face. The air was crisp. He was happy he was ready. He had done it. There was only one thing left to do. He had to kill one of these monsters. He looked down at the water and lowered his bag. It was now time to feed. He was ready to do what was necessary. He was ready for his initiation.
"I can see you've finally figured out what I'm doing," Tony said.
"Are you kidding me? I've known exactly what you were doing. I just wasn't sure if you had been doing it all yourself. I'm glad to know that you weren't so I could take my place," Jared said.
"I knew you would understand. I just hope you don't mind that I started without you," he laughed.
"Maybe I should have told you about my idea for throwing the stuffed animals into the water and creating my kill," Jared said.
"No, you were totally right. I wanted you to do it. It will be better as a pair. It will make everyone feel more accomplished. Besides, I told you I had done it before," Tony laughed.
"It will be great. This could be a new pattern for all of us," Jared said. He couldn't imagine any of the elders getting killed with any more of the traditional ways.
"You deserve it. You've worked really hard on this. I'm really happy to see you be a man. Let's hope it's enough. The last of us are going to be just like you," Tony said.
"I hope so. You know, maybe we can make it stronger than anyone has ever seen before. We could be legends. Maybe the elders are leading this charge. Maybe they have told us the truth. Maybe they have realized that they have lost control," Jared said. "Maybe we won't be the last. We will be the first of a new generation. Maybe we can be the last of our kind."
"You are never going to believe this. You've just made me feel better about my decision. This can be a victory for us. I just know it's going to work out. Look at this. It's definitely animal blood," Tony said as he stepped out of the water. He looked at Jared. "You haven't started yet. Those things might start to come for you soon. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I guess I am," he said.
Jared could feel the hairs on his arms. His heart was beating fast. He was ready. It was almost time to feed. He had killed a bear right before he left the cabin and now he was ready to see if he could take on the beast.
Tony approached him. He raised his gun and shot it at Jared. Jared turned and watched it hit him. It didn't hurt. He wasn't actually afraid of getting hurt. He would fight it if he had to. He held his chest and his arms as he let out an angry noise.
The sound came from deep in his chest.