The Plague

Anna honestly did not know how to take Tony's hospitality. He seemed very kind and sweet, but what if there were lies hidden behind that gentle face? He did not seem to like to talk about himself that much. What if that meant something? What if he was planning to do something to her? But as she watched him patch a hole in the roof caused by the heavy rainfall, she saw something. It was his eyes, his soft brown eyes. They were as gentle as a doe's; innocent and caring. Anna felt her heart soften as she realized he did not want to hurt her. He could have easily killed her by now...but he didn't. And that was all that mattered.
Anna looked away and started fiddling with her hands as he stepped off the stool.
"Anna?" he said, placing the tools back into a cloth bag.
"Yeah?"
"Would you like me to teach you how to hunt?" He asked, sitting next to her on the bed. He played with the strings of the bag nervously.
Anna's eyes widened. "Really?" she smiled. She had always wanted to go hunting. Back before the disease spread, her brothers and father always went hunting. They refused to take her, however. Even when she was old enough. Until this day, Anna never understood why.
Tony nodded and smiled. "Yeah. It's easy."
"I'll take your word."
Ten minutes later, they were walking through the woods with Benjamin trotting behind them.
"You're going to watch me first, okay?" Tony said very quietly. "Make sure Benjamin does not bark."
Anna nodded excitedly. She hoped she could get something.
Tony stopped and pointed far in the distance. He motioned for her to crouch down. Quietly, she gently held Benjamin's muzzle shut and kissed his head.
She watched as Tony took off the safety and aimed it. She couldn't see what he was pointing at, however. She assumed he had a good eye.
His face was deep in concentration and he had both eyes open. His finger slowly went to the trigger and it stayed there for a moment.
Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air and Anna's hands went immediately to her ears. She saw something far away fall onto the ground.
"I think I got it." Tony said proudly and stood up. Anna and Benjamin followed him quickly as he neared the fallen animal.
It was a deer and Anna realized Tony had shot it in the head.
It was painful to see all the blood pouring out of the deer's head. Anna's heart dropped as she realized that this was what hunting was all about. She had imagined it to be fun and exciting, and it was. Until you realized that you just shot an innocent animal.
"Are you okay?" Tony asked softly. Anna looked at him and nodded.
"I'm fine." She took one last look at the deer and turned away.
She heard Tony grunt as he hoisted the dead deer over his shoulder.
The atmosphere was heavy and quiet on their way back. By the time they had gotten to the cabin, Anna had realized why her brothers and father never let her go hunting. She was too kindhearted to see that type of stuff.
"I'm sorry I brought you." Tony said.
"It's okay." she said quietly.
"I just didn't want to leave you alone."
Anna looked up at Tony and realized he was blushing.

That night, they had deer stew for dinner. Anna avoided the meat pieces, though. She couldn't bear to eat something she saw die.
"Tony, tell me your story." Anna said suddenly.
Tony bit his lip and stayed quiet for a minute. "I don't know..."
Anna frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tony hesitated as a sad look took over his face. "I just-I don't think I'm ready to tell."
"I understand." Anna said as she thought about her past. She decided that she would tell him when he told her.
"So...is this going to be everyday? Just hunt, eat, and sleep?" Anna asked as she slurped up some of the broth.
"No. That was only today. I figured you would want some meat so you could gain some weight." Tony said, glancing down at her bowl.
Anna blushed in embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. I just...I can't eat something that I watched die."
"Well, vegetables aren't going to make you gain weight." Tony raised an eyebrow.
"I don't need to gain any weight." Anna said, starting to get annoyed.
"I can see your ribs through your tanktop." Tony nodded towards her chest.
Anna looked down and saw he was right.
"Well, so what? I'll gain weight when I eat more. I didn't eat a lot while I was coming here."
Tony sighed and shrugged. "Okaaaaaaay."
Anna narrowed her eyes and glanced down in her bowl. She felt bad for not eating the meat, but how could she? She knew Tony only shot that deer so she could gain weight and be healthy. He had all the food in the world in his cabinets.
"Well, if you won't eat the meat, will you at least eat a lot of beans?" Tony suggested.
"Why beans?"
"Beans have a lot of protein, like meat. A lot of protein makes you gain weight." Tony said.
Anna sighed heavily and picked up her fork. Maybe she would take a small bite.
She fished around in her bowl for a small piece of meat. Finding one, she hesitated before slowly putting it in her mouth.
She found it to be tender and delicious. Smiling, she realized how much she missed eating. Ignoring Tony's "I-told-you-so" glance, she ate the rest of her meat and swallowed all the broth.
Sheepishly, she tried to ignore Tony's eyes as she put the bowl in the sink.
He came up beside her and put his bowl in sink. His brows furrowed as he looked at her.
"You're sweating." he noticed.
"Well, it's only a hundred degrees in this cabin." she said.
Tony chuckled. "Would you like to go swimming?"
"These are my only clothes." Anna said, gesturing to her shorts and tanktop.
"So? You could wear some of mine to bed and by the morning, those clothes would be dry. Or you could wear my clothes to go swimming."
"Well...I guess so." Anna said, fanning herself with her hand. It actually was really hot in the cabin. "I'll wear my shorts and tanktop to go swimming."
"Okay, let me just change into some shorts. I'll meet you out there." Tony said, his face getting red.
"Okay." she smiled and stepped out. She sat in the grass and leaned up against the cabin's wall. The sun was still high in the sky and it was hot as hell. Benjamin came over from sleeping in the sun and nuzzled against her leg. She smiled and pet his head.
A few minutes later, Tony stepped out. She gazed up at him and realized he was only wearing shorts.
He had a flat stomach and Anna saw that his entire chest was tattooed.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his cheeks a bit red.
"Yup!" she said and bounced up. She could tell that he was very nervous about being shirtless in front of her. She smiled reassuringly at him and walked to the edge of the river. It was a slow river but it went about five feet deep. Anna decided to slid her way in since the edge was steep.
Tony, however, jumped and the splash drenched Anna completely. She giggled as water ran down her face.
"I'm sorry." Tony laughed.
"It's okay." Anna pushed her hair off her face. She smiled devilishly and splashed Tony so that his hair got wet.
After a short water fight, Anna then floated on her back and stared up at the sky. She wondered how long Tony would let her stay there. No matter what she was doing, that thought always magically appeared. She dreaded the answer, however, and refused to bring it up with him.
The sky disappeared and Anna felt Tony's hands push her under. Startled, she gasped and water filled her lungs. She squeezed her eyes shut and kicked Tony int he stomach.
She knew it. She knew he was trying to hurt her.
She popped her head above water and stepped back from Tony.
"Ow." he said, hunched over. He glared at her. "Why'd you do that?"
"You pushed me under!" she said.
"As a joke." he raised an eyebrow.
Anna blushed and realized how ridiculous she was being. "Oh..I-I'm sorry. I just thought..."
"Thought what?" he straightened up.
"Nothing. I just thought I was going to drown. I don't like being underwater." She lied.
"Oh." Tony's face softened. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I shouldn't have panicked so much." She opened her arms. "Will a hug do for an apology?"
Tony blushed and smiled. "Sure."
She swam over and hugged him. Before he could wrap his arms around her, though, she pushed him down with all her might. She giggled and quickly swam away and he popped back up.
"You bitch!" he laughed and splashed water in her face.
She giggled and while they resumed their water fight, her anxiety about him disappeared completely.