The Hunter Version 1

Ben waited several minutes more before he got to his feet unsteadily and did as he had been told. Toby was sitting up in the tent and seemed to relax slightly when he saw Ben again. Ben waved in greeting and Toby curled back up to go to sleep. As Max had said, he had left more meat for Ben on the rock on his side of the tent. The meat was still warm from the fire it had been cooked in, but not hot to the touch, so Ben hesitantly bit into it. After a thought, he quickly woke Toby and offered him a piece.
“I'm not interested in getting you into some sort of trouble with that guy,” Toby frowned when Ben offered it to him.
“He's not watching us right now. Eat it quick.” Ben hissed and shoved the piece into Toby's face.
Hesitantly, Toby accepted it, but he hungrily tore it to bits and devoured it withing seconds. Ben plopped down and finished the rest of it. He told Toby what had happened and Toby simply shrugged, uninterested. The other boy went back to sleep, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts. He thought he could hear screaming, but it was too far away to be certain. It might just have been bird song. He hoped it was bird song. The birds on the island were strange, so he prayed he was not hearing the last screams of that woman. Ben wandered about the camp for a while, examining Toby's baskets, kicking at ashes, but quickly got bored. He thought about going to his shelter he was working on, but thought better of it when he reminded himself he was not sure where that woman had gone.
Instead, Ben set off in the opposite direction he had heard the screams coming from-back toward the river. He found a shallow spot in the river and quickly waded across before he continued east, altering his course slightly until he could see the ocean through the trees to use as a landmark. He stumbled in the darkness of very early morning, but his eyes had adjusted well enough he could avoid most hazards. He walked for awhile until the sky started to get lighter. Ben came to an abrupt stop when he heard a voice through the trees.
“It looks like Rebecca and the other two were killed last night. We should move again,” A male voice called.
Ben ducked behind a large tree and crouched, his heart racing.
“Good God,” muttered another.
“Where are we going to go now, Sam?” A third, female, voice demanded.
“Not east. Lately the attacks seem worse the farther east we go. I bet that's where whatever is doing this has it's lair.” The first man stated.
“Let's hunt it down, then! It can't be any worse than these bloody animals!” A fourth voice snapped and Ben flinched as he heard a branch break nearby.
“I thought Devon had confirmed it was coming from the mountains, though?” The woman asked.
“Well, there's something it's protecting in the east, and I don't want to mess with it.” Sam said.
Ben knew what it was. And he was glad this man had the sense to stay away.
“All the more reason we go there!” The fourth voice barked.
“Are you an idiot?! We'll all get killed! I'm not about to risk it!” The woman yowled.
“If you want to go, go by yourself, Greg. I'll have nothing to do with anything belonging to the thing.” The owner of the second voice called.
Ben shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could leave, but he did not want to be discovered. These people would probably be able to hear him if he did try to move. However, it was just as likely that they would stumble upon him if he stayed. He clenched his teeth; he would just have to wait. He really did not want them to catch him headed west.
“By myself? Are you kidding? I thought we agreed to watch each other's backs. Who else will go with me?” Greg grumbled.
No one offered and he swore.
“We've got a lot of work to do if we are going to move out again. Let's get started.” Sam called.
Ben heard a shuffling of clothes as the four stood or moved about. None of them, it seemed,