(Day 1): Sleepless Night

"How on earth-"

Mia interrupts me. "Don't ask. I don't want to talk about it." I just laugh more. Once I finish my short fit of giggles, I go back to studying the weapon. It was a sleek weapon, indeed made from carbon-fibre and stainless steel. It had a barrel length of about twenty-four inches, which made the total length of it to be roughly around forty inches. The scope had a zeroing range of up to seven-hundred metres and could cycle through the magnifications from 8x-16x. The firearm has a three round internal magazine that take .308 ammunition. Mia reveals a small pouch that contained fifteen rounds and placed it on the floor. The gun also had a bipod with adjustable height settings, a sling so you could carry it on your back. I pull back the bolt and leave it open, exposed to the world. I open the ammo pouch and take out three of the large rounds. I slid one into the top of the gun near the sight, where the opened bolt just revealed. I push the round down and it clicks into place. I do the same for the second and third rounds. I look around on the gun until I find the safety lock located just underneath the bolt and just above the trigger. I make sure it's on and I slide the bolt back into the gun. It's now loaded.

"How do you know how to use that thing?" Mia asks, with eyebrows raised. I shrug, with a devilish grin on my mouth. I look over at her. 'This could be a chance to "impress" her.'

"I doubt I could do worse than you!" I accusingly exclaim as I raise the rifle to my shoulder, glancing through the glass scope. "Give me a target." I lower the rifle to the floor again, satisfied with the scope. Mia looks around, just as a bird flutters through the trees. It lands some half dozen metres away in a branch. Mia doesn't need to say anything else. I raise the rifle to my shoulder, and look through the complex, magnifying sight. I line up the crosshairs with the chest of the bird, and "click." I squeeze the trigger. Nothing happens. "Oh, right, safety is on." I exclaim, dully, as I figure out what went wrong. I line up again, squeezing the trigger, feeling it give-way beneath my finger.

"BANG!" A deafening boom echoes around the terrain, followed by a powerful kicking force into my shoulder. I wince at the kick, and wince harder at the noise. The bird collapses out of the tree with a dull thud as it impacts the soil on the floor. After a few seconds, Mia erupts with mock applause.

"Good shot!" I smile at her small praise, inwardly beaming at her kind words. "I can't hear anything now, but good job." She exclaims, shooting me an impressed expression. I shrug, smiling slightly. Mission; successful. I look around, as I open the bolt of my rifle, slide another round in, and press it forwards turning the safety lock back on. The level of light is getting dangerously low at this point, under half the amount of what it usually would be. Just a dim glow of light now. I turn towards the last unopened foil packet. I rip it open, revealing a small, dull grey coloured, folded polyester square with the words 'Mylar Blanket' printed on it. "What's that?" Mia asks.

"It says it's called a mylar blanket," I reply. A memory within me sparks alive, "it's used for containing body heat. Basically, it helps to keep you warm." I unfold the blanket. It is a few metres in length and width, more than enough to wrap yourself up in it. "I think they use these on space craft for thermal control," I point out as I cover myself with the blanket. It doesn't take long before warmth seeps back into my skin. I glance back over at Mia, who doesn't have one of the lifesaving blankets. "Do you have any more MRE's?" Mia shrugs.

"Probably. I'll check." She turns back to the crate and rummages around in it for a while. 'I wonder what other cool items she has inside there.' I mentally shrug, as to not knock the blanket off my shoulders. 'It's her choice if she shows me.' She emerges from the crate, carrying a water skin in one hand, and an MRE in the other. She throws me the leather waterskin. Caught off guard, I can't bring my hands up in time to catch it. Instead, it thumps into the soft soil, sending small tendrils of dust up from the ground.

"Thanks," I reply, hooking the water skin onto my belt through a leather hoop on the side. I check the MRE packet on the floor next to me, feeling the side of it. It is considerably hotter than it was previously. 'It's been close enough to fifteen minutes. Either way, I can't wait any longer.' I pull the top of the packet apart and a gush of steam rushes up to my face, swirling around my eyes, drawing tears to my eyes. I bat it away, blinking rapidly to clear my eyes. I look around for the twig I was carving earlier. Using it, I stab one of the tubes of pasta. It's quite hot when I first put the piece of pasta in my mouth, and bland. 'All things considered, it's not all that bad.' I pass the packet to Mia, almost burning my fingers on the side of the foil package. "Here, it isn't that bad." Mia takes the packet and picks up a stick from the ground, dusts it off on her shirt and eats a few pieces of pasta.

"Could be better," She exclaims through a full mouth.

"Mhmm. Still, better than cold rations," I reply, licking my lips at the pleasant scent of food wafting throughout the air. Mia passes the packet back to me. I take a few more pieces before handing it back. We go back and forth like this until the packet is empty. By the time we have finished, the sun has gone down to the point where no distinct light source is visible, yet there is still an eerie, dim glow surrounding Mia and I. Like a sort of fog, just making the air a few metres in either direction of us visible. I look at Mia who is already setting down for the night, putting most of her stuff in the crate and covering it in leaves again. Yet I can see that she still has a knife sheathed to her side. "Alright, then, I'll take the first watch." Mia glances over at me questioningly.

"First watch?"

"Yeah, first watch. I mean, I'd rather not be stabbed in the back while I'm sleeping. But if you're into that sort of thing, then go for it," I state without emotion. Mia cracks a small smile. It doesn't reach her deep blue eyes.

"Alright then. Wake me at midnight. Well, if you can tell when that is."

I nod, "Will do." I retrieve the sniper from next to me, slinging it over my back with the leather strap. I look around. A few metres to my left is a low branching tree with little to no leaves. It has a good view of the surrounding area – including most of the camp. I walk over to it, examining it. If I jump, I can just about touch the bottom branch. Due to the nature of the tree, the bark is rough and easy to scale, providing perfect handholes. I plant my feet against the rough bark of the tree and begin my ascend, moving from handhold to handhold until I reach my desired location, a thick tree branch. Low enough that I could jump out of it if I need to, and a curvature to it which makes it comfortable to sit in. I climb up onto the tree branch and crouch on it, leaning against the tree's main trunk for balance, hanging my sniper from a small branch growing just to the right of me. I look around, being able to see a decent chunk of the camp from my position. I close my eyes for a few seconds, allowing myself a brief period of relaxation. 'These next few hours are going to be long and arduous for me, that's for sure.'

~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing much happens for the next few hours, until the moon appears directly above me through the branches of my 'tree-stand.' I slip the sling of the large rifle back over my shoulder and slide off the branch, leaves softly crunching under my feet as I land. I slowly walk back over to the camp and drop my rifle on the floor by the tree. Mia is peacefully sleeping next to the storage crate, rolled up in her dull mylar blanket and using a bundle of spare clothing as a pillow. I gently shake her awake. I barely touch her before her eyes instantly snap open. Before I have a chance to react, cold steel meets my throat. A single drop of hot blood rolls down my chest. I look at her questioningly, my mind filled with alarm. She retracts the knife, shrugging it off. I angrily glare at her. Retracing my steps backwards, I grab my rifle again from where I let it fall to the floor, sitting down next to the tree I sat by earlier. I place the rifle - loaded and armed but with the safety lock on - next to me. I pull out the Mylar blanket from where I placed it in my right pocket and unfold it again, wrapping myself up inside the reflective sheet. My hand falls to the dagger hitched onto my belt, and my drowsy eyes drift shut. The last noise I hear is Mia climbing into her 'watch tree.' Only then does it start to rain.