I Am Alive.

The hunter left his old, battered truck on the outskirts of the forest. Years of work and toil on the farmland betrayed the flayed paintwork and creeping rust. He did take liberties with how close he drove to his target's den, but the strong winds and mist would help stealth his approach. He crouched to inspect the frozen ground, noting how fast the tracks were disappearing under the next barrage of snow.

"I haven't much time until I lose her." He thought, grabbing his rifle from the passenger seat and checking it over before scanning the terrain.

"This cold is going to affect velocity and make me slow." He held his rifle, aiming down the sights.

"These winds will make it heavier, harder to handle. Fatigue will set in soon." He lowered his stance, assessing the ground for tracks and the horizon for movement.

"This mist impairs vision but so far, no other souls around. Can't afford to make loud footsteps, I'll spook her. Lose my chance."

The forest was bare except for a thick blanket of snow, strong winds and mist. Tracking his target was going to be hard, and he didn't have the luxury of time. From what he could tell, he was the only hunter in the radius. He was the only human, of that he had no doubt. The other dregs of Humanity existed in the relative safety of the underground cities, built upon old mines. As far away from those things as possible. The others would leave it to people like him to get what they needed from the outside world.

He found more tracks that suggested a nearby den, and set his bait before preparing his own observation perch. He found a good place to rest his rifle, the strong winds making it cumbersome, aching his arms. He then set up a tripod with a scanning device attached. He had to check if any of his targets had impurities or mutations, he wouldn't get paid if there was. He tracked the female wolf for days to this location. Maybe she was hiding from those things as well, but if the hunter could find her, they could too.

Waiting for his quarry, the hunter's focus waned, his thoughts fleeting to his home, to his daughter. He hadn't seen her for a long while, not since being declared dead by the others during an expedition. Not far fetched, considering the circumstances, she was looking for other people, other survivors. Clutching to her memory, the hunter would always carry two phones with him. One for his work and the other an older one that his daughter used to contact him. He always kept t with him, just in case. Even though having both phones became second nature to him, after two years of silence, he lost hope of her being found.

"Is someone there? I need help." A desperate call came from the distance, a man's voice, snapping the hunter from his daydream. He kept his eyes fixed on the bait. The relentless snow starting to be felt through his protective clothing.

"They're getting smarter." He thought. "Almost got that mimic perfect, except for that little bit of static in their voice. That exposes them."

"Help me, please!" The voice was difficult to pinpoint and more of a guttural cry this time. No footsteps could be heard, this thing was either very far away, searching, or already here, watching him. The hunter's lower lip curled slightly, he had to remain calm, they can sense an anxious heartbeat.

"This needs to be quick." He grimaced. "Remain focused, or you'll be the prey, fool."

The wolf arrived not soon after, cautious of its surrounding and thinner for its worry. It took the bait, maybe out of desperation for a meal that wouldn't fight back.

"Perfect." The hunter hummed as the scanner got to work. A slight bleep, almost lost to the howling winds, made him crack a rare smile.

"A perfect specimen..." He whispered, battling the elements to lift his rifle and adjust his iron sights. He fired, hitting the wolf's neck. The wolf stumbled for a brief few moments, staggering around like a college graduate during happy hour, whose student loan was burning a hole in their pocket. The wolf's eyes fluttered, it used all of its willpower to keep them open as the hunter cautiously approached.

"Woah, easy girl. Don't fight, don't fight. let the tranq work its magic."

The dart the hunter shot had found its mark. Painlessly, but slowly, putting the wolf to sleep.

"There aren't many like you. It's far too dangerous for you to be out here." He whispered, kneeling next to the defenseless canine, comforting it with light strokes as it surrendered to unconsciousness.

He took a picture with his phone and uploaded it to a veterinarian back home. They were always on the lookout for wild animals that needed rescuing, and would be even more interested since he retrieved a male wolf a couple months prior. The hunter took the wolf back to his truck, already covered in snow and ice and lay it in the back as his phone began buzzing.

"You found a perfect female? No mutations?" The veterinarian immediately said as the hunter answered the call, talking so fast that he couldn't even feign a reply. "We have a good pair now, with the male. With hope they'll bond, and maybe we can give them a chance of surviving. Keep the species going."

"A nice thought, we haven't had much luck lately in the survival department. But let's just worry about getting back right now, I think I'm being watched." The hunter replied.

"Is it one of them? Be careful, reports are they're getting more dangerous these last few months."

"They're mimicking us now." The hunter relayed. "I can't imagine how many souls have fallen prey. Hopefully, I don't continue the trend." He stroked the wolf's fur in an attempt to keep his anxiety levels stabilized.

"I'll transfer your funds now, since you've gone above and beyond for us back here. Plus, the council always adds a bonus for bringing back a female, a pretty handsome award from what I hear. Take care and get yourself back safe." The veterinarian disconnected the call, leaving the hunter in silence before the bleep of his phone confirmed his payment.

checking his new balance, the hunter received his standard commission of $2000, as well as a very generous, and much welcome $20,000 with the reference; 'for saving a species'. The hunter's heartbeat quickened as the realization hit that he wouldn't have to go outside all too often for a while, it was becoming regular, and all it took was one mistake to not come back. He opened his little black notebook, worn and battered through the past years' hardships and, for the first time that year, put a long awaited, green tick next to the word: Wolf.

"If only we could save them all." He reflected, as there were far too many animals crossed out of the notebook that he couldn't get to in time. Those things were just much better hunters than himself. He would berate himself for their losses, he failed them.

"I see you." A static whisper through the trees hit him a he realized he had been found. For the first time that day, he felt the cold air breathe down his neck and every fiber of his being stand to attention. He dared not move an inch as he assessed the situation. He scanned the trees, hoping for it to be in front of him. It was no use, he knew it came from behind. He remained quiet, unmoving, it's difficult for them to track a motionless creature. His eyes fleeted down at the wolf, praying it would remain asleep and not start to stir.

The next few moves had to be quick, the hunter knew this. Everything had to go perfect, or he'd be dead. He had a pistol, he could try fighting? No, he'd be dead before getting it out of his holster. They were fast and hard to hit. He wasn't even sure if he could kill it, no one has ever reported doing so. He could try to flee, get in his truck and attempt an escape. But that would put the wolf at risk, make her an easy target. No, it wasn't worth the risk.

Ever so slightly, he tilted his head, trying to match his movement to the rhythm of the wind. He caught a glimpse of it in his peripheral vision. He couldn't quite make it out, but couldn't turn anymore without the risk of alerting it. He's heard them hunting before, but never seen one. It was almost humanoid, but with disproportionately long limbs and a silvery body, it blended into the winter background almost seamlessly, any details, face, markings or anything like that were obscured. Much like trying to focus on a speck of oil in a glass of water. As far as he could tell there was only one, they don't hunt in packs.

"Where are youuuuu? Where are youuuuu?" The creature hummed, mimicking the voices of different people, men, women, children, the resemblance was uncanny. It wouldn't be long before even the hunter couldn't tell the difference between them an the real thing. A terrifying thought, one that wouldn't soon leave him. The voice became more and more faint, the hunter, as still as ever, couldn't even keep track of it as it disappeared into the distance, its movements horribly inhuman.

"Too close. One of the days my number will be up." He worried. Knowing that any moment between now and getting home he could be dead. Was he being toyed with? Should he take action or just wait These questions burned through his mind with no clear answer. If it was just him and he brought a different gun he might have tried fighting, but with what was at stake, he couldn't.

Waiting for a long enough time that his legs began to feel numb from the cold, the hunter let out a deep sigh of relief, hoping that it was far away enough that he'd be long gone before encountering it again. Not wanting to waste anymore time to allow the tranquilizer to wear off, the hunter made all the necessary checks and preparations to leave.

"We'll get you well looked after." He soothed, stroking the wolf's bedraggled fur. "You'll have a, somewhat, normal life with us, soon. You'll get your chance, I promise."

Starting the engine of his truck and hearing that relieving sound of a running engine, he felt the faint buzz of his phone. He grabbed it, expecting the veterinarian to tell him there was a mistake with his bonus, that it was too much and they have to retract it.

"Should have figured, $20,000 was too good to be true." He resigned.

He took a second to think when the hone in his hand wasn't ringing yet he could still hear the buzz. His eyes widened ad he felt a knot in his stomach when he realized that for the first time in two years, his other hone was ringing. He barely contained his anxious shakes as he quickly answered to an unmistakable voice he hadn't heard in so long speak with a static hue as the signal tried to clear.

"H..l..0....Da..? C..n....yo......hear....me? D..d?

The hunter tried to speak, he pictured this moment for two years, imagined what he'd say, everything to the smallest detail. But being in this situation in person, he had no answer before the signal finally cleared and the voice continued.

"I am alive."