The numerous embers of the fire scattered themselves in a heap over the untouched wood stacked in the chimneys opening, casting a charcoal mist in the expanse of the fireplace. With the thick curtains drawn tightly over the fenestrations, little of the morning light was able to seep through, leaving my eyes to wander throughout the caliginous room. The blankets that Luke had scattered around were now clung to my side, the glacial air that had persistently nipped at my skin forcing them to embrace closer to my body.
My hands rubbed lazily over my face, a sigh choking the air around me as yesterday's events occupied my mind, embarrassment surging throughout my veins. I still wasn't certain as to what had come over me; it was as if all the anger that had pent up inside of me over the past few months had been fuelled into that one moment. The string had finally been snapped, ripped to shreds in the process, leaving me mentally exhausted.
A succession of footsteps traipsing along the wood flooring in the hallway adjacent to the room I was settled in caught my attention. The all too familiar sound of Luke's heavy steps indicated his arrival. The door swung open, his hand resting on the handle as he leaned against the door frame, his legs crossing at the knees as he offered me a bright smile. He was clad in his usual work attire, black smothering him from head to toe with a smart shirt and tight jeans clinging to his body. His hair had been styled, his sinuous hair in a blonde quiff, dropping slightly on one side of his forehead.
"Are you still up for training this morning?" He asked merrily. "I thought that we could have a go at some shooting?"
"That's perfect," I stated while pulling myself to my feet. "Let me just go get changed and stuff."
"Okay, I'll meet you out back," he said, motioning his head toward the back of the house then leaving the room.
Five minutes later, after swiftly getting ready, I made my way toward Luke, who was stood at the far end of the garden waiting expectantly. The air was still colder than it had been, forcing my body to hug itself against the fleece that I had carelessly flung on. Luke raised his head as the sound of my feet trailing along the lawn met his ears. In one of his palms, he gripped two small handguns, the other swinging behind his back to retrieve a black, cylinder-shaped object.
"What's that?" I questioned once I reached him.
"Suppressor," he responded simply though he was soon forced to continue due to the confused glance I threw his way. "It's a silencer," he explained, attaching two items onto the tip of the pistols in his hand. "I didn't think the shooting that we're about to do would go down very well with the neighbours." A frolicsome laugh fled from his throat causing my face to stretch into a grin. "So, my dearest Adelaide, tell me what you know," he mocked, something that I found myself grateful for, with his sense of humour being somewhat refreshing.
"I'm going to go with nothing because I can't remember what you told me during the raid," I admitted, offering him a cheeky grin.
"We'll start from the beginning then," he said, moving to stand on the other side of me. "We're going to be aiming at that row of trees over there," he pointed with his forefinger toward a line of hardwoods, just less than one hundred metres to the right from where we stood. "But before that you need to understand what you're doing." Luke tossed me one of the guns, my face filling with horror as I clumsily caught it. "It's not loaded," he laughed. "That's a semi-automatic pistol, so you won't have to worry about twisting a revolver or anything."
"Now let's start with stance, just follow what I do, okay?" He began by pushing his feet until they were shoulder width apart, then placing one foot a step or two in front of the other. "Put your non-dominant foot ahead and bend your knees slightly," he commanded as I followed his actions. "Now you're going to raise your gun in front of your chest, keeping your dominant arm's elbow straight and in line with the gun, with the other elbow bent slightly." He turned my way, reaching his hand out to adjust my elbow slightly before continuing. "Obviously if you're on the move you won't be able to stand like this, but it'll help with learning."
