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"This is a bad idea," stated Carol as she focused her rifle on a lone figure creeping around the canyon below. Monica was to her right and Kamala to her left, all three of them nudged shoulder to shoulder on the ledge as they peered down at the dust and rocks.
Kamala bumped Carol's shoulder with her head.
"Didn't you come up with it?" she asked incredulously, and Carol shrugged, one eye closed and one open, focusing through the sights as she aimed at the Zombie below.
"Just because I came up with the idea doesn't mean it's any good."
"So, why are we doing this, then?"
Monica snorted. "Because Clint's going to owe me ten bucks after it's said and done."
"Shhh," Carol whispered. "I'm focusing."
Monica answered just as quickly. "Well, focus faster."
"Silence, Lieutenant Trouble." Carol licked her lips, her finger tensing up on the trigger. "Just a little more... almost have it." There was a pause, a quick exhale, and the hunting rifle went off, kicking back into Carol's shoulder. The figure lurking below them collapsed to the ground. Silent and quick.
"Dang it," Monica whispered, cradling her head in her hands. "I was so close."
Carol smirked. She patted herself on the shoulder like she was dusting it off and said, teasingly, "Never doubt me again," to which Monica rolled her eyes.
"Lucky shot," she said, stretching out her legs as she stood. She helped Kamala to her feet and then reached a hand down to Carol, which the latter took with no hesitation. "Next time, I'm going to bet you can't do it twice in a row."
Carol playfully stuck her tongue out. "Nah. Next time, I'm going to give it to Kamala. Let her get some repetition in."
"Wait, really?!" Kamala's heart picked up. "I get to practice sniping? You mean it?"
Carol shrugged. "Sure, if you want. After last week's raid, we have a ton of bullets to practice with." She winked. "Even Steve won't mind if we take a couple hundred."
"Oh, I think he'll mind," Monica added.
Carol grinned. "Well, he won't if we don't tell him, yeah?"
Kamala cheered, her fist to her chest, "Yes!" until she remembered where they were. "I mean," she whispered. "Yes. I would be interested. That would be something I would be interested in."
Carol chuckled at her enthusiasm, then turned to face the setting sun.
"Alright," she said with a huff as she lifted the rifle up and over her head. It fell across her back with a slight thud as she tightened the straps. "We should probably think about heading out."
Kamala groaned, "Already?"
"Do you want to be stuck out here after dark?"
"Monica is literally a lantern in human form, so I think we'd be okay."
Carol paused, tilting her head. "Hmm... Fair enough," she said. Then she smiled and gestured knowingly to Monica, raising a brow as she said in a sing-song voice, "But do you really want to deal with a horde of Zombies on movie night?"
"Wait, what!? Banner got the projector working?" Kamala squealed. "And the lights. And the VCR. And like... all the parts and stuff?"
Carol wiped off her hands, already heading back to the little shack a few hundred yards away. "Yep. Told me about it before we left this morning."
"And you didn't think to tell me!"
"Well," Carol shrugged. "I didn't want to ruin the surprise," but Kamala was bolting towards the horses as fast as her legs could carry her before Carol could say another word.
"See you on the other side," she called out. "I gotta go. I have got to be there when we pick the genre, because if America chooses a stupid black and white movie, I will literally claw my eyes out."
Monica shared her sentiment. "That girl and her silent films," she murmured. "You'd think she was the one born in the 1960s."
"Is that a diss on me?" Carol asked, still smiling as she untied Warsong from his post. "Because I feel like that's a diss on me."
With a smirk, Monica said something along the lines of "Oh, it was definitely a diss," and together, she and Carol slid onto their horses. Kamala was already in the distance, waving her arm as her horse pranced in place.
"Come on, slowpokes. We can't let America win!"
Carol turned to Monica, who was patting her horse on the side of his neck, and asked, "Want to race back?"
"Is that another one of your bad ideas?" Monica replied. "Get the undead all riled up before we get back to the city?"
"Well, Steve does want to test the fences..."
Monica pursed her lips, then relaxed them. "Okay, fine. On the count of three," she finally said, her shoulders loosening up as she rotated her head. "But the loser has to tell Chavez she has bad taste in movies."
Carol gripped the reins. "You're on," she replied, already narrowing her eyes and clenching her knees.
The countdown began, the horses kicked up their feet, and soon, all that was left on the Canyon's edge was dust, wind, and the occasional stray Zombie as the three girls galloped away.