Matt laid on his stomach in the trees, watching the campground through his small pair of binoculars.
One conscription age male and female, one elderly man, both males carrying Kalashnikovs. Female appears armed with a handgun.
He thought silently, slipping into the same frame of mind as he had in Afghanistan when watching a suspicious village or camp.
"I don't see any kids."
He breathed to Shan, at his side.
"Can't tell what their deal is. I'm gonna' move closer, see if I can see anything else."
Placing the binoculars in his cargo pocket, he dragged his M16A4 into his arms and planted a kiss on top of Shan's head.
"Be safe."
He whispered, slowly starting down through the trees towards the campsite. The mossy ground was helpfully quiet under his boots as he crept up, kneeling silently in some thick brush within ear shot of their camp. He strained to hear over the crackling of the campfire but managed to make out a conversation about where they'd gotten their small haul of supplies for the day. From what he gleaned, they'd robbed a lone male survivor a while ago without any fatalities on either side. He felt a minor moral dilemma at this. On the one hand, they were bandits, scum that preyed on their fellow man. But on the other, they didn't kill needlessly, they weren't sadists. Even a fairly decent person wouldn't have a hard time executing a lone man. These people needed to eat too. But what of all the game and camping supplies in the area? Had they already used them up or were they just ignorant? He was now presented with a slew of questions and dilemmas. After some thought, he determined that he would likely end up robbing these people. What they had was stolen anyway, so he felt little remorse about it. Killing them might be excessive, he had enough blood on his conscience. Besides, the young woman and man reminded him of Shan and himself.
He knew though, that they'd never take their supplies without a fight and he wasn't about to risk Shan's safety. They couldn't afford to take chances nowadays. He turned and slithered back up the tiny incline in the trees, returning to Shan's side.
"There's only three of them, these guys are raiders. They robbed some guy literally minutes ago. They've probably cleaned out the rest of the campground too. No way we're getting anything without a fight."
He paused a moment, looking deep into her (comparatively) innocent eyes.
"We have to kill them. They're a threat to us and everyone else around here. I'll pull the trigger, I just want you to keep an eye on things and take out anyone that gets away. Okay?"
He asked, putting a hand on her tiny arm. Feeling how thin she'd become strengthened his resolve. Why should they have to starve while these thieves prospered?