The Last Deer.

His open eye focused on the creature within his cross-hairs.

The last deer.

Of course, he couldn’t be certain. Somewhere, in a deep forest far away from the remnants of humanity, another could exist, perhaps an entire rangale continuing to breed and prosper.

He doubted it, as not many forests remained.

Not much of anything remained.

The deer stood alone, its antlers reaching towards the sky, a symbol of resilience in a world that had been ravaged by human greed and destruction. The man felt awe and sadness as he beheld the sight of this magnificent animal.

The deer had a peaceful demeanour, grazing on the sparse vegetation that remained. It seemed unaware of the danger, of the gun aimed directly at it. It was autumn, and the oranges and browns from the few remaining vestiges of nature blended seamlessly with the fur of the creature. The man pulled away from the scope for a moment and looked at his clothing.

His jacket was grey, his pants were grey. The sky was also grey. The concrete he knelt upon, that nature now struggled so hard to contend with, was grey.

The world had become grey.

He could still remember when life had been filled with colour, though the memories were now slowly fading from his mind. He thought about the children who had been born without ever seeing just how much vibrancy had once filled the planet.

He moved back to the scope, rust and amber hues once again filling his field of vision.

“If I don’t kill it, someone else will.”

He tried to find justification, yet his finger remained motionless against the trigger.

He thought about the money he could make by selling the deer. The demand for its hide, antlers, and meat, would bring him wealth. But that blood would be forever on his hands.

His body trembled gently, and he felt a bead of sweat run down from his brow. It followed the deep ridges carved into his weathered skin and settled at the base of his chin.

He shuffled in his position, trying to shake away his doubts. This slight movement, even from such a distance, was enough to startle the deer. Its eyes became wide and black, focusing on the position where the man knelt, its body primed in a state of alertness.

The next few moments were filled with such a tense atmosphere, it felt as if a storm was about to break. Neither of the two moved an inch, and the entire world seemed to stop with them.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the deer returned to its grazing. He made sure the cross-hairs were focused on a spot that would cause the creature the least amount of pain.

He felt tiny jolts of electricity running from his brain to his trigger finger, screaming for action.

Inside the man there was chaos, yet the world around him remained silent.

His finger began to twitch.

Then, he exhaled.