Nothing Sacred

I want to see what you say.

I wanted to remember. I really did. It was my past, and present with the painful things between that blurred my vision. It was hard to stand. My muscles ached. Calf burning with intense fire. I knelt down to rest.  The armor clanking down against the ground as it fell off my shoulders. The big trunk of a spruce spread it arms above me. The soft sprinkle of the rain hit my armor like wind chimes. The moon shimmered faintly beyond the needles. It was fading away as the overhead of the forest became thicker. I didn't want it to go. Without it, the dark had an invisible, precarious presence. My  headlight has about an hour left. I didn't have much left in my bag. Certainly not enough to keep going. Then i heard a shout. it was them. How had they heard me? I had brushed through a group of trees by the river then circled around toward a clearing. They were smart. They didn't take the bait. 

   The sound came from my right About 400 yards away. I hid behind a considerably bulky tree. I had naught an idea whether they knew my position or not. I took a breath. The small whispers made a small cloud. The cold biting at my hands with an urgent sting. I put them under my arms to warm up. Leaned my head against the tree and closed my eyes. I had to think. If i could use the brush as  cover i could see if one of the vehicles they came in as a means of escape. it would be hard to tell. Telling from the conversations of the search party, there were about a dozen. There was no dogs or they would have found me by now. I slightly rounded the edge of the tree to find an opening.  Two soldiers were now inspecting the river. Four were kneeling looking for tracks. Thankfully I made diversions. It should lead along the river bed to the village downstream.  It was strange. I didn't see the man in charge.

   

They Couldn't have come here alone. They are well organized.. Who leads them?

It started to rain. It was not a drizzle as before but a heavy downpour. The sky had a given belligerence to it. Like our presence seem to antagonize it.The rumbling shout of thunder would give me a perfect time to move without detection.  About half of the party had followed my fake trail. 2 of them were heading my way. The rest were heading back to the cars. D****t. I had to make there before them or a bloody fight is going to happen. Id rather not have bullet holes in my torso. 

I waited for the thunder. Lifting my bag softly, I clipped it onto my shoulders. The mighty roar came through.  I spaced my crouch run from tree to tree.  If I kept this pace, certainly I could make it before them. I looked behind me down the path. Still there. They were in no hurry to head back.  Then they stopped and the leading man asked the solider to his rear something. He unclipped his radio and spoke harshly into it.  It was then I noticed one of them was gone.  A couple split and headed back the way I came.  Maybe they took the bait after all. Foolish b******s. I saw a light at the corner of my eye. A little father down the way I came.  It advanced closer to me.  I quietly stepped backwards into a tree.  My feet planted in the mud.  Of course the mud. My footprints. My damn instructor would hit me with his cane if he saw me do such a tactical mistake.  Now that a bulky part of my stealth is gone I might as well run. I stood up and sprinted along the tree-side.  My bag clanked an unholy cacophony. This bag is going to get me killed.  I had another 100 meters till the cars at the intersection. The ground became soggy and nearly impossible to run in. The mud thickening  intensely.  The only way is..The main road. Turning left and onto the main road  I continued. The 3 men remaining had their backs to me behind me.   That would buy me some time. My body  is aching. My legs feeling like cinder blocks and my mind swishing into dizziness. 80 meters. The sky crackled above me. I peered behind me. During the short illumination of the lightening, one of the men had turned around and looked right at me. I lifted leg after leg, ignoring the pain. Adrenaline rushing in my blood. The familiar pop of gunfire headed my direction. None ever came close. It was too dark.  I never should jinx myself. A bullet grazed my left knee and my right ankle. Thankfully lady luck is on my side. 50 meters. I was almost there. It had to be perfect.  #1 smash the window open#2 open the door and open the control panal #3 Hotwire and get the hell out of dodge. 10 meters.  i was here. I looked around for a solid object. A medium size rock by the tire would do.  I picked it up and smashed the driver side window. I had 17 seconds at most to get this thing moving . My best time was 20 seconds.  Pulling the door latch open , I took my knife out of my jacket. I opened up the wiring compartment. Sparked the two ignition wires and it roared to life. 14 seconds. Thats a new personal record. I should face mortal danger more often. However, I put it in drive and skidded of the dirt road and onto the side road. Bullets hit the rear window. It shattered with a loud delicate din. It didn't matter now. I was gone and heading back. So far so good. I breathed a sigh of relief and drove. I'm alive.  The thunder snapped louder. I relaxed a bit. Should have known better. 

" Very Impressive Henry. Very impressive Indeed."

I turn around and see a man in black. With a beard of gray. His body huge. It was the leader. He had a gun in his hand.

" Sebastian" I reply .

"Great to see you again." he smiled.His teeth glittered in the moonlight. Then he raised his gun towards my head and fired.