When Given a Lemon

Part 17

Being out so remote like this, I haven't had the chance to send any messages to Nan, nor receive any. I hope she is well–

“Keenah! Duck!”

Instead of ‘duck’ I look up, and coming right at my face is a big, round object flying fast through the air and about to smash into me!

“Ahhhh–!”

I'm yanked down, my whole body slammed into the slimy rocks of the bank with Denyel’s handprint firmly imprinted into my arm and the gravel into my face. A resounding smash shatters the ground close enough to send debris all over us only a second later. Without any chance for recovery, another round object is launched at us. This one lands with an equally heavy impact seconds behind us as we scrabble away from the bank to hide amongst the foliage farther up the slope.

The only thing hammering louder than the impacts is my heart in my throat! I try to get my breathing under control while I lay flat against the scant coverings.

“Maybe it's time to head north,” Saiya whispered breathily as another sphere lands far too close to her than any of us are comfortable with. Sliding down a little further, she stops just above Denyel.

How are we supposed to get across the frozen bank being pummeled like this!?

I try not to panic but it's kinda hard when gigantic fucking rocks are flying at me! Can we even make it all the way across to the safe side of the water or back down the beach further? I rapidly scan the frozen bed, there's no cover to hide us if we traverse the ice to the other bank. So going that way is a no go, at least not here!

Afraid to say anything out loud in case our hidden assailants can somehow hear us, I shake my head at Saiya’s questioning eyes, hoping she understands.

We'll have to find a way to back track before crossing where it's safer. Preferably out of sight of these things!

Our group has been separated. I have no idea where anyone up on the path is now, or whether they are safe. With me are Saiya, Denyel, and Bill. Lemon was on the beach with us too but is now nowhere to be found. I hope that means they found cover behind us somewhere. I don't turn to look in case it gives my location away; I'm not sure where they are firing from.

My hiding spot is scant as it is, mostly made up of winter grasses, dirty snow, and flaking rock. I lay like this and try to breathe deeply, hoping it will calm me down enough that I can think of what to do.

The pummeling has stopped, at least for a few moments. That could mean a range of things. That whoever was showering us with large head-size rocks gave up, thinking they had chased us away; are quietly waiting for us to resurface so they can pummel us again; or they sent someone down to flush us out, so we’d resurface to be pummeled again. I'm hoping for the first, but my luck is usually closer to the last these days.

I try to make eye contact with each of my group, hoping that between all of us we can silently come up with a plan of action. Whatever we do, we can't just stay here waiting for them to hunt us out, nor can we just step out only to be struck down!

Ugh! I'm so sick of being on this mountain! It is literally a hill full of death traps and bad luck!

I wish I knew exactly where the others were. It would help determine whether we should backtrack or try to follow them to higher ground. I try not to think about how much I would appreciate Merryl's skills right about now. I never asked, but I have a feeling that he and Obert had served somewhere else before ending up at the barracks with us.

I am also concerned about Lemon. If they are stuck, holed up somewhere, we can hardly leave them behind! But I have no way of knowing, no way of searching for them without becoming a pancake myself!