Dogs of War

Chapter 17

I flee out into the dark too slow. Too much noise. My injured leg dragging me down. I can hear the guards so close behind me as they follow the trail I'm leaving carelessly behind. I swear I can feel their hot breath on my neck as they chase me down. Ghosts voice in my ears gone blessedly silent allowing me to focus on making my way out of danger. A simple mission my arse. It had all gone pear shaped far too quickly. It had seemed far too easy on the paperwork. I'd been cocky. Arrogant. I was paying for those sins now as I stumble and put weight on my dislocated leg. I yelp as I go crashing into the underbrush creating noise to track me by as tears stream down my face. 

"Coming to you. Be prepared." Ghosts voice washes across me like a balm. 

"Rog." My voice is strained as I pant, trying hard to not scream as I clamber back to my feet, the pressure from standing combined with the tumble I'd taken pushing me to my limits. 

"Keep moving, Wolf. They're on your tail."

"I know that," I grunt into the microphone. I shuffle forwards and hide in the shadows as I sense one of the guards coming up behind me. I blend in against the tree bark, eyes lowered to prevent the gleam of white from showing up in the darkness. I bite down on my lip trying to control my breathing, the desire to cry out with every shift and movement strong. The guard pauses looking around confused before backtracking, wondering if they'd missed something, or if I'd just vanished into thin air.

"Get to the main road, pup. Gaz will be waiting for you." I grunt in affirmation and begin moving again. I push harder despite the agony thrumming down my leg. I can feel the dislocated bones grinding mercilessly setting my teeth on edge as I limp like a mangled puppet towards my unknown destiny.

I can hear the shouting behind me intensify as the guards see me emerge from the shadows like a wraith. My eyes narrow as I spot Gaz just on the other side of the fence, idling on the verge gun ready and waiting to protect my back as I move to safety. My eyes skim the fence hoping for an opening and realise no such luck. I was going to have to climb. Without momentim to launch me up, I wasn't getting very far any time soon. I groan in frustration and reach up to grip the fence in my hands. I use my arms and my good leg to push me up and over the fence. 

"I've got you Wolf," Gaz calls out softly. I let go of the fence and Gaz's arms close around me as I fall. 

"Ooomf, fuck Wolf. Ghost said you were light, he clearly never had to catch you," Gaz grunts. He looks over his shoulder and mutters out a strinf of expletives. His legs begin moving with me still in his arms. He dumps me unceremoniously into the car I had no idea he had commandeered and runs to the driver side. Guns begin cracking into the echoing silence, one of the windows getting blown out, glass raining down on me like dangerous confetti. 

"Still alive?" Gaz calls throwing the car into gear, the back end fishtailing as he pushes hard on the gas taking off at speeds that would surely have had the cops called on us anywhere else.

"Yep," I grunt back rolling onto my back as I try and stay off of my dislocated leg, and relocated arm.

"In one piece?"

"Nope."

"Good to hear. Ghost is going to have a field day. I thought you were cleared for work?"

"Light duties. I may have forgotten, I've been comatose for seven months."

"How?"

"Well, I was unconscious. I don't remember  it, so its pretty easy to forget."

"Wolf..." I could hear the exasperation in his voice and in the way his fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter in irritation. "For our work this is light duties. What happened?"