To Be Loved // Masters of the Air

25: Captured

You second guessed yourself. It wasn't safe on the ground nor was it safe in the sky. With a jolt, you crash yourself directly into the branches of a towering tree, the force of the land knocking the air clean out of your lungs.

For a moment you hang there, to catch your breath as the parachute tangled up in the tree's limbs more so than your own. The parachute had caught on the branches above you, swaying you back and forth with each gust of wind.

Yet pain shoots through your arm instantly with a stinging pain as warm blood trickles down your skin from under your uniform's shirt. You hiss, realizing a branch was sharp enough to snag it from the fall.

You fumble for the buckle of the harness with trembling hands, your heart pounding in your chest. In a final tug you manage to release yourself from the tree's hold, plummeting towards the forest floor below you. With a thud, you land on the ground. Bruised but still alive.

It had been a gamble on whether or not there were any enemies nearby in the unknown scenery before you. Managing to survive the plane crash, you weren't sure if you were going to manage staying alive on the ground for very long. A sense of urgency gnaws at you, taking a glance around to solely focus on your surroundings.

Realization washes over you like a cold wave, knowing you were truly lost in the heart of the woods. Nothing but shadows and looming trees with boney hands stretch across your path for what seemed like miles. Panic threatens to overwhelm you but you keep it under wraps, swallowing it down as you begin to set foot through the forest.

Suppressing the immediate thoughts of panic wasn't the worst thing in the world right now, knowing you needed to get somewhere safe no matter what. You'd worry about the need to panic later, tucking the fear away to keep yourself intact. You have to keep pushing yourself.

The darkness of the woods around you didn't help with the feeling of panic, only making you feel more isolated with every tree you passed by. The heart of yours couldn't help but pound in your chest despite your efforts, not knowing how long you would have to push yourself to keep going. Find any familiar face that might have crashed where you had, or some form of comfort that you weren't already dead.

Time seemed to blur itself in one as you trudged forward. Losing all sense of how long you were walking, how far you were walking for, or where you were. The sounds of crows cawing and twigs snapping under your feet around you did nothing to ease the nerve wracking feeling in your chest. Everything seemed so far away now. You hoped, wished, for some type of safety.

Only then as you draw closer to a fallen over tree landed on its side filled with brush and greenery do you notice a familiar face. A face caked with grime and filth like a worn down film. As if they'd been simply living on the barest of means just to survive the last few hours.

Relief washed over you like a wave, finding your way back to safety. Egan. Approaching him head-on, your heart pounds in your chest once again with a mixture of relief and anticipation. You call out with your voice echoing through the forest filled with nothing else but silence. "Egan?"

Your voice was louder than a soft whisper but with sudden movement he bounces from his spot, immediately gripping the handgun of his as he points it directly at your face with a steady hand. Fear unhides itself from within you, gripping your heart in an instead like a chokehold.

It didn't seem like it was going to take much to pull that trigger of his. Your movements made him jump, expecting you to be the enemy around the corner. The look on his face made everything much clearer, the hesitation before he lowered his gun cautiously. "Thank god, it's you."