Blessing In Disguise

Five

We walk until the sun passes overhead and see no sign of civilization. Damian grows weary and eventually, I end up carrying him. He and I don't talk much. Staying silent will keep us from being found, I hope.

From the position of the sun, I decide it is around six o clock when I decide we're not going to get anywhere. I stop walking and whisper to Damian, "I want to stop and rest. We can keep going once the sun goes down, or maybe a little after."

"Mm. Kay." Damian's reply is muffled by my T-shirt, where his cheek rests. I set him down long enough to take our light supply bag off my back, and then I lean up against a tree. He crawls up on top of me, again putting his head on my shoulder. His breath is a reassuring heat on my neck, and soon he's asleep. I close my eyes and within moments, I too am unconscious.

I awaken to a twilight sky. The sun is vanishing and I feel mostly rejuvenated, enough so that I can continue. Damian is still deep asleep, however, so I shift him and sort through the backpack.

We have two T-shirts each. Both of mine are grey, as is one of his. The other shirt he has is black. Then, we both have two pairs of blue jeans. I also picked up a jacket for him and a sweatshirt-without a hood-for me. I don't want to draw attention by looking shady if all I want is to stay warm.

By the faint light I can see the books' titles. The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe and the first Hunger Games. Good. I can read either one to Damian, even though the latter may be a bit PG-13. I also feel something beside the water bottle while I'm putting things away. I reach in and pull a small map out.

Nothing is marked on it, but I put it in my pocket. I would use it; save for the fact I still don't know what country we're in. Oh, well. We will find something or someone soon, and we can definitely use it then.

Our something comes just past dawn, after Damian and I have been walking east for a few hours. It is a small city and I recognize the language on the signs, even if I don't speak it. We're in India.

Damian and I walk around. "I can't speak Indian, Jason. I don't think you can, either."

"Nope. And I don't happen to have any sort of money on hand, either, so that means we're stuck sleeping outside again." I look down to the kid, stopping on the side of a small road. "But hey. We can follow these roads and get to a bigger city, and then I can call Dad, and we can get to Gotham. Does that sound okay?"

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Before we can start moving again, however, I hear a sudden noise and look around. Damian takes a step so that he is directly beside me. He trembles against me for a couple seconds before it hits me: Ra's men. They caught up to us, and we're surrounded.

Somehow my feet start moving and so do Damian's, and we start speeding down back alleys of the town. A few people glance up at us and see the ninjas pursuing us, but do nothing. I scoop Damian up and begin to push my body to go faster.

I count seven of the assassins, and I know I won't get away from them easily. I have to move faster.

I recall once Dick telling me that he hated in movies when people would get chased. They always ran straight. He told me the best way to get away if I was ever running from someone was to zigzag and try to get them caught up somehow.

I follow that advice, and it ends up saving us. Two men slip going around a corner, three more can't scale a ragged fence. The last two stumble as I break back into the woods on the far side of the town.

I set Damian down and pant, catching my breath. I look him over and decide something, which I then tell him. "We gotta travel by night, D. It'll be a little safer, at least. And I remember where we're at."

"Where is that?"

"Northeastern India. We can go through Europe and get a flight from a major airport. We'll get to Gotham even sooner than I thought."