The Uncharted Tomb

Chapter Ten - All Hands on Deck

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

Nathan shimmied along a building wall in a narrow alley. He could see a clear intersection in the distance but he was discerning rather to run across or wait it out. The sound of gunfire echoed through the narrow alley and out through the passages.

Dark tints of blue began slowly brushing away the night sky. A few hours would herald the dawn and Nathan thought to himself how little time there was to waste. If he was going to act it would have to be...

KAPOW!
Nathan was prepared to run for it but the sudden crackle of gun fire halted his movements. Up ahead he saw several hooded men running away. A few tracers whizzed by them and one of the men decided to return fire shakily spraying his assault rifle. He was met with fatal resistance. Several bullets pierced through his body and he slumped over on the ground dead.

Several soldiers continued pursuing the men and two of them stopped to check the lifeless body of the man who had been killed.
"That's not him," one of them mentioned.
"Let's go before Captain Fields gets here."
The first soldier took off but the other soldier stayed for a moment. He looked left first and then Nathan realized that he was going to look in his direction. Nathan quickly scurried behind a protrusion in the building's wall and hid there before his eyes found him.

The soldier pulled out a mobile phone and began making a call.
"Yeah it's me. Get me Volkov."
Volkov? Nathan whispered.
"Sir. Yes sir, we are still looking for him. I got some of my men heading after a few guys right now to see if he's hidden among them."
What the hell is going on? Nathan thought out loud.
"Yes, of course sir. Right away sir."

Nathan was beginning to think leaving the compound wasn't such a good idea after all. But going back didn't seem like an option to him.

So he literally took a leap of faith, ran through the intersection and speared the soldier into the other side of the alley way. The soldier was taken by surprise and wasn't sure how to respond. But his body and head slammed against another building's side and he fell to the ground unconscious.
Nathan rose to his feet and looked at him.
"Wait what? That's it? You just knock out after a little push? Huh, you guys aren't so tough after..."

"Mikhail!"

Nathan ran the opposite direction and turned the corner just as the other soldiers were coming to look for him. With their weapons at the ready they slowly approached the fallen Mikhail and examined the area. Nathan slowly eased his head to peer around the corner and then quickly jolted back. There were three of them and one was approaching his direction while the other two were trying to wake Mikhail up.

Nathan looked in the opposite direction and saw that it was a dead end and there were no open doors or windows in sight. He had no choice but to go back the way he came. Easing closer to the edge of the corner, Nathan waited until the barrel of the soldier's rifle came into view.

Nathan grabbed the barrel and yanked it causing the soldier to stumble toward him. The soldier had a shocked expression on his face Nathan just smiled.
His fist slammed hard into the soldier's jaw and he fell backwards. The soldier had lost grip of his rifle and Nathan now had it in his hands.

Having seen their fellow soldier fall to the ground, both of them had their weapons ready.
"Who's there?!" One of them shouted.
Nathan checked the rifle and then crouched to the ground.
"Come out and make this easy for yourself!" The other one shouted.
The soldier Nathan knocked to the ground began rustling around holding his face.
"Ruslan, ty v poryadke?"
Nathan looked at the soldier he hit, who was also in view of the other two soldiers around the corner. Ruslan looked at them and then looked at Nathan while holding his swollen face.