Pain

Chapter 11 - Colonel Fitzroy

Chapter 11
Colonel Fitzroy

As I ran through the bush, it was as though I was moving in slow motion. Gunshots were echoing all around me and no matter how hard I pushed, my feet would not take me any faster. I cursed to myself, wishing that I had of been more stubborn and stayed at Jamie's side. With the four of us we could have protected each other. Now I was on my own, Jamie was vulnerable and Jacoby and Rocky had all but signed themselves a death sentence. They'd never get away fast enough.

I was sure that I'd eventually outrun the soldiers, or happen across some place to hide out while they continued to look for my friends. I realised pretty quickly that that was both a stupid and cowardly thing to do. Not only was I essentially backing myself into a corner, but I was taking away a distraction that could potentially save one of their lives. The best thing I could do was keep on running and allow the soldiers on my tail to follow me instead of anyone else.

I didn't know how many soldiers were behind me. All I could hear were the sounds of my own ragged breathing, their heavy footsteps on the dry leaves and the occasional gunshot in the distance. I ducked and weaved through trees as I run, trying to prove myself a hard target to hit. It wasn't long before it occurred to me that there hadn't been a single shot fired from the group behind me and in that small second that I let my guard down and ran straight, there was a loud bang and my calf felt as though it had been hit with a white-hot piece of metal.

The force of the bullet knocked me forwards, causing me to lose my footing and tumble down the steep hill that I happened to reach at that moment. My whole leg burned as I fell and with all the sticks and stones that I came across as I rolled, I was soon just as scratched and bloody as Candice had been the day Kael had been shot.

I hit the bottom of the hill hard and it took all the strength I had to get myself up and to continue on running. I glanced over my shoulder fleetingly and saw perhaps a dozen soldiers at the top of the hill, still coming after me. This was the furthest they'd been from me since this chase began. I needed to act quickly if I was to get away.

Dragging my bloody leg behind me, I veered off the bush track that I'd been following and came across a deep river. To attempt to hide in the water given the amount of blood spilling from my body would have been a complete giveaway, but using the natural contours in the rock that the river had carved away was genius.

Checking to see how close the soldiers had come and seeing none in my direct line of vision, I ran along the side of the river, a fresh wave of pain hitting me with each step. I gritted my teeth in pain as I searched and finally saw what I had been looking for. A metre ahead of me was where the river had eaten right through a rock-face to continue on its path. The rock looked quite smooth from where I stood, causing my heart to sink, but nevertheless I ran towards it anyway, finding just as I happened upon it a hidden grove that the water would have taken if its levels were high enough. I threw myself inside it and held my breath.

The soldier's footsteps were getting closer, yet they didn't seem to be slowing down in the slightest. My whole leg was now throbbing, causing my eyes to water in pain. If I made even the smallest of noises now, it would be game over. The footsteps were suddenly upon me and then they passed, going straight past where I had hidden and continuing the search alongside the river.

With the danger past, I lied still for a while longer. It wasn't likely that they would give up their search easily, yet with the immediate danger gone, I was able to panic slightly less and my heart rate finally slowed to a steady pace, my adrenaline wearing off. After that, my bullet wound took everything out of me and as much as I fought, I couldn't escape the drowsiness that I was suddenly filled with. It wasn't long before the darkness started creeping around my vision, forcing me into a slumber.