Two (Countdown Book 5)

Chapter 3

Mackenzie woke me up the next morning, telling me about a big fight that had occurred during the night between Group Two and Group Four. We were now the only surviving full group. Jake Rosen, the empath, was the only survivor from Group Four, and Group Two only had Maria and Luke Sharp left.

Which meant that there was, overall, just five of us were left.

We agreed that this alcove would make a great place for a last stand, and neither of us were eager to leave the hiding place. I looked at the mark on my leg where the high-velocity paintball had hit. There was a pink mark surrounded by bruises, so it looked kind of like a friction burn.

"How're you feeling?" Mackenzie asked me, getting two tins of food out of her bag. She opened them, and passed one over to me.

"My leg hurts and my head is pounding, but at least we're both still in, eh?" I took the can gratefully, and got a plastic fork out of my own bag. The tin contained cold baked beans, but I was so hungry I couldn't complain. "So, what's our plan?" I asked as Mackenzie filled a bottle with water and passed it to me.

"I think we should just wait here for the others to get each other out." she said, drinking from her own bottle.

"I'm not so sure," I said. "Its a big forest... and what if they decide to use the same tactic as us?" Mackenzie considered it.

"If we go charging after them, we're more at risk of getting shot." she said evenly. "We'll wait a couple of hours. If no one's out, we'll have a snoop around. Besides, I think it's better you get some rest before we start moving again."

"I'm fine." I said, smiling dismissively. We waited around until around three o'clock in the afternoon, then we decided to move again. The forest was huge, so our chances of finding someone were slight.

As I trudged along, the ground became harder underneath my feet. The trees around me became blurs of brown and green. I heard birds chirping, and occasionally saw squirrels flitting through the trees. It was a hot day, and I was soon sweating; my feet, back and shoulders ached from the heavy load on my back.

I was aware that I was caked in dirt and covered in scratches and bruises, from whipping tree branches and repeatedly tripping over tree roots. Mackenzie was somewhat more graceful than me, but she still looked as though she'd spent the past week living in a forest (which she had). Her face was streaked with dirt and her hair was messy, plagued with twigs and leaves, and there was a long scratch on her cheek; but despite all this, there was a fiery determination in her eyes.

To me, she looked beautiful.

After what seemed like hours, but (as I judged by the light) was only forty five minutes, we came to a clearing. Stood to one side of the clearing was Maria and Luke, and on the other side fo the clearing, hidden behind a copse of trees, was Jake. 

Luke was using his powers to help the paintballs reach Jake, but he was faster than he was given credit for. He dodged each bullet, and even managed to occasionally turn and fire off a few himself. The three of them were locked in a viscious firefight. 

I took Mackenzie's hand and silently willed us invisible. I was getting better at it, but I still needed contact to cover others as well. As we crept forward to get a better view of the fight, I drew the pistol out of my jacket. Mackenzie gestured to Maria and Luke, then she gestured to me and pointed at Luke. I nodded.

We moved back into the foliage, and I let go of her hand. She disappeared into the trees, making a wide arc around the two kids. I turned and walked the other way, still invisible. 

I sneaked up behind Jake, aiming my pistol at his back (I couldn't bring myself to try a head shot). Even with my marksmanship, it was pretty much impossible to miss at this close range. What I hadn't anticipated, however, was an annoying twig which snapped as I shifted my weight to my right foot.