Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 38

Erich, Gema, and Isaiah made their way from the tent and out into the night. The glow from the few remaining embers of the campfires cast small pools of light in the darkness. Erich could just make out Mitchell ahead of them, making hand motions to the twins, both of them drew their swords again and prepared to head out. Erich took another look around the camp and couldn't believe that they were going to make it, they had done it. They had decided that if they were able to reach Gema and Isaiah, they would try to go straight through the center of the camp with them and past the place where Paulus and Graham were still waiting in hiding. This would be a much faster escape, and there would be less chance of making noise than in the surrounding jungle.

As they crouched and walked, Erich's every sense was on high alert. He could hear all of the insects in the surrounding jungle, the crunch of a military-booted foot of one of the mercenaries, the wind rustling leaves in the canopy far above. He could smell the musty earth, the everlasting cycle of decomposition and growth from the jungle beyond, the smoke from the fires. He could taste the fear that they would be caught. As they moved further throughout the camp, he found that he was holding his breath, too wary of making any noise. He slowly released the air from his lungs and drew in a deep, calming breath. Halfway there, he thought to himself.

He thought that he was just able to make out Paulus sitting at the edge of the camp, staring intently at them, but it could have just been a shadow. The darkness of night made it easy for his eyes to play tricks on him. As they inched slowly forward, Erich noticed that many of the men that had gone after Raja were returning, all of them speaking to each other in the same strange language that he had heard at the Ark. There was something familiar about that language, but this was definitely not the time to figure it out. Right now, Erich's only thought was of getting everyone to safety, and he felt like that opportunity was closing with each passing second as the guards drew nearer.

They were just ten yards from the edge of the camp and Erich was certain that they were all now holding their breath. His legs were shaking and burning from their slow crouching crawl to the forest, and his lungs ached to take a deep breath. He felt like a swimmer that dived to the very edge of his abilities and was now desperately trying to stay alive until he could reach the surface. Five yards now, the distance seemed to be an eternity away. Erich had never wanted anything in his life as badly as he wanted to make it safely to the forest edge with Gema and his son.

A pair of guards, apparently on perimeter patrol, had made it dangerously close to the group now, so close that Erich could smell the bug spray they had used. They still hadn't spotted the group because a mosquito net hammock stood between them, but Erich could tell that their patrol route would run them directly into the path of his group. He tried, somehow, to silently get Mitchell's attention. He was certain that no one else had seen the pair of guards yet, and knew that he must alert Mitchell. They had to alter their course, or they would be found. As Erich scrambled for a way to get Mitchell's attention, the wind shifted and caused a stream of smoke from a nearby pile of embers to flow across the group. Erich held his breath again, and then the smallest cough escaped from Isaiah...and as Mitchell had feared, all hell broke loose.