road. Luc and I continued onwards before making a turn of our own.
“T he soldiers have most likely radioed for backup and we might find ourselves surrounded again,” Luc said as he sped along the rutted, badly maintained road. He nearly always managed to keep his cool. Being seven hundred years old had its advantages. Sure, he’d gone briefly insane when I’d been cut to pieces then boxed up to starve to death but that was only because he loved me.
“What’s your plan?” I hoped he had one because, as usual, I had nothing. Spur of the moment thinking would never be my strong suit.
While he might not be a master planner like Gregor, Luc was much better at thinking on his feet than I was. “We’ll head for the nearest town and ditch the car. We can steal another one and be on our way easily enough.”
He might think it was easy to fool the humans but I wasn’t so sure. The chopper stuck to us like a squashed bug on a windscreen. The bright spotlight rarely left our rooftop. We were too far from civilization at the moment to think of taking off on foot. There were very few places to hide out in the countryside.
Following road signs , Luc chose roads that became more and more populated with traffic. People quickly swerved out of the way to give us room when they saw we were being escorted by the damming ring of bright light.
“What if they’ve set up a road block?” I asked as our car sped around a much slower farm truck. Pigs stared at me stupidly between the slats of wood penning them in.
Luc must have already thought of the possibility because he had an answer ready. “Then we will split up and travel on foot. I will find somewhere safe to hide and you will be able to sense where I am and find me.” It sounded very logical so I decided not to worry unless it became necessary.
Minutes later, we topped a small rise and worry kicked in again. In the distance, numerous lights announced that we were near a town. Much closer, the darkness was pierced by the red and blue flashing lights of a string of police cars that blocked the road. Army trucks were parked beyond the cop cars, making the barrier impenetrable by car.
A long line of vehicles were stopped ahead of us. So ldiers were working their way down the line, checking each car with guns held ready and shining flashlights into faces. With the helicopter light shining directly on us, we made a fairly obvious target. Alerted either by their radios or by the searchlight, soldier’s heads whipped in our direction. Drawing their weapons, they began closing in.
Luc turned and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon, Natalie.” Then he was gone, racing away from the car before the chopper had a chance to follow him with their spotlight.
Grabbing my backpack from the back seat, I shouldered it and exited the car. Soldiers began shouting at me in Russian to lie on the ground and to put my hands on my head. Screw that, I’m out of here. With a small wave at the men, I followed Luc’s lead and darted off into the night. Gunfire chased me but I’d already faded into the dark and none came close to hitting me.
The chopper might be fast but so was I. It made a valiant effort but it really had no chance of getting a lock on me with all the dodging and weaving I was doing. It was much easier to evade the persistent flying machine on foot. I led the chopper away from the town, heading for a forest in the distance.
Wind whipped my hair back as I raced over grass and leaped over fences and bushes that made a pitiful attempt to impede me. Entering the forest, I was instantly enclosed by tall trees and thick underbrush. The chopper circled, vainly trying to catch sight of me. Afraid I’d get lost if I traversed too deep into the trees, I remained on the edges and moved a couple of kilometres away from where I’d entered.
With the helicopter futilely searching the forest far in the distance, I put on a burst of speed and broke out from under cover, heading for
“T he soldiers have most likely radioed for backup and we might find ourselves surrounded again,” Luc said as he sped along the rutted, badly maintained road. He nearly always managed to keep his cool. Being seven hundred years old had its advantages. Sure, he’d gone briefly insane when I’d been cut to pieces then boxed up to starve to death but that was only because he loved me.
“What’s your plan?” I hoped he had one because, as usual, I had nothing. Spur of the moment thinking would never be my strong suit.
While he might not be a master planner like Gregor, Luc was much better at thinking on his feet than I was. “We’ll head for the nearest town and ditch the car. We can steal another one and be on our way easily enough.”
He might think it was easy to fool the humans but I wasn’t so sure. The chopper stuck to us like a squashed bug on a windscreen. The bright spotlight rarely left our rooftop. We were too far from civilization at the moment to think of taking off on foot. There were very few places to hide out in the countryside.
Following road signs , Luc chose roads that became more and more populated with traffic. People quickly swerved out of the way to give us room when they saw we were being escorted by the damming ring of bright light.
“What if they’ve set up a road block?” I asked as our car sped around a much slower farm truck. Pigs stared at me stupidly between the slats of wood penning them in.
Luc must have already thought of the possibility because he had an answer ready. “Then we will split up and travel on foot. I will find somewhere safe to hide and you will be able to sense where I am and find me.” It sounded very logical so I decided not to worry unless it became necessary.
Minutes later, we topped a small rise and worry kicked in again. In the distance, numerous lights announced that we were near a town. Much closer, the darkness was pierced by the red and blue flashing lights of a string of police cars that blocked the road. Army trucks were parked beyond the cop cars, making the barrier impenetrable by car.
A long line of vehicles were stopped ahead of us. So ldiers were working their way down the line, checking each car with guns held ready and shining flashlights into faces. With the helicopter light shining directly on us, we made a fairly obvious target. Alerted either by their radios or by the searchlight, soldier’s heads whipped in our direction. Drawing their weapons, they began closing in.
Luc turned and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you soon, Natalie.” Then he was gone, racing away from the car before the chopper had a chance to follow him with their spotlight.
Grabbing my backpack from the back seat, I shouldered it and exited the car. Soldiers began shouting at me in Russian to lie on the ground and to put my hands on my head. Screw that, I’m out of here. With a small wave at the men, I followed Luc’s lead and darted off into the night. Gunfire chased me but I’d already faded into the dark and none came close to hitting me.
The chopper might be fast but so was I. It made a valiant effort but it really had no chance of getting a lock on me with all the dodging and weaving I was doing. It was much easier to evade the persistent flying machine on foot. I led the chopper away from the town, heading for a forest in the distance.
Wind whipped my hair back as I raced over grass and leaped over fences and bushes that made a pitiful attempt to impede me. Entering the forest, I was instantly enclosed by tall trees and thick underbrush. The chopper circled, vainly trying to catch sight of me. Afraid I’d get lost if I traversed too deep into the trees, I remained on the edges and moved a couple of kilometres away from where I’d entered.
With the helicopter futilely searching the forest far in the distance, I put on a burst of speed and broke out from under cover, heading for
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