fearful glimpse back down at the woman who was struggling to get her gun out and bring it to bear, I wrenched the door open and sped through at a dead run.
PURSUIT
I started towards the men playing cards, but then I realized that I didn’t know them that well. For all I know she might have paid them off or somehow gotten them on her side. The only person I can trust right now is Jed.
I took a hard right and jumped the neighbor’s fence. A bullet zinged into the wood beside my broken hand as I vaulted it.
Shouts rose behind me, but I didn’t stop to listen to what they were saying. Either the men would stop Kat, she would take them out, or they would join her. Either way, my biggest priority was to put as much distance between them and myself as possible and try to sort it all out later.
The next fence was lower and easier to jump, and there were two big dogs chained up in the backyard. They seemed at a loss to face an intruder so brazenly running through their turf, and by the time they started barking I was already past. I ran out along the side of the house and burst out onto the street.
There were no motorcycles in view yet, but I could hear an engine revving. Luckily I was close to the outer limits of the town, and I crossed the street as fast as I could and headed towards the deep brush that started up in the fields outside of town.
I had never tried to run through the fields before. If I live through this then I’m never trying this again. Only the sounds of the bike engine on the road behind me spurred me further into the dense thickets.
It was slow going, but the good news was that my pursuer couldn’t progress any faster. Still, I was injured and it was slowing me down. I took a look over my shoulder.
A figure that must have been Kat waded through the growth faster than I was able to. She was the only figure in sight. I wonder what she did to the others.
I had to make a stand somewhere, but I may have screwed myself over by running out of town. At least if there had been solid objects to hide around and behind I may have stood a chance of taking her by surprise, but it was mostly wide open out here above chest height. It didn’t help me running from someone with a gun.
If anything the brush grew thicker up ahead, and there were a few trees. I worked my way in that direction, hoping against hope that there was something there that could be my salvation.
It took nearly five minutes to reach my target, the going got slower the closer I got. Kat was close enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear bullets start whizzing by. Subconsciously I ducked my head as I struggled to fight my way through.
The undergrowth opened up underneath the trees where the sun didn’t reach past the leaves. There were signs of teenage partying, beer cans crumpled up in amongst the gnarled roots. I cast about in search of anything that could make my situation more tenable.
A low branch offered an option. I could climb into the trees and hope that I could hide myself well enough to drop down and surprise Kat when she got to the thicket. I didn’t like my odds on that one, though. Too obvious.
There was a long, smooth branch on the ground that looked as though someone had used it as a walking stick. I hefted it in my good hand. It was solid wood, no rot visible, and would make do for a weapon. I still needed a way to close the gap with Kat without getting shot first.
I looked back the way I had come. There was a sort of entrance into the grove where I had come through, but the brush on either side was fairly thick, especially towards the ground. It wasn’t great, but it was likely my only shot. Kat was closing the distance faster than I would have liked.
It was hard to put myself into easy view and the path of potential gunfire but I made sure that Kat would be able to see my green runner’s shirt as I jogged towards the back of the clearing, and then hid behind a tree. I took off the shirt, leaving me in an off-white
PURSUIT
I started towards the men playing cards, but then I realized that I didn’t know them that well. For all I know she might have paid them off or somehow gotten them on her side. The only person I can trust right now is Jed.
I took a hard right and jumped the neighbor’s fence. A bullet zinged into the wood beside my broken hand as I vaulted it.
Shouts rose behind me, but I didn’t stop to listen to what they were saying. Either the men would stop Kat, she would take them out, or they would join her. Either way, my biggest priority was to put as much distance between them and myself as possible and try to sort it all out later.
The next fence was lower and easier to jump, and there were two big dogs chained up in the backyard. They seemed at a loss to face an intruder so brazenly running through their turf, and by the time they started barking I was already past. I ran out along the side of the house and burst out onto the street.
There were no motorcycles in view yet, but I could hear an engine revving. Luckily I was close to the outer limits of the town, and I crossed the street as fast as I could and headed towards the deep brush that started up in the fields outside of town.
I had never tried to run through the fields before. If I live through this then I’m never trying this again. Only the sounds of the bike engine on the road behind me spurred me further into the dense thickets.
It was slow going, but the good news was that my pursuer couldn’t progress any faster. Still, I was injured and it was slowing me down. I took a look over my shoulder.
A figure that must have been Kat waded through the growth faster than I was able to. She was the only figure in sight. I wonder what she did to the others.
I had to make a stand somewhere, but I may have screwed myself over by running out of town. At least if there had been solid objects to hide around and behind I may have stood a chance of taking her by surprise, but it was mostly wide open out here above chest height. It didn’t help me running from someone with a gun.
If anything the brush grew thicker up ahead, and there were a few trees. I worked my way in that direction, hoping against hope that there was something there that could be my salvation.
It took nearly five minutes to reach my target, the going got slower the closer I got. Kat was close enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to hear bullets start whizzing by. Subconsciously I ducked my head as I struggled to fight my way through.
The undergrowth opened up underneath the trees where the sun didn’t reach past the leaves. There were signs of teenage partying, beer cans crumpled up in amongst the gnarled roots. I cast about in search of anything that could make my situation more tenable.
A low branch offered an option. I could climb into the trees and hope that I could hide myself well enough to drop down and surprise Kat when she got to the thicket. I didn’t like my odds on that one, though. Too obvious.
There was a long, smooth branch on the ground that looked as though someone had used it as a walking stick. I hefted it in my good hand. It was solid wood, no rot visible, and would make do for a weapon. I still needed a way to close the gap with Kat without getting shot first.
I looked back the way I had come. There was a sort of entrance into the grove where I had come through, but the brush on either side was fairly thick, especially towards the ground. It wasn’t great, but it was likely my only shot. Kat was closing the distance faster than I would have liked.
It was hard to put myself into easy view and the path of potential gunfire but I made sure that Kat would be able to see my green runner’s shirt as I jogged towards the back of the clearing, and then hid behind a tree. I took off the shirt, leaving me in an off-white
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