The sound of branches snapping under their feet as they fled through the forest. It was too dark to see where they were headed and more than once did they stumble over a raised root or stone. One of the men was half carrying the other. The injured man limped on his good foot, trying to keep as much weight on his companion and not on his twisted ankle.
With the sounds of their heavy breathing and the noise they made as they ran, they weren't able to distinguish how far their pursuers were.
Nearing a clearing up ahead, the injured man began to slow down which cause the other to falter in his step.
"I don't believe I can keep this up much longer. I need to- I need." the man's words at the end began to slur as he slipped from his companion's grasp.
The clearing let out to a steep drop. As the man began to fall down, his friend grabbed ahold of him at the last minute before they both fell. Lucky for them, they were rolling down a hill that was more or less grass. There were huge rocks waiting at the bottom.
The man who had grabbed his companion before falling with him tried to control their fall and prevent them from slamming against the hard rocks. Their combined momentum however was too much for him to stop. Shifting the other man to where his head was protected against his chest and that his arms were up against his own, he closed his eyes as he turned so that his body would cushion the blow.
It sounded sickening as the sound of bone cracked when it hit the boulder. The man went slack, releasing the other man from his grip.
Getting onto all fours, his companion began to panic.
"Mister Larabee?" nothing. "Mister Larabee!" he called louder.
A low groaning noise from the blonde told him that the other he was still alive.
"Keep your voice down or they'll hear you." Chris muttered. Doing his best to open his eyes, he was only able to open left half way. "You alright?"
"My body has suffered no more damage thanks to your selfish act." frowned his companion.
"Selfish?" Chris growled, but was unable to do more. His right shoulder felt funny.
"Let me." Ezra said as he knelt down beside Chris and helped him to sit up to where he had his back up against the boulder.
Chris bit his lip, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Tears still escaped and ran down his cheeks, showing that he was in a lot of pain.
Ezra laid a hand on the former gunslinger's good shoulder.
"I hate to ask this of you, but do you think you can keep moving?" Ezra asked.
Chris seemed to be gathering all of his energy before putting his feet underneath himself and standing to his feet. Drips of sweat ran down his bare back and his neck. Even though it was mid-spring, he felt hot. Probably a sign that he was getting a fever. Ezra was a little slower getting to his feet because of his ankle. He too was missing his top half of his clothes.
Marks from being scratched up while they were running were all over their arms and sides. Ezra was riddled with mosquito bites to his annoyance. The blood suckers only seemed to like him. Chris barely had any while he looked like he had the horrid Chicken Pox all over again.
They walked slowly along the bottom of the hill. Ezra used the rocks to help him along while Chris carried his right arm in his left.
Luckily they didn't hear signs of their pursuers which offered them a chance to take it easy. Chris looked over at Ezra who looked disheveled and exhausted. He probably looked just as bad. Neither man had anything to eat that day, and only found a river to stop and drink at once.
With the way things were going, he predicted that they had three, maybe four days before they were dead or captured.
"Mister Larabee, I do believe that's a cave up ahead." the gambler pointed out just ten yards away.
"I'll go check it out while you stay here." Chris said, "I'm the only able to run right now if something were to be inside."
Ezra nodded and sat down on a boulder while he waited.
A couple minutes later Chris came back and said that it was clear.
Once they were in their little shelter Ezra plopped down on his rear unceremoniously. Chris slowly sat down a few feet away.
"Was it your shoulder that you hit?" Ezra asked, pointing to Chris' arm that he was favoring.
"Feels like it, but I won't know until morning. Let's try and get some rest. Lord knows we both need it." Chris laid down gingerly so as not to jostle his injury. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of something else besides the pain he was feeling.
Ezra sighed and laid down near him. Even though he was tired and wanted to sleep, his senses were on edge and every noise from outside his cave made him wake up. The sound of Chris coughing every now and then also made him open his eyes. Chris getting sick was another obstacle they would have to overcome before they could escape this hell hole.
"It seems that our luck may run out this time around." Ezra murmured.
