Chapter 9: Hot Pursuit
Night had fallen, and it had been over 12 hours since the pair had set off from Susie's home in hopes of evading Julie's pursuers. They had taken refuge in a cave and were lying side by side to prevent anyone from catching them alone. Julie couldn't get to sleep and was sitting at the opening of the cave staring up at the starless sky. The moon had been partially covered by dark clouds and didn't provide much luminescence.
So many different things ran through her mind as she sat there all by her lonesome. Feelings of hate, fear, love, and sadness all mixing together deep within her mind. She glanced back at the woman lying atop her bedroll and smiled faintly.
She was about ready to go back and lie down to try and get some sleep when something caught her ear. She stood herself up and took a few steps forward with her ear cocked outwards. She could make out the sound of loose pebbles cracking under soft leather boots growing ever louder and closer. She looked off in to the dead trees which were at her front and could make out shadowy silhouettes shifting through the trees.
She quietly made her way back to where Susie was laying and shook her gently. She placed a finger over her lips so she wouldn't say anything.
"They're here…" she whispered to the woman, who simply nodded at what she had been told.
Susie sat up on her makeshift bed, reached out for the Winchester leaning up against the wall, and loaded a clip in to the bottom of it. "What do we need to do?" she asked.
Julie ejected the magazine from the bottom of her glock and counted the bullets. Thirteen, which would be more than enough.
"Follow me, and keep low." she ordered with a stern look on her face.
The two then turned and headed out of the cave in to the dense forest just outside. Susie could hear the rustling of their pursuers making their way through the trees and held her rifle close to her chest. Julie suddenly turned around and took aim at Susie, who immediately jumped to the ground. Julie barely pressed her finger against the trigger of the glock and shot three bullets in to the darkness. A loud thud came from behind them, and Julie ran over to find a man clad in black leather armor wielding a silenced AK-47 lying on the ground. Three bullet holes decorated his chest, and he was already dead.
"Keep moving." The young woman ordered in a low voice.
They continued through the darkness of the tall and splintered trees until Julie aimed upwards and shot a hidden man out of the treetops. He fell to the ground with a deafening crack, and Julie ran over and lodged another bullet in to his head to make sure he was dead. Her palms began to sweat profusely, and she could feel the beast within trying to un-cage itself. She ran her arm against her forehead and wiped away the sweat and then shook her head to keep herself calm and collected.
The women spotted a clearing up ahead, and as soon as Julie stepped out of the safety of the trees, a sniper bullet struck the trunk of a tree just millimeters to her left. Susie stopped dead in her tracks and crouched low.
"Sniper." Julie whispered back to her. She let her eyes wander around the clearing until she saw a glint of light reflecting off of a sniper scope.
"Just there, at the edge of the clearing, directly between the two broken trees just two feet above the ground. He won't kill me unless he has to, so it's up to you." she explained.
Susie nodded and then brought her rifle at the ready. She could feel the beads of sweat forming on her brow, and she nervously took aim at the place Julie had pointed out. She couldn't see or hear anything coming from that direction, so she wasn't even sure she was aiming at the right area. She calmed her breathing and steadied the barrel until it was nearly still, and then squeezed the trigger. The shot echoed through the trees until it eventually faded away.
The sniper hit the ground with a thud and both Julie and Susie let loose a sigh of relief.
"Nice shot." Julie commented, and then the pair was off once again.
As the two women continued through the maze of trees, Julie's vision started to blur, and her limbs started to feel as if they weighed a ton. Her gaze darted around the surrounding blackness and she could see six men heading straight for them. She stopped running and leaned up against a tree for support. She felt something warm running from her nose, and when she wiped the liquid across her hand and held it up, she could see it was blood.
"Sweety, you're bleeding, what's wrong?" Susie asked concernedly.
Julie grasped her head and snapped her jaw, "Run, go back to the cave and I'll meet you there. I can feel myself turning, and I don't want you around." she ordered.
Susie placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head, "No, I won't leave your side! If we stick together we…"
"Get the fuck away from me!!!" Julie screamed in her face.
Susie took a few steps back and placed a hand on her chest. She just nodded in response and then took off back towards where they had set up camp.
Julie fell to her knees as tears gushed from her eyes. She dug her fingernails in to her cheeks and snarled aloud as her pursuers came ever closer. She pressed her forehead against the soft earth and breathed deeply as her darker side took claim over her senses. She sat back on her heels and breathed in one last time. Her eyes remained closed, but she could hear and smell every little thing around her. The sound of her pursuers ragged breaths, the smell of their salty sweat…everything. A feint smirk came across her face, and she clasped the glock in her holster.
The six men found the young woman still sitting on the ground in a meditating position when they came upon her, and they kept their guns fixed on her. She wouldn't be getting out of this one…or so they thought. Her eyes suddenly shot open, and before any of her pursuers could blink, she flipped in to the air and sent a single bullet between each of their eyes. They all stood in place for a few seconds before falling to the ground. Julie landed perfectly on her feet and placed the glock back in its holster.
In the dead silence Julie's trained ears caught the sound of Susie's feet plodding against the ground as she ran back to the cave and then took off in her direction.
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Susie ran through the forest as fast as her legs would carry her. She could feel her heart pounding at an alarming rate, and she could also feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She hadn't felt anything like this in quite some time, and it was a little frightening to her.
She came to a sudden halt when six shots which had been fired in quick succession rang out across the night air.
"Julie…" she whispered to herself. She hoped to God that she would be her normal self by the time she met her back at camp. She picked up her pace once again and sprinted the last short distance to the cave entrance. She broke through the tree line and stumbled forward as she tried to catch her breath. She placed her hand against the rock wall outside the entrance and breathed heavily.
The brush behind her rustled loudly, and she took aim with her Winchester rifle. A young woman came bustling through, and when she saw Susie, she hesitated for a moment.
"Julie?" Susie asked softly, hoping she wouldn't have to put a bullet through her skull.
"It's alright Susie, it's me." she replied, and Susie let loose a sigh of relief and let the weapon fall to her side.
Julie walked over to the Brahmin lying against a fallen tree trunk and pulled two water bottles from one of the packs. She tossed one to Susie who took it gratefully. Even though the water was pretty warm, it was still clean, so it was a welcome taste to the women's parched mouths.
Susie wiped her lips and then took a seat on the ground, "We still have a long ways until we reach the Haven, and I think it's safe to assume we haven't seen the last of those guys." she said, still breathing rather hoarsely.
Julie simply nodded and then took a seat next to her friend. She leaned her head against her shoulder and closed her eyes. Susie pressed her cheek against the top of Julie's head and sighed. They would need to get moving as soon as possible, but they wanted to enjoy what little peaceful time they had together.
