At the very same moment that Relena had touched him, he heard the slight click of a safety being switched off. He immediately tensed reverting back to soldier mode, all senses alert. "Get down!" He shouted as he simultaneously pushing her to the ground, but not before he felt the familiar wet feeling splash across his arm and neck. Blood. He identified it easily without even having to look. He heard a short startled cry in his ear and then its abrupt stop, Relena's air going out in a whoosh as she impacted hard with the ground. Heero landed heavily on top of her, shielding her with his body. He tried to find the location of the shooter, but unfortunately when they had fallen his back had been turned to the perpetrator and he could not gauge his aim. Unable to leave Relena unprotected, he was forced to think of escape first. Spying a place he quickly began rolling them over aiming for a short wall , that he deemed would provide them with protection for a time. He could only blindly hope that they would reach the end in safety. He flinched as one bullet zinged past his ear and felt Relena's arm tighten around him harder in near panic. When they were close enough, he grabbed Relena shoving her behind the wall. He followed her quickly, finally yanking a hidden gun from his waistband as he did so. He spared a quick glance at the girl beside him still struggling to catch her breath.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
She looked down shakily suddenly realizing that she had blood all down her arm from a gunshot wound. She moved her arm slightly experimentally wincing as she did so. " I don't think its too bad." Heero nodded slightly in relief , cautiously he peered around the side. He ducked back quickly, when the shots returned again. The trajectory was different he noticed. He is on the move, he thought. He listened intent for a moment. He could hear the rustle of tree leaves in the woods across the way. He again looked at Relena quickly coming to a decision. "Stay here." He ordered, trusting that the other pilots would be there soon.
"Heero..." She made a move to stop him. "Heero wait!" She called after him desperately, but it was too late, he left at a run. She tried to push herself up to go after him, but her injured arm protested and she fell back with a cry. She clamped down on her arm trying to stop the bleeding all the while praying that Heero would come back okay. She had faith in him, but she knew that right now he was not in his right state of mind and combined with the lack of sleep he could make a critical error. She was so intent in her worry that she didn't hear anyone come up behind her, until a hand landed on her shoulder. She panicked jumping violently away from the touch.
"Shhh, it's alright." Quatre said quickly. "It's me." Relena turned towards him sighing in relief. "You're safe" she leaned into him for a moment.
"Quatre..."
"What happened?" Duo asked worriedly. "Where's Heero?"
*****************
Heero sprinted across the yard, only slowing when he reached the tree line beyond. He stood for a moment at the side of a tree, gun pointed before him. His breath ran harshly through his lungs and his heart continuing to beat as twice the pace that his feet had. His eyes and ears flitted about searching for his quarry. As he picked up the distant crash of running feet, he sprung back into action intent on his quarry. Upon, entering the woods, he felt himself immediately being swallowed up by the confining rows of trees. Pale moonlight strained down through the tiny cracks in the canopy illuminating the small thin tree trunks in a morbid caricature of large skeletal bones. The forest loomed empty around him as cold and empty as death. Suppressing a shiver, Heero pressed on. The atmosphere around him distracted him reminding him too much of his worst nightmares. Heero ducked beneath a overhanging branch almost too late, berating himself at allowing himself to be distracted. He would not be taken over by baseless fears. With a new resolve, he put on an extra burst of speed then , running lightly through the undergrowth. His gaze sharpened as he saw his first flicker of movement a head of him. He suddenly tripped on some unnoticed object, having to catch himself on a tree to keep from falling.He realized it was a hidden root. It took barely a moment for him to untangle his foot, but when he glanced up again his quarry was gone and all around him was silent. He held perfectly still his gun out before him, straining his ears for some telltale sign of the man's whereabouts. He automatically focused himself on calming his breathing. Unease settled in his heart like a stone, though he knew not where the perpetrator was, he was quite confident that opposite was not true.
The man smiled enjoying this.He had him just where he wanted him. He stalked a little closer, his feet as silent as his intent was deadly. Circling around to the other side, he threw a rock in the opposite direction. He watched as Heero swerved towards his decoy and took a hesitant step forward. He shifted his foot slightly as he fired.
That was all Heero had needed. He flinched away from the bullet at the last second, the bullet intended for his heart merely grazing his side. In a moment of rage, the man cursed forgetting to be quiet. Before he could correct his error, he felt the hot burn of a bullet as it whizzed by grazing his face. He staggered back slightly more from shock than from actual pain. His gloved hand shakily touching the streak of blood on his face. Nearly panicking he forced himself into a run as another shot whizzed by lodging itself into a nearby tree. He twisted firing back.
Heero followed sprinting through the trees, encouraged now that his target was insight. He quickly ducked behind a tree again as the other man fired several bullets at him. He winced slightly as a ricocheted bullet grazed his leg causing him to slow slightly, allowing the man to gain a short distance before turning a corner. Heero followed slowing as he came to the peak where the ground dropped off., intending to spot him.. A shot fired just as he crested it hitting a branch just above him. With a loud crack it separated from the tree trunk in a rain of sawdust hitting him in the face and chest. The gun was knocked from his hand and he teetered precariously on the edge for a moment desperately trying to grab onto something to balance himself. However, that was not to be and he lost all equilibrium and tumbled over the side falling several feet. He let out a soft grunt as he landed in an ungraceful heap on the forest floor. He struggled up to his knees blinking blood from his eyes slightly dazed. He stiffened when he heard the crunch of footsteps approaching. He glanced around quickly for his gun. With a feeling of relief, he picked it up. Aiming it at the dark clad figure before him, he pulled the trigger. The chamber rang empty.
The man resume his approach when he realized his prey was out of bullets. A sickening satisfied smile begining to form on his lips, he stopped a few feet away from Heero. His eyes gazed down upon him as cold as glacial ice. The dark clad man loomed over him like the personification of death . A chilling hollow laugh suddenly echoed from his lips. And Heero felt his insides freeze as he gazed up unable to look a way from his fate. He merely knelt there awaiting the moment, when death would finally choose to strike him down once and for all. As if in slow motion, the gun was slowly raised and aimed towards him.
TBC...
Teehee. Aren't Cliffhangers fun?! eg Please review. Until next time.......