Chapter 23d04

Chapter 23 (Draft 04)

"Keep moving! Don't look back — run!" Robert screamed at Sally, Ethan, and Kari who were running in front of him.

"What about Benny!" Kari yelled back.

Robert was still looking back for the boy and Benny was suddenly running past him in a blur of incredible speed. For a young man recently too confused to keep his mental balance in check without the proper medication, the nucleus of his brain that contained the elements of self preservation was on full alert, his ability to catch the others amazing.

"I'm coming!" Benny yelled ahead to Kari.

There was an abrupt series of popping sounds tattering behind them and a terrifying zip-ping-zinging shrill of bullets flying past their ears. It was machine gun fire.

"Keep moving! Run!"

Robert turned to raise his pistol at the approaching men. He sent his reply back with three quick blasts and the hunters scattered.

Robert turned to run once more, dodging around several trees for cover. He threw himself to the ground just as a barrage of lead screamed over his head.

"Robert!" Kari screamed back.

"Don't stop, God damn it! Keep running!"

"Kari… come on!" Ethan yelled back. "Robert knows what he's doing. He's giving us a better chance to get away."

Benny was suddenly running past them, continuing his headlong flight toward the thickening woods ahead.

"Benny!" Kari screamed. The boy slid to a stop and then turned. He started waving frantically.

"Come on! What are you doing? Let's go!"

"But Robert!"

Benny suddenly looked angry. "What are you doing? Come on — you can't stay here. Run!"

The other three joined him and continued toward a dark stand of trees as Kari muttered her prayers. "Please, God. Please help Robert. Please, God, keep him safe. Please!"

Robert watched as the group disappeared into the trees over the hill above him and he smiled. They just might make it after all. He took a deep breath and peeked around the trunk of a tree and at the approaching Russians. He saw a series of flashes and the tree exploded in a shower of splinters and bark. Robert jerked back just in time.

"God — damn it!"

Pressing his back against the tree, he quickly shuffled his body upright and then turned to face the trunk acting to protect him. The flying wood splintering into bits and dust around him kept him pinned. He narrowed his focus at the details of the bark and found himself marveling at the detail, the texture of the gnarled old wood was unexpectedly remarkable to him. The noticed a string of ants casually moving in a meandering line up and down its length.

"I wish I could shrink myself down and join you guys right now," he whispered to the tiny creatures that seemed completely oblivious to the chaos surrounding them and the explosion of rapid gunfire smashing into their home again. Robert ducked down.

"Christ!"

And then a unexpected bend of comprehension came to him. They were pinning him down, keeping him from moving as their killer friends closed in. How long had he been stuck there? They must be close, judging from the continuing stream of bullets now pounding into his protection. His fear quickly doubled. He flew his pistol around the tree and fired blindly. He was right; two of the men were nearly on top of his position. One of them dove to the ground as the other raised his rifle to fire back. He missed Robert by inches and the cop adjusted his aim to return the violence. The man's chest exploded as he fell back and Robert ducked behind the tree again.

"That's really going to piss his friends off. I gotta move!"

Robert gave a heave and suddenly found himself envious of Benny's speed. He took a step in the direction where his friends had disappeared and was suddenly slammed in the back with what he instantly thought must have been the butt end of a rifle. The blow spun him around to face the tree again before he felt another crack in his back break bone – probably a rib. His legs were immediately unable to hold his weight and Robert slide down the trunk of the tree. He could see his own blood mixing with the details of the bark and he watched the line of ants stopping to inspect this curious fluid now smearing through their meandering line. The detective found it hard to breathe as he finally fell backward to the ground and onto his back, surprised only by his sudden weakness to stop himself.

"Robert!"

Kari was suddenly by his side.

"Oh God, Robert."

What is she doing here? She should have been gone with the others, escaped! His anger suddenly lashed out.

"Kari… what are you doing? Go… run… before they…"

"Oh Robert. You've been shot. I have to stop the bleeding." She began working on the open wounds she could see in his chest.

Robert was spitting up blood, but his anger was still strong.

"Go! Kari… you have to… to run…"

"Robert… I can't leave you here. They'll kill you!"

"I'm already dead, Kari. You have to run."

"Oh — Robert, oh God, don't say that. Let me help you."

"God damn it, Kari. Run… run!" He tried to push her away.

She came forward to look into his eyes. "I… I can't… I won't leave you…"

He raised a weakening hand. "Take the pistol. You promised me you would run if I told you to, Kari. You promised me."

She took the bloody pistol from him. "Oh Robert…"

From the far off trees, Sally, Benny and Ethan watched in horror as the men with rifles began to circle the spot where Kari had disappeared.

"Oh God, Ethan. Where is she?"

"She's trying to find Robert. Come on, Kari, get out of there. They're coming."

"Please Kari, come back. God — please protect her!" Sally whispered.

"You promised me, God damn it," Robert wheezed, coughing up more blood. "Don't break your promise to me now. You have to go!"

"Oh Robert."

He pushed her away. "Go!"

Kari sniffed and then slowly began to stand. The gun she held in her dangling arm looked to heavy for her to carry. She was immediately struck several times and Robert watched in horror as the bullets hitting her back left her front. She chirped out a gasp of surprise and then pitched forward to fall on top of him.

"NO!" Sally and Ethan yelled together.

With the last bit of strength left to him, Robert rolled her body over to lie on top of her. He could see her eyes were still wide with shock, left open from the suddenness of her death. He looked down into her eyes staring blankly back at him and he marveled at the tiny flecks of green randomly intermingled within the brown. Even in death she was beautiful to him. He reached up, and with a shaking hand he closed her eyes for the last time.

Ethan and Sally watched in terror as the men chasing them stopped at where Kari had fallen. They formed a circle and then raised then rifles. They fired again and again, and the blasts of their sins echoed like thunder through the trees and cold air surrounding them.

When they finally stopped, it was Benny who finally found the courage to speak first. He opened his eyes, crossed himself, and then tugged at Sally and Ethan.

"We have to go or they'll kill us too," he whispered.

Ethan looked at Sally who was leaning against him and crying hysterically. He reached out to hug her close. The world seemed so old and bitter to both of them.

"Come on! We have to go; they'll be coming after us next."

Sally and Ethan looked back to where the men had killed Robert and Kari and could see one of them pointing at their position in the woods. Benny was right. They stood together, careful to keep themselves concealed, and then turned to move deeper into the woods.

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