Joel ducked back down under the window again. He could hear screams still coming from the intruder who had been standing near the window. The cries were coming from beyond his line of sight around the left hand side of the cabin, moving away; he guessed back towards the cover provided by the trees. He could also hear the shouts of the remaining two men who had remained hidden in front of the cabin. He estimated they were now about thirty meters from the front door. There were also the sounds of the undergrowth being disturbed from around their position. He stole another quick look out of the window. Now that there was no glass to impede his view, he could clearly make out the two men in front moving away to his left as quickly as they could. They seemed preoccupied with what was happening with their companion. Judging by the shouting he had a pretty good idea that the other man had been injured by the flying glass. He had another brief glance outside. The men were still moving away. He couldn't stay in the cabin. There was no element of suprise left. He couldn't risk another confrontation. He made up his mind; it was time to move. Joel quickly grabbed his pack bag, putting it over his left shoulder. He then moved to the door, took a deep breath and unbolted it. With no time to think or plan he burst though the door and sprinted down the right side of the cabin and ran flat out towards the nearby trees. Half way there the bullets started to whizz by his head as his assailants realised what was going on. Joel kept on running, moving erratically left and right as he was going. As he reached the trees he had a look behind him; the two men had just cleared the cabin themselves and we're keeping up their pursuit. He ran on blindly and kept going through the trees, slower now around the obstacles, the bushes and the lower branches. He moved to keep the line of sight between him and where he thought his pursuers would be as small as he could. He started to try and move in a loose arc, to his right in a direction he hoped would take him away from the gunmen. After around a further hundred meters he stopped. Listened. He could still hear voices in the distance a way behind him. With the echoes caused by the trees it was hard to know exactly where from. He crouched down and waited. He couldn't see anyone, although the voices were growing slightly louder.
"Come out come out wherever you are".
It had been shouted in a sing song way, as a child might have during a game of hide and seek.
"We know you are there. Come out now and maybe we won't go for reinforcements and go back to that camp of yours"
The last sentence sent a chill down Joel's spine. Could it be that they knew that he had come from the larger camp, where Ellie now was? Had they been watching him ? Could it be that even now there were others who could mount an assault on their place of safety? Or was it another bluff. At that instant Joel knew he couldn't take any chances. He just wasn't sure what he could do about it whilst they were hunting him.