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Chapter 5
"Holy Shit!"
Jeremiah was on the ground clutching his right arm blood seeping slowly between his fingers. He clinched his teeth tightly as he sat up. He took a deep breath through his gaping mouth. He looked almost surprised as Kurdy stood over top if him holding Mr. Smith up. The smaller man had laid his head on Kurdy's shoulder while clutching his ribs with his free arm. His body sagged as Kurdy pulled him closer in an effort to keep him on his feet.
"Jeremiah…" Kurdy stared wide eyed at him.
"I think he just winged me…" Jeremiah stated struggling to his feet as the voices continued to get closer. They were in trouble and still had a lot of ground to cover before they reached the rover.
"We have to go Jeremiah." Kurdy announced.
"Leave me… get Lilly… out of here." Mr. Smith whispered as loud as he could. The words nearly doubled him over as he began to cough violently.
"Shit! Smith… and get your GOD mad at me. Fuck that!" Jeremiah snapped.
"He's right." Kurdy interjected.
"What?" Jeremiah shouted as another bullet screamed by and slammed into a nearby tree.
"We're gonna have to split up if we're gonna make it. You take Lilly and get to the Rover. I'm taking Smith and were gonna head towards the main road and lose'em."
"Kurdy no!" Jeremiah shouted his eyes jutting between Kurdy and the rapidly fading Smith. "Smith'll never make it!"
"Yes… you have to. Get to the Rover and radio for help, and then get the hell out of here. Were about three hours from the mountain; faster by chopper! Now he's in worse shape than he was when Simms boys got a hold of him. I don't even want to think of what they'll do to that little girl if they get their hands on her again. We don't have a chance together. When you get a hold of Marcus you tell him to wipe them out. I don't care if you know where we are or not. You here… Wipe them out! Now go! GO!"
Jeremiah scrambled to his feet still protesting on the inside. He gathered Lilly in his arms letting out a hiss of pain between his teeth. His arm burned from the sudden and strenuous movement as it continued to leak his crimson life force all over his deep green sleeve. He noted the look of shock in Lilly's eyes as they started to turn from Kurdy and Mr. Smith. Jeremiah had to admit to himself that Smith looked bad… really bad. He wondered to himself how the man was still standing at all.
"No… please… the angel…" Lilly began to scream and cry as Jeremiah held her tightly in his arms around her, cradling her in his grip. He took one look back at Mr. Smith who turned his gaze up slowly from the ground. A trickle of blood leaked down from the gash on the side of his head. Jeremiah thought again of the possibility of a concussion. That would explain why he looked so tired and he was complaining of a constant headache. Mr. Smith's battered face carried the marks of a serious beating. His fever stricken eyes were rimmed in cherry red. He blinked as he reached out touching her hand lightly with his own.
"It's okay… Lilly. We'll be alright… GOD…" he didn't have time to finish before Kurdy readjusted his arm around Mr. Smith's waist and pulled tighter on the one around the back of his neck. The sudden movement brought a gasp and an involuntary yelp of discomfort and anguish.
"Come on Smith." Kurdy shouted turning his back on the little girl and his best friend.
--
Mr. Smith and Kurdy moved painfully slow as they heard the voices behind them. There didn't sound like near as many. In fact it got quiet as if there was nobody looking for them. The silence was almost as deafening as the voices had been loud. The sky was getting dark which had to be to only reason it had gotten so quiet. The forest was like a maze of dark tunnels after the sun went down. As the sky grew even darker Kurdy realized Smith wasn't going to make it much longer and looking for shelter was going to be an unattainable wish as there weren't good odds for that either.
Kurdy himself was starting to fall apart. His strength was beginning to wane. He had been nearly carrying Smith who was drifting between soft whimpering moans and grunts of sheer agony. Kurdy felt his body burning from the punishment of supporting the two of them. He could feel the perspiration dripping from his ebony skin as he continued to trudge forward. He heard a noise behind him and looked up only to have a stump trip the two of them up. Kurdy fell to the ground with Mr. Smith the two men landing with a thump and then a sickening crack.
"OHHH… please… no more"
"Smith what… are you…"
Mr. Smith clutched his right side and began to cough forcefully. Sticky red liquid covered his fingers. He writhed painfully as Kurdy discovered he had hurt himself too.
"Mother… damn ankle…" Kurdy cursed loudly.
Kurdy crawled over to where Smith was trying to sit up. He continued to grip his side tightly as Kurdy wrapped a protective arm around his chest pulling Mr. Smith into his own chest.
"I… think it's… broke…" Smith panted as he continued to shake from the cold.
"What… what's broken Smith…" Kurdy sounded alarmed as he watched the blood oozing from Smiths side.
"Rib… AHHHHH!" He sank into Kurdy who pushed the injured man the rest of the way to the ground and fumbled with his friends tattered blood soaked t-shirt with his own icy hands.
Smith arched his back and then struggled to sit up as blood continued to ooze from under the soaked shirt. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as Kurdy felt along the shirt noting a rigid bump and a tear in Smith's ragged t-shirt. Kurdy carefully lifted the injured man's shirt exposing the pale ivory skin of his chest to the chill of evening. The sun was sinking so rapidly behind the hills that it was almost too dark to see anything. In the final shadows of the light Kurdy could see it… it was right in front of him. Something had poked its way through his skin. It looked like a wooden stick had sunken itself into the tender flesh by his ribcage. It was still visible leaving Kurdy with just enough edge to pull it out. The sudden rip of the tiny wooden fragment brought a new exasperated cry from Mr. Smith.
Blood from his side now took on the dark shadowy color of black in the pale, almost blue light of dusk. Kurdy could feel it slick… sticky on his fingers. He held the dark, almost miniscule tip of wood in his fingers. He held it up to his eye level noting the size… roughly about two or three inches long. It was amazing how something so small could do so much damage. He looked across Smiths chest as it rose and fell rapidly in the dusky moonlight. Smith let his own fingers drag across the surface contaminating them with the same murky life giving blood. Kurdy threw the small wooden twig behind him as he leaned over Smith looking for his attention.
"Smith… I need to borrow that ugly flannel you have on." Kurdy tried to lighten the mood and draw his attention from the sudden pain Smith had just experienced. He calmly pulled the hard steel blade from his boot slicing the soft fabric into ribbons.
"Go… ahead…" Smith licked his lips and swallowed hard. "I needed a… new one anyways." He tried to smile only to find himself grimacing at the stabbing pain in his chest. The pain continued to make it difficult for him to breathe.
Kurdy bit his lip as he cut the shirt the rest of the way off of Smith leaving him in just his blood soaked t-shirt and jeans trying to stave off the cold that was assaulting his body. Kurdy pulled the t-shirt the rest of the way up. He watched the continuous rapid rise and fall of Mr. Smith's chest as goose bumps began to rise, rippling across his now uncomfortably chilled flesh. He swiftly balled up a ribbon of fabric and pushed it against the small opening. The pressure elicited a groan from Mr. Smith who again struggled to sit up.
"Just lay still for a second buddy…"
"Hurts…"
"I know Smith… just hang in there."
Kurdy then took what was left to the shirt and wrapped it as tightly as he could around the man's black and blue chest and tied it off at the cut. He helped Mr. Smith to pull the ragged t-shirt back down over his now crudely bandaged chest.
Kurdy looked over at Mr. Smith's face which was now contorted in tortured anguish. He had a bright sheen of perspiration which continued to glisten even in the dimly lit night. Kurdy could see his teeth as he clinched them holding back cries of pain. His eyes were closed tightly to the throbbing and discomfort plaguing him.
"We have to move Smith. Are you okay?"
Mr. Smith opened the glittering polls that were his eyes. Kurdy could see the suffering contained with in them. He watched as Smith fought an inner battle with himself. He was in so much pain… Kurdy was asking him to endure more.
No…Kurdy I can't I tried to tell you this earlier. You should have left me and gone with Jeremiah. If you had we wouldn't be in this. Yes they probably would have continued to beat me some more… but you… you…my friend… wouldn't be here too.
"Okay." He answered in a quiet voice.
Kurdy turned his back to Mr. Smith and stretched his right ankle out. He rotated it around brining a smarting twinge up and down his own leg. Probably sprained…
Jeremiah… you better get to us soon…
He struggled to his feet and took a practice step noting the shock going through his foot. He didn't have time to think about that now. He turned and bent over Mr. Smith pulling the man to his feet.
"OHHHH…" he gasped. His legs started to give out again as Kurdy continued on his almost sadistic mission.
"Hang on Smith." Kurdy pleaded.
"I… will…" Smith swallowed hard.
"Good. I'm not ready to break in a new partner." Kurdy jested.
Mr. Smith let out a whimper as they preceded the rest of the way down the hill.
--
"Kurdy…" Mr. Smith sounded distant in his own mind. He nearly whispered everything at this point. His voice was nearly gone and it was agonizing to do anything. His arms and chest were so cold. His throat was parched. He couldn't keep a singular thought in his head. Every time he drew a breath his lungs burned and it just brought about more suffering. He could hardly lift his feet any longer. He was feeling like the butt of an incredibly cruel joke. He couldn't even hear the Voice… had GOD abandoned him? "I… can't… hurt…" he began to cough forcefully again using his free hand to clutch at his ribs in order to keep his sides from flying apart.
They had been pushing forward… hard. It had been over an hour since they had headed down an endless hill only to scale it again on the other side. The sky was black and Mr. Smith was on the verge of blacking out. He shivered next to Kurdy who had taken his flannel shirt and destroyed it to wrap his broken ribs. Kurdy had been trying to keep them moving until they could find somewhere to stop.
"Hang on… for me." Kurdy was also on the edge of dropping from exhaustion.
Kurdy stopped in the middle of a clearing the moon shinning brightly on the two men. Smith laid his head against Kurdy's chest as his legs finally gave out taking the two men to the ground.
"Holy Crap Smith!" Kurdy shouted gathering the smaller man in his arms.
Mr. Smith's battered body trembled from the frigid night air and the continued ache from his cracked and broken ribs. He wanted to get back up. To open his eyes but he just couldn't do it. Kurdy's voice got farther and farther from him. He wanted to help… he wanted to do what his friend told him to do. His body had just had enough. He had pushed until he was all push out. He was chilled and needed heat. He was starving… his head pounded mercilessly.
"So cold…" was all Mr. Smith could muster the strength to say before he was tugged into complete darkness.
"Fuck Smith… don't do this to me…" Smith's body went limp in his arms as he passed out completely.
Kurdy ripped his long leather coat off and wrapped it around the others body pulling him into his own body to try and warm him. He looked franticly from side to side for somewhere to hide with Smith. There was nothing and the air was becoming colder as the evening wore on. He finally spotted a group of pine trees close together covering the ground. He pulled Smith under the cover of a particularly large pine tree. He heaved the smaller man as close as he could to himself, Smith's back against his own chest. He wrapped both of his arms around his chest and rubbed his arms and chest vigorously paying attention not to hit his already damaged ribs to hard.
"No fire… sorry I can't do that for ya little buddy… I'm gonna get ya warmed up... okay? Just hang in there Smith. Why didn't you tell me you were freezing buddy? Come on Smith… just hang in there for me. I know Jeremiah's gonna get us help. Just hang in there… Oh GOD please… just hang in there buddy…"
Kurdy wrapped one arm around Smith's chest and ran the other hand through his light brown curls. He glided his hand across his head feeling the blistering heat from his sticky sweat covered face. Mr. Smith shifted his head to the right flinching from some unknown assailant. He let out a muffled cry as Kurdy pulled him closer. He was feeling so angry with himself for not realizing Smith couldn't possibly take on what he was asking of him. He had expected a hundred percent on top of the hundred and fifty he had taken for Lilly.
"Shhhh… just hang on Smith." Kurdy whispered softly pulling the edges of the leather jacket tighter around Smith's small fragile body.
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