03-escape (part three)

I jumped as I recognised the voice; he had been on guard duty for me once when I was on punishment and had been quite friendly towards me. He had one of the common old English names that didn’t really mean anything….Jimmy, John, I couldn’t remember exactly but I knew it started with a ‘J’. We stood up slowly facing away from him.
“Put ‘em up,” he commanded with a drawl, “But do it slowly now, no su-“ before I had even taken in what I was about to do I pivoted on the spot, adrenaline rushing through my veins at 200 kmph and fired. A twang came from the crossbow as a metal bolt flung out and into the man’s chest. He looked down stunned as a slow bloom of blood rippled through his shirt away from the bolt sticking out of his shirt. All it was to me trough my goggles was a darker green but my brain supplied the images of the crimson red colour that it would be. I heard Hammond gasp beside me as I let go of the trigger realising I needed to reload. The man was holding a musket rifle of some kind. I stood there in shock as the man drew in a shaky breath and raised his rifle. With scary clarity I watched the moonlight bounce off the barrel of death as he aimed, I stood there stupidly watching him, Hammond cursed and there was a twang from beside me as he fired his own crossbow, the bolt flashed into the mans head passing through his brain and out the other side where it shuddered in the wood,
the man  fell twisting sideways and I saw his face a big hole was in his forehead a dark pool of liquid poured out onto the grass below his corpse for that was all he was now, I’d made him into one. I fell down at that point and everything passed by in a blur my only thought was, he’s dead, and I killed him. I couldn’t even remember his name. We came to a car and Hammond opened a door for me letting me in, the man’s name came to me in a flash,
“Jonathan…” I said softly, “That was his name.” Hammond got into the car but I was ignoring him concentrating on the facts flowing into my head about him, I could remember everything. He was born in the camp only ever going out once to get supplies from a small place next to a forest, he never knew his mother or father but he was raised to be a regiment. Everything else I learnt about him came rushing in and I realised that he would never again be able to see or talk to anyone again. Tears started to well up in my eyes for the life I took, for the man whose world I ended. Beside me Hammond was trying to start the car, I scalded myself now is not the time for crying.
“Do you have the keys in the ignition?” I asked,
“Ohh…that could help.”
“Move over, I’m driving.”
“Good to see your back with us Desmond, ‘cause I can’t remember which ones the brake,” Hammond laughed,
“The middle one, now hop out I’m getting in the drivers seat.” Hammond did as he was told and I moved across the car. Hammond got in the other side, I moved the seat forward so I could reach the pedals and started the car with a quick double jab on the accelerator, the engine rumbled to life nicely.
“Buckle up,” I told Hammond,
“Huh?”
“Put on your seat belt,” I sighed remembering he had never been taught to drive the plow truck we sometimes used in the winter. He did as I asked and I copied. I took my foot off the brake and let it roll down the small driveway it was on,
“Do you trust me?” I asked Hammond,
“What do you mean?”
“Just answer the question. Do you?”
“Not really Des, but I’m gunna have to ain’t I?” I laughed and slammed on the accelerator. The car had a bit of a wheel spin and then we were off. Finally something that was natural to me I flowed through it, revving the car to high before changing gear. I turned the steering wheel and pulled us out onto the small road leading towards the regiments sleeping quarters and the gate. We had to build up a lot of speed to go through the gates because they weren’t going to open them for us. The road was just a straight line full of cameras and lights. The alarm sounded just as we hit 80 km/h and were about 50 meters away from the regiments’ barracks. We roared through them now at 100 km/h that was when a warning shot was fired, just a few seconds later there was a second. We were approaching the gate really fast now doing 130 km/h, this car was quick I marveled for a second but I didn’t have anymore time for thinking I had to be fast because we were just about on the gate. All the regiments started fire their muskets at us, with a bang of sparks and barbed wire coming down over the top of the car we were through. I could hear the screams of falling men and I felt a little guilty but then we were out and still getting shot at four cracks appeared in the windscreen and I swallowed. We drove for a while and I was looking in the rear view mirror the whole time trying to find signs of pursuit. I finally stopped looking when we were travelling along a road in the middle of a logged forest with all the tree’s cut down. I turned to Hammond,
“I think we-“ I started to say but I was cut off by a super massive

BOOM

I came to and felt groggy. I had a really sore head, and a high pitched whine blocking out all other sounds. I looked around confused; I was on the side of the road next to a tree stump. There was a flickering orange light coming from the road and I stood up looking over towards it. As I saw it everything that had happened before I blacked out came back to my mind, my hearing returned with my memories I noticed the sound of a crackling fire. A sickly smell wafted over to my nose with a light breeze and I recognised it as burnt flesh, Hammonds shocked face appeared in my mind and I gasped. In front of me there was a burning wreck of a car there wasn’t any part left that wasn’t blackened by the fire, all the windows had been blown out and all the tires were flat. The driver’s door was missing and I realised that I must have knocked it out myself when the car exploded.
 The smell assaulted my nose again and I saw all that was left of my friend.
“Hammond,” I breathed softly, and I started to feel tears well up as I saw the charred remains of my one and only friend in the camp now gone forever. The silver necklace and pendant still on his neck without anything wrong with it the metal gleaming in the moon and starlight. I looked away from Hammond’s body, for that’s all it was now just a body never to move again and I looked up at the stars. I stood there for a while but strangely the tears in my eyes didn’t fall. I realised that the regiments were going to arrive soon, if not now so I better get moving. I looked around for my night vision goggles and the weapons, the sword was still on my hip and every other weapon seemed to be in the same place as they should too, I couldn’t find any remains of my goggles though.
I took one last look at my friend and saw the pendant again ignoring it I turned to run but found I couldn't bring myself to do it, so instead I walked over to the car the smell of burnt flesh was assaulting my nose while I stared at the blue sapphire in the pendant getting lost in its depths, there was a light bang as something popped shaking me out of my trance I started to turn again then realised I would regret it if I left there without the pendant. I moved my hand towards the necklace and my dead friend cautious of what could happen and of the heat that was probably in the metal my hand got closer and closer but I didn't feel any heat which was strange but I didn't give it a second thought I grabbed the chain and undid the latch. The silver was cold to the touch I slowly put the chain around my neck and latched it. I knew that from that day on every time I saw the necklace I would remember Hammond and what he did. The pendant started to call to me so I lifted it up and looked at it then set it down under the remains of my sweatshirt. Immediately I felt calmer like I knew exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. I took one last look at what was left of my friend and said,
"Good-bye Hammond, I'll miss you. Be at peace my friend,"
I turned away from Hammond towards the tree line in the distance and ran the chain and pendant bobbing on my neck.

03-escape(part two)

The pits were a place of punishment. If you got into a whole lot of trouble with the guards then you were sent here. The Pits were a whole lot of holes in the ground most were only wide enough for you to sit down in with a spider colony, they were about 5 meters deep and the walls were coated with stone so flat that you couldn’t climb. No guards were about so our window was about 10 minutes to get the weapons and go. Luckily Hammond had thought of everything and had brought a rope; which he tied to me and sent me down into the green darkness. I saw shapes of weapons at the bottom of the pit as I was slowly lowered down. My heart started pounding again I really hoped none of these went off. I recognised Some swords one was a black rapier thin and lightweight deadly fast but no good for blocking the other was a broadsword it was also black but big and heavy, I wrapped them both in cloths Hammond passed down to me, to stop them from rattling and put them into sheaths. There were four more weapons in the ground and two other shapes I couldn’t quite make out. I picked up one weapon and realised straightaway that it was a crossbow.

“Put the swords into a knot at the end of the rope and pass them to me.” Hammond whispered I did as he asked and called out softly to raise the rope.  The other four weapons were two crossbows and two other bows. The two bows weren’t stringed and I realised with a start that the other two shapes must be the quivers to hold the bolts for the crossbows and the arrows for the bows.

“Hurry,” Hammond whispered to me urgently. I picked up the crossbows and put them in the knot for the rope told Hammond to pull it up. We loaded the bows and quivers in the same way.   

 “Raise me up now ham,” I called softly up to him. We’d been there too long already.

“Let’s go,” Hammond untied the rope for me while I grabbed the weapons I put the sword on my belt and the crossbow quiver and bow on my back Hammond passed me a sack and told me to put it on, I took the crossbow off my back and did as he asked he then handed me another strap and showed me his crossbow gesturing to strap around it. I copied what he’d done. The strap went around my neck, once I had got it in position we each loaded a bolt into our crossbows and ran towards a small ditch that held storm water, nobody ever went near because it stunk. We were running through a small patch of trees when I saw a guard walking on patrol out in the open and I dropped down immediately Hammond who had done the same crawled up to me,

“Do you want me to get him?” he asked softly I shook my head,

“No need to kill when we don’t have to, plus I don’t know how good a shot you are.” Hammond chuckled quietly. We waited for him to pass, his torchlight disappeared around a corner, and that was when a gravely voice chuckled in the quiet,

“I got you now boys.”

03-escape(part one)

It was a crisp night as the regiments started to turn out the lights one by one behind all of us prisoners. I walked into the long, gloomy and cold dorms with all the others. They were not very wide, only enough room to have two bunks on either side of the walls and still have room for someone to walk in the middle the walls were a grey stone and really cold, a breeze blew in from the one window at the end of the dorm chilling everything down another few degree’s. Tonight was the night I knew it there was a sort of electricity in the air or maybe that was just between Hammond and I. We were going to escape. I looked over to Hammond his green eyes sparkled with excitement as he brushed his messy jet black hair away from his eyes with a scarred hand that had been doing work all his life. Muscles rippled under his ripped grey child issue shirt. The shirt he wore was the same as everyone else but help for visibility we had bright reflective orange sleeveless vest with black rugged pants a pendant hung around his neck from a small silver chain. Somebody had given him the necklace when he was a baby nobody was sure who. The pendant was an oval sapphire and it shimmered no matter what the weather. He smiled at me and nodded his way of saying, “Let’s do it!” I gave him the same nod, walked slowly to my bunk and got in not only bothering to take off my vest so they wouldn’t see me when we left, and then  waited for all the moving to stop. It seemed to take forever but it was probably only five minutes altogether. I felt excitement rise in me, as well as a little fear. Finally everyone’s breathing turned rhythmic and calm…it was time. Silent as a whisper I got up and reached under the mattress to find the night-vision goggles and sweatshirt I’d stolen from the Regiments store room when I was made to clean it for punishment. I put the goggles on the mattress and slipped into the sweatshirt a smile broke out on my face as I realised the sweatshirt was blocking the breeze. Hammond I guessed was putting on another sweatshirt exactly the same as the one I had on only bigger. I stole both of them from the Regiments store room on punishment. I picked up the goggles and slid them over my eyes. Everything went green; everybody was asleep in their beds, all but one. Hammond was doing exactly what I was once he finished I waved him over and whispered,

“Let’s go get the weapons you stashed. You lead ‘cause I don’t know where they are.” He nodded and tiptoed quietly out of the dorms with me right behind him. As we left the dorms we kept to the shadows watching for the Regiments on night shift. My heart banged against my chest every second and I was afraid that it might give me away more than my breathing. Finally we reached the place in the camp that we were wanting, the pits.

02-Leadership

Where are we?

I thought again and looked around figuring things out. What I saw sent a small shiver of fear in my mind. We were in a dark forest and it was by the look of the moon about midnight. The tree trunks were hiding everything apart from the sky so for all I knew that one bunch of them could be hiding a whole bunch of Regiments. I shivered again as my mind started to turn to thinking about the supernatural. My imagination was running wild so to stop it I walked closer to Aldis.
"Let’s get Guido to lead us to the old camp," I said trying to lead everyone again, "I'll take the front and you take the back okay? Use the walkie-talkies if anyone starts to lag behind so we can slow down." She nodded with that out of the way I walked up to Guido and whispered to him softly,
"Can you get us back?"
"I...I think so" He said unsure I nodded,
"Do your best," He nodded at me. Aldis called out a loudish voice that made me wince,
"Everyone follow Guido I'll take the back, Akantha you are staying with me. And don't think that just because I like your hair that I wont hit you if you annoy me again. Nobody do anything stupid. Use the walkie-talkies only if you have to we need to save the batteries." Guido started to look up at the trees and the sky, and then at the ground find who knows what to lead us back to our camp. I had no idea how he did it, but he did.
"Make a line, single file." Aldis called out.  Guido then found what he was looking for and walked off in a certain direction. We all followed. I found myself thinking about when I escaped from the regiments.

01-Guido + Arash

Through the forest we ran deeper and deeper into the murky darkness tripping on roots and getting attacked by brambles.

“Stop!” I called after what seemed like a long time, I looked over at Alessandro and the others all panting from the run when Aldis called out to everyone,

“Put mud on your face and all bare skin so that you won’t stand out from the forest around you it will make you are harder to spot. If the ground is not wet use your water. I’m sure Guido can find us a stream to refill our water.” Amid the mutterings of annoyance at having to cake themselves in mud again there was a voice that called out in merriment,

“I feel you may put to much stock in my abilities Aldis,” Guido always trying to be modest and putting his on laughing spin on things. He was a forest ranger for the regiment soldiers before he met Arash in the same regiment as him. Arash then was full of ideals apparently about the outside world and all the non-existing settlements. By then he was already working on an escape plan. But he needed one more man to carry it out. So he became friendly to Guido because he knew the terrain and he seemed like he wasn’t content with the propaganda and listened to the rumours that were floating around about child camps where they were all made to work until they dropped and then they lopped off your head. They got together and stole a car, which was loaded with weapons and had a big metal box with lots of petrol cans and decided to ditch in the truck. Unfortunately it turned into a bit of a fight at the guard post. The car was destroyed and Arash got wounded. We found them about a week later off an abandoned road and managed to save Arash.  Thus our group of rebels was formed, back then there were ten of us. But since then we have got more people but some of us from the original ten died. Taban was one, he died from a spider bite, but as he passed from this world into the next he was still happy. A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about everyone we had lost, the wetness bringing me out of my memories. Realising that I was the only one besides Aldis not putting mud on my face I started to trying to make use of the situation, my first thought was,

Where are we?

00 prologue

I saw it as we ran out the door. The truck’s headlights lit the way in front of it as it bumped down the hill to the clearing where we were, where there was also nowhere to hide.

“Get into the forest!” I shouted over the shouting and the truck. They’d seen where we were and started heading towards us as fast as they could. The baleful light of the moon reflected off the truck and a spotlight swept across the clearing, good I thought they don’t know where we are. But if we don’t move it soon will! I realised with a start.

“Move!” I yelled and following the others I ran counting them all, 12 good we haven’t left anyone behind. Pumping my legs I soon caught up with the others, I was defiantly one of the main athletes of the group. I noticed Accalia running just in front of me her long black hair trailing behind her like it couldn’t keep up, torn ragged clothes showing bare skin underneath. I ran up beside Aldis the only one that was alive before the new version of the ‘old world’ and the oldest of all of us at 23 she was our technical warfare adviser,

“Can we make it?” I asked her as we sprinted to the tree line her dark skin was the only thing that managed to get her out of the camps and when we found her she was half dead. Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight and she smiled showing white teeth, I swear she almost looked like she was enjoying herself,

“Not really. But there’s always a chance. Now pull your hood up and tell the others to do the same so they don’t see your skin.” I did as I was told and relayed the message onto Alessandro to pass it on and do the same so we all ran full pelt into the dark forest evading the machine intent on capturing us. Luckily we all made it.

Just.