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.