1.4
As muffled yells mixed with the pouring rain underneath a dark, murky sky, I had the sensation that I was at the bottom of a deep lake. Thunderous cracks split the air one after another in perfect rhythm.
Eliminated. Eliminated. Eliminated.
It sounded like the mountain was splitting apart.
As I stood amidst the chaos, I suddenly felt a twinge in the palm of my left hand.
I shivered and turned on my heel, sprinting horizontally along the mountain's face. Pine needles stung my face and I ran as fast as I could, weaving between trees as I turned and headed up the mountain. My heart thudded in my ribcage, and my lungs burned for oxygen, but I willed myself onward.
Hang on, I thought, my pace slowing. What am I doing? I could be running for my life, or hiding out in a ditch. Instead, I was hunting the sound.
I took a quick glance at the scene beneath me. The trees were spread just thinly enough that I could clearly see the mass of incompetence below. My company was a mess.
The few that hadn't fled or been pierced by bullets–the few that actually stood their ground–were dwindling in number as they got taken down, one by one. They shot blindly into the mist, their bullets hitting nothing but wood and air. I think I even saw one guy fire straight into a comrade's back.
Kids in soldier costumes, was the first thought that entered my mind. Their carbines looked like plastic toys.
They can't really be blamed, though, I thought as I watched them fall victim to their own fear and panic. There was no reason to think they could handle something like this.
As I turned back up the mountain, one last booming shot echoed out its final reverberations. The forest grew still; the only audible sound was the heavy plop of raindrops against needles and rocks. I felt another sharp pain in my hand, and, despite the lingering burn in my legs and chest, I reluctantly accelerated into a run.
I recreated the sound of the cracking shots in my mind–where were they coming from? Following my instincts, I forged ahead through the vegetation. I was getting close–I was sure of it.
I gripped my tan and army green carbine so tightly that my knuckles turned white. My moist collar felt hot and humid around my neck, and I could feel the pressure building.
There.
A tight cluster of rocks–the perfect spot. I circled wide around the area, my boots hardly making a noise on the soaking wet moss as I flanked the shooter.
I could picture them clearly. They were right there. I was going to–
"Don't shoot. This one might have potential."
The horrifyingly casual voice hadn't come from the rocks ahead. It was directly behind me.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and the dim light from the sky was being sucked away.
I slowly, agonizingly turned my head. A thick blackness seeped into my vision, like ink permeating a glass of water. Before I could flee, fight, or even freeze, the darkness consumed me whole.
– – – – –
Well, the mission was a massive failure in the end–at least for our company–and I'd been abducted by a squad of rebels.
As I sat there with my arms tied behind my back and a blindfold over my eyes, I smiled in spite of myself. I was certain that I had given up on trying in life, yet I'd searched for the enemy. I got carried away, made one mistake, and was probably going to lose my life because of it. I could have escaped, but I didn't. I could have hidden, but I didn't.
Oh well, I conceded, sighing. It's not like I was going to live an interesting life anyway.
I had no view for the future. Maybe a faint glimmer of hope remained within me–a hope that I could find a solution and turn my circumstances around. But, to be honest, there was no longer any meaning in my life. My death probably wouldn't even be recorded.
But something inside me twinged with regret. I would never find out the answers to the mysteries of this world. Ever since coming to Hoodsdale, I'd given up on my search, but now, I wondered if I'd let go too easily.
It's funny how we like to form our regrets the moment it's too late.
It had been around 30 minutes since I'd woken up, blindfold on and arms bound. I didn't know why I hadn't been killed, but I had a growing concern that something even worse was in store for me.
As I sat there, I tried to gauge my environment. The first thing I noticed was the flatness of the ground; it felt like a tabletop compared to the sheer rock wall from before. Then, I heard the crackle and felt the heat of a fire. Under normal circumstances, this might have been a cozy campsite.
I heard a zipping sound behind me.
Probably a tent, I concluded after puzzling over it for a second. It really completed the campsite vibe. The zipper sounded again, followed by soft, muffled voices coming from inside the tent.
Are they all in there? I wondered.
As the low murmur of their voices drifted over the crackling of the fire, I waited patiently, trying to discern whether or not I had indeed been left unattended.
What are they doing? I wondered. I'll just go ahead and escape.
I had nothing to lose, so I struggled to my feet and began waddling away from the heat of the fire, carefully pawing at the ground in front of me with each step as I blindly proceeded into the vast forest.
After a few slow, deliberate strides, I felt a soft tickle on my shoulder.
A tree, I thought. I'll be out of sight soon.
Why would they tie me up and then just let me escape? I didn't know, but I also didn't care. All I needed to do was put some distance and cover between myself and their campsite, and then I could work on removing the ropes and blindfold.
I changed my direction slightly to avoid walking into the tree that had just brushed against me, but something wasn't quite right. The branch was still on my uniform, pressing into my skin with a little too much weight. I took another step forward, because what else was I going to do?
The hand's grip tightened, digging into my flesh and holding me rooted to the spot.
I pursed my lips.
"My, what a big hand you have." I decided to crack a joke, hoping that might lighten the mood.
The hand, which was, in fact, extremely large, steered me around and dragged me back to the campfire. I understood what was expected of me, so I sat down obediently and kept quiet.
Ahh, damn. I sighed, resigning myself to my fate.
And so I proceeded to sit in complete silence for hours on end–plenty of time to reconsider my choices in life. The ropes dug deeper and deeper into my cramping arms, which had been pinned awkwardly behind my back from the very beginning.