Take a Break with a Good Book!

2/7/2025

Riece rolled to the side, grabbed the bag’s strap and at the same time, began to shove off the ground. A bolt whizzed through the air, hitting the ground inches from Riece. He stared at it wide-eyed for a few seconds before stumbling forward. Mason reached the top of the net. He grabbed the wire across the top and flung himself over. Not bothering to try to climb down, Mason hung from the top for a second before letting go and dropping to the ground.

A bolt hit the tree right in front of Mason. Both shots were very near misses. Riece was a big target, Mason an even bigger target, yet neither shot hit them. He had a hard time believing these guys had such bad aim, which meant they were missing on purpose. The only reason he could come up with was that Riece and he were being driven in the direction the hunters wanted them to go.

Right now Mason saw no other choice than to run in the single direction open to them. He’d think about why later. It took Mason a second after he landed to regain his balance and charge at Riece. Barely slowing down, he grabbed Riece’s arm with one hand, the bag with the other, and took his own advice and ran. Three more bolts hit the ground near their feet.

The thunk of additional bolts hitting the trees reverberated in Mason’s ears. They sprinted away from the campsite, heading generally back the way they’d come. As soon as it was possible, Mason veered farther northwest. They could travel downhill first and gain ground. Eventually they’d need to go uphill, but hopefully they’d be farther away from their pursuers.

At the bottom of the hill, the trees thinned out in one direction and remained constant in the other. When Mason tried running for the cover of the thicker trees, he heard a gunshot. Riece yelped and stumbled. A crossbow bolt careened by, coming far too close to Mason’s head for comfort. He slid to the ground, taking Riece with him.

Mason rolled so he could see the trail behind them and took Riece by the shoulders. “Were you hit?”

“I-I d-don’t know. I think so.” Riece held out one arm and turned it so they could both see. “I felt a nasty sting. Like the biggest bee ever.”

A gash ran along the inside of Riece’s upper arm. It wasn’t deep or life threatening, but Mason figured it had to hurt like hell. Red oozed from the wound and trickled in a path along the muscle grooves of Riece’s arm.

“C’mon.” Mason stood and yanked Riece after him. “We have to find somewhere and take care of this.” The position of Riece’s wound sent cold spikes through Mason’s chest.

“I’m okay.”

“You’re bleeding. The inside of your arm is wounded. That shot was meant for your torso. It was a missed shot meant to bring you down. Those people aren’t the only hunters in this area, and the four-legged kind have a far better sense of smell.” Mason led the way away from the trees. The land dipped, but not as steeply as it had at the gully. There were fewer trees for cover and more grass and shrubs.

They ran along the base of the hill. Riece tugged on Mason’s arm, pointing to a darker spot along the hillside. “There,” he said.

Mason nodded and followed Riece to the possible bit of shelter. It wasn’t really so much a cave as an indent in the hill. There was enough room for them to squeeze inside and out of sight. Mason pulled some grass closer to the opening, then turned and used both feet to shove dirt toward it in an effort to disguise the fact they’d gone inside.

“Do you think they saw us?”

“Don’t ever think otherwise until you can prove it.” Holding his finger to his lips, Mason pushed Riece farther back and at the same time inched toward the opening. He held his breath and listened for a bit before shaking his head. “I don’t hear anyone.” He turned back to Riece. “Let’s do something about that arm.”

Riece was rifling through the bear bag. “Our canteen is here, filled with water. The first aid kit,” he said and pulled it out and dropped it on the ground beside his leg. “Our phones are gone.”

Mason opened the first aid kit and took Riece’s arm. “It was a long shot that they’d leave our stuff alone.” He took alcohol wipes from the kit and tore them open. “They obviously found our camp and probably reasoned we’d go back there for supplies and communications.” Mason wiped the gash on Riece’s arm clean.

Riece sucked in a harsh breath and hissed, then bit down on his lip. Mason ran one hand through his hair and said softly, “Sorry.” He smoothed a Telfa pad over the wound and used some gauze wrapped around Riece’s arm to make sure it stayed there. “That’ll do for now and keep you from attracting a curious bear.” When Riece chuckled Mason looked at him and frowned. “That wasn’t a joke.”