Chapter 17 - The Hunt
We ran until my lungs burned and Lily's small legs gave out.
We were deep in the nature reserve, navigating by the faint moonlight that pierced the thick canopy of pine trees. The rain washed away our scent, but it also made the steep, muddy terrain treacherous.
I pulled Lily beneath the massive roots of a fallen oak tree, creating a makeshift bunker in the mud. She was shivering uncontrollably, her pajamas soaked through. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her.
"Are they coming, Dad?" she whispered, her teeth chattering.
"I won't let them hurt you," I promised, clutching the stolen rifle. "I swear it on my life."
Suddenly, a beam of harsh white light cut through the trees about fifty yards away.
They were tracking us.
“Búsquenlos en los árboles,” a harsh voice commanded over the sound of the rain. Search the trees.
There were at least three of them spreading out in a grid pattern. I checked the rifle. The safety was off, but I had no idea how many rounds were in the magazine. I was an architect, not a soldier. But I was also a father.
"Stay right here," I breathed into Lily's ear. "Do not make a sound."
I crept out from under the roots, moving silently through the thick ferns, flanking the closest flashlight beam. The sicario was moving methodically, scanning the underbrush, a machete in one hand and a suppressed pistol in the other.
He stepped right past my hiding spot behind a thick pine trunk.
I stepped out, raised the heavy rifle like a baseball bat, and swung the wooden stock directly into the back of his knee.
He let out a muffled grunt as his leg buckled. Before he could turn his weapon on me, I tackled him into the mud. We wrestled in the dark, slipping in the wet dirt. He was fast, driving the hilt of his machete into my ribs. Pain exploded in my chest, but I ignored it. I grabbed his wrist with both hands, twisting it with a violent jerk until I heard a pop.
He dropped the pistol. I grabbed it, pressing the cold steel barrel under his chin.
He froze, his eyes wide in the dark.
I didn't pull the trigger. The gunshot would draw the others instantly. Instead, I brought the butt of the gun down hard on his temple, knocking him out cold.
A loud crack of thunder masked the sound of his falling body.
I dragged him into the bushes, took his flashlight, and ran back to Lily.
May you like
"Time to go," I whispered, picking her up in my arms. We had to find a road. We had to find civilization.
But as I stood up, the blinding beam of a high-powered spotlight hit us from the ridge above.
