The Flight - part 2

by DeboraDyess

Background
When his brother is shot in the middle of nowhere, Jack has to do whatever it takes to get him out.

They left the camp without another word, taking cover as quickly as possible in a nearby grove of cedar trees. The tight growth offered some chance of escaping unseen. Cedar scent rivaled the stench of sweat and blood, and made Jack's nose wrinkle. Branches scratched at them as they walked, pulling at their clothes and hair as if trying to impede their progress.

Jack looked over his shoulder as they left, fear of pursuers almost palatable. He saw only their camp; the green domed tent he'd had since before he married, Cody's backpack, the Coleman lantern he inherited from their father, that they brought in case of a late night poker game.

He looked beyond the campsite to the hills where he'd last seen the men. Still no movement. Poachers could possibly decide to leave Cody for dead. But these men, with a totally different agenda, would not.

They walked slow enough to accommodate Cody, but fast enough that Jack felt like they might have some kind of chance. The only way out of this nightmare was to get back to the Bronco and get into town.

Jack knew he was already in way over his head. As much as he prided himself on being a good cop, the idea of taking on professional gunmen alone was ludicrous. He'd never considered himself a Lone Ranger, anyway. The fact that he hadn't been camping in these woods, or anywhere else for that matter, in a long time, worried at him like a fly buzzing around his face. Boy Scout days were a long time ago, and he worried about getting them lost. Every story he'd ever heard about hikers lost in the woods had them walking in circles with help only a short distance away, His fears whispered haunting threats in his head.

He decided to check the compass about every five minutes to make sure they stayed on course. The plan seemed reasonable at camp, but now five minutes felt horribly long. Cody tired fast. Jack lifted him over obstacles in the path and kept him on his feet as they went. It was exhausting for them both.

The sun beat down, baking the dry ground around them, making a kiln of the earth. With summer dry and hot, the fall had not yet had time to cool the land with rain. The flannel shirt that Jack had pulled around Cody, intended to ward away shock, only intensified the heat for both men. Trees offered little escape from the merciless sun. Cool breezes, shadows of the nippy morning, only blessed them on rare occasions and before long, hot air scorched their lungs and burned their faces. Sweat caused Jack's sunglasses to repeatedly slide down the bridge of his nose and painted their shirts dark.

The brothers picked their way over brush and rises that they hadn't even noticed on their way in. Every small change in terrain was an ordeal now. Vines and weeds wrapped themselves around Cody's leaden feet and ankles, tripping him oft

Jack pulled Cody on, determined to keep him moving away from their camp, and hopefully from the menace behind them. He expected gunfire to engulf them any minute, dropping Cody or him, or both of them, before he even caught wind of the attack. Raw nerves made him stop too often to listen, hearing nothing more than the wind, wildlife and his brother's ragged, painful breathing.

But the men were back there. They would have already gone to the spot where they left Cody for dead and realized their mistake. By now, they would be searching for him. They couldn't afford to leave a witness, and he and Cody couldn't seem to move fast enough to get away.

"Always pray and never give up. Luke 18:1."

Jack frowned at the long-forgotten words, wondering how many years ago he'd learned them. He couldn't have been more than eight or ten, he thought. He remembered their mother, quizzing them in the car, applying this verse specifically to an upcoming multiplication test that had him rattled. He consciously pushed the promise away. He'd turned his back on God when the Almighty Disappointment allowed Pam to die. He wouldn't go running back now. He wouldn't trust in something or someone that let his family down so crushingly in the past.

"Jack."

He glanced at Cody. What little color his brother had earlier was gone. "Yeah, kid?"

"How far … have we come?"

"I'm not sure. But we know where we're headed, and they don't. Has to give us the advantage, right?"

Cody didn't waste the energy to either answer or look his way.

Jack checked the compass. They had veered off course again. Three times since they left camp, Jack found them heading too far to the west. He frowned grimly. They didn't have time to waste. They started southeast, toward Deer Creek Road. It still seemed miles away; for all he knew, it was. Jack glanced at his watch. They'd been walking for just more than an hour.

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The chapter was a little off balance -- sorry about that. There wasn't a good place to cut this one in half. :)

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Crashing through the woods with Cody injured, Jack struggles

A chapter in the book Looking for Orion - 2

The Flight - part 2

by DeboraDyess

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