Out the side window, quietly
From Create Your Own Story
You climb out first, checking cautiously for any signs of discovery. All clear. You signal for Paul to climb out and the two of you slip away into the dry brown Syrian hills.
You have gone about a quarter of a mile when you hear a loud cry, followed by lots of cursing. Your escape has been discovered a lot earlier than you'd like. A few moments later, heavy bootsteps in the distance indicate that the hunt is on, and the two of you are the prey. "Faster," you say to Paul, who has become very pale.
The soldiers begin firing their guns. The bullets aren't hitting anywhere near you, as the distance is too great, but the sound is unnerving, especially to Paul. You pause to quickly size up the situation. Two men are pursuing you directly, while two more are circling around in an attempt to cut you off. You notice a small space surrounded by boulders on three sides and motion for Paul to get in there. He is quivering, moaning, "I didn't sign up for this!"
You jump into the space and shake him, hard. "Shut up and listen," you hiss. "We can get out of this alive, but I need you to calm the fuck down and do exactly what I say. Can you do that?"
He gulps and nods. "Yes, Miss Rania."
"Now, they're trying to trap us. Two guys are coming up behind us. I need you to fire at them and hold them off. Stay low and fire short bursts at them. Don't use too much ammo, and don't take any risks. Just keep them away for a bit. Two other guys are coming around, trying to get us in a pincer. I'm going to take them out, then I'll come back here." You squeeze his hand and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, then head out, praying for victory.
You take a position behind another large rock. You can hear Paul shooting at the two men, and them shooting back. "Good luck, Paul," you whisper. You peer out, scanning the desert with your trained eyes until the other two soldiers appear, darting from cover to cover. As they're crossing an open space, you set your weapon to semi-auto and take careful aim, firing a single shot that drills one man in the head. His companion whirls and begins firing at your position wildly. Ignoring the inaccurate bullets, you coolly dispatch the second man with another perfectly aimed head shot. Pumping your fist in victory, you hurry back to Paul. The gunfire is growing louder.
"They're close now," he whispers. "They would take turns shooting at me while the other one advanced."
You squeeze his hand again. "You did fine," you whisper back. "I took the other two guys out. It's even odds now." He looks at you admiringly. You give him an attempt at a modest smile.
The gunfire has stopped. You put your finger to your lips and Paul nods. He holds position while you turn around, pointing your rifle at the entrance to the small space.
Suddenly, there are two simultaneous shouts of "Allah Ackbar!" A soldier pops up right in front of you and with pure instinct you fire a three-round burst into the center of his chest before he can shoot. As he slumps dead to the ground, you hear another burst of gunfire behind you and whirl around.
The last soldier is stretched out on a boulder, bleeding from several holes in his torso. Paul is standing there, the barrel of his weapon still smoking, staring at the sight with wide eyes. The soldier groans and twitches, then expires.
"I...I killed him..." Paul says in a small voice.
You come up behind him, holding him. "You did good," you say. "It was them or us."
"I came here to work for peace. I never thought I'd become a killer..."
You spin him around to face you. "Listen," you say in a sharp, harsh voice that you don't really want to use but you know will get his attention. His mouth closes and he stares at you.
"Whatever political, religious, or moral views that either of us have are irrelevant, and became irrelevant the second people started trying to kill us. The only thing that matters right now is survival. We can get out of this alive, but ONLY if we focus on survival and nothing else. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Miss Rania."
"I need to know I can depend on you. Can I, or can I not?"
"Yes, Miss Rania."
"You can just call me Rania, without the Miss."
"Yes, Mi...um, I mean, yes, Rania."
You take his hand. "You did the right thing. You held up well for someone with no experience with violence. Now we're not out of the woods yet. More men will probably be coming, so we need to get moving." You point to the corpse on the boulder. "Grab his ammo, water, and food." Paul nods and gets to work as you get busy looting the other body.
"Let's move out," you say when you're both ready. "You go first. I'll cover our backs." The two of you
| Status | ||
| Health | {{{Health}}} | Equipment:
AK-47, water, rations, data drive, cyanide capsule |
| MP | {{{MP}}} | |
| Level | {{{Level}}} | |
