Page 52 of Creed

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It felt like I’d stepped back in time, before my retirement from the military, when carrying out dangerous missions was part of my everyday life. Running through the wilderness on my own, enemies in hot pursuit, and nothing but the clothes on my back for supplies. It wasn’t fun, but it was comfortable in its familiarity.

I could do this.

I could keep our enemies occupied long enough for Kayden and the kids to get to safety.

Too bad it was the middle of the day. This would have been much easier at night, but I couldn’t make the earth turn any faster.

My feet still remembered their agility as I darted between the trees, stepping over twisted roots and vaulting over large rocks. Branches whipped at my face and arms, threatening to slow me down.

Behind me, just far enough to be out of sight, I could hear the sounds of people chasing me. They crashed through the underbrush like bulldozers, not even bothering to find the easiest path as they carved their own route through the forest.

I could also hear the howling of dogs. It was as I’d feared before, they’d brought scent hounds with them. It was expected for a remote cult that probably did a lot of its own hunting, but also annoying.

Escaping them would be a lot harder with trained beasts on my heels.

My thoughts cast back to Kayden.

“Please be safe,” I whispered as I slowed down. I kept running, but now it was more of a light jog than a sprint.

If I got too far away, they might give up on me and go back for Kayden. It was a delicate balance. I couldn’t let them actually catch me, but I had to stay close enough to give them a reason to keep chasing.

At least until we were deeper into the mountains.

After about an hour, and covering several miles of distance, I decided it was enough. We were far enough away from town that my pursuers wouldn’t be able to easily turn back.

Time to turn the tables on them.

Thanks to the maps that I’d memorized, and Lisianthus’s journal, I knew that there was a rocky area coming up. Ancient rivers had carved deep channels into the earth, eventually drying up and leaving chasms with tall stone walls that snaked through this part of the mountain like creeping vines.

I ran down one of the old riverbeds, going just far enough to round a bend and disappear out of my pursuers’ sight. Then I climbed up the chasm wall, digging my fingers into cracks in the rock and pulling myself upward until I reached the top. From there, I jumped down into another riverbed, and returned to my pursuers to once again get their attention. Those who hadn’t already gone down the first riverbed quickly chased me down the second, effectively dividing their numbers in half.

In this way, I was able to scatter my pursuers among the natural maze of the ancient riverbeds. It gave me enough breathing room to start making an actual plan.

First, I needed a weapon. A gun or knife would have been preferable, but I wasn’t going to just find either of those lying around the forest. Instead, I found an adequately sized stick and scrapped its end against a jagged edge of stone until I managed to make a rudimentary spear.

Second, I needed to start playing defense. They had an advantage of superior numbers. No matter how well I avoided them, I could only run for so long before they wore me down.

Sitting hunched down on a rocky ledge as I watched my pursuers in the riverbed below, I checked the watch on my wrist. It had been about two hours since I left Kayden. Assuming he was able to immediately get to a phone and call for help, then Magnus and Brody should only be a couple more hours away.

I could last that long.

One of my pursuers passed right below my hiding spot. In the past, I would have used this opportunity to take out one of my opponents while I could, but that was not the point of my mission right now. I didn’t need to fight. I needed to survive.

The cult member continued down the dry riverbed, their back exposed to me. It would have been a perfect opportunity, if killing them was my objective, but the large hunting dog walking by the man’s side kept me from acting.

Just before they disappeared from sight, their phone rang, and they stopped right in the middle of the riverbed to answer it.

“Hey! Oh really. You found them. The other one and the kids. I mean, I guess it’ll have to do. Maybe we can get something out of them.”

I clenched my hand around my makeshift spear, and had to remind myself to keep breathing even as my mind kept screaming one word.

Kayden!

Absolutely not. I did not go through all of this just for Kayden to get caught anyway.

Jumping down from my hiding place, I tackled the man into the dirt. He didn’t even have time to scream before I jammed the end of my sharpened stick into his shoulder.

Then he screamed, loud enough to startle the birds from the nearby trees.