Green Desert - Chapter 7.3.5 - Zhíno

Bullets zipped through the air above me as I scurried on all fours. I spotted a large boulder and dove behind it, bullets sparking as they ricocheted off the rock. I sat there, panting.

The patrolmen shouted to each other, trying to coordinate their hunt, spreading out, circling me. Just two of them, though. Right? But they had guns and I was their prey.

A bullet dug into the sand by my foot. I jerked it in. I didn’t like being the prey.

If they spread out far enough, I could make a dash for their car, steal it. No. It was stuck. High-centered, too, I think. Next option? Run away. The gully. Hide.

I leapt into a sprint for the gully, or at least where I thought it was in the night. Guns cracked and lead tore the air right behind me. I zigged and zagged through the brush, hunched over, not letting them get a clear look at me.

The ground disappeared. Airborne. I swung my arms and legs down, preparing for impact with the invisible ground. My feet hit the slope and I propelled forward, headlong into bushes and trees and rocks. Branches scraped at my entire body, slammed against my head. My back hit something hard and rough and I dropped facefirst onto sandy soil. I think I was still alive.