Green Desert - Chapter 8.2.1 - Séara

Two fellow deputies lay dead on the sand beside the helicopter, no sheets to cover their mangled bodies. Mr. Kılímo, equally dead, lay beside them. The only difference being that he wasn’t a deputy and that I killed him.

Several meters away, Míkoízo, Tépíto, and I sat beside the sleeping Sharıgo. He’d woken up temporarily and moved his legs, so we’d felt okay to move him out of the cockpit. He drifted away shortly after we laid him out, though. We very well might’ve paralyzed him. Three dead, one paralyzed, and three of us sat on our asses waiting for the hospital helicopter to arrive. And Zhudıro ran free, somewhere in the night, with apparently Bhanar and those two suits chasing him. At least I thought that’s where they went. Maybe they went back to the Kılímos’ house. Either way, Zhudıro had escaped. From me.

“I have to go after him.” I’d said it before.

Míkoízo sighed.

Tépíto replied, “We should stay here. Wait till morning. There’s no way to find him now. He could have gone anywhere.”

No, not anywhere. The gully. He had to have gone in the gully. “But––”

“No buts!” snapped the pilot. “I’ve had enough of this from––”

“Yes, buts.” I stood up. “Give me your handcuffs.” I held out my hand to Tépíto, staring down at the dark-haired man with what I hoped was a determined gaze.

Tépíto reached for his belt, eyes locked with me. “Good luck.” I took the cuffs from his outstretched hand.

“Don’t do this, Nulıpésha,” Míkoízo commanded.

I ran for the gully.