The Boy, on the Run

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was the sound of something hard hitting the soft, dry leaves below. The noise pounded on the ground underneath it with a desperate obstinacy as if it wished to push it away forever. Struggling against the tides of the unfeeling breeze, two frantic breaths rushed through the rugged terrain of rubble and roots.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Each successive step was met with a synchronous gasp for life.

"C'mon Fen, we gotta go faster!" the boy gasped through half-teary eyes that stung from the cold. "Faster, faster!" he repeated as if he were telling himself that as well.

The small dog to his side leaped expertly over the obstacles in their way, panting with its tongue in a loose half-hang, but otherwise without a sound.

The two looked straight ahead as they ran; they didn't need a reminder of what was following them. Behind, one of their pursuers maneuvered his weapon in a quick spin into his underarm to take aim, but only cursed in a mutter with his finger twitching in front of the trigger.

"Damn, they're all over the place," the man said while micro-adjusting the iron sights, "I can't get a clear shot!"

Meanwhile, the other stayed steadfast in his chase. He had a comparatively thin frame but was quick on his feet. He swung the blade in his right hand with needless vigor as the incoming plantlife threatened to slow his pace. "It's just a brat and his fucking dog! They can't keep running forever. Hurry up!" As the man behind him swung the gun back over his wide shoulders, they slowly closed the gap between the parties. "You're not getting away, you little shithead! We're going to kill you!"

The dizzying chase continued for a while, but soon enough, the boy and dog had stopped moving. The boy looked back at the men catching up, and then turned his head back forward, the object of his sight fixed directly downward. Past the tangled mess of black hair that covered most of his eyes and ears, he heard the threatening footsteps eagerly gaining on them.

"Haha," laughed the thin man, "They've got nowhere else to go!"

"I got this, boss," said the large man behind him, stopping and taking aim once more, "they're sitting ducks this time."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a large crack, and the boy fell forward. Slowly, as if his legs were only half sure of the movement. At the same time— with his right hand, he tightly clutched the scruff of his dog, who dropped into the steep riverbank with him. A bullet whizzed past the spot where the boy's neck had been just a moment before, embedding itself deep inside the trunk of a tree past the river where they had jumped.

The splitting wood followed by the sound of a splash left the two men stunned for a second. The river was swift and turbulent, and hid hazards like sharp, jagged rocks, splintered wood debris, and discarded traps. They chose to jump into that. After gathering himself with a quick breath, the thin man took his worn rag-hat and threw it at his dazed partner, hitting him in the face and bringing back his attention. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAN?? SHOOT HIM, SHOOT HIM!!"

The large man immediately ran up and placed his front foot onto the edge of the bank, and using his knee as a stabilizer, began firing into the dark, foamy water. "I don't know where he is!" he said, as he unloaded round after round, each leaving a small geyser of foam as they ruptured the rapids.

After several shots and no sign of success, the gun only made empty clicks that got swallowed by the roar of the river as Dan kept looking for spots he hadn't lit up yet. "Shit… shit!" He fumbled through his front pocket, anxious to continue the attack.

As he did so, the other man grabbed the front of the gun, forcing the muzzle up into the sky. "Save what's left of your ammo. They're gone."

"You think they swam down the stream?" asked Dan, frowning, "Let's go after them! They can't have gotten far— especially not without any air." He started dashing down the side of the river before getting suddenly caught in the throat by his coat. "GAH!"

After his friend let him go with that yank, the large man fell face-first into the ground, nearly slipping down into the bank along with the mud. Rolling around, his face covered in dark smears of dirt, he spat out most of what got in his mouth "What the HELL, Sid? You're going to let them get away!"

"No," Sid said while looking down the river, then at the landscape around. "We already let them get away. We're out real far. Not to mention, those gunshots were loud as shit. C'mon, we have to go."

Dan slowly hoisted himself up as Sid already began moving back at a brisk pace. He thought about saying something snarky to his friend's back but was interrupted by a sharp slash Sid made into the side of a tree. He paused to hit it two more times, even harder this time, making a large diagonal cut in the bark, which soon began bleeding with sap. Wiping the liquids off the edge of the blade, Sid took a final look around, sheathed his weapon, and ran into the woods. With a final glance at the river, Dan followed.

After a moment, a dark dome of tangled hair struggled up out of the water. After discerning it was safe and pulling himself up by a thick root that had been unearthed by the rough water, the boy took the largest breath of his life. Fen rose up at the same time, wide-eyed and bloodshot, half-breathing and half-coughing as he clumsily clambered up the far side of the river bank.

With his other hand free, the boy was able to grab a nearby tree trunk above the river and hoist himself over the edge. Shielding himself from the direction he came from with the cover of the trunk, his hazy eyesight slowly recovered and his thoughts came back to him as his body was reinvigorated by the arrival of clean air.

In front of him, Fen has his back arched, his throat reverberating in cycles as his body rejected the filthy water he had swallowed.

Putting a hand on Fen's wet fur, the boy spoke softly, "I'm sorry for doing that to you boy… they would have hurt us real bad if they got us." With another hack, Fen sat down on the carpet of dead leaves and leaned against the boy.

"It's ok, Boro. I forgive you." the boy said to himself. He stared into the dog's black eyes, and Fen held his gaze. He took both hands and rubbed the sides of the dog's long face, who closed his eyes in a tiny squint in response. "Thank you, Fen." he said.

After the adrenaline had worn off and the soaked clothes began to bring in a chill, Boro pulled the dog into his lap and pulled a bag out in front of them from under his back. As he undid the wraps and seals, the boy peeked in, made a slight grimace and a heavy sigh.

Pulling out a large package wrapped in discarded folds of paper and plastic, Boro picked at the small indent that he found, dislodging the bullet that had made its way into the hard bread. He attempted to wipe the damaged part away, but he already felt other areas starting to disintegrate from the water contact.

"Kind of looks like I took a big bite out of it, huh, Fen?" laughed Boro, who stared sadly at the uglily-wrapped package. Fen sniffed the material, before opening his mouth and trying to take a bite. Boro snatched it away before he got the chance. "No, Fen! You can't eat this! Not yet… we have to make it back first!" Fen jumped up and down as Boro dangled the stale bread over their heads. "No, Fen, no! Bad dog, bad dog!"

The dog stopped jumping before taking a sitting position, alternating his paws up and down while whimpering. He twitched his head back and forth as Boro saw a bead of saliva drop down from his companion's mouth.

With this, Boro's adamant stance softened. "Fine." he said. Ripping a piece of wet bread from where the bullet had lodged itself, he threw it up into the air, where Fen quickly caught it and smacked around in his mouth noisily. Slowly, Boro tore out another piece, looking it over before placing it in his mouth. He didn't chew, worried he'd eat it too quickly if he did. He moved it around with his tongue, taking in the soft, sour taste wholeheartedly before swallowing it down.

Fen looked eagerly at Boro, who had already put the loaf away. Boro shook his head: it wouldn't last if they let themselves have more. "Well, boy, I guess we're accomplices in this, then, huh?" Boro said as he nuzzled the bottom of Fen's chin. The dog gave a small grunt, before shaking off the rest of the water. Staring past the trees, to a spot over a hill, Boro took a half step forward and paused. "We're really gonna get it today, huh?" He was used to being cold, but Boro's body began to quiver nonetheless.

With no other signs of life around the two, the way back seemed ever so long.

But there was nowhere else to go, after all.

After taking a little time to squeeze the last drops of water out from his jacket, Boro took a few deep breaths and wrapped his bag around his shoulders once more.

"Well," he said, "let's go on back."