Hunted

Chapter 2

The muffled tongue of Big Ben toiled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendour never to be seen again. - Barbara W. Tuchman (The Guns of August)

* * * *

All that she could hear are the sounds of panicked screaming and shouting even as she ran through the forest, with darkness surrounding her. She ignored the twigs and tree branches that were slapping at her skin as she did so, even as she turned over her shoulder.

But all that she could see is the dark orange glow of the flames licking at the village that she is leaving behind.

Someone grasped hold of her wrist just then, and tugged her forward, urging her to continue running.

“Don’t look back.” The voice was strained and sounded as if the owner of the voice is about to cry. “No matter what, don’t look back. Just keep running.

“…Yuri…"

* * * *

Yuri reached the motorbike where Ethan had told her that he’d parked in record time. She didn’t waste any time; getting onto the bike immediately and starting the engine. She knew that Ethan wouldn’t be able to buy her much time and she only has moments left before the army will be after her.

The Pursuers are a specially trained unit trained to go after the remaining survivors of Sin after all. They are probably the best soldiers in the entire army.

Kicking the bike into gear, Yuri immediately raced away on the bike, trying to put as much distance between District 70 and herself as possible. The moment that she’s on the empty and silent highway that is devoid of all sounds and vehicles save for herself, Yuri tapped onto the panel on the bike. The screen immediately lit up, showing a set of coordinates that told Yuri exactly where to meet her friends.

“X 0086. Y 7734.” Yuri murmured to herself, putting on an extra burst of speed to get to the rendezvous point as quickly as possible.

She held no illusions in assuming that the army wouldn’t find the place where they have arranged to meet. If the army succeeds in tracking all of them down and cornering them before they could manage to get the hell out of there, then they’ll succeed in capturing all the remaining Sin survivors in one clean swoop. She isn’t worried about Ethan, trusting her old partner to be able to get out of there alive. Back during the time of the civil war, they have been in worse situations than this, and somehow always managed to escape alive.

Yuri was broken from her thoughts as there was a light beep from the panel of the bike, and the dark haired girl looked down only to see that the screen of the panel had switched to that of a radar-like diagram, and there were about five red blimps closing in onto her current position, where her current position is being represented on the radar by a white blimp.

Yuri turned to look over her shoulder, ignoring the wind whipping at her face and hair, not letting up the speed on the bike in the least. For the first time in what seems like five years, Yuri felt her composure cracking as she caught sight of at least five motorcyclists and two army trucks close on her heel, all of them dressed in the black uniforms of the army.

“Oh God…” Yuri muttered before she turned her attention back to the front and soon started weaving in and out of the pathway of bullets. This is like five years ago all over again, when they were first sent on the run from the Council and the army.

Not for the first time, Yuri thanked every higher being that had ever existed that nearly every vehicle and piece of equipment that they used are all modified by Sin’s resident mechanic. It had been that way ever since the time of the civil war. And Yuri had already lost count of the number of times when those modified vehicles and equipment have actually saved their lives.