The Journey Continues - Seven And Ten Thousand

Part Seventeen

Seven wriggled and squirmed, she felt light headed. She hung upside down from a rope attached from the tree above that tired around her ankles. Moments later she heard Gordon's voice. "This is as far as we go. Go back to your people."

"We're free to go?" Ten K asked. 

"Take yes for an answer kid. Come on." Doc said. 

"Where's Seven?" Ten K demanded. 

"She already ahead, you'll find her by the rock cliff."

"Ten K. Doc." she choked out. They were only metres away, through a few trees. She could see them, but they couldn't see her. She watched as they began to walk backwards, Doc tripped and was caught by a net. He was hoisted into the air. 

"Whoooo!"

Ten K spun around, his eyes widened in alert, "Doc!" he walked forward, a rope then latched around his foot and he too was strung upside down in the air, just like Seven, except only one foot of his was caught up. "Whoa! Ah!" he panicked more now.

"Thanks for volunteering to be our early warning alarm." Red Hawk said.

"This is crazy! Let us go! You'll never see us again!" Ten K pleaded. Seven's vision began to blur. She had been hanging for at least twenty minutes. 

"You got that right." Red Hawk walked towards Ten K's hanging body. He patted Ten K's side and pushed him, then gripped his shirt. "Look. You and I both know what happens if I let you go. You'll find your party, and then you'll turn around and come right back after me and my family."

"No we wouldn't!" Ten K shook his head.

"Yes you would. And so would I." he then let go of Ten K and shoved him, letting him swing about. "Besides, if I am wrong, it doesn't really matter does it. We're all going to die anyway." he then began to walk away with his two men.

"Please," Seven called to them as they went to walk past her. She shook her head and squinted her eyes, her vision became clearer as she focused. "Please, I give you my word, they won't - I won't come after you. We just want to get out of the way of the horde." she begged. They ignored her and continued to walk away. Seven swung her head back and groaned. She then remembered the pocket knife she had hidden in her boot. She tried to haul herself up to reach it but she just couldn't.

"Ten K! Doc!" she called.

"Seven?" Ten K responded. "Seven where are you!?" 

"I'm over here! They strung me up too."

"Seven? That's my lucky number."

"It's everyone's lucky number." Seven muttered and rolled her eyes. Doc sounded so out of it. Ten K sighed and he tried to reach the rope around his foot also. Seven thrashed her feet about, hoping the pocket knife would fall out.

"I never seen so many stars man."

Ten K looked at him with confused eyes. He puffed. "What? Doc, it's day time."

"Well, this stuff is stronger than I thought."

"What is wrong with you?" Ten K continued to breath hard whilst Doc remained chilled, happily sitting in his net.

"Not a thing man. In fact, I'm more at piece now than before the whole world turned fu bar."

"I'm getting dizzy. We're going to need to try to get free before I black out." 

The pocket knife finally dropped from Seven's shoe. She reached for it, again and again until her hand latched onto it. She then started to swing back and forth, determined to succeed and survive.