Wilderness Fight or Flight

The boot fit snugly with two socks on her swelled foot, I laced it tight to give extra support.  Then I taped the boot to her leg, to give extra support.  It would be difficult to walk with but it was as close to a cast as I could make on short notice.  I quickly finished putting everything into my pack, picked up my bow and arrows and started around the hill.  Caitlin followed closely, the two women struggled along behind.  I hoped the two hours we had gained before sunup would put some extra distance between us and the man chasing us.  Our progress was slow, I felt nervous and irritated that I was risking Caitlin’s life and mine for two women that I hated.  Without them we could have been several miles from here. Caitlin could keep up fairly well, her little feet would fly when she got behind, pounding the ground harder than my size elevens. 

As soon as it was good and light I stopped and carefully scanned the surrounding hillsides looking for men on foot.  This is a beautiful place, rugged and unspoiled.  I spotted a small herd of caribou, several squirrels, some birds, but no sign of the men.  I planned our escape route, we would walk around this mountain staying nearly level for what I guess to be a couple miles, then we would make a right turn cut across a high meadow to the mountain opposite the one we were on.  We would backtrack for a half-mile or so, and then we would have the choice of several mountain ridges.  We walked for nearly an hour when I heard a faint droning noise, it didn’t sound like the helicopter. The women were behind us nearly 30 yards and not well hidden, I motioned for them to get under the brush as Caitlin and I hid.  The noise was getting louder by the minute, we barely found a hiding place when a small airplane appeared flying up the valley between the mountain we were on the one I wanted to go to.  As it got even with us, suddenly Sheri ran into the opening and started hollering “Over here help, help!”

“Get down you idiot, you’re going to get us all killed “I hollered.

“That’s not the same people, its an airplane, they can help us. “She snapped back

“It’s probably the same people with a different aircraft they didn’t have enough fuel to keep searching for us with the helicopter “I said.  The plane was turning it looks like they spotted us, I grabbed Caitlin and headed deeper into the heavy cover.  The airplane door opened and someone inside poked a rifle barrel out the opening.  Sheri started running, bullets were raining from the airplane, they are obviously trying to kill her. She was nearly a 100 yards down the hill when the airplane made its second pass.