Pain added to his exhaustion as he moved to ease his leg. With a sip of water from his canteen he finally drifted to sleep, believing that he could just make out the water’s noise from the river below. If he could just make it to the river…he’d be okay.
Rainfall woke him the next morning and the forest was dark with the storm overhead. Swallowing hard against the pain, he began to slowly move out of his niche under the cliff. His leg had stiffened up and was swollen. If he didn’t get moving he wouldn’t need to be caught by the enemy to die. Infection would rob him of his life in short order. Cutting a stout crutch from a nearby sapling, he made ready to move. He couldn’t hear anything through the wind. Warm rain quenched his thirst as he began to organize his thoughts for the run to the river. Hobbling near a clearing he crouched in the shadows, checking out his position in relation to local landmarks. Maybe a couple of klicks to go. Crawling and limping he made his way down the canyon. He could see a boat coming from up-river and fancied it as his ride. He started to hurry but after falling a couple of times, slowed down, crying silently with the pain.
“Just have to make the boat… that’s all”, he thinks. A couple more hours and he‘s near the river bank scanning for sign. Finding a spot under cover, he laid low and waited for nightfall. There were still footsteps out there, but he was past caring. There was just the pain and the boat. Finally, he made his way in the darkness to the river's edge. Checking his location against river landmarks he guessed he was in the right spot. Easing into the water for cover, it felt cool, and the lack of weight eased the pain in his leg. Then he heard a small splash; then, two more. Smiling, in a fog of pain, he moved slowly in the direction of the noise. Hands finally reached him and pulled him onto the boat. He nearly screamed when they bumped his leg now red and swollen. A sharp pin-prick and soon the pain receded, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
VIII
The whole episode the previous day left him a little unnerved. He hadn’t had a flashback in some time. But in spite of all the life he had lived since those days, he could not relieve himself of the guilt and terror of the time. Alex still saw the village and felt the pain from the scar in his right calf. At times, he remembered the knife as it penetrated the boy’s body and the shock in his face; wide eyed and close to his own. He remembered the fall and still felt the bruises on his body, though they had long-ago healed. But, the very worst was the village and the things he saw, that forever broke him and his heart.
The scotch burned as he swallowed and remembered. It was smooth and burned nicely as it went down. Alex listened to some tunes on the truck radio; they were playing some old '60’s R&B. It was all behind him now and while his history would forever haunt him, he found that on balance it was only right that he should suffer for those sins. With that thought, he found the strength to push it all away. Looking around and smelling the desert air, he discovered that he had made it. There were more fish out there and stargazing this evening. When he left in the days to come he would have it all behind him and would start anew.
For now he had made it to the river. He knew that, as always, if he could just make it to the river he’d be alright.
End
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Price: $6.95 for each issue
The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.
