Watching the End of the World – Nate gets captured 1
Nate sat down in the bed of the pickup beside Tony. No matter how tightly he gripped his rifle, he couldn���t seem to stop his hands from shaking. ���I feel like pissing myself,��� he confided to Tony. ���I just went like two minutes ago and it feels like my bladder���s going to burst.���
Akila was sitting in the passenger seat, the rear window of the cab open and she overheard him. Over her shoulder she said, ���Don���t sweat it. That���s normal. I always feel that way before action. Just breathe. You���ll be all right.��� She raised her voice to address everyone. ���No talking once we leave the base.��� Jenna was driving and to her she said, ���No lights. Turn the instrument lights off too. Just take it slow.���
���But I can���t see.���
���In a couple minutes your night vision will kick in.���
The night was warm, the moon bright in the sky. They crept along the road for what seemed like a long time as a sense of unreality gradually stole over Nate. Was he really here, doing this? He was just some kid from North Carolina. Growing up he���d never even known anybody with a gun, though it was rumored that old man Harrison down the street had some Civil War-era rifles. Now here he was with an AK-47 in his hands, driving to shoot some people he���d never met. It was surreal, like something happening to someone else.
At one point they came to an intersection, dirt roads running off in three directions. Akila pointed left and Jenna drove that way. Finally Akila whispered to Jenna and she brought the truck to a halt. It took a number of tries on the narrow road, but she was finally able to turn the truck around and then she shut off the engine. The ticking as the engine cooled sounded unnaturally loud.
Akila climbed out of the truck and the rest followed. Akila pulled them in close and whispered, ���Follow me in single file. When I hold up my hand, stop. I���ll go on alone from there. You cover me.���
They crept along the dirt road, trying to be as quiet as they could, but the smallest sounds ��� Caleb���s breathing, the clink of metal on metal ��� were amplified and to Nate it sounded like they were making as much noise as a marching band. He kept looking over his shoulder, expecting at any moment to see dark figures creeping up behind them in the moonlight. He was fourth in line, behind Caleb and Santiago. His hands were so sweaty and shaky he was afraid he would drop the rifle.
A weird, ululating cry came from the black undergrowth to their right, scaring Nate so badly he almost squeezed the trigger by accident. His heart rate, already high, soared to new heights. He began to think this was a very bad idea. Was he really sneaking up on a camp of armed men? Why didn���t he offer to stay back at the warehouse?
A glow appeared ahead of them on the road and grew brighter. Abruptly Caleb stopped. Nate almost ran into him. Caleb went to one knee and raised his rifle. Nate saw that Santiago had done the same. Akila was creeping on ahead, crouched low. Feeling very exposed, Nate knelt, putting one knee on the ground. He tried to remember if the safety on his gun was on or off.
Through the trees he could see a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a fire that had died down most of the way. Scattered around the clearing were a number of military-style canvas tents and several vehicles. A number of figures were sleeping on the ground around the fire. Akila picked her way along the edge of the clearing and slipped into the nearest tent like a ghost.
The longest minute of Nate���s life passed. There was a rock jabbing into his knee but he was afraid to move. The rifle grew very heavy and he was having trouble holding it. He had to fight the urge to break and run.
Suddenly there was a shout and a gunshot. Akila came running out of the tent. Nate tried to aim at the men around the fire, who were waking up and grabbing at weapons, but Akila was too close to them and he was afraid he would hit her.
Santiago fired once, twice. A cry and one of the men fell.
Then something about the size of a man���s fist arced through the darkness and bounced on the ground at Nate���s feet.
Caleb uttered a curse and threw himself to the side.
There was a bang like a loud fire cracker and a brilliant white light that completely blinded Nate. More gunshots split the night.
