‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
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Taylor’s fingers struggled to pry Nate’s hand away from his mouth but the grip he had was almost inhuman.
He was being dragged backwards into the trees, so far that the lights from the cars were almost out of eyeshot. By the time they made it onto one of the labyrinth gravel tracks again, the cars were well out of sight. Nate threw him to the ground and stood over him as Taylor scrambled to get to his hands and knees.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Taylor cowered, expecting to be hit, “I never should have run from you, I know that now!”
“Kneel,” Nate ordered in an unusually gruff voice.
Taylor got up to his knees and spread his hands in surrender, unable to make out Nate’s face in the dark. All he could see was the outline of his shoulders via what little moonlight was out.
“I am so sorry,” he continued, “I didn’t know what I was doing. That’s why I came back.”
“You came back because I had Zac,” Nate sneered.
“No, that’s a lie,” Taylor insisted in a calm tone though his adrenaline was sky high, “I came back for you.”
When Nate didn’t reply, he licked his lips nervously.
“I waited by the car because I wanted you to come for me,” he went on.
“Then why did you fight me?” Nate demanded.
“I was scared,” Taylor frowned, “I didn’t know it was you.”
Nate’s head turned back as they saw a flashlight flickering through the trees.
“They’re going to come for me,” Taylor tried to reason, “we need to get out of here. And fast.”
“Alright,” Nate decided he would deal with his insolence later, “let me bind your hands and we’ll be on our way.”
Taylor gulped a little, knowing he wouldn’t be able to reach the gun.
“But what if I fall?” he asked suddenly.
“What?”
“If we’re running and I trip over something, I can’t shield myself. If I hurt myself I can’t serve you properly,” Taylor said quickly, “what if you wait until we at least get back to a main road? Then when we get a car you can hogtie me for all I care.”
Nate seemed to consider the proposal as Taylor’s eyes darted in the direction he began hearing distant footsteps.
“Okay, but just this once,” Nate relented, “get up.”
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as he got to his feet. Nate grabbed him by the wrist and began to lead him into the trees again.
*
“TAYLOR!” Zac yelled as they stepped through the brush.
Carlson was out in the lead with his flashlight, following any sign he could that someone had been there. Broken twigs, the occasional footprint and more often than not drag marks. Isaac followed close behind using the light from his phone as a guide as SWAT members fanned out either side.
They soon made it onto the gravel as Carlson paused where Taylor had kneeled.
“They stopped here,” he announced, shining the light either way down the road.
“They can’t have gone far,” one of the SWAT guys called back, “what direction?!”
“That way,” Carlson followed the resulting footprints into the trees up ahead.
He was being dragged backwards into the trees, so far that the lights from the cars were almost out of eyeshot. By the time they made it onto one of the labyrinth gravel tracks again, the cars were well out of sight. Nate threw him to the ground and stood over him as Taylor scrambled to get to his hands and knees.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry,” Taylor cowered, expecting to be hit, “I never should have run from you, I know that now!”
“Kneel,” Nate ordered in an unusually gruff voice.
Taylor got up to his knees and spread his hands in surrender, unable to make out Nate’s face in the dark. All he could see was the outline of his shoulders via what little moonlight was out.
“I am so sorry,” he continued, “I didn’t know what I was doing. That’s why I came back.”
“You came back because I had Zac,” Nate sneered.
“No, that’s a lie,” Taylor insisted in a calm tone though his adrenaline was sky high, “I came back for you.”
When Nate didn’t reply, he licked his lips nervously.
“I waited by the car because I wanted you to come for me,” he went on.
“Then why did you fight me?” Nate demanded.
“I was scared,” Taylor frowned, “I didn’t know it was you.”
Nate’s head turned back as they saw a flashlight flickering through the trees.
“They’re going to come for me,” Taylor tried to reason, “we need to get out of here. And fast.”
“Alright,” Nate decided he would deal with his insolence later, “let me bind your hands and we’ll be on our way.”
Taylor gulped a little, knowing he wouldn’t be able to reach the gun.
“But what if I fall?” he asked suddenly.
“What?”
“If we’re running and I trip over something, I can’t shield myself. If I hurt myself I can’t serve you properly,” Taylor said quickly, “what if you wait until we at least get back to a main road? Then when we get a car you can hogtie me for all I care.”
Nate seemed to consider the proposal as Taylor’s eyes darted in the direction he began hearing distant footsteps.
“Okay, but just this once,” Nate relented, “get up.”
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as he got to his feet. Nate grabbed him by the wrist and began to lead him into the trees again.
*
“TAYLOR!” Zac yelled as they stepped through the brush.
Carlson was out in the lead with his flashlight, following any sign he could that someone had been there. Broken twigs, the occasional footprint and more often than not drag marks. Isaac followed close behind using the light from his phone as a guide as SWAT members fanned out either side.
They soon made it onto the gravel as Carlson paused where Taylor had kneeled.
“They stopped here,” he announced, shining the light either way down the road.
“They can’t have gone far,” one of the SWAT guys called back, “what direction?!”
“That way,” Carlson followed the resulting footprints into the trees up ahead.