‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
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Hearing the shouts behind them, Taylor continued on through the trees. Nate was so close behind him that he was definitely in his personal space.
They soon hit another clearing which turned out to be yet another gravel track. This one had tyre tracks which meant it was one of the ones they’d used.
“Which way?” Taylor asked as he checked either direction.
“FREEZE!” came a sudden order from the trees on the other side as a flashlight shone in Taylor’s eyes.
Blinded for a moment he was unable to fend Nate off when he instantly slid something around his neck. Realising it was one of his cable ties, Taylor’s eyes widened and his hands shot to his throat.
“Nate NO!” he cried, trying desperately to get his fingers under it as it was pulled tight.
“Back off,” Nate warned the SWAT member, “I’ll kill him, I swear.”
Taylor could now see that the light was sitting atop a rifle.
“Let him go!” came another order.
“I’LL KILL HIM!” Nate screamed, making Taylor cringe.
“Please, back off,” Taylor begged in a quiet voice, knowing that if the tie got any tighter he wouldn’t be able to breathe and there’d be no way of getting it off.
“Listen to him,” Nate added.
Taylor locked eyes with him, and saw the officer nod. He lowered the rifle.
Just as Taylor hoped he’d step aside enough so that they were in the clear, they heard footsteps behind them and Nate spun him around.
“TAYLOR!” came Zac’s voice as the group halted at the edge of the road when they saw the scene.
Taylor squinted as multiple flashlights now hit his face.
“BACK OFF!” Nate was once again agitated, “I’LL KILL HIM!”
“He’s bluffing,” Zac’s eyes didn’t leave the pair.
“He’s not,” Taylor barely got out, nostrils flaring as he struggled to get air in already.
“Tay? Stay calm,” he heard Isaac’s voice to the left and turned his eyes in that direction.
“Nate you’re surrounded,” Carlson informed him, “there’s nowhere to go. Just let Taylor go.”
“And if I don’t?” Nate sneered, the voice in Taylor’s ear not giving him any confidence that he was going to get out of this alive.
“Then you’re dead,” Zac informed him, dark eyes staring down at Nate.
With Nate to his left, Taylor carefully slid his right hand down to his side. Noticing that Nate saw the movement, he put his hand out instead.
“Please, he’ll do it,” his voice shook as his eyes locked on Carlson.
“I’m dead either way,” Nate responded to Zac’s earlier statement as he moved to pull on the tie.
Taylor’s hand darted behind him and managed to retrieve the gun before Nate pulled the tie taut. Knowing that it was already too late, he ducked out of Nate’s grip and dug the barrel into Nate’s hip before firing.
He barely heard the gunshot before he collapsed onto the road in his struggle to breathe. Before he knew it Zac was on top of him.
“Hold on Tay, hold on!” he insisted as he snapped open the stolen pocketknife.
He struggled to get his fingers under the tie, but when he finally did he managed to quickly snap it. Taylor immediately gasped for breath, his face already red as he clutched desperately at his neck.
“You’re okay,” Zac assured him, patting his chest as he looked away, “you’re okay Tay.”
They soon hit another clearing which turned out to be yet another gravel track. This one had tyre tracks which meant it was one of the ones they’d used.
“Which way?” Taylor asked as he checked either direction.
“FREEZE!” came a sudden order from the trees on the other side as a flashlight shone in Taylor’s eyes.
Blinded for a moment he was unable to fend Nate off when he instantly slid something around his neck. Realising it was one of his cable ties, Taylor’s eyes widened and his hands shot to his throat.
“Nate NO!” he cried, trying desperately to get his fingers under it as it was pulled tight.
“Back off,” Nate warned the SWAT member, “I’ll kill him, I swear.”
Taylor could now see that the light was sitting atop a rifle.
“Let him go!” came another order.
“I’LL KILL HIM!” Nate screamed, making Taylor cringe.
“Please, back off,” Taylor begged in a quiet voice, knowing that if the tie got any tighter he wouldn’t be able to breathe and there’d be no way of getting it off.
“Listen to him,” Nate added.
Taylor locked eyes with him, and saw the officer nod. He lowered the rifle.
Just as Taylor hoped he’d step aside enough so that they were in the clear, they heard footsteps behind them and Nate spun him around.
“TAYLOR!” came Zac’s voice as the group halted at the edge of the road when they saw the scene.
Taylor squinted as multiple flashlights now hit his face.
“BACK OFF!” Nate was once again agitated, “I’LL KILL HIM!”
“He’s bluffing,” Zac’s eyes didn’t leave the pair.
“He’s not,” Taylor barely got out, nostrils flaring as he struggled to get air in already.
“Tay? Stay calm,” he heard Isaac’s voice to the left and turned his eyes in that direction.
“Nate you’re surrounded,” Carlson informed him, “there’s nowhere to go. Just let Taylor go.”
“And if I don’t?” Nate sneered, the voice in Taylor’s ear not giving him any confidence that he was going to get out of this alive.
“Then you’re dead,” Zac informed him, dark eyes staring down at Nate.
With Nate to his left, Taylor carefully slid his right hand down to his side. Noticing that Nate saw the movement, he put his hand out instead.
“Please, he’ll do it,” his voice shook as his eyes locked on Carlson.
“I’m dead either way,” Nate responded to Zac’s earlier statement as he moved to pull on the tie.
Taylor’s hand darted behind him and managed to retrieve the gun before Nate pulled the tie taut. Knowing that it was already too late, he ducked out of Nate’s grip and dug the barrel into Nate’s hip before firing.
He barely heard the gunshot before he collapsed onto the road in his struggle to breathe. Before he knew it Zac was on top of him.
“Hold on Tay, hold on!” he insisted as he snapped open the stolen pocketknife.
He struggled to get his fingers under the tie, but when he finally did he managed to quickly snap it. Taylor immediately gasped for breath, his face already red as he clutched desperately at his neck.
“You’re okay,” Zac assured him, patting his chest as he looked away, “you’re okay Tay.”