Extraction

The lights appeared out of the dark; a sudden blinding illumination, unpleasant to the scurrying nightlife, yet very welcome to the lone figure waiting near the hill top. Allowing a smile to cross his face, he stood up, brushing off the dust of a day’s wait, eagerly anticipating the moment when those lights would reach him.

Stepping closer to the road, he began thinking on all that he’d left behind, all that he was about to regain soon, so very soon. Pictures flashed through his mind, of his wife, bidding him a teary farewell, worried about if he’d come back or not, his children looking up at him with that look of admiration, and that little bit of longing that each child has, of experiencing the ‘adventures’ their parents endure. But hopefully their longing wouldn’t be fulfilled…

The lights were closer now, winding their way up to where he was, a broad grin across his face, he thought, in about ten more minutes – BOOM! The entire hill vibrated with the force of the blow. Staggering back, he stared in shock at the flaming wreck that had been a car just moments ago, before his survival instincts kicked in, making him dive to the side of the road.

Had they seen him? He couldn’t be sure. But if they’d followed the car this far, they’d have a pretty good idea of where he was. Slinging the bag across his back, he grabbed his equipment case in one hand as he scrambled for the bunker of rocks he’d prepared for himself.

Taking a quick look around, he checked if everything was exactly as he’d left it.

Satisfied, he settled into position, preparing his equipment. Moments later, he heard the rumble of approaching engines, so damn close, it’s like they waiting for the team, which meant that they had already known where he would be. But he didn't have time for speculating on that now.

Sliding the magazine into place; he waited, a grim look on his face. This was going to be one long night.

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