Slovakia
A gun fired and a bullet whizzed by as he swerved, his feet pounding the grass. His breathing sounded harsh and loud in his ears as he willed himself to run faster. Alongside, his companion kept up with him. He glanced at her. She didn’t look frightened, except her face was tense, her cheeks flushed and her breathing shallow and noisy.
Another shot rang out.
‘Mon dieu!’
‘Are you hit?’ he asked, his voice higher than usual.
‘Non!’ She checked over her shoulder. ‘We need to get out of this clearing and into that line of trees.’
They zigzagged across the expansive green lawn, one a grounds-keeper at a golf club would envy, and headed for the cluster of pine trees edging the boundary of the castle. More shots rang out and a dull droning of engines came from behind them.
The woman swore. ‘Motorbikes.’
He glanced back and saw three helmeted riders emerge from the long driveway of the Gothic-style castle, exhaust fumes pluming like tufts of dirty clouds as the motorbikes raced towards them.
They sprinted to the trees. Behind them, the throttle of the motorbikes roared as they gained ground. Bullets tore into the tree trunks around them, spitting bark into the air. They ran into the shelter of the forest, pushing through the undergrowth, heedless of the low branches that whipped their arms and legs.
Then they were falling headlong down a ravine. The man tumbled as if he were a load of clothes in a washing machine, crushing twigs and leaves as his weight and gravity propelled him downwards. He fell into a shallow ditch at the base of the hill. Battered and streaked in fine lines of cuts, he lay winded, unable to move. Then he gasped as his companion landed on top of him.
‘Nik, are you all right?’
He opened his eyes and looked up into the anxious face of the woman sprawled on top of him. ‘I think so. Your head has a gash, Alexandrie.’ Nik wiped the blood from her forehead. ‘Thank goodness, it’s not deep.’
They gazed at each other, the enormity of their near-death experience overwhelming. Nik gave her a lopsided grin and was about to say how fortunate they were when Alexandrie’s mouth descended on his. The fervour of her kiss surprised him. Nik responded to her passionate and hungry kiss, wrapping his arms around her.
Alexandrie broke the kiss, her pupils dilating. Nik reached to capture her mouth. This was nothing like they had shared before. It was as if his body had woken from a deep slumber and every pore tingled with anticipation.
She covered his mouth with a hand. ‘Listen!’ she said, in an urgent whisper.
Nik’s ears strained and then he heard.
‘They never give up!’
‘We need to get out of here.’
Alexandrie scrambled off him and bolted upright. Nik winced as he struggled to get up, his body aching from head to toe, his limbs refusing to obey his brain. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.
‘Use the coin!’ she urged.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes! They’re getting closer!’
‘Don’t let go of my hand,’ Nik warned.
The rumble of the motorbikes was almost on them. There were shouts in Slovak as their assailants drew closer.
‘Quick, Nik!’
He glanced up at the levee from where they had fallen, the riders coming into view[GD1] . One of the pursuers pointed down at them and started down the slope. Nik tossed the grey, irregularly shaped coin into the air. They watched as it flipped upwards and a gust of wind buffeted it. The coin shifted and spiralled downwards. Nik caught the treasured coin and closed it tight in his fist.
A sea of blackness swallowed him. A rush of wind blasted his body and threatened to wrench his limbs from their sockets. His lungs burned as they struggled to draw air. The wind plucked him into the air, and like the jet stream of a plane, catapulted him into the void. He was engulfed in a soundless space, and accelerating at breakneck speeds.
Oomph! Nik fell flat on his face, his arms and legs spread like a five-pointed star. Dazed, he lay there, not moving. He could feel the warm sun on his arms and head. He tried to open his eyes, but they felt as if glue sealed them shut, and when he attempted to move his arms and legs, they resisted much like an immovable boulder. If he could shout he would, but only managed a grunt instead.
‘It’s not every day one sees a man fall from the sky!’ said a gruff voice.
Powerful hands grabbed Nik and turned him onto his back.
‘Hello? Can you hear me?’ Nik’s eyelids fluttered as a hand, its palm coarse, slapped his cheek. ‘Let me check and see if you broke any bones. That was quite a drop. Did you insult the gods, by chance?’
Nik prised his dry lips apart. ‘Ug …’ He clenched a hand, and with it beach sand. He smelt the briny air of the sea and frowned, his mind muddied. Where am I?
‘Hmm … I’ll be right back,’ the man said. Nik heard him leave, the sand crunching with each step. Nik lay there, recalling the alarm raised by Resnick’s men and being chased into the forest.
Minutes passed when he heard the man return and lift his head, placing a clay vessel to his mouth. Nik spluttered and coughed as water caught in his throat. He leaned on his side, still choking, and collapsed back onto the ground. He opened his eyes and stared at the cloudless blue sky.
‘Who are you?’ the man asked, his face looming over Nik.
Nik sat up panicked, whipping his head from side to side. ‘Where is Alexandrie?’ he asked. His gaze fell on the bearded man who wore a dress. A dress? No, it’s a khiton. Nik struggled to his knees and glanced around at the sparse coastline. No tall buildings or vehicles anywhere. Behind the older man, a donkey brayed. Startled, Nik slumped onto his backside.
The man steadied Nik and frowned. ‘There is no-one else here, just you and I.’
‘Who the heck are you?’
‘Why, I am Herodotos.’
[GD1]A little more clarity here would add more life to the scene: came into view where? Remember, they have fallen down a ravine, how would the bikes close in on them?
