The sounds of gunfire and the smell of smoke woke me. The rumble of explosions tipped me from my bed and a pain lanced through my body as I struggled to stand. Smoke filled the room, wafting in from under my door and through the holes that had at some point appeared in the walls of my room. I could hear shouting, yelling, screaming from all outside my walls but the ringing in my ears prevented me from understanding what was being said. Walking quickly to the window I glance out the window eye’s sweeping the predawn darkness.

Hell greets me. I see smoking ruins of homes. I see bodies dotting the ground just meters away. “Is that Amara? And Kiluf amd Ife?” I couldn’t tell if they were living or dead, but I could clearly make them out in the light provided by the burning buildings even with the smoke in the air. Hell I could jump out the window and be there right next to them, helping them in a matter of moments.

I reach for the lock and start to throw the window open.

CRACK

I feel something hot streak across my cheek and I stumble back confused and whimpering in pain. I scoot on my ass back towards my bedroom door and reach over my shoulder for the handle before I fight to get on my knees and throw open the door, the knob hot to the touch, and am greeted by the sight of flames and the rushing of smoke. The flames are leeping up the walls, consuming the wood and the pictures hanging there. I see my wifes face consumed ever so slowly by fire before I fall backwards and crawl as quick as I can towards the window.

“Come on Kojo. Come on you’ve got to move. Just move. You’ve been through worse than worse than this.”

Who am Ikidding. But still I have to get moving. I can’t.. I won’t be burned alive.

I make it back to the window faster than I imagined I could manage it. Meer seconds having passed and without a look. Without a second thought I haul myself up and over the window sill and throw myself to the ground just a foot below. Landing on my back in the cool grass I take stock of my injuries, closing my eyes so I’m not tempted to look to the side. To see the faces of what could only be my dead friends.

Okay my hand is blistered. My head is ringing. My feet feel scorched. And finally I can’t seem to catch my breath. How long was I laying there with the smoke slowly seeping into my room?

I can hear shouts in the distance, and gunshots but they seem to be moving blessedly away. I slowly open my eyes and look up into the smoke filled sky. The stars and moon slowly losing out to the brilliance of the rising sun.

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I have to move. Have to hide. Someone. Anyone will come to help. To save us. An attack like this won’t go unnoticed. I just have to make it to safety first and wait out the fighting. Yes. I just need to find a place to hide. I can worry about the others later, I can’t help them if I’m dead.

Closing my eyes one last time I steel myself and push myself to my feet. Refusing to look at the bodies lying within arms reach.

They're not dead. Just resting. Just resting and waiting for rescue. I’ll bring help. I’ll bring help I promise. Just hold out a while longer!

I stumbled forward, eyes locked the dirt bath that would lead me into the bush beyond the border of our town. Not glancing left or right my feet carry me forward towards the well worn path and safety that was promised beyond. I glanced at my bare feet and grimaced at what was about to happen, but resolved myself to the pain that was to come. “It’s alright. You’ve just gone through worse. You were shot at. You were burned. A few sharp rocks is nothing compared to that. Nothing at all. “ I wish I believed my own words.

Still I could do nothing but stumble forward ignoring the sounds coming from behind me. “”I’m not a coward. I’m not. There's nothing I can do here. If I live though I could save the other survivors. It’s the best plan. The only plan that makes sense. Let’s move it Kojo. We don’t have much time left to get out of here.”

My shuffling steps picked up speed as the ground beneath my feet transitioned from soft grass hard packed dirt. I was more than familiar with this area. I knew that right ahead the path would branch, I knew that just a few hundred feet to my left there was a small stream that was more mud than water. And I knew if I continued forward for just a little while I’d make it to the large Marula tree that my father had helped plant when he had been just a boy.

“I just have to make it to the tree. I’ll be safe there. No one will find me. No one would think to look there. I mean it’s too obvious right? Right. Move those feet Kojo. Faster. Faster. Faster.”

That mantra went through my head over and over again during the next half hour. Move Kojo. Faster. Move Kojo. You’ll be safe once you reach the tree. Faster Kojo. Faster.

Those words kept me moving when I slipped and fell. Those words kept me moving as my feet bled and cracked. Those words kept me moving forward when all else failed. Through the fear. Through the exhaustion. Until finally the mighty tree rose in the distance, through the shrub and tall grass. Illuminated beautifully by the early morning light that had finally brought true light to the day. And when I finally burst through the scrub I heard the tell tale CRACK of a rifle and felt something sharp and cold enter my back before I started to fall forward. The last thing I saw was the tree my father had planted as my body finally gave out. Move… Kojo. You’ll be safe when…

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“We got him sir. The target was fleeing south of the village, but he left a trail a babe could follow.” I say into my radio as I move to cuff our target. “African male, approximately nineteen years of age. Matches the description of one test subject beta at five foot ten, around a buck and half in weight last seen leaving his residence on the .”

“Good job Cash, hold there we will have a ground transport at your location in thirty or less. The boss says drinks are on him tonight.” The voice on the other ends of the line sounded relived to be sure. Which i definitely understood. Our employer was not one to take failure lightly.

“Gotcha Hub. Tag, bag, and wait for pickup.” I pull the wiry man's arms behind his back before placing the restraints on him. I do the same for his feet and then connect the two, effectively hog tying the man. Then I sit on the ground next to him and wait. It was going to be a good day, especially with the bonus he knew he had coming his way