Fox Hunt; Chapter 10

By the time I reach the next town I'm heading for, the sun has reached its peak. I study the town as I approach. It's small, smaller than the town I grew up in. I can see straight through it. In a town like this, I'm bound to be noticed. My jaw tightens in annoyance. This is not a town I want to go through. I'm sure to be noticed. Yet I don't have a choice. I had skipped getting supplies in the last town. After talking with that militiaman, I hadn't dared to stay longer than necessary. Of course, not getting supplies hadn't proved too problematic the first two days, but now I needed the extra supplies I should have gotten back in the last town. Hopefully, I was just being paranoid and they weren’t looking for me.

The fact that I can't spot any militia does little to put me at ease. In a town this small, I doubt they needed someone constantly on patrol, but if there were none on patrol, it was because the townsfolk had loose lips with them. They could rely on the townsfolk to tell them what they didn't see in person.

Thankfully, the townsfolk don't seem to take much notice of me. The ones I speak with are friendly and helpful, more than happy to point me where I need to go. It's when I'm haggling for dried meat that I feel the eyes on me.

I manage to find their source, and they remain none the wiser I'm now watching them as well. The small group of boys are outside of the shop across from the stand I'm at. Two lean against the wall while one stands between them and the one sitting on the stoop. None of them are even trying to hide the fact that they're watching me.

As I make my way through the town, finishing getting what I need, they follow. And Blane thought I was bad at following. Tracking them is easy. Which is good. It makes it easy to direct their attention where I want it.

I stop by the blacksmith's, claiming I lost my whetstone. The blacksmith is a kindly man who offers me one of his old ones for free. He even offers to sharpen my blade for me. I know it's a waste of time, but I still pull my dagger free, making sure they can see how easily I wield it. This detour does manage to get rid of two of them, so I count it as a victory.

Though I know I can't let my guard down. If they were still confident with half the numbers, I needed to be very cautious. If it came to a fight though, I could beat them. David had made sure of that.

I make sure to keep an eye on them as I make my way to the far edge of town. The closer I get to the edge of town, the closer they let themselves get. That's when I realize what they intend to do. They want me to leave the town. No witnesses, no one to come running if I scream. Fine by me. I don't intend to lose the fight and it would only draw unwanted attention.

When I reach a fork in the road with a sign announcing a quarantine campy, a new plan forms. A risky and stupid plan, but one capable of working.

I let my feet carry me down the path leading to the camp. Still, the boys follow, but now there's a hurry to their steps. Time to move. I take off at a dead run. Distance was key now. The camp had to be close. Hopefully, I wouldn't actually have to enter it to deter them. Tiberias had always said I couldn't get the sickness, and as much as I trust him, I don't want to put it to the test.

I suppose he had prepared me for this too though. I knew the precautions. He had taught me remedies and preventative measures, drilled them into me. I just had to reach the camp. They'd have measures in place as well. I could offer to help then slip away.

There. I can see the barracks that make the camp.

I just had to stay ahead of-

I'm yanked off my feet, thrown off the trail into the trees. I manage to keep my footing, but I don't have the chance to make use of it. One of the boys is on me, slamming me back against a tree. Something in my backpack, most likely the metal box, bites painfully into my back.

The boy leers down at me as his friend draws closer. "Whatchya running for?" He asks. His free hand lands on my side, slowly trailing down to hook the top of my pants. "We just want to welcome you to town."

I slam my head forward, right into his nose. I can feel it break as the crunch sounds. Before he can even recover from that, I bring my knee up, right into his groin.

He stumbles back, gasping in pain as he falls to the ground.

His friend moves, lunging towards me. "You little b-"

His words break off in a choke as my fist makes contact with his throat. He stumbles back as he struggles to inhale. I don't waste a second.

I turn on my heel, taking off again, not bothering to move back to the trail. I just keep it in sight, my guide to the camp.

I'm nearer now. I can see the fence. And I can hear my pursuit. They just didn't want to quit. They may be stupid, but hopefully, they wouldn't be stupid enough to follow me into the camp. I can see the entrance, the path curving away from me, toward it, but I don't dare go for it. If the camp was going to stop them, I needed to get in. And I wouldn't beat them to the main entrance.

I don't slow as I near the fence, simply vaulting over it. I only slow enough to pull my shirt up and cover my nose. A small, mostly useless gesture without any preventative treatments, but it gives me some comfort. It's not until I reach the first row of barracks that I realize my pursuit is gone.

I pull myself to a stop, trying to slow my breathing. The slower my breathing, the fewer airborne particles I'll inhale. When I turn, I find the two boys standing a few feet from the fence line, glaring after me.

I allow myself a smile at the victory. I lift a hand waving to them. If they came after me now, I could call for help. And it'd be sick and carriers who came to help. If they didn't even want to risk coming into the camp line, they wouldn't risk getting close to anyone here.

The one with the broken nose lifts a hand, returning a much ruder gesture before turning away. The other glares a second longer before turning away.

I watch them leave before turning away myself. I don't see anyone, so I doubt anyone has seen me. I don't dare go back the way I came, but I should find a way out without being seen.