Despite my clumsy progress, I knew that Jaye Mercury would have just as much of a hard time. All I could do is hope that I was at least keeping up with her pace. If I was lucky, I could close the gap between us. Once out of the jungle, I could only think of two places for her to go. The hotel or her plane. My bet was on her returning to the hotel first. That is where I would catch up with her.
Once or twice I thought I had lost the path, but somehow I stayed on it. Progress down the mountain was faster than the ascent, but it was rough on the joints and my knees and ankles were threatening to give out with each step. By the time I had made it back to the rocky stream where the soldiers had almost found me, the pain had become a constant distraction.
I came bounding over some rocks near the stream and almost bumped into two men. I had forgotten about Bardales' patrols. One man was a few yards away, leaning against a rock with his back to me, taking a leak. The other was sitting with his back to his comrade, a mere six feet away from where I had burst from the trees. His rifle was already up and pointed at me.
Reacting instantly and without thought, I ducked and feinted to the left and then leapt and rolled forward and to the right, closing the distance. The closest man shouted something as I popped to my feet next to him and grabbed the barrel of his gun. Instead of trying to pull it from his grasp, I pushed backwards violently, pushing him off balance. In one fierce motion I then yanked the weapon forward, bringing him with it, and smashed my elbow into the side of his head. He let out a weak grunt and went limp, releasing his rifle.
A quick glance towards the other man was all I needed. Taken completely by surprise, he still had his pants undone as he scrambled to retrieve his own weapon. The thought of shooting him popped into my head, but I dismissed it immediately. A gunshot would bring more troops. No, it was best that I handle the situation as quietly as possible.
Not bothering to readjust my hold on the gun's barrel, I swung it with all of my might. The butt stock of the rifle caught the unlucky soldier in the back of his head as he stooped to pick up his gun. He collapsed, driven to the ground by the force of the blow. The entire event was over in less than ten seconds.
Even in the darkness I could see blood already running from where I had hit the second soldier. Fearing that I had killed him, I knelt to check if he was alive. I grabbed his wrist and found a weak but steady pulse, and then I noticed his torso rose and fell as he lay in the rocky dirt. He was breathing and his heart was pumping. He was alive, but he was going to have a hell of a headache whenever he came to.
It's about time I won a fight, I thought to myself as I gathered up the men's rifles. I ejected the magazines from both and tossed them into the jungle to my left. Then, I racked each rifle, making sure they were empty, and threw them into the jungle as well.
The first man was already starting to stir behind him. A low, painful groan escaped him. It wouldn't be long before he was back on his feet and looking for me.
I took off down the mountain pathway again, now moving at a reckless pace. My legs were pumping as fast as I dared, all thoughts of joint pain erased from my mind. I knew those two soldiers would be pissed when they woke up, and I knew they would come after me. I just hoped they wouldn't call for reinforcements. Shouts and Spanish swear words filled the jungle moments later. Yep, they are definitely pissed off.
I increased my pace, no longer caring if I stayed on the tiny pathway or not. I knew the direction of the village, and I was pretty certain that I could find it in the dark. Limbs and vines slapped and scraped at me from every angle. Somewhere I had missed a turn. Now I was just running blind through the jungle. I kept my eyes straight ahead, giving myself every chance I could to navigate my way through the thick foliage. Moonlight suddenly shone through the trees ahead. Oh shit! The cliff!
An expanse of unbroken air opened up through the trees and forced me to come to a sliding stop a foot from the edge. In front of me was three hundred feet of open air straight down to the jungle treetops below. Behind me, I could hear the crashing and shouts of the soldiers closing in quickly.
Desperately, I hung my head over the edge and looked at the face of the cliff, but it was too steep for me to climb and the soldiers would pick me off long before I made it to the bottom. There was nothing but a dark wall of trees and bushes to my left. That left me with one option. Go to the right. Damn cliffs. Like I haven't had enough cliffs for one day.
I fought my way through the growth, careful to avoid a misstep that could end in a three-hundred foot free fall. The men following me must have noticed my shift in direction,
