Calvo scrambled up the steepening slope, scree and debris shifting dangerously under his feet. Risking a desperate glance behind him, he could make out the two guardswomen, each taking a seperate route upward, trying to cut him off. Recapture was simply not an option. This brief, heart pounding, desperate taste of freedom had convinced Calvo that he could not survive another soul destroying hour in the prison. Escape or die. The only other option was a slow, crushing descent in to madness.
"Do what it takes. Do what it takes. Do what it takes."
Calvo repeated this mantra to himself, with each gasping breath he took as he clambered up the increasingly steep incline, his booted feet slipping, his powerful legs pumping as he drove himself up the trecherous scree. Sharp rocks grazed and cut him, as if Tau-Cati Two itself were trying to tear at his skin, vindictive and cruel.
"Do what it takes. Do what it takes. Do what it takes."
Calvo paused for a moment, his breathing a tortured rasp as he turned his head to study the progress of the two guard bitches. He could see that one or other would get to him before he coud get over the ridge and in to the comparative safety of the treeline. He shook his head in an effort to clear his mind, weighing his options. Perhaps if he were able to ambush one of them, he could take her out of the picture and increase his chances.... |