Itinerant Chronicler

Misdeed Chapter 1

It was so hard to get this town to open about what had happened here.  I found this barn by chance, and I could tell something tragic happened there.  After some gentle prodding they very kind townspeople gave me every detail.  

A scraggly man collapsed against a tree and tried to force air into his burning lungs. His aching legs and sore side were both thankful for the respite. It was fortunate, and amazing that he was able to even stop. He had been running for a very long time; so long in fact it started to feel like an eternity. There were times he thought he would never escape from his pursuers. They were being utterly relentless in the chase. Honestly, he couldn't really blame them. After what he had done it was no wonder that they were after him.

For now he closed his eyes and turned his face skyward. He stole a brief moment to allow the summer sun to soak into his skin. The light breeze blowing through the thin forest kept the strong rays from overheating him. If he were in a different situation this would have been a fantastic day to just lie in the sun and enjoy the warmth.

A snap of a twig behind him instantly set his nerves back on edge. His eyes darted from tree to tree trying to see who or what made the noise. His terrified mind saw every tree as a potential enemy. He expected at any moment to be staring down the muzzle of a Springfield. He had no idea how many mini-balls had already been fired at him, there had been far too many to count. Two armies locked in battle would not have fired as many shots. There was one thing he knew for sure. Eventually, one of those shots would find its mark.

Suddenly the back of the tree he was leaning looking around exploded. The bits of wood hit him in the face stinging him, and getting into his eyes. Without another thought he took off running again, it was his only option; he had no weapon of his own. Even if he did have one it wouldn't matter anyway. He may be able to out shoot one of them, but not the other ten or fifteen that were also chasing him. As if to answer his thoughts he heard another ball zip past his head. He knew his attacker could not have reloaded that fast; that could only mean that others were taking aim at him as well.

Suddenly the trees all around him started bursting. Dirt flew from the ground as the attempts on his life missed their marks. His legs that were heavy as lead just a few moments ago were suddenly as light as feathers. His lungs still burned and his side still ached, but at least his legs were cooperating again. He knew with certainty, that it would be only a matter of time before they would fail him. When that happened he would be helpless, and then they would have him.

There would be no trial for him, not for one as wicked as he. They would simply kill him on the spot and leave his body for the scavengers that prowled the forest. Even if they didn't kill him on site, it wouldn't matter much. If they actually tried him, he would quickly be found guilty, and then sentenced to die by the gallows. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The choice now was how he wanted to die. He preferred to die by the bullet, not hanging by his neck with an entire crowd jeering at him, so he continued on running with bullets flying all around him.

He took a quick glance back to see if any of them were close, he saw no one, and he also didn't see the low hanging tree branch directly in front of him. He turned his head back just in time for the thin low hanging limb to catch him across the bridge of the nose. His eyes instantly started watering, blurring his vision, just as pain blurred his mind. He was forced to slow his pace now that he was blinded and dazed. He desperately needed to find somewhere to hide. A cave, a forest cabin, at this point he would have settled for a rock to crawl under.

After several moments of trying, he finally managed to blink away the tears and he could at last see again. He had just enough time to see the ground drop off right before he went over the edge. The next thing he saw was thick underbrush several feet below him, that he was rapidly descending into. He saw inky blackness next.