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Part Four
Ben leapt forward in a vain attempt to catch his falling friend, when she hit the ground her head bounced of a rock half submerged in the ground and covered by leaf litter. He rushed to aid his unconscious companion gently rolling her onto her back, revealing a large cut bleeding freely at her temple.
Thinking quickly Ben tore off a long strip of his shirt, folding one end several times to create padding. He applied it and slight pressure to the wound then using the remainder of the length, he wrapped it around her head and fastened it in place once it overlapped.
"Shit" he spat out as loud as he dare, pacing back and forth next to the unmoving body of his injured friend. His mind realed at the implications of their new situation, "Get her to the shelter" he asserted to himself as if, self-confirming the decision he had arrived at.
He moved swiftly toward the slight girl, staring at her unmoving body he swallowed his fear and moved into action. Gently he shifted his arm under the crook of her neck and her knees simultaneously, supporting her frame and lifting her slowly into the air.
With every step riddled with caution, her body seemed to glide through the air with his body absorbing every step he took. Bending at the entrance to their crude shelter he crept through the opening in the branches and carefully laid her upon soft barks, she had collected them earlier from trees nearby when they constructed their temporary safe house.
Ben ventured out one last time to soak what was left of his shit, allowing the water to seep through the fibers removing some of the dirt embedded in it after the nights hostilities. After rinsing multiple times he allowed it to soak one last time, this time attempting to retain as much water as possible, he found a large flat leaf of one of the shorter trees that filled the green forest.
Returning to the small shelter with the leaf and shirt, he tore off a small piece from the remaining cloth and gently attempted to remove some of the blood that had dried on Sam's face. When satisfied his efforts were as successful as the could be, he lifted the edge of the water logged shirt and squeezed droplets of water in the unconscious girl's mouth - He knew keeping her hydrated would be imperative for her to survive, the days heat would soar and it would be made worse by the lack of airflow in the crude refuge.
The day continued to heat up the sun was only up an hour, before Ben felt he would surely pass out from the heat and humidity. Time dragged by so slowly, he made two trips during the morning almost crawling his way to the stream to rehydrate the cloth so he could keep giving Sam water.
It wasn't until around midday, when he heard the terrified screams coming from the other side of the stream. He weighed the risks of being seen vs not knowing how close his pursuers really were, glancing at Sam he hesitated for a moment before committing to leaving the sanctuary to investigate what was happening and if they were in any immediate danger.
Keeping his body flush with the surface of the ground he crept up the shallow embankment, until he was able to peer over whist remaining mostly under cover. He waited and stared into the seemingly still bush, until a group of twenty men stumbled into view they were running as fast as possible scrambling over the terrain in desperate fear for their lives - but nothing could be seen chasing them.
To be continued..
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