Seven

"A... amber, calm down." he warned her. "Take a deep breath and focus on what you're doing, please."

She huffed a breath and realized how badly her hands were shaking. Taking another deep breath and shaking the frustration from her head she started making progress dressing his wound. Every step she had been so frustrated with in class, she now recalled.

"It's amazing," she thought to herself, "how you really do remember what you need to know when you need it."

She cleaned, covered, tucked, taped, and clipped everything into place ignoring her hands covered in blood.

"There," she finally said far cheerier than he liked her tone, "all fixed up!"

He looked down at the wrappings and nodded with approval. "Good, 'because we gotta move again."

She was already kneeling at the water's edge washing her hands. "Nick, can you collect ammo?" she asked hastily.

"Sure, but I need you to carry my pack for a bit." He replied, "I'm exhausted."

She finished cleaning her hands and dried them on her pants. Standing-up, she nodded, "of course. Just let me know when you need a break."

He dropped his pack on the stones, and dug through pockets, bags, holsters, and the ATV compartments, stuffing his loot in an enemy's zippered bag.

"We are taking an ATV, right?" He asked suggestively.

She looked at the scene, "yeah, we can cover more ground, but they are so loud I'd hate to have them give away our position and direction. We can ditch it later."

Brush and low branches crunched through the revving drone of their commandeered vehicle as they continued through the hillside. Nick clung, with bloody hands, to her waist as she piloted through the harsh terrain.

"St… stop." Nick muttered by her ear, "I need to stop, for a while."

Immediately Amber eased off the throttle, and geared down beside a large oak tree, and twisted in the seat to look at him. His face was impossibly pale. The vibrant, energetic boy was drained almost to the point of collapse.

"Steady, now." She cautioned, helping him from the seat.

She sat him on the ground leaning him against the tree. And started collecting wood for a smoke fire. The mosquitoes were already making their early-morning presence known.

She stacked the wood and kindling into a pyramid to allow oxygen in and waved her hand over the pile allowing for a soft ignition. Soon the flames warmed their faces, steadied their minds with smooth crackles and hissing, and the green leaves and grass smoked holding the bugs at bay.

She pressed the canteen to his lips, and he drank, slowly but steadily. "We can't keep the fire for long, nick." She told him. "Just until the sun starts to rise, the mosquitoes will leave then."

He nodded his head and turned away to doze for a while between the warmth of the flames, and the cold of the night. The enemy coat served as a blanket for the two of them and she kept warmth lying against his shivering body.

Wheezing, he settled into unconsciousness and she dozed through the pains of her own injuries and the sound of his breathing. The steady rise and fall of his chest settling her mind into the welcome embrace of sleep.

In a haze the blue sky shouted of thunder without any signs of storm clouds. Her eyes flew open. Knelt beside the two, a round-faced man stared over his cigar at her, crunching her pile of twigs.

"What you are doing on my island, child?" he asked through a thick accent.

She stared up at him through squinted eyes. The sun had risen, and silhouetted his head, neck and shoulders with sharp rays arcing through her vision.

"Trying to get off it alive." Was her only response.

He stood and shouted to his right, "Take them, my friends."

She was pulled to her feet and her hands were immediately cuffed behind her. "Careful, he's hurt." She warned the two men reaching for nick.

They grabbed him, sat him up, and let him fall back down.

"Hah! You are both right and wrong," the boss shouted, "he is dead. Come friends, commandant would like to hear her explanations.

"No!" she shouted, throwing herself on nick. "Wake up! Nick!"

Sobs rolled down her cheeks and she was dragged, violently, back to her feet.