He tapped into his radio, his free hand switching frequencies. He had to cut through the dead signals, shifting through static before landing on the right channel.
"Escape team, prepare immediately! I am the only one alive. I am being hunted! I need backup!"
The line crackled. A voice, distorted but sharp, finally responded.
"Riner? What the hell happened? Where's the squad?!"
"Dead! All of them!" Riner barked, his breathing laboured as he pushed forward through the jungle. His feet crunched against damp leaves, his vision flickering as his balance fought against him.
"Shit—hang tight! We're on standby. ETA—"
BANG.
A bullet ripped through his calf.
AGHHH!
Riner collapsed mid-stride, his leg folding under him as he crashed into the jungle floor. His fingers clawed into the dirt, his breath a strangled gasp.
Pain—blazing, white-hot pain—shot up his leg like wildfire.