Manhunt

The thin air held a frigid tone this evening, and a slight breeze brought a sudden rush of coldness to my face.

"It's safe. Come NOW!" My pounding heart raced as I stumbled to the nearest tree. It was very dark (almost pitch black) outside, and tonight we were being hunted. We had to rely on our instincts, and just hope and pray that the enemy wouldn't detect us.

As the night grew deep, I began to glance around. Our eyes soon became accustomed to the darkness, so that we could distinguish the forestry around us. The trees were dusky, with an evergreen scent, and they supplied us with helpful cover.

As I leaned against the large oak, my confidant -NATO of Izmir-- was making the escape plan.

On special missions like these, we had always worked together. Nato was more of the headman than the henchman, but he performed commands subtly, like a sidekick would. We were buddies since the 8th grade, and although sometimes I've become quite annoyed with his disposition, he's taught me many lessons that I'll never forget.

"Here's what we'll do," he whispered, "you see that house over there?" I hurriedly replied "Yep." "Well that's the old Turkma house. I'll go first, then you follow. Once you arrive past the second door, climb on the adjacent wall. We'll take it from there." Just then he dashed in front of me in the direction of the abandoned Turkma. A minute had passed, and I now decided that it was my turn to run. Just then a loud *CRASH* sounded from his location. My mind began pacing back and forth, wondering what had just occurred. So I lay flat on my back, closed my eyes, and prayed, "May they not find him, Lord." If they found him, then they were sure to search for me. But the time passed in silence, so I just lay there.

As I watched each minute pass by, looking up at the starry sky, I thought to myself, "An endless ocean of blue, and shiny lights reaching beyond our grasp; they don't worry or fret." I considered my life