Chapter 6 - The Woods
The terrifying sound of the vicious search dogs echoed loudly through the completely dark, freezing woods.
David pushed his exhausted body to the absolute physical limit, carrying Sophie through the dense, thorny underbrush.
The heavy rain made the steep, muddy terrain incredibly slippery and dangerously treacherous to navigate.
His expensive suit was completely shredded by sharp branches, and his hands were bleeding from the freezing cold.
"Daddy, I am so tired and cold," Sophie whimpered softly, shivering violently against his wet chest.
David kissed the top of her head, completely refusing to stop moving despite his own burning lungs.
He knew that if the professional tracker caught them, they would be executed immediately in the dark forest.
He desperately needed to find a secure place to hide and completely mask their scent from the aggressive dogs.
Through the heavy sheets of rain, he spotted the rotting wooden silhouette of an old, abandoned hunting blind.
It was elevated on thick wooden stilts, heavily concealed by thick ivy and overgrown pine branches.
David aggressively climbed the slippery wooden ladder, securely pushing his daughter through the small trapdoor first.
He hauled himself up into the cramped, incredibly dusty wooden box and quietly sealed the hatch behind him.
He quickly stripped off his ruined suit jacket and wrapped it tightly around Sophie to keep her warm.
They sat in total, breathless silence, listening to the heavy rain pounding violently against the tin roof.
The aggressive barking grew significantly louder, indicating the dogs were closing in on the base of their exact tree.
David peered carefully through a small gap in the rotting wood, clutching the stolen pistol tightly in his hand.
A tall, heavily armed man wearing military tactical gear stepped slowly into the clearing below them.
The tracker shined a massive, incredibly bright tactical flashlight directly into the thick, dark canopy of the trees.
He spotted the hidden hunting blind and slowly raised his heavy, scoped hunting rifle toward the wooden floor.
David braced himself, fully prepared to fire through the floorboards to protect his precious daughter's life.
Before either man could pull the trigger, a loud, highly accurate gunshot rang out through the stormy night.
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The professional tracker gasped loudly, dropping his rifle as he collapsed heavily into the wet, thick mud.
David stared in absolute shock as a new, completely mysterious figure stepped calmly out of the dark shadows.
