Out of Captivity : Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle

20 OUT OF CAPTIVITYTOMI couldn’t hear the helos far off in the distance myself, but when Keithmentioned them, it was as if someone had taken a cloth and wiped cleanthe fog that had been clouding my mind since the crash. Even thoughI was operating at less than full capacity, I knew we were in a toughspot. I was simply relieved that we’d survived the crash and I tried tokeep that thought foremost in my mind. But the sound of those heloscoming in and the urgency with which the FARC responded made merealize that though we had lived through the crash, we weren’t anywhereclose to safe yet.We were on a hill opposite the crash site in a tiny space that wassurrounded by thickly wooded and steeply sloped terrain. Below uswas the small ramshackle building near where we’d been stripped andsearched. To our left, down another ravine and up on another highpoint, was an open-area ranch building. The building appeared to havebeen built into the side of the mountain. Between that larger clearingwas another small one with a trail joining them. As we moved towardthis building, the helos passed right over us. Marc and Keith were a fewyards ahead of me, escorted by a couple of FARC guerrillas. I couldn’tmove as fast as they were moving, and soon the distance between usincreased. I didn’t like being separated from them, but I also figured alarger cluster of us made for an easier target.The helo banked into a turn and then circled us again, this timewith its weapons firing. The Colombian military was taking aim at theFARC who were on the perimeter. I was still close enough to hear Marcshout to Keith about what was going on. Keith told him that the helo’sgunner was firing a minigun. I could hear rounds zinging through thetrees above our heads. I continued to stumble and run, aiming for thepath that led from the small clearing to the large one where the buildingsat. The FARC guarding me pushed me to the side off of the trailand into some denser vegetation and trees. Keith and Marc were right