suzanna-kollinz-acliq-oyunlari-1-hisse-eng

tively unscathed. My jacket’s another matter. Stinking and
scorched, at least a foot of the back beyond repair. I cut off the
damaged area leaving me with a garment that comes just to
the bottom of my ribs. But the hood’s intact and it’s far better
than nothing.
Despite the pain, drowsiness begins to take over. I’d take to
a tree and try to rest, except I’d be too easy to spot. Besides,
abandoning my pool seems impossible. I neatly arrange my
supplies, even settle my pack on my shoulders, but I can’t
seem to leave. I spot some water plants with edible roots and
make a small meal with my last piece of rabbit. Sip water.
Watch the sun make its slow arc across the sky. Where would
I go anyway that is any safer than here? I lean back on my
pack, overcome by drowsiness. If the Careers want me, let
them find me, I think before drifting into a stupor. Let them
find me.
And find me, they do. It’s lucky I’m ready to move on because
when I hear the feet, I have less than a minute head
start. Evening has begun to fall. The moment I awake, I’m up
and running, splashing across the pool, flying into the underbrush.
My leg slows me down, but I sense my pursuers are not
as speedy as they were before the fire, either. I hear their
coughs, their raspy voices calling to one another.
Still, they are closing in, just like a pack of wild dogs, and so
I do what I have done my whole life in such circumstances. I
pick a high tree and begin to climb. If running hurt, climbing is
agonizing because it requires not only exertion but direct contact
of my hands on the tree bark. I’m fast, though, and by the
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