Andrea and his friends scattered across the field as they tried to get away. The attack came from the southern hills overlooking the field. Their parents had often warned them that playing near the south was dangerous. But the war was so far away that they didn't believe they would be in danger.
A projectile struck Juan in the shoulder; his body twisted violently as he stumbled and fell to the ground, unmoving. Andrea and Carlos both screamed; they couldn't believe their eyes. Their fear spurred them to run faster, even as tears streamed down their faces.
Marcos, who was the fastest among the boys, was already far ahead when he tripped and fell. Try as he might, his feet wouldn't stand again. He looked at his friends, hoping they would help him up. One look at their faces, and he saw the same scared, selfish look he knew he had the moment the attack started. No one would help him. They were all going to keep running away to save themselves.
"Tomas...Carlos..." Marcos pleaded softly.
Neither boy stopped to help their friend. Marcos let out a hysterical laugh as he watched the next volley of projectiles fly through the air towards him. The other boys ran harder after hearing Marcos' laugh cut out.
Their legs should have been tired, but they couldn't feel. Their lungs should have been exhausted, but every breath was refreshing. There were no other thoughts in their minds other than 'keep running; don't die'.
Their pursuers remained far off but always kept them in range. Volley after volley, projectiles rained down on them, but the boys kept running. The village never felt further away. They had been running for what felt like hours before they spotted the first watch tower.
Felipe pulled out his whistle and blew as hard as he could. The fatigue and extra exertion required to blow the whistle were more than he could handle. His vision went dark, and his body went limp on the ground.
The remaining four boys were beyond hysterical. Crying, screaming, and running wildly to the village, they began to regret not listening to the warnings of their elders. The war was always far away. They never knew that it would kill people they knew in front of them and threaten their lives.
They were closer to the village now and could see the sentries in the watch towers. They waved their hands above their heads desperately as they screamed and called out to the sentries.
Andrea blew his whistle. No sooner had he done so did a projectile from the tower graze his cheek. Several more projectiles followed, all aiming for the boys. They all stopped running. WHY?! Why would the sentries attack them?
Caught between the enemy closing in from behind and the new threat in front, the boys were completely confused.
"The winter storage!" Carlos shouted as he started running again.
It would be safe to hide there.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
