The Pits (Part 4)

Max had never been through this particular side trail before, and wasn’t sure which way to go when he and Simon reached a fork in the path. Where had Gio gone? Max couldn’t blame him for not wanting the stop for Simon, but why would he lead them down this trail when Gio knew he was the only one of the three who had used it before. There was no time to stop and think about which way they should go. It wasn’t like Max was going to stop if he didn’t need to. For a moment he considered going one direction and letting Simon go the other. That way at least one of them would survive. But Simon probably wouldn’t make it far, even if he was going the right way.

            ‘No, we’re going together,’ Max thought. ‘But where the hell do we go?’

            Before he could come up with an answer, Max heard a loud thud behind him, and a second later, Simon screaming out in pain in a way Max had never heard come from a person before. Max stopped and turned around expecting to see Simon’s ankle had been sprained. If only that was the case. Simon was on the ground, writhing in pain in the dirt, bleeding profusely from his leg, right above his knee.

            It was another arrow.

“Holy shit!” exclaimed Max. He figured the cultists must be close if they were able to hit Simon with an arrow. There would be no way Simon could run with an arrow in his leg. However, if he took the arrow out, which he knew from watching hospital shows he probably shouldn’t do, Simon would at least have a chance. Sure he’d be bleeding everywhere, leaving a trail, but they were never trying to be stealthy.

“Hold still,” Max said as he knelt down, feeling a familiar aching twinge from when something similar happened to him.

He reached out to the arrow head and began to twist it counterclockwise. This arrow was the type that could be changed from a safety arrow to a hunting arrow by changing the head. Max unscrewed the sharp, bladed arrow head, and removed it.

“What are you doing?” Simon asked frantically through clenched teeth.

“Something you’re totally gonna hate me for,” answered Max.

“What?”

Max sighed, “You can’t run with an arrow in your leg. It’ll just make the wound worse, probably. But, if I take it out, you will be able to run. It’s gonna hurt, but not as much as it would with an arrow stuck in your leg.”

“No!” Simon began to resist. The idea of having the arrow pulled out of his leg was almost as scary as knowing he’d been shot with one.

“Look at me, Simon,” Max looked Simon in the eyes, trying to stay calm as possible. “I wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t necessary.”

“O-okay…” Simon knew he was right. If he didn’t want to die this would be his only chance.

“Take a deep breath,” Max whispered. “And try not to yell too much.”

“Why? They already know where we are.”

“I know. I just don’t wanna feel bad for this.”

Simon rolled his eyes, then immediately shut them as tight as he could when he felt the intense pain shooting up and down his leg.

“Sorry…” said Max.

“Hurry up!”

With that, Max slid the arrow all the way out of the hole it had made in Simon’s leg. He then took the folded bandana off his wrist and tied it tightly around the wound.

“You never told me why you always where that around your wrist,” Simon mentioned.

“Across for attention, down or results…” Max muttered.

“…What?”

“How about this, I’ll tell you everything I’ve been keeping from you and Gio when we get out of here. Deal?”

“Deal,” Simon said doing his best to stand up. ‘Just ignore the pain, Simon. Don’t let it bother you.’

Simon took a couple of steps to acclimate himself to the pain he’d be dealing with when the thought occurred to him. “Wait, what have you been keeping from us?”

“Not the time, Simon. Besides, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“Then why haven’t you told us about…whatever it is?”
            Max looked at the ground, then up and Simon, who he could barely see now that the sun was fully set. “It’s just…embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing?” asked an oddly familiar voice.

Simon and Max looked around. Although it was dark, and they couldn’t see much of anything, they already knew what was going on.

The cultists had caught up to them.