Ghosts of War | CoD - MW

Chapter 19.

Wednesday, 24th of November, 2021.

Kimberly looked at the map, calculating that she had at least four hours left. She let her eyes wander over the landscape ahead of her, seeing shadows being cast over the forest. She yawned, still tired from her nap of two hours.

She let her eyes fall to the ground, seeing her backpack still there. She pushed her feet off the branch, pushing herself off. Kimberly let herself fall from the tree, landing on the ground. She hoisted her backpack on, continuing in her path further up north. She didn't want to waste time.

-"Keep faith. Compose character. Have courage. Keep commitment. I'm done in no time," Kimberly whispered for herself, feeling exhausted. She had not packed any food but found a chocolate bar in her backpack, and it had already been eaten. She didn't know who had put it there, but she was grateful for whoever had.

Her clothes had dried since her fall in the swamp yesterday morning, but not her shoes. It still felt like she was wandering the swamps, but as soon as she was picked up, she could take the shoes off. Kimberly listened to the forest and the animals, somehow grateful for this experience that turned into a trip through hell.

She jogged ahead, thinking back on the animals she had seen. The group of bighorn sheep, some beavers, coyotes, eagles and some deer. Every encounter with those had been a beautiful experience and she had enjoyed it. The forest and nature would always be a place she enjoyed more than a cramped city. She could never feel free there.

She had spoken with König over the radio only for a few minutes this morning. He had requested an update and she had given him one. She left out the part with her rocky slide down the mountain side, simply because she didn't know how he would take it. She had been fine, so she didn't want to worry others. She didn't want to seem like a complainer either.

At one point her phone had gotten reception and her phone had been blowed up. She had calls and messages from Johnny, Phillip and John. She didn't bother to answer any of them, having seen the tracker in her backpack. She guessed that it was Price's doing, but she felt relieved to know that she was being watched. Simon had also sent her a message asking how it went, and he had been the only one she had answered.

The only thing she had texted was "I'm fine" and left it at that. She figured that Simon was the same as her. Sitting beside the phone, waiting eagerly for an answer of reassurance. She knew that Johnny would just ask Price about the tracker, and as long as she was moving, they knew she would be fine.

The girl just continued on, time passing slowly. It didn't annoy her today though, because she knew she was getting out of there. She had worked herself hardly just to be sure she got a pass. After a few hours of nothing, Kimberly got bored. She moved her hand from her rifle to her chest, pressing down the button on her radio.

-"König, this is Phoenix, how copy?" She said out loud, continuing up ahead.
-"Loud and clear, Phoenix. Go on," König said, having awaited the girl's voice.
-"I am about four klicks from the pickup zone. Terrain looks good. Give me 30 or so minutes. Over," Kimberly said, estimating the time. She couldn't give any exact time, but she did her best.
-"Roger that. I'm waiting. Over, out."

Kimberly dropped her hand down, smiling as she picked up speed. She almost ran for quite some time, feeling encouraged. She would soon be able to eat and sleep.

Kimberly had done a rookie mistake while on this run. She had completely forgot to watch her back. She had just looked forward, having not felt the need to keep her guard up.
There had been a pair of eyes on her for quite some time, having followed the smell of fresh and dried blood. The animal had gotten her scent thanks to the fresh blood she had spilled over the swamp. She had just been lucky the animal hadn't reached her yet.