S.M.A.R.T. (The Subject of Mind Altering Research and Testing)

Chapter Twenty-five

He left the door open, and walked out into the grass to check further in for the trail. He still found nothing. Fuck. There has to be a trail here, somewhere. I saw his footprints. He searched further, his eyes glued to the ground, analyzing every blade of grass for signs of trample, when a rustle startled from behind, and the he turned around to see Michael coming out the door he had left open. He realized in a sudden flash of annoyance. Fuck. He fucking tricked me. I opened the fucking door for him. Everything, a trap. He remembered now how convenient it was that Michael's book was suddenly so easy to find in his room. He remembered the deal they made, and the look on Michael's face. He remembered the picture of Michael's wife taken off the wall. That was the most convincing part. He knew what he was doing the whole time. He isn't going home. He wants me just as dead as I want him. It raged him that he had never seen any of it coming. He could I be so stupid? All the signs were there. The thoughts rushed through him instantly.

Michael stepped away from the door looking at the General and smirking the same smug smirk that the General had always given to him. "Didn't I tell you that I'm smarter than you?" Michael yelled across the grass.

"I will kill you!" The General shouted, and Michael dashed towards the forest. The General followed in pursuit of, and everything slowed. He knew he would catch him. He felt like he was glowing as bright as the sky above. He was gaining on Michael quickly. 

The two men collided just past the tree line. The General jumped onto Michael and they both tumbled to the ground, scraping themselves on twigs and roots and frozen dirt. The General managed to get on top of Michael, and swung at his face. Michael ducked hard to the right, barely evading the punch. Michael struggled, and rolled the General over onto his back, jumping on top of him with a knee to the guts. The General coughed and swung a connecting fist to the left side of Michael's chin, splitting the inside of his cheek against his teeth. Michael fell backwards, landing flat on his ass as he tasted the iron tinge of blood in his mouth. The General got up and took a step towards him. Michael spat blood onto the dirt, and threw his body up into a kick that knocked him back in his tan uniform. A bag spilled out of his pocket onto the ground, and little blue and white pills scattered out beside a tree. Michael couldn't believe his eyes. There was his key to victory, spilled out on the ground in front of him. Waiting for him. Calling at him.

"Don't even think about it!" The General shouted as Michael eyed the spilled pills.

Michael got up and took a step towards the ground where they laid. The General did the same. Michael tried to fake him out with a second leap to the pills, and the General took the bait, lunging forward, but Michael stayed back and steadied, swinging around him and kicking him away from the pills. Michael grabbed one quickly and swallowed it down. He felt his eyes turn to ice. They were shining. The green of the sky illuminated everything. The General got up and stared at him. Michael could see the fear strike his eyes when he saw him glowing, the northern lights reflected in his eyes.

Michael laughed at him. "Not only did I say I was smarter than you, I told you I was going to kill you with your own weapon."

The General raged and the two ran at each other, the General drawing his gun. Michael slid to the ground, kicking the General's charging feet out from underneath him. The gun went flying to the ground, two metres away. Michael rolled on top of the General and laid a flat punch adjoining his fist to the mans cheek bone, careful not to split the skin. He didn't want to leave evidence of a fight when this was over.

The General's eyes rolled back in his head. He yelled loudly and they started to wrestle, crawling and fighting their way towards the gun. Michael reached, and the General grabbed his arm and pulled it away, but Michael kneed him in the gut again as the wormed their way closer. The General keeled over and puked on himself, grabbing his stomach. He looked pathetic, covered in dirt and puke. Michael was bleeding profusely onto his shirt he noticed. Fuck. Blood in the snow. That was better than the General bleeding. He turned off the pain. He rolled onto his knees and crawled to the gun.