THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

36 : TENT

Being out in the middle of the Bandito camp, nothing around him but an endlessly empty sky, Tyler felt exposed.

He felt as though his whole mind, his whole body, his whole soul was on display for everyone to see. He had never been outside this long. He wasn't used to being free.

It was the kind of peaceful paranoia that could only be felt in a strange place in the middle of the night. Like Tyler was in another world, another realm that didn't exist outside of his own mind.

"Enjoy your swim?"

A deep voice interrupted Tyler's tranquility.

Standing there, face shrouded with darkness, was a dude much bigger than him.

The figure stepped forward, revealing a bruised broken nose and a bloody bandaged arm.

Tyler's shoulders sagged, and the corner of his upper lip tugged up into a scowl.

"Come to get your ass kicked again?" Tyler said. His entire body was still. He wasn't worried.

"You really think you're somebody, don't you?" The Bandito stepped closer.

Tyler pursed his lips and furrowed his brow in fake confusion as he stood up off the rock.

"Is this supposed to be intimidating?" He asked. "This little thing you're doing here?"

He gestured with his hand back and forth between him and the Bandito, then looked around him.

"Because I, personally," he put his hand on his chest, "am not intimidated. But, uh..."

Tyler grabbed his shirt and slung it over his shoulder. He strode past the Bandito with a smug smile on his face.

"Good try, man," Tyler slapped the man on the back as he passed him. "Better luck next time!"

Just as Tyler thought he was in the clear, the man stuck out his hand grabbed Tyler's arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm ready to fight back," he breathed, his eyes glaring sharply at Tyler through the darkness.

"Uh-huh," Tyler nodded sarcastically. "Well, that's great, but I don't care. Now if you'd just let me g—"

Suddenly Tyler found himself being flipped completely upside down. He hit the ground, and he hit the ground hard.

Tyler groaned in pain as his landed in the dirt, flat on his back. Pain ran up and down his spine.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the Bandito's fist coming straight for his face.

"Shit!" Tyler rolled sideways onto his chest just as the man's fist hit the ground where his head used to be.

"I told you I was ready!" The man yelled. "Are you?!"

As soon as Tyler jumped up, the Bandito kicked him right in the chest, the sheer force of the blow sending him tumbling backwards down toward the lake.

He landed on the edge of the water, head spinning, mud and sand and freezing water splashing over his bare chest.

Tyler barely caught a glimpse of the night sky above him before he was grabbed by his ankle and yanked across the ground.

The Bandito had his hand gripped tightly around Tyler's ankle and was dragging his body towards him.

Tyler yanked his leg out of the Bandito's grasp then he rammed it forward, the heel of his boot slamming into the Bandito's abdomen.

As the man stumbled backwards, Tyler jumped to his feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tyler saw something small and silver shining in the moonlight.