On the Run

18 - One Spy's Lie

She ducked down and glanced around the sparse grove of trees, looking specifically at where the moonlight was piercing down through the leaves. She couldn't see anybody, but she knew it wouldn't be safe to stay here. With a muffled grunt, she pushed herself from the tree and began descending the mountainside.

Mia moved strategically, making her down with little to noise and remaining in the shadows to hide from anyone she may encounter. The only thing she had right now was her hand-to-hand combat skills she was taught along with her skills of being an elusive operative. Her only chance was to get down the mountainside and find somewhere to hole up until she could think of a plan.

As she slithered past the shrubs and trees quietly, a light in the near distance caught her attention. She backed down into the bushes, eyeing the light carefully. It waved back and forth, and Mia presumed that whoever was holding it was looking for someone.

She took a few steps back, disappearing into the bushes completely until she lost her footing and slipped, tumbling down the mountainside for a second time. Her body hit the cold, hard and rough ground as she struggled to slow herself. As she rolled, she dug her hand into the freezing dirt and grasped with all her strength, stopping herself from rolling any further. Her hands strained as she pulled herself up a few meters before turning over and resting on her back, where she was met with another daunting sight.

"Look what we have here," the burly looking man said above her, glaring down at her, gripping his gun tight.

Before Mia even had the chance to try and launch herself forward, a strong set of arms grabbed at her shoulders and yanked her upwards, carelessly and aggressively. She glanced around and saw at least several other men in the exact same attire sporting the same gun as the one who had spoken down to her.

The man who had pulled her up began restraining her hands with a rope, tightening it without any signs of mercy or remorse. Mia looked at them with rage in her eyes and hatred in her guts.

"Normally I'd love tying up a donna like you because you're mozzafiato," the man whispered, a sinisterly creepy smirk growing on his thin lips, showing off a scar to the corner of his mouth.

Mia spat in his face, taking him by surprise. "Vaffanculo."

The rough-looking man dragged his thumb across his spit-slicked cheek, a sinister chuckle escaped his lips. His eyes moved back to Mia, who was still staring at him, the look in her eyes emanating rage.

In a swift movement, he took his fist across her already roughed up cheek. Mia's head swung to the side, choking on her breath as her entire skull rang, pain quickly flooding throughout her entire head. She pulled her head back, leaning it against the tree and tried to focus on the man, but she couldn't make anything out clearly. She swayed side to side, trying to push the pain to the back of her mind but it was too brutal to just ignore.

The man who hit her had gathered up three of the few soldiers that were and began talking to them in complete Italian; he kept his voice low, but from what Mia could hear, he was talking to them firmly, as if he were giving out some type of order.

She coughed before turning her head to spit out again, only this time her spit was laced with blood as it landed on the cold, muddy ground below her. A rustle caught her attention and her eyes flung over to the direction it was coming from. She squinted and tried to make out, but her vision was still reeling from the blow.

A figure emerged from the bushes and Mia could tell whoever it was were looking right at her. The muttering quickly quietened, leaving them in almost complete silence, the only other sound being the nearby cackling of flames roaring. The figure grew closer and closer to her as Mia's sight began to return to normal again.