A New Life, Part 2 (COMPLETED)

Chapter 42

Dehydrated and dilusional, images flashing in his mind's eye as the helicopter hovered above caused Chance to believe he was in danger. Trying desperately to move his weakened body deeper into the woods, fearing that he was actually being chased by his rescuers, he slowly crawled into the thickened underbrush to hide.

Adam watched from above while Austin, Jake, Strain and the other rescuers continued to check the area, looking for any signs as they began walking into the woods.

"What happens when they find him? How will we get him back" he asked the pilot.

"Sir, he'll be carried out to the beach area after an initial assessment, then we'll fly him back" answered the pilot.

"You said you can't land due to the beach and heavy tree line. How will you get him" Adam continued.

"We will hover over the water,  one of our divers will be lowered down as well as a stokes basket. Once he's in the basket, he will be brought out by the diver and connected to the cable to lift him up, Sir" the pilot explained.

"Why not put him on the boat"? he asked.

"It would cause an excessive amount of jostling around, could cause further damage to existing injuries. This way we lift him, treat and fly to nearest trauma center. Transfer time is considerably less as well" he responded.

Adam nodded, returning his gaze to the beach below. The crew was no longer in sight.

"Chance...Chance...buddy where are you" Austin yelled while he visually scanned the dense underbrush. Walking careful, he brushed from side to side just as Strain had told them, cautiously so he would not kick his friend in the process, hoping he would just walk out to him at any moment.

Jake had more experience in tracking having been an avid hunter since he was a young boy alongside his father and grandfather. He came across an area that caught his eye, sprouting foliage that appeared having been laid upon. He called out to Chance with no answer. He contacted Austin on the walkie talkie, advising what he'd found.

"I'll be right there. Keep yelling so I can follow your voice to find you quicker " Austin replied. Strain had heard their conversation and began making his way towards them.

Austin, out of breath from running, stopped beside Jake with Strain not far too behind him. "What...do ...you ...think" he asked bent over, his hands on his knees.

"Here...see this" Jake pointed to a flattened area of foliage, "someone was laying here and from what I figure it may have been for quite a bit of time" he stated.

"How do you know it was someone, could have been that boar we saw earlier " Austin commented.

Strain knelt down, moving the foliage around, watching to see if it would spring back. Then checked for any skat or footprints of an animal. Finding none, he lay his hand upon the ground, it was warm. In the dense, shaded area it would have been much cooler to the touch. He looked up at the two, " This is not from an animal, someone had been laying there and not that long ago" he advised them.

Austin and Jake immediately began to call for Chance, moving forward from the direction the underbrush pointed. "Where the hell is he, we're so damn close,  why doesn't he answer" Austin barked.

Chance managed to get himself behind a log, leaning back against it, breathless from what little energy he had left. Having nothing to eat or drink in days, putting his mind into an altered state of consciousness, the images he saw gave him the sense of watching a character, himself, within a video game. Desperately trying to avoid the dangers of those attempting to capture him, he looked for something he could fight back with. "I...will..not...let them..get me" he barely whispered before reaching for a nearby stick which to him appeared to be a sword. Grasping it tightly he soon succumbed to the darkness once again.