B.O.K. Part 1

New Boston, New England Territory 

September 16^th, 3000 CE

            The woman held her son tightly as she ran through the woods; she needed to get to New Boston as quickly as possible.  The safety of her son depended on it.  She risked a glance behind her and found that she had a fairly large lead on the trackers, but even still she didn’t let her pace falter. The woman needed to drop off the baby and circle back without giving the pursuers any idea of what she had done. That way they wouldn’t be able to find the baby.

            She crashed through the tree line and sprinted as hard as she could to the outskirts of the city. Already she could see the abandoned church where she had arranged to meet her friend.

“Please be here, please God let her be here.” She muttered as she arrived at the church.  Her prayers were answered when a dark shape emerged out of the darkness. “Joanne!”she called out as she ran up to the older woman and embraced her.

“Hello my darling, is the baby alright?” Joanne asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

“He is now,” She handed the baby over. “But I need to leave before they catch up and catch us together.”

Joanne took the baby carefully and brushed a hair out of his dreaming face. “Just be careful, run hard my dear, run hard.”

The woman gave a wry smile. “I intend to.” She hugged Joanne and kissed the baby on the head one last time. Then she took off heading into the direction in which she had come.

Her eyes glistened with tears as she made her way into the forest again. She knew she wouldn’t make it to the border in time. That was the reason why she had left her baby with Joanne in the first place. Her only goal now was to lead her pursuers as far as possible from New Boston before she was caught.

She began to hoot and holler to attract the attention of the men following her. Apparently it worked.

In the distance the trackers swung their lights into her direction. Already she could hear the heavy motor of the trucks gaining on her. The lights around her grew brighter and brighter with each step. She knew the game was up. And as if on cue a blinding flash of pain hit her out of nowhere and she went flying face first into the ground.

She had been shot in the leg.

The woman crawled to the nearest tree and managed to prop herself up on it.  From where she sat she could she the entire pursuit party as they began to circle around her. She counted three trucks and twenty men in all. As she pressed down on the wound, she leaned her head back and looked into the heavens; she’d be with her parents soon and that thought made her smile. She looked back at the line of soldiers around her and her smile faded as the line began to part.

A grizzly, shorter than average man appeared, he walked slowly and calmly towards her. He came to a stop a few feet away from her and whistled. “You really gave us a run for our money missy, Corporal James Hanson at your service.” He held out his hand. The woman just sat there holding his gaze.

“Not one for customaries I see, I woulda thought differently judging by your background. But that’s all the better,” Hanson spat out some tobacco off to the side “cause I’m not one much for customaries either, I like to get right down to the nitty gritty also.” Hanson squatted down in front of her. “Now you gonna tell me what you did with that baby of yours or am I gonna have to get it outa you?” The only thing that came out of her mouth was the glob of spit that landed square on Hanson’s face.

“Well I’m gonna take that as a no.” Hanson reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off his face.

“You leave me with no choice, cause honestly I really don’t need you. We’ll find that baby with or without your help; I was just trying to be a gentleman by giving you a few more days.”

“I don’t need your charity and you’re certainly not a gentleman!” she retorted.

“Well I tried.” Hanson reached down to his side and pulled out his custom Berretta 9mm. He then leveled it with her head. “I’m sorry misses but you and your baby are the only people left between the New King and his New Order.”

“Go to hell.” She said evenly.

“I’m planning on it” Hanson pulled the trigger. The woman’s body fell with a dull thud as Hanson spat out the last of his chew. Already a trio of soldiers had come forward to retrieve the body. Hanson watched as the men put her into a body bag and loaded her into the back of one of the trucks. As the truck began to pull away Hanson whispered. “Goodbye Princess Isabella”