Beyond the escape EP-1

"Huff...huff...huff..." John panted heavily.

"Eli, come in. Can you hear me?" he spoke into the receiver, only to be met with a buzzing noise.

"Damnit, why isn't she responding?"

John sprinted down a snowy foothill, an infant crying in his arms while carrying a rifle on his back. Blood oozed from gunshot wounds, staining his 2-star military uniform from the kingdom of JOYCE.

"Where should I run? There's no place for me to hide," John cried out in pain, as he rushed down the mountain.

The baby wailed intensely.

"Oi oi oi, calm down. Daddy is going to protect you," John attempted to soothe the infant.

*Gunshots echoed from behind.*

Soldier 1: "STOP, you traitor."

*More gunshots.*

Soldier 2: "Surrender yourself, JOHN."

The soldiers on their ice bikes closed in on John with relentless speed. In a desperate move, John hurled a grenade, and the ensuing explosion created a chaotic scene, momentarily putting a stop to the advancing front.

Taking advantage of the distraction, John sprinted away through the snow-covered terrain. His breaths came in sharp gasps as the icy wind whipped against his face.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his calf as a sniper's bullet found its mark. John stumbled, and the world around him blurred as he tumbled down the mountain. His momentum triggered an avalanche, a cascading wall of snow that engulfed him and the crying infant in his arms.

The roar of the avalanche echoed through the mountainside as it swallowed trees, rocks, and the pursuing soldiers. John, still caught in the turbulent descent, felt like a mere speck in the overwhelming force of nature. The world turned chaotic as snow enveloped everything, and the deafening sound of the avalanche became a symphony of destruction.

For a while, the storm of snow and chaos raged on until, gradually, it began to subside. The roaring avalanche came to a hushed standstill, leaving behind a serene, snow-covered landscape – a stark contrast to the tumultuous events that had unfolded just moments ago.

"John can you hear me, where are you" Eli called out to John.

"Over here!" John called out, thrusting his hand through the snow, desperately seeking help.

Eli, arriving on an ice bike, rushed to his side and pulled him out.

"Thanks. I thought I was dead!" John gasped, relief washing over him as he caught his breath in the frigid air.

"We don't have much time; we need to move. They should be arriving anytime now," Eli gasped, struggling for breath.

"Okay, let's go—wait a whole damn minute, where is Jeff!" John was holding Jeff in a military coat, but Jeff was missing in his arms. Both of them, with frightened faces, scanned the snowy landscape, their breaths heavy with urgency.

"Put your hands in the air and don't move," Kraken, arriving with reinforcements, commanded.

"John, we have to go, or we'll be dead."

"No, not without Jeff," John declared, determination flashing in his eyes despite the perilous situation.

"John, our mission isn't finished, and sacrificing ourselves here won't change that. Jeff is your son, and I understand the pain, but the consequences of failure go beyond us. Ken sacrificed himself for a reason, and it won't mean anything if we don't complete the mission. Lives across nations depend on us. Please, for everyone's sake, let's go," Eli implored with a mix of professionalism and emotion, the weight of responsibility evident in her words.

John, unable to contain his emotions, burst into tears, his face contorted with anger.

"I made a promise to Scarlett that I will protect Jeff with my life on the line," he declared, emotions raw and visible.

"Didn't you hear me well, John? PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!" Kraken's tone rose sharply, his anger palpable. His right hand, wrapped in a bandage and leaking blood, reflected the intensity of the situation.

"Please, John, let's go," Eli pleaded, grabbing him by the hand as they drove away towards a cliff. John before getting on the ice bike pulled out Scarlett's name badge from the coat in which Jeff was wrapped moments ago while crying. Reinforcements pursued them.

"Bring them back alive!" Kraken shouted, stepping down from the bike onto the snow with a pistol in his left hand. The pursuit intensified, adding another layer of urgency to John and Eli's escape.

Soldier 3: "Sir, please, sit down; the bandage will open again."

Kraken, with a bald head and a scar above his left eye, retorted, "You do not tell me what to do." He shot Soldier 3 in the chest, killing him instantly.

"Ouch," Kraken winced, grabbing his right hand.
"I will never forgive you for this, John," he seethed, the pain and anger evident in his voice as the pursuit continued.

*Jeff crying*

To be continued...............