Red Hand Days - chapter 2
Title: Red Hand Days
Status: WIP
A/N: Here's the second chapter so I can't be blamed for vspirit holding her breath for unhealthy lengths of time. I think I should also give out a warning about the plot of this fic at this point; there is none. That means this could just go on forever, because I just really really really like writing about Gauron and Sousuke. Thanks for all the comments!
Chapter 2
Kashim let out a quiet groan and tried to find a more comfortable position. Everything was shaking and rattling and it made sleeping very difficult. He was sitting and leaning against something. The air was thick with dust. A large arm wrapped around Kashim's chest and he opened his eyes.
“Well look who's up.”
Kashim's back resonated with the rumbling of Gauron's voice as the man spoke. It didn't take too many guesses to find out who Kashim was leaning against. Taking in a bit more of his surroundings Kashim saw that he was practically in the man's lap. Gauron's legs were on either side of him and a strong arm had pulled him tightly against the man's chest.
They were in the back of the truck with four other men. The others were geared up and sitting on the opposite benches. Kashim and Gauron sat on the floor. Kashim could catch glimpses of outside through the heavy canvas which was covering the trucks rear door. It was evening, the sun dropping towards the horizon.
“How are you feeling?”
Gauron's question brought attention to Kashim's condition. In fact there were several things that were calling for his attention. First of them was the pain in his back. It wasn't just an ache one got from sleeping in uncomfortable posture. The pain was sharp and constant, like he had a wound right in the middle of his back. The second pain was the aching lower, which told Kashim that Gauron had taken him while he had been unconscious. That wasn't anything new, but it wasn't something to get used to either. The third set of pain was just overall ache from sleeping like that.
“My back hurts”, Kashim answered since it was the only reportable thing.
“I know. There were some problems that the medic sorted out. It's all good now. I made everything okay”, Gauron stated too softly for comfort. His large hand smoothed Kashim's tangled hair. Every muscle in Kashim's body was tensed to the maximum. Being that close to Gauron was never good.
Three of the soldiers were staring either their hands or at the opposite walls of the truck, knowing well enough not to pay too much attention to Gauron and his doings. One of them must have been freshly recruited, since he kept staring at Kashim.
“Did you sleep well?” Gauron asked with a grinning tone. His hand slipped underneath Kashim's shirt to his bare stomach.
“Yes, sir.” It really didn't matter what he answered, it was already too late. Gauron's hand travelled upwards and his fingers brushed against one of Kashim's nipples.
“Good. Then turn around. I've got something for you.”
Kashim had never quite gotten it, the expression. Gauron never actually had anything for him, it was just his way to tell him to give him a blowjob. Another term Kashim had learned in this group. He didn't turn, instead he just tensed. He hated the things Gauron did every time, but he hated it even more, when he insisted doing them in front of other people. “I would like to get up, sir. I'm not feeling well.”
The caress in Kashim's hair took a more painful turn, as Gauron gripped the hair in the back of Kashim's neck. “Turn around or I will kick your fucking teeth in and fuck you right here”, he growled.
Swallowing slightly Kashim turned. His eyes went to the man's crotch. The bulge made him feel sick in his throat.
“Take it out”, Gauron coaxed and let his hand rest on the side of Kashim's face. He let out a laughter when Kashim hesitated and glanced to his side. “Don't care about them, they don't give a shit.”
Kashim braced himself and took a deep inhale, like diving into icy water. If he didn't think about it too much, it would be over soon. His hand reached to open Gauron's zipper. The man wasn't even fully hard yet, his cock reacting to Kashim's touch. He jerked it few times, before the hand in the back of his neck forced him either to lower himself or to be strangled.
Gauron let out a hiss when Kashim's tongue touched the tip. “Take your time”, he sighed and leaned more back. Kashim shifted too, sitting on his legs and leaning lower to get a good angle. If he just did it, it would be over and Gauron would be happy. If he started to fight now, it would hurt and it would take forever for Gauron to finish. Kashim took the man in his mouth and kept jerking him at the same time. His mind was already somewhere else, revising the AS commands and tactics. The truck was filled by Gauron's loud groans, his hand gripped Kashim's hair.
“That's really not fair, you know.”
Kashim gagged a little when he heard someone talk. It must've been the new guy. He was laughing for some reason. Gauron's abs tightened. He hated it when people disturbed him like this.
“Not sharing and all”, the other guy went on. The other soldiers let out a sympathetic laugh. It was most likely because they didn't want to shoot their own people right now.
Gauron's hand coaxed Kashim to continue. “I'm sorry”, Gauron stated. He actually sounded apologetic, which was scary as hell. “I didn't know you wanted to blow me too. Do you want to wait until Kashim here is finished or just join right in?”
It was the other guy's turn to gag. “You... I... You know what I mean”, he said with a trembling laughter.
“Shut the fuck up”, Gauron snapped. “You're making Kashim nervous”, he mumbled then, smoothing Kashim's hair again. The new guy was silent again, staring in front of him like the rest. Gauron's hand nudged Kashim's jaw. “Look at me, Kashim.”
Kashim did his best to keep the cock in his mouth while lifting his eyes to the man.
Gauron smiled. “That's my boy”, he drawled. “Little more”, he urged and pushed himself deeper. Kashim gagged again. “Yeah, I know it's a little big for you, but do it anyway.”
Kashim fastened the pace of his hand a bit. Gauron felt enormous and rock hard in his hand, the tip of the cock jabbing the roof of his throat. Luckily Gauron started to pant slightly louder, thrusting his hips upwards. It felt like he would rip Kashim's hair clean off. Kashim closed his mouth a bit and let his teeth rake at Gauron's flesh. It was one of the things he liked.
Gauron let out a growling shout and pushed Kashim's face all the way down. Cum hit his throat and increased the feeling of being suffocated. Kashim ordered himself to calm down and soon enough Gauron pushed him roughly away. “Jesus fucking Christ you suck cock like an angel”, the man panted and leaned against the metal wall of the truck. Kashim wiped his face to his sleeve and would have moved away, if he had had the time. Gauron seized his arm and pulled him back. “There's some cleaning to be done here too”, he mumbled.
Pushing his nausea to the side, Kashim lowered himself once more to lick the cum residues from the limp cock. He tucked it back to Gauron's pants like he was ordered. But even after that Gauron wasn't still ready to let him go. Kashim's back was pressed back against Gauron's chest. The man's hand lazily caressing Kashim's chest.
“Are you thirsty?” Gauron asked, almost whispering his question to Kashim's ear. Kashim shook his head a little. “Vostrikov, a bottle”, he called to one of the soldiers, who was the closest to Gauron's right hand man as anyone could be. Vostrikov took a water bottle from the crate next to him and tossed it to Gauron. The bottle was opened in front of Kashim and held out to him. “Drink. The doctor said you were dehydrated.”
Kashim didn't have the will or energy to debate about the issue, so he took the bottle and drank half of it. At least he got the taste off his mouth. Gauron held Kashim against himself like he was wounded or a child.
They reached their spot for the ambush during that night. Kashim got off the truck with Gauron. The desert around them was silent and quickly chilling. The wind was picking up.
“Listen up!” Gauron bellowed and got everyone's attention. They were a small group at the moment, only twelve men. Two teams of five men plus Kashim and Gauron with the AS'. “They are going to come through that pass in five hours. Make sure your gear is ready, sleep if you need to. No tents, no fire, no shooting.” He waited until everyone seemed to be doing something, before turning to Kashim. “I could use your talent right about now.”
Kashim felt like... What had Kasabian said that one night? He was feeling like... shit, that was it. He was tired as hell and his back hurt and now Gauron wanted... Kashim glanced at the truck with a defeated expression and tried to come up with good enough excuses.
Gauron let out a laughter and slammed his hand against Kashim's shoulder. “I meant during the fight! Jesus! You can never get enough, can you?”
Kashim decided to ignore the last part. “You want me to fight?” It was a surprise after he had tried to escape.
“I've done some moderations with the other AS. It's safe even for you. Can't target friendly fire or leave the perimeter. Do you want to take part or wait in the truck?”
It was an easy decision. “I want to fight.” That was what he did. And Kashim was a hell of a fighter when he was given a chance.
Gauron smiled and slammed him again. “That's my boy. Let's get geared up.”
The fight itself was pathetic and short. Kashim had a chance to shoot twice before the whole thing was over. Some crates were transferred from the other trucks to theirs and few soldiers went around executing the prisoners. Gauron, in his own AS, stated the mission completed after 37 minutes. The soldiers started to prepare leaving.
Kashim moved his AS and pointed the giant rifle to one of their trucks. Few of the nearby soldiers ducked with a shout. Kashim pulled the trigger. There was red error message on the control panel, telling him the command could not be executed because of clashing configurations. Gauron had been right. He had idiot-proofed the AS, making it impossible to use during an escape.
“Out.” The command came from Gauron's AS. He was pointing Kashim with his rifle. Kashim grunted and shut the machine down before opening the hatch. It was clear that the same restrictions didn't concern Gauron's AS. Kashim pulled himself out and got down with agile movements. The sun was coming up and the heat was picking up. Kashim pulled his helmet off and waited until Gauron got out from his own AS. The man dropped to the ground, but instead of hitting Kashim, he just patted the boy to his shoulder and started yelling out orders to the others.
The drive to Pakistan was slow and boring as usual. Some of the men played cards in the truck, some tried to sleep regardless of the bumps on the road. Kashim sat alone in one corner and rested his head against the hard metal.
Gauron wasn't in the same truck. He had taken the AS to do some recon in the surrounding area. No one knew where exactly he was or when he would be back. Kashim hoped it would take days like it did sometimes, but it was unlikely. Gauron had kept a really close eye on him after he started to plan deserting.
They crossed the border without any problems. No one checked their papers or asked any questions. The truck headed towards north. That meant they wouldn't be going to any bigger towns. It didn't bother Kashim - he didn't need anything special from the town - but the others weren't as pleased about the decision.
“He said we'd go to Mingora!” one of the soldiers exclaimed and kicked the wall of the truck. “That fucking lying piece of shit! I was supposed to meet a girl there!”
Vostrikov shrugged, holding his playing cards. “He probably got another gig or something. That's how it is like here. Gauron doesn't give a shit about your girls.”
“Easy for him to say”, the other man muttered. “Like he needs girls or anything”, he snorted and cast a glare towards Kashim.
Vostrikov glanced at Kashim too, before turning towards the other soldier. “Keep your fucking voice down. Gauron will shoot you in a blink of an eye, if he catches you talking like that.”
“What? He's a closet faggot or something? Doesn't seem like it when he fucks that thing in front of everyone”, he nodded towards Kashim.
Kashim turned his eyes away from the men. He hated this so much. The way he was pushed aside. Like he was property of Gauron and nothing else. Like he wasn't a soldier like the rest of them. Like he hadn't fought by their side for years. Like he hadn't saved their lives several times. Like he wasn't the best fighter this team had ever seen.
“And you!” the man called to Kashim. “What the fuck are you still doing alive? You like it or something? Jesus, if it was me, I'd put a bullet in my brain already.”
Kashim turned his eyes to the man. A bullet in to a brain? Was he talking about... shooting himself? It didn't make sense at all. Why would anyone shoot themselves? Kashim had never heard of anything like it. All the people Kashim had ever met loved living. They did anything to survive and when they were dying, they begged for their lives as long as they breathed. When Kashim had fought all his life to survive, why would he suddenly stop? He suspected that the other soldier was going crazy. It happened sometimes when a person wasn't prepared well enough for fighting.
“You thirsty, Kashim?” Vostrikov asked and took out a water bottle. Without waiting for an answer he tossed the bottle to Kashim and turned back to the other soldier. “Don't talk about shit you know nothing about.” He nodded to Kashim again. “Just ignore him, he's an idiot. No need to tell Gauron about it.”
Kashim nodded slightly. He didn't talk to Gauron much anyway, so it wouldn't be a problem.
They camped in the wasteland, near the foot of a snow capped mountain. Kashim got out of the truck and glanced around. Gauron's AS was nowhere to be seen. Someone yelled his name from the truck and tossed a heavy bag to him. It was Gauron's tent. Since Kashim slept in Gauron's tent, it had become his responsibility to set the tent up. Kashim walked to the camping area and started to set up the tent.
The tent was almost ready before Kashim realised it. He wasn't tied up and Gauron wasn't there. The sun was setting fast and it would be pitch black in an hour. Kashim's heart raced as he glanced around. Everyone was preoccupied with their tasks to set the camp up. At the moment no one was even looking at Kashim's direction. Surely he didn't have a weapon or any equipment, but... He could try. Now, before Gauron got back. He could make it.
Kashim paced himself, walking towards the trucks like he had forgotten something. Once beside the truck he glanced behind him. No one was looking. He slipped around the truck and fastened his steps, making his way towards the mountain side. 20 meters and he would be out of their sight. 10 meters. 5. Kashim's boots hit the ground as he started running.
There were no shouts from the camp. Kashim kept himself out of the line of sight. The images of Gauron finding out he was gone only making him run faster. If he got caught now, there would be so much pain. He had to get away.
The mountain was ideal for escaping. It was easy to climb and there were endless possibilities to hide. The trucks couldn't follow him and soon it would be too dark to try and find his tracks. Kashim estimated he had one to three hours before Gauron got the message of his escape and would come after him with the AS. In that time Kashim could disappear almost completely.
It took longer for Kashim to spot the AS than he had expected. First he only heard it but after few moments he spotted it's silhouette in the distance. Kashim kept himself low and watched Gauron proceed. The AS was going to a completely different direction from the spot Kashim was. It moved through an area Kashim hadn't even crossed. Kashim felt a rush of relief. Gauron wasn't even tracking him, just searching aimlessly, probably using heat detection. Kashim couldn't believe it. He had actually gotten away. This time for sure.
Of course Kashim couldn't be sure how long Gauron would pursue him, but the terrain was in Kashim's favour. During the day it was too hot to use the heat detection and even during the nights Kashim could hear the AS from afar. He could just continue over the mountain and head back to Afghanistan. He could go to Kabul and find some other group to fight with. A group that would consider him the soldier he was. Maybe he could even make his way to Kandahar. Gauron would never find him again.
Status: WIP
A/N: Here's the second chapter so I can't be blamed for vspirit holding her breath for unhealthy lengths of time. I think I should also give out a warning about the plot of this fic at this point; there is none. That means this could just go on forever, because I just really really really like writing about Gauron and Sousuke. Thanks for all the comments!
Chapter 2
Kashim let out a quiet groan and tried to find a more comfortable position. Everything was shaking and rattling and it made sleeping very difficult. He was sitting and leaning against something. The air was thick with dust. A large arm wrapped around Kashim's chest and he opened his eyes.
“Well look who's up.”
Kashim's back resonated with the rumbling of Gauron's voice as the man spoke. It didn't take too many guesses to find out who Kashim was leaning against. Taking in a bit more of his surroundings Kashim saw that he was practically in the man's lap. Gauron's legs were on either side of him and a strong arm had pulled him tightly against the man's chest.
They were in the back of the truck with four other men. The others were geared up and sitting on the opposite benches. Kashim and Gauron sat on the floor. Kashim could catch glimpses of outside through the heavy canvas which was covering the trucks rear door. It was evening, the sun dropping towards the horizon.
“How are you feeling?”
Gauron's question brought attention to Kashim's condition. In fact there were several things that were calling for his attention. First of them was the pain in his back. It wasn't just an ache one got from sleeping in uncomfortable posture. The pain was sharp and constant, like he had a wound right in the middle of his back. The second pain was the aching lower, which told Kashim that Gauron had taken him while he had been unconscious. That wasn't anything new, but it wasn't something to get used to either. The third set of pain was just overall ache from sleeping like that.
“My back hurts”, Kashim answered since it was the only reportable thing.
“I know. There were some problems that the medic sorted out. It's all good now. I made everything okay”, Gauron stated too softly for comfort. His large hand smoothed Kashim's tangled hair. Every muscle in Kashim's body was tensed to the maximum. Being that close to Gauron was never good.
Three of the soldiers were staring either their hands or at the opposite walls of the truck, knowing well enough not to pay too much attention to Gauron and his doings. One of them must have been freshly recruited, since he kept staring at Kashim.
“Did you sleep well?” Gauron asked with a grinning tone. His hand slipped underneath Kashim's shirt to his bare stomach.
“Yes, sir.” It really didn't matter what he answered, it was already too late. Gauron's hand travelled upwards and his fingers brushed against one of Kashim's nipples.
“Good. Then turn around. I've got something for you.”
Kashim had never quite gotten it, the expression. Gauron never actually had anything for him, it was just his way to tell him to give him a blowjob. Another term Kashim had learned in this group. He didn't turn, instead he just tensed. He hated the things Gauron did every time, but he hated it even more, when he insisted doing them in front of other people. “I would like to get up, sir. I'm not feeling well.”
The caress in Kashim's hair took a more painful turn, as Gauron gripped the hair in the back of Kashim's neck. “Turn around or I will kick your fucking teeth in and fuck you right here”, he growled.
Swallowing slightly Kashim turned. His eyes went to the man's crotch. The bulge made him feel sick in his throat.
“Take it out”, Gauron coaxed and let his hand rest on the side of Kashim's face. He let out a laughter when Kashim hesitated and glanced to his side. “Don't care about them, they don't give a shit.”
Kashim braced himself and took a deep inhale, like diving into icy water. If he didn't think about it too much, it would be over soon. His hand reached to open Gauron's zipper. The man wasn't even fully hard yet, his cock reacting to Kashim's touch. He jerked it few times, before the hand in the back of his neck forced him either to lower himself or to be strangled.
Gauron let out a hiss when Kashim's tongue touched the tip. “Take your time”, he sighed and leaned more back. Kashim shifted too, sitting on his legs and leaning lower to get a good angle. If he just did it, it would be over and Gauron would be happy. If he started to fight now, it would hurt and it would take forever for Gauron to finish. Kashim took the man in his mouth and kept jerking him at the same time. His mind was already somewhere else, revising the AS commands and tactics. The truck was filled by Gauron's loud groans, his hand gripped Kashim's hair.
“That's really not fair, you know.”
Kashim gagged a little when he heard someone talk. It must've been the new guy. He was laughing for some reason. Gauron's abs tightened. He hated it when people disturbed him like this.
“Not sharing and all”, the other guy went on. The other soldiers let out a sympathetic laugh. It was most likely because they didn't want to shoot their own people right now.
Gauron's hand coaxed Kashim to continue. “I'm sorry”, Gauron stated. He actually sounded apologetic, which was scary as hell. “I didn't know you wanted to blow me too. Do you want to wait until Kashim here is finished or just join right in?”
It was the other guy's turn to gag. “You... I... You know what I mean”, he said with a trembling laughter.
“Shut the fuck up”, Gauron snapped. “You're making Kashim nervous”, he mumbled then, smoothing Kashim's hair again. The new guy was silent again, staring in front of him like the rest. Gauron's hand nudged Kashim's jaw. “Look at me, Kashim.”
Kashim did his best to keep the cock in his mouth while lifting his eyes to the man.
Gauron smiled. “That's my boy”, he drawled. “Little more”, he urged and pushed himself deeper. Kashim gagged again. “Yeah, I know it's a little big for you, but do it anyway.”
Kashim fastened the pace of his hand a bit. Gauron felt enormous and rock hard in his hand, the tip of the cock jabbing the roof of his throat. Luckily Gauron started to pant slightly louder, thrusting his hips upwards. It felt like he would rip Kashim's hair clean off. Kashim closed his mouth a bit and let his teeth rake at Gauron's flesh. It was one of the things he liked.
Gauron let out a growling shout and pushed Kashim's face all the way down. Cum hit his throat and increased the feeling of being suffocated. Kashim ordered himself to calm down and soon enough Gauron pushed him roughly away. “Jesus fucking Christ you suck cock like an angel”, the man panted and leaned against the metal wall of the truck. Kashim wiped his face to his sleeve and would have moved away, if he had had the time. Gauron seized his arm and pulled him back. “There's some cleaning to be done here too”, he mumbled.
Pushing his nausea to the side, Kashim lowered himself once more to lick the cum residues from the limp cock. He tucked it back to Gauron's pants like he was ordered. But even after that Gauron wasn't still ready to let him go. Kashim's back was pressed back against Gauron's chest. The man's hand lazily caressing Kashim's chest.
“Are you thirsty?” Gauron asked, almost whispering his question to Kashim's ear. Kashim shook his head a little. “Vostrikov, a bottle”, he called to one of the soldiers, who was the closest to Gauron's right hand man as anyone could be. Vostrikov took a water bottle from the crate next to him and tossed it to Gauron. The bottle was opened in front of Kashim and held out to him. “Drink. The doctor said you were dehydrated.”
Kashim didn't have the will or energy to debate about the issue, so he took the bottle and drank half of it. At least he got the taste off his mouth. Gauron held Kashim against himself like he was wounded or a child.
They reached their spot for the ambush during that night. Kashim got off the truck with Gauron. The desert around them was silent and quickly chilling. The wind was picking up.
“Listen up!” Gauron bellowed and got everyone's attention. They were a small group at the moment, only twelve men. Two teams of five men plus Kashim and Gauron with the AS'. “They are going to come through that pass in five hours. Make sure your gear is ready, sleep if you need to. No tents, no fire, no shooting.” He waited until everyone seemed to be doing something, before turning to Kashim. “I could use your talent right about now.”
Kashim felt like... What had Kasabian said that one night? He was feeling like... shit, that was it. He was tired as hell and his back hurt and now Gauron wanted... Kashim glanced at the truck with a defeated expression and tried to come up with good enough excuses.
Gauron let out a laughter and slammed his hand against Kashim's shoulder. “I meant during the fight! Jesus! You can never get enough, can you?”
Kashim decided to ignore the last part. “You want me to fight?” It was a surprise after he had tried to escape.
“I've done some moderations with the other AS. It's safe even for you. Can't target friendly fire or leave the perimeter. Do you want to take part or wait in the truck?”
It was an easy decision. “I want to fight.” That was what he did. And Kashim was a hell of a fighter when he was given a chance.
Gauron smiled and slammed him again. “That's my boy. Let's get geared up.”
The fight itself was pathetic and short. Kashim had a chance to shoot twice before the whole thing was over. Some crates were transferred from the other trucks to theirs and few soldiers went around executing the prisoners. Gauron, in his own AS, stated the mission completed after 37 minutes. The soldiers started to prepare leaving.
Kashim moved his AS and pointed the giant rifle to one of their trucks. Few of the nearby soldiers ducked with a shout. Kashim pulled the trigger. There was red error message on the control panel, telling him the command could not be executed because of clashing configurations. Gauron had been right. He had idiot-proofed the AS, making it impossible to use during an escape.
“Out.” The command came from Gauron's AS. He was pointing Kashim with his rifle. Kashim grunted and shut the machine down before opening the hatch. It was clear that the same restrictions didn't concern Gauron's AS. Kashim pulled himself out and got down with agile movements. The sun was coming up and the heat was picking up. Kashim pulled his helmet off and waited until Gauron got out from his own AS. The man dropped to the ground, but instead of hitting Kashim, he just patted the boy to his shoulder and started yelling out orders to the others.
The drive to Pakistan was slow and boring as usual. Some of the men played cards in the truck, some tried to sleep regardless of the bumps on the road. Kashim sat alone in one corner and rested his head against the hard metal.
Gauron wasn't in the same truck. He had taken the AS to do some recon in the surrounding area. No one knew where exactly he was or when he would be back. Kashim hoped it would take days like it did sometimes, but it was unlikely. Gauron had kept a really close eye on him after he started to plan deserting.
They crossed the border without any problems. No one checked their papers or asked any questions. The truck headed towards north. That meant they wouldn't be going to any bigger towns. It didn't bother Kashim - he didn't need anything special from the town - but the others weren't as pleased about the decision.
“He said we'd go to Mingora!” one of the soldiers exclaimed and kicked the wall of the truck. “That fucking lying piece of shit! I was supposed to meet a girl there!”
Vostrikov shrugged, holding his playing cards. “He probably got another gig or something. That's how it is like here. Gauron doesn't give a shit about your girls.”
“Easy for him to say”, the other man muttered. “Like he needs girls or anything”, he snorted and cast a glare towards Kashim.
Vostrikov glanced at Kashim too, before turning towards the other soldier. “Keep your fucking voice down. Gauron will shoot you in a blink of an eye, if he catches you talking like that.”
“What? He's a closet faggot or something? Doesn't seem like it when he fucks that thing in front of everyone”, he nodded towards Kashim.
Kashim turned his eyes away from the men. He hated this so much. The way he was pushed aside. Like he was property of Gauron and nothing else. Like he wasn't a soldier like the rest of them. Like he hadn't fought by their side for years. Like he hadn't saved their lives several times. Like he wasn't the best fighter this team had ever seen.
“And you!” the man called to Kashim. “What the fuck are you still doing alive? You like it or something? Jesus, if it was me, I'd put a bullet in my brain already.”
Kashim turned his eyes to the man. A bullet in to a brain? Was he talking about... shooting himself? It didn't make sense at all. Why would anyone shoot themselves? Kashim had never heard of anything like it. All the people Kashim had ever met loved living. They did anything to survive and when they were dying, they begged for their lives as long as they breathed. When Kashim had fought all his life to survive, why would he suddenly stop? He suspected that the other soldier was going crazy. It happened sometimes when a person wasn't prepared well enough for fighting.
“You thirsty, Kashim?” Vostrikov asked and took out a water bottle. Without waiting for an answer he tossed the bottle to Kashim and turned back to the other soldier. “Don't talk about shit you know nothing about.” He nodded to Kashim again. “Just ignore him, he's an idiot. No need to tell Gauron about it.”
Kashim nodded slightly. He didn't talk to Gauron much anyway, so it wouldn't be a problem.
They camped in the wasteland, near the foot of a snow capped mountain. Kashim got out of the truck and glanced around. Gauron's AS was nowhere to be seen. Someone yelled his name from the truck and tossed a heavy bag to him. It was Gauron's tent. Since Kashim slept in Gauron's tent, it had become his responsibility to set the tent up. Kashim walked to the camping area and started to set up the tent.
The tent was almost ready before Kashim realised it. He wasn't tied up and Gauron wasn't there. The sun was setting fast and it would be pitch black in an hour. Kashim's heart raced as he glanced around. Everyone was preoccupied with their tasks to set the camp up. At the moment no one was even looking at Kashim's direction. Surely he didn't have a weapon or any equipment, but... He could try. Now, before Gauron got back. He could make it.
Kashim paced himself, walking towards the trucks like he had forgotten something. Once beside the truck he glanced behind him. No one was looking. He slipped around the truck and fastened his steps, making his way towards the mountain side. 20 meters and he would be out of their sight. 10 meters. 5. Kashim's boots hit the ground as he started running.
There were no shouts from the camp. Kashim kept himself out of the line of sight. The images of Gauron finding out he was gone only making him run faster. If he got caught now, there would be so much pain. He had to get away.
The mountain was ideal for escaping. It was easy to climb and there were endless possibilities to hide. The trucks couldn't follow him and soon it would be too dark to try and find his tracks. Kashim estimated he had one to three hours before Gauron got the message of his escape and would come after him with the AS. In that time Kashim could disappear almost completely.
It took longer for Kashim to spot the AS than he had expected. First he only heard it but after few moments he spotted it's silhouette in the distance. Kashim kept himself low and watched Gauron proceed. The AS was going to a completely different direction from the spot Kashim was. It moved through an area Kashim hadn't even crossed. Kashim felt a rush of relief. Gauron wasn't even tracking him, just searching aimlessly, probably using heat detection. Kashim couldn't believe it. He had actually gotten away. This time for sure.
Of course Kashim couldn't be sure how long Gauron would pursue him, but the terrain was in Kashim's favour. During the day it was too hot to use the heat detection and even during the nights Kashim could hear the AS from afar. He could just continue over the mountain and head back to Afghanistan. He could go to Kabul and find some other group to fight with. A group that would consider him the soldier he was. Maybe he could even make his way to Kandahar. Gauron would never find him again.