He forced himself to continue running despite the agony, but he was stumbling like a drunkard. Blood seeped between his fingers as he cupped his injured shoulder. The flights of the crossbow bolt were the colour of a raven’s feather. Behind him he could hear the shooter laughing.

“Hab dich! Hab dich! I got you!”

Dean staggered on. The German was one of the worst.

A new voice came to him. It took long seconds to realise it was his own.

“Don’t look back. Just keep running. Don’t look back. Just keep running.”

He repeated the mantra over and over as he lurched spasmodically from tree to tree. Cold sweat beaded over his face, stinging his eyes. Then he was on a path. A narrow path, but one that at least provided a clear line through the trees. “Don’t look back. Just keep running. Don’t look back. Just keep running.”

The new pain struck him like a punch from a karate master. He could not scream. His lungs would not let him. Another bolt must have struck him in his back. The blood bubbled from his mouth as he turned to look at his killer.

The German.

He didn’t even know the bastard’s name.

The camouflaged killer raised his stubby weapon high in the air and laughed aloud.

Dean fell to his knees. Another five men materialised out of nowhere, like ghosts. A brief exchange of words ended with the German pointing in the direction that Ellen had taken. The other men set off again in rapid pursuit, their camouflage clothing and greasepaint blending with the jungle perfectly. They were lost from sight within a few seconds.

Dean’s vision was dimming, dark spots dancing before his eyes. He knew he was dying. Tears ran down his dirt-streaked face.

The German stood over him, crossbow loose in his grasp, laughing softly. He placed a boot on Dean’s belly, almost as if he was posing for a picture. Dean struggled to free himself from beneath the man’s boot, the last vestiges of his strength almost spent. The German increased the pressure slightly, pinning him down.

A short burst of automatic gunfire echoed through the trees. A woman’s choked scream rang out.