James sank down next to the Crusaders and lay back on the ground. He looked at his watch, school should’ve started yesterday but the civil war might had the opening delayed until it quieted down. James hoped that his school would be in Enforcer territory, he wondered if eventually it would be safe to return to the US and be a part of the school security team. But then he remembered that the Enforcers had a bloodlust for him and decided to stay in Cuba until the US reset itself and forgot about him. But could James have a nice peaceful life after what had happened to him? He was probably suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and he didn’t know it yet. As the Crusaders slept he turned the radio on, turns out the Enforcers and the Guardians were both looking for James and the Crusaders but they said that their deaths would not end the war. There was also a draft going on for both sides, James felt sorry for his friends who now had to kill one another because of what he did. He tried to not let that got to him as he fell asleep.
The next day James had roused the Crusaders and they were off in the direction of the airfield. James had to kill both Enforcers and Guardians that got in his way, in order to stop himself from going nuts he carved each kill into a .50 cal shell casing that he found. One thing that scared James was when the Crusaders got separated from him and then he heard gunfire, running to find the source he saw that the Crusaders were trying to hold off a pair of Guardians with their guns, James rescued them and told them that they did a great job. They traveled for an entire day and then stopped to rest for the night in another wooded area, the thing that put James as ease was the fact that the woods were much thicker than the one they hid from the tank in. James sat down under a large willow tree and took the .50 cal shell casing out of his pocket.
“Thirty nine,” he said as he read the tally marks he made on it, “I’ve killed thirty nine people.”
“That’s good,” said Apple Bloom.
“No it isn’t,” James said as he tucked it back into his pocket, “I’ve been killing both Enforcers and Guardians. People who I should be working with.”
“How long until we make it?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” James said, he knew he was lying, he had actually gotten him and the girls lost. Several of the key radio towers were blown up and James had been lying the whole time as they blundered around the county, they might as well be in another state. He had to lie so the Crusaders wouldn’t turn on him, not that they would but James didn’t want to take any chances.
As he set up another campfire he hunted for any berry bushes that would help them, James and the Crusaders had gone through the food in less than a day and they were down to just a few water bottles and a four bags of chips, luckily James found a few dead Guardians with full canteens and MREs. James pulled the MREs out and took only the chips and candy, he left the rest behind because he didn’t want to eat the nasty meals ever. After the Crusaders ate and found a nice spot to sleep James stoked the fire and looked up in the sky, a few jets flew overhead but they didn’t attack, possibly because of the thickness of the woods. James saw the Crusaders in the firelight, they had all huddled together again and were asleep. He didn’t want to let them know how bleak their situation was but James didn’t want them to think all is lost. James stared off into the woods and wondered where the flying club was, a hawk flew overhead and glided onto a tree. James thought that it was an eagle, then something hit him.
“The feather!” James exclaimed in his head. Ever since he killed the eagle on his trip to South Dakota, James had kept the feather on him at all times. James pulled the feather out of his sock, there was a brief ticking sensation as he pulled it out from under his foot but he managed to get it out undamaged. James remembered that he had to burn it in order for the Spirit of the Eagle to help guide him to wherever he wanted to go. James wasn’t one for relying on spirits to help him but he had no choice now. The fire had died out but James was capable of starting it up again, he stood the feather up in the pile of wood and lit the fire once more. He waited for the feather to catch fire, once it did it burst into a fire ball and then diminished, James wasn’t sure what to do next but he had to try something.
“I’m not sure how to start a summoning,” he said, James took a deep breath and tried to summon the Eagle’s spirit, “Spirit of the Eagle, I give you this offering in exchange for guidance. As you can see, I’m trying to get these girls back home. My family and my squad have betrayed me, I have nothing left but to get these kids back to their families and to escape this country. I hope you can point me in the direction of my former dad’s Cessna plane at the flying club we go to often so I can escape with the girls or find a way to get them back before I do. So I ask once more, can you help us?”
Nothing happened, the fire died and James was left in the freezing cold. James had a good mind to stomp out the fire when he heard a familiar sound. He looked around and listened for the noise, he then realized what it was.
It was a Spitfire.
James jumped up and looked around for the plane, he couldn’t see it but there was no mistaking the drone of the engine. James found a tree and he ended up climbing it to se which way the Spitfire was flying, he saw something in the sky that was illuminated by the moon but he wasn’t sure if it was the Spitfire but once again the unmistakable drone was heard. James watched it as it flew overhead and then turned to his right, the plane then descended behind the trees and the drone was muffled out by the sound of jets and gunfire.
“Thank you,” James said to the empty night. He climbed back down and sat under the willow tree with the Crusaders. He sat down with his back on the tree trunk, even though he was wearing his uniform James still shivered from the night air. His breath rose every time he sighed. James pulled his knees under his chin and tried to sleep, he shivered and tried to pull his beret over his ears, he shut his eyes and then felt something moving his arm. James opened his eyes and saw Scootaloo resting her head on his chest, Sweetie Bell had wedged her legs under his and Apple Bloom had her head on his feet. James knew that the last few days of summer had been hard for the Crusaders but it had even been harder for him, he had lost everything in the past three weeks. James was on the verge of a major physiological breakdown, he hoped he wouldn’t end up like Bob, an idiot with a passion for being unlikable and a thirst for Rivet energy drinks. James knew that he would rather kill himself than become someone like Bob, it wouldn’t matter anyway because he had nothing left to live for anyway, almost nothing.