Near Nirsk,
Soren stumbled through the coastal marshes. He had been trekking for nearly two days since his plane was shot down, and was tiring fast as his progress slowed. The compass told him he was going south, towards Nirsk but he not seen any sign of habitation for hours. In nay case he avoided buildings, as the inhabitants might easily sell him out to Gronkob, for money, fear or otherwise. The sky was bleak, and it was getting dark now. He stopped and took out his remaining rations, biting down on a few morsels while resting.
Rain drops began to fall, their pattering mingling with the general gurgle of the water of the marsh and the occasional cry of some strange animal. The sky, in a brief moment of sunlight, had turned reddish. He began to to get up and walk again, though it was getting too dark to read the compass without a flashlight. Well, at least I'm not dead, or captured, and plus, a rescue force should arrive. At least I hope it does, his faith in the cunning secretary Nygaard and the ambitious General Skarn somewhat eroded by the passage of time. he turned back to thinking of his crush, Freya, and what she would think of his death, as he rested.
The sky was dark now, but Soren brightened suddenly: he had seen a cluster of lights, framed against the night clouds.
Finally, there was somewhere he could head to. Soren stumbled on into the night.
......
The sky also had a reddish tinge for the relief force. They had moved with speed to the coast, and now a search party was being sent to the wreckage sites. Colonel Helen Moretz marshaled her soldiers well, and they moved with a quick, efficient purpose. They were still, as far as anyone knew undetected, but that could well change at any moment, especially as there were reports of Gronkob's troops in the area. Luckily the darkening sky made visibility bad, and the marshes here were largely desolate. Even so, everyone was on high alert for they force only numbered some 250 men, not enough to conduct an extended campaign in hostile territory. They had also failed to make contact with either the pilots or the rebels,hardly improving their circumstances. The mission's success was in the balance, as did the lives of many people. The soldiers knew this and were tense, as the grey and red sky shifted to a monochrome black.
