Michael found it hard moving through the thick forest brush. He'd tried running, but after several tumbles, he forced himself to push through at a slow, steady pace. He'd caught a second wind after Claude caught them by surprise.
While waiting for him, they'd shifted their aim towards the tracking dot behind them, but it'd disappeared when Claude had gotten within two hundred yards of their location. Instead of approaching them directly as they were expecting, Claude shifted to their right. It'd taken him an hour to do it, but he'd gotten within fifteen yards before they heard the branch crunch beneath his foot. Michael knew it was mere luck he was still alive.
Michael couldn’t tell how deep he'd gone, but it felt at least a few hundred yards in. When he turned around, he couldn't see the town anymore. Where was Stuart? He looked around, but there was no sign of him at all. There was a large trunk that split into two trees, leaving a nice gap for him to watch through. It wasn't the best hiding spot but felt it would give him an advantage if he was the one sitting still.
As soon as he stopped moving, he could hear footsteps crinkling in the distance. It was impossible to tell where exactly the sound was coming from, but if it got nearer, he would undoubtedly have the advantage. He tried using the scope to scan the scene but found it too limiting. If he was focusing on one object, it'd help, but it was much too precise for general surveillance.
He sat to the ground and placed his back to the stump. He listened intently as the footsteps were getting closer. They were over his left shoulder. He took a wild guess that they were twenty meters out. He held the rifle to his chest. He'd wait until Claude passed him, then he'd shoot him from behind. The footsteps edged closer and closer.