“Two Steps Ahead”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Dread settles into my stomach as I stare over the horizon. The flag ripples in the wind, bright red with a yellow flame emblazoned in the center.

“No,” Isaac whispers, eyes wide as he follows my gaze. “No, no, no! This wasn’t supposed to happen! We were supposed to be one step ahead of them!”

“Well, they were two steps ahead of us,” I mutter, clenching my fists as my stomach churns.

“I’m sorry,” Isaac says, shaking his head. “I should’ve predicted this. It’s my fault that we’re all going to be dead within the next hour.”

“Dude,” I say, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder, “if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t even be standing here to begin with.”

“Yeah, but if we weren’t here, we would still be alive tomorrow. Maybe there wouldn’t even have been a war to begin with.”

“Well, no use dwelling on that now.” I pat his shoulder before turning to walk back to the rest of our friends. “Come on, we need to revise our plan.”

“You’re better off without me,” he mutters. “I’d just lead us to our deaths. Again.”

I roll my eyes. “Jeez, stop being so dramatic. You’re our best strategist, and you’re going to get us out of this. You’re our best chance, and you know it.”

He hesitates before nodding. “Fine.”

I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile before leading the way back into the Temple.

Final Comments: I love dramatic music…

Overall Rating: 😊