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both hoisted their packs, considerably lighter now they had used up some of their supplies, Bradley’s being the heaviest with the Clansman radio. Jacko dropped down, pointing to the lights of the soldiers crossing the autobahn on the opposite side of the railway line. They were safe for now, but the soldiers’ friends on this side of the embankment wouldn’t be far away, and the two groups could quickly join up if needed. The two dogs were barking frenetically now, sensing something, urged on by their handlers. They would soon pick up the scent of the two soldiers. Then all hell would break loose.
    Bradley grabbed Jacko’s arm and pulled him away from the edge and took the lead, taking them east along the edge of the thicket, the same undergrowth where their hide was secreted. It would no longer be a secret, that was for sure. After fifty metres, they found the gap that they had identified during an earlier reconnaissance, when they were logging all the exit routes they could use should they get bounced. Both passed through it, going north, deeper into the forest and further away from the railway line and the dogs. A dog barked, sounding closer, directly opposite the hide they had just left. They could very well be across the railway line in a matter of minutes. The two groups were converging. Soon the hunt would be on.
    Bradley picked up the pace, keeping a northerly direction, Jacko tagging along behind him, stumbling occasionally, his lanky legs getting the better of him. The pace got quicker and quicker, speed more important than caution. Bradley broke into double time, his Bergen jumping slightly on his back, secured when he pulled the straps much tighter, shifting the weight high onto his shoulders. The small compass glowed slightly in his hand as he checked they were on course, turning north-west, keeping the autobahn about 100 metres off their left side. East of them were ploughed fields, a stretch of open ground in the centre of the large forest, an area a kilometre long by 500 metres wide. To cross that, they would expose themselves to their pursuers with nowhere to hide and leave a trail of footprints that the dog handlers could easily follow by torchlight. At least in this direction, they would have some tree cover.
    Bradley and Jacko stopped suddenly and looked over their shoulders as they heard a commotion, dogs barking wildly with excitement, soldiers shouting, the disturbance coming from the area of the hide they had just vacated. The dogs’ noses would be twitching and sniffing, their senses working overtime. It wouldn’t take them long to pick up their spoor and start to follow.
    “They’ve found our spot, Jacko. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
    Bradley sprinted off, continuing north-west, now at a run, tips of branches flicking against his arms as he weaved in and out of the trees, the sound of dogs barking growing louder, spurring him on. The shouts of handlers also increased in volume, keeping the dogs, yanking at their leashes, under control. The group had been joined by more canines, no doubt from the other side of the railway line. Bradley pushed his body hard, knowing the soldiers would be invigorated now they had found the hiding place of the spies they had been searching for, for the past twenty-four hours. The soldiers and the dogs would also be in a flat-out run. Bradley’s only hope was to keep the two of them moving; keep one step ahead of their pursuers.
    A flicker of light caught Bradley’s eye; vehicle headlights on the autobahn to their left, at least two or three trucks, he surmised. Reinforcements. Matters had just got worse. They were at least getting further and further away from the railway line, and starting to put some distance between them and the soldiers behind them. There was a squeal of brakes as more vehicles pulled over onto the hard shoulder of the autobahn, disgorging MFS troops to join in the hunt.
    Bradley stopped suddenly, Jacko ploughing into the back of