Read Will of Man - Part Five for Free Online Page B

in a desperate battle for survival. I took a final breath and pulled myself and the wolf beneath the water. The wolf snapped at me a couple more times, but then turned its attention to freeing itself from my grasp.
    I bear hugged the wolf with all my might and was able to hold on to the squirming beast. The water around us was red with blood. Both I and the wolf were bleeding from our wounds, but I could tell the wolf was grasping for any remaining strength. It was hurt bad and suffering from the poison and open wound. Without those two factors, I didn't stand a chance. But I had earned the advantages and I used them.
    We were both on a level playing field. Now it was a matter of who could hold their breath the longest. Who had the greatest will to survive? I thought of my family and looked at this wolf as my greatest obstacle between them and me. I had to survive. What motivation did this wolf have to fight so hard?
    I felt a log with my feet lying on the bottom of the river. I wrapped my foot around the log and anchored us to the bottom of the river.
    My lungs were burning and my head was getting clouded. I could feel my grasp weakening, but the struggling of the wolf was weakening also. I knew I was close to drowning my prey, but wasn't letting go until I knew for sure it was dead. I was either going to pass out trying, or that wolf was going to die beneath the water.
    The wolf began convulsing harder and harder, then lesser and lesser, until finally it moved no more.
    I held on a little longer and then let go. I had done it. MY WILL WAS STRONGER.
    I swam to the surface and then to the river bank across the river where the wolves kept me from crossing. For days I’ve longed to be here on this side of the river and finally I am here.
    As I crawled my way up the bank, I noticed blood seeping down my arm and onto the ground in front of me. The wolf had shredded my shoulder and as I looked at it, I became dizzy and faint.
    I looked away and rolled over on my back. I laid looking upward towards the grey-cloudy sky. I was happy the ordeal was over, but worried about my wounds. To my dismay, I realized I forgot all my gear on the other side of the river.
    I swam a sloppy stroke to the other side and gathered my gear, then swam back again to the other side. Once back on the other side, I took out my first-aid kit Dad packed in a giant zip-lock bag to keep it dry.
    I mended my wounds the best I could, but the gauze couldn’t hold back the blood and I was soon purging again. I applied pressure to my shoulder with a rolled up pair of wool socks, but my wounds extended to my back where I couldn‘t reach.
    I took a bearing with my compass and headed towards the nearby town where I was to meet Balow. The town was only two miles away, but I was fading quickly.
    I think most of the fuzziness I was feeling was from shock, but also because of the loss of blood. As I trudged through the woods, I could feel my face going numb and see my hands turning pale white.
    Panic set in and I stumbled faster to the nearby town, hoping to find anyone willing to help me.
    What if the town was empty? What if there were only bad people there? What if I didn’t make it, and I died there in the woods?
    As I stumbled through the open woods, I could see the tiny town ahead of me resting in a shallow valley. Smoke was coming from the chimney's of many homes.
    The sight of the smoke rising from the chimneys gave me hope. I knew there must be people in those homes. Someone in that tiny town must be good. Someone might help me.
    As I approached the first farm house, my sight began to fade. I lost feeling in my hands and feet, and the ground began to spin. I was about to pass out.
    I shouted a shallow plea for help and raised my limp hand in the air to capture anyone's attention.
    I came to a fence and got tangled in the barbed wire. I tried to pull myself free, but I was too weak by then, and I could only hang there - helpless.
    With foggy vision, I could see a