Andy knew about where Brian was going to set up, and stared in that direction. He saw one small flash of light, followed by another within a few seconds. No sound, but the jungle seemed to get quieter; not what he needed. He felt three taps on his shoulder. Luther and the Indian were moving into position. Andy was to wait thirty seconds and then get ready to start his run. When he saw the glow of the charcoal he would count his heartbeats to ten and then make his move. One, two, three…
The bamboo pole was heavier than his college fiberglass one and the sprint toward the gate took forever. He heard a loud thud as he slammed his pole right on top of the charcoal. But once in the air all the practice runs in college took over. His feet shot toward the darkened sky as he pulled with his arms to gain height. He rotated his body and did a final push-off with his hands as he floated through the air. His right hand hit the top of the fence on his way down. He landed half on his feet, but then crashed onto his back as all the air in his lungs rushed out. He could see stars, but doubted anybody else saw the ones he was seeing. He lay there forever, before something grabbed his foot near the fence. He wanted to scream, but kept silent. As he slid toward the fence something was placed in his hand. Andy rolled over onto his knees and squinted until he picked out the barracks. There wasn’t time to sneak across the yard, he had to run.
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