‘Come on. We have to get the hell out of here!’ ordered Kaare and dragged Holger along.
Shortly afterwards, they merged into the shadows cast by the big ships settled down in the vast harbour complex. Holger had stopped looking back, concentrating solely on keeping pace with Kaare and controlling his breathing. He did not notice that he had stopped crying, but his heart was being torn out. He felt like a flame had been extinguished. The flame of hope. As a candle blown out by a draft. He was conscious of nothing but the searing pain ripping his chest apart. They moved swiftly through the otherworldly industrial harbour, and the surroundings did nothing to dispel the feeling of meaninglessness. The only thing that kept him going was raw willpower and Kaare’s pace.
From his days as a boy scout, where they had spent endless hours on maps and compass reading, Holger had always been good at orienteering. He had cherished the many night manoeuvres with the other boys. Proper orienteering marches where they had to find their way from one task to the next using a map and compass. These numerous trips gave him an inner compass that proved invaluable later in life as a soldier. In the past many years, when he had had no use for it, he had discovered his compass every so often when driving. He thus enjoyed finding his way 407using unmemorised reference points. When he drove somewhere he had been before, his brain – like a virtual satnav – started giving him directions for an upcoming crossroad; there was a large tree after which he was to take the second road on the right. However, Kaare’s pace at navigating through the desolated harbour impressed him. It wasn’t long at all before Kaare reached the hole in the fence they had used earlier to enter the area.
‘We have to get out of here as fast as possible. The gunfire must have alerted the police,’ Kaare said, pushing the fence aside so Holger could squeeze through.
Holger was too out of breath to reply and simply nodded. Kaare followed and dragged Holger along towards the city centre. They had no plan for their situation, but training and instinct had taken over. All that mattered was putting as much distance between themselves and their pursuers. Once that had been accomplished, they could allow themselves the luxury of stopping to plan their escape.
‘The car…’ Holger panted, suddenly breathless.
‘What?’
‘The car. Do you remember where you left it?’ Holger wheezed, winded by the long sprint.
‘Of course! I left the keys in it. Follow me,’ Kaare said enthusiastically, following a sign to the left pointing towards the Winter Palace.