Free Seven Steps to the Sun by Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Hoyle Page A

jumping his way across.
    'Stop, or we fire,' came a voice through a loud hailer.
    Mike had no intention of stopping, and went on running faster than before. Somewhere up in front of him he could see a barrier of sorts. Suddenly light flooded the whole area round him and he saw that the barrier was a fence. Behind him he heard the sound of gunfire. He felt hard lumps of earth hit his back as the bullets sprayed the ground. The fence was only a few yards away, but with no time to stop or think he hurled himself at the top, grabbed the wire and frantically dragged himself over. A machine gun started up somewhere behind, and raked the fence as he fell over the other side. The sounds of the deadly lead pinging through the fence made Mike try to throw himself in a different direction from his line of fall. He gave a mental sigh of relief as he went to the right, that it the gunner had started his sweep from right to left. The hovercraft machine-gun carrier was throwing up the dust as it swept to the fence. Mike picked himself off the ground and started to run.
    A single shot rang out and he started to zig-zag. Another shot threw him bodily sideways. He felt no pain, except his aching muscles. The sound of the vehicle somewhere behind him, made him cling to the ground. He listened intently to the engines, until they died away then lifted his face from the ploughed field, wiped the dirt off and looked back. The machine was making its way along the fence away from him. Struggling to his feet he moved unsteadily to the trees up in front. He knew he shouldn't rest, but he had to and leant gasping against a tree trying to catch his breath. Once he was sufficiently recovered he felt over his clothing to see where he'd been hit. A bullet had passed through his jacket and sweater just under his armpit, leaving a mass of torn wool and suede. The noise of the hovercraft's engines brought him back to reality, and he started out in the opposite direction from the sound of the machine.
    The fields and wood rolled gently away in front of him as he jogged along steadily, trying hard not to trip and fall in the darkness. Behind him the ominous sounds of the engines could still be heard. How much longer would it remain dark, giving him an advantage over his pursuers. Suddenly he stopped. Somewhere up in front of him came the sound of another engine. This was impossible, they couldn't have got round in front of him, or could they? The sound behind him came closer and closer. Mike moved on, ready to dive to the ground and bury himself in the dirt. He came to more trees, and made his way cautiously through them to the edge of the copse, where in the open space in front of him was a vehicle, lights full on. The machine seemed to be moving up and down the field, as if searching every inch of ground. As it reached the edge of the wood, he saw with relief that it was only a giant combine harvester busy at work. Even so he must keep as far away as possible. He'd only just rounded the field when his pursuers came into sight and as they approached the harvester Mike moved away quickly. He trotted on and on along the sides of fields, until up in front of him he heard a low rumbling. It was a sound that he had heard before, many times. He couldn't place it immediately, but it gave him a sense of security. Maybe he was mistaken but in Mike's mind it was better than the harsh exhaust note of his pursuing vehicle. He crawled up an embankment. That's why the sound was familiar. It was a highway.
    The traffic was heavy and it took a number of minutes to cross to the other side. Giant trucks lumbered along, and it occurred to Mike that he might be able to thumb a lift. Then he had another idea. He would try and find a place where he could hop on a vehicle without being seen. After a moment's thought, he decided to travel in the direction of the heaviest flow of traffic keeping within sight of the yellow carriageway lights that seemed to brighten up the whole sky.
    On