Chapter 19 18

Mary!The sound seemed to come from far away.Mary!hear my voice There was a sharp pain in her face.Someone slapped her!She opened her eyes angrily. Mary!Thank goodness!Rafael leaned over and was looking at her worriedly!Blood dripped from the cut on his forehead, but he didn't care.They will be coming soon, we must leave immediately! them?what them?Why is she lying in the grass?The memory slowly came back.Mary sat up abruptly.After a whirlwind, she felt nauseous and vomited next to Rafael's knee. You must have a concussion.Rafael said, can you still stand up? She tried it.Although her knees were shaking violently, she still stood up with Rafael's support.She glanced at the wreckage of the taxi hanging in the air, and limped away.

Her head ached and she was dizzy, and she wanted to lie down and rest.However, Raphael dragged her relentlessly, climbing up the slope through a thick bush. Suddenly, they heard voices and hurried footsteps.The two immediately leaned against a tree.The two kidnappers walked past them, climbed down the slope, and walked to the taxi.It was only tens of meters away from Mary and the others.After discussing with the kidnappers, they began to search nearby.Mary listened with horror. One of the kidnappers had approached the bushes where they were hiding.Being discovered is just a matter of seconds.At this moment, the kidnapper suddenly stopped moving.Mary held her breath.Is he listening?

She looked down, taken aback.A pitch-black spider the size of a cherry landed just beside her hand. It was spherical and had hairy legs, each as long as Mary's thumb! Mary has always been terrified of spiders.At the sight of a spider, she would tense up, jerk her hands back, and jump up screaming.Cold sweat rolled down her forehead. Take courage!She cheers herself up.What can this little thing do to you?You are afraid that it is too irrational!Do not lose control! The spider seemed to be trying to play tricks on her.It leisurely climbed onto the palm of her hand, spread its limbs, touched unusual obstacles, and then slowly climbed to the back of Mary's hand.Mary felt a tickle.She bit her lip, trying to suppress a scream.

The kidnappers who were chasing them were still standing less than one meter away from them.Fortunately, the thick leaves separated him.Mary could smell his sweat and the alcohol on his breath.What is he waiting for?Why didn't you inform your accomplices that the fugitive had been found? Suddenly, there was a sound of liquid flowing, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of urine. The spider disappeared from the back of Mary's hand, back into the shadows.Mary's head was dizzy violently, nausea returned, and she secretly swallowed the scorching stomach acid. Another kidnapper said something, and the accomplice quickly put on his belt and rushed over while answering.They heard the two kidnappers going down the slope and up again.

Mary did not allow herself to sob until the kidnapper's voice could no longer be heard. They will be back.Rafael said there might be help.We must get out of here immediately! Oh My God!They will kill us!What shall we do? Rafael's tone was unexpectedly calm, as if this situation was not worth making a fuss about.First, we must leave.They must have waited, and we either went downhill through the forest, or uphill back to the road, and then down the road to the next area or stop.That is, neither will work. so what should I do now? Go up, back to the road.But instead of following the road, continue up the slope.The farther we are from the mountain road, the harder it will be for them to find us.

What about the driver?Nathan.What about Gombali? he died.Let's be glad we're still alive! Why are they doing this?We have nothing worth stealing.If so, only laptops.Mary remembered that in the past few days, there were often reports on TV of many hostage-taking incidents in countries with internal turmoil.You mean, they want to extort ransom? maybe!But, for some reason, I don't think so.They don't want to catch us, they just want to get rid of us. Why? Because we know things we shouldn't know. You mean, Berg sent them?Mary shook her head involuntarily, and immediately regretted the act.

There are two possibilities.One is that those people were really kidnappers, and we just fell into the trap.One is that they wait there specially.Had it been the first case, they wouldn't have chased us.If it was just for robbery, they might try to get the car first and then sneak away.But if they didn't happen to be here, Berg might have ordered it. Just because we spotted the gorilla, he's going to kill us? There must be uglier things here than illegal animal testing.Whatever this field laboratory is doing, it must be hidden.Hurry up now, we must go quickly. Mary tried to climb up with her own strength, but without Rafael's help, she couldn't move a step.The knees were still as soft as rubber.She had a headache and nausea, and soon, she was out of breath.

The road uphill was difficult and slow.Mary thought more than once that maybe it was wise to choose the way down the mountain. When they climbed to the side of the road, they found that the jeep of their kidnapper was parked not far away.One of them sat behind the wheel and appeared to be speaking into a beeper. Marie knew that all over Africa there were battles between government forces and rebels, and maybe these two men belonged to that category of rebels.She couldn't imagine why Berg hooked up with such people.Maybe for some kind of biological weapon?Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder.

come over!Rafael led her through the dense bushes on the side of the road until the jeep was no longer visible after a bend. quick!He pulled Mary out of the cover of the dense forest.Marie glanced longingly at the mountain road leading to Kisoro, but Rafael pushed her up the hill mercilessly. They had just walked up a few hundred meters when they heard the roar of an engine.Crouching behind a bush, they watched two army trucks pull up to where they had overturned.A dozen men in olive-green uniforms climbed down the slope and dispersed in groups.The two stayed in the car.But no one thought of going up the mountain to search for them.

keep going!Raphael whispered in a low voice. Mary followed him.Her headache eased a little and she could climb by herself.They climbed up quietly, carefully avoiding the eyes of the two people who remained on the road.Once, Mary stepped on a rock and it rolled down the hill.She held her breath nervously.Fortunately, after the stone rolled down a few meters, it hit a big tree trunk and stopped. The sky darkened, and then it rained heavily.The cold rain came just in time.Not only did the sound of the rain muffle the sound of their progress and obscure the view, it seemed to wash away part of her nausea and headache as well.She began to gain some confidence.

She looked at Rafael who was climbing ahead.An hour earlier he had been a useless novice at Copeland.And she is his immediate boss.Now the roles are reversed.He dug her out of the wreckage of the car and carried her to safety.He knows how to evade military pursuit.He was the one who kept her calm when she was desperate, terrified, and paralyzed.She couldn't be more grateful to him.This was no longer her world, and logic and understanding seemed useless. Half an hour later, Mary was drenched from head to toe and shivering with cold.Now, the rain is no longer a blessing, but a burden.The light is blurred, and the slope is gentler.What grow here is no longer low trees and bushes, but tall forests, with trunks soaring into the sky, more than 20 meters high and an arm's length in diameter.Thick foliage blocked the evening light, but could not withstand the heavy rain.The leaves that had been soaked by the rain directly shook the raindrops off, and large drops of cold water dripped down on them. However, in any case, the bad weather also deterred the soldiers who hunted them down.The sound of the diesel engine gradually faded away and finally died away. Shall we get back on the road now?Marie asked so that he could walk to town quickly and report the crime to the authorities. Raphael shook his head.If I am the main messenger of these people, he must want to get this possibility, and will leave someone here to quietly guard the roadside.No, we must hide tonight.At dawn tomorrow, try to find a farmhouse by the forest, and try to contact the police station from there A howl broke the silence, dark and primitive.Like a human voice but not like a human voice.Soon, they heard another dull thud thump of hammers.The monkeys crouching in the trees screamed back. Mary was taken aback.What's this? have no idea.Raphael pointed to a tree branch about two meters high, covered with moss and ferns, extending almost horizontally, wide enough for people to sit on it firmly.We'd better find a safer place to spend the night. Mary was not very good at climbing, and tiredness made her headache worse.Raphael doesn't seem to be doing well either.After struggling for a long time, the two finally climbed up the slippery bark.Fortunately, the branch was wide and comfortable, and there were beautiful orchids in bloom, exuding a soft and attractive fragrance.The soft moss was like a mattress. Although it was wet, Mary, who was also drenched all over, could no longer care about it.A gray suit and dainty shoes is as inappropriate here as walking into a boardroom in galoshes.She was so cold that she shivered and felt that this situation was really absurd and unreal.Why is she here, hunted, into a dangerous and strange world of palm-sized spiders and howling beasts?She suddenly felt a wave of panic, wondering if all this was her own delusion, or just a terrible dream. □□□ Mary! The little girl threw the shovel and biscuit molds in her hand into the sand basin, and turned to look at her mother.Mother was standing in the doorway, waving at her. Come on, Mary!There was fear in the mother's voice. The girl stood up and patted the red and green checked skirt carefully.Mother didn't like her bringing sand into the house. Mary!The mother rushed out of the door, grabbed the girl by the arm, and pulled her inside. Oops, Mommy, you hurt me!What's wrong? Here they come!cried the mother, with fear in her eyes.Here they come! The girl is crying.She felt the dire danger approaching. They rushed into the house and then up the stairs.The little girl tripped and hit her knee.I can't run fast, Mommy!Mother ignored it.She dragged the girl vigorously, as if dragging a heavy luggage.She opened the door of the small attic closet, and inside were several cardboard boxes of old clothes.There was a musty smell. Come on, get in!Mother cried, "Quietly, be quiet!"That way they won't be able to find you. Before the girl could ask who they were referring to, the mother closed and locked the closet door.It was very dark inside, and the little girl could only hear how the key turned in the lock.Then there was a rush of footsteps on the stairs, and then all was silent. The girl was so nervous that she could hardly breathe, but she couldn't help sobbing.She tightly covered her mouth with her hands to prevent the bad guys from hearing her cries.A small point of light came through the keyhole, and she tried to look out, but she could see nothing but a small stain on the white wall. The girl listened carefully in the silence, but there was no sound.Perhaps, the mother has hidden away.Her heart was pounding, waiting for a sound: a door opening or a window opening, even a smashing of a door or window, followed by heavy footsteps and muffled sounds.Yet she heard nothing but the singing of birds outside, and the noise of the street that floated in from a distance and filtered into her hiding place. The little girl waits.The closet is narrow and uncomfortable to be in.Maybe mom was wrong.Maybe the bad guy won't come at all, at least not yet.Mama will surely let her out soon. However, the mother did not come. Her knees began to ache, and the silence and darkness frightened her.She wants to be with her mother.Why can't she hide with her mother?The girl wanted to call her mother, but her mother said she couldn't make a sound.Perhaps the bad guys have already entered the house.Perhaps, the sound of their walking is so soft that others can't hear it! She trembled all over and couldn't help crying.No matter how tightly the little hand covered his mouth, he couldn't stop the soft sobbing.However, no one opened the closet. I don't know how much time has passed.She doesn't yet understand the concept of hours, minutes, or seconds.She knew, though, that she had been in this little closet for a long, long time.Her legs hurt, and she tried to get more comfortable, but it was too cramped inside. A new fear came over her, even more than the fear of villains.She was terrified that she would never be able to leave this closet.She whimpered and cried, not bothering to keep her voice down.Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and called out to her mother.At first, she was very quiet, but then it became louder.Finally, she knocked desperately on the door of the small closet with her small fist. But mother still didn't come.Couldn't hear her at all.The whole house was dead silent. The little girl was desperate, and she even hoped that the bad guys would find her.But the bad guys probably didn't want to find her at all.Maybe the villain is standing outside the closet at this moment, listening to her shouting for help, gloating and secretly laughing! The little girl knocked on the door so desperately that her hands hurt.She had no strength and no feeling in her knees.She trembled and cried. Suddenly, she felt Venus flickering in front of her eyes, and shadows appeared in the darkness, darker than the night, and she stretched out her long fingers. The girl closed her eyes tightly and screamed in horror, but the shadow couldn't go away.They are in her head.The girl covered her ears tightly with her hands, crying in horror. At some point, but after a long, long time, she heard a voice. Honey? At first, the little girl thought it was the ghost in the closet calling her. Father's voice sounded again.Honey?Mary?Where are my two babies? The little girl felt a fright.What if it is a bad guy?What if they pretended to be their father's voice?What if they just want to use this method to trick her into revealing her hiding place so that they can find her and take her away?But the temptation to get out of the dark is too strong. dad!the girl shouted.She was too panicked, her voice was thin and strange, it didn't seem to be her own voice.She was overwhelmed with fear.What if she couldn't hear anyone's voice again?What if no one finds her again? dad!With all her might, she yelled again, louder this time. She heard footsteps on the stairs.Mary?The sound is much closer. She knocked on the closet door with her fist.dad! Although the whimpers drowned out the shouts, my father heard them.The key went through the eyelet, and the light that flooded into the closet hurt her eyes. Mary!God!Her father picked her up and pulled her into his arms.Father's familiar body odor enveloped Mary like a blanket.She was shaking. My poor, poor baby!Father kept chanting, stroking her hair tenderly, my poor, poor baby!Now my father is crying too. □□□ Mary?Rafael sat across from her, looking at her worriedly.In the dark, she couldn't see his face clearly.You are shaking so badly!She thought to herself, how could he see it in the dark? I didn't expect to be shivering in the middle of Africa.she said, trying to sound mocking. We are at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters.Raphael hesitated for a moment.Perhaps, we'd be better off clinging to each other for warmth.His voice sounded uncertain, wondering if this was a good idea. He stood up, grasped the upper branch for balance, and approached her.He leaned his back against the trunk, spread his legs, and pointed forward with his fingers.Come sit here with your back against me. Mary hesitated for a moment, but her longing for warmth overwhelmed her upbringing to be reserved.She leaned over and leaned her back against Rafael's chest.Raphael opened his arms to embrace her. She felt better immediately.Raphael's warmth calmed her down, much like how her father's hug had felt long ago.His arms and his broad chest rising and falling slowly behind her gave her a sense of security.Gradually, her tense muscles relaxed.She leaned her head back and felt his pulse in her left ear.The deodorant from his wet body enveloped her, and she suddenly felt that this hug was no longer strange and stiff, but gentle and kind.She sighed comfortably. What a great idea.she said softly. He didn't answer, just hugged her tightly, warmed her, and protected her from the invasion of the night.