Chapter 24 twenty three

What nonsense!As the car bumped forward on the potholed road full of puddles, Mary gritted her teeth and said that Kubeck must have misheard.As soon as I got to the police station, I called Joan right away.She will explain everything clearly. Raphael shook his head.I don't believe this is a misunderstanding. Mary looked at him in surprise.You mean, something to do with Berg? Don't name names.Raphael warned her, but his eyes clearly showed what he meant. Hey you!The man in the passenger seat turned to face them.Shut up!Don't talk! The car moved forward in silence.After about fifteen minutes, I drove onto a wider road, but it was still potholed.In Germany, such roads are country lanes at best.And here, it is the federal road that connects Kisoro with other cities.

Contrary to Mary's expectation, the car did not drive towards the city, but drove on another road.Where are we going?She asked loudly, why not go to the police station? The two men ignored her. Soon the jeep turned onto another narrow road leading to a small wood.Mary suddenly panicked.Could it be that they drove away from where they got into the car just to eliminate them without leaving a trace?In this desolate land abandoned by God, maybe not even their bones can be found!The statement announced to the outside world is that they died in a car accident. Although her hands were handcuffed behind her back, she tried desperately to open the car door.The doorknob was removed.She looked at Raphael desperately.His normally carefree face was also taut at this moment.If even he had given up hope, it seemed to Mary more clearly than any situation that they were over.

Mary suddenly had mixed feelings and felt that there was a lot she wanted to say to him.But there were so many that she didn't know where to start.They remained silent, as if paralyzed by the fear and despair of death. The jeep pulled up in a forest clearing, next to a military truck that showed no country markings.Two men were there waiting for them.One had a dark blue complexion, was dressed in a military uniform, and held a submachine gun casually in his hand.The other was lighter-skinned, with a sharp hawk-nosed nose and a plaid turban that suggested he was Arab. After the two had a brief conversation with the police, they ordered the police to drag Mary and Rafael out of the jeep, throw them into the car with a thick cloth hood behind them, and handcuff them with chains on olive green on the steel struts of the hood.That way, they have absolutely no chance of jumping off the truck while it's in motion.The Arab searched Mary and Rafael's clothes and took Rafael's wallet containing his passport and cash.Mary's wallet was lost in the car accident.As the Arab bent over her, Mary caught a foul stench of fat and rancidity from the man.He was expressionless and ignored Mary's desperate question at all.He looked at the Cartier watch on Mary's wrist, but finally left it alone.Apparently, he was only interested in their documents and cash.

Finally, the Arab took the driver's seat.The truck started to move, the rear compartment shook violently, and the pungent diesel smell came out. Oh, my god!As the truck returned to the main road, Mary began to sob.Oh My God! Anyway, they didn't kill us.Rafael joked that they must still need us. Mary could imagine what those people were trying to do with them.This kind of thing is covered too much on the TV news.They are terrorists and we are hostages.They would make ridiculous demands and then, at a certain point, execute us in front of the camera. marvelous.Raphael said.Somehow, his teasing tongue was alive again.Maybe we'll be on TV!

Marie actually laughed out loud at this statement, and she even trembled uncontrollably, while tears welled up and rolled down the rough floor of the car in big drops. □□□ The little girl was playing with her rag doll Hutch in the kitchen.The kitchen was filled with the tangy aroma of chicken soup.Mother is setting the table at the table.The little girl looked troubled, as if she couldn't decide whether she should put the small plate on the table. Can Hutch drink soup?the girl asked her mother.Of course she knows that dolls don't really eat, she just pretends that dolls can eat too.

Mother didn't answer, didn't even smile.The little girl still remembers that her mother used to smile a lot.When she smiles, it's so nice. The little girl turned to her doll.Of course you can have soup too, Hucky.She said seriously, but you have to drink up the soup on the plate obediently and sit upright.Otherwise, Mommy will scold you. Suddenly there was a sound, and the little girl followed the sound, and a pot lid on the stove was swinging up and down.How can the lid of the pot jump up and down on the pot by itself?The way it danced was so funny that the girl couldn't help laughing, and the shrill laughter echoed in the kitchen.

shut up!Mother reprimanded, stop laughing! The lid of the pot was still jumping, and even jumped more vigorously.The little girl's laughter grew louder and could not be stopped. stop for me!The mother's voice was so sharp that the little girl's ears hurt.Her laughter stopped abruptly and tears welled up. Mother stared at her angrily.I know why you make fun of me!Her voice was soft and mean, and it didn't seem to come from her. The girl did not understand what her mother meant.She is laughing at the pot lid.It is still dancing happily there. You are all making fun of me!Mother said bitterly, and suddenly cried.I really don't understand, why are you laughing at me!

No, Mommy!The little girl defended loudly and smiled at her mother.She tried to explain to her mother why she was laughing, but her mother ignored her and just kept crying, holding the cutlery in her hands. Hateful lid!The little girl yelled, hateful, hateful pot lid!She turned off the electric stove, just as her mother always did.I don't know when it started, the hateful pot lid finally stopped jumping, but the mother was still crying. The girl decided not to laugh anymore. □□□ Mary's hysterical laughter turned into convulsive sobs.Raphael tried to get closer to her.But the two were tied to the pillar facing each other, and he couldn't get close, so he could only keep his face as close as possible.Mary even thought she could feel his breath.Mary, he said, I'm sure we'll get out of this.I promise you!

Mary turned her head the other way.She didn't want comforting words, foolish hopes. The truck drove for nearly an hour.Mary saw through the gap between the car windows that the car was still heading north along the main road at first, but after a while, it turned to a small road; after driving for a kilometer or two, it stopped in front of a grass field.Mary couldn't see the ground at first, but heard something in a guttural voice that seemed to be in Arabic.Then the window was drawn down, and Mary saw the face of the turbaned driver.He unchains Mary and Raphael.Another Arab and an East African pulled them off.No one said a word.

Only then did she see a military helicopter parked on the farmland.They were taken onto the plane and then pushed to the ground.The two men who hijacked them sat on low benches on either side, buckled up.These two definitely looked like the kind of people who would not hesitate to shoot if they had to. The helicopter's motor began to rumble.The fuselage rose, and then rose.Mary couldn't look out of the window to know which direction the plane was going. The plane kept flying.Although the sound of the motor is deafening, the monotonous sound still makes people feel sleepy.Mary's consciousness was hazy, and she seemed to hear Will.Bitner was sitting next to her, saying to her: This is the biggest fiasco I've ever had!Why are you so laymen?do you knowI have always placed high hopes on you, and I have always paid attention to and encouraged you.You know the company's principles: absolute dedication to customers, integrity, and quality!Sorry, Mary, I can't help you this time.Nothing can be done.No way, Mary.

Mary? She opened her eyes, and it wasn't Will, but Raphael in front of her.He is calling her!Mary! She tried to smile, but her lips were dry, she couldn't move, and her head was throbbing with pain.The roar of the motor gradually weakened, and finally sank.Guards dragged them off the plane. Mary looked around.The sky was getting dark, only a gray light remained in the distance.Through the treetops, you can see the stars in the night sky.But Mary had no heart to appreciate it.They seem to have come to an African grassland.Several huge tent tops are covered with camouflage netting and twigs, making them difficult to discern from the air.Men in disheveled uniforms moved around, talking in low voices.Some of them carried submachine guns or rifles in their hands.There were no campfires in sight, just a few lamps.They appear to have arrived at a war zone barracks. Mary didn't know where she was.It is likely that they left Uganda and entered a neighboring country.Which country borders Uganda?There was Rwanda and the Congo, she knew that, it had been mentioned in the guidebooks about wild gorillas.However, judging from the environment here, they may also be in Kenya, or in places further north.So where would it be?Sudan?Chad?Or Ethiopia? Are there regional disputes in the area where they were kidnapped?She couldn't recall any relevant reports in the news reports.She knew, however, that from time to time an armed confrontation would erupt somewhere in Africa.Especially between ethnic tribes who are hostile to each other, or between government forces and rebels. They were taken to a small square tent with a side length of about three meters.Inside were two beds and a low folding table.There was a dim light from a gas lamp on the table, along with some cans of water and two glasses.Mary looked longingly at the water bottle. To her surprise, their captors uncuffed them.You stay here.When the Arab finished speaking, he left them alone in the tent. Unable to contemplate the sudden transformation, Mary took a water bottle and drank it down before pouring the precious fluid into a glass.Rafael did the same. Li was in pain all over. why is that?She asked suspiciously, why did they bother to bring us here?Why uncuff us? I believe they are trying to appear civilized and educated.No matter where this is, they must see themselves as the party of justice.Perhaps they wanted to liberate the country from the tyranny of a certain tyrant.I'm sure they'll treat us well as long as we stay here and do what they tell us to do.But if we tried to slip, they didn't hesitate to shoot us. If it's just rebels, what do they need from us? Rafael shrugged.I don't know either.Maybe they want to get the attention of the international community or force our federal government to break diplomatic relations with their country for whatever reason.We'll soon find out why. Perhaps, they really want to face the camera and execute us alive.Maybe it was their custom, Mary said, to be especially kind to a man before he died. Rafael smiled dryly.In that case, where is our last supper before we leave? That sentence seemed to be an order, and the curtain of the tent was opened in response, and an African came in with two bowls.After he put the bowl of rice on the table, he turned around and walked out without saying a word. Mary and Raphael looked at each other, and rushed over greedily.Without tableware, they used their hands to wolf down the sticky rice into their mouths.The meal is heavy and spicy with corn, beans and root vegetables mixed in.In spite of, or perhaps because of, the circumstances, Mary found the meal to be excellent. They both felt better after eating and drinking, but the thought that this might be their last dinner still lingered. Raphael put a hand on Mary's shoulder.Don't worry, we'll find a way out. Mary subconsciously moved away from his hand.She didn't need pity, and Rafael's blind optimism made her feel that he was too naive.The so-called freedom they gained only made it clearer that there was no possibility of escape.Even if they escaped the guards, slipped out of the camp, and fled to the wild, they would die from lack of water and equipment.There is no more secure prison than here. About half an hour later, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and a tall man in neat camouflage uniform appeared at the door.He has a brownish-green complexion, a thin beard on his upper lip, a finely lined face, and a smile on his face.Hello!He introduced himself in fluent German, I am Narif.Auduma.