DYLAN'S POV
"Walk faster, you don't have time!" the thin man pulled me by the hand, and we ran in the dark. "This building is in the middle of nowhere. Although police may know about it, there seems to be no life around here. The boss uses only the underground rooms. Even if police were to come here, they won't know that there are people inside," the man chuckled, seemingly praising Eden's wisdom in coming up with a perfect centre for his criminal activities.
We were walking very fast. Shrubs scratched us from all angles, thank goodness for a long sleeved shirt that I wore. The man held no torch, we were relying solely on the light from the moon which was shining bright. Once in a while we heard some movements in the grass, and only God knows what was moving. I dared not ask too many questions, for all I wanted was to be free.
After walking a long distance, the man stopped abruptly. His stop was so unexpected that I bumped into him, for I was following closely behind him.
"I have to go back now," he said. "Now, keep going straight. You see these trees, this type of tree, walk until you get to the place where they end. Once you get there, you will be near a small river. Cross it and go uphill. The hill is not bad, it's very small. Where it ends, there is a road. You will definitely get a car on that road. Get help. And remember my money!"
"I will definitely remember you!" I smiled at him. He started to walk going back to the warehouse, and I went forward. Fear…yes, I was afraid. What if a wild animal emerged from nowhere? But really? Part of my mind told me that there were no wild animals roaming around in Yellowleaf. The chances of coming across a snake were high, but there was no time to worry about that. I continued to walk.
The moon shone brightly, and ahead of me was an unending forest of the trees which the man spoke about. From just looking at them, I was able to tell that I had a long way to go, but that was the only option facing me. I had no choice but to use it, and so I walked. I also knew that it was a matter of time before either Terror or Eden realised that I was missing, and once that happened, I did not want to imagine what was going to come next.
Considering that I had not eaten a decent meal in I don't know how many days, I was hungry, and I started to feel weak. My legs felt heavy, as I lifted one leg after the other. I looked up to the many beautiful stars, and wondered what I had ever done to deserve what was happening to me.
My father and my mother, my sisters Ciera and Arianna…their faces flashed in my memory, and I wondered what they were thinking at that time. My parents were very powerful people in Lakeworld, yet it had taken them these many days to find me. Eden must have been very good at what he did, a real master in the world of crime!
To think that his real name was Israel, and yet, posing as Eden Salatto, he successfully became a housemate to Anisha. I felt chills running down my whole body. Anisha shared a house with the thug, without knowing who he was.
From everything that Anisha told me, it was easy to know that Eden planned out everything. The person that he wanted was Liam, and that made me believe that he was the one who killed Mrs la Martina. Anisha strongly denied it, stating that by the time she entered the house, Mrs la Martina was already dead, but then…one could never trust Eden.
I continued to walk on, regretting why I never thought of bringing a bottle of water with me. My throat was parched, and I continuously swallowed saliva. My cracked dry lips were also painful and my tongue religiously moistened them. I was very thirsty.
I had no idea what time it was, but I kept going. The dead silence was scary, serve for the rustling of leaves once in a while. I continued walking and wished if only I could find a tree with fruits! It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but then what else could I have done? I was hungry and thirsty. My own legs and arms felt heavy for me, but when I thought of my freedom, and the freedom of Anisha and the young child, as well as the innocent old pastor, I found myself proceeding with the journey.
What!! What was that? The sound of a frog? A frog croaking happily! Soon, the smell of water filled my nostrils, and I was extremely happy. It felt like I had just seen heaven itself, I was so happy that I jumped in excitement. Right in front of me, a small river was flowing gently, making a low noise as the water cascaded peacefully along the river. Water! Water, finally!
I ran in great joy and knelt near the river, and I scooped some water using my hands. I splashed it all over me and continued the process over and over again. It was like taking a bath while my clothes remained on me, and it brought one of the greatest feelings I had ever known in my entire life. Freedom was near, and I dared not let it slip.
I continued to walk, crossed the small river and went up the terrain. And sure enough, as per the thin man's word, I saw a road. Morning was slowly approaching, and before me, I saw a road. The road was still a long way off, but I saw it. I saw it winding gracefully, calm and quiet. I saw the road.
A road!! A road; finally! All the feelings of hunger and tiredness escaped in a hurry, and in their place, my heart was filled with hope and joy. Freedom at last! Although the man had refused to offer me a phone, I was happy that he did what he did. I felt renewed energy and started to run. I ran up the hill, and I heard a sound from ahead of me.
It was not just a sound from nature, but from a human being. A voice. I would have run towards the owner of the voice for assistance, but what scared me the most was that the voice was very familiar.
I froze in my tracks and in a short while, I dashed to some bushes nearby. Crouching between a rock and the bush, I held my chest, for it felt like my heart was ready to pop out from my body and run away. My breathing was heavy but I needed to calm myself down. I used my mouth to breath, and my ears paid the utmost attention, when I heard the man talking:
"Tell the team that is near the road to remain that side. He must not get access to any car, do you all hear me?" Eden's angry voice echoed in the woods.
"Yes boss," some voices responded.
I heard footsteps stepping on the dry leaves. From the sounds that I heard, it was easy to tell that there was quite an army with Eden.
"Boss, do you think there is a chance that he got help already?" Terror asked in a loud voice.
"No way! He is somewhere in this thick forest. We have to find him." The anger in Eden's voice was unmistakable.
There was silence, except for the footsteps coming from ahead.
"Ahhh!" Eden screamed. For a moment I thought he had stepped on a huge thorn, but what followed just showed me that the man was seething in anger, failing to hold it in.
"Someone helped him!! You all thought I was gone for two days, and when I decided to come back earlier, I find that boy missing? Who assisted him!"
"Calm down, boss." Terror tried hard to calm his boss.
The sight of the road right in front of me made my heart ache. I saw a truck driving by, and I regretted not getting to the road sooner. If only I had not stopped to take that 'bath', if only I had not slackened and moved way faster than the way I moved. I cursed myself over and over again, and I saw two more cars passing.
Eden and his men were a fair distance away from me, but not safe enough for me to come out of my hiding place. I wanted them to be completely out of sight before I could head towards the road. I knew that we did not have much time, for considering that they already knew about my escape, it meant that they were either going to tighten the security over Anisha and the others, or move them to another site. Eden did look like the type of criminal that would have numerous sites for his criminal activities.
OK, from just looking at him, Eden looked like any other normal human being. But after seeing what he was capable of, and the number of men and women under his command, I was moved to believe in the possibility of him having many sites.
I started to stand up and I heard Terror's voice calling out, "go up the road and wait there. Act like an ordinary civilian. He might come to you for help. If he comes to you, give him the assistance and call us once you have him."
"Yes boss," a male voice called out, and I heard the sound of running footsteps.
"Whatever you do, don't kill him," Eden shouted after the running man. His voice was sounding as if he was coming closer to me, and I felt very scared. I slowly turned my head to look, but I did not see him.
Terror chuckled and commented, "you really want him alive, boss."
"He's a de Milo! If he dies, I might as well have bought myself a ticket to rot in jail. I do have connections but I doubt any of them can do anything if the case involves that stupid de Milo boy." Eden's voice sounded worried.
"You're right. I think it's better we use him. Ask for a ransom, so that we get something out of having him with us here," Terror suggested.
There was silence. I thought Eden was never going to respond, when finally he spoke, "it's too risky to ask for a ransom now."
"But you know that the de Milos will pay any amount you ask for!" Terror mentioned flatly.
"I know," Eden was becoming impatient. "I'm tempted to do that, but it's too risky."
Terror did not respond. They both remained silent. No footsteps, no sounds. I told myself that I was going to wait until I was very certain that they were all gone. The sudden rustling of leaves behind me caused me to instinctively turn and I saw Eden, leaning on the rock behind which I was hiding. Fear enveloped me, and I had no idea what to do. He just needed one simple head turn for him to notice my presence. He coughed wildly and cursed in a low voice.
"This de Milo boy has pushed me to the limit!" he sneezed violently and turned his head. His cold blue eyes met with mine. Vast resentment clouded his eyes, while immense fear clouded mine.