Splash!
The sound of the car window being hit by a liquid object brought Ian back from his daydream.
"What the heck?!" Connor yelled, and the car came to a stop. Ian straightened up, sensing that something was happening. They hadn't even reached the countryside with its scent of corn yet. Faint sounds of splashing water reached Ian's ears.
'Are we only halfway there?' Ian still remembered his memory of being dragged by Bartwin's henchmen the other day. At that time, he eagerly awaited his moment of death, sharpening all his senses to savor the blessing that God had bestowed upon him at that moment.
Apparently, his instinct from back then could be summoned again now. He remembered the feeling of passing this bridge after driving for a long 30 minutes from the city center. With his senses heightened, he could distinguish the sound of tires on solid ground or when crossing the bridge, which, despite being made of thick concrete, was hollow underneath.
"Connor, what's going on?" Ian asked, becoming more alert as he heard the sound of metal scraping against cloth, followed by Connor getting out of the car.
"Stay in the car," Connor commanded him.
If Connor thought Ian would obey him, then Connor was mistaken. Ian would not leave his life to his fate, especially not to someone like Connor, who relied only on his big muscles.
Without hesitation, Ian took off the head covering cloth and saw that the windshield of the car was covered in thick, slimy green liquid. Ian intended to sneak away through the door opposite Connor. Just as his hand was about to reach the door handle, he heard a gunshot from Connor.
"Sh*t!!" Ian cursed reflexively, lowering his head.
'Is this a gang fight, and I'm trapped in the middle of it? I'm really unlucky!' Ian thought.
A moment passed. Two seconds. But there was no sound of further gunshots. Ian once again intended to continue his original plan, which was to escape from the midst of the battlefield. He didn't want to be an additional victim of Bartwin's conflict.
As his hand was about to pull the handle slowly, another shot from Connor startled Ian again.
'Why? Is Connor just playing around? I didn't hear any retaliatory attack.'
Ian mustered the courage to raise his head and assess the situation. He saw Connor hiding in the corner of the car while aiming his eyes toward the edge of the bridge, which was only bordered by iron bars. Ian didn't see anyone there. However, upon seeing where Connor was hiding, Ian abandoned his intention to cross to the other side. He exited through the door adjacent to Connor.
Whoever this opponent of Connor was, Ian didn't want to die foolishly. Connor must understand why he had to come out to save himself. This time, Ian managed to get out and crouched near Connor, protecting his back by pressing against the car's body.
"Hey, idiot! Get back in the car!" Connor decisively commanded him.
"Force me," Ian smirked, challenging Connor, which made the man both angry and unwilling to divert his focus from the corner where he had seen the enemy.
Vaguely, Ian heard the sound of a rope rubbing against something, getting farther away. "Is his opponent coming from below? How is that possible? With a rope? Wow, wow, wow..." Ian was amazed, but as soon as he heard the sound stop and the wind splitting, he reflexively moved behind the car.
"Phew!" Someone mimicked the sound of a gunshot from the edge of the bridge.
Connor was startled, and quickly turned around, but his movement halted as an arrow pierced through his skull. The trigger was pulled as he collapsed onto the asphalt, creating a booming gunshot sound.
Clang! The sound of the bullet ricocheted and hit the rear tire, causing it to deflate.
The mysterious figure who targeted them was a woman who walked so gracefully, as light as a ballet dancer, that Ian didn't realize she had already positioned herself beside him.
"Gotcha. Lemur," the woman said to him with a smile.
She was dressed all in black, with form-fitting attire. A red scarf around her neck matched her wavy, short-cropped hair, revealing part of her scalp. Her freckles and wide smile reminded Ian of Roe. Their ages might not be far apart.
"What?" Ian was astonished as the woman appeared so relaxed. He thought she would kill him right then and there. The woman didn't respond to Ian; instead, she spoke to someone using a communication device hanging from her ear.
"Guys, I got him."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Ian asked.
"Save your questions for later. Come with me, let's get away from here. This is the territory of the Hyena," the woman said, glancing around with caution while listening to the sound of vehicle engines coming from Bartwin's warehouse.
She then offered her hand to Ian. "Why should I trust you?" Ian asked.
"Do you have a choice?" the woman retorted, signaling with her eyes toward Connor.
The woman was right; if she wanted to, she could incapacitate Ian right then and there. Why did she let him live? But what did she want from him? That was also swirling in Ian's mind.
'They need information from me. Yes, that must be it. But what information?' Ian contemplated because if he spoke wrongly or gave away too much information, he would end up like Connor. They would only let Ian live if they felt he still had value.
"Do you want me to drag you with a rope or walk on your own two feet?" the woman spoke again, impatiently, due to the sound of the approaching vehicle engine.
Ian didn't respond but immediately stood up and followed the woman's instructions.
"Don't think about escaping because it will only end in vain," the woman threatened him before running on her tiptoes towards the edge of the bridge where she appeared earlier. Her bow and arrows were slung on her back.
The woman stood outside the iron bars of the bridge, a very narrow space only enough for one foot to stand. She was fastening a rope around her body.
"Wait. Are we going through there? I'm not skilled with ropes, so I can't- heegh!" Before Ian could finish speaking, a rope was already looped around his body, lifting him off the ground and sliding him down toward the fast-flowing water below!