As night fell, we finally emerged from the dense forest and arrived at a relatively flat area.
The forest was full of mosquitoes, and everyone had large, swollen bites all over their bodies. The two women, wearing skirts and sandals, had bloodstains and bug bites all over their arms and legs.
"There's a village over there…" the woman in white exclaimed excitedly as she saw lights at the bottom of the hill.
"Don't go! The locals are ruthless and will sell us for money!" Uncle Hei, familiar with the tough local customs, warned.
"Yeah, Chen Cheng also told me to avoid villages and police stations. We should go around them."
I grabbed her arm, stopping her from running down the hill. If she exposed us, we'd all be doomed.
"I really can't walk anymore. You guys go ahead!" The woman in white was determined to seek help from the village. She said she was too tired and hungry and wanted to rest at a villager's house for the night.
No matter how much I tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen.
In the end, we watched as she walked down the hill alone and entered a farmhouse.
"Let's go this way!" Uncle Scar suggested, heading in the opposite direction of the village to avoid any trouble.
We didn't know exactly where we were, but it was all mountains around us, with just one village in sight.
Our escape wasn't going smoothly.
Not long after entering the forest, we heard the rumble of cars in the distance, indicating that we were still within the danger zone and that there were uniformed pursuers nearby.
To avoid capture, the four of us quickened our pace, plunging deeper into the forest.
We soon got lost in the dense jungle…
I didn't know how many managed to escape during the chaos, or what happened to Chen Weiqiang.
His words kept echoing in my mind, and I wondered if I had misjudged him, especially after he helped us escape. But how could I forgive him for tricking my father into sending money?
Thinking about it made it impossible to forgive him.
"I really can't run anymore…" In the middle of the night, Sister Dragon suddenly sat down, refusing to move.
"Dragon, if you don't want to die here, keep running until we reach the border," Uncle Scar urged, trying to pull her up.
"I really can't go on. I'm exhausted and starving! You guys go on without me!" Sister Dragon, already weak and heavy, struggled with the arduous trek.
It wasn't that I didn't share the rations, but once you're full, you don't feel like running anymore. Plus, our rations were limited and had to be conserved.
"Uncle, it's not that I don't want to go home. I just can't do it…" Before she finished speaking, she collapsed.
"Sister!" I quickly held her up and felt her burning hot. Checking her forehead, I shouted anxiously, "She's got a fever!"
Her forehead was scorching, her face flushed, and her body temperature was dangerously high.
Hearing my distress, Uncle Scar said, "It must be from standing in the water prison all night and drinking that dirty water, causing an infection."
I helped her sit down and rummaged through the bag Chen Weiqiang gave me. After a while, I found some fever-reducing medicine and antibiotics, along with a wad of cash.
He knew me well, knowing I wouldn't take his dirty money, so he hid it in an empty can.
I took the cash, put it in my pocket, and threw away the can. Anything unnecessary had to be discarded as it was too cumbersome to carry.
"Sister, take the fever medicine first. I'll carry you." I handed her the medicine and a bottle of water.
"Little Bottle, you can't carry me. I'd be satisfied to die out here. You go, leave me." She shook her head, refusing to take the medicine.
"I promised to take you home, and I won't leave you. Don't worry, take the medicine. Then I won't have to carry you."
I insisted she take the fever medicine and then gave her a piece of bread to regain some strength.
Since we had stopped, I let everyone eat a bit of the rations and rest for ten minutes before continuing.
If Chen Weiqiang's directions were right, we had to cross two more mountains to reach the border.
We'd likely need to run for another day and night.
"Uncle, give me a hand. I'll carry her!" I handed the bag to Uncle Hei, squatted down, and had Uncle Scar help Sister Dragon onto my back.
Once her fever subsided, carrying her for a short distance would be manageable.
I genuinely wanted to get her home, not just out of gratitude for her selfless help.
She was the first person who treated me kindly in Kokang.
But, as it turned out, I wasn't able to bring her home, making this escape one of my most painful memories.
"Little Bottle, put me down. I'll only slow you down. Thank you so much, I don't blame you…" She was heavy, making it hard to walk, and if she hadn't lost weight recently, I wouldn't have managed.
I was exhausted and starving too, struggling to keep up my strength.
"Sister, don't talk. Get some rest. The fever will break by morning. I won't leave you, just sleep!"
I struggled forward, trying to comfort her.
Uncle Scar led the way, ensuring I didn't step off a cliff, while Uncle Hei brought up the rear.
Using the moonlight, we could just about navigate the terrain.
As long as we could get home, no difficulty could defeat us.
But then I noticed something was wrong. Looking back, I realized Uncle Hei was gone, not even a shadow in sight.
"Uncle Hei, Uncle Hei… are you taking a break?" I stopped and called softly.
No response.
Only eerie bird calls echoed in the forest.
Occasionally, animals rustled through the bushes, startling us.
"Damn it! I forgot how treacherous people can be! He must've taken the rations and run!" Uncle Scar said, looking down the slope where a fast-moving shadow disappeared.
"..." My heart sank. Why would he betray us?
Was it because Sister Dragon was sick and I wouldn't leave her?
But if he'd told me he wanted to leave, I wouldn't have stopped him. I'd even share half the rations.
Why take the medicine and sneak off? Didn't he realize it could kill Sister Dragon?
"It's my fault! I shouldn't have trusted him! I thought escaping together made us comrades in life and death, but it was all just a transaction!"
I slumped onto a rock, heartbroken, watching the disappearing shadow.
"Little Bottle… cough, cough, you go on without me. I'm glad I met you. Without you, I'd still be living like an animal in there."
Sister Dragon lay on the rock, weakly coughing and holding my cold hand.
"Sister, don't talk. You'll get better…"
I slapped myself hard.
Why did I waste time learning martial arts instead of listening to my mom and studying medicine?