The air smelled fresh as the bike's headlight cut across the morning darkness, revealing rows of trees lining up their way.
The chilling morning breeze blew over them as it left a cooling effect on their exposed surfaces.
From the way Casper was maneuvering through the trees with ease, it was easy to tell that this wasn't the first time he was doing this.
Despite not having a compass in their possession to determine their direction and a clear cut route to guide them through the forest, Casper still seemed aware of where they were heading to.
Just as he was still in a daze because of what was happening, Jean recalled something significant to their journey.
'The cellphone!'
Just at that moment, he leaned towards Casper and sighed.
"Did you carry the cellphone?"
Jean asked in a gentle tone.
Lingering for a moment, Casper replied.
"Yes."
Casper answered in a muffled voice due to the helmet he was putting on.
According to Jean's deductions, the were headed to the Eastern side of the forest.
The forest remained eerily quiet as usual.
At this point, Jean kept praying that they don't encounter fierce beasts or dangerous people that would interfere with their journey.
Since the terrain in the forest was generally rugged, Jean had to cling on Casper's leather jacket to prevent himself from falling off.
Now that he was sure that they were bound to cross the security barrier on their way, he became avid to witness the functioning of the barrier.
'I can't wait to see how this mysterious thing functions. It is difficult to believe that it has kept me safe in this strange place all this while.'
As this thought melted in his mind, it was replaced by a dreadful one.
'If I am out of the barrier, then there are some chances that I might accidentally meet the kidnappers and to make the matters worse, the beasts might also join the fray.'
Given the fact that neither of the two carried a weapon on their way, Jean had every reason to be wary of his safety the moment they step out of the security barrier.
Although the beasts could also be a pain in the butt, but the possibility of them overcoming this was high since Casper wasn't a novice when it came to traversing through the forest.
He knew most parts of the forest if not all like the back of his hand. And this was what Jean believed since he had occasionally seen the guy heading deeper in the forest to fetch firewood and also to look for the herbs he had been using alone. Not to forget how he was able to go hunting a day ago alone. These were enough to convince the boy that Casper could be relied on when it came to traversing the forest.
But on the other hand, none of the two had a clear information about the kidnappers. This could be enough to land them in trouble in case they encounter these people.
Although it had already passed four days since Jean escaped from them, the fact that they could have found out that their faction leader was dead was enough to label Jean as wanted to them.
And this was enough to make them search for him relentlessly. Furthermore, they had pulled together a large amount of resources to make the kidnap a success only to crumble in the last minute.
Jean could have relied on Casper to defend him in case this happens, but the thought of the guys carrying firearms made him nervous.
'How can unarmed individuals like us handle such people? What if it turns out to be like last time?'
Jean gritted his teeth at this thought as he tried recounting what happened before his kidnap.
When he racked his brain in the efforts of recalling what happened before the unfortunate incident, he seemed to get a light on the matter.
A few minutes before the incident, the two boys Jean and Axel were walking side by side along one of the most famous streets in Kili city known as Delta street. It was when they arrived at a certain junction and sniffed something in the air. Since this substance was invisible in their eyes, they both assumed that it was the smell from the streets. When they walked out of the zone, the smell seemed to have faded away and this made them to put away their worries.
When they had forgotten about this incident is when the kidnap happened. But the strangest thing was that they couldn't remember anything other than walking through the streets.
It was until Jean woke up some hours later when he realized that he had been kidnapped. It was as if his memories about the incident had been erased from his head, since the last thing he could remember was their walk and nothing else.
When he joined the dots, he found a connection between the strange smell and the incident. Since the time difference between the two was too small, Jean could easily tell that there was a connection between the two.
'There are some chances that the smell could have originated from a toxic substance that might have been released at that spot for it to mess up with our conscience before the idiots trapped us. If this was the case, how comes I didn't spot Axel while in the plane? Or they separated us immediately after the kidnap?'
Jean pondered as he struggled to prevent his body from swaying due to the jolting of the bike.
Now that he had been able to get a hunch to the kidnap process, he felt the importance of asking Casper on the same matter. This way, he could know how prepared the guy was in case they encounter the kidnappers on their way.
Clearing his throat loudly to get Casper's attention, Jean lingered.
"I know we are going to be out of the security barrier very soon... What if we encounter the worst out there?"
Lingering for a moment, Casper responded.
"Worst like what exactly, the beasts?"
A little bit disappointed by Casper's reply, Jean suppressed a groan.
"Although the beasts can also be part of the dangers that we are likely to face, but that is not my point at all. My point is that, there are some chances that we encounter the kidnappers. I don't know how we can handle them."
With that, Jean's ears perked up ready to hear Casper's response.
Without hesitation, Casper responded.
"That isn't an issue for us but for them."
Suddenly, Jean was dazed as his jaw dropped.
"How?"
Jean asked out of confusion.
"As long as they are determined in finding you, they must expect the worst from their efforts. So, I don't expect them to employ the same tactic they used to capture you initially. It is obvious that they are going to come up with a much improvised tactic that can also involve excessive use of power."
Jean was flustered by Casper's explanation. He didn't understand what the guy was referring to. He knew very well that there was a hidden meaning behind Casper's statements, but the more he tried to comprehend it, the more difficult it became.
Just as he was still struggling to understand the deeper meaning of Casper's statements, Casper continued.
"I know you must be wondering what tactic I am talking about, but before I tell you that, let me tell you why an improvised tactic."
Casper said as he send the bike down hill in a medium speed.
"For these people to decide to haunt you in this area, they must be aware of the dangers that the place harbours. Therefore, there are higher chances that they won't send the same people to look for you since those ones don't have what it takes to traverse these areas."
When Jean heard this, he immediately felt a chill down his spine. It was not because of the idea of different people coming after him, but because Casper's statement confirmed to him how dangerous the place was.
At the back of his head, he knew that the beasts in the area couldn't be underestimated.
Just at that moment, Jean asked.
"How did you know that the guys that kidnapped me are incapable of traversing the area due to its dangers yet you never met them?"
During this moment, Jean was freezing despite the leather jacket he was putting on.
"I knew them from your description."
Casper blurted out.
Suddenly, Jean was stunned. At this point, he didn't know if the guy was jocking or he actually meant what he said.
While still in his stupor, Casper's next statement almost made him drop off the bike.
"If you want to confirm if what I am saying is true, all you need to do is just to pray we meet them."
Casper said in a voice devoid of emotions.
At this point, all Jean could wish for, was for his journey to be a success.
'That's all I need. I am not ready to be drawn back and forth in this mishap. This guy must be out of his mind to wish for such a thing. Perhaps he was just trying to mock me.'
Jean thought with a grim expression.
Although Jean could have thought that the guy was jocking when he told him to pray for them to meet the kidnappers, but the truth of the matter was that the guy was dead serious when he came up with the suggestion.
After traveling for one hour, Casper stepped on the brakes of the bike and the bike came to an abrupt stop.
Suddenly, Jean was snapped out of his reverie.
It was still dark in the outside although the darkness seemed to have faded away by a noticeable degree. The near trees could be seen easily without the aid of a lamp or source of light.
Approximately ten meters away from where they were standing, the darkness seemed to be too concentrated than the other surrounding areas.
Just at that moment, Jean leaned forward and asked.
"Why did we stop? Is there something wrong?"
Instead of responding to his question, Casper told the boy to come off the bike.
After a few moments of hesitation, Jean slowly came off the bike and stood next to it after which Casper followed after putting the bike on the stand. He then took off the helmet and handed it over to Jean.
In the next moment, Casper fished out a pill like substance from his pocket and handed over to Jean.
"Swallow this and make sure to remain in your spot until I return. Unless you want to be lost forever."
Casper said as he started heading in the direction of the strange darkness.
(o´･ω･`o)