บท 14: Run!
The sound kept on intensifying. No, to be precise the sound of steps sounded more like it was running around.
"Selene, when I count to 3 we run. Okay?"
"Okay."
In this crisis, if we just remain still, there is a possibility that we might perish at the hands of an animal since they have more competent eyesight than humans, and if we run, the odds are that we will survive.
"!?" suddenly a torch-like glint was noticed in front of us.
"...g..."
"....y...."
I couldn't deduce what they are whispering but presumably, they have a smartphone and must be attempting to flee.
The gap kept on expanding between us and the glint.
Fools, if you use such stuff in this much dark you will be the first one to be detected.
"Grr....." oh, shit. I am now convinced that a feral beast is preying on us and on top of that those students just have made themselves his prime prey.
But since they are enabling me to circumvent it, I don't care about them. The rustling of leaves declined a speck.
Yes, he most likely has decided to attack them first.
"Selene, 3..." Selene clasped my hand tightly.
"2...."
"1.... Go." I stood up gripping Selene's hand and ran as fast I could in the polar direction of the flash.
But not so quick that Selene is not able to catch up.
Even though it was dark...
"H-how are y-you able to... run so fast ev-even.... though I c-can't see a... thing?" it was a normal suspicion.
A normal person would not be able to move like I am right now but even I couldn't comprehend why because as soon as I stood up, approximately every feature around me just kept appearing in my head.
"I also... don't know."
We kept on sprinting till Selene could not go on anymore.
...
"What... now?" Selene asked me.
I just moved my right hand further and felt something rough. Maybe a tree?
"Selene, touch this for a second." I took Selene's hand and pushed it towards the same thing I skimmed just now.
"Ew! What's that?" reaction was normal?
If someone placed my hand on something I can't identify the response will also be the same for me.
"I think it's a tree. Don't you think so?"
"... now that you mentioned it."
She moved her hand around a little bit.
"Maybe it is a tree."
Okay, now I have confirmed it is a tree now I can plan something.
"Listen to me carefully. In this dark, if a wild beast attacks us again I don't think that we will survive."
"Y-yes..."
"So I think we should climb up the tree and wait there till morning."
"..."
"How about it?"
If we just loiter around on the ground most probably we will not be able to see the daylight again. But if we climb up the tree maybe we can survive because most of the animals cannot climb trees and even if some animal or reptile-like snake appears then we will decide then only. Most likely that will be the end of us if by any chance something climbs up.
But the percentage of survival is more up the tree... than on the ground.
"Fine." she agreed to it but...
"W-Wait an s-s-second... I don't know how to climb a tree..."
"Oh, don't worry I'll carry you on my back." I am quite sure that I can carry her.
"Huh!"
"Hey, don't talk so loudly."
"B-but...."
"Selene, we don't have time for this okay? you want to come then I'll carry you no questions asked and if you want to stay here I can climb it up the tree myself." Even though I said that, I have known Selene for a significant amount of time and I can't just let her die.
But in this predicament, anyone will agree to do anything to survive. So I inferred that she would most likely agree to climb up.
"....okay." yes.
"Okay hold onto my shoulder."
She slowly let go of my hand and put it on my shoulder.
I turned around.
"!?" something just moved past my leg.
I tried not to let Selene notice.
"Come on fast." as I said that she suddenly jerked for a second and glided up my shoulder and cross-locked her legs on my abdomen.
"Let's go."
I could feel the warmth on my back as she pressed her body against mine.
I moved around and examined the tree by feeling its texture. I couldn't have seen a thing if it was as dark as before, but fortunately, in this part of the forest because of moonlight, I was able to at least see something.
I put my dominant hand up and then the other.
Pulling my body up and placing my dominant leg on the tree and trying to move further.
One by one I let go of my one hand and placed it a little above and then the other. Same for my legs.
I continued the same process till I felt a trunk on my left-hand side.
"Listen Selene I will do something crazy so I think you should hold onto me tightly." as I said that she squeezed me.
"Huff.... huff..." I let go of my left hand and placed it on the trunk. Then slowly releasing my right hand and then both legs.
I am now hanging down a tree.
Look generally when I try doing pull-ups I can do almost like 30-35 but now I have a person on my back who weighs almost the same as me so I need to pull my body up like two times the average weight.
I would have been able to pull up myself and Selene easily but I just ascended a tree that is almost three-meter high and now I don't think I have the strength to pull up.
"Selene I don't think I will be able to pull like this. Try to climb up if possible."
"..." she slowly let go of her legs which were wrapped around me and then the hands.
Even though she was so scared a few moments before, I think she has calmed down or... she is on adrenaline. During desperate predicaments, a human body can exceed normal limitations.
She then quickly moved upwards, as I was still hanging on the tree she put her foot on my shoulder and clambered up the trunk.
"Are you okay Selene?"
"Y-yeah..." she sounded as if her life force had been drained.
I also climbed up since the weight has been reduced to half and Selene also helped me tugging me up.
...
I made a hasty decision just now and I know it.
If I would have just climbed a little more I could have reached the trunk more easily but due to my hasty judgment, I put Selene and me both in danger.
...
There is much more moonlight up here, maybe because we are at a higher altitude.
I could now at least make out our surroundings more clearly.
Now our major problem was where should we sleep?
"Groowwwwllll....." no, we have another problem... food.
"I'm sorry...." anyone would be hungry because we haven't eaten a single thing since the morning.
"You don't have to be sorry. I mean it's only natural right?"
"..."
I wanted to save it for later but if we don't eat anything most probably it will affect tomorrow. (Mr. X will be giving us tasks tomorrow and most likely we will be needing more strength.)
"Here." I took out a wrapper.
"Where did you get this?"
"Want it or not?"
"Yess..." I gave it to her.
"You don't want it?"
"I have already eaten."
"When?"
"If you ask so many questions I might take the whole packet back."
"..." it was just a packet of M&N. I know it is not enough to fill a stomach but something is better than nothing. I usually don't keep things like this but today of all days my mother kept on insisting I take it.
I don't know what is going to happen to us but no matter what I am not going to die here is what I promised myself.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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