Connection

Chapter Thirty: Cliff

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Chapter Thirty: Cliff

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A shiver ran through his body as he stepped out of the car. Their ride had been long, and Cliff yawned as stretched his back.

They stood along a mountain, looking out on nothing but the wilderness below. A bit further up, a large rock formation rose out of the grass, piercing through the gray sky as sharp as a knife.

Beside them was parked a large white van, one that hit Cliff with a wave of déjà vu the moment he saw it. He'd been inside that van before. He shuddered at the memory of the dream.

"Whose are these?" Jean called as she saw the vehicle.

"Charlotte's captors," Cliff answered.

"Both?"

Cliff moved to her side to find a sleek black car parked directly behind that of Charlotte's captors.

"Not sure," he muttered, watching it with a tipped head. "The van is definitely the only car they had unless there's more of them since the last time I saw her."

"Well, no use wasting time on it," Grez said. "We'll find out why it's there soon."

With a nod, Cliff turned and followed Grez up the sloping grass hill and toward the rocks.

"Are you sure there's an entrance up here?" Jean called, watching our destination with uncertainty. There was no visible opening anywhere among the village of rocks and any far-fetched possibilities seemed too painful to be true.

"I promise," Grez sighed, "that there is an entrance just waiting for us."

They followed him further until they stood face to face with the rock and still no hidden entryway had been revealed.

Grez paused the moment he reached the rock and darted behind it, his face pale. Jean and Cliff followed his lead. Just seconds later they understood why.

From across the formation, they heard loud voices echoing across through the chasms around them. One was particularly familiar, and this was the last place Cliff expected to hear the voice of Mayor Isaris.

They were drawing near and Cliff knew they couldn't hide forever.

"We'll have to go out," he whispered to Grez. As he spoke he could see the refusal set in Grez's hard features.

"There isn't another choice," Cliff argued. "They'll find us if we don't come out and it will seem more suspicious if we were hiding than if we openly met them."

Grez watched him, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't think you're understanding the situation."

"I understand damn well that these are the people who have been searching for you for years. But honestly, they're not going to stop right here and take you home before they get Charlotte back. If they really are being unreasonable--or recognize you, for that matter--then you can get away as we're going home," Cliff whisper-yelled.

Grez's face was still stone cold and his eyes showed him to be obstinate, but he muttered quietly, "Just don't make a big deal out of me. I'll try to keep a low profile."

Seeing this as a win, Cliff nodded and walked out from behind the stone, pretending to pick up a conversation with Jean.

"--said she might be here."

"I hope so. It would be such a shame for so many people to work together when it didn't work," Jean improvised. The wind whipped around them and Cliff allowed it to blow away any worries as he went. If they were going to accomplish this, he needed a clear head and confidence or else they'd be guaranteed not to go anywhere.