Selection (Book 2 of P.O.E. chronicles)

Chapter 30 expect the unexpected

“Are you sure this is the place?” I whispered, laying under a pile of leaves for cover and staring at the unremarkable cave entrance. It wasn’t especially well hidden or well situated, nor was there any sign of POE or even human activities for the last few days. We had been hiding in vegetation for over three hours now and I had a suspicious feeling that several insects had made their way into my trousers.

Instead of replying, Gerald merely gave me a pointed look before putting his binoculars back on. I stifled a sigh and resisted the urge to use my mind sensory skills; apparently that would spook them. I hate to admit it but Gerald was actually a really good leader. He knew exactly what, who and how to do things; but that still didn’t make me like him better.

The rest of the team had scattered around us, either hiding beneath leave coverage or nestled on trees. It had taken ten days for us to trek back into the Himalayas, even with the help of mopeds. One of the older members of the group called Howard was an expert tracker and here we were after another four days. At first I wasn’t convinced about how useful tracking was but it turned out to be quite an art. I could sense the same thing that he saw but recognizing its meaning required some serious training.

Biting my lips my mind replayed the conversation Gerald and I had on the first day out. He had wanted Liam to take me straight to a designated safe place and he would meet up with us after they finish the assignment. I knew that obliging is the right thing to do but I couldn’t leave knowing that some of my friends might be stuck in the wilderness. In the end I won the argument because it would be hard to explain to others where I have disappeared to.

My heart sped up as the sound of rustling and my hand shot out to grab the binoculars that I had abandoned in a pile of leaves some hours ago. With my heart fluttering against my chest I shoved the device on my face to get a clearer look.

“Is that…” the words got caught in my throat as the silhouette of a person slowly came into view, emerging from piles of overgrown bushes. It was John Kuo, and he didn’t look well.

Everything didn’t seem to matter at the moment. Practically throwing my binoculars off, which managed to hit Gerald in the face I belted out of our hiding place and engulfed a surprise John.

“Gw.. Gwen?” He choked, frozen in place for a second before squeezing me into a tight hug. I nodded, my heart leaping in hope that maybe others were here too. Pulling away from him I studied his face. He looked shattered, worn. There was a sparkle of hope there as well as he took note of my clothings and frowned at my hair.

“Where have you been?” He asked and I realized that I had look too clean, not to mention my hair colour had returned to its former shade of brown. Not knowing where to start and didn’t want to cut into my background story, I gripped his arm.

“How are you still alive? I thought everyone was capture or dead! How long were you here? Are there others? Is Ho here?” I asked, firing a million question a million and watching his face closely. Gerald and the others were still hidden and it was a good move. Having been betrayed, my reappearance with another group might not bode well.

“Ho is dead.” John said pain evident in his voice and I inhaled sharply, clasping a hand over my mouth. There was a pang in my heart and I felt like I was drenched by cold water. Ho was dead. Suddenly everything seemed even more real; this wasn’t some random story where everyone was just locked away somewhere or lost. People were dying. My heart ached to know about all the people that I had been separated from and I wished that they were okay.

“What happened?” My voice was shaking a little and I realized that I was shaking too. John looked around him cautiously and grabbed my elbow. I threw him a quizzical look.