"Jacob, I know that your daughter has leukemia now, and she desperately needs a bone marrow donor in order to live on. I don't know why you chose to betray me, but it probably has to do with Alex promising you with something. Whatever he can do, I can do too, whether it's getting bone marrow or getting a change of doctors or hospitals or finding the most compatible marrow in the world. I can do all of those for you, and I can do better than him." Robert suddenly began talking to the man seated opposite him. Only now did Georgia know that this man's name was Jacob Willis, and he used to be one of Robert's bodyguards. However, he had betrayed Robert now, and from Robert's demeanour, he obviously knew about Jacob's situation.
"Mr. Simpson, it's too late now. From the moment I betrayed you, my life no longer means anything to you. I just want my wife and daughter to live one. If I turn back now, everything would be for nothing."
Jacob wasn't persuaded by Robert at all. Instead, he pulled the safe of the gun.
"Even if I can't make it out of here, do you think that my friends won't be able to find out whoever has betrayed me? They will exact revenge on everyone who has betrayed me today. Jacob, you really think that me dying here will forever bury the truth about your betrayal? Remember this, if news get out that I have died, everyone who is involved will get their share of revenge sooner or later. I will give you one last chance now. If you let me go today, I will send someone to rescue your wife and daughter and send them overseas. I will dismiss everything that happened between us, and I can even send you to hiding too. This is the deal I am offering you, and this is your last chance to make a choice."
Jacob stared gravely at Robert, and all of a sudden he pulled the safety of the gun and pulled the trigger.
Georgia immediately wrapped herself around Robert, but she didn't feel any pain assaulting her. She heard a gunshot, but it was behind her, and only then did she see that Jacob had shot down one of Robert's bodyguard who had just arrived at the scene.
"We will go now. I will show the way. Mr. Simpson, remember your promise now. Do you know why I choose to pull the trigger on that person just now? I initially thought that you have shunned and put some distance between you and your friends, and they would no longer stand on your side. But the moment I pulled the trigger just now, Ms. Lane here didn't hesitate to throw her body in front of you, and that made me understand that your friends never left your side even once. My family can only be saved if I get you out of here alive."
Robert was gawking at Jacob with shock in his eyes, and they he turned his gaze on Georgia, his look complicated.
Georgia returned his gaze without saying anything. She grabbed his hand.
"Don't think about anything now. The most urgent thing here is to get out alive. Don't think about our past for now, and don't think about what lays ahead. I just want us to stay alive."
After saying that, Georgia took the initiative and planted a kiss on Robert's lips. Robert in turn held Georgia's hand and then broke into a run following Jacob.
There were a few gunshots just now, and that must have alerted Alex's men that something was wrong. If they didn't make a break for escape now, Alex's men would have arrived soon.
There were lush vegetation all around them, making their path difficult. Georgia had a gun wound on her arm, and Robert simply tore off the clothing on her arm and wrapped around the wound tightly to stop the bleeding.
Then, the three of them continued to run in the dark forest, and they could hear a flurry of footsteps tailing them.
The sound of those footsteps were thick and repetitive, as if a huge crowd was chasing after them. Jacob shoved aside all the branches and leaves while leading Georgia and Robert from the front.
"Alex has more than twenty men by his side, and all of them are equipped. Now, half of his men are on our tail, which means that around ten men are chasing us. I don't know where our paths will take us, but I just want you to know that we are in the vicinity of the YD Mountain in the suburb of D city, and there is only one way to make it out of here, and I bet that Alex must have planted his men by roadside. We can't use this road now since they have numbers on their side, and they are all equipped with weapons. We can only find our way in the mountains, which mean that we might need to traverse through the mountain itself and reach the bottom of the mountain. We might need to take a whole day to do that, and if we lose our way or choose the wrong way, we might take even longer time. You guys better be ready for a harsh journey ahead."
Since they would be dead if they stayed in one spot, and they might even face a lot of torturing, so they could only choose this path which might lead to hope. George and Robert answered at the same time, "We are able to hang in here."
Jacob turned around and looked at the couple with a smile.
"I really thought that you guys would have nothing to do with each other anymore, but at this moment, only death could do you apart..."
Jacob was sighing as he led Georgia and Robert to a very secluded part of the mountain. There were towering trees all around them, and the path they were taking were covered in lush foliage.
Georgia's hand was sliced by all kinds of protruding plants which had thorns on them. She felt a fiery sensation covering her arms.
There were practically no life around them, and no matter where they went, they could still hear footsteps somewhere far way. No matter how long the three of them had ventured, they could still hear the footsteps of the men sent by Alex.
"There was a rain today, so no matter where we go now, we would leave visible footprints. Even without them, they could still deduct our direction by those damaged plants. We can't just run aimlessly anymore. Although they are just trying to discover us without any means of locating us, they are still better equipped compared to us. If this continues, they will catch up to us in no time."
Robert stopped Jacob from going further as he analyzed the situation at hand. Georgia turned around and took a look and found that indeed, they had left behind a lot of footsteps.
It was raining not long ago, and on the mushy soil footprints would remain for a long time. Furthermore, those high stalks of vegetation all tumbled or snapped in half abruptly, revealing that they had been here not long ago.
"Then what should we do now?"
Jacob asked Robert while staring at him. He only knew that by going all the way over the unbeaten paths in the mountain, they could reach the bottom of the mountain eventually.
However, he didn't think about covering their tracks, and he couldn't come up with anything to solve this problem.
"We need to split up. Our footsteps showed that we are together, and Alex's men can focus their efforts on tailing us, but if we split up and run on our own, at least they have to divide their men, and in the end our chances of surviving would increase."
Since they couldn't wipe away those footprints, they could only disperse their pursuer.
"So each of us are going our separate ways now?"
Jacob spoke first. He didn't mind one bit about this idea, but what about this couple? Did they really want to be apart with one another?
Before Jacob could say anything, Georgia immediately grabbed Robert's arm.
"No way. I can't leave you now. I will follow you wherever you go."
Georgia had never been so determined before. A voracious voice inside her told her that she could never leave Robert from now on. No matter what awaited them in front, she had to stick with Robert.
"Your arm is hurt. Of course you have to stick with me."
Robert suddenly flashed a smile in Georgia's direction, which caused her already blushing face to heat up.
"Alright then, we will split into two parties and go in the opposite direction since we will converge at the bottom anyway. Mr. Simpson, I will atone my sins for you in the future, but if I die or get captured, please honor our promise and protect my wife and daughter at all cost. They have nothing to do with all these."
After spelling out his last words, Jacob even knelt down in front of Robert with a solemn expression.
"A promise made is a promise kept. I would make good on my promise since these are my own words. I will never go back on them."
After saying that, Jacob and Robert dashed off in the opposite direction. Georgia and Robert continued to go deeper into the huge dark forest.
The sky was darkening, and with the previous rain, the sky was a gloomy gray with no signs of breaking. Georgia and Robert didn't dare to carry with them anything that would shine in the dark, fearing that their action would attract Alex and his men.
However, their pathway down the mountain was steep and dangerous. They only needed to make a mistake to come rolling down the hill. Seeing that the whole place was almost swallowed by darkness, Georgia asked anxiously, "What should we do if it becomes dark later on? If we continue running like this, there are bushes and rocks all around us, not to mention the steep parts. We will fall off our paths if we are not careful."
"Let's settle down in some place tonight. Didn't you read any of those martial arts novels or stories? Usually the protagonists will find a cave to settle down for the night."
When Robert was saying this, his face remained hidden in the dark because of the darkening sky, but Georgia could still feel that he was joking in an attempt to lighten the mood. Georgia's tensed up face immediately softened.
"I can't believe that you are still in the mood to crack a joke."
Robert didn't say anything as he placed his palm on Georgia's inured arm.
"Is it still painful? It has been a few hours since you have this wound. By the time we reach the bottom tomorrow, we need to go to the hospital fast. Or else, your wound would have inflammation, and I fear that it would affect the nerves in your arm."
Georgia didn't expect Robert to suddenly show concern for her injuries. She shook her head with a smile.
"I felt painful at first, but we are in the midst of running away, so the pain is no longer that prominent. Judging by the sky now, I anticipate that it would rain again tonight. You better find a cave like the one in novels, or else we might be bedridden with fever if it really rains."
"I found that those birds are flying in the same direction for a while now. If it's really going to rain, these animals would go back to their nests, so we should follow them. Perhaps we would find a safe place to take shelter."
Robert helped Georgia as they moved slowly towards the direction he had mentioned. All Georgia could see were endless vegetation.
The two of them prodded on in silence, and Georgia almost felt that her legs were going to give out soon. At the same time, Robert let out a delighted laugh, "See, I told you that there will be a cave around here."
Georgia followed his gaze but she didn't see any cave. She saw a region of yellowish soil on the ground, and there was a dent in one part. This was no cave, and she could see that that dent couldn't even fit one person.
"Are you really sure that we are going to take shelter here tonight?"