SURVIVORS
Chapters 182. Trapped in the haunted forest
Liam and Laras sat back on the grass. They ate the apples they were given yesterday. That's all that's left.
"Let's walk. It's not noon yet." Barrel stands.
Liam looked at Laras. It seemed that he had gathered his spirit again. Liampun got up from his seat.
"Come on."
Their steps lightly walked down the forest towards the river they had passed yesterday.
"If we can continue down the river, we will reach the estuary and the beach. There must be a bigger city there." Laras.
"Hem.." Liam replied.
"The theory is like that. But we don't know how long this river is we can reach the beach. And as I recall, it's just a small river that even a boat can't get through" Liam added.
"Well, you're right. Our position on the hill is like this. If you follow the river flow to the beach, then we have to pass some waterfalls first." Laras nodded in agreement
"I've heard the sound of water!" Small running barrel.
"We have to fill the water first before continuing the journey." Liam is after Laras.
"okay."
The barrel stopped at the river they crossed yesterday.
"The water flow is a little bit faster than yesterday afternoon." Said.
"Yes. Maybe yesterday upstream it was raining heavily." Liam is looking for a suitable place to hold clean water.
"The water's cold. It's like taking a shower." The barrel plays water with his hands.
"Better find the fish. If you can, it could be the provision of our journey," suggested Liam.
Laras watched the small river closely. There are some small fish swimming there.
"There's the fish. But too small. More like anchovies," Baras was disappointed.
"Yes already. We'll find it again. We're going down the river." comfort Liam.
"You done filling the water?" asked Laras while raising his head.
Liam nodded.
"It has. Let's continue on." Take Liam.
Liam was already standing on the bank, waiting for Laras to come out of the river. They should immediately continue the journey when it is still bright.
"Clearii...!"
I heard a warning scream. Followed by the sound of crying and fear of children.
'Kids?' thought Liam.
He immediately turned his back when he saw Kenny carrying a number of children and women running with panicked faces.
"Clear.. Run!" Kenny's screams are heard.
Liam and Laras run towards Kenny and the kids. They were rushing across that small and shallow river.
"What's wrong?"
Liam stood on the side of the river, helping all the children out of the river. The barracks embraced those who were frightened.
"Why stop, Run! Hurry along!" Kenny's orders.
The children and the women return to the haunted forest. Liam and Laras run after them confused and worried. In the back, Kenny and another young man guarded the entourage by throwing a few arrows.
There were loud, angry voices and the rumbling of feet running across the river.
'Ware, surely the village has fallen and the criminals are chasing innocent children!' inner Liam. He immediately understood the situation and led the children and some of the women towards the edge of the haunted forest.
The group had arrived at the place yesterday Liam, Laras and Kenny overnight. Laras and the women didn't know what to decide. They were already cornered and stood at the edge of the pitch black boundary.
Liam waits for Kenny and a friend with worry.
"Run!" Shouted Kenny again.
"Where else to go?"
Kenny and his friend saw the boundary of the haunted forest. They are cornered.
"Haha.. You can't go anywhere anymore." The man in front there played his sword with a mocking look.
"Relax. We promised we would sell those children expensively at the slave market" Kenny's friend's man growled furiously.
"We are not slaves! It will never!" Angry shouting.
"Then you must die here!" Said the man cold.
He raised his sword, giving a cue. Then a number of people by his side pointed arrows at the entourage.
"We would rather die here than be slaves of your people!" Kenny stood firmly in front of the group.
"No! We still have a choice!" Shouted Laras almost crying. In his words, he spoke in Indonesian.
Liam understood Laras's intentions.
"Reverse. We can take refuge in the haunted forest. They won't dare to chase us here." Liam said confidently, also in Indonesian.
The children who had been taught by Laras their language could understand the words of Laras and Liam. They pulled the hands of the women and retreated to the boundary of the haunted forest.
"Capture the two strangers alive!" shouted the man in front with wrath.
The troops in front of it ran forward to catch Laras and Liam who were caught speaking foreign languages and it was obeyed by the children and the women. They felt that both of them were village leaders who had been well hidden.
Liam and Laras deftly pull the hands of Kenny and his friend to come into the borders of the haunted forest. Now the four stood in front, protecting the children and the women behind.
The pursuers stopped in front of the boundary line. Two hostile groups now face each other. Throwing deadly gazes at each other.
Kenny's group stared confidently and were ready to fight. But it was different from that group of troops. They looked at the group of children with annoyance. Because they themselves did not dare to enter the boundary of the haunted forest.
"Heh. Stupidhead! You think you're free after you get into that forest? You will be trapped and never come back. Then die like the other escapees who run from punishment." Cynical ejeknya.
"That's because they lived peacefully in the haunted forest. There are no barbarians and evil like you!" Kenny insulted back.
"Fuck! Feel this. I want to wipe your ugly face with blood!" Shouted the man in the back. An arrow shot rapidly towards Kenny.
"Yinjangaannn!" shouted his men in panic.
Along with that, Liam pulled Kenny's hand while shouting.
"Please!"
One two seconds passed before a heart-wrenching cry could be heard.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Liam, Kenny, Laras and the other man raised their heads to find out what happened.
"Yahooooonggg!"
Across there, the man who slid the arrow fluttered in the grass. His body was burning and black smoke was billowing in circles. And in an instant his body became a jet-black stiff carcass.
His men were agape at the sight of that. But no one dared to help. They know, the leader of the army has violated the haunted forest taboo. Abstinence to attack the haunted forest. They obviously don't want to be the same.
Eventually they could only give up chasing after Kenny's entourage. They clutched that stiff, blackened body, then left.
"What happened just now?" Barrel looks in shock. He kept shaking his head in disbelief.
"Liam, do you think it's possible that within a minute someone's body could turn into that? How hot is the fire that burns it?" Baras continued to babble confusedly.
Liam rubbed the Barrel's back to give him some calm.
'Even there was no visible flame just now' Liam spoke in his heart.
But that's not the main thing now. Because now that they have arrived here, all one needs to think about is the plan to survive in this forest. And this is not an easy thing. There were 7 boys and girls.3 teenage girls as well as Kenny and his friend.
"We'll rest here. Let's discuss to take the best step." Liam broke the confusion.
"Can you tell me why you ran here?" ask Laras.
"The village has fallen. They're holding Stevan." a young woman replied.
"Since yesterday we've been told to hide with the kids. Until this morning Kenny and Mattew came to take us on the run." Answer the other girl.
"Have you reached the village this morning?" ask Kenny.
"I was on my way to Stevan's house, when Mattew pulled me to hide in the gardenia bush. He took me around through Mr. Burke's vegetable garden. Until we could see how they treated Mr. Stevan harshly. They tied him to the middle pole of the yard. Whipped her repeatedly. I saw an arrow stuck in his stomach and kept bleeding." Kenny's story while bowed.
The girls and the children cried hearing that.
"What about William?" tanya Laras wants to know.
"He died hiding me." Mattew crying. Body vibrates.
Kenny hugged her.
"I'm grateful you're alive. William sacrificed his life to take care of you. It's an honor for him. Next I'll take care of you." Kenny Promise.
Liam and Laras.
'Who is Mattew?' thought both.
"alright. Here we are safe from their pursuit. So we have to take care of each other. Adults should take care of children. They are the next generation of villagers. We must continue the history of this village in the haunted forest. We have to survive here." Liam said firmly.
They discussed for a while. Kenny tried to step out of the boundary of the black ground. It ended up injuring his leg until he suffered a burn.
Finally they decided to go into the forest further, because on the outskirts they did not find any hunted animals. The key to survival is to have food.
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