Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen Once

"Are you sure you're okay?" This is the fourth time I've asked this, and once again my question was answered with a short "I'm fine." We walked down the road to civilization on foot, the car idling behind us in the parking lot.Darren wouldn't let us drive away.Dodge was bleeding from Darren's punch in the nose.He was about to set off immediately to find someone.The only thing I could do was to make him wait for three minutes while I went to get my clothes, and then he walked out of the camp quickly. "Need tissues?" I asked, trotting to keep up with him.

"No need." Dodge wiped his nose with his sleeve, leaving a bloodstain on the white shirt immediately. I didn't say anything, just concentrated on my journey, carefully avoiding the deep puddles on the road.My calf was burning and hurting, and I was so hungry that my chest was pressed against my back, and I was almost exhausted.But I don't want to slow Dodge down because he's so distraught right now.To be honest, I'm a little scared of him now.He seemed to be out of control, and although I couldn't hear what he was saying, his lips were moving and he was whispering something.

After a while, he stopped suddenly and turned to look at me.I took two steps back and stood still. "I mean," he growled, uttering thoughts I hadn't caught just now, "I knew he didn't like Martin, but for God's sake! He knew all night last night that Martin was missing." He didn't even move his eyelids. He just wanted to fool around with Emma in the tent. How could there be someone like him?" I looked at him anxiously, worried at the thought of having to answer, lest I say the wrong thing. "I can't believe he won't let me drive his car." Before I could answer, he continued, "We should have found the right place and called him. But we're stuck in this wild place." walk. If he doesn't respond..."

Dodge didn't go on, he turned his face away and looked at the sea. The sea today is dark blue and the sky is covered with dark clouds.I know.If Martin doesn't respond, how do we know what's going on with him?How can we find him?We've looked in every possible direction he might have gone, so what else can we do? "Okay." I said softly, "Let's go find the signal." Dodge took a deep breath, let it out again, looked at me and nodded, then twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled at me.He slumped his shoulders, and the expression on his face changed, more like the boy I knew, only with more blood.

"Are you sure you don't need a Kleenex?" I asked, and we walked again, this time with a much calmer pace. Dodge tentatively touched his nose with his hand, frowned, and immediately put his hand down. "Am I scary?" "Red doesn't suit you." There was nothing funny about my remark, and Dodge still laughed, but his laughter sounded bitter. "Here you are." I took out a pack of Clenex tissues from my pocket, and handed one to him, "People with hay fever always have tissues on their bodies." Received his inquiring eyes, I explained.

"Thank you." He took the tissue, tilted his head back, and used the tissue to stop the blood that was pouring out of his nose. "I will never forgive Darren in my life." He blocked his nose with a tissue. I knew he was referring to Martin, not to Darren punching his nose to bleed.But this also deepened the hatred between them.Darren is the world's biggest eater.I really don't understand what Emma likes about him except his muscles.After the fight, she was mad at him, more because Dodge had a bloody nose than because he had lied about Martin.But now she's on the beach with him instead of here with us.This move has already shown who she is biased towards.

Dodge was right, we didn't see a single car all the way to the main road.By the time we reached the top, the only sound was the gentle hum of a generator.Dodge checks his phone: no signal.Mine is the same.A few minutes later, a white van drove by quickly.Five minutes later, an old couple drove over slowly in an old but clean Mercedes-Benz.They stopped the car and my husband rolled down the window and asked if we were all right, but seeing Dodge's bloody face soon lost his joy and drove off. "Maybe Martin did hitchhike," Dodge murmured as he watched the Mercedes disappear around the bend.

Maybe. We climbed over a fence and came to the center of an empty field.This was the highest point for miles around, and we felt that if there was a signal anywhere, it would be here. "How's it going?" I asked as he held up his little rectangular phone.My own phone still doesn't even have a bar of signal. "Still searching." He replied.He raised the phone a little higher and stared at the screen. "Aha!" He smiled triumphantly at me.He had blood all over his face and looked a little bit crazy.I laughed, and quietly made a note to give Martin another tissue when we finished talking to Martin.

We must be able to speak to Martin.Only then can I stop worrying. Dodge held the phone to his ear, and his eyes fell on me. "It works." He mouthed to me. I waited, my pulse beating wildly, my heart pounding in my chest.I couldn't hear the bell, but I counted silently, and every time I counted, I became a little more nervous.one.two.three.Four.With every passing second, a big smile could appear on Dodge's face.Fives.six.seven.Martin could answer the phone any minute.Eight.Nine.ten.Why didn't he answer the phone? Dodge's expression became solemn, and anxiety began to spread in my heart.He put down the phone slowly.

"Transferred to voicemail," he said softly. "Call again." I urged. He silently complied, and I started counting again.I try to be hopeful, but I know how it will turn out.Even so, it still felt like a blow to me when Dodge shook his head and looked serious. "No answer," he said, confirming my fear. "So what do we do?" I asked.I was lost, like a child. "Should I call his parents?" Dodge grimaced.I know what he's thinking.If we had called his parents or the police, all this would have been true.Terrible truth.I wasn't sure if I was ready to accept the fact that Martin was missing.

"I don't know." Dodge was as hesitant as I was. "What are we going to tell them?" I pouted.Is there a way to confirm that Martin has returned home without revealing that we can't find him and that he is in danger?If he doesn't come home, I don't want to scare his parents, after all it's also possible that he's stuck somewhere, sprained or broken his ankle, is impatiently waiting for us to get to him, and is mad at us for taking so long. not here. "Don't tell them who you are," I suggested. "Pretend you're someone else and ask if he's home." Dodge had a look of disbelief on his face. "You think they can't tell it's me?" "Then I'll call," I said, but my whole being was squirming at the idea. "I've never seen them." To my surprise, Dodge laughed.This time it was a genuine smile. "Believe me, if you call, they'll be suspicious. No girl ever calls Martin." "Ah." I smiled worriedly, "Okay then." "Okay, let me fight." He sighed. He raised the phone to his ear, but soon he frowned tightly.I watched him put his phone away and stare at the screen. "Ah, don't be like this! There were more just now!" "What's wrong?" I asked. "There is no signal." Dodge tapped a few different places on the screen, but his expression didn't change in the slightest. "Would you like to try mine?" I asked.I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. "Which telco do you use?" I asked. "EE." "I'm using Vodafone. I'll check again... nothing." I sighed. "Not a single bar." "That's weird," Dodge said. "It was fine just now. The signal has four bars. Maybe we should go to a higher place." "Higher?" I asked skeptically.We are already at the top. "I can climb a tree," said Dodge, glancing at the row of tall birches behind the field. I looked at him, trying my best not to express my inner thoughts: he is just a dead horse as a living horse doctor.But I don't have a better idea.How far do we have to go to find someone?Is it time to go back and get Darren to hand over the car keys?I don't want to talk to him. "You step on my leg and climb up." I said. I helped Dodge climb the lowest branch, and then he climbed nimbly up the thickest tree.Standing in the middle of the tree, he tried with both hands whether the higher branches were firm.The branches swayed under his pressure. "Don't climb too high," I reminded him. "If you break your neck, there's no hope for us." He laughed twice, but did not continue to climb higher. "Got it?" "No. Ah, yes! We've launched! Wait, dialed now." I waited anxiously and eagerly. "What's the matter?" There was no response, "Dodge, what's the matter?" "The battery is dead." Even though it wasn't funny, I laughed out loud. "Do not make jokes." "I'm not joking." "Wait." I reached into my pocket again, "I caught it! Check to see if my phone has a signal." I threw the phone up the tree, frowning worriedly, but Dodge reached out quickly and caught it.I watched him punch the phone screen. "How to turn it on?" He shouted under the tree. "It's on." I replied, "Is the screen locked?" "No, Heather, it's not on." I looked up at him in bewilderment.A minute ago, the phone was still on.Maybe I accidentally touched the power button when I was throwing the phone, but I have to hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn it off.I told him how to turn it on and waited.I waited a long time. "No, it won't turn on. Is it out of battery?" "Impossible, there is still half of the battery left, at least it can be used until tomorrow." "Anyway, it can't be turned on." "Give me the phone." I sighed, very annoyed. Dodge dropped the phone, and I caught it, thumbed the power button, and waited for the little red Vodafone logo to appear on the screen, but it didn't work. "Something's wrong," I whispered.Did it break? "I told you so," Dodge called down. "I can't tell what's going on." I said loudly so that he could hear, "It was fine just now." I looked around, "Is it because of the generator? It can drain the battery ?” "I don't know." Dodge's voice came closer.I looked up and saw him climbing down the branch. "Looks like we didn't have much luck this weekend." He came to the last branch and stood there for a moment, judging the distance from it to the ground.Just as he bent his knees and was about to jump, I heard a muffled crack in the trunk.Immediately afterwards, Dodge and the tree branch fell to the ground together. "Dodge!" I yelled, running to him.He was on the ground, covered with leaves and twigs that had fallen from the broken branches.He pushed the leaves away with his hands, and although he could move, I knew something was wrong.In a mess of green, I saw his ankle twisted beneath him at an odd angle.He grinned in pain and hugged his leg above his feet.He groaned a few times, still trying to push the branch away from him. "Are you okay?" I gasped. Dodge said huffily, "I think so." I took his hand and pulled him to his feet.As soon as he tried to put his weight on the injured ankle, he grunted in pain. "Maybe not so good," he corrected. "Broken ankle?" I asked. I hope not.How can I get him back to the camp and the car if he can't walk?It is impossible for me to carry him this far. "It doesn't feel like it's broken, but it hurts badly." He let out a breath, and stepped out his right foot carefully.I saw him grit his teeth. "I think it's just a sprain." He laughed, though his voice sounded hysterical. "What's so funny?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in bewilderment and disbelief.I think the last thing to do right now is laugh. "I'm laughing...could things get any worse?" I smile too, but I need to work my facial muscles harder than I used to to do it. "Don't say that." I reminded him.Followed, I sighed. "It's been a mess for you to come out for your birthday this time. What are we going to do now, Dodge?" We still don't know what's going on with Martin, and Dodge is now likely to end up in the emergency room. "I don't know," he whispered. "Go back to camp. Figure it out. Darren has to drive us out." I'm not sure about that.When we left, the look on Darren's face was clear: he was angry.In my experience, Darren isn't much help when he's angry.However, maybe he would show kindness seeing Dodge like this.Provided I can get him back to camp. "Do you think you can go?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously.He tried to stand as he normally did, but it was obvious that he was in severe pain whenever he put his weight on the injured foot. "I'll try it out," he said. The process is very slow.At first, Dodge tried to walk by himself, but he could only cover palm-sized distances at a time.His facial features were twisted into a ball, and he bit his lip so hard that it was almost bleeding.After walking a few hundred meters like this, he had to give up. "Listen, I'll wait here," he said, about to sit on the lawn beside the road. "You can walk back and ask Darren to bring the car." My face immediately turned pale.I wouldn't want to face Darren alone without the Dodgers. "Maybe I can carry you back," I suggested. Dodge gave a snort of laughter. "Are you going to be Wonder Woman this weekend?" he asked. "No," I admitted, "but you can put your arm on my shoulder. I'll be your human crutch." This is much better.I was much shorter than Dodge, and he had to walk a little stooped, clumsily, but he didn't have to put all his weight on the rapidly swollen joints.It was a laborious job for me, I wrapped my arms around his waist, and soon my arms started to hurt, and I clutched him so tightly that my knuckles turned white.But I know there are only a few miles left, maybe less. By the time we got back to the parking lot, the sun was at its highest point, but thick clouds covered it.I was hungry, exhausted, and aching.I let the Dodge lean against the hood of the Volvo.He sat hunched over the side of the muddy gray metal car, his mouth pursed into a thin line, and beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. "How do you feel?" I asked a stupid question. "It hurts." He smiled at me. "I want to take off my shoes. It feels like my feet are going to explode inside." "That's not okay." I suggested, "You can't wear it back then." "Never mind. I'll just stay in the car. Alright, now let's talk to lovely Darren." I stared at Dodge for a while, trying to figure out if he was out of his mind or if he was just joking.He winked at me and looked wary, so I figured it was the latter. It was broad daylight at this time, and our things were scattered in the camp. Although it was different from last night at this time, when I stepped on the soft and sunken sandy beach, a strange feeling of déjà vu rose in my heart.We went back to the dark camp last night and found out that Martin hadn't come back. I was very disturbed at the time, and I don't know why.Now the camp was just as silent, so empty, empty again. "Emma?" I called. No one answered.I look over to our tent.I don't want to walk over to them.But Dodge has started to walk along the rough sand, and I can't tell him to go.So, I hummed in embarrassment, and walked over, with heavy and slow steps. "Emma?" I called her name again, still hoping that she would poke her head out of the tent so I wouldn't have to bother them.It's a pity that I didn't get what I wanted. I knocked on the tent, in case they didn't hear my shout, so as to give them some time, followed, I gently opened the zipper.I narrowed my eyes and looked in cautiously, ready to close them at any moment.After one glance, my eyes widened in bewilderment.The tent, like the camp, was empty. "Dodge?" I turned around on the spot.Dodge was at the edge of another tent; the tent curtains were open, apparently empty. "They're not here." "Not here, what do you mean?" I stood aside and pointed to the empty tent. "They're not here." I repeated. "God!" Dodge limped over and looked inside the tent himself.As if among the piles of clothes, sleeping bags, and toiletries, I would lose sight of them.but it is not the truth.They are literally gone.