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Sunny’s menacing look and attitude vanished when he was interrupted by Serena’s voice.
It was replaced by his usual wide and warm smile.
Leah heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran to Serena. She urged, “Let’s go for dinner.”
Serena walked out the door groggily, seemingly unaware of Sunny’s odd behavior earlier.
Around eight o’clock in the evening, the dinner feast came to an end. The nightfall in the
mountainous areas was earlier than in the city. Furthermore, the locals led a simple life
and were early sleepers. As a result, they went to bed soon after dinner.
It started to thunder in the middle of the night. Because the cement walls did not provide
soundproofing, Leah and the other visitors could clearly hear the howling wind outside. In
addition, it was the summer monsoon season when heavy downpours and thunderstorms
were expected. The constant rain trickling and deep rumble of thunder disrupted their
sleep.
Unable to fall asleep, Leah flipped over on the bed to face Serena. Upon noticing that the
former was also wide awake, she asked, “Are you having difficulty sleeping too?”
Another loud thunder rumble sounded as Leah nodded her head. She held on to the
blanket sheets and whispered, “I’m feeling a little worried.”
Serena stared at the ceiling and said in despair, “You may be feeling jittery about coming
to an unfamiliar place. Hurry and get some sleep. We’ll be visiting the school early in the
morning tomorrow right?”
Leah acknowledged, “You are right.” With that, the duo forced themselves to get some
rest.
After some time, a clanging sound echoed from outside, followed by a knock on their door.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“Are you there, Ms. White?” The village chief asked anxiously.
Leah and Serena were still awake, so they jumped out of bed, put on their coats, and
walked out of the room. They noticed that a crowd had gathered at the hall. Sunny and the
other volunteer teachers were also present, in addition to the village chief. Everyone had a
solemn expression on their face. They approached Leah and Serena when they noticed
their arrival.
“What happened?” Leah asked quizzically.
The village chief asked, “Apart from the seven teachers, did anyone else from the city
come to the village?”
Leah turned to face Sunny, who shook his head hurriedly. “We have already told the
village chief that no one else joined us on this trip. However, he insisted on asking both of
you as well.”
Leah nodded her head and asked the village chief, “No one else came along. Did
something happen?”
The village chief frowned and his expression darkened. “Someone reported seeing a
person at the foot of the mountain. However, due to the intensity of the downpour, the
person seems to be trapped. Based on the person’s attire, he seems to be from the city.
We thought that he may be your friend. Since you have said that no one else came to the
village, who could he be?”
The other locals had a grim expression as well. They were terrified of climbing the
mountains in the current weather as the heavy downpour and thunderstorms would cause
the path to be muddy. However, they could not turn a blindeye to the person trapped at
the foot of the mountain. Moreover, the person seemed to be an unfamiliar guest from the
city.
“Let’s take a look,” someone suggested.
“But… the weather…” another said hesitantly.
Leah’s heart raced as she remembered the uneasiness that had plagued her all night. In
fact, she considered the possibility that Ian had secretly visited her. She bit her lip and
interrupted the ongoing heated discussion, “I’ll take a look. All of you can stay here.”
“I disagree,” Sunny objected. “It’s very dark right now, and the heavy rain has made the
ground slick and muddy. Who will save you if there is an accident?”
The village chief nodded his head in agreement. “Why don’t we search for the person
tomorrow?”
“There’s no time to wait. Don’t worry, I’ll be extra careful. Nothing serious will happen,”
Leah shook her head and said with conviction.
Serena hurriedly offered, “I’ll accompany you then. It’s better to have someone with you.”
Sunny clenched his jaws and muttered unwillingly, “I’ll join you then. I promised Ian to
take care of you.”
The village chief sighed and said, “I’ll send two of my young men to follow along. Even
though the weather is not ideal, it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s better to have someone
familiar with the location to guide you.”
The crowd dispersed so that the necessary preparations could be made. Fortunately, Leah
had planned ahead of time and packed raincoats for the trip. She distributed them and
brought a waterproof torchlight with her.
Soon, the group started to make their way down the mountain. The journey was more
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmarduous than what they had expected. As they cautiously trudged through the mud,
everyone clutched the torchlight tightly and helped each other on. The rain continued to
fall mercilessly on them, obscuring their vision and making each step more difficult.
The torchlight was the only source of light in the mountains. However, in complete
darkness, the dim light was weak and practically useless. Everyone remained silent, with
only light breathing audible.
Just then the villager shouted, “Look, there seems to be someone there!”
Everyone directed their torchlight at the villager’s direction to get a better view of the
situation. They noticed a tall figure trapped in the mud, but he appeared to be motionless.
“Hey, are you all right?” The villager called out but there was no response.
Leah and the others approached the figure to get a better look at the stranger. Leah felt
an odd sense of familiarity as she approached the man. When they arrived, they shone
their torchlight at the nearby surroundings.
“Are you conscious?” Leah asked. Given her gentle voice and the loud pouring rain, it was
hard for one to hear her clearly. However, the moment she ended her sentence, the still
figure suddenly moved.
Boom! An earth-shattering clap of thunder rumbled in the sky. It was followed by a sudden
strike of lightning that lit up the dark surroundings.
The man slowly raised his head, his dark hollow eyes fixed on Leah. The mesmerizing eyes
held the woman captive, causing her to lose her senses. She held her breath and
unintentionally released the torchlight.
Leah felt as if she were in a dream. The man she had least expected to see was trapped in
the mud in a disheveled state.
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