Chapter 72: A DECISION

Tap... tap... tap... Their footsteps hit the forest ground. Crunch... crunch... Dry leaves crushed underfoot, twigs snapped. Whoosh... The night wind blew hard, hitting their sweat-soaked faces. Behind them, far behind, flashlight beams still swept through the trees. Haaah... haaah... Their breath was ragged, but no one dared to slow down.

Ella ran at the front. Her eyes scanned every root, every stone, every gap in the trail. Beside her, Mira ran with short, quick steps. Haaah... The girl almost tripped twice, but Ella always managed to pull her hand in time.

"Mira, don’t look back," Ella said. Her voice was firm, even though her breath was heavy. "Focus forward."

"But... Mira hears them," Mira whispered. Haaah... "They’re still close, right?"

"They won’t be able to catch us if we keep moving," Ella answered. "We’re almost there."

Behind them, Rin ran with long strides. Her hands were clenched. Haaah... She occasionally glanced back, making sure no one was left behind. Beside her, Luna ran calmly. Her eyes were half-closed, her breathing steady.

"Rin, don’t look back so often," Luna said. Her voice was soft. "You might trip."

"I know," Rin answered. "But I can’t relax if I don’t make sure they’re still behind us."

"Everyone’s still behind us," Luna said. "Relax."

Nora ran on the other side, her eyes watching the trees. Her hand still held the gun she had taken from the guard. Haaah... She didn’t speak, but her steps always kept the right distance from the others.

Behind Nora, Iris ran with a thin smile. Her smile was no longer mysterious—just tired. Haaah... She occasionally brushed her hair away from her forehead.

"I’ve never run this far," Iris said. "My legs are starting to protest."

"Let them protest," Rin replied. "We can’t stop."

"I know," Iris said. "I’m just complaining. Not stopping."

Eve ran with her glasses crooked. Haaah... She had to push them up often. Her bag hung on her shoulder, swaying with every step.

"If we keep running at this pace," Eve said. "We’ll run out of energy in twelve minutes."

"We don’t have a choice," Ella answered. "We have to reach cabin number three."

Aria ran at the very back, her hand gripping the edge of her uniform. Hiks... Her eyes were glistening, but she held back tears. She didn’t want to trouble the others.

"Aria, can you keep up?" Ms. Lydia asked. The woman ran beside Aria, her black dress fluttering. Her round hat was gone. Her long hair was loose over her back.

"I-I can, Ma’am," Aria answered. Her voice trembled. "I’m... I’m just a little scared."

"Being scared is normal," Ms. Lydia said. "But don’t let fear stop you. You’ve come this far. Just a little more."

Fay ran beside Ms. Lydia. The blonde girl hugged her doll tightly. Her eyes were empty, but her steps kept following. She didn’t complain. She didn’t cry. She just ran.

After almost thirty minutes, they finally saw it. Cabin number three. A pine wood building with a curved tin roof. A terrace with rotting wooden chairs. Dark windows.

"There!" Ella called out. She pointed. "Cabin number three!"

They ran toward the cabin. Tap... tap... tap... They crossed the yard filled with wild grass, passed a few small trees, until they finally stood in front of the door. Haaah... haaah... They stopped, catching their breath.

"Where’s the car?" Rin asked. She observed the yard. No car.

"Maybe in the back," Ella answered. "Let’s check."

They walked around the cabin. Tap... tap... Behind the cabin, there was a small parking area. Packed earth. A few stones as borders. And there, parked, was a black mini bus. The car looked luxurious. Its body was still shiny, though a little dusty.

"There!" Mira called out. Her eyes sparkled. "The car!"

They ran toward the car. Tap... tap... tap... Ella arrived first. She circled the car, examining it closely. Hmm... She furrowed her brow.

"The car looks strange," she said.

"Strange how?" Rin asked. She approached.

"Look," Ella said. She pointed to the bottom of the car. "The tires are gone. All of them."

"HAAH?!" Mira opened her mouth. "The tires are gone?!"

Ms. Lydia had already opened the hood. Creeeak... She observed the engine. "The spark plugs are gone too," she said. "And the battery."

"Spark plugs? Battery?" Mira furrowed her brow. "What are those?"

"Spark plugs are an important part of the engine," Ms. Lydia explained. "Without spark plugs, the engine can’t start. The battery too. Without the battery, the car won’t come alive."

Ella opened the car door. Creeeak... She peeked inside. Hmm... She furrowed her brow. "The steering wheel is gone too," she said. "And the car key."

"The steering wheel is gone?!" Rin exclaimed. Her eyes widened. "How?!"

"Those people," Ms. Lydia said. "They must have checked this car. They knew we would use it to escape. So they took the important parts."

Haaah... Everyone fell silent. They stared at the car. No tires. No spark plugs. No battery. No steering wheel. No key. Useless.

"So we’re trapped here?" Aria asked. Her voice trembled. "We can’t leave?"

"No," Ella said. "We’re not trapped. We have to find the missing parts."

"Find?" Mira asked. "Where? In the forest?"

"Around here," Ella answered. "They must have hidden them nearby. They couldn’t have taken them far."

Ms. Lydia nodded. "Ella’s right. They must have hidden them around here. In the other cabins. In the shed. Somewhere."

"But we don’t have much time," Rin said. "Mr. Kai is holding them off. We have to be fast."

"Right," Ella said. "We have to move fast. We have to find those parts and assemble this car before they come."

"How?" Eve asked. "There are ten of us. We can’t search in just one place."

Ella fell silent for a moment. Hmm... She thought about something. Then, she lifted her head. "We split up," she said.

"HAAH?!" Mira opened her mouth. "Split up? Again?!"

"Yes," Ella answered. "But this time, we set a time limit. We all have fifteen minutes to search. After fifteen minutes, we all have to come back here. Gather. And those who find car parts must help those who don’t."

Ms. Lydia nodded. "That’s a good idea. That way, we won’t be scattered for too long. And we can help each other."

"I agree," Nora said.

"Me too," Rin said.

"Me too," Luna said.

"I... me too," Aria said. She nodded slightly.

Fay just nodded.

"Me too," Iris said.

"Agreed," Eve said.

"Alright," Ella said. "We’ll divide into groups. Me, Mira, Luna, and Fay. Rin, Nora, Iris. Ms. Lydia, Eve, Aria. We all have fifteen minutes. After that, come back here. Understood?"

"Understood!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Starting now," Ella said.

Tap... tap... tap... They ran, searching in different directions.

Ella, Mira, Luna, and Fay ran east. Toward the smaller cabins scattered among the trees. Haaah... The cabins were dark. No light. No sound.

Ella opened the first cabin door. Creeeak... She peeked inside. Empty. Just rotting wooden furniture. Just dust.

"Nothing," Ella said. "Let’s go to the next cabin."

They ran to the second cabin. Creeeak... Ella opened the door. Empty too. Just a few fragile wooden boxes. Just a few empty cans.

"Nothing," Ella said again. "Let’s go to the shed."

They ran to the small shed behind the cabin. Creeeak... Ella opened the door. And—HAAH! Her eyes widened. Inside that shed, on a rotting wooden table, lay a car steering wheel. A wooden steering wheel with worn leather covering, but still good.

"The steering wheel!" Mira exclaimed. Her eyes sparkled. "We found the steering wheel!"

Ella took the steering wheel. She examined it. Still good. Still usable. "Good," she said. "Let’s keep searching."

They came out of the shed. They met Ms. Lydia, Eve, and Aria who had just come out of a cabin on the other side. Tap... tap... Ms. Lydia was holding something. A spark plug. A new spark plug, still in its plastic wrapper.

"We found a spark plug," Ms. Lydia said. "Inside the cabin’s cupboard."

"Good," Ella said. "We found the steering wheel. Let’s go back to the car."

Tap... tap... tap... They ran back to the car. They met Rin, Nora, and Iris who were already waiting. Haaah... But their hands were empty.

"You didn’t find anything?" Ella asked.

"No," Rin answered. Her voice was a little frustrated. "We searched the cabins on the west side. Nothing."

"It’s okay," Ella said. "We still have time. Let’s search again."

They ran again. This time, Ella directed her group south. Toward the small sheds scattered among the trees. Haaah... They opened one shed. Empty. Second shed. Empty. Third shed. HAAH! There was a car tire. A spare tire hidden behind a pile of sacks.

"A tire!" Mira exclaimed. She immediately grabbed the tire. Haaah... The tire was heavy, but Mira managed to lift it. "Mira got a tire!"

"Good," Ella said. "Let’s take it to the car."

Tap... tap... tap... They ran back to the car. They met the others. This time, Eve spoke.

"We... we didn’t find anything," Eve said. Her voice was flat, but there was disappointment in her eyes.

"Me neither," Rin said.

"It’s okay," Ella said. "We have the steering wheel. We have the spark plug. We have the tire. We just need to find the battery and the car key."

"The battery," Ms. Lydia said. "The car battery is big. Heavy. They must have hidden it somewhere accessible. Maybe in the main cabin. Cabin number one."

"Cabin number one?" Ella asked. "That’s near the tower. There are many guards there."

"Yes," Ms. Lydia said. "But maybe that’s the only place."

Ella fell silent. She thought about the risk. But they had no choice. "Alright," she said. "We’ll go to cabin number one. But be careful. Don’t get caught."

Tap... tap... tap... They ran toward cabin number one. Haaah... The cabin looked big. With a wide terrace. A few intact windows. But no guards. No light. Empty.

"Empty," Rin said. Her voice was relieved. "They all went to the tower."

"Good," Ella said. "Let’s find the battery."

They entered the cabin. Creeeak... They searched. Haaah... Inside, they found a few items. But no battery. No key. Just furniture. Just dust.

"Nothing," Eve said. "The battery isn’t here."

"The key isn’t here either," Iris said.

Ella let out a breath. She was starting to lose hope. They had searched everywhere. But the battery and car key were still missing.

Suddenly—Tap... tap... tap... The sound of footsteps. HAAH! They were startled. They prepared themselves. Clenched their fists. Ready to fight. But the ones who appeared weren’t guards. The ones who appeared were Rin and Nora.

"Rin?! Nora?!" Ella exclaimed. Her eyes widened. "Where did you come from?"

"We heard your voices," Rin said. "So we followed."

"You didn’t find anything?" Nora asked.

"No," Ella answered. "We searched for the battery and key. But they’re not here."

Rin furrowed her brow. She put her hand into her shirt pocket. She pulled something out. CLACK! A car key. With a wooden tag reading the number seven. The same key the man at the rental place had given.

"HAAH?!" Mira opened her mouth. "The car key?! Where did you get that?!"

Rin smiled slightly. "From Mr. Kai," she answered. "When he saved me from that monster, he put something in my shirt pocket. It turned out to be the car key."

"So Mr. Kai already prepared this?" Ella asked.

"Yes," Rin answered. "He must have guessed the car would be dismantled. So he kept the key. Just in case."

Ella nodded slowly. She stared at the key. For a long time. Then she smiled. "We just need to find the battery," she said.

They returned to the car. With the steering wheel, spark plug, tire, and key. But the battery was still missing. Hmm... Ella furrowed her brow. She observed the car. Thinking about where the battery might be hidden.

"Ms. Lydia," Ella said. "Where is the car battery usually stored?"

"Under the hood," Ms. Lydia answered. "But we already checked. It’s not there."

"Maybe they hid it somewhere else," Eve said. "Maybe in the trunk. Or under the seat."

Ella nodded. She opened the car trunk. CLACK! She peeked inside. Empty. She opened the back door. Peeked under the seat. Empty too.

"Nothing," Ella said. Her voice was starting to sound hopeless.

Suddenly—Fay raised her hand. She pointed toward the bottom of the car.

"Under the car?" Ella asked.

Fay nodded slightly.

Ella crouched. Peeked under the car. Hmm... There, between the metal supports holding the car, lay a battery. A large, black battery, with cables still attached.

"The battery!" Mira exclaimed. Her eyes sparkled. "It’s under the car!"

Rin and Nora helped Ella pull the battery out. Haaah... The battery was heavy, but they managed. They placed it beside the car.

"Good," Ms. Lydia said. "Now let’s assemble this car."

Ms. Lydia took over. She checked every part. Made sure everything was complete. She installed the spark plug. CLACK! Installed the battery. CLACK! Installed the steering wheel. CLACK! And installed the tires. CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! CLACK! Every movement was quick. Skillful.

"Ms. Lydia," Ella said. "You can repair cars?"

Ms. Lydia smiled slightly. "I worked at a workshop when I was young. I learned many things."

Ella nodded. She observed Ms. Lydia busy with the engine. There was something about that woman. Something she couldn’t read.

After almost twenty minutes, Ms. Lydia finished. She closed the hood. CLACK! She wiped her hands. "Done," she said. "This car is ready to use."

"HAAH!" Everyone cheered. Mira hopped lightly. Rin raised her fist. Luna smiled slightly. Nora nodded. Iris smiled. Eve nodded. Aria smiled, though her eyes were still glistening. Fay nodded slightly.

"Good," Ella said. "Now we have to go. We have to pick up Mr. Kai."

But Ms. Lydia didn’t move. She just stood there. Staring at the car. With an unreadable gaze.

"Ms. Lydia?" Ella called. "What’s wrong?"

Ms. Lydia turned. She looked at Ella. For a long time. Then she smiled slightly. "Nothing," she said. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Ella asked.

Ms. Lydia fell silent for a moment. She stared at the car. Then at her students, one by one. She saw Ella, firm. She saw Mira, cheerful. She saw Rin, strong. She saw Luna, calm. She saw Nora, alert. She saw Iris, mysterious. She saw Eve, intelligent. She saw Aria, timid. She saw Fay, quiet.

"About what we should do after this," Ms. Lydia answered.

Ella furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"