After I started walking, it was very uncomfortable at first. I hurt not only my legs, but also other places, and I felt like I couldn't exert myself in many places, and I couldn't coordinate at all. Although Ahmet supported me, I couldn't rely on him too much, after all, he was also walking, and relying too much on him would only cause him to speed up the consumption of physical strength, and finally neither of us could walk.

But fortunately, the battle here is completely over, and although we are walking slowly, at least we don't have to worry about being discovered or chased, as long as we can move forward. For the first hour, I was like a child learning to walk, staggering slowly and tired. After two breaks, perhaps because the body has become active or the body has gradually adapted to this awkward way of movement, it is easier to walk after that.

Towards noon, we came to a place where the slope was gentle and looked like we could go uphill. Ahmed and I stopped here and looked up the hill.

"You want to go up from here?" I asked.

Ahmed nodded and said, "It should be possible to go up here." He said, looking ahead, "I'm not familiar with this place, and I can't take the risk of continuing on." If there is no other way ahead, it is a waste of time, and now we have no time to waste. So go up from here. “

Ahmed was about to go up as he spoke, but I quickly stopped, "Wait first. Where the hell are we going? Do you continue to look for the direction in which our people have retreated? ”

"So where else can we go? Is it going back? The village we captured when we came must now be in the hands of the Yankees again. In other words, we have no other way but to go into the mountains. Ahmed said.

"But have you ever thought about it, and if you go there, you might encounter the Yankees or other coalition forces. What to do then? I said.

Ahmed shook his head and said, "I have to go there." Ashraf is there, I have to find him! ”

I looked at Ahmed, who was a little anxious and even anxious, "Ashraf? That companion of yours? ”

"That's right! Who do you think I'm talking about? Is Qasim that bastard? Ahmed said with some emotion.

At this moment, I suddenly realized that it was Ahmed's companion, the little guy named Ashraf, who was somewhat similar to Ahmed. It's just that Ahmed has a big beard, and if you don't look at the beard, you can only look at the upper half of the face. The more you look at it, the more it looks.

I didn't ask that, and since Ahmed didn't say it all along, it was clear that he didn't want to talk to us. And what we are doing now, he takes with him ... Own son? If yes ... Then it is even more inconvenient to ask, because only when you have to do it is necessary to bring your close relatives to do such a risky thing.

So I nodded and pointed to it and said, "Then let's get started... You are the guide, of course listening to you. Whether you know the road or not, it's up to you. ”

Ahmed smiled helplessly when I said this, looked above me and said, "Are you showing your trust in me or are you ridiculing me for being a guide who doesn't know the way?" ”

"Instead of thinking about what I mean, think about how I should get up. It's not easy to climb up in this place as I am now... I said.

"I'll try it first and see if it's easy to climb. You're here waiting for me. Ahmet put down his backpack as he spoke, then took out the dagger and strapped it to his body, and strode up.

After about five or six minutes, he climbed up to a flat ground above the hillside, and then he circled around it, as if looking around, and then turned and slowly returned to the bottom.

"Can't get through it?" I asked, looking at his disappointed expression.

Ahmed looked at me and said, "How do you know it's not going to work?" “

"Then why do you look disappointed?" I asked.

Ahmed looked down and took out the blanket from his bag and tied it around me, "That's because I looked at it, and there was no sign of people or animals on it. “

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Ahmed wrapped the blanket around his waist again, and as he tied it, he said, "First of all, we may have gone the wrong way. There was no way through at all, so no one came, and no animals came. Secondly, there is no grass in this place, there is nothing, so no matter what, you will not come here. “

"Okay. I hope it's just the second, not the first. I said.

Ahmed picked up the bag again, and after trying on the blanket that tied the two of us together, he said as he walked up the hill, "I thought so too. As long as you can go out, just go out. ”

The uphill road was much more difficult than before, because of the difference in the range of movements, I felt that the wound was torn back and forth as soon as I exerted force, and the pain immediately spread all over my body. Fortunately, the ground here is quite tight, not a loose gravel road, so you can stand still and rest when it hurts, and you don't have to worry about suddenly slipping down.

"Hold on. You've got to work harder. Ahmed was forced to stop, and he pulled the blanket around our waist with one hand, "Push harder." We'll have to climb up at least before night, right? ”

"It's only noon, do you think we'll need that long to get up?" I said, continuing to lift my steps and take a step forward.

Ahmed smiled and said, "I'm afraid you'll have to use it that long. When he saw that I was going on, he turned around and walked up.

"But I'm going to rest when I get up to it ... It's been a while since we've had a break. I said as I walked.

"Okay. For your sake, your whole body is wounded. Just go up, we'll rest, and then lunch. Ahmed gasped.

About twenty minutes later, Ahmed climbed up with me. After going up, I immediately found a flat place and sat down slowly against the rock wall of the mountain.

Ahmed put away the blanket and said, "We should be almost back to where we were attacked before we rolled down. As he spoke, he put the blanket in his bag and looked to the east, "That's the landmark." It should be right for us to continue in the direction of the mountain. ”

I looked around, and there wasn't really much of a road here. It's just one hillside after another, and it seems that it is impossible to go directly to the east, and it is blocked by a steep stone mountain, and it seems that you can only go in the southeast direction.

"It's like it's going to have to go around in a circle." I said.

"Yes. It really has to go around in circles. I hope the distance is not too far, and the circle is not too big. Ahmet sat down as he spoke.

Climb high mountains, cross wasteland...

(End of chapter)