CHAPTER 13 : GIVES AWAY TO VIANKA

Two days had pass and Lev keep on going. His legs were tired but he ignored it. At the end of the first day he felt it trembles every time he moves. On the next day he couldn't feel a thing but pushing himself forward to passes the trees.

His body was screaming in pain and asked him to stop, his bones start to wheezes a cracking sound, not mention of Vianka's body on his back which getting him more severe. But his brain is stiff like a rock to order his body to keep walking. Only by moves then the weight that he carried feels lighter. It's very hard indeed to pump the motivation right from the start if he decided to break a while. His throat drinks no water yet, especially after Vianka drink the last supplies. His lips and throat tasted like sanded but he continuous to pump the spirit by saying that this thirst is only for short period. Any minutes now he would find a spring, same like a traveler who encounters an oasis in the desert.

Vianka slept for two days and it seems to be continuous. He can feel her breath on his neck, interspersed by softly snore. He didn't want to wake her up. Things that happened to Vianka for the past month must have drained her spirit, tearing down the barricade of her fortitude fortress, sinking her courage into the river of distress and terror. The only thing that needed for that girl right now is sleep…to recover her condition…also her spirit…and she's really slept soundly like a baby on his back.

Lev remembers the last time he's been carried by daddy was when he's got an accident while learning to ride a bike. He was six years old, with twice of weight comparing to the kids of his age, but his old man lifted him so easily from the gutter and he put him gently on his back. Little Lev, who felt the sprained on his ankle couldn't stop crying. Daddy carried him back home to give his boy some treatment and his cry stopped in a sudden. He felt a tremendous comfort on the man's back…some feelings that make him so protected…believe that everything will be fine ... and he no longer feel the pain.

There's nothing more comfortable than carried by piggyback position like that, especially when you're in pain. You can moves to and fro without efforts, without a stride, or move your leg while sensing the smooth swing that lull. To keep such comfort, he continued to walks. Allowing himself not to sleep, sacrifice his drowsiness in order to gives Vianka time to heals. He's injecting some picture to his brain that he's undergoing survival's game currently…some of survival's game like he did during the scout…and that give him strength to stay alive.

"Are we there yet?"

Her suddenly word flushing Lev's exhausted heart like a dried flower that finally showered by the first raindrop in the rainy season.

"Are you awake?"

"I think so…yeaah…where are we?"

"In the woods, still..."

"We're not lost, do we?"

"If we keep heading toward east then we'll find the exit route from this mountain."

"You're not taking a rest?"

"I'm afraid to wake you up."

"I feel fine now. How long do I sleep anyway?"

"Two days."

"Two days?" Vianka replies in disbelief.

"Yup."

"My, God! And you haven't slept in two days?"

"It's ok! No problem at all."

"No, you have to stop now. Take break, will ya!"said Vianka.

Vianka tone is like she's angry, but Lev knew that his sister just worried about his situation. Vianka doesn't want Lev get sick from exhaustion, especially there's no doctor in this forest and the girl is depend on him, remembering her condition. If anything worse happens to Lev then their chance to escape from this forest will be vanished.

"However…it's late don't you think?" said Vianka while looking up. "The sky is dark."

"Since we entered the forest, the dark was on...I don't know whether the night or day. It all looks the same here…"

It was true. The foliage of the trees forming a roof about ten meters above his head so he couldn't see the sky whether is bright or dark, or is time for sun to emerge or the moon's shining time. That kinda scenery was blocked by the nature roof. The same roof that seen by Vianka and thought as the night sky. But Lev, who knew it, realized that he was disoriented so he had to rely on his digital watch to define time difference whether is day or night.

Fortunately, his watch had distinction to show a.m and p.m for time reference, and right now, it shows 09.00 p.m, which means nine o'clock in the afternoon.

"You're right. I'm very tired."

"There's some place that suites to rest over there," she suggested by pointing at the bush that grows under the foot of the old pine with an age that probably more than a century.

"Too bad I didn't bring the tent," Lev commenting.

"The grass is fine…the roof is fine…what else do we need?"

Lev agrees with her. The guy put down his twins carefully and taking a position near the tree so she could lean on the pine root that grows out from the land. The young man waited until his twin sister can sit comfortably. Suddenly, strange noise come out from her stomach and it makes Lev laugh loud.

"Sounds like you are hungry and need rest."

"Hey, don't point it back to me. Obviously, I haven't eaten anything for two days, remember?" said Vianka with a flushed of embarrassment.

"Yeah, sure, I'll prepare the meal first before we got rest."

Lev picks up a can of corned beef and fruit juices for each of them. He can't cook like Samsudin so he chooses some food that can be consumed instantly. Although the food is served perfunctory, the hunger was something that makes it extraordinary for him and Vianka. For the drink, he didn't have to seek too far. About five meters away from their spot he found several coconut trees. He selected the one that's not so high and climbs it. Staying in the dark for so long made him able to recognize the fruits are ripe. He dropped five coconuts then opens the first two immediately to drink it.

Funny to found some coconut trees are grows in a place like this. But once the water that came from the coconut swept the thirst in his throat, he's not able to think anything than praise. He thanks God that he can still enjoy this scrumptious water. He opens the last three and putting its water inside the supply bottles. Still hungry, he grates the coconut meat to be eaten.

"It all reminds me on our first camp in Cibubur," said Lev.

"Yes, but I hate to remember it because you didn't bathe for three days."

"The water was disgusting there. What if I got scabies?"

"It didn't mean that you can brandish your socks to all people."

Lev grinned with naughty, "That was stupid time, indeed."

"But funny. It's more fun that I have today."

"Our condition now is totally different. We're not on a camp…we're struggling for live."

"I mean my condition…just look at me…crippled…without legs and fingers. Why should I live?"

"Don't blame for what happened. Everyone was thinks you're dead."

Vianka said in whispers, "Maybe is better be so."

"You fool! Idiot! Don't ever say something like that."

Vianka's tears started to flow but she's able to hold it in order not to make Lev angrier. She nodded, "I'm sorry…."

"I come to this damn place just to save you. These whole things ain't worth it if you still want to die. I'd rather let you rotten inside that hole."

Sarcastic inside Lev's word make Vianka realize that she's hurting his feeling badly with something she said before, "Ay, Lev…it's my mistake…I know you come here along the way just to pick me up."

"No problem. I know what you feel. You've just angry losing the parts of your body," said Lev patiently, tries to hold his temper. "Same thing to me when I'm losing you after hearing the airplane crash news."

"That nightmare is come back, Lev! The nightmare I've got after survived from the river."

"Maybe it was triggered by your experience. Being sucked by stream or airplane crash was near death experience which almost make your live perish."

"But it's more terrible this time because I don't think it's just a dream. Seems I can't tell which is dream or reality. Everything's similar."

"Your situation is much better now and I'm sure you'll be able to tell the difference soon. We can handle it, same as we do to copes your nightmare on a previous time."

"How do you know I'm still alive?"

"I heard you calling my name, over and over again, constantly."

"Did I do that? I had fever, indeed and during that period I remember you…in many ways…always…mmm...could be that's a time when I calling your name, is it?"

"Perhaps…"

"I think that was called delirious."

"I call it a hunch. Jaka Hardiman said it was intuition of the twins. "

"So you've met Jaka Hardiman?" Vianka was aghast.

"I even came here with him and Ridwan."

"Ridwan is here? So where are they now?"

"They're dead. Khisima attacked them... "

Lev tell the whole story, starting from his acquainted to Jaka, her superior at the office, to search information about Vianka existence at Sukhoi and to the incident two nights ago when the occult tiger attacked. She listens very carefully and didn't want to bother him with question. Her tears fell at the part when Khisima rushed into the tent and kill Jaka Hardiman and the whole crews.

"It means the tiger is real…"

"Damn real, he is. Did you see it, also?"

"Just hear its sound. I managed to escape so I survived," Vianka said and shook his head.

"Then how you survive?" asked Lev.

"Thank to the hole..." she answered and her mind flew…