Chapter One
Day 1 Lost in the Forest
She didn't know how many hours she walks alone in this creepy place, She lost in the forest, she was isolated from her group, they were headed here in Simpkins to be a volunteer to help the sick and homeless children.
A place where the war was never been over; Simpkins where the ordinary people are separated from the people who has more wealth and power, It's a place where are all divided from the life status, education and money. People living downtown needs help and caring coming from people who has a big heart.
She continued to walk and didn't know where she take her feet her heart was breathing fast she was totally drained, she needs a glass of water to refresh, her stomach was empty and need some food to feed. She didn't know when was her last meal?
She keeps moving and hoping she sees a sign of a little town or maybe a way to go back in the city she don't have any idea at all. She sit and rest her feet for a while, suddenly she feel afraid, what if the terrorist people will see her or a wild animal that eat human body?
Her body starts to shiver and cried. She was even more frightened because the whole forest was covered with darkness.
She stood from her seat and quickly stepped on her feet for a while, suddenly she heard a car engine and voices of a group of men, chattering and laughing. She runs fast, maybe this is the help she was praying for a hope that will take away from his creepy called a forest.
A little hope was come into her heart, she finally sees a truck coming and the voice of a group of men is coming nearer from where she was standing. She could already see the highway and the vehicles.
She stands in the middle of the highway and waving her hand.
"Help... Help... Please help me....... She shouted out.
Breathing heavily
She could hardly stand long, her body shivering.
A man coming into her, he had a gun slung on his shoulder, wearing a fatigue uniform she then smiled that she knows she is in good hands, before her vision was fading.
"Salamat.... Maraming Salamat...
Speaking in her own dialect
.
Ma'am.... get up.... Open your eyes. These are the words she heard from a man who is wearing a fatigue uniform. She wants to open her eyes, but she lost consciousness. She then suddenly fell into the man's arms.
Day 2 Meeting of the Strangers
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was laying on the bed and something was attached to her arms, she then moved and trying to say some words. She sees two men standing near at the door, they are wearing a fatigue uniform and a gun slung on their shoulder.
"Nasaan ako"?
speaking in her own dialect
The two man notices her, suddenly stop talking and approached her.
"Ma'am, how are you feeling"? Asked by a man with a blonde hair. "Are you okay?"
"Nasaan ako"?
speaking again in her own dialect
"What she said"? asked another men wearing a cap.
"Ma'am, do you speak English?" Asked again by a man with a blonde hair.
She froze and stared at the two men, she has now recognized because of the patches attached to their uniforms. They are soldiers, the Arland soldiers.
"Ma'am, are you okay"? Do you understand me? Asked again by a man with a blonde hair.
She is just starring the two men wearing a fatigue uniform. No more words coming from her, she was rattling and surprise that all of the sudden she was now with the Arland Soldiers.
One soldier wearing a cap went on the table next to her bed and approached the phone and dialed.
"Sergeant she is awake" just a single message delivered to his superior and then he dropped the phone call.
The two soldiers keep talking to her, trying to approach her, but she was totally rattled she wanted to ask for some food but no words coming out of her lips.
After a half hour the door open, A man come to her room, he is also wearing a fatigue uniform. The two soldiers gave a salute to the young officer, she now can figure out that this man is more superior to them, she guesses he is the man who being called a while ago.
"Any details you get from her"? He asked his two men.
"No, Sir, I think that she can't understand English. Answered by one soldier who wearing a cap.
She just chuckles and started to laugh. Seriously, they figured out she can't understand what are they talking about.
The man they called Sir coming close to her. He snipes and cross his arms before he started to ask some question to her.
"How you feel Ma'am"?
She is just looking at his face and to the uniform where his name was printed - HERRERA
" Maybe that was his last name", she asked to herself.
The young officer moves close to her and at the moment she noticed that he was seated on her bed.
"Get off in my bed, " she said bluntly.
"Oh.... sorry.
" So Ma'am, you know how to speak English? Asked again by the officer named Herrera printed in his army uniform.
She doesn't answer. She looked around again and thinking.
Her stomach sounded like thunder that she almost made her feel hungry for almost a day without eating, her feel a bit a little shy because she was sure that it was heard by them.
"I am hungry.... Do you have some food? It's almost a day I haven't eaten anything". Her eyes were pleading with the three soldiers in this room.
"Alright then..."
The young officer asks the two soldiers to get some food for her.
She is now alone with the officer named Herrera, she still quite and observing the officer on what he was doing, he gets some paper and a pen then he writes something on there. She wonders that maybe he writes down all the questions he wanted to ask for her.
A moment later, the two soldiers arrived, they bring foods as she requested from them.
She grabs the food, she doesn't care anymore if what she would look like what is important now is to fill her empty stomach.
After she has eaten, she wanted to take a shower, she asks a favor and the officer allow her to clean up herself.
"Can I get my bag, my personal things and my phone are there".
"Oh, this will not be too hard anymore, I thought you can't speak English." The officer smile bluntly.
"Of course I do". She sounded so calm and kind, she don't want to shoot them if she says something not good.
"But I need my bag before I take a shower, Can I get my bag Sir?
"Well, but we need to check it first".
"Seriously? Her face gets red and feel shyness they shouldn't do that, those are her personal belongings. Do they need to do that?
" Oh... this is unbelievable". She said to herself and remains quiet.
After an hour of waiting a Soldier with a blonde hair come into the room with her bag she grabs instantly and start checking if all her things are still in there.
But her phone is missing, she looks again on a pocket of her bag pack maybe it was placed on there, but she can't still find her phone, she was thinking that maybe it was misplaced by her or it was left on the forest.
" Have you seen my phone"? I need that, I need to contact my friends.. "
" Sorry ma'am, but we need to check your phone first, then we will give it to you once it was checked.
"Not again... She breathes heavily.
She just nodded and glance at the window glass, she thinks about now her friends where they are at this moment.
She would not insist on going through the small town of this place, she would not have separated from them, as they travelled to the town she enjoyed walking until she realize that she was lost and she did not know how to return to town.
There is nothing she could do for now is just to stare at the soldiers and she looks outside of this room. She was just keep thinking and trying to figure out what will happen next to her living with the strangers.
