The next day, Jane arrived at the hotel as planned. Joseph bounced out of the lobby, clearly dressed to impress. When he saw Jane, he grinned widely and said, “Jane, you’re right on time! Where are we going today?”
Jane chuckled and lowered her sun visor. “I’m taking you to the most famous forest tunnel in our area,” she said. “It’s a beautiful view and if you want to, we can take a cable car.”
Joseph nodded eagerly and was full of energy throughout their journey. He tried to strike up conversations with Jane but she only responded politely without much enthusiasm.
After riding the cable car through the forest for some time it was already past 11 AM when they arrived at their destination. Joseph pulled out two sandwiches from his backpack and offered one to Jane.
“Is there a shortcut here? I want an adventure!” Joseph asked excitedly.
“A shortcut? What are you thinking?” Jane looked at him skeptically. “Isn’t it better if we just take the cable car back down later?”
Joseph loved adventure and always enjoyed trying new things like rock climbing or bungee jumping when traveling with friends. He even tried jungle adventures before so this seemed like no big deal for him.
Most importantly though, if he could be with Jane, then he had an opportunity to protect her!
“No, I prefer adventures, and besides, it’s a rare opportunity for just the two of us to be out here, Jane. You can trust me; I’ll protect you if there’s any danger!”
Joseph turned his head, excitedly trying to persuade Jane. He even patted his chest, emphasizing his manly spirit.
Seeing this, Jane couldn’t resist him. She nodded and agreed. If she didn’t, Joseph might come up with all sorts of reasons later, so she quickly appeased the young man.
After finishing their sandwiches and taking a break, they didn’t follow the original plan. Instead, they ventured further into the woods until they couldn’t see the shadow of the outer fence.
Joseph finally stopped.
Naturally, Jane didn’t insist on dragging him back to take the cable car down the mountain. Instead, she wholeheartedly joined Joseph in playing the so-called adventure game.
Leaves and branches scattered on the ground, making a crunching sound when stepped on. Joseph continued to lead the way, and Jane followed closely.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse. Both of them were starting to feel a bit stiff and sore. If they abruptly stopped, they might roll down the mountain. Without another option, Jane tightly gripped her hiking pole.
Suddenly, she heard a muffled groan from the man in front. Instinctively looking up, she saw Joseph squatting with a pained expression, his right hand covering the area around his ankle.
“What’s wrong?” Jane asked worriedly as she rushed over to check if he was injured. “Did you hurt yourself? Is it serious?”
Joseph lifted his head with an embarrassed expression and stammered for a while before finally admitting, “… I got too excited earlier about getting down the mountain quickly and accidentally sprained my ankle. It’s not a big deal.”
Jane fell silent again, feeling frustrated by Joseph’s recklessness but quickly regained her composure since this wasn’t even their intended path down the mountain. Even if Joseph had not been injured, they couldn’t push themselves too hard or risk being stranded in darkness.
She pursed her lips together into a thin line while furrowing her brows slightly like two shallow valleys before finally making up her mind to offer help.
“Here,” she said firmly as she extended her hand towards him. “Try standing up first so we can get going; otherwise we might end up spending tonight here on this mountainside.”
Joseph froze for a moment when he saw Jane reaching out to help him. After all, he was still very much male, but then realized that what she said made sense.
He handed his hand over hesitantly to let Jane pull him upright onto his feet again.
Jane carefully draped one of Joseph’s arms around her shoulder before gritting through clenched teeth while supporting them both slowly down the steep slope of the terrain.
As the saying goes, going up the mountain is easy, but going down is difficult, especially in such a steep area. Jane soon felt her stamina giving way, her legs weakening. Several times, her feet slipped, but she dared not take it lightly, especially while supporting a man. Walking was undoubtedly slower.
When they successfully descended after two hours, Jane breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched flat ground. She then supported Joseph’s arm and said, “I just checked the sign. We need to go about eight hundred meters north to find the entrance of the scenic area. It’s getting dark now; we should hurry out. Can your leg hold up?”
Joseph gritted his teeth; his ankle had swollen significantly. Still, he nodded, feeling a sense of regret. If not for his insistence on the adventure, his foot wouldn’t be twisted, and Jane wouldn’t be burdened. The current situation was unknown, and they had a long way to go.
He looked at Jane, carefully examining her expression. Finally, he apologized, “Jane, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be stuck here. I don’t know…”
“It’s okay,” Jane sighed lightly. Given the circumstances, she didn’t want to blame Joseph. After all, he was just an impulsive young man. “Let’s hurry out. If your leg can’t take it, tell me. We can take a break.”
Unfortunately, dreams are beautiful, but reality is often cruel.
Their movement was already slow, with Joseph needing frequent breaks. Night fell rapidly, surrounding them in darkness, and they hadn’t made it out.
Joseph looked around, his face showing concern. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
Jane’s stamina was also dwindling. She panted, and her steps became more sluggish. “Never mind, it’s useless to talk about it now. It’s not completely dark yet. Let me see where we are.”
Jane surveyed the surroundings, but it was all dense forest with no sign of civilization. Undoubtedly, they were lost.
Suddenly, the sky visibly darkened, and she looked up to see a mass of ominous clouds, even faint thunder in the distance.
Jane’s pupils constricted. It was a sign of rain, and they were lost without an umbrella.
“Is it going to rain?”