Melissa and George were the only ones in their small circle who knew what was going on, while Pandora and the others had no idea.
Especially when they saw George, the handsome guy with the cold face, they couldn’t help but want to tease him. They purposely crowded around him.
George was being squeezed, all while trying to protect Melissa’s safety. Several times, their ball got knocked out by Melissa’s forehead. The two of them ended up in a tight embrace multiple times.
Hogan, being mischievous, insisted on dragging Lionel and Pandora’s group into a two-front attack.
At first, Melissa tried to avoid it, but in the end, she just gave up. When George held her, she smelled his scent, and suddenly, her eyes felt a little teary.
Luckily, Jack called for a stop, saying it was time to shoot in the afternoon.
Melissa quickly pulled away from his arms and hurried toward the car, shouting that it was too hot.
Everyone scattered, and George watched her retreating figure, his eyes shadowed.
Lionel handed him a cigarette. “Where are we going this afternoon?”
“Just around. She said she wanted to see the flowers bloom in the desert. Before we leave, at least I can help her fulfill that wish.”
Lionel was confused. “Is she really going? Or are you giving up on Melissa?”
After all these years, why was he suddenly making such a decision?
George sneered. “Maybe if I don’t show up, she’ll be happier.”
“Then you don’t need to leave City N.”
“But if I’m in City N, I won’t be able to stop wanting to see her. Sometimes, I even envy Conrad, being a madman beyond his control. But I’m sober.”
A sober madman was the hardest to save. Even the reason to be mad couldn’t be found.
In the afternoon, Conrad was in charge of the camp, so he had Andrew take a few of them around the area. He specifically instructed them to stay within the safety zone.
They drove their own vehicles. All of them were desert vehicles.
When Melissa opened the car door and saw that the driver was George, she almost left.
“Get in.” He said, then repeated, “This is the last time, Melissa.”
She paused. This was the answer she had longed to hear for years, but when the man actually said it, she felt a strange, indescribable sensation in her heart.
“I hope so.” She turned and got in the car. The next moment, before his smile had fully formed, she added that one sentence.
George lowered his gaze and started the car.
Neither of them spoke.
He was no longer the same as before, reporting his daily activities every day. He didn’t complain about how the cafeteria chef seemed to be in a bad mood again. He didn’t mention which patient had problems that day.
It felt like they were back to a time long, long ago.
But then, suddenly, Melissa spoke up. “What about Gordon and the others?”
The road was lined with nothing but yellow sand; there was no sign of them.
George glanced at the satellite signal beside him. “They’re nearby.”
The sudden change broke the silence.
Melissa lowered her gaze. “Do your parents know you’re going to the front lines?”
“If I get approval for this file, I’ll talk to them. If you want a divorce, we can pick a day after we get back and go get the certificate.” He said this with a dry voice.
Melissa smiled faintly. “Okay.” She turned her head. “As long as you’ve thought it through.”
His heart ached, but he didn’t say anything.
Melissa looked out the window, and then suddenly rolled it down. “Flowers.”
George stopped the car and followed her gaze. Between the cliffs, there really was a white flower, shaped like a lotus, growing there.
“Want to go there?”
Melissa shook her head. “Forget it, it’s too dangerous. We can just look at it from afar.”
Especially since they had to go downhill, and they weren’t familiar with the area. Andrew had said it was best to stick to their planned route. If they deviated now, they’d be off track.
George turned the steering wheel. “Let’s go. This is probably the last thing I’ll do for you.”
When this was mentioned, neither of them knew what to say.
But halfway through the drive, the car suddenly jolted, and the body sank.
George looked at the dashboard, which had gone dark, and told Melissa not to move while he went to check.
A little while later, he opened her side of the car door. “I sent a signal to Gordon and the others. Our tire’s blown. We can either walk over now and check, or wait for them to come pick us up. The timing should be about right.”
Melissa looked at his face and nodded.
Maybe he was right. The last thing they could do together was this.
George reached out his hand. She hesitated for a moment but then placed her hand into his palm. They started walking toward the cliff.
Behind them, two sets of footprints slowly merged into one.
From a distance, the cliff seemed close, but as they walked, they realized it was much further than they thought.
Melissa, who usually hated the sun and the heat, didn’t complain today. She silently followed him, not a single word of complaint.
Then, she stepped on a loose patch of sand and rolled down the dune. George didn’t react quickly enough, and by the time he lunged to grab her, he suddenly clutched onto a nearby sandthorn.
The roughness of the thorn scraped his palm, opening a cut, and the pain made him frown.
Luckily, he managed to grab Melissa’s shirt.
But Melissa’s lower body got sucked into a sand hole, and she kept sinking deeper.
Melissa panicked. “George, I can’t get up.”
“Don’t panic!” He pulled her hard.
But the sandthorn behind them couldn’t bear their combined weight. The sand it had been holding back came crashing down, and George’s legs sank in. He pulled Melissa out of the sand with all his strength.
His hand muscles tensed as he struggled.
Finally, he managed to pull her into his arms.
“Melissa.”
She held onto his waist, looking up at him.
Both of them were covered in sand and felt heavy. They were in a complete mess.
She was so scared she couldn’t stop crying.
The glaring sun beat down on them from above.
Half of George’s face was covered in sand, and his glasses were long gone.
“Listen, step on my arm to climb up.”
Melissa was already panicked. “Can’t we go up together?”
George smiled gently. “We can, but I want to rest for a bit. You go up first.”
Melissa was a little doubtful. “Then I’ll stay here with you.”
“Stop making a fuss. Go up first.” His smile faded. “Use everything you can. Step on my body to climb up. Once you’re at the top, it’ll be safe. Don’t linger, don’t run. Just slowly retrace our steps, go back to the car, and wait there.”
Melissa suddenly thought of something. “I can’t…”
“You can. Melissa, you can do this. Go up.”
“And you?” Her voice trembled.
“Once you’re in the car, press the big red button near the windshield wipers. Try to contact the people at the camp or Gordon and the others.”
His words reminded Melissa that she had to get out first in order to save George.
“Okay.” This time, she didn’t refuse.
He was so warm, and she couldn’t tell if it was from the sand or the scorching heat of the sun.
He lifted her up, her boots pressed against his legs as she pushed herself upward. The sand she stepped on fell all over George’s face and body.
He closed his eyes.
Her fingers dug into the sand as she climbed, inch by inch.
The sun blazed overhead, and from the distant cliff, the flowers in the cracks swayed in the wind.
Melissa’s forehead and hands were covered in sweat.
“Step on my shoulder,” he ordered. “Hurry.”
Melissa’s tears fell uncontrollably as she stepped up.
She heard a muffled grunt from him, and with one strong pull, she was hauled up.
But the sand and dust from the movement caused the ground to collapse faster, and George’s body was sinking deeper.
“George!”
“Go to the car! Take it slow.”
He was still trying to hold himself up, and Melissa quickly tossed her outer coat down. “Hold on to it. I’ll find something to tie it.”
“Go to the car, there’s nothing here to tie it with.”
Melissa looked around, frustrated and anxious, with no solution. Finally, she used her hands and feet to crawl a few steps through the sand before cautiously and quickly glancing toward the spot where the car had stopped.
“George, wait for me!”