Traumatized Love

Episode 5

I woke up to bright sun shining into the cave. My first thought was I felt rested but then everything that happened yesterday started coming back to me. I realised I was covered with a blanket. My clothes was hung on the rock to dry. I quickly changed into my clothes and looked around me. I could see a lot of things I did not see the night before. I walked further into the cave and noticed multiple containers and crates on the ground. I opened one crate and saw that it contained blankets, clothes and some basic supplies. Realisation descended upon me, so the secret stash of supplies that the man was talking about yesterday really exists. I couldn't find Steven anywhere, so I walked towards the opening of the cave. I found Steven sitting on a rock staring into space. He turned when he heard my footsteps.

"Hey, you're awake," he said.

I looked up, it seems to be mid-day with the sun shining right above.

"So the secret stash of supplies really exists?" I asked.

"Yes, the US army hide some supplies here in case of emergencies. Very few people know about this place, mostly the high ranking officers."

"I see," I said. And then something came to my mind. "Are there any weapons?" I asked.

He smiled, "Unfortunately, no. We couldn't attack the enemy. So the authorities didn't think it was necessary to hide weapons here. There's only food and some basic supplies."

I sat down and look out at the forest. Camden is quite near the equator and the weather here is usually tropical but it can get quite cold at night especially if it rains. What used to be my home is now a foreign territory to me. I somehow have the feeling that if I leave here, I would never return again.

"I've managed to contact the HQ," Steven told me. "We have a walkie talkie kept here only meant to be used during emergency situations. I've informed them of our situation and they will send someone to rescue us. However, it will take them five days to get to us."

"Five days?" I asked back.

"Yes, it's going to take them some time to organise a rescue. The terrain here isn't very suitable to send a rescue team that easily. Plus they have to monitor the movement of the MO as well."

"Alright then, what's the plan?" I asked.

"The plan is in five days time, they will send a helicopter to an open filed about thirty minutes hike from here.They will wait for us as long as they can while we make our way there. But we're in enemy territory and we don't know where the enemy is hiding. It is going to be difficult to evade the enemy here and even more difficult when we reach the open field. We'll be sitting ducks and like targets waiting to be shot down," Steven explained.

"s**t," I cursed. "Do we have any other way to get out of here?" I asked.

"This is the only way," Steven answered.

I sighed thinking if it's a risk I'm willing to take. I either leave here or I'll die here. Come to think about it, I might even put Steven in danger. He has a better chance of getting out of here without me who is a burden to him. I'm not trained in the army, so I'm unfamiliar with how to survive in the wild.

"I'm going to get us out of here," Steven said. "You just have to trust me."

I looked ahead of me thinking about what we have been through in the past day. Thinking back, I recalled meeting Captain Steven about three months back when I started working here. Steven was already stationed here for six months. He was very strict ensuring standard operating procedures were carried out everytime. But deep down, I could sense that he is a compassionate person, very often seeing to the needs of his men and others before himself. I was seldom in contact with him because it was so busy in the hospital. At times where we get to see each other, we usually just said hello. But he was always updated with what’s going on and would come and inform me and the hospital staff. Our relationship was work related but I suppose if it wasn't for the situation that we're in, we could probably be friends. Somehow, I knew I could trust him.

"Alright," I said. "We will go with your plan."

We spend the next few days going through our plan. We had plenty of food stored up in the cave, so food and water was not a problem. We hiked up the open field where the helicopter would be landing to take a look. It wasn't an easy hike and the forest was thick and there were many places for the enemy to hide and ambush us. We hid in the bushes and observed the field which was about 100 metres in diameter. The helicopter is expected to land somewhere at the centre and we have to run towards it. We would be an open target for the enemies to shoot us down. We can just hope that the MO doesn't know where we're hiding and they won't be able to find us. We just have to last five days before we get out of here.

At night, the temperature would drop drastically as the monsoon season was approaching. We couldn't light a fire for fear of being discovered. We could only huddle together to keep each other warm covering ourselves with thin balnkets. Throughout the days we spent at the cave, we got to know each other better. I found out that Steven lost both his parents in an accident. He has on older sister with family of her own living in the US. Since he travels a lot and is always moving around, he doesn't have his own house. He has dated before but hasn't found the right one. I asked him why did he choose to be in the army. He just shrugged.

"I suppose it was a popular thing back then, enlisting in the army. I mean I felt like I didn't fit into any job, so I decided to enlist. Besides, I'm an adrenaline junky, so it's a plus point," he explained.