Chapter 11:

"So this obstacle is called quick sand platform. You have to run as fast as you can, or else the platform will break and you'll fall into the pit of darkness."

Joey gulped. What was the need for such a security system, he wondered.

Sherene slapped her forhead. "What was I thinking," she mumbled. "The stretch is thirteen kilometers long. We can't run! That's impossible! What do I do? What was the only safe way out," she pondered.

"The only thing that can go thirteen miles as quickly as possible, is a motorbike. "

"The quicksand pulls you down if you're slow. But if you don't cross it in a minute, the whole floor breaks down. It's so light, that it can't withstand the weight. Wait a minute, I got it," Sherene did a little dance. "Wait right here."

Joey waited for a minute, as he watched Sherene disappear somewhere. If they were on that quicksand right now, in exactly a minute they would fall down.

He spotted something black coming towards him like a large bullet.

In front of him, was a bullet bike, black, sleek, and shiny. Sitting on it was Sherene with a helmet, and bike gear. She motioned him to get on, and shakingly Joey sat behind her. She handed him his helmet, and told him to hug her.

Joey did the next rational thing he could think of. He hugged her tightly from the back, but his hands were long, and well, he's rather tall. So where anyone's hands are usually around the waist, his was well, a little above. Okay, much above.

Sherene got so angry, she slapped and pinched his hands.

"Ow, what was that for?" Joey whimpered.

"You are really asking me that? I thought you were decent. The least you can do is be cooperative when I'm risking MY life to save YOU," she snapped.

Joey scratched the back of his neck. He seriously didn't understand. "Could you um explain why you just pinched me?"

Sherene grunted impatiently. "Your hands were around my chest you eijit. Hold on to the back seat."

Joey turned beet. No wonder it was soft, he thought, and grinned sheepishly. He held on to the back seat, and without a warning, Sherene sped off.

They were speeding at seven hundred and eighty hundred miles an hour. Joey felt like his skin was being ripped out.

Just as the minute was about to be up, the quicksand platform broke towards the end, and the front wheel of the bullet bike dipped. Going at a high speed, Sherene and Joey were thrown from the bike and flew about a couple of miles before hitting the ground. Sherene fell first, as she was sitting in the front. Joey, as usual, landed on top of her, his landing soft, but it was Sherene who faced the impact.

Craaa-aaack.

Sherene cried out loud in pain. Joey had landed on her knee, and as light as he was, due to the speedy fall, his impact was huge anyways.

Sherene's knee was definitely broken, and tears just flowed from her eyes. Her pain was so unbearable she couldn't talk. All she did was close her eyes, and wince in pain. Joey, having been accustomed to many inopportune injuries, ripped the calf part of her jeans, and tied the knee up. He expertly held the knee joint together, and Sherene felt temporary relief.

She looked at Joey in awe, and asked him how he knew that. Joey shrugged. He told her that they taught it during his military camp when he was eight. He was so excited he learnt something new, that his parents let him try it on them a few times. It was one of the last few moments of his life, and he treasured them very much. Which was why though he learnt it at a very young age, he still remembered.

Joey shrugged off his memories for the time being and asked her what they had to do next.

"The last obstacle is the Tsunami wave. If you get through this you can get out alive," she smiled, softly.

"What do you mean, 'you'? There's no you. There's only us," he said, firmly.

"No," she said, sadly. "I've got a knee injury. And I can't make it through. You reach and get some help, okay?"

"Alright," Joey nodded. "So what happens in this?"

"You need to row this canoe. Initially it will be silent, and peaceful. Then there will be a whirl pool. You need to row as fast as you can to get out of it. Remember, row in one direction, and one side only. That's the trick to get out of THIS whirlpool. And then the Tsunami wave would appear out of nowhere. For that, you need to row backwards only. Row a different direction, and you'll be consumed by the wave. After that, in another few miles, you'll reach the shore. You don't need to row then. It flows like a river."

"So where do I get this boat?"

Sherene pointed to a corner on the extreme left. You can start the journey from there," she whispered.

Sherene closed her eyes, and let the tears flow. It was probably the last time she was ever going to see Joey. She didn't tell him that when the Tsunami errupts, she'll be washed away. She wanted Joey to be safe.

She watched Joey as he walked away. "Keep Priscella safe," she whispered, knowing that he wouldn't hear her.

But Joey had other ideas. He never inteded to leave her. Joey walked away, to catch Sherene unawares. She had closed her eyes by then. Walking back towards her, he kissed her closed eyes, and lifted her.

Sherene yelped as she felt herself being lifted up. "What are you doing," she asked Joey, wide eyed.

"Taking you with me," he smiled. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone. Especially not after what we have both been through."

Sherene was heavy, but Joey didn't show it. He gently cradled her as he trudged to the direction of the boat.

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