Chapter Eight - The Chase Continues

"If you're going to remember any place here, it'll be the bazaar," Alex told her the next morning as he led her through the jungle along a mountainside. She had slept late, having been exhausted from all the excitement and confusion of the previous day.

The bazaar. Sounded interesting.

Alex was easily the most helpful person she had met here so far. Nigel was helpful, of course, and welcoming, but with her lack of memory it was hard to understand what he was telling her. And well, the dark-eyed man and other men at the camp had only confused her more, so Alex it was.

"Oh wow," she breathed when she saw it.

Alex grinned. "Yeah, cool huh? Come on, you've only barely seen it."

He led her inside the bustling, colourful marketplace, where you could find just about anything: clothing, food, weapons.

"It's brilliant." And it too seemed vaguely familiar, just as he had said, so that was a good sign.

"See that grate there," Alex said, lowering his voice and nodding to one down a narrow side street. "There's a tunnel beneath it. If we ever get separated here, you can go through there, it's a shortcut back out to where the hideout is. There are some obstacles, but it's hidden."

She nodded. "Good to know. Now come on, I want to explore!"

And that was how they spent most of the afternoon, wandering through the many booths.

"So let me get this straight: your name is Alex, but you're stuck in the game as Jefferson 'Seaplane' McDonough?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know, it's confusing. And you're a professor?"

"Yes, Professor Theresa Ross, aspiring zoologist."

They were cut off then by the humming of motorcycles - that could only mean one thing.

"Split up!" cried Alex as the men appeared. "You know that creek close to the hideout we passed on our way here?" Terri nodded hastily. "Let's plan to meet back there in a couple of days."

"A couple of days?!"

"Let them lose our trail, less risk of them finding us both and the hideout."

Okay, she saw his point. "What if one of us doesn't make it back there?"

"Then the other goes back to the hideout and tries to find the others before helping the other person."

Again, she nodded. "Okay, see you there and then. Good luck."

"You too." With that, they both took off in opposite directions.

"Hey!" She could hear the men shouting after them. She frantically ducked behind booths and people.

"Rations! Get your rations!" The old man selling food stepped right in front of her path.

"Sorry, can't right now!" She sprinted past him.

The grate! The method of escape Alex had told her about. If only she could find it - in her frantic state she felt so turned around that everything looked the same, and she was overwhelmed by the noise, colour, and the crowd. It was like a maze in here. But she had no time to stop and think - she couldn't make it to the escape, so she could only hope Alex could. So she did all she could do - she kept running.

A gateway! Up ahead - the chase had led her all the way to the other end of the bazaar, and an open gate like in one of those medieval castles was straight ahead.

She was quite impressed with herself managing to get through all these obstacles with her clumsiness - but she thought this too soon, for just a few moments later she flew over a stack of crates. The toe of her boot got caught on one of them, sending her crashing to the ground face first. She cursed herself.

Looking up, she found she had been surrounded by the men, one standing between her and the open gate thus blocking her escape. Oh well done, Terri.

One man with throwing knives at his belt stepped forward. "Hello Ms. Ross. Your husband will be glad to see that you're safe."

She jumped to her feet, snatching up her staff. "I don't know what you're talking about-" It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't quite the truth either.

She frantically searched for an escape. How was she going to get past them and slip out the gate? Then she realized the gate was being held open by a rope and pulley system.

"You're confused, you're scared. We can help you."

"Yeah, thanks for the offer but-" With a swing of her staff she hit the pulley system and dove beneath the gate just as it fell, closing and separating them. She didn't look back, but heard a lot of shouting and cursing. Hmm, she was pretty good with this staff. It certainly came in handy.

She didn't stop running until the noise and music from the bazaar was long gone. She knew that being all the way on the other side of the large and vast market, she was even further away from the hideout now. Alex had shown her markers along their way to the bazaar so she would know she was in the right place if she ever got lost. Good old Alex, thinking of everything.

A couple of days. She had a couple of days before she had to meet him, a couple of days alone to try and get around the jungle and avoid the men. She didn't know how long it would take her to reach the hideout, now being even further away from it. She had better start walking.

Unhelpfully, night was beginning to fall. She had to walk all the way around the outskirts of the bazaar, which only added more time. She was exhausted, and decided that she would only go a little further and then make camp for the night.

At least with the coming of nightfall the intense heat from the day was withering, as it had begun to make her drowsy and make her head spin, and with her exhaustion and already confused state that wasn't a good mix. She was becoming so delirious that it looked like that fat vine hanging from that nearby tree was moving.

She stopped walking. Wait, that wasn't a vine...

She froze, growing rigid as her gaze began to follow the long, grey body until she was turning around to meet the head of a giant snake.

With a cry she stumbled back, landing hard on the ground. She scrambled back as the snake lowered its head closer to her, jaws open wide, fangs bared, eyes narrowed, and tongue flicking towards her in a hiss.

Then, suddenly, the snake drew back slightly, though looked as though it were fighting against it. Turning, her eyes were met by the shadow of a tall figure at the edge of the trees. She would recognize that figure anywhere - the dark-eyed man.

He stepped out of the shadows and his eyes flashed emerald green, which seemed to overpower the snake for it gave one last warning hiss before it slithered away.

It was only when its scaly tale disappeared that Terri's heartbeat started to slow again from its racing pace.

Slowly, cautiously almost, as though he feared another outburst from her, though nonetheless concerned, he approached. "Are you alright?"

Her gaze went from him and then back to the spot where the snake had been just moments before. "Y-you controlled it. How?"

He reached out a gloved hand. "I'll show you."

She hesitated - what if she were making a great mistake? But she still had so many questions... Plus, he had just saved her, so she figured that she would be safe with him.

So reaching out, she put her hand in his and held it tight.

Putting those animal control skills to good use! ;) And meanwhile, the others are still wandering through the jungle lost, haha! ;) Just kidding, we'll catch up with them in the next chapter, but I wanted to get this chapter out! Hope you enjoyed, thanks so much for reading and for the comments! :)