From behind her, came the sound of men’s shouts. The girls had roused their village, and the men were coming.
In a moment of clarity, Shanti knew it was over. She slipped off the backpack, pushed it toward him. “Go! You can make it. I can’t.”
“No, Shanti, I won’t leave you here.”
“You can’t run with me on your back forever. You’ll be outnumbered. Those villagers are going to tell the soldiers we just saw. I remember what you said—that they want me alive, but they’ll kill you. Please go! I won’t let you die for me.”
“Those villagers could kill you before the Tatmadaw gets here. And the soldiers—they’ll rape you, Shanti. They’ll torture you. They’ll make you wish you were dead. You’ve seen what they can do. They’ll throw you in a cell—”
“And I’llsurvivejust like Sareema did.” She could see from the despair in his eyes that he knew she was right. “Go, now, Connor, or they’ll havebothof us. I couldn’t live with myself if they killed you. I love you, Connor.”
If this was the last time she saw him, she wanted him to know.
His eyes went wide for a moment, then he ducked down and kissed her. “I’m not abandoning you. Be ready for anything.”
“Run!”
He took his pack, turned, and disappeared down the hillside, leaving Shanti alone.
Her relief was short-lived, her mouth going dry as the villagers rushed over to her, hoes, axes, and sticks in their hands, rage on their faces.
On a sudden inspiration, she pointed away from the direction in which Connor had run. “He ran that way. He’s a bad man. He hurt me. I’m a tourist.”
They would find out the truth eventually, but if she could buy him some time…
The head man walked up, knelt, listened while she repeated what she’d said, making up a story about how he’d abducted her. His English was poor, but he understood enough. For a few precious minutes, it looked as if they would take care of her. Women brought her tea. A healer looked at her ankle. A group of men charged off in the direction she’d pointed, running after Connor.
Then the crowd parted, and a soldier appeared.
He walked up to Shanti, looked at a photo of her on his cell phone.
He smiled, said something to the villagers. The blow came fast and hard as he backhanded her across her face, knocking her over, her head striking something hard.
And then … nothing.